Genesis 39

To be in a foreign land and sold into slavery would have been a very dreary prospect for a seventeen year old boy. There’s certainly nothing in the outward appearance of things to bring any encouragement to his heart. Joseph seems, on the outside at least, to be a bit of a bad-luck boy.

Even in the land of Egypt, just as things would begin to move smoothly for him, something else would happen. Of course, it always happened for a purpose, even though that was difficult for Joseph to see at the time.

There’s no person in the Old Testament in whose life the purpose of God is more clearly seen than Joseph. God’s provision is seen in every detail of his life.

The hand of God is on him and the leading of the Lord is plain to see, and yet Joseph is the one patriarch who God did not appear directly to, according to the text of Scripture.

God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but not to Joseph. Yet the direction of God in his life is more clearly seen than in any other life.

He’s the Old Testament example of Romans 8:28,

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Joseph himself expressed it clearly later on. At the death of their father, Jacob, Joseph’s brothers felt that Joseph might turn on them, and they came to him asking for mercy.

He told them that he held no grudge against them at all and said the words recorded in Genesis 50:20,

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 

Although everything seemed to go wrong for him and from outward appearances things looked terrible, each event was a step bringing about God’s purpose in this man’s life.

My friends, in our own lives we need to be aware of Hebrews 12 verse 6 which tells us that,

For whom the lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.

But we also need to continue the paragraph to verse 11 which then tells us,

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

In addition, if we’re children of God, in the will of God, we can have the assurance of God that nothing comes to us without His permission. God works all things together for good to those who love Him. Even our misfortunes, our heartbreaks, and sufferings are for our good and His glory even though in our human state, living in this world, we often lose sight of that fact.

There’s a hedge about every believer, and nothing gets through that hedge without the permission of God. When Satan wanted to test Job, he said to God in Job 1 verse 10,

Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 

Satan asked God to let the hedge down. Even if Satan gets God’s permission to test us, all things still work for our good.

Into the bargain, we have 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13 which tells us,

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 

God does nothing or allows anything to be done to us, other than what we would do ourselves if we could see everything as He does.

There’s another aspect of the life of Joseph that should be an encouragement to every believer in today’s world.

None of God’s children today have ever had a direct revelation from God.

Some preachers and false prophets claim otherwise, but God has not appeared directly to any person today. It’s for our encouragement that God didn’t appear to Joseph directly because through Joseph’s story, we can still know that God is leading and directing us, never leaving or forsaking us and we don’t need a direct revelation or a vision from Him to know that. We just need His Word. God works with us through His Word via the Holy Spirit.

Just one other thing before we get into chapter 39.

We should relise that when a section of the Bible talks about a particular person it doesn’t give a moment by moment summary of their whole life.

Each person spoken about in the Word of God will have had many stories of hope and despair, success and failure, joy and sadness through their lives. But what’s recorded in the Bible is only those pieces of their lives that are relevant to the entire story of God’s redemption of man. Only the portion of their lives that add to the revealing of God’s Son, Jesus Christ and those pieces that display examples of how to walk by faith or the consequences of not walking by faith are included.

Now let’s follow young Joseph and see what’s going to happen to him.

Starting at Genesis 39:1

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 fine–looking young man, seventeen years old, would be a prize as a slave in the market. He was bought by Potiphar who was a captain of the guard.

The name Potiphar means devoted to the sun. So it was a name connected with the Egyptian religious system.

The idea behind his title “Captain of the Gaurd” means chief of police, or probably more precisely, Potiphar was head of Pharaoh’s personal security force. He was a highly-trusted official in the government of Egypt.

Joseph was a slave. He seemed to have no control over his destiny, but was bought and sold like a piece of property. He could have ended up with anyone, but Potiphar bought him.

Verse 2,

The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 

Joseph’s ordeal was probably worse than most of us have ever gone through, or even imagined for that matter, yet God didn’t abandon him, even in the smallest way. If God allowed Joseph to be a slave, then he would be a successful slave.

Immediately, when he gets into the home of Potiphar it’s obvious that the Lord’s with him. Blessing came into that home with Joseph.

We often complain to God that He put us in some terrible or difficult place. Yet it’s always God’s will that we trust Him to bless us and make us successful in spite of the circumstances we find ourselves in. And the success we get is what He measures as success not the success of an overabundance of material things or success as the world sees it.

From the outside it didn’t always appear that God was with Joseph. He didn’t always seem to be a prosperous man; It’s when we look into his innermost being, his heart that we see his true likeness and we can easily see he lived in communion with God, and God blessed him. He was prosperous.

How do you define prosperity?

Those in the world who seek prosperity in the form of money and material goods, or entertainment believe they won’t find true prosperity until those things become a reality. The’re always looking toward something in the future that’ll bring that peace and contentment but the daily, moment by moment journey toward that longed for thing can be a grind and full of frustration. And alas, when those material things do become a reality they so often fail to bring that tranquility and contentment we hoped for.

Surely true prosperity is to be at peace and fully content in whatever situation we find ourelves in.

Can we be at peace and content in a bed in a cancer ward? What about in a prison cell? How about if all our thing collection is suddenly gone or we lose the love of our life, a precious partner or a child?

For those whose trust and hope are only in the things of this world these circumstances do not bring peace and contentment but instead great stress and sorrow.

Only faith in the living God and in His promises can bring about that peace and true prosperity in any circumstance

Some of us think we can’t be blessed unless were in authority, in charge of things, especially in our own lives. Jesus lived and taught a better way, the life as a servant.

• If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be a servant. (Matthew 20:26)
• For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. (Matthew 20:28)
• There are many wonderful titles for Jesus the Messiah, but one of the most meaningful is Servant of the LORD (Matthew 12:18 and Isaiah 42:1).
• We can and must learn the blessing of being a servant; if it isn’t forced on us, as it was with Joseph, we can choose it.

Joseph was a successful man; and he was a servant in the house of his master the Egyptian. Even at this early point in Joseph’s life when it seemed Joseph had no control over his circumstances – and indeed he didn’t – God overruled the evil and the designs of man to accomplish His eternal purpose.

Verses 3 and 4,

And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. 

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. 

Just think of this! Because of the way Joseph serves, he’s elevated to the position of handling all the material substance, the chattels and probably even the real estate of Potiphar.

The man trusted Joseph with everything.

By his trust in God, diligent work, and blessing from God, Joseph showed Potiphar that God was real. Followers of Jesus should live out the same principle today; others should see the difference Jesus makes in our lives by the way we work.

The LORD was with him, this verse says.

Think of the contrast between Joseph and his brothers. The brothers were not sold as slaves and slept in their own beds among their own families. They were free, but they were slaves to their secrets, their shame, and guilt. Did they even know what a good night’s sleep was?

Joseph was a slave, but he was free.

Now to verses 5 and 6,

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. 

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. 

Potipher made Joseph overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

He trusted Joseph so much that he never even demanded an accounting.

He didn’t have to hire an auditor to go over the books. He believed in the integrity of this young man.

The only thing that Potiphar worried about, as an officer of Pharaoh, was that he should please Pharaoh and do a good job there. He let Joseph handle his personal affairs because he trusted this young man.

That kind of trust cannot be earned easily or quickly. It takes time to build up that kind of trust and a level of integrity that’s not so common today.

Joseph rose to the top, but it took a while to happen.

• Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery as we’re told in Genesis 37 verse 2.
• He was 30 when Pharaoh promoted him as we see in Genesis 41 verse 46.
• Joseph was in prison for two years before his promotion says Genesis 41 verse 1.
• Therefore, Joseph was in Potiphar’s house for 11 years.

It took 11 years for the full measure of God’s blessing to be accomplished in Joseph’s life and for Joseph to prove his trustworthiness to Potipher. 11 years seems like a long time.

Let’s examine this issue of trust a little.

Trust is the most essential ingredient in any kind of relationship whether is it be a marriage, a friendship, a worker to employer and visa versa, or a business relationship.

It’s the glue that holds these relationships together. Remove that glue, and things come apart.

Trust is hard won, and easily lost. It’s won through diligence and integrity when a person or an institution consistently tells the truth. Trust weakens with every lie. A bit of it dies with every dishonest deed.

Truth is what enables us to accomplish things together.

Lack of trust not only destroys relationships between individuals, but it destroys the effectiveness of God-ordained human institutions. Even the worst dictators work hard to get their populations to trust them.

Government doesn’t work without trust. And if we can’t trust our courts or the judiciary, or our local council, state and federal governments, what do we have left?

What can parents to do when they stop trusting the school systems? What happens when medical institutions begin to make decisions based on politics rather than the health of their patients? Perhaps worst of all is the loss of trust in church leadership and the ones who bring us the Word of God.

Jesus called Satan the father of lies. That means by his very nature, Satan sows untruth and distrust. As a society follows the father of lies, it becomes less and less trustworthy. People begin to feel paranoid, as if danger lies around every corner. Anger comes quickly and easily and fear begins to take over.

What’s the solution? Well, before anything else we must start trusting God. That doesn’t mean trusting everything we hear anyone say about God, it means that we trust Him. We trust His love for. We trust that His ways are always be best, even when we don’t understand them. But most of all we trust in the words that He has spoken to mankind through the Bible.

Look at these three scriptures. Numbers 23:19 says,

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Titus 1:2 says,

in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,

Hebrews 6:18 says,

that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

As our society falls apart or our personal life feels like it’s unraveling, trust God. Follow His instructions. Do what He says. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and He cares about you even more than you care about yourself.

As you trust God, something incredible happens inside you, deep within you, in your heart. In Hebrew, the “heart” of something represents its core, it’s center, and it’s whole essence.

You will become more like your Heavenly Father, the One who can’t lie. You’ll become more and more trustworthy. It might be the beginning of something that’ll touch your whole world. At the very least, it’ll change your life. It’ll defeat your paranoia, quell your anger, and ease your fear.

Joseph advanced to a high position in Potipher’s house.

Many people think that if advancement is from God, it must come quickly. Well, sometimes it does, but not normally. Normally, God allows good to develop slowly. We see this in the growth of faith in the patriarchs. It was a slow process.

It would’ve been easy for Joseph to do what we so often do, that’s to get anxious and concerned about our present position because it seemes so bad. After all he was still a slave.

But Joseph believed God could bless him right where he was, so he didn’t wait for a better situation to arrive, he started where he was.

Notice how the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake? After the same principle, blessing can be brought into our workplace because of othe presence of godliness in us.

Potipher left all that he had in Joseph’s hand which also shows that Joseph was a hard worker.

When he came to Egypt, he was at a great disadvantage. He knew nothing of the language, culture, customs, or ways of doing business. He had to get up early and stay up late to both do his job and to learn Egyptian ways.

It seems like Joseph grew up watching others work. Something happened to him in his crisis; he accepted God’s transforming work. God gave Joseph great administrative skill, and now the heart of a hard-working servant was added to that.

When we leave all that we have in The Lord’s hand, our home and our life will be blessed, and all for Jesus’ sake.

Genesis 39:7 now,

And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 

Potiphar had given him the full run of his home, and Joseph had charge of everything, but while Joseph was busy, Potiphar’s wife was also busy. She was busy scheming. Joseph was a handsome young man.

It may be that Potiphar was an old man. Often the custom of that day was for an older man to have a young wife. She sees Joseph, and she attempts to entice him.

Verses 8 and 9,

 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. 

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?” 

Notice that this young fellow is serving God in all of this?

When he went down to Egypt, it was a land filled with idolatry just as much as Babylon was. In that land of idolatry, Joseph maintained a testimony for the living and true God and a high moral standard. When this woman enticed him, he said, “My master has turned over everything to me but you becasue you are his wife.” Notice what a high regard Joseph had on marriage.

Joseph is attempting to be true to God, but look at what’s going to come to pass because he attempts to serve the living and true God.

Verse 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. 

Potiphar, as an officer of Pharaoh, would be away from home a lot. Maybe he was away from home too much. This woman didn’t tempt Joseph only one time, but again and again and again.

It was a constant temptation to him, yet this young man didn’t yield.

You can imagine the boiling resentment brewing up inside of her against Joseph.

The old saying, “Hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned.” is going to be displayed here as she takes revenge on Joseph.

We now read verses 11 to 14,

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, that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 

And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 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. 

Things weren’t real good between Potiphar and his wife.

Notice how she speaks of him in such a vicious, degrading way.

She says that HE brought in a Hebrew to mock them. The wife probably had been guilty of this before. The man who you’ve got to feel most sorry for is old Potiphar. He’s the poor sap if there ever was one. Possibly he suspected something all along.

The wife is now beginning to cover up her tracks.

On to verses 15 and 16,

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.” 

So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 

So here’s Joseph in his teens, down there alone in Egypt, and he’s being framed in the most dastardly manner. Potipher’s wife brings this charge against Joseph to the other men of the house, probably servants and/or gaurds. Her husband was away from home; so now she has this story rehearsed to tell him when he arrives.

Now we read verses 17 to 19,

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; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 

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. 

A quick read of this makes it seem that Potiphar believes her story, at least it made him angry at that moment. He was an officer in the army of Pharaoh so he must have been a pretty smart man.

We probably should feel sorry for him, married to this woman. Possibly, she’d been unfaithful many times before and Joseph was just another one in her series of conquests except it didn’t work with him so she framed him.

Joseph resisted this tremendous moment of temptation when he ran outside. Joseph did what we are all supposed to do when faced with this kind of situation: he fled and ran.

We’re told that he left his garment. The idea is not that he ran away naked, but that his outer garment was stripped off leaving him in his underwear. Joseph must have known that this stand for purity would cost him dearly, but in his mind it was worth it.

So she kept his garment with her until Potiphar came home. Then she said to him, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

It must have offended and grieved Joseph to be accused under such a contemptable lie, yet he didn’t seem to defend himself against it. Here we see the Lord Jesus again, silent before His accusers.

Isaiah 53:7 says,

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

Matthew 27:13-14 tells us,

Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”

Matthew 27:14  But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

None of this treatment dished out to Joseph is fair. Sometimes there’s a price to be paid for resisting temptation. We do this in faith, trusting God to work all things together for good for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose as we’re told in Romans 8:28.

Genesis 39:20,

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. 

This boy is certainly having a run of bad luck.

There at home he was the favorite of his father, wearing a coat of many colors. The next thing he knew, his brothers had taken off the coat and put him down in a pit. He hears them bargaining with some traders, and then he’s sold down to Egypt. He was only seventeen years old, and probably, on the way down there, and after he got there, he spent many nights in tears.

Now he’s getting along great in this new high position he’s been elevated to. Possibly he even saw this as the point where God turned his life around for good.

Then the wife of Potiphar attempts to lure him to commit sin. His high moral standard prevents him from yielding and, as a result, she frames him. This poor fellow just doesn’t stand a chance.

Remember that, although Joseph had been elevated to this position, he is still a slave.

Potiphar’s wife would be like Caesar’s wife, you just wouldn’t dare say anything about her. Obviously her word would be accepted over yours. Poor Joseph! He doesn’t need to even open his mouth. He’s declared guilty before he can make any kind of a defense at all. He immediately finds himself put into prison, the prison where the prisoners of Pharaoh were placed.

We move to verses 21 to 23,

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 

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. 

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. 

The hand of God is obvious in this young man’s life, even in the midst of the terrible things that happen to him.

Now he finds himself in prison. How horrific that would have been to you and me.

However, the Lord is still with Joseph even though He doesn’t appear to him, as He had to the other patriarchs. God’s mercy is right there with Joseph all the time, never leaving or foresaking him.

First He causes the keeper of the prison to like him and to trust him. Although Joseph is a very attractive and likeable young man he also has tremendous ability, but it’s important to note that all his natural ability would have come to nothing if God had not been with him.

God’s there with him, leading and guiding him. All of these experiences are moving toward the completion of a purpose in this young man’s life.

Joseph recognised this, and it gave him an attitude of hope and optimism. The circumstances didn’t get him down because he lived on top of his circumstances. He used those circumstances to create opportunities.

The Lord was with him. He recognised the hand of God in his life, and so he wasn’t discouraged in spite of what you and I would see as a hopless situatiuon.

Discouragement is one of the best weapons Satan has, discouragement and disappointment that bring about the belief that God has forgotten us and that He’s given up on us.

This young man seems to have overcome all of his circumstances. He reminds us of the passage in Hebrews 12:11,

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the

Certainly the chastening of the Lord is going to yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness in the life of this young bloke.

The story of Joseph reveals that not every man has his price. Satan says that he does, but there’ve been many men who Satan just could not buy. Joseph was one of these. Job was another, and the apostle Paul was still another.

Over the history of this world countless millions have refused to be bought by Satan and often at a perilous cost. Satan despises mankind who are created in the image of God.

Is it the will of God that Joseph be in prison?

Well, my friend, it’s almost essential that he be there and we’ll see that in the next chapter.

Until then, may the story of Joseph help you to stay close to the Lord no matter what circumstances you may find yourself in. Trust him in the darkest valley as well as on the sunlit mountaintop.