Genesis 39: 1 – 23
Difficulties Do Develop Destiny
39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. 11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.” 16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
Today we are going to begin to look at Joseph’s life. If you were planning your future you would not want to list the steps he had to take to ultimately fulfill God’s Divine Destiny for him. As I was preparing for this I was studying another man who achieved great feats by overcoming many Difficulties and Disappointments
Great inventors have often dealt with great failures. Inventing is synonymous with failure as it is a process that involves designing and creating something new. This process involves a lot of trial and error, and requires diligent pursuit. Inventor Thomas Alva Edison, born February 11, 1847, in Ohio, mastered this diligent pursuit in the face of failure. As a young boy, Edison caught scarlet fever, as well as an ear infection, which left him with hearing difficulties in both ears. This injury, as well as another ear injury he later faced in life, ultimately shifted the career path Edison decided to take.
Edison, as well as his family, moved to Port Huron, Michigan, in 1854, where Edison attended public school for a mere 12 weeks. Edison was a hyperactive child, and was considered “difficult” by his teacher. Edison’s mother decided to pull him out of school and began homeschooling him herself. He later credited his mother for helping him become the successful man that he became: “it’s because of his mother, and how wholeheartedly she believed in him, that he didn’t want to disappoint her”.
I want to list for you some of the quotes that Edison made. So, as we go through the hardships Joseph faced see how Edison marched through similar ones on to a life of victory;
. I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work
. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
. Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think
. “We often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work”
. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
. The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”
. “If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”
. “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven't.”
. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
. Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t.”
Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.”
“I never did a day's work in my life, it was all fun.”
“I never did a day's work in my life, it was all fun.”
. “Restlessness is discontent — and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man — and I will show you a failure.”
. Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
We will see that what now happens to Joseph is in the hands of YHWH is made abundantly clear. He is with him there in that strange land able to bring about His will. He Is Lord of all the earth.
39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
This verse basically repeats 37.36 to update us on the situation after the detour of chapter 38. The writer describes him as sold by the Ishmaelites because that is how Judah had described it in 37.27, to remind us of Judah’s part in the ‘tragedy’.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
In these next few verses our Holy God YHWH’s part is emphasized. Joseph may be in Egypt but he is not forsaken by YHWH. He was made a domestic servant but it is stressed that things went well with him because YHWH was with him.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
What a different Joseph we have here from the tale-bearing, consciously superior Joseph we have known. His captivity has already done him good. And while his prospering is stressed to be due to YHWH’s watch over him it also includes the fact that he works hard and wisely. The result is that his master puts him in control of everything he has which results in increased prosperity as a result of the blessing of YHWH.
6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
The sad story that follows is not unusual. Well favored slaves were regularly pursued by over-sexed mistresses. And to yield was often the path to even more favors, while to resist was to court revenge. But Joseph shows his worthiness by refusing to give in to her suggestion. His master has been ultra-good to him and trusted him with everything he has apart from her. How then can he fail him? And he has also God to answer to. To sin so would be to sin against God.
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. 11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.” 16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
The wife of Potiphar tries again and again to seduce Joseph but he continually resists her. But one day when he found himself alone in the house with her she grabs his clothing, and when he flees into the outer courtyard, probably quite naked, leaving the clothing in her hand she uses it as false evidence to condemn him, first to the servants and then to her husband, with the result that he is thrown into prison.
Then to her husband she spoke accusingly as though her husband was to blame for bringing such a wild man among them, and spoke of him as ‘your servant’, almost certainly in a derisory and emphatic tone, making it quite clear whom she expected him to believe.
Now many teachers of these verses take the position that Potiphar believed her. I do not. Our chapter begins to describe him as the captain of the guard. In other words he was the chief executioner. He could have very easily just had Joseph put to death without even a trial. After all Joseph was a slave who was his property. No, he has him put in prison I believe to save face even though he believed Joseph to be innocent.
Egyptian prisons were highly organized. Each prisoner’s record was filed under seven separate headings from initial arrest to the completion of the sentence. And the prison into which Joseph was put was no ordinary prison, but a special prison for those who were guilty of serious political offences as well as for criminals (‘where the king’s prisoners were bound’), which demonstrates how seriously Joseph’s supposed offence was taken.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
An important gift that the Lord gave to Joseph was that he was one of those people who have the ability to make people have confidence in him. He had failed abysmally with his brothers, but to them he was only ‘younger brother’. But he had succeeded with Potiphar, and now, an even more difficult task, with the keeper of the prison
The day to day running of the prison was clearly in the hands of certain of the trusted inmates under the keeper of the prison. Joseph gained his confidence over a period and was eventually put in over-all charge of the general day to day running of the prison. But it is stressed that all this was due to YHWH. YHWH had prospered him in the house of the king’s officer, now he prospers him in his prison. The writer does not let us forget that Joseph is there under the protection of YHWH for the fulfillment of His purposes. What is happening is all part of the covenant between YHWH and the patriarchs. And the unseen presence of YHWH must be recognized.
We have the entire word of God which lays out for us everything that happened to Joseph. However, we also need to recognize that Joseph did not know all of this. He just kept having one difficulty after another yet we can stand in wonder as to the way he handled all this disappointments.
