Genesis 39:20- 23 God Grants Joseph Favor

"Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined."
                                                         (Genesis 39:20 NIV)
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Joseph's master may have put him in prison, but it was the place where the king's prisoner were kept.  That had to be a better place than where common prisoners were jailed.  Perhaps Potipher considered  Joseph's character and faithful service and had some doubts after all regarding his wife's account.  However, since he apparently did not make any moves to free Joseph during his long imprisonment, I wonder what Potipher really thought about the situation.

Joseph was still in prison, yet the account continues:  "...But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.  So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.  The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did."  (Genesis 39:20b-23 NIV)

It seems that the warden, at least, had no doubts about Joseph's character.  Whether Mrs. Potipher's behavior was known among the king's guard, and the warden believed that Joseph was innocent, or whether it was just that the Lord was with Joseph and had given him favor in the warden's eyes (as the text says twice in these few verses), the warden soon gave Joseph great responsibility among the jail's occupants.

Joseph enjoyed the same level of trust from the warden that Potipher had previously given him:  When he was assigned a duty, the warden did not have to check up on him to be sure that he was doing what he was supposed to do.  Like Potipher, the warden paid no attention to the things under Joseph's care, knowing that Joseph would do an excellent job and would succeed because the Lord was with him.

Wouldn't you like to have a reputation like Joseph's and succeed in all that you do?  Such success does not come merely from ourselves, no matter how talented we are or how hard we work.  It comes because God is with us and shows us His favor.

[Note to self:  Remember that always.]