The story of Joseph and Potiphar is related in the first twenty verses of Genesis 39. Potiphar buys Joseph from the Ishmaelite traders when he is seventeen, and Joseph serves him well until Potiphar puts him in prison after his wife accuses him of attempting to rape her. We will look at Joseph and Potiphar’s wife in the next blog, but I want to share some interesting things that will give Joseph’s story a broader context.
Sometimes, biblical stories like this one pique my curiosity. I want to know more about the background, the timeline, the possible ages of the characters, and other information that may give me a fuller understanding of what has happened. I have several questions about this part of Joseph’s adventure, and I invite you to come along as I try to answer them and leave you with an encouraging word from this intriguing story.
Let’s begin with the question about Joseph becoming a slave. How did he become a slave, and how old was he when this happened? The answers are clearly stated in chapter 37 of Genesis. Genesis 37:2 tells us he was “ a young man of seventeen, tending flocks with his brothers.” How he became a slave is also related in Genesis 37:28, where his brothers “sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.” In Genesis 37:36, we are given the identity of the person who bought him. “The Medianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, captain of the guard.”
Joseph’s story resumes in Genesis 39 with Potiphar and his wife. His time with Potiphar will conclude when Potiphar puts him in prison because of a false accusation made about Joseph by his wife. How long did Joseph serve as Potiphar’s slave? Genesis 39:1-20 gives a brief, overview-type summation of what happened, leaving one to think all this occurred briefly. But such a conclusion is not accurate. Joseph served Potiphar until he was twenty-eight years old. I found lots of help on this website http://amazingbibletimeline.com.
Two pieces of information tell us how long he served Potiphar. We find these by looking ahead to Joseph’s story in Genesis 41. First, let’s see how old he was when the pharaoh put him in charge of the land of Egypt. ” Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.” Genesis 41:46. The second piece to the puzzle is how long he served in prison before interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams. So, how long was he imprisoned before he was called before the pharaoh? “When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream.” Genesis 41:1. The “two years” refer to Joseph’s time in prison.
He was seventeen when Potiphar bought him, worked for Potiphar until he was twenty-eight, spent two years in prison, and was thirty when Pharaoh put him in charge of Egypt.
Why go to the trouble to discover how long Joseph worked for Potiphar? There’s something important here to learn about Joseph. “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” Genesis 39:2.
“The Lord was with Joseph.” Joseph’s relationship with God is the reason for his success. Think about what he has been through: his brothers hated him and sold him into slavery, he was taken into a different culture with foreign gods, where he had no friends or family, and his status as his father’s favorite son means nothing to Potiphar. But in all this, Joseph prospers. Why?
Joseph is faced with giving up on life or embracing his circumstances and allowing God to create the character he will need to succeed. At a young age, he learns about trusting God and having integrity in everything he does. You will see the traits of faith and integrity play out in how he does the menial tasks of a slave, his service to Potiphar, his resistance to Potiphar’s wife’s advances, his time in prison, and his management role in Egypt. Joseph trusted and obeyed God, and in turn, God prospered him.
God’s plan to bring our Savior into the world is advancing. Potiphar “Saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did.” Genesis 39:3. Genesis 39:4-9 tell us that Potiphar was so impressed with Joseph that he made him his attendant, trusting him with the management of everything he owned.
Joseph didn’t know why God allowed him to face so many challenges, but he trusted God and was rewarded for his faithfulness. The Lord was with him, and that’s what turned anger and despair into victory.
Joseph’s story is a magnificent testimony of how God can make any of us into someone who can make a big difference in the lives of others. Like Joseph, God can use our challenges to change us from being self-centered and prideful to someone who can humbly serve wherever we are needed. We serve Joseph’s God, and our God wants to prosper us, too.