Genesis 39 – Joseph Prospers Under Potiphar
Timeline: 1898 BC
|
Resources |
At the same time Judah's story is unfolding, Joseph had been sold to the Ishmaelites and then bought by Potiphar, the chief of the executioners, as a house slave. He was seventeen at this time. 1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. Egypt is the land of Ham, the second son of Noah and the father of Canaan (who was cursed by Noah). 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. Joseph was favored by his father and by the nation because God had favored him. But God favored Joseph because he was righeous. Those slaves who had been war captives were generally sent to labor in the field and subjected to hard treatment by taskmasters. But those who were bought with money were employed in domestic purposes, were kindly treated, and enjoyed as much liberty as the same class does in modern Egypt. 4 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now we can see why Jacob put Joseph in charge over his brothers. Had they been as studious as he, they would have had nothing to be jealous of. After an undisclosed period of time, Joseph proved himself to be valuable to Potiphar. So he showed him much kindness and respect. He selected him from the rest of his servants and put him in charge of his entire household. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. Joseph inherited his mother's beauty and his father's integrity. What a combination! But instead of becoming conceited, he gave God the glory in everything he did and worked diligently in spite of the fact that he was a slave. 7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." When Satan saw that he could not overcome Joseph with his troubles, he was not about to give up. Temptation is his middle name so he used Potiphar's wife to tempt Joseph. Egyptian women were not kept in the same secluded manner as females are in most Oriental countries now. But the ancient women of Egypt were very loose in their morals. 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Joseph refers to Potiphar as his master rather than her husband. That is how he first and formost sees him. To avoid the temptation, Joseph first used ethical conviction. Potiphar was good to him and he had unreserved trust in him. Trust requires responsibility. No way was he going to betray that trust. The second way he fought against the temptation was spiritual devotion to God. The almighty grace of God enabled Joseph to overcome this assault of the enemy. 10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. She taunted him constantly. Temptation never stops so Joseph tried to avoid her as much as possible. 11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. Potiphar's wife found him alone and grabbed him by his cloak (probably the long loose robe or mantle, with short sleeves, used in Oriental full dress) and demanded him to sleep with her. Interestingly enough, poor Joseph has had a time when it comes to his coats. First the coat of many colors was ripped off him and now, his cloak. He flew as one who was escaping for his life. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside." According to Josephus, a Jewish historian, Potiphar's wife was supposed to be attending a public festival but pretended to be ill and excused herself so she could be alone with Joseph. After being rejected once again, she became furious and seized an opportunity to get revenge. 16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside." Here we go again with the blame game. Just as Adam blamed God for giving him Eve and she blamed the serpent, Potipher's wife blames her husband. Of course she makes up this lie not only to gain her revenge and to avert suspicion from herself. 19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. Who was Potiphar angry with, Joseph or his wife? The penalty for a slave defiling a free woman was death. As chief executioner, he was well within his right and he had the power and to execute Joseph. Why didn't he? Probably because he really didn't believe her but had to take appropriate actions to prevent a scandal. 20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. Potiphar put Joseph into a rounded enclosure where the the king's political prisoners were confined which was under Potiphar's house, rather than the jail where the common criminals were kept. This was a very moderate punishment. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. But the Lord...God often stops bad things from happening to his favored children. The warden favored Joseph probably because his boss, Potiphar told him to. Rather than a simple prisoner, Joseph became the slave of the captain. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. And so the warden was also prospered through Joseph who was favored by God. Bible Study Questions 1. Potiphar bought Joseph from the hands of the ...
2. Potiphar made Joseph overseer of...
3. The blessing of the Lord was upon all that the Egyptian had...
4. Joseph's master's wife cast... 5. When Joseph refused Potiphar's wife, he...
6. And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph...
7. What did Potiphar's wife catch Joseph by?
8. What did Potiphar's wife call Joseph?
8. The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us...
10. Where did Joseph's master take him?
|
| Cassie, Matt, Sue, Joe, Noah, Kelly | |
