Genesis 39

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:44utc

Chapter thirty-nine picks up where chapter thirty-seven left off. We read in Ch. 37:36 "Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard." And here "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."

"The captain of the guard" supposedly means that Potiphar was Pharaoh's chief executioners. The Hebrew word for "official" is the same that is used for eunuch. Thomas Mann, in his book "Joseph in Egypt," makes an important issue of this fact, mainly in relation to the temptation that Potiphar's wife puts in Joseph's way. It makes a very fascinating story, whether it is historically correct, I do not know. The Pulpit Commentary says that literally the text reads "a man of Mitzraim" and that this would indicate that Potiphar was actually a foreigner. The Jamieson, Faucet and Brown Commentary adds to this: "This name, Potiphar, signifies one 'devoted to the sun,' the local deity of On or Heliopolis, a circumstance which fixes the place of his residence in the Delta, the district of Egypt bordering on Canaan."

The most striking feature in this chapter and the following is Joseph's attitude. He would have all kinds of reason to be upset about his circumstances. We would understand it if he would turn his back on God. Nobody had more reason to feel miserable than Joseph. In just a few days he became from his father's favorite a slave, a non-entity. His freedom and his human rights had been taken away from him. But Joseph does not show any sign of

being dejected. The beauty of his character shines through the most miserable circumstances. His reaction to his suffering makes him one of the most beautiful characters of the whole Bible. We read in vs. 6 "Now Joseph was well-built and handsome." His inner condition matched his outward appearance. It is a combination rarely found. Joseph presents thus a good picture of the perfect human being: Jesus Christ.

God is very sympathetic with our difficult circumstances, but He is even more interested in our reaction toward our difficulties. God is closest to us when we suffer. He reaches out to us and He wants us to reach out to him. C. S. Lewis has said: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our circumstances, but He shouts to us in our pain." Joseph must have maintained a close fellowship with the Lord. As the pain increased he was drawn even closer to Him. He must have realized that the Lord's hand was in these painful experiences. He had not forgotten the two dreams and he felt that, somehow, this was the way to the fulfillment of the dreams. In all this Joseph foreshadowed Jesus, of Whom we read in Heb. 2:10 "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering."

Joseph had taken Paul's advice in Col. 3:23 to heart - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." This must have been the motto of Joseph's life. He considered himself a slave of the Lord, not of Potiphar and later a prisoner of God not of man.

When Joseph arrives in Egypt he is at the bottom of the ladder, a slave, sold in captivity. But soon he starts to rise. We see several stages in Joseph's climb. The first one is that he is moved into Potiphar's house. He may have worked outside at first, but we do not know. The credit for Joseph's success is given to the Lord. Whether Potiphar recognized this or not is not said, but verse 3 implies that Joseph must have told him his secret. "When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did ...."

Joseph's presence in Potiphar's house was a blessing and caused blessings. We do not know exactly what took place, but things started to run smoother as soon as Joseph put his hand on them. Not only was Joseph an intelligent administrator, but even matters that were beyond his control started flourishing. Joseph's positive attitude inspired the other servants, so that everybody worked harder and better. Joseph did it for the Lord, the others for Joseph. Potiphar's affairs were taken care off so efficiently and smoothly that Potiphar even stopped meddling in them. If Joseph had the gift of administration, Potiphar had the gift of delegation. Both gifts are equally valuable. Some people give the impression that they are the only ones who can do things right. To express confidence in fellow workers and be able to let go is a gift. It is the principle upon which the functioning of the body of Christ is based. It is a Christian virtue. Joseph not only had the spirit of Christ, he also inspired Christian virtues in others.

The drawback of the position Joseph acquired was that the attention of Potiphar's wife was drawn to this handsome young man. If it is true that Potiphar was a eunuch, we understand some of the frustration of Mrs. Potiphar, who had to live with a unconsummated marriage. If castration was the rule for all who worked at the palace of Pharaoh, Joseph must have been aware of the situation. In the earlier mentioned book by Thomas Mann, Joseph is portrayed as responding, at least in part, almost naively, to the courtship by this woman. The Scriptures give no bases for this supposition.

That Joseph as, a healthy youth, would be severely tempted on this point is beyond doubt. It would have been so easy for him to give in. Nobody would have to know, but God. That was the point of Joseph defense. "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" The devil knows the weak points in everyone's life, whether man or woman, young or old. The only effective way to resist temptation is to appeal to God. Self-restraint on the basis of will power is no guarantee to sexual purity. But God is able to keep

us from stumbling. I am sure that if Joseph would have given in, he would never have married a princess a few years later. There was a rich reward for this shepherd boy.

Although Joseph was victorious, the devil did not admit defeat. Whether Satan had any inkling of God's plan with Joseph's life, we do not know. It is quite possible that Joseph would never have made it to Pharaoh's court if he had fallen into this sin. That would have meant disaster. Humanly speaking the line of God's revelation in this world would have been cut. So Joseph's determination to remain pure meets with severe opposition in the heavenly places. Evidently the temptation was a daily occurrence. But once the circumstances were such that Mrs. Potiphar could incriminate her husband's slave. They were alone in the house. Joseph flees, but he has to leave his cloak behind. This becomes evidence in the hands of this evil woman to take revenge upon the boy, who refused to stoop.

Augustine, who had lead an immoral life before his conversion, recounts that once he met one of his former girls. The temptation to go back into sin was almost irresistible to him, so he ran away from it. Sometimes the only defense we have is to run. Joseph did no doubt the right thing. He had argued with the mistress of the house before, but there comes a point where words become useless. However, the cloak gets him in even deeper trouble.

From the action Mrs. Potiphar takes at this point we understand that her sexual desire had nothing to do with love for Joseph. If ever there had been love it had turned to hatred. She trumps up charges against him and, of course, Joseph was defenseless on the basis of his position as a slave. First the servants of the house are told what happened and then Potiphar himself. Vs. 16 paints a vivid picture of this woman. We do not need much imagination to see the glee on her face as she sits there with Joseph's shirt in her hands, waiting for her husband to return. We read: "She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home." When he hears her version, we read: "He burned with anger." If it is true that Potiphar was in fact a eunuch his wife's accusation of Joseph must have added insult to injury to Potiphar. This rubbed it in to him how impotent he was. Probably his wife understood this and this must have added to her satisfaction.

We could be amazed to read in vs. 20 "Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined." Potiphar, being the kings executioner, could easily have put Joseph to death. It is likely though, that he would have needed Pharaoh's approval for this, which would have meant that he would have to serve a formal complaint, explaining the details and exposing his own condition. We understand why Potiphar shrunk from this embarrassment. It was easier to just imprison Joseph. The main reason why Joseph was not executed was, of course, because

the Lord protected him. The prison was God's way for Joseph the Pharaoh's court.

The Pulpit Commentary says about vs. 20 - "This, which some regard as having been a mild punishment, ... since, according to Diodorus Siculus, the laws of the Egyptians were specially severe in their penalties for offences against women, is presented by a Hebrew psalmist (Ps. cv. 18) [which reads: "They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons" {quote added}] as having been accompanied with bodily tortures, at least for a time; for his speedy elevation to a place of trust within prison almost gives countenance to the idea ... that Potiphar did not believe his wife's story, and only incarcerated Joseph for the sake of appearances. That Joseph was not immediately punished with death is not improbably ..., but exceedingly natural, since Joseph was Potiphar's favorite."

So Joseph arrived from the "smoke into the smother," from slavery into imprisonment. We do not read anything about Joseph's despondency at this point. Being human, however, we may suppose that victory will not have come easily to him. He must have asked "Why God?" several times. His dreams probably came back to him, first to bother him and then to comfort. The question must have arisen how imprisonment could be the way to fulfillment of the prophecies God had given him. Slowly but surely the assurance got a hold of him that the promise of the dream still held, that the dreams had been given for the specific reason to see him through this time of his life. And so, as the darkness closed in around him, his light started to shine brighter.

Vs. 20 and 21 tell us: "But while Joseph was there in the prison, The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden." God is compassionate. Our suffering affects Him deeply. His tears are bigger than ours are. Of course, Joseph suffered in the dungeon. The idea that circumstances would not have affected him is ridiculous. The point is that emotional stability should not be based on favorable circumstances, but on the promises of God. We should fix our eye upon the light of God's Word, as Joseph did, and not upon the darkness that surrounds us.

Joseph fellowship with God affected his attitude and behavior. If this had not been the case the prison warden would not have paid any special attention to him. Prison wardens are not known for their compassionate attitudes; I am not excluding some exceptions. But there must have been something very unusual about Joseph to draw the attention of the jailer. Christian should stand out in this world because of their attitude in suffering. I know many examples of Christians who led fellow patients to the Lord in the hospital, because of the way to took their sickness. Prisoners have given testimony to jailers and the songs of the martyrs, who were burned at the stake, brought more people to Christ than their sermons. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

It runs as a refrain through Joseph's life, that he was given responsibility to the point where those who put him in charge never bothered to check up on him. He inspired complete trust. First Potiphar, then the warden and finally Pharaoh trusted Joseph one hundred percent. Joseph gave the impression that he was good, but not too good to be true. The warden must have known what prisoners were like. Whether he knew why Joseph was put in prison, we do not know, but he knew that there must have been a reason. However, at some point the jailer must have come to the conclusion that whatever accusation had been made, it must have been false. If the warden had been convinced that Joseph had slipped seriously, he would never have trusted the responsibility for the prisoners to him. At that time too, jailers were probably accountable with their lives for the prisoners they held. In entrusting Joseph with the prisoners, the warden entrusted his own life to him. The chapter ends in vs. 23 with the words: "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." Here too it is obvious to a heathen man that behind this human being is the Lord, who is trustworthy. Whether the jailer knew it or not, in trusting Joseph he actually trusted God.