The Lord Was With Joseph

Genesis 39

Is the Lord with you? I am not just talking about God’s omnipresence, God being everywhere. I am talking about God’s favorable presence, His covenant presence, His gospel presence—that is, that God takes special note of His people and draws near to them in time of need.[1] David’s testimony in Psalm 145:18 is, “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” Even when he was afflicted David knew the LORD was with him; in Psalm 34:17-18 he sings: “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Psalm 46 testifies, “The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.” (Psalm 46:7, 11). There is the great promise in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” James writes in the New Testament, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8). Jesus promised, “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

There are some who mistakenly think that if you are close to God, your life will be smooth sailing. In 21^st century America, we are so addicted to comfortable circumstances–to expecting a life of ease and luxury. We flinch at even the smallest experience of injustice and unwarranted suffering. In Genesis 39 today we find that the LORD was with Joseph but that did not mean his life was easy. Instead, we find that he suffered slavery, intense temptation, false accusations, and wrongful imprisonment. Yet the LORD was with him every step of the way.

Moses wrote Genesis to the people of Israel who were poised to enter the promised land of Canaan. It would not be a cakewalk. They would face intense warfare; they would be tempted by the immorality and idolatry of the Canaanites; they would be falsely accused and oppressed by enemies. Would they trust that the LORD would be with them? Will you?

Listen to our text, Genesis 39:

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

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.” 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?” 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.

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.” 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.”

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. 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. 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. 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.

The statement “the Lord was with Joseph” is the key to understanding Genesis 39. You find it in Genesis 39:2, where it says, “The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” We find the same phrase in Genesis 39:21, “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Thus, this phrase serves as an inclusio in this chapter—that is, we find it at the beginning and at the end.

The Bible was written in a day before tables of contents, chapter headings, or italicized type. So, to identify the theme or the main point of a paragraph or section, the authors often used inclusios—they framed the story with a similar idea, event, or phrase. The inclusio tells the reader that what is in the middle of these two bookends supports or explains the main point. Genesis 39, therefore, is about what happens when the Lord is with someone. The Lord was with Joseph in Potiphar’s house, but he was also with Joseph in his temptation and in the prison. Joseph’s circumstances changed dramatically, but God’s presence with him remained the same.[2]

The chapter may be divided into three sections. In Genesis 39:1-6 we see God is with Joseph and shows him favor even though he is now a slave in a strange land. Then Genesis 39:7-19 we God is with Joseph when he is tempted as he resists that temptation resulting in his master’s wife bringing a false accusation against him which will land him in prison. And then finally in Genesis 39:20-23 we see God is with Joseph, showing him favor, even in his wrongful imprisonment.[3]

The Lord is with Joseph,

1. As a slave in Potiphar’s house (Gen. 39:1-6)

Remember that when Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery he was 17 (Gen. 37:2). He will be 30 when Pharaoh elevates him to a position of power over Egypt (Gen. 41:46). So, thirteen years elapse between his arrival in Egypt and his promotion to the second-highest office in the land. Furthermore, we know that two years passed from the time the chief cupbearer was restored to his former position by the Pharaoh (Gen. 41:1). That means that Genesis 39 covers about eleven years while Joseph was either a slave in the house of Potiphar or a prisoner in the dungeon.[4]

Joseph’s career as a slave in Potiphar’s house looked something like this: (1) God prospered Joseph when he was just a menial slave (Gen. 39:2); (2) Potiphar moved Joseph to work in his house when he discovered that he did his work well; (3) Potiphar, the master, noted that the LORD was with Joseph (Gen. 39:3); (4) Potiphar promoted him to be his administrative attendant and put him in charge of the entire household (Gen. 39:4); (5) the LORD blessed Potiphar’s estate under Joseph’s hand, including matters that concerned both the house and the field (Gen. 39:5); (6) Potiphar, therefore, put Joseph in charge of everything.[5]

In His providence, God shows favor to Joseph even in his slavery. He’s been hated by his brothers; separated from his family; sold into slavery; forced into a strange land. But even in those abysmal circumstances, God is with Joseph. He is prospering Joseph, blessing Joseph and blessing Joseph’s master. If he’s a slave, he shows integrity and hard work and gets promoted to the highest position in the household. His trustworthiness is seen by all, and his success and testimony is such that his master knows that it is because the LORD is with Joseph.

But trouble is brewing in Potiphar’s house. Moses alerts us to the danger in Genesis 39:6, “Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.” So next we see the LORD is with Joseph,

2. In his temptation and its aftermath (Gen. 39:7-19)

Joseph’s success and his good looks create a real problem for him in the form of his master’s wife. Genesis 39:7 says, “And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’” Only three men in the Bible are called good-looking: Joseph, David, and Absalom. All three were hit with sexual temptation; two failed.

Success always opens up new temptations. It was, “after these things” (Joseph’s success), that Potiphar’s wife looked with desire at Joseph (Gen. 39:7). It wasn’t just his good looks, but also his success that attracted her. She took notice of him. This was no small temptation; she was a very forward, aggressive, and persistent temptress. There is no contradiction between God’s blessing and our temptations. In fact, we are often more likely to be tempted when things are going well. Today’s victories often present us with tomorrow’s trials.

How did Joseph handle this trial? Notice Joseph’s reply in Genesis 39:8-9: “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?” In brief, Joseph refused to lie with Potiphar’s wife out of love for his neighbor and out of love for his God.

By God’s grace Joseph was a man of integrity in all areas of his life. Genesis 39:4-6 repeat four times that all Potiphar owned was in Joseph’s charge. He could be trusted with Potiphar’s possessions. If Joseph had been cheating on business matters, it would have been easier to cheat with Potiphar’s wife. A commitment to integrity in small things will help us to have integrity in big things.

Joseph was able to resist the temptation here mainly because he was always conscious of living in the presence of God. Even though Joseph was alone with Potiphar’s wife in Egypt, far from is family, he knew that he was not alone. The LORD was with him. So, if he gave in to her propositions, he would sin primarily against God. “Joseph lived with an awareness of God’s presence. He didn’t want to trade that blessing for the passing pleasure of sin.”[6]

Notice what Joseph called this temptation, “great wickedness” and a “sin against God” (Gen. 39:9). One of the ways Satan tempts us is by swapping the labels on sin, so that it doesn’t sound quite so bad. How does the world refer to adultery and fornication? They don’t call it a “great wickedness.” Usually it’s called an affair or a fling or a night of passion. Doesn’t that sound fun? All sin has its attractive side, or we wouldn’t give it a second thought. When Eve was tempted, she focused on the attractiveness of the fruit and she fell. Joseph focused on the evil of adultery and stood firm. Let’s call sin what it is, a great wickedness.

Potiphar’s wife pursued Joseph relentlessly (Gen. 39:10) even though he continued to refuse her. When she finally went so far as to grab Joseph’s coat, he ran (Gen. 39:13). The Bible says “Flee sexual immorality.” (1 Cor. 6:18). “Resist the devil” (James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9), but “Flee also youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22).

What reward did Joseph get for his faithfulness? Not a good one. Potiphar’s wife was humiliated by Joseph’s refusal and her humiliation quickly turned to rage. As the poet wrote, “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned”. So she framed Joseph and he spent the next few years in prison.

Yet Moses wants us to see that the LORD was with Joseph even in this. Surely Joseph had prayed for strength to endure this temptation and for it to be removed. God answered that prayer by removing finally Joseph from the situation. His imprisonment was God’s grace to free Joseph from this wicked woman.

There is reason to think that Potiphar didn’t believe her story. If he did, he might have executed Joseph that day. The text says that his anger burned (Gen. 39:19), but not that it burned against Joseph. It is possible that he knew of his wife’s flirtatious ways. He certainly knew Joseph’s integrity. Potiphar also couldn’t have missed the way she blamed him: “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me …” (Gen. 39:17). She was not only blaming Joseph, but her husband for bringing him there. So it seems that Potiphar shows some favor to Joseph by only putting him in prison, not executing him. Why? God was with Joseph.

Finally we see the LORD was with Joseph,

3. In his imprisonment (Gen. 39:20-23)

When we compare the first part of the chapter with the last, we are forced to a very significant conclusion: God was with Joseph every bit as much in the prison as He was in Potiphar’s house. In Genesis 39:2-3 we are told that the Lord was with Joseph as he worked for his master. We are told the same thing in Genesis 39:21 and 23 regarding God’s presence with him while in the prison. Again, in verses 2 and 3 it is recorded that God prospered Joseph and made him successful. Moses makes this same statement in verses 21 and 23 when Joseph was in the prison.

The conclusion is undeniable: God is present as much with His saints when they are suffering as when they are peacefully prospering. More than this, a man can prosper as much in times of affliction as in times of affluence and ease.[7] Righteous living does not always bring about an easy life; often it brings about the opposite. The Psalmist comments on Joseph’s suffering in prison in Psalm 105:

17 He sent a man before them–Joseph–who was sold as a slave. 18 They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. 19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him. (Psalm 105:17-19).

The LORD was with him in his trials and testing. Joseph’s experience is only one example of this. Throughout the Scriptures we are taught that suffering is not abnormal, but it is a part of God’s gracious dealing in the lives of His children to develop maturity and obedience. Consider the suffering of Job who was “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Consider faithful David who was hounded by mad king Saul for thirteen years. Hebrews 11 records the suffering of those who were faithful:

36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented– 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, (Heb. 11:36-39)

Even our Lord was subjected to the discipline of God which is common to Christians:

7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, (Hebrews 5:7-9).

Just as Joseph was brought low so that he might be raised up in due time, so also the Christ, but in a much greater way. Christ Jesus suffered the greatest humiliation and suffering imaginable as He died on the cross in obedience to His Father. He did it to save us from sin. So he is able to “save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him” (Heb. 7:25) because He is the resurrected, living Lord who never leaves us or forsakes us (Heb. 13:5). Is the LORD with you today?

[1] Duncan, J. Ligon. The Foundations of the Faith: Success, Loyalty, and Betrayal. https://fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/success-loyalty-and-betrayal/. Duncan makes the point, “Now ‘the Lord is with him’ is not a reference to God’s omnipresence, God being everywhere. That’s not the comfort that’s being brought to bear on Joseph. The comfort that is being brought to bear is God’s covenantal presence or what we might call God’s evangelical presence, His gospel presence, His favorable presence. That is, that God takes a special note of His people and draws near to them in time of need.”

[2] Rayburn, Robert. A Life of High Adventure Genesis 39:1-23. https://www.faithtacoma.org/genesis/a-life-of-high-adventure-gen-391-23 (Rayburn credits Bruce Waltke with this idea https://www.logos.com/product/17273/genesis-a-commentary).

[3] Duncan, J. Ligon. The Foundations of the Faith: Success, Loyalty, and Betrayal. https://fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/success-loyalty-and-betrayal/

[4] Deffinbaugh, Robert. From the Penthouse to the Prison (Genesis 39:1-23). https://bible.org/seriespage/39-penthouse-prison-genesis-391-23

[5] Boice, James Montgomery. 1998. Genesis: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

[6] Cole, Steven, Lesson 67: True Success (Genesis 39:1-23). https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-67-true-success-genesis-391-23

[7] Deffinbaugh.