Good morning. For our Thursday thoughts I have made it a practice to focus on a character of the Bible who I think would be interesting to consider. The subject for today is someone whose story is far too long and involved to try and tell it all in one of these articles, so I will focus on a single part of his story.
The character I would like to have us consider is Joseph. In scripture, you read about him in Genesis 37-50. Today, I would like to consider what we read of Joseph in chapter 39. It is his story when he was a young man of seventeen and was serving a master in Egypt named Potiphar. Joseph gets into terrible trouble even though he does everything right.
For a bit of background: Joseph is the favorite son of his father Jacob. Jacob made no secret of this, and Joseph doesn’t seem to feel the need to keep a low profile on the subject while around his jealous brothers either. Not only was he the favorite of his father, but Joseph was also being used by God as he was given dreams that outlined future events. Pretty heady stuff for a teenaged boy. His brothers were not simply jealous in the usual way of family bickering, they were enraged. So much so that they sell him to slave traders who were headed for Egypt.
Once in Egypt, Joseph is sold to a politician of some wealth and importance named Potiphar. Joseph did well. Genesis 39:4-5 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. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.
Things were looking up for Joseph! The young man was proving his worth and was a rising star. But we shouldn’t forget his status: Joseph was still a slave. By the way, he was not only talented and a hard worker. He was rugged and good looking, as we read in Genesis 5:6-7: Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
Was Joseph tempted? He was a healthy 17-year-old boy, so the answer to that is, “yes.” Did he succumb to such temptation? We read in verse 8 that Joseph refused her, explaining that such a thing would be a betrayal of her husband. In verse 9 we read more of his answer: “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
Does Satan give up that easily? Of course not. He didn’t give up on Jesus, he didn’t give up on Joseph, and he doesn’t give up on us. He is patient and persistent. We read in verse 10: Although she continued to speak to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
Did Satan ever give up? No, he did his best to destroy Joseph by encouraging the woman to claim that Joseph had raped her. Her husband knew better than to believe such a thing, but to side against his wife would be an embarrassment. Joseph was a slave, so he had him thrown into prison, a fate that should have been a life sentence.
As we read on about Joseph, we find that God intervenes. Joseph was not only righteous in his actions, but he was also a part of God’s plan for our salvation. No way would God ever abandon him, any more than he would ever abandon us!
There is a great deal more to Joseph’s story, and I encourage you to read it all. For today’s thought I would like to point out that Joseph was never mentioned as doing anything wrong. When he was with his brothers, he was sharing the truth of the dreams God had given to him, and they hated him for it. When with Potiphar’s wife, he behaved admirably and refused to submit to temptation, and she hated him for it. In both cases terrible things happened to Joseph, things that we would say were clearly unfair to him. But Joseph had a righteous faith and a wonderful point of view. He trusted in God and for the will of the Lord to bring him blessing in the midst of his pain. Eventually, Joseph was blessed, as were his brothers who clearly didn’t deserve it. But God used Joseph to accomplish His will, and ultimately to be a key part of God’s plan for our salvation.
By the way, if you turn to Genesis 37-50 to read more about Joseph you will read chapter 38. This is an incredibly disgusting revelation of sinful behavior on the part of Joseph’s brother Judah who had sex with his daughter-in-law. Compare Judah’s terrible sexual sins with what we read one chapter later about Joseph withstanding temptation. The Bible tells it all, good, bad & ugly. For the truth is the truth, and Joseph’s truth is one of faithful trust and obedience, even when faced with terrible circumstances.
Vern