Genesis 39:6
And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, and the Lord was with Joseph to prosper him and win him favor until his master entrusted all his possessions into his hand and kept account of nothing except his own food. The food alone was reserved because it was counted an abomination for a Hebrew to prepare food for an Egyptian. Joseph himself was a son of remarkable beauty, the child of Jacob's old age by his beloved wife Rachel and the one son Jacob specially loved. His prosperity came not by direct miracle but by persevering industry, care, diligence and energy crowned with divine blessing, which developed his powers and earned his master's confidence. In that lowly place as stranger and slave amid wealth, culture, royal pomp, vice and heathen worship, he did not hide his religion but honored God without compromise, standing in purity and uprightness in marked contrast to idol worshipers so that heavenly light could shine in heathen darkness.
Trusted Steward in Egypt
Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, the way for his reception having been prepared by angels, and the Lord was with Joseph to prosper him and give him favor with his master. Potiphar's growing confidence led him to make Joseph steward with full control over all his possessions, putting all his property in Joseph's care and keeping account of nothing and paying no attention to his affairs except his own food. The exception of the bread he ate means Potiphar reserved only his own food to himself, because it was considered an abomination for a Hebrew to prepare food for an Egyptian.
Joseph's prosperity was not a direct miracle but persevering industry, care, diligence, and energy crowned with divine blessing, which Joseph credited to God's favor that even his idolatrous master recognized, and without steadfast, well-directed effort it could never have been attained. His steady effort developed his abilities and earned his master's confidence. Joseph's virtues and righteousness came from God, and God was glorified by the faithfulness of His servant. He looked to the Lord as his friend and protector, the righteousness he displayed was the righteousness of Christ, and God's presence and guardianship remained with him after separation from his father.
His integrity and wisdom grew from careful early training, choosing duty over inclination and making good use of the opportunities God provided. On the journey from Canaan he had resolved to prove himself true as a subject of heaven, even of the King of heaven. His obedience to duty and faithfulness in every station, from the most lowly to the most exalted, trained every power for highest service. The description of Joseph as goodly and well favoured means he was a son of remarkable beauty, and he was the one son among Jacob's twelve sons for whom Jacob had special love because he was the son of his beloved wife Rachel and a child of his old age.
Faithful Witness in Egypt
In the lowly station of a stranger and a slave he remained steadfast amid the sights and sounds of vice and the allurements of heathen worship, even though that worship was surrounded with all the attractions of wealth and culture and the pomp of royalty. Though surrounded by idolatry and exposed to vice, he kept his purity and faithfulness to God and did not hide his religion.
In prosperity, entrusted with all his master's goods, he honored God as a representative of Jehovah among a heathen nation without compromise, carrying to that nation the blessings that come through a knowledge of God. His conduct shows that God's representatives are to honor Him in prosperity and adversity, remain firm in principle, and refuse to compromise their religious convictions.
God's purpose was that in purity and uprightness the believer should stand in marked contrast to idol worshipers, so that the light of heavenly grace might shine amid the darkness of heathenism. God may place people amid corruption and give them grace to stand, not in their own strength but in His.
God honored Joseph for his firmness, and He honors those who stand firm, giving them wisdom and understanding and knowledge. To the virtuous, truly good, and strong in purpose He gives signal victories even when goodness does not shield from wrong.
Joseph was virtuous, truly good, and strong in purpose, yet his goodness did not protect him from being maligned and persecuted and treated as a criminal. His unjust accusation and imprisonment tested his courage and uprightness, for through slavery and false charges and grievous affliction he suffered because he did what was right. His Christlike character unfolded even through that affliction, and trusting God he eventually came from prison to share Egypt's throne.
God's remembrance of Joseph while surrounded by idolaters proves the Lord does not forget His people in the trying hour of privation and bondage and imprisonment and death. He keeps those who are as the apple of His eye and the purchase of Christ's blood, providing them with food and water even while judgments fall on the earth and the wicked die of hunger and thirst.
As a youth he was tried and proved and stood firm to principle and became a representative man and a pattern of integrity worthy of imitation. A man in a position of trust whom God could trust can serve as a model through both teaching and conduct. His example teaches that people decide their own eternal destiny now in probationary time by building characters that will stand the test of the judgment, and that no second probation will come. Every institution is to be to the world what Joseph was there, bearing its religious faith and its name as a worshiper of the living God as a special honor in prosperity and adversity.