The LORD was with Joseph

Genesis 39: 2, 6, 20-23 - The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

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.

I wonder if Joseph actively worked at climbing these ladders -- first, to the top of Potiphar's household, and second, to the top of the king's prison -- or if most everything just kinda fell into his lap. He seems to have behaved himself very well all the way along. He probably did whatever he was told to -- and that without complaining. When he had choices to make, he must have almost always made the right one. He did the right thing day after day when Potiphar's wife tried to put the squeeze on him, so to speak. Joseph was a hunk, but I wonder if Potiphar's wife was all that desirable. I wonder if it really was that difficult for Joseph to resist.

The prison was obviously not a maximum security facility. The 3 prisoners we know of -- Joseph, the king's cupbearer, and the king's baker -- were all there because their bosses got mad at them. Hardly makes them hardened criminals in need of tight security. Still I wonder why the warden decided to put one of the prisoners in charge instead of one of his own guards on staff. What can a prisoner do to show he's worthy of being promoted to administration over other prisoners? It's a prison! The inmates are there for punishment, not training for white collar jobs. I wonder what the other prisoners thought of Joseph.

Obviously God was using these two situations as training for Joseph because he (God) had an even bigger leadership role in store for him not too many years out. It's easy for us to see the pattern here. I wonder if Joseph could see it while he was living it.