Genesis 39
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,
4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Genesis 39 (NIV)
Joseph had been sold by his brothers (Genesis 37) and taken to Egypt where he was bought by a man named Potiphar who was an official of Pharaoh.
The blessing of the Lord was upon Joseph and he experienced favour everywhere – even when he was a slave in Potiphar’s house and a prisoner. The devil tried to put a damper on Joseph’s dreams of greatness but God lifted him high.
Lessons from Genesis 39
- Genesis 39 verse 2 and 21: God never leaves your side. His blessing upon you will cause you to prosper anywhere and in any situation you find yourself.
- Let your light shine everywhere go for men to see God in you. This will bring you favour even in the eyes of men. (Genesis 39 Verse 3-4)
- Whatever you do, do as unto God and not as unto men. Let the glory and beauty of God be reflected through the works of your hands… even if you find yourself in a position that you never hoped for. Excellence in your work will always bring you recognition and blessings.
- When Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household, the Lord blessed his entire household and everything he had. Associating with people of God will open doors for blessings in your life, no wonder Psalms 1:1-3 warns against associating with the ungodly.
- A person’s true character is recognized by what they do when no one is watching: Joseph was seduced by Potiphar’s wife but he resisted her advances even with no one watching. He refused to hurt his master and sin against God, he remained a man of integrity instead of going down the “this will be our little secret” route. Even though it didn’t seem like it at the time, God rewarded him for being such a man of character.
- A bruised ego and a vindictive mind: Potiphar’s wife was so unhappy about Joseph’s refusal to sleep with her that she decided to set him up so that he’d be thrown into jail. The one mistake Joseph made was running out without his cloak. Prideful people often to try to enact vengeance when their ego is hurt.
- Stop complaining when you find yourself in not-so ideal situations, instead recognize God’s ability to make everything work for your good: Joseph found himself a slave, and later a prisoner in a foreign land, this must have been a very big change for the young man who came from from a very rich household and who was his father’s golden child. Yet, instead of crying and complaining, he got to work and made the best of this situation, and God uplifted him.
Life may seem unfair at times especially when bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. No matter what happens, don’t walk away from God. God has an interesting way of making everything work out for our good and for His glory. Acknowledge that and trust Him.
Instead of feeling miserable and complaining when things don’t work out the way you expected, turn to God in prayer, ask Him how to navigate the situation and give Him room to work in your life and turn things around. A “woe is me” attitude will keep you stuck on all the negatives and as long as you focus on those, your attention will be away from God.
Reflection
- How can you reflect the glory where you currently find yourself?
- Do you rejoice in God in every season of your life?
Further reading
- Proverbs 10:22 [The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich,And he addeth no sorrow with it.]
- Matthew 5:16 [Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.]
- Romans 8:28 [And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.]
Prayer
Father, thank you for always watching over me and for being with me all the time no matter where I find myself. Help me to make the best of every situation and sing your praises all the days of my life. Thank you for being my counsellor and deliverer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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God bless you!
