Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (22.5)

The Book of Genesis

Genesis Chapter 39 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

Joseph in Potiphar’s Household – The Test of Devotion in Success

v.1-6 Once in Egypt, Joseph was sold to a prominent court official named Potiphar, “an officer of Pharoah, captain of the guard” (v.1).  Even though he was in Egypt and far from his family, “the LORD was with Joseph” (v.2) and this was the reason for his prosperity – “the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand” (v.3).  Regardless of what genius and consummate skill Joseph possess in leadership and organisation, it was made clear that his successes were possible because of the LORD.

We now have a clearer picture of the Joseph’s character – that of his courage and determination.  Despite his treatment at his brothers’ hands, he sought no sympathy and solicited no pity.  Instead he energetically committed himself to whatever task was laid before him.  Joseph’s industry and success found “grace in [Potiphar’s] sight” (v.4) and so he appointed Joseph as “overseer in his house, and over all that he had (v.5).  The prosperity that Potiphar enjoyed was phenomenal and unexpected, and it was because he trusted Joseph that he could enjoy a share in the Divine blessing “upon all he had in the house, and in the land”.

The position of trust, power and influence Joseph now commands in his master’s house is revealed in the fact that his master “knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat” (v.6). Potiphar had no need to be concerned about anything, even his wife.  But with a measure of success comes an even greater measure of testing.   We are informed that Joseph was “a goodly person and well favoured,” which means that he was of fine appearance, or well built and handsome.

v.7-12 The indiscreet and immoral advances of Potiphar’s wife powerfully challenged Joseph’s moral and spiritual integrity (v.7).  Joseph’s reaction sharply contrasts with Judah’s decadence (cf. 38:16).  Evidently, the LORD allowed this to occur to test Joseph’s faithfulness in times of success.  After all, he was far away from his family, and it was his master’s wife’s request – to give in may have seemed an easy, expedient, and rational thing to do.  Believers must follow the godly example of Joseph in refusing to succumb to all immoral demands in the line of their duties in their employment.  If Joseph, who had no legal rights as a slave in Egypt, is able to take his stand, how much less excusable is it for employees to claim that they had no choice in such situations.

Joseph’s reasons for refusing Potiphar’s wife were two: first, he wished to be faithful to his master, who had helped him (v.8); second, even more importantly, he wished to be faithful to God – “how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (v.9).  The spiritual logic in Joseph’s mind is irrefutable!  We can observe here that Joseph is truly a great man of faith.  Many good men, upon their first taste of success, give in to pride and quickly forget that it is “the LORD [who] made all that [they] did to prosper” (cf. v.3).  Such pride in times of success promptly chokes the channel of faith and turns the heart of formerly good men to abuse the power of their now successful ministries to gratify their own selfish lusts.  But not so with Joseph because he is totally devoted to God, not his own ambitions for greatness.  He is a man of faith who seeks to please God in all circumstances of life – whether in difficulty or in prosperity.

v.10-12 The temptation was powerful, not only by its boldness and directness (cf. v.7, “Lie with me”), but also by the pressure of her seduction “day by day” (v.10).  Joseph simply and continually refused – there was no debating, no flirtatious conversation, no rationalising.  When the crisis came one day when he was alone in the house “to do his business” (v.11), “and she caught him by his garment,…he left his garment in her hand, and fled.” (v.12).  Joseph did not flee temptation only to wait around the corner for it to catch up to him!  The flight of Joseph must not be seen as an act of cowardice as foolish men would perceive it; it was a fleeing that is full of the wisdom of a man who is walking with God (cf. Prov. 13:14; 14:16; 22:3).  As a man of faith, he knew that he cannot please God and joyfully fulfill his part in the Divine plan for his life by disobeying God.

We may note the contrast at this point between Jacob and Joseph.  Little sins gnaw away at a person’s effectiveness in service, and at times God may tolerate a person for a season until He must deal with that individual.  Although God can forgive and restore the sinner, a life filled with crooked ways brings consequences that both causes grief in his life, and damages his power for service.  In Joseph, we have a true Biblical standard for leaders.  His godly example of faith brings into clear light the reality that believers cannot defiantly sin against what they know to be God’s righteous will if they desire to become all that God wants them to be.  No one can willfully sin against God and continue to enjoy His presence and His blessing.

v13-20 Potiphar’s wife, humiliated by Joseph’s refusal of her, accused him of assaulting her first to the men of her household (v.13-15).  Then, when “his lord came home” (v.16), she repeated her lie to her husband with the implied accusation that her husband mocked them by bringing Joseph into the household (v.17-18, “The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought unto us”).  When Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of mocking them, she is accusing Joseph of more than the crime of unbridled sexual passion.  She is asserting that Joseph’s attempted rape was intended to hold them all up in contempt by not taking her seriously as his master’s wife.  Potiphar, believing “the words of his wife” (v.19), was enraged, and threw Joseph “into the prison,…where the king’s prisoners were bound” (v.20).

If Joseph had chosen to succumb to the temptation, he might have opportunity for further advancement and recognition in Potiphar’s house, or he might still have ended up in prison, and either way, he would be a failure with God.  But he refused the wicked advances and incurred the wrath of a woman without moral standards, and suffered (“he was there in prison”) for his spiritual victory!  The important lesson for all believers here is that resistance to temptation does not always find immediate reward.  In fact, for the second time Joseph suffered for being faithful to his master, and in both cases his garment was used in the report of deception.  However, because Joseph was a man of faith, he sees beyond immediate reward for his decisions of obedience to God.  He knew that his God who had delivered him from the pit his brothers cast him into is well able to deliver him from this prison Potiphar had cast him into as well.

v.21-23 Joseph’s devotion in times of success brought about the continuation of God’s presence with him (v.21, “But the LORD was with Joseph”) and His blessing of prosperity.  Even in prison, Joseph continued to rise to a position of trust, power and influence.  The story now repeats with the “keeper of the prison” (v.22) turning over all his affairs to Joseph till once more, “whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it”.  The point of this record is that “the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper” (v.23) was to confirm that Joseph did the right thing, even though he suffered for it.  Joseph’s phenomenal success in prison was clearly evidence of God’s approval for in His eyes, the tested devotion and integrity of Joseph is pivotal to his usability in greater tasks.

On the human level, it would seem that Joseph was a failure again.  He failed to hold on to his position in his own family, and now he failed to hold on to his position in Potiphar’s house.  Twice, he was rejected and placed into a place of bondage for being a man of faith and character.  Joseph could have decided in his own mind that his rise in powerful house of Potiphar, the captain of the guard, was the stepping stone to the fulfillment of his dreams of dominion (cf. 37:7, 9) and the means by which God would fulfill His plans.  He could have succumbed, or schemed to fight back for his stand of purity, to hold on to that position of power.  He could not have possibly known at that time but his sojourn in the prison was really a big part of God’s plan for his life.  Though Joseph would not have comprehended the meaning of all that is happening to him, he was a man of faith in God – thus he surrendered completely to the leading of God’s will in his life.  Like Joseph, we need to have a bigger vision of God and a deeper spiritual view of events in our life that allows God to work in and through in and through our lives.  Otherwise, we would not be ready for the “Prison” period of God’s leading and we’ll find ourselves clinging so tightly to the “Potiphar” level of ministry that we can miss the “Pharoah” level of ministry, which God intends for us.