God in the Ebb & Flow of Life:
Temptation, Testimony & Trials
Scripture Text: Genesis 39.1-21
INTRODUCTION
[Begin by using a contemporary illustration of a natural disaster/catastrophe in a distant place…]
Just because it’s hard for me to imagine how such-an-isolated-event could produce those-kinds-of-consequences, …doesn’t-mean that it didn’t happen!
Now, you might-be-wondering, “Where-in-the-world is Pastor going with this!?!” ~ Well, …I’m glad you asked! Because, the news-of-the-tsunami got me to thinking about another isolated-event that had absolutely devastating-affects on far-reaching-places. I’ll-admit, …the tsunami-waves from this-event are a different-kind-of-animal because ocean-waves aren’t stirred-up; …but-instead, …the ripples of this-event are-coursing-through the generations of time. The tsunami-event that I’m talking about happened almost at the beginning-of-time. The place was a beautiful, peaceful, wonderful-place called the Garden-of-Eden. And the tsunami-waves began when one-woman and one-man decided that they-knew-better-than-God ~ …and Eve plucked the fruit, …and Adam took a bite ~ …and every generation since that fateful-day, …every-generation has been slammed by the tsunami-wave of sin. And the affects have been devastation; …and destruction; …and heart-ache; …and heart-break; …and brokenness.
TRANSITION
Is anybody wondering what this-has-got-to-do-with Joseph’s-story!?! ~ Well-I’ll-tell-ya: It’s got everything to do with Joseph’s story!
The last couple-of-weeks, …as we’ve taken-a-closer-look at the dynamics going-on between Joseph and his-dad, …and between Joseph and his-brothers ~ …and we’ve seen jealousy …and hatred …and resentment …and favoritism ~ …don’t ya-see that these things are nothing-other-than the ripple-affects of the tsunami-wave that began in the Garden-of-Eden?
But, the difference between the tsunami-waves that ripped-through the Pacific Ocean and the tidal-waves-of-sin that originated with Adam-and-Eve ~ …the difference-is that the tsunami-waves get smaller, weaker and less-significant, the further they stretch-out from the epic-center-event; …but, the waves-of-sin seem to continue to gain-strength as they move from one-generation to the next. Now, I’m not-necessarily-saying that things today are much-worse than they were 2,000, or-5,000, …or-even-10,000 years-ago. (Some might say that things are worse!) But, I think that we can all-agree that they’re not any-better, …and the destuctive-power of sin is not getting any-weaker! ~ Sin continues to-wreak-havoc … create-chaos …and destroy hearts-and-lives today ~ …just-as-it-has in every-generation since the day when-Adam-and-Eve plucked the forbidden-fruit from the forbidden-tree in the heart-of-paradise.
BODY
I. The Situation
Joseph was-betrayed by his own-brothers… Hated more-and-more, Resented and rejected, They wouldn’t-even say-a-kind-word to-him. And-when they had a chance, …they jumped-him, …stripped him, …tossed him in a hole-in-the-ground, …and sold him into slavery.
As Joseph was-taken down to Egypt in the caravan of spice-traders, …you have to wonder what-was-going through-his-mind. Was he thinking about the fancy-coat ~ …and beginning to realize how it caused such-hard-feelings on-the-part of his brothers?
Was he thinking-about his-dreams ~ …and was it-dawning-on-him that he could’ve-handled the whole thing in a more-tactful-way?
Was he thinking-about what those-dreams-meant ~ …and did-he-think that there’d-be no-way under-God’s-heavens that those-dreams would come true, now-that he was a salve-in-Egypt!?!
Whatever occupied Joseph’s thoughts-and-dreams, …as he was-taken to Egypt, …and began to-serve in Potiphar’s house ~ …the picture-that-we-see of Joseph as he works-in-Egypt, …the picture-that-Scripture-paints is that Joseph is admirable and mature. There’s a quality to his life that is remarkable… And-it’s-more than-just that he was a hard-worker; …but it’s a quality that extends to his-core-convictions. For, he acts with honor and integrity. He is committed to his master; …he is wise in his decisions; …he guards his integrity ~ even in the fire-of-temptations.
Joseph is a remarkable young-man. It’s a far-cry from the tattle-taler that we first met in chapter 37. It’s a far-cry from the spoiled-favorite that touted his fancy, rainbow-colored-coat while his brothers slept-with-the-sheep in the fields of Canaan. But-again, …it’s more-than-just that Joseph has grown-up. There’s-something-about-his character that has been grasped by God ~ …and now he’s in a different-place than-he-was under daddy’s-wing.
The Bible doesn’t tell us how much time passed from-when he was taken down-into-Egypt, …to-when he was promoted to-be the chief-servant in Potiphar’s house. It was probably several years. And-over the course-of-that-time, …Joseph served-his-master, …learned the language, …learned the customs, …and handled-himself, …and handled his-responsibilities so-well that Potiphar eventually put-him-in-charge of everything.
A general-rule-of-thumb in-life is this: …with added-responsibilities and added-prestige come added-temptations! And this is certainly-the-case with Joseph’s promotion. He’s not-just shoveling-manure out of the stables, …or washing dishes in the kitchen. Now, he has authority over-all the other-servants; …he has access to all-parts of the house; …and he is free to move throughout, at-will. And-all-this, apparently, put him in-the-sights of a temptress.
If Joseph were on his hands-and-knees (scrubbing-the-floor), …she would-have overlooked-him; …if he was in the stable, up-to-his-knees in stink, …she would-have avoided-him. But, because he is in-charge, …because he circulates throughout the household, …because his-path crosses hers, …she notices him, …and she is enticed, …and she tries to entice him!
After repeated advances (on-her-part), …and repeated refusals (on-his-part), …finally-comes-the-day when she catches him-alone. And, …as-so-often-happens, …temptation grabbed-him, …grabbed-him and pulled-him-close, …pulled-him-close and wouldn’t-let-go!
Isn’t this the way that the tsunami-waves-of-sin usually come-upon-us? ~ Temptation usually approaches from a distance ~ …but, whether we flirt-with-it, - but try to hold-it-off-at-a-distance - …or, whether we try to act-as-though it’s not-really-there ~ …eventually, the temptation finds-its-opportunity, …and it draws-up-close to us, …dangerously-close, …so-close that it grabs-hold and refuses to let go! And-then-what!?! What do ya do when temptation has-a-hold-on-you and demands to have-its-way with you?
Well… Joseph flees ~ …he tears-himself-away. He tried to be tactful. He tried to be reasonable. He tried to be convincing. But Temptation would not let-go. And-so, …he had to rip-himself-away from her clutches!
Did ya notice that when he fled-the-scene, …when he tore-himself-away from the Temptress, …did-ya-notice that her clinging, clutching-hands tore his cloak off-his-body!?!
The last-time that Joseph had his-cloak stripped-off-his-body, …it was at-the-hands of his brothers; …and they threw-him into the pit of a hole-in-the-ground. This-time, his-master’s-wife stripped-his-cloak off-his-body, …and her husband threw-Joseph down-into the pit-of-prison.
What is this… this-theme of cloaks …and being-stripped-unwillingly, …and then being-thrown into a pit!?! ~ Joseph’s gotta-be-wondering, “What’s the deal!?!”
II. The Sandwich
The cloak can represent any-number of-things ~ …but it generally symbolizes “favor” and “blessing” and “good”. For Joseph ~ …you can see how his cloaks (both, the one that his daddy gave him and the one that he wore in Potiphar’s house), …both of Joseph’s-cloaks were symbols of a favored-person ~ …one who enjoyed a special-place, …a place of honor and privilege.
For-us, …the cloak might represent anything from our reputation, …to a status-or-position, …to a good-place-in-life ~ …and it’s enjoyable, …and we like how-it-feels: to wear the cloak-of-favor.
But, we can all-identify with Joseph in-terms-of-what-it-feels-like to have the cloak ripped-away. Maybe it’s a rumor; …maybe it’s someone’s-spitefulness; …maybe it’s someone’s anger-or-resentment-or-jealousy ~ …and the next-thing-we-know, …we’re thrown into a pit, …tossed out-of-favor, …and stripped of the good-place that we once-enjoyed.
Middle-school and high-school-students can really-relate to this. How-quickly you can find-yourselves on-the-outs with your-classmates, …how-suddenly you can-go from being “in” and “included” and “in-the-mix”, …to-being “out” and “excluded” and “shunned” ~ …and it hurts all-the-more when it happens as-a-result of trying-to-do the right-thing, …and refusing-to-go-along, with what-you-know is wrong!
But, it happens at every-stage-of-life: …Temptation comes-along-side, …and seeks-to-have-its-way with us, …and eventually, it grabs us and tries to bully-us against-our-will. But, when we refuse to give-in, …when we tear-ourselves out of Temptation’s-clutches ~ …sometimes we suffer. It’s not our fault. Lots-of-times, …we suffer because of other’s ugliness and sin.
But-here’s-the-thing: …we can get so-wrapped-up in the circumstances of life ~ …the events, as they-unfold ~ …that we miss the bookends that hold-life-together.
Let me show you how this works in this chapter of Joseph’s life: …we follow his footsteps into slavery, …from favored-son to Potiphar’s-slave; …then, from just-another-slave, to the top-dog in Potiphar’s house; …but-then, from honored-and-trusted servant to a tossed-out, falsely-accused, wrongly-imprisoned, down-on-his-luck “has-been”. And we can get all-wrapped-up in the up-and-down roller-coaster, …and the gloomy turn-of-events in Joseph’s life; …and we can begin-to-wonder why? all-this suffering ~ …at the hands of his brothers, …and now, at the hands of Potiphar and his wife.
Joseph’s life is a roller-coaster, …going from good-to-bad. He often suffers because of others’ choices. And we’re heart-broken for him. And we’re confused as-to-why this happens to-him. And-quite-frankly, …we often wonder-these-things about our own-lives!... Why do things go from good-to-bad ~ …especially when I don’t do anything to deserve the downward spiral?... Why do I suffer when others choose to-sin ~ …especially when I refuse to take part in their sinful-choices?... Why am I brought-low when I refuse to give in to temptation?
The answer is: because it’s the tsunami-waves, …the ripple-affects of sin that have been sweeping- through-the-generations from the time of Adam-and-Eve, …all-the-way to you-and-me. Joseph felt the devastating-affects. His life-was-impacted by the tidal-wave of others’ sinful-choices. And he was-left to deal-with-the-wreckage.
But, here’s the thing: It might-be natural to wonder these-things ~ …it’s kinda-like a knee-jerk, reflex- action to wonder Why?... But the-thing-is that if we stay there, …we miss something good and beautiful. The slices of bread hold a sandwich-together; …book-ends hold the books-together and upright. Joseph’s life has a set of book-ends ~ …something that holds the chapters of his life together, …even-when the chapters-and-events stink-with-suffering and heart-ache!
The “book-ends” are clearly-visible in chapter 39… Did you notice them?...
“The Lord was with Joseph… [and] the Lord gave him success in everything he did” (v. 2-3)
That’s the beginning of this segment of his life ~ …and-then we read, …as he’s sitting in prison, …we read:
“But 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 prison warden.” (39.21)
The book-ends remind us that no-matter what-events take-place in his life, …the Lord is with Joseph. Circumstances may be good, …or, they may be bad ~ Joseph’s made some mistakes, …and he certainly-suffered at the hands of sinful people ~ …but the Lord was with him!
We aren’t-told whether Joseph had a pity-party in prison. We’re not told whether Joseph questioned God during this time. But, we-are-told that God was with him through it all.
It’s important to see-this because sometimes we’re tempted to gauge our life and evaluate our-relationship with God based on how things are going! And that-can-be the furthest-thing from an accurate reading of whether-or-not God was involved in Joseph’s life!
III. Bringing It Home
Does this translate to us? Well… listen to what Jesus says:
“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28.20, KJV)
We have this absolutely incredible promise from our Lord ~ …that if our hearts are His and we walk by faith, not by sight ~ …we have this awesome-promise from the Lord-Jesus that He is with us throughout the ebb-and-flow of life. Life might be hard; …We might-be-knee-deep in suffering because other people pile-it-on ~ …but, we are not alone. We are not abandoned. We are not forsaken… God is with us through the ebb-and-flow of life. Circumstances and situations are not a good-gauge of whether-or-not God is with us, …and whether He is blessing, …and whether our lives are benefiting from God’s work on our behalf.
Listen… …as we go-through-life, we can become so zoned-into the injustice of-it-all, ..we can become preoccupied by the unfairness-of-life~ …and-then, we miss the underlying-reality that brackets our lives.
The underlying-reality is testified-to in Joseph’s-story: …in the times of blessing-and-favor, …and in the times of suffering-and-wreckage ~ …in the ebb, …and in the flow, …in the peaks, …and in the valleys ~ …throughout it all, …the Lord is with us!
It’s evident in this chapter of Joseph’s life. The unfolding events-in-Potiphar’s-house are bracketed, …sandwiched between two statements-of-faith. It can be lost in the promotions and conversations and temptations that play-themselves-out on the stage of history ~ …but the brackets hold it all-together; …but, the brackets tell us what is really-real ~ …despite what the events-of-life seem to say.
And it’s true for you-and-me, too! Whether you find yourself in a time of prosperity-and-success, …or in the midst of trials-and-persecution ~ …Hold onto faith ~ …the faith that trusts-and-believes that Jesus’ promise is true:
“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28.20, KJV)
God is with you. He is with us. Hold onto this faith ~ …that He is with us, …and that He is working to accomplish His will in our lives. Such faith will guide us through trials-and-temptations; …such faith will guide us through dilemma’s; …such faith will encourage us when we feel small and insignificant, …and-when the world tells us we’re foolish-and-failures.
We live in a broken world. And the tsunami-waves of sin continue to surge and surround and threaten to wash-us-away… But, it’s not true! We have a Savior who has not abandoned us! We have a Lord who has not turned His back. We have hope through Him that the circumstances and situations that take our lives on a roller-coaster of highs-and-lows ~ …we have hope through Christ and His faithfulness to His promises, …we have hope that God is with us and that He is working in spite of how things appear! Take courage! Be of good cheer… For the Lord thy God is with thee, …He is near!
