- The Journey of Life – Joseph
- Joseph’s journey hits a bump in the road
- Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
- God’s Knowledge & Power in Joseph
- Finally … Joseph is Revealed
Joseph’s journey hits a bump in the road
We study the Word of God so we clearly understand:
1. God deserves our respect
2. God demands our obedience
3. God blesses those who seek to do His will.
There are many passages giving us useful details about Godly living. We find in Psalms 1:1-3 … a clear instruction for what to do and what not to do so that ” … whatsoever we do shall prosper …”
We believe God is both OMNISCIENT and OMNIPOTENT. He is our CREATOR and posses all KNOWLEDGE of the events of our lives … from Start to Finish. We believe He has all POWER to guide and direct our lives so that His purposes are accomplished in and through us.
We study the life of Joseph, because we see that he is a man blessed and prospered by God. Joseph was exposed to several rather unusual and difficult life situations. In all of these things he continues to trust God and diligently seek to bring honor and glory to God. God ultimately brought triumph to Joseph and his family and to God Himself. By learning from his life, we can enrich our own lives in serving God’s purposes.
Joseph’s life shows he is a young man who enjoys God’s blessings and success in all that he does. Those around him even see this. Nany of those who observe him … do not eveb believe in the “God of the Hebrews.” This is valuable for us to understand. If we live our lives to the glory of God, His blessings on us will be seen by those around us who will also realize it is God who blesses us … even if they do not believe in God as we do.
Joseph enters Potiphar’s house as a slave. It apparently doesn’t take long for Potiphar to see that Joseph was extraordinary. It seems that everything he does … is blessed … and the source of his blessing is “the God of the Hebrews.” This in itself is a miracle.
However, it is another evidence that God blesses us even when things aren’t going the way we might like them to go … and people around us see that it is “God’s blessing” not our own.
Potiphar was most likely very busy fulfilling his important duties and responsibilities to Pharaoh. He had better things to do with his time than sit around “managing” his household … and ordering his slaves around in their daily tasks.
Considering that Joseph is a member of his household and obviously gifted and successful … Potiphar quickly chooses Joseph to be the “overseer” of his household. He puts into Joseph’s hands his entire wealth! Think about that … it is amazing! A slave being made the head-of-the-house and given complete control over his master’s wealth and possessions.
Rich people often have a tendency to be a micro-manager. Potiphar however, was not such a man. Genesis 39:6 says: “Thus Potiphar left all that he had in Joseph’s care and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.” That is really surrendering authority.
Chapter 39:5 tells us “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.”
I’m sure that Potiphar was really pleased … less work for him … more blessings than he has ever had … all because of Joseph … the Hebrew boy who was blessed and prospered by his God. So … you and I too can bless another’s life and house for God’s sake and glory if we serve others in Christ’s name. God desires to bring us in contact with people who need Him.
vI told you last week … the last sentence of verse 6 … gives us the “set-up” for Joseph’s situation taking an ugly turn.
Verse 6 says, “Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.”
vNow … in today’s lesson … Joseph hits a bump in the road on his journey through life. Things are going extremely well for him … he has great authority … great blessing … then … “a bump!”
Within Potiphars house … and quite possibly even in Pharaoh’s Egypt … Joseph has likely become something of a celebrity. I believe he was well known. Almost overnight he has become the overseer of Potiphar’s house … managing all that Potiphar owned … and it prospered.
Add to this celebrity status a handsome appearance and a fit body … you for sure have many people admiring him.
Potiphar most likely was out and about the Kingdom. As an important officer in Pharaoh’s court … he had to keep things running smoothly for the Pharaoh. Joseph is maintaining a high standard of excellence … perhaps Potiphar was huffing and puffing to keep up with Joseph’s performance … we can only speculate.
Potiphar had a wife. She is one of the women in the Bible that isn’t named. Being the wife of a famous and powerful man is often considered a life of leisure and privilege. Though not specified in Scripture, tradition of the times indicates she would be very visible at social events accompanying her husband.
The problem with Potiphar’s wife seems to be that she had too much time on her hands … and she was apparently sitting around the house … watching young, successful, handsome Joseph as he went about his duties in her household.
Perhaps you will remember a lesson I have presented several times about the sources of temptation that results in our sins … the three (3) dominant areas are … The lust of the flesh … the lust of the eyes … and the pride of life. It caused Eve to commit the first sin and it continues to cause all mankind to sin to this very day.
In the New Testament … the Apostle John summarizes the same issues … that unbelieving people live and chase all that is “in the world.”
Then in 1 John 2 he defines exactly what that means: “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
It seems that Potiphar’s wife spent too much time “watching” Joseph. His handsome appearance and apparently fit physic became a temptation to her.
Combine her husband’s absence from the house … with Joseph’s presence in the house … and it became a temptation that she finally allowed to spill over into a direct solicitation for Joseph to sleep with her.
Now … James 4:7,8 gives us Godly advice, “7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” But Joseph was a slave … he couldn’t just “not go to work.”
On the first occasion of her solicitation of Joseph, he did the right thing. He clearly rejected her and forcefully stated why he would not do what she asked:
“But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?””
His reply basically says that although he is “equal” to his master “in this house” … and that everything in the house has been entrusted to him … it did not include the master’s wife!
But the question he asks her is also interesting … “How then can I do this great wickedness … and … sin against God?” The great wickedness would be betraying his master … but the sin would be against God … the same God that was prospering all that he did.
In life … moral temptations are the downfall of many. I guess I used to think that this was mainly a “man’s problem” but way back in Joseph’s day … it was the “woman’s problem” and it is just as bad today … if not worse.
The moral compass of the world is spinning. There is no “True” moral direction in our world, our country and even our local society. Moral temptations abound everywhere.
The concept of right and wrong and doing that which is right … seems old-fashioned and obsolete.
However, God’s Word is an ABSOLUTE that is UNCHANGING and is still true today as it was when God directed its writing.
