Spiritual Survival Guide
8: Bible Studies for Inside and Out
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 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, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kind- ness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 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. 23 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.—Genesis 39:1-23
2. How did you feel when you went to prison? a. Betrayed by my friends. b. Betrayed by the system. c. Betrayed by God.
d. Disappointed in myself. e. Anxious for my future. f. Depressed by my situation.
3. Joseph was literally living in a “distant country” as an enslaved foreigner, a stranger in a strange land. His family would eventually follow him there and live, at least initially, as “resident aliens,” and economic refugees. Given America’s historical record with both slav- ery and immigration, what parallels do you see, if any? 4. The story says that even though he was unjustly locked up and forgotten on an indeterminate sentence, “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 warden.” How does that descrip- tion compare with your own experience of being locked up? How has the Lord been with you in prison? 5. Joseph had been victimized and was innocent of the charges brought against him, and yet he found himself in prison. What’s your best guess about how many innocent people end up in prison today? What reasons do you have for saying that?
DISCUSS
We offer suggestions for some possible answers, but don’t feel confined by them. 1. How do you think Joseph felt when he was thrown into prison? a. Scared, like everyone else. b. Like a victim, twice over. c. Like a chump for doing the right thing. No good deed goes unpunished! d. Cynical—no one can be trusted. e. Angry at everyone. f. Angry at God. g. Like always, determined to make the best of a bad situation. h. Confident that God would somehow help him out of yet another bad situation.
PRAY
Pray for each other, for those still inside, and for those outside.
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