Genesis 39:19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.
Potiphar knew what kind of woman his wife was and he knew what kind of man Joseph was. His anger probably came because he knew that her accusation against Joseph was not true.
“Death was the only penalty Joseph could reasonably expect. His reprieve presumably owed much to the respect he had won; and Potiphar’s mingled wrath and restraint may reflect a faint misgiving about the full accuracy of the charge.” (Kidner)
“He never said a word, that I can learn, about Potiphar’s wife. It seemed necessary to his own defense, but he would not accuse the woman; he let judgment go by default, and left her to her own conscience and her husband’s cooler consideration. This showed great power; it is hard for a man to compress his lips, saying nothing when his character is at stake. So eloquent was Joseph in his silence that there is not a word of complaint throughout the whole record of his life. He felt it a cruel thing, to be under such a slander, and to suffer for his innocence. A young man so pure, so chaste, must have felt it to be sharper than a whip of scorpions to be accused as he was; yet as he sat down in the gloom of his cell, the Lord was with him. The Lord was with Joseph none the less when he was cast into the prison. He knew God was with him in prison, and therefore he did not sit down sullenly in his sorrow, but he bestirred himself to make the best of his afflicted condition.” (Spurgeon)
Joseph went:
· From privilege in his father’s house.
· To the pit his brothers threw him into.
· To being property in the slave market.
· To the privilege of managing Potiphar’s house.
· To the principled stand against temptation.
· To the perjury of false accusation.
· To the prison of Pharaoh.
We can see the mercy in this, because if Potiphar had believed his wife, he certainly would have put Joseph to death. We can see the injustice in this, because Joseph suffered for someone else’s sin. As Christians, we remember someone who perfectly resisted all temptation, who as He stood for righteousness was stripped of His garments, and who was then punished for the sins of others. We can see God’s hand in all of this. All of this moves God’s story forward, putting Joseph in the place where he can save his family and the whole world from coming famine, and prepare a place for them to live with him. If God blessed Joseph in the pit, if He blessed Joseph the slave, we are not surprised to see that He blessed Joseph in prison. None of these terrible circumstances changed or defeated God’s plan for Joseph’s life. As happened before in the house of Potiphar, Joseph rose to the top, becoming the chief administrator of the prison. Through his experience in both places, God sharpened the administrative skills Joseph needed to one day save his family and to save the whole world. (Guzik)
I don’t know about you but when I am wrongly accused I want to state my case and prove it not true at the expense of the offender. The integrity of Joseph is beyond my understanding and yet an example to glean wisdom and understanding from. It is not by our might, wisdom, knowledge, power, or eloquent language skills that we are to reliant but by the power, might, purpose, and plans of God. Oh, that we would not rest in our own power for defense but rather be in total reliance on God alone.