I smile as I read this, because if anybody ought to have had a sad face, it should have been Joseph. His plight was much worse than theirs. They were there on a whim of the Pharaoh and surely would not be there forever. But Joseph had been accused by the chief executioner’s wife and didn’t know if he’d ever see the light of day.

A cupbearer was the person who tasted the wine and food of the king before he ate or drank. That way, if it was poisoned, “So long, cupbearer,” but “Long live Pharaoh!” He also would not allow poorly prepared food to be served to the pharaoh since he was responsible for watching the monarch’s diet.

Twice we read in that short account, “The Lord was with Joseph.” Joseph began to see the hand of God in his prison experience. In what could have been the direst of positions, the dreariest of places, Joseph prospered.

If anybody knew about unfair treatment, about a false accusation, about being an innocent victim on the receiving end, it was Joseph. First, he received unfair treatment from his family. His brothers hated him, wanted to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead.

Imagine what must have been going through Joseph’s mind at this point, shortly after he was incarcerated. He was not only innocent, he had resisted blatant temptation over and over again.

The appeal of sensual lust works like a magnet, drawing two “sudden and fierce” forces toward each other—inner desire and an outer bait. Let’s face it, you can’t escape the bait if you live in the real world.

This is a good time to call to mind several lessons we can learn from Jacob’s family and Joseph’s adversity. The first is obvious. No enemy is more subtle than passivity. When parents are passive, they may eventually discipline, but by then the delayed reaction is often carried out in anger.

Before we get better acquainted with Joseph, let’s take a quick glance at some background information. It will help if you remember that his biography falls neatly into three distinct segments.