A prisoner was hauled up from an Egyptian dungeon, washed, shaven and led into the throne room of the most powerful sovereign on earth. He had been imprisoned for a crime he did not commit and forgotten by the one person who might have intervened. Behind him stretched thirteen years of slavery and hard labor while before him sat Pharaoh, shaken by a mysterious dream. Within an hour he would be second in command of Egypt. Joseph's rise from the pit is one of literature's most remarkable stories, but few realize how little control Joseph had over his own progress.
The Slave Who Kept Rising
The caravan that sold Joseph to Potiphar, an Egyptian captain of the bodyguard of the Pharaoh, marked the low point in the protagonist's early years. Joseph became the property of Potiphar and had no power, status, or even a name that the master chose for him. But the narration already introduces the theme that would guide Joseph's life and foreshadows his destiny in Egypt: the Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man. This success manifested itself in Potiphar's household through competence and fidelity. Potiphar placed Joseph in charge of his household and entrusted him with the management of his goods, and the captain had nothing but good words about his slave. This does not mean that Potiphar found Joseph more worthy of trust than his Egyptian slaves, but the pharaoh's servant was a man of integrity. Nothing in the narration suggests that Joseph was better at managing the household than his peers. But the young man kept winning the trust of those in power.
The Cloak, the Lie, and the Second Fall
However, Potiphar's wife decided that Joseph was not suitable for servitude and attempted to seduce him. Joseph refused her advances in a manner that demonstrated that he understood the gravity of the situation and the potential consequences. The reason for his protest was as simple as it was sincere: My master has withheld nothing from me, except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this wicked thing and sin against God? Potiphar's wife pursued Joseph, and he fled the captain's house, leaving his cloak behind in her hands. Joseph was accused of assault and thrown into prison. It was the second time in his life that Joseph lost everything due to a cloak. His brothers had used a bloodstained cloak to deceive Jacob about Joseph's death, and now Potiphar's wife waved a garment over Joseph's head at the trial. It was enough for Potiphar to throw Joseph into the dungeon with criminals who had been sentenced to imprisonment. One must understand that Joseph had done the right thing, but it brought him nothing but trouble. Even more, the long way back was paved with stones as Joseph was thrown into prison. It was the third time recently that Joseph had fallen from a height – from the hills of Canaan, from the second floor of Potiphar's house, and now, from the prison's entrance. It was not Joseph's fortune to be born under a lucky star. Perhaps, it was this turn of events that prompted the narration to note that the Lord was with Joseph, and he was successful.
For the second time, Joseph's own garment was turned into evidence for a lie against him.
A Dungeon, Two Dreams, and a Broken Promise
Even in the dungeon, Joseph was destined to rise. The prison kept a special order for Joseph and allowed him to be in charge of all the convicts. Another detail indicates Joseph's status: the chief baker and chief wine-taster of the Pharaoh, two men of considerable position in the court, were confined to the same prison. One night, the chief wine-taster had a dream that he saw three branches of a vine growing on his head, bearing ripe grapes that he gathered and made into wine, which he presented to Pharaoh. Joseph interpreted the dream as a good omen. The chief baker also had a dream that he saw three baskets of bread on his head, with birds eating the bread, and told his dream to Joseph. Joseph said that in three days, the baker would be executed. The wine-taster, delighted at the interpretation of his dream, promised to remember Joseph when he regained his freedom and position at court. The next day, three days after the dreams, the wine-taster returned to his post, while the baker was executed. However, the promised reward was not fulfilled, for the chief wine-taster failed to remember Joseph. The narration keeps the promise only after a long interval, and the impatient reader has to wait while Genesis recounts the events in Egypt. The most surprising thing in these events is that Joseph remained a slave in the dungeon while the wine-taster was free to live his life and return to service without remembering the slave who saved him.
The Night Pharaoh Could Not Sleep
Joseph, the slave of Potiphar, remained in the dungeon until the Pharaoh's chief baker and wine-taster were sent there. The next time Joseph became famous was when he read three dreams, two of which were apparently destined to bring him to the Pharaoh's court. The Pharaoh had dreams that no one could interpret, and the interpreter's failure led the king to order the execution of his trusted advisors. First, the Pharaoh dreamed that while he was beside the Nile, seven fat and healthy cows came up out of the river and began to graze on the bank. Then, seven other cows, lean and poor-looking, came out of the river and devoured the fat cows. Again, the same dream was repeated to Pharaoh. The signs were ominous, but no interpreter managed to decipher the dream's meaning, let alone convince the king that he should heed the warning. Perhaps, it was the interpreter's failure that prompted the chief wine-taster to remember Joseph when he returned to the palace after three days. I remember my dreams today, said the chief wine-taster to the Pharaoh, and no one else can interpret the king's dreams except Joseph, the slave held in the dungeon.
Joseph is Summoned to the Throne Room
Joseph's journey from the pit to the palace, the second time, was as thrilling as the first. Joseph was shaven and told to change his old rags for clean clothes when he was brought before the king. Pharaoh said to Joseph: I have heard that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it. Joseph responded with a saying that reveals the depths of his personality. It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a good answer. A man of lesser courage would have glorified himself, boasted of his skill and knowledge, and drawn attention to himself. Joseph knew that if God gave him the ability to interpret dreams, it was not for him to glory in it but to magnify the name of the Lord. Then Joseph listened to the king's dreams, revealing his extraordinary memory, and told the Pharaoh the interpretation already known to him. Joseph predicted that seven years of plenty would follow good harvests, after which seven years of famine would occur. Then Joseph made a suggestion that marked the peak of his skill and courage. The king should appoint a wise and discerning man as his Vizir, who would collect a fifth of all the harvests during the seven years of plenty and make reserves against the coming famine. Joseph suggested that the state should keep the resources in the cities under the control of the Vizir and the king to ensure the nation's food security during the seven lean years. Pharaoh responded with an offer to make Joseph the second most powerful man in the land, second only to the king himself. Symbols of power and wealth were quickly presented to Joseph. The Pharaoh gave Joseph his ring as a symbol of power, and the captain of the guard brought Joseph's men to accompany him and shouted for people to bow before him as the king commanded. In addition, Joseph received a new name, gold jewelry, and a change of clothes. The Pharaoh even gave Joseph his daughter Asenath as a wife, who belonged to the priestly family. Joseph was thirty years old when all this happened to him, and his life had taken a turn for the better. It was the same age when David became king of Israel, and he would soon enter his years of glory.
Egypt's professional dream-readers were stumped. A forgotten prisoner was not.
Counting Years
Joseph had been sold at the age of seventeen, and thirteen years passed before he became the second most influential and powerful man in Egypt. This thirteen-year journey was the time to make the most critical decisions in Joseph's life, and he did not fail. Joseph rose when his time came, and, as the Bible says, it was not by chance, but the hand of God. It has been thirteen years since Joseph slipped down the slippery walls of the pit in Canaan and was sold into slavery in Egypt. It was thirteen years of hard labor, thirteen years of sleepless nights, thirteen years of suffering, and thirteen years of waiting. Thirteen years passed, and Joseph's heart turned to gold, and the Lord gave him wisdom and insight.
Joseph Becomes the Breadwinner of the World
Joseph's efforts were not wasted since the harvest in Egypt was excellent for seven consecutive years. The Bible describes Joseph's preparations for the famine as follows: Thus they gathered grain in abundance, until it ceased to be possible to count because it was too much. It was like sand from the sea, and the granaries overflowed with it. And the sons born to Joseph in Egypt were named Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh meant that God had made Joseph forget all his misery and the hardship of his youth and the troubles of his father's house. Ephraim meant that God had made Joseph fruitful in the land of his affliction. Thus, he gave his sons names that were dear to him and carried great meaning. And just as he was promised, the years of plenty ended, and the years of famine began. And as Joseph predicted, the famine spread throughout Egypt. And as Joseph had planned, the time came when the people of Egypt, and the neighboring countries, came to buy grain from the Pharaoh. The one who sold them grain was the slave of Potiphar, the chief captain of the guards, whose name was Joseph. Somewhere in Canaan, an old man, Jacob, was worrying about his son and sons-in-law, who had forgotten their father and were suffering from hunger. And this is where the story of Joseph's life, which has been told in these chapters, will continue, turning from the biography of a hero into a family saga.
During seven years of plenty, Joseph stored grain beyond measure, like the sand of the sea.
Joseph's Story Today
Joseph's story is one of the most enduring biblical legends, illustrating how a person can rise from the depths of despair to the highest levels of success. But what was it that propelled Joseph to the top? Joseph did not have it easy, and his path was strewn with obstacles that stopped almost all other people. Joseph, first of all, did the right thing at the right time and in the right place. Whether in Potiphar's household, in prison, or the Pharaoh's court, Joseph was ready to do his job to the best of his ability. He never complained about the hardships and patiently endured the troubles that life threw his way. Joseph always did what he could and left the rest to God. By the same token, Joseph attributed all the successes to God's providence and never glorified himself. Joseph became the second most powerful man in Egypt because he was a good person. His talent, integrity, and strength of character opened the path to the throne room. But the real reason why Joseph became the breadwinner of Egypt, the interpreter of dreams of the Pharaoh, and the second most powerful man in Egypt was the will of God.
