Dec 19
29
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 39
“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 LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 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. 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. 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. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, ‘Lie with me.’ 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. 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?’ And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 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, 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. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 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. 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.’ Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 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. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.’ 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. 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. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 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. 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.” (Genesis 39, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Matthew 5:1-16
“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’ ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’ ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’ ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.’ ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.’ ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ ‘Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’ ‘You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.’ ‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’” (Matthew 5:1–16, ESV)
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[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
As you can see we have returned again to the beloved story of Joseph. Chapter 38 of Genesis felt like an unpleasant interruption, didn’t it? I say “unpleasant” because the story told there is truly scandalous (the story is pleasant in the sense that it magnifies the grace and glory of our God). I say “interruption” because the story of Judah, his sons, and Tamar felt out of place given that the story of Joseph began in chapter 37. But as I said in the previous sermon, chapter 38 plays a critical role in the Genesis narrative. It interrupted the Joseph story, but for a reason. The moral decline of the sons of Israel is documented there — they were no better than the Canaanite peoples who surrounded them. Knowing this will help us to appreciate all the more the grace of God shown to them in their election and redemption. In particular the wickedness of Judah is documented there. And this will help us to appreciate the transformation that we will see in him later in the Genesis story. But now we return to Joseph. We are to remember how badly he was treated by his own brothers. They hated him, being driven by jealousy. They conspired to kill him. But seeing that they could do away with their brother and make a profit, they sold him to Ishmaelite traders who then took him down to Egypt, which is where our passage for today begins. Verse 1 of Genesis 39: “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.” (Genesis 39:1, ESV)
This chapter may be divided into three parts. One, in verses 1-6 we learn that Joseph was blessed by the Lord while in Potiphar’s house. Two, in verses 7- 18 we learn of the temptation of Joseph, and of us his righteous devotion to the LORD. And three, in verses 19-23 we learn that Joseph was blessed by the Lord while in prison.
The central theme of this passage is very clear: the LORD was with Joseph wherever he went. He was with him to sustain him, to bless him, and to make him prosper in every circumstance. Notice the repetition of the phrase, “the LORD was with Joseph…” It is found in verse 2 where we read, and “The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.” In verse 3 we learn that “[Potiphar] saw that the LORD was with [Joseph] and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” And after Joseph was unjustly thrown into prison we read in verse 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.” And again in verse 23 we read, “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.”
Notice that in each of these verses (and in others also) the word LORD is spelled with all capital letters. This signals to the english reader that it is the Hebrew name YHWH that is in use here. And we know that that name for God communicates that he the God who is near. He is the God who makes and keeps covenants. He is the God who is faithful to his people. How appropriate it is, therefore, that this name for God be used in this passage. For here we see that Joseph’s days are dark and filled with trouble. Judging by the appearance of things, one might be tempted to say that God had abandoned him. But this could not be further from the truth. The LORD was with him. The LORD blessed him even in the dark and troubled days. The LORD showed him favor and made him prosper.
[APPLICATION: It is no wonder that the story of Joseph is so dear to the people of God. All who walk with Christ in this world will experience difficulties, trials and tribulations. There will be good days, and there will be bad days. There will be pleasent and unpleasant seasons. How crucial it is for the people of God to know that the LORD is with them even in the evil day. And how important it is for the people of God to know how to walk in days of difficulty. We are to walk faithfully no matter the circumstances of life, just as Joseph did.]
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Verses 1-6
Undoubtably, these were dark days for Joseph. Nothing is said in this passage regarding his emotional state, nor are we given any insight into his thinking, but this must have been a very traumatic experience for Joseph. He was a young man when he was assaulted by his own brothers. They threw him into a pit and left him for dead. Try to see these events through Joseph’s eyes. Imagine looking up from the bottom of that deep pit watching your brothers leave you to die. They eventually returned, but only to sell him into slavery. He plead with his brothers, but to no avail. He was taken away by foreigners and sold again in a foreign land. The language in that land was strange to his ears. The food was different. Undoubtably, the customs seemed odd. A traumatic experience like this might cause some to loose their faith, to grow hard towards the Lord, and to be overwhelmed with despair. But Joseph remained faithful. He flourished even as his world came crashing down around him.
How could it be that Joseph remained so strong in the midst of such adversity? Again and again we are given the answer: “The LORD was with Joseph”, we are told. The LORD was near to him, and he was near to the LORD. Everything that Jospeh had was stripped away — his privileged position in his father’s house, his freedom, his wealth, his comfort, his family and friend. To loose all of that at once would bring most men and women to ruin, but the LORD was with Joseph to sustain him in the midst of the trial, and it appears that Joseph clung tightly to the LORD.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, the LORD will sometimes test his people in this way to show if their faith is true. And if it is true, the LORD uses trials like these to make their faith even stronger. Remember that the LORD did something like this with Joseph’s father, Jacob, when he was sent away to Laban for all those years. We know that the LORD did this with Job — he too lost everything, but refused to turn his back on his God. When the Apostle Peter wrote to suffering Christians he reminded them of their eternal reward and then said, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7, ESV). Joseph was certainly grieved by various trials. The genuineness of his faith was surely tested. But he was found faithful, for the LORD was with him to bless him. What are we to do in times of difficulty? Well, we are to cling to the LORD and seek his blessing. We are to remember that the LORD does not leave his people, but he does use trials and tribulations to test, refine and strengthen them. And it is for this reason that we can do what James commands us to do, that is to “Count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds…[knowing] that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2–3, ESV).]
The text here says that Jospeh was a “successful man”. He started as an ordinary slave to Potiphar, but before long he was moved from working with the slaves in the field to working inside in a privileged position. And yet again, Joseph was promoted until all that Potiphar had — both inside and outside — was left in his charge. So trusted was Joseph that the only thing Potiphar concerned himself with was eating his food!
Why did Potiphar promote Joseph so quickly to the position of overseer? Certainly Joseph was a hard worker. He must have been very responsible. Clearly, he had the ability to oversee and lead people. But none of that is mentioned. Instead we are told that Potiphar “saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands”. For this reason, “he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.” And from then onward, “the blessing of the LORD was on all that [Potiphar] had, in house and field.”
Here we have a little example of a fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that all of the nations of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. I say it is a “little example”, for this promise really finds it’s fulfillment in the Christ who would be born from Israel — the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But here we get a little taste of the nations of the earth being blessed through Abraham’s offspring when the estate of Potiphar the Egyptian was blessed of the LORD on account of Joseph’s presence with him.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, we should expect the same to be true of the people of God in this New Covenant era. We should expect the Christian to be blessed of the LORD, and to also be a blessing to the nations. This is what Jesus was referring to when he spoke to his disciples saying, “You are the salt of the earth…” and, “You are the light of the world… ” (Matthew 5:13–16, ESV). God’s people are to live in the world in such a way that the world is affected by them. If we are in Christ then we are blessed. But we must never forget that we are blessed to be a blessing. As we live for God in this world — as we love Christ and keep his commandments — we should expect that those around us will be blessed also. And here I am not only thinking of the blessing of salvation coming to others. Certainly that is our prayer, that others would come to faith through our witness! But here I am saying that the Christian should have an affect upon those around them in other ways too. Sadly, the opposite is sometimes true. Sadly, it is sometimes the Christian who is affected by the culture, and not the culture by the Christian. But if the Christian is strong and mature — if the Christian is faithful and true — they will walk with Christ in such a way that they have an affect, instead of being affected. Such was the case with Joseph. He was blessed, and he was a blessing.]
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Verses 7-20
It is in verses 7 through 18 that Joseph’s faithfulness to the LORD is put on full display. Here we see that he resisted strong temptation because he loved the LORD.
At the end of verse 6 we are told that “Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.” And in verse 7 we learn that Potiphar’s wife took notice of him. She was an unfaithful wife. She was a temptress. She was also very forward and aggressive. When Potiphar was away she spoke to Joseph saying, “Lie with me”. Notice Joseph’s reply in verse 8: “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. 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?’” In brief Joseph refused to lie with Potiphar’s wife out of love for his neighbor and out of love for his God. And is this not summary of God’s law? To love the Lord with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself? Joseph resisted the temptation because he would not sin against Potiphar, nor would he sin against God — “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”, he said.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, see that Joseph’s love for God was manafest in his obedience to him. He loved God, and he obeyed him, which demonstrated that his love was true. Those who love God keep his commandments. This is what Jesus said in John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV). 1 John 2:3-6 makes a similar assertion: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:3–6, ESV). These texts are not teaching that if we sin at all then we do not love God at all. Instead, they make it plain that love for God and obedience to God go hand in hand. To say that you love God and to live in disobedience to him is a contradiction. To love God is to obey him. The greater our love for him, the greater our obedience will be. Do you love God, friends? Then keep his law. Do you love Christ friends? Then walk as he walked.]
[ILLUSTRATION: This principle should not surprise us. Other relationships function in the same way. Over time a wife will doubt the sincerity of her husbands love if he treats her poorly. He might say “I love you” often. He might even buy her gifts from time to time. But if he treats her badly day to day, his actions will contradict his professions of love. The same is true of the relationship between child and parent. If a child truly loves mom and dad then the love will show itself in obedience and respect, generally speaking. It is easy to claim to love God, friends. It is even possible to act like you do in public worship. But if your love for God is true, it will manifest itself in obedience to God’s law.]
Joseph resisted Potiphar’s wife saying, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Notice that Joseph knew that adultery was “a great wickedness and sin against God” prior to the giving of the ten commandments, the seventh of those being, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. I say this to support the idea that the ten commands contain God’s moral and universal law which was written on Adam’s heart in the beginning.
In verse 10 we learn that Potiphar’s wife “spoke to Joseph day after day, [but] he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.” Over time she grew more aggressive. Verse 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, she caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me.’ But he left his garment [probably a cloak] in her hand and fled and got out of the house” (Genesis 39:11–12, ESV).
Brothers and sisters, sexual sin is not an exclusively male sin. In Genesis 38 it was Judah who was the aggressor. Here in Genesis 39 it is Potiphar’s wife. She was a temptress.
Notice that Joseph was once again stripped of his cloak. His brothers tore his coat of many colors off of him when they assaulted him, and now Potiphar’s wife tore his cloak from him — perhaps this to was a coat of honor, signifying his privileged position within Potiphar’s house.
Here is where things turned for Jospeh. Potiphar’s wife, feeling scorned and being driven by envy, decided to do Joseph harm by falsely accusing him. She had his cloak and so she used it to claim that he had taken it off to assault her. She bore false witness and slandered Joseph’s good name.
[APPLICATION: Take notice, friends. While it is true that men sometimes do horrible things to women (and sometimes women to men), and while it is true that the testimonies of those who claim to be victims of assault should be taken very seriously, it is also true that people sometimes tell lies. To bear false witness and to slander someone’s name is a terrible sin. It is possible to destroy a person with lies. Never should we bear false witness, and never should we forget that people sometimes do.]
[ILLUSTRATION: Many of you know that my wife works at a public charter school. One thing that she does with some regularity is to look into allegations that students make against others students — “so and so is bullying me” is a common one, I think. A few years ago the school installed cameras so that most of the campus is covered. Lindsay spends a good amount of time reviewing video footage to sort out conflicting testimonies. It is disturbing how often the accusers are found to be lying. And it is even more disturbing to know that often times the accusers are in fact the ones guilty of aggression! This needs to be kept in mind when considering allegations. People do lie.]
Potiphar’s wife lied because she felt scorned. And when Potiphar was told, “his anger was kindled.” But there is evidence that Potiphar wasn’t entirely sure of his wife, for he took Joseph and “put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.” Typically, the punishment for such a crime would have been death. But Joseph was put into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined — an unpleasant place, no doubt.
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Verses 21-23
In verses 21 through 23 we have a repeat of verses 1 through 6. Just as Joseph was made to prosper in Potiphar’s house, so the LORD made him to prosper in the prison. Verse 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. 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. 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” (Genesis 39:21–23, ESV).
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Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, it is critical for God’s people to know that God is able to make them prosper even in the most trying of circumstances. In every circumstance of life they are to cling to Christ and walk faithfully before him.
Are you experiencing good days? Are your circumstances pleasent? Then walk faithfully before God. Love him above all else, and love your neighbor as yourself. Or are you experiencing days of great difficulty? Are you circumstances most unpleasant? The admonition is the same! Walk faithfully before God. Love him above all else, and love your neighbor as yourself. For if God is with you — if you have been reconciled to God through faith in the Christ — then you have all that you need.
We have taken an up close view of Joseph in this sermon today. But as we move now to a conclusion I would like to step back just a little bit to gain some perspective. There is a larger story that is unfolding. We know that Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery and plunged down into the prison so that from there the LORD might raise him up to a position of power and, through him, save a great multitude of people, both Egyptian and Hebrew.
And if we step back from this story even further we will certainly recognize that the story of Joseph mirrors another story — that it, the story of Jesus the Christ. Just as Joseph was brought low so that he might be raised up in due time, so also the Christ, but in a much greater way. Paul puts it this way, reminding his that “Jesus… was in the form of God, [but] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5–11, ESV). Jesus was emptied and humbled — he suffered and even died — so that through him many might be saved, not only from amongst the Jews, but also the gentiles, and from salvation, but from the judgement of God in hell forever.
So while it is true that we learn that God is present with his people to bless them in difficult circumstances; and while it is true that we learn how to walk when facing trials of many kinds — we are to be faithful! And while it is true that we learn that God has purposes for our suffering — for this reason we can count them all joy! It also must be recognized that something bigger was happening in the life of Joseph. A bigger story was beginning to unfold. God would provide salvation for Israel in Egypt through Joseph. And more than that, in the fulness of time, God would provide salvation through his one and only son, Christ Jesus the Lord, for all who believe upon him.
