Changing Joseph’s Character
God had plans for Joseph; his experiences in Egypt shaped him into the man God wanted him to become. But with human clay, the final result doesn’t just come from the divine Potter alone. When life turns bad, we all make choices. Either to trust God anyway or to resist His will. Human clay can always rebel against the Almighty.
But Joseph didn’t.
Even when enslaved and exiled to Egypt hundreds of miles from home, Joseph started building a relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
How do I know?
Simple.
Joseph reveals the growing godliness in his character every time he speaks.
An Invitation to have Sex
Because God prospered Joseph in everything he did, his master put him in charge of the whole household. Joseph’s life had gotten much better, although he was still a slave. But suddenly Potiphar’s head slave had a huge problem.
Genesis 39:6 states that Joseph was a good-looking young man. His owner’s wife noticed and decided she wanted to enjoy a little extra-marital sex. Uh-oh.
It’s dangerous for a slave to say “No, I won’t do it.”
But Joseph refused to betray his master’s trust or sin against God (Genesis 39:9). So his owner’s wife falsely accused him of attempted rape and her husband promptly threw him into prison.
Personally, I think Potiphar knew the character of both his wife and his chief servant.
When Joseph’s master heard his wife’s rape accusation, Scripture says “He burned with anger” (Genesis 39:17-19).
But it doesn’t say against who.
Perhaps Potiphar knew his wife was lying. After all, imprisonment was the lightest punishment a slave could receive for this kind of offense.
Yet as a wealthy Egyptian official, Joseph’s master couldn’t let such a “crime” go unpunished.
What Did Joseph Learn in Prison?
Prison stretched Joseph in new ways.
A life of slavery had taught him:
- Prompt obedience,
- To put other people’s’ needs and desires before his own.
- How to personally rely on his family’s God.
But prison would be the graduate-level Master’s program for Joseph.
While in prison, God gave Joseph favor with the warden and continued to bless the work of his hands. Soon, the warden put Joseph in charge of running the whole prison. (Genesis 39:20-23.)
But of course, he was still imprisoned himself.
In prison Joseph had to:
- Trust in God’s goodness in a dark, bleaker situation.
- Provide for the physical needs of Egyptian society’s vilest criminals.
- Show compassionate care to the undeserving.
- Continue to walk faithfully before his God.
The Pharaoh Imprisons his Chief Cupbearer and Chief Baker
After Joseph started running the prison, two prisoners both had a strange, God-given dream on the same night. 
Noticing their troubled faces, Joseph told them dream interpretations came from God and invited them to tell him their dreams.
The chief cupbearer was the first to speak.
The Cupbearer’s Dream
In his dream, he saw a vine with three branches, which budded, flowered and produced ripened grapes as he watched. The cupbearer squeezed the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup and placed it in his hand as before.
Joseph instantly told him what the dream meant.
13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. (Genesis 40:13 NIV)
Encouraged by Joseph’s favorable prophetic word, the baker shared his dream next,
The Baker’s Dream
The baker saw himself carrying 3 baskets of bread on his head. The top basket was full of delicious baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds are eating it.
Joseph is a kind man. But his instant truthful interpretation of the chief baker’s dream is horrifying.
18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.” (Genesis 40:18 NIV)
The next verses reveal that everything happened to Pharaoh’s two servants, just as Joseph said.
God Promotes Joseph
Two years later, Pharaoh had a pair of disturbing dreams in one night. That’s when the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph’s remarkable ability to understand what his dream meant.
Joseph was hustled out of prison, hurriedly cleaned up, shaved, dressed in good clothes and brought quickly before Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:14 NIV)
God chose not to reveal the hidden meaning of Pharaoh’s dream to anyone else.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Genesis 41:15-18 NIV)
Because of Joseph’s success in telling the king of Egypt what his dreams meant and the wise advice he offered, Pharaoh promptly put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.
Human Clay Transformed
Joseph is one of the Lord’s success stories. In prison and afterwards, we see this man’s godly nature on display.
Joseph:
- Gives full credit to God for his ability to understand what the dreams mean.
- Doesn’t soften the harsh truth about the baker’s dream. He speaks what God has given him. This makes Joseph an honest piece of human clay that the Almighty can use powerfully.
- Blesses Pharaoh by telling him what his two dreams mean, but asks nothing for himself, not even freedom.
A White-washed History
What’s most striking are Joseph’s words to Pharaoh’s servant, right after he tells the fellow that he’ll be reinstated as chief cupbearer in three days.
14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” (Genesis 40:14-15 NIV)
Joseph was a victim of other people’s evil malice twice. Yet when sharing his past, he doesn’t mention either the crimes or the names of the guilty people.
A bitter person would have. But Joseph is not bitter.
Joseph’s words prove that he has completely forgiven everyone who wronged him. Despite enduring many years of suffering, he let the offenses go.
