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^“19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, ‘This is how your slave treated me,’ he burned with anger. ²⁰ Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.But while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warder. ²² So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ²³ The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”NIV

“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. 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” (22,23).

When Potiphar’s wife says “your slave” (19) it sounds like she is blaming him for what happened. (Of course, nothing did happen – certainly not what she lyingly alleged). It so common that people who are guilty point the finger at someone else. They often kick up a furious storm at the same time, as if shouting will somehow establish their case.

But what really strikes me in this passage is how similar verses 22, 23 are to verses 6,8,9. It’s the same man (Joseph), living under the same blessing of God, and enjoying success in his work life. It’s just that his location and type of work were different. His surroundings were much less agreeable, but God did not stay behind at Potiphar’s place when Joseph went to prison. He was with him there also. He is omnipresent. We cannot get away from His presence (Psalm 139).

‘God is with us as we wait. Joseph spent two difficult years working in the prison, but he held to his faith and did what he could to serve others. The experience helped to “put iron into his soul” (Ps. 105:17-22). If the Lord controls us, it makes little difference who commands us.’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.41.

PRAYER: Lord God Almighty, help us to truly believe that in all things you are working for the good of those who love you.

(There will be a break in the notes now for a couple of weeks. We will resume on Monday 17^th May, God-willing. Thank you for your interest and support. You may like to read ahead in the remaining chapters of Genesis, and get a feel for the territory in front of us).

¹¹ One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. ¹² She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.¹³ When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, ¹⁴ she called her household servants. ‘Look,’ she said to them, ‘this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. ¹⁵ When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.’¹⁶ She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him this story: ‘That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. ¹⁸ But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.’NIV

“She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home” (16).

First of all, this was a moment of opportunity. No other servants were in the house. He and the seductress were quite alone. Who would know? Well, Joseph knew God would. For him that was enough reason to run. ‘The test of true faithfulness and obedience comes when we resist the secret sins that no one else but God will ever know about.’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.187. Someone noted that ‘Character is what you are in the dark’ – when you think nobody else is watching.

This is also an example of  fidelity. As someone pointed out, he lost his cloak but kept his character (12). (“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Joseph put significant distance between himself and the temptation. But doing the right thing is not a guarantee that you’ll have an easy life. So, for Joseph…

…this marked the beginning of a new period of adversity. Tom Hale makes the point that Potiphar’s wife: ‘…accused Joseph of the very thing she had been attempting all along. And this time she had the “proof”; his cloak. This “proof” convinced the other servants and it convinced Potiphar as well, and Joseph was sent to prison. Joseph is the first major biblical figure to become a victim of slander and false witness. Slander itself is often based on truth: “I have Joseph’s cloak.” But its purpose is to defame someone behind his back. The episode provides a warning for us: when we think we’ve seen the “proof” concerning someone’s behaviour, we need to remember Joseph and his cloak.’

“with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, ⁷ and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’⁸ But he refused. ‘With me in charge,’ he told her, ‘my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. ⁹ No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ ¹⁰ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even to be with her.” NIV

‘’But he refused’’ (8a).

One of the Marx brothers quipped, ‘I can resist anything except temptation!’

Well, we could never say, ‘No’ to any temptation if we had to rely on our own strength. But even with the Holy Spirit’s power made available, there is still a need for resolve on our part if we are to refuse the sin so appetisingly offered on a plate.

I thought about Job’s words:

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl’’ (Job 31:1). That speaks of resolve and determination.

The psalmist in Psalm 18: 23b writes: “I…have kept myself from sin.” This is an expression of self-control. He has a tight hold on the reins.

How could Joseph have such resolve? What lay behind it?

• A sense of responsibility towards his master (8);
• Closely tied to the above, he had an awareness of his authority and its limits. He clearly knew where the boundary lines were drawn (9a). They were definitely drawn around Mrs Potiphar!;
• Above all, he knew that if he were to succumb to her advances, he would sin not merely against Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife, and his (Joseph’s) own body; he would in fact be sinning against God (9b).

So that’s how he was able to withstand the barrage of temptation which relentlessly beat at his door “day after day” (10).

Note the practical steps he took to remove himself from the presence of temptation (10b). That’s important. I often think of the quaint saying attributed to Martin Luther: ‘You cant prevent the birds of the air from beating around your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.’

“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.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 favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. ⁵ From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lordblessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ⁶ So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,” NIV

“…his Egyptian master” (2).

While it seems true that Joseph landed on his feet, let’s not forget that he was a servant (a slave even) in a foreign land. It certainly appears he had many benefits, living in the home of this eminent man. But for all that he was in a privileged position, he carried enormous responsibilities. He had to work hard, and I’m sure his hours were not 9 to 5!

“Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned” (4b);

“So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate” (6).

So Joseph had quite a workload did he not?

Therefore, it is worth considering these words:

‘Joseph’s life demonstrates many principles of Christian service; indeed, Joseph serves as a model for all of us. We have seen him start out in life as a cocky, spoiled young lad, the favourite of his father. If God was going to use Joseph, He first needed to humble him; and being sold into slavery by one’s brothers is quite a dramatic form of humbling (1 Peter 5:6).

Next we see Joseph being faithful in small things – the duties of a lowly slave. Then we see him elevated to greater and greater responsibilities. Some of us would like to become rulers without first being servants, but that is not God’s way (Matthew 5:21).’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.187.

“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.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 favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. ⁵ From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lordblessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ⁶ So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,”NIV

‘’When his master saw that the LORD was with him…” (3a).

One of my favourite stories is about the author Edgar Wallace, who lived in the same street as a godly man (a retired vicar I think). Wallace apparently said, ‘As long as I live in the same street as that old man, I cannot doubt that there is a God.’

May it not merely be the case that the Lord is with His people (wonderful as that is), but that others can see He is. May they be able to see and sample the fruit growing in our lives. May it be that the blessing of God overflows the banks to affect our environments – wherever we may be, in good times and bad: whether in the house of Potiphar or in prison.

Someone spoke about ‘the giveaway life of the Christian.’ We see something of this in Joseph, who was blessed to be a blessing.

‘In spite of Joseph’s very difficult situation, the Lord was with him. (This statement is repeated in verse 21, where we find Joseph in yet a worse situation.) And because the Lord was with Joseph, he prospered – even in the most difficult circumstances. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, and without the Lord everything is too hard…The Lord’s presence changes everything in a person’s life…The promise of the Lord’s presence was one of the most important covenant promises (Genesis 26:3; 28:15; 31:3). Another important promise was that, through Abraham’s offspring, blessing would come to all peoples (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14) – even to ungodly people like Potiphar…through Joseph, the blessing of the Lord came upon Potiphar also.’ Tom Hale: The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p187.

PRAYER: Lord, even in those times and situations where I cannot speak about you, may I ‘smell’ of you. Let it be that the fragrance, the aroma of Christ is always upon me, to your glory.