Genesis 39

Sunday Morning Bible Study

September 9, 2007

Introduction

The last we heard of Joseph, he was being sold as a slave on his way to Egypt. This morning we head down to Egypt to see what has been happening to Joseph.

Genesis 39

:1-6 God’s blessings in Potiphar’s house

: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.

Potiphar

Pharaoh

:2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

successful

:3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.

:4 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.

:5 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.

:6 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 Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

Joseph was trustworthy. Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything Joseph was in charge of.

:7-12 The Temptation

: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."

Joseph finds himself in a place of temptation. We might also see it as a place of “testing”, to see what kind of a man he’s going to be.

: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.

:9 "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 knew his limits. He knew that his master had entrusted him with everything, But Joseph knew that didn’t include Potiphar’s wife.

: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.

: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,

:12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

Lesson

Dealing with temptation

Joseph passes his test concerning temptation. He does some things that are instructive to us in our own temptations. This is not an exhaustive list of how to avoid temptation. This is not a guaranteed system of having victory over sin. But we can learn from it.

1. My sin affects others (vs.9)

He was aware that he would be betraying his master’s trust.

Have you thought about the people affected by the sin if you should give in? Have you thought about the consequences?

I think it’s good to review my own list of consequences from time to time:

o I am going to be hurting the person this woman is supposed to be with (which is not me). Joseph was concerned about what this would do to Potiphar.

o I am going to be hurting this woman – since I’m helping her sin and cause damage to her own soul.

o I would be devastating my wife – the one that God has chosen for me, the one I have invested into a relationship for thirty years, the one who is faithful to me, the one who is “one” with me.

o I would be hurting my sons – they look to me as an example, not just as a father, but as a man, and even as a spiritual leader. I’ve come across folks who have seen their parents commit adultery and it’s devastating.

o I think of the hurt I’d cause my parents and my sisters. I wouldn’t look forward to seeing them if I had done this.

o I would be hurting the people that I’ve shared Jesus with – they would see me as a hypocrite and as a phony. They would wonder if anything I’ve ever said to them was true. There are lots of examples in the movies about phony “Jesus freaks” who take advantage of women. I don’t want to be one of them.

o I would be hurting my church – a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Whether I’m the pastor or a person sitting in a pew, I’m making a crack in the walls of purity that protect a fellowship and I’m setting an example that others will surely follow. I believe I will be accountable in some measure to the negative influence I’ve had in causing others to stumble.

o I would be hurting the work of Christ in the world – adding one more log to the fire of criticism that the world wants to heap against the hypocritical church. I bring shame to Jesus.

o I would be bringing much damage to my own soul. I know what it’s like to experience guilt and condemnation over sin I’ve committed. This would be that times ten. For the rest of my life I’ve added one more thing for Satan to grab a hold of and condemn me for.

2. Sin is really, really bad. (vs.9)

He called it “great wickedness”

We tend to look at sin as a “mistake” and not as the serious thing it is.

There are some things that we understand as being serious sin. Child abuse, murder, or rape are obvious. But do I understand that my lying is also a serious sin? How about my explosion of anger? How about just a peek at that racy website?

Sin is the reason Jesus had to die on the cross.

If my sin wasn’t so serious, then why did Jesus have to die such a horrible death?

3. God’s presence (vs.9)

He knew God was with him.

We will see all through this chapter that the Lord was “with” Joseph.

The fact that Joseph mentions sinning against God shows that He knew that God was with him.

It is a great thing to have people you are accountable to. There’s a program you can get for your computer called “Covenant Eyes” that will keep track of every website you go to and once a week will email a list of everything you’ve seen to your accountability partner. It’s a great thing to know that someone is watching over your shoulder. It is so much easier to just say “no” to temptation when you know that someone is watching you.

But I think the place God wants us to get to is to be so aware of God’s presence in our lives that this reality becomes the thing that keeps me from giving in to temptation.

4. Avoid temptation. (vs.10)

Illustration

There’s a story about an MIT student who spent an entire summer going to the Harvard football field every day wearing a black and white striped shirt, walking up and down the field for ten or fifteen minutes throwing birdseed, blowing a whistle, and then walking off the field. At the end of the summer, it came time for the first Harvard home football game, the referee walked onto the field and blew the whistle, and the game had to be delayed for a half hour to wait for the birds to get off of the field. The guy wrote his thesis on this, and graduated.

We’re like those birds. If the guy is wearing the right shirt and blowing his whistle, we’ll respond like always.

So change the circumstances. Stay away from temptation.

It seems to me that Joseph was trying his best to avoid Potiphar’s wife.

Stay away from the things that blow the whistle…

5. Pay what it takes (vs.12)

There was a day when something like a nice coat was a pretty important thing to Joseph.

But this time he cared more for his purity than he did for the coat.

Sometimes we will let the silly price of a coat be the thing that makes us stay around a temptation too long.

It might be a job that you don’t think you can afford to leave. It might be the cost of installing an internet filter on your computer. It might be the cost of embarrassing yourself in front of your loved ones by admitting you have a problem and need help. It might be the friendship you’ll lose when you tell someone you won’t do what they want you to. It might be the cost of going to a counselor or a rehab to deal with the problem.

I don’t mind when people come to the church looking for counseling. But it really bugs me when the real reason they come to the church is because we won’t charge them like a professional counselor. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t come to a pastor for counseling. I’m just bothered with the attitude that says to me that you aren’t willing to pay whatever it takes to get help.

Be willing to pay what it takes to stay pure.

6. Run (vs.12)

You can’t always avoid temptation.

You will not be able to live your life in a bubble where there are no temptations.

Joseph didn’t have the freedom to quit his job. He was a slave. He could only avoid this woman so much.

There are going to be times in our lives where the answer isn’t escaping to some mountain in the desert to escape temptation, the answer is to learn to deal with the temptation.

There came a day when she caught him. And he ran.

The Bible says:

(1 Cor 6:18 NKJV) Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

With Samson we see just the opposite.

Joseph ran.

:13-18 False accusations

:13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,

:14 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.

:15 "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."

Perhaps she is concerned that Joseph would be telling others what she did, so she comes up with a story that pins the whole thing on Joseph.

:16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.

:17 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;

:18 "so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."

It almost sounds as if she is blaming Potiphar for the problem. “The Hebrew servant whom YOU brought to us…”

Peter writes,

:19-20 Joseph in prison

: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?

If he was angry with Joseph, why didn’t he just put Joseph to death? The fact that Potiphar spares Joseph’s life makes me think that he was putting him in prison because of his wife’s accusations, but keeping him alive because he trusted Joseph.

Perhaps Potiphar was angry with his wife for causing this mess that would lead to him losing his best servant.

: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.

It could be that Potiphar himself was in charge of the prison system, being the “captain of the guard”.

: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.

God’s nearness can’t be judged by your circumstances

Illustration

“Footprints”

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. “LORD, You said that once I decided to follow You, You’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed You most You would leave me.”

The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

:22 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.

: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.

At times like this, some of us would have simply given up. We’d probably just lie there in the prison marking off the days that we have been unjustly imprisoned, growing more and more bitter.

Joseph didn’t stop living. He continued to be a servant. God was with him.

Lesson

Growing through prison

We usually do everything we can to avoid having a bad day…

Illustration

(Note: In England they call the part of your body you sit on your “bum”)

One night I had a wondrous dream,

One set of footprints there was seen,

The footprints of my precious Lord,

But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,

And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"

Those prints are large and round and neat,

"But Lord, they are too big for human feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,

"For miles I carried you alone.

I challenged you to walk in faith,

But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,

The walk of faith, you would not know,

So I got tired, I got fed up,

And there I dropped you on your bum."

"Because in life, there comes a time,

When one must fight, and one must climb,

When one must rise and take a stand,

Or leave their bum prints in the sand." -Author unknown

This is from a devotional called “Streams in the Desert”. The writer first quotes from:

(Psa 4:1 KJV) …thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress…

Then goes on to say that the oddest of lessons is that “enlargement” of a person’s soul comes from times of distress, not good times. He writes,

It is not a man’s thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering. It is a thanksgiving that he has been set free through suffering.

…It is written of Joseph in the dungeon that “the iron entered into his soul.” We all feel that what Joseph needed for his soul was just the iron. He had seen only the glitter of the gold. He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams; and dreaming hardens the heart.

…Murmur not at the shadows; they are better revelations than thy dreams. Say not that the shades of the prison-house have fettered thee; thy fetters are wings – wings of flight into the bosom of humanity. The door of thy prison-house is a door into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged thee by the binding of sorrow’s chain.

“If Joseph had not been Egypt’s prisoner, he never would have been Egypt’s governor. The iron chain about his feet ushered in the golden chain about his neck”

Suffering is how we grow. If we want to be used by God, we need to understand that we need to have this “iron” built into our souls.

Don’t think your life will be better if you avoid difficult times. Your life will be better by going through them.

Introduction

The last we heard of Joseph, he was being sold as a slave on his way to Egypt. This morning we head down to Egypt to see what has been happening to Joseph.

Genesis 39

:1-6 God’s blessings in Potiphar’s house

: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.

Potiphar – Powtiyphar – “belonging to the sun”

Pharaoh – Some suggest that this is either Sesostris II or Sesostris III, and that would put the time frame around 1880BC.

:2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

successful – tsalach – (Hiphil) bring to successful issue; to show or experience prosperity, prosper

:3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.

:4 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 may have spent as much as ten years in Potiphar’s house. He kept getting promoted at work until he was the manager of all Potiphar’s affairs.

:5 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.

Because God blessed Joseph, God’s blessings also came on Joseph’s boss, Potiphar.

:6 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 Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

Joseph was trustworthy. Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything Joseph was in charge of.

:7-12 The Temptation

: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."

Joseph is one of the servants. She gives him a command. Shouldn’t he obey those in authority over him???

Joseph finds himself in a place of temptation. We might also see it as a place of “testing”, to see what kind of a man he’s going to be.

: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.

:9 "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 knew his limits. He knew that his master had entrusted him with everything, But Joseph knew that didn’t include Potiphar’s wife.

Have you been given a position of authority at work, home, or school? Do you ever feel tempted to push the boundaries of what is right?

: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.

: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,

:12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

Lesson

Dealing with temptation

Joseph passes his test concerning temptation. He does some things that are instructive to us in our own temptations. This is not an exhaustive list of how to avoid temptation. This is not a guaranteed system of having victory over sin. But we can learn from it.

1. My sin affects others (vs.9)

He was aware that he would be betraying his master’s trust.

Have you thought about the people affected by the sin if you should give in? Have you thought about the consequences?

I think it’s good to review my own list of consequences from time to time:

o I am going to be hurting the person this woman is supposed to be with (which is not me). Joseph was concerned about what this would do to Potiphar.

o I am going to be hurting this woman – since I’m helping her sin and cause damage to her own soul.

o I would be devastating my wife – the one that God has chosen for me, the one I have invested into a relationship for thirty years, the one who is faithful to me, the one who is “one” with me.

o I would be hurting my sons – they look to me as an example, not just as a father, but as a man, and even as a spiritual leader. I’ve come across folks who have seen their parents commit adultery and it’s devastating.

o I think of the hurt I’d cause my parents and my sisters. I wouldn’t look forward to seeing them if I had done this.

o I would be hurting the work of Christ in the world – adding one more log to the fire of criticism that the world wants to heap against the hypocritical church. I bring shame to Jesus.

o I would be bringing much damage to my own soul. I know what it’s like to experience guilt and condemnation over sin I’ve committed. This would be that times ten. For the rest of my life I’ve added one more thing for Satan to grab a hold of and condemn me for.

2. Sin is really, really bad. (vs.9)

He called it “great wickedness”

We tend to look at sin as a “mistake” and not as the serious thing it is.

There are some things that we understand as being serious sin. Child abuse, murder, or rape are obvious. But do I understand that my lying is also a serious sin? How about my explosion of anger? How about just a peek at that racy website?

Sin is the reason Jesus had to die on the cross.

3. God’s presence (vs.9)

He knew God was with him.

We will see all through this chapter that the Lord was “with” Joseph.

The fact that Joseph mentions sinning against God shows that He knew that God was with him.

But I think the place God wants us to get to is to be so aware of God’s presence in our lives that this reality becomes the thing that keeps me from giving in to temptation.

4. Avoid temptation. (vs.10)

Illustration

We’re like those birds. If the guy is wearing the right shirt and blowing his whistle, we’ll respond like always.

So change the circumstances. Stay away from temptation.

It seems to me that Joseph was trying his best to avoid Potiphar’s wife.

Stay away from the things that blow the whistle…

5. Pay what it takes (vs.12)

There was a day when something like a nice coat was a pretty important thing to Joseph.

But this time he cared more for his purity than he did for the coat.

Sometimes we will let the silly price of a coat be the thing that makes us stay around a temptation too long.

Be willing to pay what it takes to stay pure.

6. Run (vs.12)

You can’t always avoid temptation.

There came a day when she caught him. And he ran.

The Bible says:

With Samson we see just the opposite.

Joseph ran.

:13-18 False accusations

:13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,

:14 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.

:15 "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."

It’s interesting that she starts with the other men of the house. She is building a case for her lie when she presents it to her husband.

Perhaps she is concerned that Joseph would be telling others what she did, so she comes up with a story that pins the whole thing on Joseph.

:16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.

:17 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;

:18 "so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."

It almost sounds as if she is blaming Potiphar for the problem. “The Hebrew servant whom YOU brought to us…”

Sometimes we think we’ll always be rewarded for doing the right thing.

Joseph did the right thing and he’s now being falsely accused and is going to go to prison. This is going to be part of Joseph’s growth.

Potiphar

Pharaoh

successful