I.
Joseph as Servant to Potiphar
a.
Genesis
39:1 – And Joseph was brought
down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an
Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him
down thither.
·
Potiphar 3
offices named in descending order of importance:
o
Officer of
Pharoah – access to the throne
o
Captain of the
guard – position of authority
o
Egyptian –
citizen of the country
·
Potiphar himself
was to be used by God, not everyone has the ability to recognize a good servant
or has the means to elevate them to a position suitable for their talents.
Potiphar was a man of means and by his position as captain of the guard had the
ability to recognize and reward excellence.
b.
Genesis
39:2 – And the LORD was with
Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the
Egyptian.
·
With the LORD,
you can be prosperous even if you are a slave
o
Prosperous - צלח
tsalach, to advance, prosper, make progress, succeed, be profitable
o
Not necessarily
wealth, for Joseph was a slave and had no possessions, yet he was prosperous
o
Prosperity comes
from the Lord, our definition of prosperity is not the same as His definition
·
Think about the
things that Joseph (with the help of God) had to overcome in order to be
prosperous:
o
He was a slave
with no credibility and likely had to earn it through hard physical labor
o
He likely did not
know the Egyptian language and had to learn it with no access to schools
(speaks volumes of his intelligence)
o
He had nothing of
value, no possessions, though he was very rich God stripped away all of those
distractions
§
Unlike the rich
young ruler
§
Matthew
19:21-22 - Jesus said unto
him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he
went away sorrowful: for he had great
possessions.
i. Sometimes God has to remove the distractions of this
world be it possessions, positions or culture in order to change you into a
vessel suitable for His purposes
ii. Romans 9:20 -21 -
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed
say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the
same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
o
He looked
different than the Egyptians
o
He had the
feeling of rejection by his brothers
§
They took
everything from him, his coat, his family, his inheritance, but they could not
take away his virtue, the gifts of God are not gifts of materiality, but gifts
that are useful in both the material and the spiritual realms.
o
He was separated
from his father at age 17.
§
Though he was
separated from his earthly father, nothing can separate us from our Heavenly
Father. Not even death.
i. Romans 8:38 -39 -
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
o
He was a
foreigner with no understanding of the culture and customs of the Egyptians
c.
Genesis
39:3 – And his master saw
that the LORD [was] with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper
in his hand.
·
When the Lord is
with you it becomes obvious to others, you don’t even have to speak the same
language
·
Proverbs
28:20 - A faithful man shall
abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be
innocent.
·
We have another
example in Daniel:
o
Daniel 6:25 -26 -
Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in
all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and
fear before the God of Daniel: for he [is] the living God, and stedfast for
ever, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion
[shall be even] unto the end. He
delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in
earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So
this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
·
When others look
at us can they see that the Lord is with us? Bosses, co-workers, extended
family, children, friends, check-out clerk at the grocery store? How do we show this, should it be forced or
natural?
o
Acts
2:46-47 - And they,
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house
to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising
God, and having favour with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
d.
Genesis
39:4 – And Joseph found grace
in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and
all [that] he had he put into his hand.
·
What does it mean
to be a good witness?
o
Diligence –
Joseph was a hard worker
o
Integrity –
Joseph demonstrated his integrity and was rewarded with promotion to overseer
o
Servant spirit –
Joseph served his master
o
Submissive to
God’s Will
§
Psalm
27:13 - [I had fainted],
unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the
living. Wait on the LORD: be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
§
Matthew
25:21 - His lord said unto
him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over
a few things, I will make thee ruler
over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
·
Potiphar was a pagan
Egyptian, yet even he could see the blessing of God on Jospeph’s life, Joseph
had every excuse in the book to wallow in self-pity and get mired down but he
remained steadfast in his faith.
o
Proverbs 22:24 -
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he
shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men].
o
Psalm 22:27 - All
the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall
worship before thee.
e.
Genesis
39:5 – And it came to pass
from the time [that] he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that
he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the
blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
·
Laban was blessed
on the account of the favor God had upon Jacob; likewise, Potiphar was blessed
on account of Joseph
o
Genesis
30:27 - And Laban said unto
him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have
learned by experience that the LORD
hath blessed me for thy sake.
f. 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.
II.
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
a.
Genesis
39:7 – And it came to pass
after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she
said, Lie with me.
·
Lust of the eyes,
lust of the flesh, the same methods of temptation employed
·
In our members there is a slumbering inclination
towards desire which is both sudden and fierce.
With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh. All at once a secret, smouldering fire is
kindled. The flesh burns and is in
flames. It makes no difference whether
it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of
fame and power, or greed for money, or, finally, that strange desire for the
beauty of the world, of nature. Joy in
God is in course of being extinguished in us and we seek all our joy in the
creature. At this moment God is quite
unreal to us, He loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real;
the only reality is the devil. Satan
does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God…The
lust thus aroused envelops the mind and will of man in deepest darkness. The powers of clear discrimination and of
decision are taken from us…It is here that everything within me rises up
against the Word of God. Dietrich
Bonhoffer, Temptaion, taken from Chuck Swindoll, Joseph p.21-22
·
Bonhoffer was
executed by hanging by the Nazis on April 9, 1945 two weeks before the US Infantry liberated the
Flosberg concentration camp where he was held.
He was 39 years old
·
Temptation is
common to all of humanity, including Jesus Christ
b.
Genesis
39:8 – But he refused, and
said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what [is] with me in
the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
·
Joseph
demonstrates amazing maturity and restraint for someone so young
·
Unlike Reuben who
lost his birthright through sexual sin, Joseph preserves it through his
chastity
·
Joseph, by acting
righteously, created a powerful enemy in Potiphar’s wife
·
Sometimes
choosing righteously may not be enough due to the motives and power of those
affected by the decision (yet God is sovereign over it all and rewards those
who are righteous)
c.
Genesis
39:9 – [There is] none
greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but
thee, because thou [art] his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and
sin against God?
·
Note how Joseph argues
his point; he acknowledges the goodness of his master, but then asks the
rhetorical question how can I sin against
God? Thus acknowledging that it was
not Potiphar who has put him in the position he is in but God Himself.
o
Stating this also
communicates that even if Potiphar had not been a just master and rewarded him
accordingly, he still could not sin against his God.
·
So often the
question is asked after the offense is committed, How could I have done this?
How could I sin against God? But Joseph, being righteous and a type of Christ,
rightly asks the question BEFORE. Discipline is being able to ask this question
before sinning, not after.
o
He makes it about
himself and not about her
o
Joseph, being a
slave, remained faithful to his master
o
We, being
bondservants to Christ should follow this example
·
Note that
Potiphar’s wife has no answer to the question that Joseph posed. Jospeh did not judge or condemn her, just
rebuked her through his question hoping that her conscience would be seared by
his words.
o
Its important
that we proceed cautiously when confronting temptation and sin, its not
necessary to accuse
o
Jude 1:9 - Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the
devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst
not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke
thee.
§
Not even Michael
made accusations against Satan, but rebuked him in the name of the Lord. We ought to follow this example when
confronting evil. It is not our place to
bring accusation.
o
Who does bring
accusation?
§
Revelation
12:9-10 - And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were
cast out with him. And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast
down, which accused them before our
God day and night.
d.
Genesis
39:10 – And it came to pass,
as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by
her, [or] to be with her.
·
This was not a
one time temptation; Joseph faced this temptress daily, and every day his
convictions and faithfulness to God prevents him from falling victim to
sin.
·
Its not enough to
resist just once, but we have to be vigilant in our dedication to God. We often weaken in the face of a reoccurring
temptation and eventually fall. The
tempter is relentless, notice that Joseph made a very compelling rebuke against
the adulteress’s requests, being denied the lust of her flesh only intensified
her advances.
o
Note that if
Joseph would have given in to the temptation just once, the adulteress could
have blackmailed Joseph as often as she wished going forward.
·
Joseph was very
intelligent, he had to know that by not giving in to the mistresses requests he
was risking everything he had gained, yet he trusted in God.
o
Psalm
4:3-5 - But know that the
LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I
call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin
not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
o
Psalm
118:8-9 - [It is] better to
trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to
put confidence in princes.
·
Romans
6:16 - Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
·
1
Corinthians 7:20 -23 -
Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called [being] a servant? care not
for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use [it] rather. For he
that is called in the Lord, [being] a servant, is the Lord's freeman:
likewise also he that is called, [being] free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the
servants of men.
e.
Genesis
39:11 – And it came to pass
about this time, that [Joseph] went into the house to do his business; and
[there was] none of the men of the house there within.
·
his business - מלאכה
mĕla'kah, feminine noun, occupation, work, business (not using the
restroom)
f.
Genesis
39:12 – And she caught him by
his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and
fled, and got him out.
·
The second time
Joseph had his garment removed by force, (1st time by brothers)
·
Both instances
are followed by a period of tribulation
·
The third comes
in 41:14 (not by force) before he is promoted to governor
g.
Genesis
39:13 – And it came to pass,
when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
h.
Genesis
39:14 – That she called unto
the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an
Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with
a loud voice:
·
Frustrated by
Joseph’s continuous rebuttals, she accuses him of the very thing she has been
doing to him, forcing himself upon her.
·
Therefore the
perpetrator accuses the victim, she is the criminal, he is innocent.
·
She couldn’t make
him the criminal so she falsely accused him in her frustration
i.
Genesis
39:15 – And it came to pass,
when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment
with me, and fled, and got him out.
·
Innocence alone
cannot secure reputation
j.
Genesis
39:16 – And she laid up his
garment by her, until his lord came home.
·
His lord? Why not
her husband?
k.
Genesis
39:17 – And she spake unto
him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast
brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
l.
Genesis
39:18 – And it came to pass,
as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled
out.
·
Second time his
garments were used to bear false witness about Joseph (the first time his coat
of many colors was used to deceive Jacob)
m.
Genesis
39:19 – And it came to pass, when
his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After
this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
III.
Joseph in Prison
a.
Genesis
39:20 – And Joseph's master
took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners
[were] bound: and he was there in the prison.
·
Put him in
prison? This was the Captain of the Guard, and Officer of Pharaoh and could
have had Joseph executed on the spot.
Why would Potiphar only throw him in prison?
o
Proverbs
21:1 - The king's heart [is]
in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever
he will.
·
The fact that
Joseph had such a stellar reputation may have led Potiphar to doubt the
accusations of his wife.
·
Our behavior
today may influence others years in the future
b.
Genesis
39:21 – But the LORD was with
Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of
the prison.
c.
Genesis
39:22 – And the keeper of the
prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that [were] in the prison;
and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer [of it].
d.
Genesis
39:23 – The keeper of the
prison looked not to any thing [that was] under his hand; because the LORD was
with him, and [that] which he did, the LORD made [it] to prosper.
·
We see this
repetitive theme where Joseph is enjoying the blessings of God, he is stripped
of those blessings, he endures tribulation, he is elevated to a position of
trust and authority, his masters have complete confidence in his abilities.
·
We see the hand
of God allowing Joseph to endure these trials and temptations as he is being
prepared to be the deliverer of Israel
·
Joshua 1:9
- Have not I commanded thee?
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for
the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.
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