Genesis 39:1-23

Last week, we discussed the exploits of Judah. Judah was the brother of Joseph that encouraged the other brothers to sell him into slavery and conceal this act by dipping Josephs’ coat in blood and sending it home to their father.

Chapter 38 happens a few years down the road from the events here in Genesis 39, but we at some point we had to hear of the lineage of Judah, because that is what we read in the book of Matthew about the genealogy of Jesus, so we can trace back that the Bible is accurate in it’s words.

We found out that Judah was not the greatest of guys. He took a Canaanite wife, and had 3 sons with her. When his oldest was of-age, he took a wife for her from a nearby town named Tamar. Before they could have children, Er, Judah’s oldest son was killed by the Lord. We don’t know what his offense was, but he did evil, so the Lord killed him.

In tradition of those times, and in later years in Deuteronomy this would become Mosaic Law, was that if an elder brother was married and had no children, then the next oldest with no children himself would become the husband of that wife and raise up a son with her. Onan, Er’s brother, didn’t like that, and took it upon himself to make sure that she didn’t conceive from their union. The Lord didn’t like that Onan disobeyed, so He struck Onan dead as well.

Judah had one more son, Shelah, and so Judah promised him to Tamar, but advised her to return to her father’s house until he was of-age. Little did she know that Judah was not about to lose another son, and he didn’t have any intention of giving him to her at all.

After several years, Judah’s wife died, and Tamar heard that Judah would be coming to town for their annual sheep shearing. She knew that Shelah would come along with Judah, so she dressed herself up and sat out in the open. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot and made a deal with her to lay with her. He would give her a kid of his flock of goats, but he didn’t have the goat with him. So she asked him for collateral, for his signet and the cord that attaches it to his neck, and his staff or ceptre. Judah agreed and from that union a child was conceived.

Judah sent then his friend with the goat to give it to the harlot, but he found none, so Judah’s friend asked the men of the town who the harlot was because he had this gift for her. Judah didn’t like that, everyone knowing he was played a fool by a lowly woman.

As time went by, word made it’s way back to Judah that Tamar was pregnant by harlotry. Judah, knowing that he has slept with a harlot before had great sympathy for her and said “Bring her out and we’ll burn her!” So they grabbed Tamar and brought her out and she sent to Judah what he had given to her and said “I am pregnant with the man whom these belong to.” Judah immediately knew the jig was up and he confessed and absolved Tamar as innocent and spared her.

To end the chapter, we find that she is pregnant with twins, one stretches his arm out and a scarlet cord is tied around it, then it pulls it’s arm in and the brother comes out first. The first brother is named Perez, or Breach for breaking thru and coming out even though he shouldn’t have been first. The second brother was named Zerah which means “to shine.” This established the line of Judah thru Perez, who would bring forth the child who would be God who would break thru and take the glory and honor from the angel of light and by His blood we are sealed and saved.

This woman Tamar, do you remember one of the special things about her from last week? She’s one of the 5 women in Jesus’ lineage that are specifically named. Tamar and Rahab are both Canaanites. Ruth, was a Moabite, and Bathsheba was the only Israelite, next to Mary Jesus’ mother.

What did it mean that women were named? Because it was against tradition to name the women in things like that. It meant that Jesus had important tasks for women to perform. They would have powerful testimonies and be trusted with important information that would make people see the worth of a woman

We had to go a long way out of the way to make sure we had that story before we could get into a story of one of my Bible hero’s, Joseph.

Genesis 39:1 NKJV

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.

Potiphar was once translated as eunuch. Recent translations have had the luxury of having more written evidence of this name being more of a title for a high officer of Pharaoh, maybe even the highest officer. If you listen to pastors from a few decades ago, they will say the name means eunich, I just wanted to make sure you knew that there has been an update to that translation.

This man Potiphar had 2 titles, not only was he a high official, but also the captain of the guard. This made him a busy man. He bought this young man from the traders, and like we have seen with the way Joseph acted with his brothers, he knew how to find flaws, and he didn’t compromise. That’s what his brothers found so frustrating, he was a hard edge.

I used to be the party pooper. I still am, ask my kids, I can deflate fun very quickly. I’ve been at parties where the house cleared out, then started to grow again. When I asked later on what happened to everyone, they said “People wanted to use drugs, I told them if you witnessed it you’d call the cops.” That’s usually when I realized why everyone laughted at everything I said after people came back from outside.

They’d put me on a task: “Hey Aaron, this is broken, could you take a look at it?” 15 minutes later I’d come back into the room and there’s one person in there, we sit down and watch basketball for a little while, then the room is full again, and people start asking me if I can drive them home.

There was even a time when I had to walk a line for an officer. It was late, I was speeding, and I had just dropped off a car full of people, one had thrown up in my car. The officer gave me a sobriety test in frigid weather, believed me and sent me off with a warning, AND an accolade for being responsible for my friends.

The Lord finds ways to test our gifts, as well as our loyalty, and Joseph was about to be put to a massive test.

Genesis 39:2–3 NKJV

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.

A good name is hard to make. Joseph had a good name. It means “Jahova has added.” It’s root means “to continue on, to do it again.” Joseph learned hard lessons about how to talk to people, and got better with his communication, but would his integrity or character change when it was truly tested?

Because Joseph was uncompromising, he prospered. Some people would call Joseph a type-a personality. I would disagree with that. Type-a’s can get in the way of getting a job done seeking after perfection. Where Joseph didn’t compromise was in his integrity. The job would be done, and done well. The Hand of the Lord was upon him, and he brought honor to his master.

Integrity builds trust in everything you do. It gives you the benefit of the doubt, as well as grace when things are hard too. When you’re around someone who you can feel the Spirit move thru, my wife is one of those people, Jen and Rick Green, many of you, I want to get out of the way of that train and watch you go.

Some of you are finding that ministry is HARD. You never signed up for it like Hollie and I did, but you have been thrust into it. It’s so hard, and like we talked about last week, when you’re in the middle of a crysis, don’t push those close to you away. Pull them in close, let them see your wounds. Let them bind them and serve you, hear you, and lift you in prayer.

That’s what the Body of Christ does. Don’t neglect the gift that we have being a part of a close-knit church family. We count on each other to be there for us. That’s why fellowship is so important. Be around those who have your best interest at heart, and that’s not protecting your reputation, it’s protecting your eternal soul.

Let the Lord work thru you. It’s scary sometimes, there are times it’s like grabbing hold of a firehose that is on full-speed. Once you get your hands on it though and get it under control, you see what the Spirit can truly do thru someone willing to take the risk and be men and women of integrity. Let the whole world see what God can do thru you. Bring honor to those in charge of you. Why? Because you get rewarded, like Joseph:

Genesis 39:4–6 NKJV

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.

Do you see what the Lord does with a person with integrity? Faithful with little, faithful with much. Where is that found in the Bible?

Luke 16:10 NKJV

10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

The Lord is looking for faithful people. People who can be trusted. I can tell you, I’m the type of person who will give you lots of chances. In fact, I’m just about always looking for opportunities for people to take over something from me. I know I can’t do everything myself, but I want to find that one thing that I can build on. In the military, they strip you down to nothing, then build you back up. It used to be that in some branches of service when you went into basic training, your name was even stripped from you until you earned it back.

Joshua had earned so much trust by Potiphar that Potiphar didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do. Imagine having that kind of trust.

In your marriage.

Do you have that? Does your spouse trust you implicitly? Do they know that you have their best interest in mind at all times? How about your kids? Do they know you’ve got their back? Do they understand that the reason why you have certain rules? Do they know?

Do your kids know why you don’t let them do certain things? I make sure mine do. I want to make my kids strong in their convictions and smart in knowing what they should and shouldn’t do. We can think we can get away with things when we are alone...but someone always finds out. The Lord is always watching. He wants to catch you doing the right things...and build on those things. He would LOVE, just like your spouse would, to fully relax knowing you’ve got this, and when they come back, there’s nothing to worry about.

You don’t get here by chance, it’s by a lot of hard work. How long did it take Joseph? 11 years. There’s a 11 year span from him going into captivity and now. In chapter 38, we were reading about Judah’s sons, Er wouldn’t have even been able to get married yet. Joseph is prospering, and Judah had lived with the lie he was hiding all these years. Be a faithful servant, co-worker, spouse, son, daughter. The Lord will bless you.

Now, what is one thing the enemy is really good at? Destroying God’s children for doing the right thing, right? Joseph has so much going for him...even as a slave, he’s the king of his world.

Genesis 39:7 NKJV

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.”

The lust of the eyes is so powerful.

This man Joseph lives a life that has so many precursors that point directly to Jesus, and this is one of them. What is the first thing that happens to Jesus when his ministry started? What started His ministry on earth? What event? His baptism. Remember what happened?

Matthew 3:13–17 NKJV

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

THEN

Matthew 4:1–3 NKJV

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

This man Joseph had been in Potiphar’s house for 11 years. Do you not think she was studying this hunk of a man? That’s what Genesis 39:6 “6a Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.” She was biding her time, until she thought he was hungry too, hungry for her.

After the “tempter” came to Jesus, he continued to tempt him over and over again, which is exactly what Potiphar’s wife does, isn’t it?

Genesis 39:8–9 NKJV

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?”

His MASTER has committed all that he has into MY HAND. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

John 3:35 NKJV

35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

This is a mirror. Joseph would uphold his integrity and fight back. He points something else out though too, this carnal sin is different than other types of sin. How do we know this? We have the apostle Paul to thank for that:

1 Corinthians 6:18–20 NKJV

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

When we look at another person in an inappropriate manor, WHO IS NOT OUR WIFE OR HUSBAND is sin against your body, and when you have surrendered your life to Christ and accepted what He did on the Cross for your sins, and rose from the grave, the Spirit lives within you. Joseph got this EXACTLY RIGHT.

Now, remember, we’re looking, not just at Joseph, but also at Jesus in the wilderness, what happens next in Genesis?

Genesis 39:10 NKJV

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.

Just like in Matthew 4, the tempter kept offering Jesus more and more things to satisfy his wants, Potiphar’s wife persisted. Who knows, maybe Potiphar was a eunuch. Many high officials in Egypt were castrated, so they wouldn’t be able to usurp Pharaoh’s position by having children with any of his wives. Maybe she was not just craving him because he was cute, but because she wasn’t being satisfied by her husband. We won’t ever know.

This is how the world calls to us, though. Who is the king of this world? It’s not Jesus, in fact Jesus himself points him out:

John 14:30 NKJV

30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

The devil, the tempter, the enemy, that’s who the king of this world is, and he is relentless in his pursuit of our soul. He’ll pay whatever cost to have it, and pull out every trick in the book, like this one:

Genesis 39:11–12 NKJV

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.

She would not be denied, she would have Joseph, and he is again stripped of his robe. Paul not only said we should do this in 1 Cor 6, but also in 2 Tim 2:22

2 Timothy 2:22 NKJV

22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Joseph RAN from the tempter of his sin, he had had enough. AND, just when he thought he had beat her and done the right thing, which he had mind you! But this woman was opportunistic, just like the devil is:

Genesis 39:13–15 NKJV

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.”

Which brings me back to Jesus for a second. This Hebrew, what does Hebrew mean? It means nomad, traveler, someone from far off. The Hebrew people are Jews. Anyone who was not a Jew in the Bible was, and still is considered what? A Gentile. So, Joseph was delivered up by his brothers, his kin, his fellow Hebrews, to the Gentiles, just as Jesus would be delivered by the Jewish council to Pilate and the Romans. Don’t miss these things, they are uncanny.

She lied to them to get her revenge, just like the devil will do with us. Be men and women of integrity. Fight for that trust with everyone you know. It’s a strong foundation to lay, and it will pay dividends. So, at some point Potiphar must come home, right?

Genesis 39:16–19 NKJV

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.

I don’t know what made Potiphar more angry, the fact that Joseph may have done this, or that his wife made the accusation. Potiphar trusted Joseph with everything, to the point he only choose the food he wanted to eat, that was the only decision he needed to make around his house. Joseph handled everything else.

He knew, I believe, that Potiphar is between a rock and a hard place. Does he believe his wife? Or does he lose the greatest servant ever? Joseph was a slave, and with Potiphar being in the position he was, he had to take his wife’s word for it whether he liked it or not. Even if he believed Joseph, he couldn’t absolve him in that culture, Joseph would have to pay, and he does.

Again, parallel to Jesus, Potiphar, like Pilate was placed in an awkward situation. On one hand, the Jewish leaders were people he needed to be in the good graces of, or he would have a revolt on his hands. On the other hand, this Jesus they just handed over to him, that they are crying out for His blood, had done nothing wrong in his eyes. He felt he had to side with the Jewish leaders and let the punishment be doled out.

As Jesus would, Joseph would have to pay for a crime he didn’t commit.

Genesis 39:20–23 NKJV

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.

Again, everything Joseph did, he did with honor, and the Lord blessed him. He would start a prison sentence where this kind of crime warranted the death penalty, but Joseph was spared that by being given an indefinite time in prison.

Did Joseph grovel or pout? No, the Bible doesn’t say any of that. And the Bible also never says he cursed God for allowing these things to happen to him either. That’s integrity, knowing that no matter what, you’re not turning your back on the one who you owe your salvation to, no matter the cost.

If anyone could have turned his back on God and cursed him, it would have been Joseph. What did he do to deserve this? NOTHING. Why did this happen? Because God allowed it to happen to prove what He could do with a righteous person who would not compromise.

Joseph didn’t need to be humbled, but he allowed himself to be. He stood his ground, even when the devil wanted to destroy him. That’s what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable. How can you do that? Some of you here have faced the incredible odds. Some have dealt with or are dealing with unimaginable tragedy. In your lives, the devil thinks he’s won. Don’t let him! There’s still time on the clock for you. And you’ve got the architect of the greatest comeback in human history on your team.

Or do you? Do you know Jesus? Does He know you? Could you recognize him when He comes again? I’m trying to teach you thruout this study, and as we go thru the Bible, that Jesus is everywhere...do you see Him?

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Will you know Him when he comes? One will be left in the field, the other taken up. If you don’t know Him, now is a good time to start. There’s an awesome little book called My Heart, Christ’s Home by Robert Munger. You can find it online, when we get a church building, finally, we’ll have it available, but you can download the PDF for it. It’s short, but so good for the soul.

It walks thru every “room” in your church, the dining room, the library, etc. I’m going to read you the end of it, it’s not a mystery. I suggest you pull it up, I’ve linked to it on our YouTube video for the PDF. This is how the book ends as I ask our worship team to come up.

Then a thought came to me. I said to myself, "I have been trying to keep this heart of mine clear for Christ. I start on one room and no sooner have I cleaned that then another room is dirty. I begin on the second room and the first room becomes dusty again. I am so tired and weary trying to maintain a clean heart and an obedient life. I just am not up to it!" So I ventured a question: "Lord, is there any chance that you would take over the responsibility of the whole house and operate it for me and with me just as you did that closet? Would you take the responsibility to keep my heart what it ought to be and my life where it ought to be?" I could see his face lighten up as he replied, "Certainly, that is what I came to do. You can not be a victorious Christian in your own strength. That is impossible. Let me do it through you and for you. That is the way. But," he added slowly, "I am not owner of this house. I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed since the property is not mine." I saw it in a minute and dropping to my knees, I said, "Lord, you have been a guest, and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the Lord." Running as fast as I could to the strong box, I took out the title deed to the house describing its assets and liabilities, its situation and condition. Then returning to him, I eagerly signed it over to belong to him alone for time and eternity. "Here," I said, "here it is, all that I am and have forever. Now you run the house. I'll just remain with you as houseboy and friend." He took my life that day and I can give you my word, there is no better way to live the Christian life. He knows how to keep it in shape and deep peace settles down on the soul. May Christ settle down and be at home in your heart as Lord of all.

He only wants what we are willing to give to Him. But, He gave it all for us. What are you holding on to? What is in the nooks and crannies, in the closets in your heart? Bring them into the Light. We are not strong enough to be victorious on our own. It’s not a work we do, it’s a work He does in us, to us, and thru us. You are the temple of the Spirit. The church’s job is to make disciples. A disciple takes what they’ve been taught and teaches others. Use the story of how you cleaned your house to help others clean theirs and keep them clean thru fellowship with one another.