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Joseph was 17 when he arrived in Egypt, and 30 when he became prime
minister. So 13 years of his young adulthood were wasted in servitude and
prison; and all that time without even so much as a date or a girlfriend.
More than a full decade of the best years of his life went by with no female
companionship whatsoever.
A man's libido peaks in the years between 18 and 24, then begins tapering
off as he gradually gets older. Since there is no record of Joseph's
association with a special girl back home in Palestine, I think it's safe to
conclude that he had never cuddled with a girl in his entire life till he got
married sometime in his thirties. So you can see that Joseph was not only
robbed of the best years of his life, but totally missed out on something
that's very important to the psychological well being of the average red
blooded guy.
As Joseph got older, and began to realize that life was passing him by, and
that his youth was ebbing away, he no doubt began to wonder if maybe his
current situation wasn't permanent; and as the days and years continued to
go by one after another, he must have become frightened, depressed, and
desperate as he saw no plausible way to remedy his predicament and get his
life back.
We used to joke among ourselves as professional welders that adverse
conditions in the workplace build character. (chuckle) Like as if any blue
collar skull needs "character" for anything. However, people destined for
greatness can benefit immensely from character-building experiences that
serve to temper their success; for example Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was
immensely privileged and harbored a horrid superiority complex. Polio really
humbled him, and in time, Roosevelt's handicap made him a much better
man and a much better leader.
I've seen people's leadership and responsibility handed to them on the silver
platter of privilege; resulting in their treating lower ranking employees with
thoughtless contempt. If those managers had only started out laboring in
construction, selling luggage, shackled in slavery, or convicted of crimes
they didn't commit; then maybe they would have developed a sensitivity
that would have made them, not just managers, but great managers.
Under normal circumstances, Joseph's alleged crime was punishable by
death. So then, since he wasn't executed, but instead put in a prison
normally reserved for political prisoners, his circumstances tend to support
the opinion that Potiphar didn't believe his wife's story at all.
†. Gen 40:1a . . Some time later,
Exactly how long Joseph had been in prison prior to this next section is
uncertain. However, his age would have been near 28 since it will be just
two years afterwards that he's released (Gen 41:1).
†. Gen 40:1b-4a . . the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt
gave offense to their lord the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with
his two courtiers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put
them in custody, in the house of the chief steward, in the same
prison house where Joseph was confined. The chief steward
assigned Joseph to them, and he attended them.
The "chief steward" was Mr. Potiphar (Gen 39:1).
Exactly what these two muckity-mucks did to warrant being placed under
arrest isn't said, but since both men's functions were directly related to
Pharaoh's nourishment; it's reasonable to assume their offenses most likely
had something to do with the King's table. Perhaps the beverages, as well as
the food, just happened to be tainted both at the same time, thus
suggesting a conspiracy to poison their master. Since they weren't
summarily executed, it's apparent that they're just suspects at this point,
and being held without bail until Potiphar's secret service completed an
investigation into the matter. It's entirely possible that some of the lower
ranking members of the kitchen staff are being held too, though not in the
same place.
Cupbearers weren't just flunky taste testers, but were savvy advisors: thus,
in a position of great influence. They were also saddled with the
responsibility of supervising the King's vineyards in order to ensure their
potentate received only the very best beverages deserving of the rank. So
cupbearers were very competent men who knew a thing or two about not
only diplomacy, but also the wine business. Egyptian documents testify to
their wealth and power (cf. Neh 2:1).
Although the baker wasn't up as high as a cupbearer, his duties were still
critical. He didn't just make cookies and coffee cake, and/or supervise the
kitchen staff, but did the shopping too. He sniffed all the meats, fowls, and
fishes, and nibbled all the vegetables before they were ever brought inside
the castle. Without the benefit of refrigeration, his responsibility was very
great since his master could easily become gravely ill, and quite possibly die,
from eating spoiled foods.
To be placed at the service of these two high ranking courtiers was really an
honor, even though they were just as much locked up as Joseph. However,
he was a slave and they were courtiers; so there was a big difference in rank
even behind bars. But the two men had it pretty cushy. They weren't treated
like common convicts; no, they each had a very competent, fully
experienced butler with impeccable references at their service-- Mr. Joseph
ben Jacob.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Joseph was 17 when he arrived in Egypt, and 30 when he became prime
minister. So 13 years of his young adulthood were wasted in servitude and
prison; and all that time without even so much as a date or a girlfriend.
More than a full decade of the best years of his life went by with no female
companionship whatsoever.
A man's libido peaks in the years between 18 and 24, then begins tapering
off as he gradually gets older. Since there is no record of Joseph's
association with a special girl back home in Palestine, I think it's safe to
conclude that he had never cuddled with a girl in his entire life till he got
married sometime in his thirties. So you can see that Joseph was not only
robbed of the best years of his life, but totally missed out on something
that's very important to the psychological well being of the average red
blooded guy.
As Joseph got older, and began to realize that life was passing him by, and
that his youth was ebbing away, he no doubt began to wonder if maybe his
current situation wasn't permanent; and as the days and years continued to
go by one after another, he must have become frightened, depressed, and
desperate as he saw no plausible way to remedy his predicament and get his
life back.
We used to joke among ourselves as professional welders that adverse
conditions in the workplace build character. (chuckle) Like as if any blue
collar skull needs "character" for anything. However, people destined for
greatness can benefit immensely from character-building experiences that
serve to temper their success; for example Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was
immensely privileged and harbored a horrid superiority complex. Polio really
humbled him, and in time, Roosevelt's handicap made him a much better
man and a much better leader.
I've seen people's leadership and responsibility handed to them on the silver
platter of privilege; resulting in their treating lower ranking employees with
thoughtless contempt. If those managers had only started out laboring in
construction, selling luggage, shackled in slavery, or convicted of crimes
they didn't commit; then maybe they would have developed a sensitivity
that would have made them, not just managers, but great managers.
Under normal circumstances, Joseph's alleged crime was punishable by
death. So then, since he wasn't executed, but instead put in a prison
normally reserved for political prisoners, his circumstances tend to support
the opinion that Potiphar didn't believe his wife's story at all.
†. Gen 40:1a . . Some time later,
Exactly how long Joseph had been in prison prior to this next section is
uncertain. However, his age would have been near 28 since it will be just
two years afterwards that he's released (Gen 41:1).
†. Gen 40:1b-4a . . the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt
gave offense to their lord the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with
his two courtiers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put
them in custody, in the house of the chief steward, in the same
prison house where Joseph was confined. The chief steward
assigned Joseph to them, and he attended them.
The "chief steward" was Mr. Potiphar (Gen 39:1).
Exactly what these two muckity-mucks did to warrant being placed under
arrest isn't said, but since both men's functions were directly related to
Pharaoh's nourishment; it's reasonable to assume their offenses most likely
had something to do with the King's table. Perhaps the beverages, as well as
the food, just happened to be tainted both at the same time, thus
suggesting a conspiracy to poison their master. Since they weren't
summarily executed, it's apparent that they're just suspects at this point,
and being held without bail until Potiphar's secret service completed an
investigation into the matter. It's entirely possible that some of the lower
ranking members of the kitchen staff are being held too, though not in the
same place.
Cupbearers weren't just flunky taste testers, but were savvy advisors: thus,
in a position of great influence. They were also saddled with the
responsibility of supervising the King's vineyards in order to ensure their
potentate received only the very best beverages deserving of the rank. So
cupbearers were very competent men who knew a thing or two about not
only diplomacy, but also the wine business. Egyptian documents testify to
their wealth and power (cf. Neh 2:1).
Although the baker wasn't up as high as a cupbearer, his duties were still
critical. He didn't just make cookies and coffee cake, and/or supervise the
kitchen staff, but did the shopping too. He sniffed all the meats, fowls, and
fishes, and nibbled all the vegetables before they were ever brought inside
the castle. Without the benefit of refrigeration, his responsibility was very
great since his master could easily become gravely ill, and quite possibly die,
from eating spoiled foods.
To be placed at the service of these two high ranking courtiers was really an
honor, even though they were just as much locked up as Joseph. However,
he was a slave and they were courtiers; so there was a big difference in rank
even behind bars. But the two men had it pretty cushy. They weren't treated
like common convicts; no, they each had a very competent, fully
experienced butler with impeccable references at their service-- Mr. Joseph
ben Jacob.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=