God is With Joseph in His Afflictions (39.1-23) WestminsterReformedChurch.org Pastor Ostella September 6, 2015 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me." 8 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?" 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house." 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house." 19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, "This is the way your servant treated me," his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed. (Gen. 39:1-23) Introduction In Genesis 37.36, we read: Meanwhile [at the time when the brothers were in the process of deceiving Jacob about Joseph s death by an animal] the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. Then, in close conjunction, 39.1 says, Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The answer to the question, what happened to Joseph in Egypt under Potiphar is postponed in Genesis 38 in a shift of attention to one of the brothers that sold him into slavery. Chapter 38 covers more than twenty years in the history of Judah, the brother who suggested that they make some money at the same time that they get rid of Joseph and his dreams. It is reasonable to wonder about the function of chapter 38 that seems to interrupt the Joseph narrative by grabbing our attention with explicit sexual content. However, the brief interruption contributes much to the larger story because it reminds us that though there is a focus on Joseph in 37-50 (37.1: these are the generations of Jacob, Joseph), these chapters report the story of God s dealings with Jacob and his twelve sons. Accordingly, chapter 39, begins a flash back to things that happened concurrently with the twenty years of Judah up to the Tamar incident. 1 This chapter tells us what initially happened to Joseph in Egypt. He suffered but was blessed by the Lord because of his election to covenant service. So, we have this title, God is 1 Also, the Judah-Tamar interruption continues the story of God s gracious and sovereign fulfillment of His promise that kings and the messianic King will descend from the patriarchs through Judah by Tamar, the Canaanite. Moreover, it reveals the change in Judah that begins at the end of these twenty years and surfaces later in his interaction with Joseph in Egypt.
!2 with Joseph in His afflictions. It subdivides into two main points: God is with him in slavery and God is with him in prison. I. God is with him in the affliction of slavery Although there is only silence from Joseph in the account of betrayal by his brothers, he did suffer when he was sold to Midianite traders bound for the land of Egypt. We know this from the glimpse we get later when the brothers speak with guilt-ridden consciences about what Joseph went through at their cruel hands: Then they said to one another, "In truth we are guilty concerning our brother [Joseph], in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us" (Gen 42.21). The young lad was deeply distressed to the wrenching of his soul. He begged his brothers to let him go, but as they report it, we did not listen. His distress-filled begging would have been heard from the pit and from the caravan fading away in the distance toward Egypt. Also, it appears that the Midianites prevented his escape by hurting his feet with fetters and his neck with a collar of iron (Ps 105.18). 2 Nevertheless, before anything else is documented, the first point that the narrator gives about Joseph s experience as a lonely slave in Egypt is verse 2: The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master [the man who purchased him, 39.1, like buying cattle or grain]. The key phrase is The LORD was with Joseph and the key word is with. Being with him means that he blessed him in many ways. First, the blessing involves evident, tangible, noticeable success in all that Joseph did (39.3): His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. Potiphar evidently knew of Joseph s faith and thus he attributes his success to his covenant Lord. This means that the Lord granted evident blessing on his work, even as a slave. Second, the obvious presence and blessing of the Lord led Potiphar to view Joseph favorably and to therefore make him the overseer of his house and all that he had; Joseph thus attended him as his personal assistant (39.4). Third, God s presence with Joseph brought blessing to Potiphar, blessing in house and field. In other words, because of Joseph, for Joseph s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had [on all his possessions] (39.5). Fourth, these blessings led Potiphar to trust Joseph implicitly and in turn to give him complete authority and freedom in management (39.6): So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate [that is, he had the master s trust and charge over everything except his private and personal affairs]. Remarkably, Joseph was promoted as a slave to personal attendant to a high-ranking Egyptian. Thus, still a slave and having arrived there through great affliction of soul, this quite mature teenager received God s blessing on his work to an exceptional degree. The Lord was with him at every point along the way from service in his father s (dysfunctional) household to service in Potiphar s (Egyptian) household because, as we know, he was chosen to special covenant service. II. Slavery then becomes imprisonment and God is with him in this affliction also This part of the chapter covers how Joseph lands in prison and what immediately happens to him there. Granted, the encounter with Potiphar s wife is not the central point of the narrative, nonetheless, it is given sufficient treatment to draw attention to it and make a strong impression on every reader. Let s see how this works by answering two questions: how does Joseph, so blessed by the Lord, land in prison? What immediately happens to him in prison? 2 This text is not specific; the conditions in prison do not seem to fit these details; the initial slavery does.
!3 A. So, the first question is, how does Joseph, so blessed by the Lord, land in prison? In simple terms, he is imprisoned unjustly by the false testimony of his master s wife because of his righteous conduct. Note some things about this on one hand and then on the other. 1. On one hand, she brusquely tempts Joseph Her approach to Joseph is based on his outward appearance as a handsome young man (39.6b). She obviously has no concern for him as person with a conscience, heart, and soul. Her proposal is reported in 39.7: And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me. But Joseph refuses her overture for sex and he does so with a revealing explanation (39.8-9): 8 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?" Other than these words, the narrator gives no insight into Joseph s reaction. We have no report of self-defense, counter-charges, or complaining that he voiced to God or man. Interestingly, Joseph shows a deep sense of responsibility to his master that has a strong ring of an employer-employee relationship. He feels very responsible to Potiphar who trusts him, and Joseph says, the master has entrusted me with everything that he has; it is all in my charge, everything but you, because you are his wife. Joseph also has a deep sense of responsibility to God. Thus, he states that having sex with another man s wife is a great wickedness and sin against God (39.9). The young son of Jacob seeks to love both God and his neighbor. Clearly, the woman has no understanding of love for God, her husband, or for Joseph. Thus, she persists in seeking to run roughshod over the sacred bond of sexual intimacy between husband and wife. Day after day (39.10), she tempts Joseph to lie beside her or to be with her, but he would not listen to her. Until one day when he was in the house doing his work and no other men were present, she forcefully grabbed his garment, saying with authority and demand: Lie with me (12a). Her forcefulness resembles the action of a male rapist; she will not let go; so, without using force against her, Joseph slips out of his outer garment leaving it in her hand (11-12): But one day 12 she caught him by his garment [grabbed him forcefully, violently], saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. Thus, on one hand, Potiphar's wife tempts Joseph. 2. Then, on the other hand, she falsely accuses him Being humiliated and outraged by a righteous foreigner, she concocts a web of lies about this lowly slave. Her shrewdness is as remarkable as it is unjust. Rebuffed with his garment in her hand, she discredits Joseph in the eyes of the men of the house, gathering them and telling them that Joseph is a foreigner who has come to mock Egyptian sexual practice, and in this way laugh at us (39.14b; Wenham, II, 376). With this preface comes four blatant lies: 1) He came in to me to lie with me [the exact opposite of the truth], 2) and I cried out with a loud voice [as if she did so because of his advances, rather than because he refused her advances], 3) 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment [the reverse being true, her crying out did not precede but followed his departure] and 4) he left his garment beside me [rather than in my clutching hand to suppress any idea of her forceful grabbing and clutching]. Furthermore, with witnesses in place, she tells the same story to Potiphar, but with embellishments for maximum effect. She adds that it is a servant that came in to me to mock, not simply us, but me (cf. v. 17 with v. 14). Thus, it is a Hebrew slave that sexually attacked me to laugh at me. Such despicable conduct must surely demand swift and severe punishment. And that it does (39.19-20): 19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, "This is the way your servant treated me," his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. The first question is answered: Joseph landed in prison by being faithful to God and to his earthly master.
B. This brings us to the other question: what immediately happens to Joseph in prison? In 39.21-23, we have the astounding truth that lying and injustice did not alter the fundamental fact that the Lord continued to be with Joseph showing him steadfast love, giving him esteem in the eyes of the jail keeper, blessing him with responsibility over all the prisoners, and causing him to succeed in whatever he did: 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.!4 Conclusion I would like to make three concluding applications. A. First, an a fortiori for purity Greidanus and other writers make a strong claim that this account is not a model for young people today regarding sexual purity, a model for saying no like Joseph did. Some think that this text gives instruction in wisdom with its warnings against the adulterous woman who uses smooth words (Prov 2.16). Joseph is the ideal Israelite whose conduct is to be imitated. However, Greidanus states, the Joseph story is not wisdom literature (378). That approach misconstrues the message of the chapter on the grounds that there is no clear model presented, there are no exhortations from the narrator urging us to go and do likewise. This leads into a morass of subjectivity, which we avoid by sticking with the overt teaching of the text (379). What can we say to this rejection of a model of purity? We need to take it to heart; we need what Greidanus calls the overt teaching of the text, its teaching as a development within the history of redemption. Still, Paul tells us that these things [specific things but applicable generally] took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did (1 Cor 10.6). He goes on to explain why they are recorded in Scripture: they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come (1 Cor 10.11). Surely, if we ought to learn from negative example of what not to do, then how much more (in a fortiori fashion) ought we to learn from positive example, like the case of Joseph. We simply need to keep the larger history of redemption in mind as we do so. There is therefore, surely, a straight line to be drawn from Joseph s flight from sexual immorality to Paul s injunction to flee youthful lusts of all kinds, sexual and other kinds as well (Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim 2.22 KJV). Note the typical putting off and putting on in Paul, but with far greater emphasis on the putting on. Lust is not overcome simply by negation and denial; that leaves a void. The void must be filled with the positive pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace in fellowship with the saints. Mutual upbuilding and encouragement is vital for growth in holiness. B. Second, the foundation for the pursuit of righteousness How, we may ask, do we account for the high sexual standard of Joseph with his high view of marriage growing up as he did in a family where incest and polygamy were present? To be sure, we have little detail about how these things were shared or how the original design of marriage was discussed. But we do have an answer in the overall thrust of chapter 37: Joseph s high moral standard is a manifestation of God s electing and sanctifying grace bestowed on the young man whom He called to be a special covenant servant. This line of thought causes us to reverse what Ross calls the first lesson of Joseph s life, namely, that dedication to God enables the servant to overcome temptation; the first lesson is that God s electing grace enables His servant to overcome temptation. Therefore, the central point to bear in mind is that imperatives are rightly understood when you see them in the light of what God has done for you in Christ. His work on your behalf, and His promises to you are the
!5 foundation of your efforts to obey the Lord s imperatives, including those that come to our attention by example. You can be encouraged then to take up your duty to strive after holiness by knowing that the Lord is working in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil 2.13), and He promises to finish what has begun: he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1.6). The promise to Jacob is fleshed out in the life of Joseph and applies to your life as well: Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Gen 28.15). When you grasp this teaching, your pursuit of righteousness does not diminish; it increases by the great encouragement of knowing that your work has its foundation in His determination to accomplish all that He has promised. C. Third, the resource in affliction You cannot miss the fact that there is much more in this account than the temptation of Joseph to sexual sin. His righteous response to temptation led directly to his imprisonment by the lies of his temptress. But God s way of fulfilling his word to his covenant people is over time, by process, and through affliction. Of course, the God of the covenant is the omnipresent Lord. He is not limited by time or space. 3 This raises an important question: if He is omnipresent, then what does it mean for him to be with Joseph, both in slavery and in imprisonment (39.2, 3, 21, 23)? This question has objective and a subjective sides to it. 1. Objectively speaking, God s presence with Joseph and with you means that all along the way and at every step you take, He is present with you, your trials to bless. In the prison enduring injustice of an acute form, the Lord was with Joseph and showed him His steadfast love. The trials of slavery and imprisonment were painful realities but the omnipresent Lord was always there with steadfast love; His love shined upon him and was never withdrawn from him. We might call this the loving presence of the omnipresent Lord; He is always there but more He is there in your trials to bring you His blessing. Of course, in His way and according to His timing, but He is present with you to accomplish for you all that He has planned and promised. 2. Subjectively speaking, God s presence with Joseph and with you means that you are aware of His presence. We grant that there is a difference between worshipping God when He appears in the form of a man and worshipping Him unseen. The sense of His presence in bodily form is truly unique. However, Jesus said that we are blessed who have not seen Him: Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (Jn. 20:29). He speaks of His blessing by faith without seeing! What about fellowship that is broken by sin? This refers to the fact that your knowledge and assurance of His loving presence may be shaken by sin. But acknowledgment of your sin, owning up to it is a necessary part of your fellowship with God in prayer. Remember, you are clean but you get your feet dirty and need regular cleansing. Therefore, you can know His presence and sense His love by the word and Spirit. The Holy Spirit works by the word and enables you to cry out to God as your Father; this is deeply subjective and from the heart. By the Spirit you are able to call Jesus Lord and to confess from the heart that He is your risen Lord. This is a comforting truth; it is simply and wonderfully the case that when you suffer you are with Him and He is with you. Here, you have something special when you wake up in the middle of the night: you and I may say I am awake, perhaps, again! But with the Psalmist, you can say much more: I am awake, and I am still with you (Ps 139.18). We should carefully note the direction of thought here: the Psalmist says, I remain with He is not limited to a particular land. The land of promise is the land of His choice provisionally and temporarily in the OT with huge 3 symbolic significance, but He is not bound to it (not in the past, not in the future).
you: waking or sleeping, they presence [is] my light. But I need to know the resource that causes me to abide in God s presence even in affliction. Psalm 73 gives the answer: Nevertheless [bitter afflictions and all], I am continually with you because you hold my right hand (23), which means 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory (73.24). Then, he states the desire of his heart: 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. (73:25). Therefore, it is not that we make Him our Sovereign so therefore He holds and guides us; instead, it is because He holds and guides us that we make Him our refuge and tell of His deeds. When you suffer affliction like Joseph (betrayal, rejection, slavery, injustice) you can each say, "I am going through this with my covenant Lord." Obviously, this is because He is present with you that you are present with Him. You suffer in His presence but not just coldly sharing the same location. You are with Him not separated or alienated; not pushing Him away; you are with Him in all the positive connotation that can be poured into a warm "with." You are with Him as His brothers and sisters in the household of God, in the family. You are co-children, co-siblings, co-heirs with your resurrected elder Brother who was betrayed and rejected of men that the Lord God may be with you always with His steadfast love. Glory to the triune God, now and forever, amen.!6