This week we’ll be back into the story of Joseph. Let’s recap a little bit. At the age of seventeen Joseph was loved by his father but hated by his brothers. So they came up with a plan to get rid of daddy’s favorite child by selling him to slave traders headed to Egypt. That’s where we pick up the story.
[Read Genesis 39:1.]
Now remember, Potiphar is in charge of Pharaoh’s body guard detail. He’s an important man with lots of power, prestige and money. So this is probably one of the best situations for a slave to be in. But he’s still a slave.
Joseph is still away from his family. He’s trapped there in this pagan culture. At this point he has no control over his life. Joseph is a slave.
But when we read the account of Joseph’s slavery, and later imprisonment, the Scriptures let us know that even though Joseph’s circumstances were bleak, God never left him. As a matter of fact, God blesses and prospers him greatly! Several times it says “the Lord was with him”. Several times it says “he prospered”. Several times it says “he found favor”. The passage refers to Joseph as a “successful man” and one who had “kindness extended to him.” Joseph might have been in a terrible situation, but God would walk him through it.
You see, what other people meant for bad in Joseph’s life, God meant for good. God was sovereign in every area of his life and had a purpose for it all. This was something Joseph had to learn and the only way was for him to go through these trials.
[Luke swimming lessons story.]
Joseph is a seventeen year old young man who is sold into slavery. His life has been turned upside down. But somewhere along the way in his forced journey to Egypt, Joseph decided that no matter what life threw at him, he was going to live for God. And so what does God do?
I. God prospers Joseph as a slave
[Read Genesis 39:2-6a.]
What an amazing account of the faithfulness of Joseph. Joseph is living in a pagan man’s house in an entirely pagan country that’s far from home. Can you imagine what kind of pressure he must have been under to either keep his faith to himself or to even convert to the mindset of the home he was in? It is so hard for a person to have a consistent walk with the Lord when they live in a household that isn’t living for the Lord.
We see that with some of the children and teens we work with here at church. They get all excited about Jesus while here at church and then they go home to live with a Mom and Dad who could care less about Jesus. That’s very hard on them and their faith. But it didn’t seem to stop Joseph from being faithful to God in all that he did.
The passage reveals that over the years Joseph was so good at his job and so trustworthy that Potiphar took serious notice. Joseph climbed the ladder of slavery from being a common Hebrew house slave, to Potiphar’s personal assistant, to household manager, all the way up to manager of Potiphar’s entire estate. House, land, bank accounts, possessions, and other workers or slaves. Potiphar trusted him so much that the only thing he worried about was what he wanted for dinner. Joseph took care of everything else.
Even though Joseph was forced into this slavery, he still accepted the circumstances he was in and did his best at all that he did. God honored his faithfulness and made him one prosperous slave. God even blessed Potiphar’s household because of Joseph. What a great lesson to us that God will bless our lives when we do our very best in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
[Tashard Choice story.]
"You know you’ve got two guys in front of you and both of them are really good," Choice said. "You know you can play, but you’ve got to wait your turn. You’ve got to be patient for opportunities like this. It wasn’t frustrating, but it made me work harder so when I did get an opportunity I didn’t mess up at it."
Joseph is a slave. But he decided that his circumstances would not dictate to him what kind of a man he would be. He was going to be the best person he could be no matter what – and it really paid off. God prospered him and Potiphar prospered him.
But he did have a problem. He was really good looking and had become a powerful man in his master’s house. His master who had a hooch for a wife. (That’s the technical term.) But we’re going to see that Joseph keeps his integrity intact and:
II. God prospers Joseph as a victim
[Read Genesis 39:6b-12.]
The reason I call Joseph a victim here is because this must have been torturous to him. Remember, he’s still a young man at this point in his life. He doesn’t have a wife and probably isn’t courting someone to be his wife – but he is still a young man.
Also, I happen to think that Potiphar’s wife was probably an attractive woman. Potiphar was a powerful man who could have had his choice of women for his wife. (So I doubt he’d pick an ugly one.) Along with that, the sexual temptation was so great for Joseph that he even stopped being around this woman totally.
[Read Genesis 39:10.]
This went on day after day after day. This woman wanted him and made it no secret. Not too many men would turn down such an aggressive, attractive woman like Joseph did. But he had too much respect for his master and too much love for God to do such a thing. He even told that to the woman. “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” Joseph was being victimized here but God gave him the strength to overcome the temptation.
[Coach Stroud of the Rockdale County High School boy’s basketball team story.]
That coach was a man of integrity. The last thing he told his players was that “people will forget the score of a basketball game, but they won’t forget what you’re made of.”
Temptation will come. People will try and take advantage of you. People will even try and trip you up in your faith. But when we keep our focus and dedication to the Lord, He will prosper us in spite of what others try and do to us.
[Read I Corinthians 10:13.]
There is always, always a way to not give into temptation. There is always a way of escape and Joseph found it. At her first attempt to seduce him he rejected her and vocalized his respect for her husband and his allegiance to God. When she started to daily come on to him he realized that he needed to avoid her altogether. He wouldn’t even be in the house with her at the same time.
But that one last time she timed it so that they were alone in the house. She took him by his clothes and said, “Let’s get it on!” The temptation must have been great. But by the power of God he just took off. He took off so fast that he left his outer garment in her clutched fist. He had overcome the temptation with his integrity intact.
But Potiphar’s wife on the other hand, was left standing there in her shame. Now this could have been a real turning point for her. She should have recognized the reality of Joseph’s faith and turned to the One True God. She should have at least realized the need for fidelity. But she didn’t care about any of that. All she cared about was herself, and she had been rejected by a mere slave. She wanted revenge.
So she fabricates a story about Joseph trying to rape her and even uses his outer garment as proof. (This is the second time Joseph’s coat is used in a lie against him.) The story is so convincing that Potiphar has Joseph thrown into prison.
What a journey Joseph has been on. He went from the pit to the palace and now prison. But God never left him for one minute. As a matter of fact, we will see how:
II. God prospers Joseph as a prisoner
[Read Genesis 39:13-18.]
Now notice a couple of things here.
1. “Your Hebrew slave…”
2. “Your Hebrew slave…”
3. “He came in to lie with me…”
She blames everyone but herself. This is one wicked woman. But look at what happens next.
[Read Genesis 39:19-23.]
Just like in Potiphar’s house, the head jailer noticed how hard a worker Joseph was and that he could be trusted. He trusted him so much that Joseph was in charge of all the other prisoners as a prisoner himself! But God’s blessing was obviously on him.
Again, I think the Lord rewarded the faithfulness of Joseph with prosperity. After all, Joseph could have reacted to this next trial very differently. Remember his history. Everything’s going great at home, then he gets thrown into the pit. The pit takes him to the palace as a slave. Everything’s going great in the palace, then he gets thrown into prison for something he didn’t do. Something he refused to do!
Something like this could have caused him to give up on doing good. Something like this could have caused him to give up on God. Something like this could have caused him to get bitter and fight back. But by the power of God he took it in stride and continued to live a life of integrity and faith. He took those lemons of life and made lemonade.
Green Bay Packers’ [now Seattle Seahawks] head coach Mike Holmgren looks back at a heartbreaking moment, when he was cut from the New York Jets as backup quarterback to Joe Namath, that directed him to a bigger plan. "I had committed my life to Jesus Christ when I was 11, but in my pursuit to make a name for myself in football, I left God next to my dust-covered Bible. But after getting cut from the Jets, I pulled out my Bible and found comfort in a verse I had memorized in Sunday school: ’Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths’ (Proverbs 3:5-6). "I asked Jesus Christ to take control again. My priorities in life are faith, family, and football--in that order." And of course, Mike Homgren is an incredibly successful football coach having been to two Superbowls and won one of them. Would he be the coach he is today if he wouldn’t have gotten cut from the Jets? Probably not.
The point is, God uses the difficult things in life to shape and mold us. And even in the midst of these times, we can see the prosperity of God. It might not be monetarily, but success and prosperity comes in all kinds of ways.
- Spiritual fruit in a godless home
- Victory over constant temptation
- A great reputation amongst godless people
- Success at work or school or ministry
- Lifelong friends in this disconnect, impersonal, cold world
- Positive attitude in the midst of the storms of life
God will prosper us if we remain faithful to Him. No circumstance will hinder what God wants to do in and through us.
