I find it ironic that the story of Joseph follows so closely on the heels of the story of Job. Again we have a mostly innocent man being seemingly punished for having done nothing wrong.
We read earlier of Joseph being sold into slavery and here we see he is sold to the house of Potiphar. All we know of him from scripture that he was an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. We can assume from the rest of the passage that he was a pretty wealthy man, able to purchase slaves and having enough of a household as to need to be able to delegate much of that responsibility. He was an important man. He was also married. He also exclusively trusted his household, all that he had, except his wife, into the hands of Joseph. Joseph has become a powerful slave. He has a lot of responsibility and a lot of authority. God had blessed him in spite of his situation.
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.
We read the story, we know what happens. Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph. We know nothing about her appearance, whether she was a beautiful woman, or as comely as a crocodile. Either way, this had to be a hard thing for him. Here he is, alone, a slave and emotionally vulnerable. Throw in a woman who tries to lure him into her bed daily and it would be difficult thing to say no to. And we see that by Joseph's reaction. He runs from her! He flees temptation! I believe Potiphar's wife was a true temptation to Joseph. And does he get rewarded or redeemed for resisting this temptation? Nope. He gets pitched into jail.
However....
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.Again we see the Lord was with Joseph, even in spite of what seems like a punishment. In both situations scripture tells us that God was with Joseph and He caused him to prosper. Again, Joseph is a prisoner with a lot of responsibility and a lot of authority.
Honestly, this is kinda hard for me to wrap my head around. It doesn't make sense. To me, we should be prospering in good situations, in good times. This was not a good time for Joseph, but God causes goodness to happen through Joseph. That's all well and fine for everyone else around Joseph, but I'm sure Joseph would still rather be home, with his family. Joseph may have found favor with his master and his jailer, but he is still a slave and a jailbird! He is still not in a good situation. God made everything around him prosper, but He did not prosper Joseph. Everyone around him was blessed, but Joseph was not. This story is so unfair! And I wonder if Joseph said that? I would imagine so. If it were me, I would! It's human! You would think the logical step for God to make would to spring Joseph outta there! But He doesn't. Instead, He prosper those who are holding him captive. What?! It seems incongruent. It doesn't make sense.
But, what are blessings? Are they was we think they are? How many blessings do we have around us that we don't see? How much differently would our world look if we saw our troubles as blessings?
What is God prospering through you in spite of the situation you are in? How can we become more open to His movement through us?
Holy God, we need Your strength, we need Your power, we need You. But, Your word tells us that Your mercies are new every morning. We can trust in You, that Your will be done, through us and around us. Open our eyes to where You are and what You are doing. And Father, help us to trust You through it all. Amen.
Tomorrow's passage: Genesis 41-42, Matthew 22:1-22
9 comments:
I don't know what Joseph's focus was during this time, though I think it's safe to say his primary concern in ANY and ALL circumstances was to glorify God. And I think for us, too, if that's truly our only real priority, our circumstances don't matter quite as much because the focus is not on ourselves. And we're far more likely to affect others in a positive way as well, despite whatever we're going through and/or struggling with.
Though I'm sure Joseph had moments where he questioned God, it does seem like he was able to be God focused throughout his trials and he took every opportunity he could to glorify God.
Also a great reminder to wait on God's timing. It took at least 2 years before Joseph got out of prison. But God was working out His plan and Joseph WAS released and put into a position of incredible power and authority.
Of all the OT characters, Joseph is definitely one of my favourites. He's by far the most consistently godly one of Abraham's descendants and his life (and his reaction to it) is inspiring!
I love that question - how is God prospering others through us despite (or even because of) our circumstances? Excellent!
Good stuff...
I think it depends on what we consider to be prospering!? Was Joseph in a worse place than he was? Yes. Was he put there unjustly? Yes. But God was with him, and He provided Joseph with success in everything he did. I think that's prospering. Just because we could be in a better place, doesn't mean we are prospering. You know the "bloom where you're planted" saying. We can prosper anywhere and under any circumstances.
I've recently had to move from a beautiful, showcase house, in a beautiful state, to a house that looks like it's going to fall apart, in a not-so-lovely state. I've lost my church, friends, choir, home, many wonderful things. And why? I don't know why, I just have to trust in God's plan. But would I say that I'm no longer prospering? No, I really wouldn't. God is with me here, and has given me many blessings despite my location. He gives me good in the face of what the "world" would call bad.
I see this as being what God did for Joseph. I do believe Joseph might have told God in prayer, that he doesn't understand why he would have to face prison for an unjustly reason. But, I think his life clearly shows that all his faith and trust was in God, no matter the situation. He seemed to always look for the good in everything. I think that's what allowed God to bless him so much in the end! :)
I really admire Joseph! He trusted God with everything, through the good times and the bad. He knew God had a plan for him. What an inspiration to me!
"The Lord was with Joseph". And so, "The Lord is with US!" It's all that really matters isn't it?? The rest is just our human state asking for it to be different or easier. Great post. I love what you said about Potiphar's wife being a real temptation for Joseph and that he runs from her! In our lives, we cannot control how people respond to our actions. We may do the right thing, and people may respond in "the wrong way". But we can only control our own actions and reactions (ie RUN from temptation). And no matter what other's reactions are - The Lord is with us - just like he was with Joseph.
I like that you mentioned that we have the opportunity to flee from temptation and we can choose not to be consumed by it and having it dictate our actions. I have some Grade 1 friends that are struggling with doing what "everyone else is doing" instead of making good choices and standing up for, and doing, what is right (regardless of what others are doing). I wonder if there is a less sexual way of sharing this story with them??
I think you girls make a good point....the easiest way to resist temptation is to FLEE!!! RUN AWAY!! Immediately! No thought, no internal or external debate, just go! The world may not always aprove of our actions, and we may not always get the result we want, but being in God's will, and resisting sin, is always the right choice. God will reward us for it, whether in this life or in Heaven!
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