What does Genesis 39:22 mean?
Despite being innocent, Joseph is in the king's prison (Genesis 39:20–21). Seen from an earthly point of view, his prospects are bleak. The Egyptian Pharaoh's prisoners could be executed without warning. Given that he was falsely accused of rape (Genesis 39:7–15), he is lucky to be alive, at all. Joseph's sentence did not include a release date. He faced the very real possibility of living the rest of his life in this prison, and he was still a young man.Joseph could have responded by withdrawing into himself. He could have refused to interact with anyone, or by cursing the God who had allowed him to be sold into slavery (Genesis 37:26–28) and then unfairly jailed. Instead, Joseph again chose to live and serve others with integrity as a man who was blessed, not cursed, by his Lord. He seems to recognize that he has, at least twice, escaped death at the hands of his enemies, and been given an opportunity to prove himself.
Once more, the blessing of the Lord resulted in Joseph receiving increased responsibility. His success leads to further opportunities, which in turn are also successful. This time, the king's jailer notices Joseph's faithfulness, integrity, and successful work. Eventually, just as Potiphar had done (Genesis 39:1), the jailer put Joseph in charge of all his own responsibilities (Genesis 39:23).