Maturity and Strength in the Midst of Adversity

Butler and the baker in prison

Even in prison, Joseph prospered because the presence and favor of God never left him. He was placed in charge of the other prisoners, including those belonging to Pharaoh’s household. This demonstrates that Joseph’s leadership, integrity, and divine favor were evident regardless of his circumstances. The chief butler and the chief baker offended Pharaoh and were imprisoned.

It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker (Genesis 40:1-2).

From how the narrative unfolds, it is reasonable to infer that there may have been an attempted poisoning of Pharaoh, making these two officials the primary suspects. Their imprisonment, therefore, was not accidental but strategic within God’s divine plan, to position them to encounter Joseph.

 

Although the officials were prisoners under suspicion, God used their confinement to connect them with Joseph, who would later interpret their dreams. This encounter would become the turning point that ultimately led to Joseph’s elevation. Furthermore, Joseph’s favorable treatment by the captain of the guard, Potiphar, is significant. Genesis 39 suggests that Potiphar did not fully believe the accusations brought by his wife, Zuleika. If he had, Joseph would likely have been executed rather than imprisoned in the royal prison. Instead, Joseph was placed exactly where he needed to be for God’s purpose to unfold.  What appeared to be injustice and delay was actually divine positioning. God used false accusation, prison, and forgotten seasons as tools to prepare Joseph for destiny. Even betrayal and confinement could not cancel God’s plan, only advance it.

 

Joseph chose compassion over self-pity

Joseph noticed their sadness and asked, and showed concern. He had every reason to focus on his own pain, betrayed by his brothers, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison. Yet Joseph chose compassion over self-pity. He cared about the emotional state of the men he served. Though Joseph was a prisoner in a foreign land, he was not consumed in anger. He was concerned with the troubles of those he was serving. This shows maturity and strength.

And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?” (Genesis 40:6-7).

Joseph had all the reasons to concentrate on all the wrong done against him, and center everything on his own feelings and hurts. However, he cared that the butler and the baker looked so sad. In addition, Joseph was confident that God knew the meaning of the dreams. However, God was to use him, he did not desire the credit. Joseph was faithful to deliver the messages as they were, for judgment and deliverance. This is the standard of a godly messenger, who obeys God to deliver His message.

 

Joseph interprets their dreams

Though Joseph was a prisoner in a foreign land, he was not consumed by anger or bitterness. Instead of dwelling on the injustice done to him, he remained attentive to the needs of those around him. This reveals deep maturity and inner strength rooted in his relationship with God. When Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker told him, they had a dream, and there is no interpreter, Joseph replied, that interpretations belonged to God. Even in chains, Joseph acknowledged God as the true source of wisdom and revelation.

And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.” (Genesis 40:8).

Joseph was confident that God knew the meaning of the dreams, but he did not seek personal credit. He understood that God would use him as a vessel, not as the source. Faithfully, Joseph delivered the messages exactly as God revealed them, both judgment and restoration, without alteration or fear. This is the mark of a godly messenger, one who sets aside personal wounds, listens with compassion, gives glory to God alone, and obeys Him by delivering His message truthfully, regardless of the outcome.

 

The dreams come to pass

Joseph reveals Jesus, whose message from God brings either life or judgment, depending on how it is received. Joseph faithfully delivered God’s word to both the chief butler and the baker, one message leading to restoration, the other to death, just as Christ proclaims salvation to those who believe and judgment to those who reject Him.

Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him (Genesis 40:23).

Joseph was wronged once again. The man who benefited from God’s revelation through him failed to show gratitude or mercy by speaking on his behalf.

 

However, this delay was not an accident, it was divine timing. Joseph’s continued imprisonment was not punishment, but preparation. God was shaping his character, deepening his humility, and aligning events for a greater purpose. Had Joseph been released too soon, he would not have been ready for the responsibility God was preparing to entrust to him. All whom God uses greatly are prepared deeply. Yet few are willing to endure the weight, the silence, and the seeming injustice of God’s preparation. The prison comes before the palace. Obscurity comes before authority. Faithfulness in waiting precedes elevation in God’s perfect time.

George G. Ruheni, PhD.