Genesis 39:19-23

It happened, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” that his wrath was kindled. Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it. The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.

So, Potiphar hauled Joseph off to the king’s jail. We read in verse one that Potiphar was an “officer of Pharaoh’s,” so it would have been natural for him to lock Joseph up there. As history marches on, we find out that this was God’s intent all along. Joseph didn’t not move down the corporate chain. He was actually on his way up to where God wanted him to be.

Notice that, once again, God blessed Joseph to the extent that he was put in charge of the king’s jail, even as a prisoner! It must have been becoming painfully obvious that Joseph was in the wrong place. Notice that the keeper trusted Joseph so much that he didn’t feel the need to check his work at all! They must have gotten used to the fact that everything that Joseph did turned to gold.

I see a big lesson for those of us who are stuck slaving away in jobs for masters today. As long as we maintain our relationship with God, even if we are the VP of Prison Operations, we will be highly respected and be given a great deal of freedom. A relationship with God is freedom even though this world tries to hide that fact. A person who is bound by their own lust and wealth can’t see their own slavery, but God can even make a slave wealthy if that slave has God’s favor.