Joseph knew not just who he was, but also whose

January 21, 2002

BaptistWay Bible Study for Texas lesson for Feb. 3

Joseph knew not just who he was, but also whose

_Genesis 39:1–20
___¹Now 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 and 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 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. ⁵ 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. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ⁶ So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; 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 be with her.
___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."
___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.

_____By Jim Gerlt
___"Who are you?" My 3-year old granddaughter chants, "A-L-A--Y-N-A, that's me, Alayna." Her sense of being is totally wrapped up in her name.
___"Who am I?" You've probably decided that I'm old (a grandfather), proud (worked in my granddaughter's name) and highly intelligent (I'm writing for the Baptist Standard).
___How do we define who we are? For many, our identity is directly linked to our profession. Should something happen to the job, the identity will be jeopardized. I've known many who were beaten down by the loss of a job. Some reacted with depression, anger or suicide.
___When our identity is not linked to our relationship with God, we are sin looking for a place to happen. Adultery might come easy to a doctor, lawyer, farmer, politician, plumber or preacher. It's a different story when we see ourselves as a child of God. It's of vital importance that we not find our identity in our work but in our relationship with God.
___False assumptions
___Joseph is presented to us in Genesis 39 as a slave. We could easily assume he's a loser. He's lost family, freedom, country and identity. Chapter 37 introduced him as the favorite son of Jacob/Israel. We saw him as a dreamer; his brothers viewed him as an obnoxious brat. They hated him. But the essential issue is how Joseph saw himself.
___When Joseph arrived in Egypt, he still had his God, and his God had him. Joseph still was the man God had chosen to lead a nation and deliver a world. He still was a son of Abraham and had a covenant with God. Joseph's identity came from his relationship with God. This relationship would be his anchor for the challenges he would face.
___Character
___Many definitions abound for the word "character." I like Henry Blackaby's: "Your character is who you are when no one is looking and what you are willing to stand for when someone is looking. Character is who you are striving to be and what you can be trusted with. Integrity of character occurs when there is consistency between actions and inner convictions over time."
___Joseph's character was about to be tested in a way that was more than just a sexual temptation. His depth of conviction to God would be put on the line. The test would come from an unlikely source. His testing would not only develop his character, it also would reveal its depth.
___God's promise fulfilled
___When God called Abram out of Ur, he made a promise. "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3b). We are given glimpses of that promise being fulfilled throughout Genesis. Laban told Jacob/Israel: "I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account" (Genesis 30:27).
___Potiphar was aware of God's hand on Joseph. He quickly promoted Joseph. Joseph's first assignment was in the house of his master. Instead of going out into the fields with the other slaves, Joseph stayed at the house. Impressed with his work ethic, Potiphar made him his personal servant. Soon Potiphar realized what he had in Joseph. Being a wise politician and manager, he left his estate in Joseph's care.
___Potiphar now had the best of both worlds. He was a businessman who was prospering because of his personal servant and an officer in Pharaoh's court with an apparently promising career. Life was good for Potiphar.
___What neither Potiphar nor Joseph realized was that God was using Potiphar's assignments as a training ground for Joseph. He was working on an M.B.A. while serving Potiphar. We are given an advanced screening of what Joseph later would be doing for Pharaoh. At this point, God is polishing Joseph's skills. Before he would be qualified to lead a nation, he needed the experience of managing a small business.
___We find a parallel in Matthew 25 with the parable of the talents. Jesus had the master telling each of the two faithful servants, "Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21).
___You might be in a tough situation right now. Your boss is more like a slave driver than an employer or supervisor. Your job seems like it has no future. You question what's happening because you are faithful to the Lord but he seems to be deaf to your prayers for a better job. Don't lose heart. God may be using this tough job to get you ready for a bigger assignment. Allow God to polish you.
___Maybe you are eager to serve the Lord in a more visible or dynamic ministry. You have the desire to serve him but lack the opportunity. Be patient; you're in God's training school. Things can change in a hurry.
___Like many men of his day (ours too, for that matter), Potiphar concentrated on his personal success to the harm of his marriage. With Joseph taking care of things at home, he was free to devote more time to his political ambitions. He neglected his wife.
___Mrs. Potiphar took her lead from her husband. Joseph was assigned the responsibility of taking care of things at home and she thought that meant her, too.
___Why not?
___Potiphar saw Joseph as a slave given an assignment. He probably never considered him a threat to his marriage. Mrs. Potiphar also saw him as a slave, not a person. She felt he lived to attend to the desires of others, and she desired him. In a move that undoubtedly caught Joseph off guard, she propositioned him.
___The important thing is that Joseph saw himself in relation to God. He was a son of Abraham, one in whom the earth would be blessed. He had a higher view of life than did the Potiphars.
___If we are to overcome temptation, we must have a kingdom mindset. Life is more than the thrill of the moment.
___If Joseph's identity was tied to his job--slave--why not give in to Mrs. Potiphar. "Your wish is my command" would have become his mantra. An affair with her would have been an opportunity to get back at the system. Imagine, a slave having an affair with the master's wife! Every indication was that Joseph would forever be a slave without control over his own destiny. Why not enjoy some pleasure normally out of his reach?
___When set in context with Chapter 38, Joseph seems to have been a real loser. He remained pure and was slandered, condemned and imprisoned. In chapter 38 his brother, Judah, crossed the line and apparently suffered no consequences. Things are not always as they seem. Joseph would be the big winner in the end for his purity.
___Standing strong
___Joseph is the prototype of Baptist preachers. He used a three-point rebuttal to her advances: You are another man's wife; this is a great evil; and this is a sin against God.
___"Yeah, Joseph!" He resisted.
___Give her credit; she didn't give up easily. She changed her strategy. Her first approach was a blatant invitation to engage in an affair--"Lie with me." When Joseph refused, she asked him to just give her some comfort--"Lie beside me." Finally, she just asked for some attention--"Be with me."
___Do you recognize the subtlety of temptation? Satan often will use a full frontal attack, and when that fails, he becomes subtle. We must learn to recognize his strategy.
___Sanding
___Imprisoned for being pure! Where is the justice? Mrs. Potiphar is the aggressor and liar, but Joseph goes to prison. Where is God in all this?
___God is continuing to prepare Joseph to be a blessing to all the earth. His personality needed some sanding. (Remember the obnoxious brat his brothers wanted to kill?) Before Joseph could run a country, he needed his abrasiveness sanded off.
___Joseph also needed diverse training before running the country. In time, he would manage the prison system and learn to work within the bureaucracy of a government. God was placing him into a position where he quickly could move into the administrative position he would use to bless all peoples.
___Polishing and sanding. At times, God was polishing Joseph's skills; at times, sanding his rough spots. At all times, God was working to prepare Joseph.
___What's happening in your life right now? Is God sanding or polishing? If so, then God is preparing you to be a blessing to others. Allow him to do his work in your life.
___Had Joseph given in to Mrs. Potiphar's advances, he would have been disqualified to be a blessing to all peoples. If he compromised himself, she totally would have controlled his life. When she tired of him, she very easily could have had him killed. It was a work of God that he was imprisoned instead of executed. He would have become a slave to his passions and lost to kingdom work.
___Joseph remembered who and whose he was. He was able to resist temptation and was used by God to bless all nations.
___When you face temptation, keep a kingdom mindset. Look for God's escape plan (1 Corinthians 10:13). Don't subject yourself to years of pain for a moment of pleasure.
___Jim Gerlt is pastor of Indiana Avenue Baptist Church in Lubbock

Questions for thought and discussion
___ Have you come to realize the security you have in Jesus Christ? Joseph knew his God was with him even in Egypt. Do you see the hand of God when you face difficult situations? In what ways is he working on your behalf? How do you handle difficult situations?
___ Are you aware of any character traits that are hindering you from serving the Lord? What are you doing about them? Do you really want God to remove them with his sanding method, even if it hurts?
___ If you serve a difficult boss, what are you doing to show him or her the differences God makes in your life? If you are a supervisor, what are you doing to keep your workplace from seeming like a slave trap?
___ Potiphar focused too much time on his political career since Joseph was taking care of his business interests. He fell into the trap of neglecting his spouse. What are you doing to avoid this trap if you are married?
___ Because Joseph resisted Mrs. Potiphar, he was making an investment in his future family. If you're single, what investments are you making in a potential marriage now?
___ What safeguards have you set in place to avoid an entangling situation like Joseph faced when alone in the house with Mrs. Potiphar?
___ Satan will use temptation tactics ranging from the blatant to the subtle. Identify tactics you think he might be using on you now.

The Baptist Standard

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook