The LORD was with Joseph - Genesis 39:1-20
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday we departed from the life of Joseph and focused on Israel’s son Judah and saw how his life was filled with wickedness, immorality, and deception. It was truly a sad start for the son whose descendants would become the royal line. I gave some reasons as to why this chapter was located in this spot and one of those reasons was so that we could see the contrast between Judah and Joseph and how different their lives were from each other.
Two weeks ago, Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers at the suggestion of Judah to some Ishmaelite traders on their way to Egypt. The brothers then deceived their father by dipping the special robe Israel had given Joseph in goat’s blood so that their father would believe that his son had been killed by a wild beast and this is exactly what he believed. When we last left Joseph he had arrived in Egypt and was being sold to an official of Pharaoh. This is where we will pick up the life of Joseph this morning, but first let’s pray and then we will get into our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 39:1-20 our passage for this morning. Please stand while I read the Word of God and you can follow along.
Genesis 39:1-20,
“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?’ As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me!’ And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called to the men of her household and said to them, ‘See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.’ So she left his garment beside her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with these words, ‘The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.’ Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, ‘This is what your slave did to me,’ his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.” (Genesis 39:1–20, NASB95)[1]
THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH IN SLAVERY (Genesis 39:1-6a)
This chapter opens much like chapter 37 ended telling us that Joseph was sold as a slave to an Egyptian officer of the Pharaoh, a man by the name of Potiphar who was the captain of the bodyguard. This man was a high official, his job not only included protecting the Pharaoh, but also he was in charge of any executions that were the result of crimes that carried the death penalty. This is the man who bought Joseph as a slave.
The very next verse tells us that the LORD was with Joseph. It is important that we recognize that the word LORD is in all caps in our Bibles, this word translated LORD in all caps is the Hebrew word Yahweh or Jehovah, which is God’s covenant name with the people of Israel. It is significant that God used this name when it was written that He was with Joseph. This reminds us that Joseph was a son of the covenant and the promises that the LORD had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were also promises that were made to Joseph. Joseph may have been a slave, but God had promised that he would be part of a great nation, that he and his descendants along with his brothers and their descendants would possess the land of Canaan. God promised to make the name of Israel great and to bless those who bless the nation and to curse those who curse the nation and in the nation of Israel all the nations of the world will be blessed. This is the LORD that was with Joseph, the One who had made these covenant promises to his family. What an encouragement for Joseph to know that the God of his ancestors and the God of his father was with him and was his God.
Because the LORD was with him we read that Joseph became a successful man. Joseph distinguished himself in the house of his earthly master by being an honest, diligent, and obedient worker because the LORD was with him. I find it interesting that it says that Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph and how the LORD caused all that Joseph did to prosper in his hand. Potiphar was not a worshipper of the One true God, in fact, he probably worshipped many gods, including the Pharaoh who was considered a god. Potiphar’s name means either “the one whom the god Ra has given,” or “the one who is placed on earth by Ra.” Ra was the sun god and this would have been one of the gods that he worshipped. But he recognized that Joseph was a follower of the LORD and that Joseph’s God was with him and making all that he touched prosper. Because of Joseph’s faith in God which caused him to be a faithful, honest, diligent and obedient slave he found favor in the sight of his earthly master so that he made Joseph his personal servant and made him the overseer over all his household and all that he owned, and because of this the LORD blessed the home of the Egyptian on account of Joseph. Potiphar prospered and his wealth grew under Joseph’s charge, and Joseph was such a wise and successful manager that Potiphar did not concern himself with anything but the food that he ate each day. All this was because the LORD was with Joseph. Even though Joseph did not have the Bible, he lived the life that Paul had taught slaves to live in the New Testament. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:22-24, “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” (Colossians 3:22–24, NASB95)[2] This is exactly the way that Joseph served Potiphar with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. He did his work as for the Lord, because he was looking and waiting for that heavenly city whose architect and builder is God and the LORD blessed him with promotions and God blessed Potiphar on account of Joseph. We are not slaves, but we are employees, do we serve our employers with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord? Do you do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for your employer? When we carry out our work in this manner we know that we will receive the reward of the inheritance from the Lord. We must remember in all that we do that we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH IN TEMPTATION (Genesis 39:6b-12)
Joseph must have inherited some good looks from his mother because we are told that he was handsome in form and appearance. How long he had been a servant of Potiphar we are not told, but it was after he had been there long enough to be promoted to overseer of all of Potiphar’s house and all that he owned. Joseph had become a slave at 17 years old, he has grown and matured and now he is a young man in his twenties. Potiphar’s wife begins to notice this handsome young man and she begins to desire him. Remember that the environment of Joseph’s slavery made him especially vulnerable. Egypt was a pagan society and lacked the moral and spiritual standards that Joseph had grown up with in his father’s household. It was not uncommon for slave owners to take advantage of their servants by exploiting them sexually. This is not to say that many eastern cultures during this time made adultery a criminal act, but what happened during the day while Potiphar was away did not have to be reported to him when he came home. Seeing Joseph as a slave, her slave when Potiphar was away she told him to come to bed with her. This is where we see the sharp contrast between the character of Joseph and the character of Judah. Judah had no problem sleeping with a prostitute, Joseph’s character would not allow him to do this evil thing. Joseph explained to Potiphar’s wife that he had a moral responsibility to her husband. Her husband had given Joseph control of everything, he was the manager of the household affairs, there was no one greater than him besides his master. The only thing that his master had withheld from Joseph was Mrs. Potiphar, because she was his wife. Then Joseph told her he had a responsibility to God who was with him, how could he do this great evil and sin against God who had been blessing him and Potiphar’s household. Joseph told her that he would not sleep with her so that he could stand before the LORD and Potiphar with integrity and purity. She kept at him day after day trying to seduce him into her bed. Joseph refused to listen to her or to even be with her. If he had work to do in the house he made sure that some of the other slaves or members of the family were there.
But finally, the day came when Joseph had work to do in the house and no one else was there, none of the other house staff, no other family members, possibly it had been arranged this way by Potiphar’s wife, and she came and grabbed Joseph by his garment and said come to bed with me, Joseph did the only thing that he could do and slipped out of His garment and fled outside. Often when things are going well for us, Satan will use this opportunity to blindside us and this is what happened to Joseph. But let me also say that the LORD was with Joseph in this temptation. If the LORD had not been with Joseph he would not have been able to resist, but Joseph understood that the LORD was always watching and he wanted his life to be pleasing before the LORD. Do not think for a moment that Joseph was not tempted, he was a young man, he was tempted, but he had made a choice in his heart to live a life that pleased God, to seek to live a holy life. When he slipped out of his garment and fled out of the house he did the right thing. In the New Testament, we are told to flee from only two things; idolatry and sexual immorality, Judah fled from neither of them and look at the mess and the sorrow in his life, but Joseph did godly thing. Joseph was seeking to do what Paul counseled Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul wrote, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22, NASB95)[3] Young men take this advice to heart, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Paul says to not only flee from our youthful lusts, but to surround ourselves with like-minded people in our pursuit of righteousness, faith, love and peace. There is safety in numbers, there is safety in holding one another accountable. Young ladies you can help the young men of our church to flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace by thinking about your clothes when you put them on in the morning. What statement are you trying to make to guys by what you wear? If you want righteous, faithful, loving, peaceful guys to marry someday, then help them today to flee youthful lusts and pursue purity. Make Joseph a role model to follow, let’s be men and women of integrity and purity.
THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH WHEN ACCUSED (Genesis 39:13-20)
The seductress was spurned, her slave had fled and she was bent on revenge, she would show Joseph, if he wouldn’t do what she desired then she would get rid of him. She would accuse him of trying to rape her and she had the coat or garment to prove it. She immediately called the other servants of the house, which is why I believe she arranged for them to be gone that day when Joseph came in, and showed them the garment and accused Joseph and then she kept the garment with her all day until her husband came home and she showed him the garment and accused Joseph. We read that Potiphar burned with anger, how could this one that he had trusted with everything in his house, this one that he had made manager of all his affairs do such a thing as this. Joseph was no more than a slave, I’m sure Potiphar could have had him executed for this. We don’t read at all that Joseph got to speak in his defense, or that he even tried to defend himself. But for some reason, instead of having Joseph put to death, he threw him into jail, and not just any jail, but the prison where the prisoners of the Pharaoh were kept. Possibly Potiphar wondered how true his wife was being, what she claimed went against everything he knew about Joseph’s character and maybe this is why he imprisoned him instead of executing him. So, Joseph went from a prince in his father’s house, to a slave, to an accused criminal, to a prisoner. How much worse could it get, it looked like God had forgotten all about Joseph. But wait, the LORD was with Joseph when he was a slave, the LORD was with Joseph when he was tempted, and the LORD was with Joseph when he was falsely accused and thrown in prison. How do I know this? Look at verse 21, “But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.” (Genesis 39:21, NASB95)[4] The LORD was with Joseph, the LORD was showing kindness to Joseph. The Lord removed Joseph from the source of temptation and put him into a secure place until he could bring about his purposes for Joseph and his family. The LORD was with Joseph because Potiphar threw him into prison instead of executing him. The LORD was not done with Joseph yet, God was still working to fulfill those dreams He had given Joseph years before. This should give us great encouragement because God promises never to leave us or forsake us, and though it seemed everything was against Joseph the Lord was with him bringing about His purpose in Joseph’s life. So even when it seems everything is against us, remember if you are a child of God, if you have agreed with God that you are a sinner unable to make yourself acceptable to Him, but in faith you have believed that Jesus died in your place, taking your punishment for sin and that He was buried and rose again then God is with you and He will bring about His purposes no matter the circumstances. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NASB95)[5]
CONCLUSION:
Joseph truly is a man to model your life after, this is the man who my mom named me after in hopes that I might be a little like him. We have talked about the fact that Joseph is a type of Christ, that his character and experiences prefigure or foreshadow for us the character and experiences of Christ, they point us to the more important person, Jesus Christ. We see a couple of these qualities in Joseph’s life today that point us to Christ. In verses 1-6 of Genesis 39 we see Joseph portrayed as a faithful servant, Jesus also is a faithful servant, He said of himself in Luke 22:27, ““For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” (Luke 22:27, NASB95)[6] Joseph was also tempted, but did not sin in verses 7-12, in Matthew 4:1-11 we read of the Lord Jesus being tempted, and He too overcame temptation and did not sin. Understanding in this type it only has to do with overcoming temptation, because Joseph was a sinner just like you and me, but Jesus Christ was the sinless Son of God.
With that said, however, Joseph stands in stark contrast to his brother Judah as he is portrayed in chapter 38. Joseph strives to lead a holy life and the result is God is with him and blesses him. The LORD did not leave Joseph when temptation came, but instead gave him the power to overcome and keep his integrity, honesty, and purity intact. The LORD was with Joseph when He was falsely accused, God used this situation to get Joseph out of the place of temptation and to a place where he would be safe, to the place God wanted him, even though at the time it did not seem to be a place where God could move Joseph forward to the fulfillment of his dreams, but God was fulfilling His purposes even with Joseph in prison.
Finally, our Scripture reading was from Psalm 1 this morning and in this psalm God describes for us the righteous man. Joseph was this kind of man, think about Joseph as I read this psalm again.
Psalm 1:1-6,
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:1–6, NASB95)[7]
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995