God Blesses Joseph In Everything He Did

INTRO

As we study Scripture, our goal is to paint the complete picture of the Messiah. Our word for Genesis is Seed. Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” The Seed, Christ, permeates the book of Genesis. We’ve studied: Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Leah; Judah and Tamar; and Perez.

There was a 22-year window from when Joseph was thrown into the pit and when he and his brothers reunited in Egypt. Now we go back and look at Joseph, who had been thrown into a pit and taken to Egypt.

TEACHING

Genesis 39:1: In Egypt, Potiphar bought Joseph for 20 pieces of silver. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “The Egypt in which Joseph found himself was primarily a land of small villages inhabited by peasants who worked the land and raised grain and vegetables.”¹Egypt was located on the Nile River. The only two main cities around, at this point, were On and Memphis. Egypt practiced a lot of religious superstition and worshiped at least 2,000 gods. The community was made up of great builders. They actually developed the 365-day calendar! Egyptians had created established medicines and successful embalming techniques. During these times, slavery was prominent.²

Genesis 39:2: Joseph didn’t get lost! He was not thrown in the pit and forgotten about. The Lord was with him! Joseph became successful serving. He wasn’t out serving in the fields; God placed him serving prominent people. The ongoing theme of chapter 39 is that the Lord was with Joseph and this is stated four different times (Gen 39:2-3, 21, 23). When you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you know the Lord’s hand was on them and now it was true with Joseph!

Even though Judah carried the seed, Joseph was essential. The 11 brothers were in big trouble, and God used Joseph to save them. Joseph was the partial fulfillment of Genesis 12:3, which states, “All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” Joseph went from pit to prison to a palace—all because of the promise.

Genesis 39:3–4: The Lord made everything Joseph did prosper. Joseph and Potiphar did everything together. It is like what Joshua was to Moses or Elisha was to Elijah. They had that much interaction. Joseph lived out the prophet’s words in Jeremiah 29:7: “Seek the welfare of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it has prosperity, you will prosper.” Joseph sought the welfare of the city where God had placed him. I think we play the victim card too much: “Woe is me!” We must deal with it, pray for it, and God will honor it.

Genesis 39:5: The Lord blessed Potiphar and his household because of Joseph (Genesis 12:1–3)! Potiphar trusted Joseph because he had a pure heart. Joseph was well built and handsome (v. 6). Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of unknown men.” Joseph used the talents he had been given (Matthew 25:21). I just wonder sometimes if Jesus had been talking about Joseph.

The challenge in our lives is to consider: What are we doing with what God has given to us? Luke 16:10: “Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.” The Seed, Christ, was preserved because Joseph was faithful in the small things.

Genesis 39:7–9: After a while, Potiphar’s wife lifted up her eyes to Joseph and looked at him with desire. Waltke wrote, “Sarna also captures the dramatic irony: ‘She, the mistress of the house, is a slave to her lust for her husband’s slave.’”³Joseph refused her, though it was a no-win situation. Joseph showed respect and care for Potiphar. Joseph recognized that this would be a sin against God.

Genesis 39:10: Although Potiphar’s wife approached him day after day, he refused. Commentary writer John H. Sailhamer wrote, “The Joseph narratives are intended to give balance to the narratives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Together, the patriarchal narratives and the Joseph narrative show both God’s faithfulness in spite of human failure and the necessity of an obedient and faithful response on the part of human beings.”⁴

We cannot give in to the seed of the serpent (James 1:13–17; Luke 22:40; Matthew 6:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13). If Joseph could say no to temptation, so can we. God always provides a way out! Genesis 4:6–7 says, “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.’”

Satan is coming after us. Sin is crouching at the door. Sin’s desire is for us, but we must rule over it. Tamar was persistent to continue the seed. Joseph was persistent to flee from sin (2 Timothy 2:22).

Genesis 39:11–12: Potiphar’s wife grabbed him, but Joseph fled, leaving behind his garment. Wiersbe wrote, “As the puritan preacher said, ‘Joseph lost his coat, but he kept his character.’”⁵Joseph’s garment would have been a mid-calf length shirt with a tunic that resembled a really long T-shirt that went down past his rear end. We have to be careful who we hang out with (Proverbs 5:1–8).

Genesis 39:13–20: Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of trying to sleep with her, using his garment as proof. Satan will use seductive people to mess up everything. When Potiphar heard, he was furious and “burned with anger” (v. 19). Joseph was thrown into prison. He went from the pit to prison.

Genesis 39:21: God gave Joseph favor with the prison guard. Psalm 105:18 describes Joseph’s situation: “They hurt his feet with shackles; his neck was put in an iron collar.” It’s crazy how God can take someone from a pit to a prison and still keep His promise. God didn’t remove Joseph from suffering but remained with him in the midst.

Genesis 39: 22–23: All the prisoners were put under Joseph’s authority. God was with Joseph and gave him favor even in the prison. Joseph didn’t force the situation or run ahead of the situation, he embraced it and allowed the prosperity to unfold. Even when it didn’t look good, we knew that the promise of the Seed would continue to unfold.

Genesis 40: The cupbearer and baker were thrown into the prison as well. They had dreams Joseph interpreted. The cupbearer was freed and supposed to remember Joseph when he was released, but he didn’t.

CLOSING

Even as Joseph was faithful in the small things, God used that to continue the promise, and saved a nation. It’s an incredible story of following the seed all the way through the book of Genesis.