Potiphar, Joseph -- and Us

I’ve read Genesis dozens of times, but this time I noticed something for the first time in the story of Joseph and Potiphar. Not that it is of any great theological importance, but what I saw caught my attention for a few moments. You’ll find the vignette in chapters 39-41.

In 39:1, Potiphar is called “captain of [Pharaoh’s] bodyguard”  – a position similar to the Chief of the U.S. President’s Secret Service.

Potiphar had purchased Joseph as his slave, and eventually, Joseph rose to what we might call, “Head Butler” of Potiphar’s household. If you remember the story, in time, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of attempted rape and Potiphar threw Joseph into prison (it is of interest that Potiphar did not have Joseph executed.

(It’s has been theorized that Potiphar did not believe his wife’s accusation, but could not take the word of a slave against his wife’s. But that is another discussion).

So, Joseph is now in prison where the jail’s warden soon put Joseph into a position of rank among the prisoners. You’d think that by this time Potiphar was done with the guy and had forgotten all about him. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

In 40:4, “the captain of [Pharaoh’s] bodyguard” (Potiphar) put Joseph in charge of two recently incarcerated special prisoners (Pharaoh’s personal chef and butler). Apparently, Potiphar was not only still keeping tabs on Joseph, but he considered him worthy of supervising those special prisoners.

Then in 41:12 – which occurs two full years later—Joseph is still called “a servant of the captain of the bodyguard” (i.e. Potiphar).

As I said, this likely has little theological value – at least, none that I can see – but I’d never noticed that Potiphar seemed to have a continued ‘trusting’ relationship with Joseph all those years, even after his wife’s false charges.

Maybe 39:21 holds a key. It occurs after Potiphar throws Joseph into prison. The text reads: “But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.”

Perhaps there is a theological point after all: Trust God. Always do the right thing. God will forever stand by your side.