God Guards the Faithful

Genesis 39:1–21 CSB

Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful, Joseph found favor with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority. From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome. After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority. No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her. Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there. She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “my husband brought a Hebrew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. When he heard me screaming for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.” She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home. Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, but when I screamed for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.” When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden.

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God Point: God is with you—even in temptation and testing.

Temptation will come. Testing will come. But neither means God has left you. He is present in the fire. He gives strength to resist sin and favor to endure trials. Even when you suffer, God is still with you, working for his glory, your good, and for others good as well.

Supporting Content:

Even in Egypt, God did not abandon Joseph. Unlike the beginning of the story where God’s presence was implied, here it is explicit: “The Lord was with Joseph.” God’s favor accompanied Joseph to a foreign land, working even through betrayal and injustice.

Joseph’s placement in Potiphar’s house was no accident—it was providence. God orchestrated every detail to bring about the greater purpose: Joseph reigning and rescuing his family.

Joseph’s success wasn’t about titles or achievements—it was about character. God made him successful before he ever held a position of power. Success is steady movement of favorable progress on God’s path, and it is possible even in hardship, when we remain faithful.

Joseph models what happens when believers live with integrity: GOAL OF INTEGRITY

God is glorified.

Others are blessed.

His presence and favor remain with us. [We Grow closer to Him.]

Supporting Scripture:

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man…” (Genesis 39:2) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23) “Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord…Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:1–3)

Supporting Quotes:

“The first and most important task of leadership is not what you do, but who you are.” – Pete Scazzero “While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who hasn’t surrendered His authority.” – A.W. Tozer “God is too good to be unkind, and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Grow Point: Integrity honors God and protects your life.

Doing what’s right isn’t always easy—but it’s always worth it. Integrity means staying faithful to God in both the small things and the big tests. When you live with integrity, you reflect Jesus, bless others, and build a life God can use.

Supporting Content:

Integrity is being righteous in public and in private. Joseph’s character was tested when Potiphar’s wife persistently tempted him. Like a spark that becomes a consuming fire, temptation relentlessly pressed in. But Joseph resisted—not once, but continually.

He called her advances “a great evil”—not just against Potiphar, but against God. His integrity was more valuable than comfort or safety. He stood against evil no matter the cost.

Temptation is not sin—but acting on it is. Joseph chose to flee, just as James tells believers to. Fleeing cost him everything: his position, reputation, and freedom. But he kept his integrity.

He is a shadow of Christ—who endured suffering for the joy set before Him. Joseph’s suffering, like Jesus’, was unjust—but it was faithful. Better to suffer with integrity than to compromise and harm your family, your ministry, and the name of your God.

Illustration (from your content):

“If your spouse asks you to take out the trash and you always offer excuses, how can God trust you with more? If your coworkers get your best and your children your leftovers, how can God use you? Be faithful in the little things.”

“Temptation rarely starts as a raging fire—it begins with a spark. Sin will always win unless we rely on God’s strength and Word to stand firm or flee.”

Supporting Scripture:

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness…” (2 Timothy 2:22) “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind…But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out…” (1 Corinthians 10:13) “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire…” (James 1:14–15)

“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 ) “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Supporting Quotes:

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” – C.S. Lewis “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” – C.H. Spurgeon “The cost of integrity is suffering; the reward is the presence and favor of God.” – J.C. Ryle (paraphrased insight)

Gauge Questions

For Believers:

Are you faithful in the little things—Is your integrity intact when no one is watching?

Are you trying to resisting temptation with God or without Him?

Will the choices you’re making today lead to the kind of life that honors God and blesses others?

For Unbelievers:

Who are you building your life on—Jesus or Yourself?

Which one will one help you endure temptation and suffering?

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Initial thoughts:

Temptation to Sin / Blessing in Faithfulness

God remained with Joseph even in Egypt, not only is he a silent companion as in the beginning but now the author makes it clear that God has remained faithful to go with Joseph.

God’s plan ensured that Jospeh would be bought by a high ranking official in the royal court, seeing that ultimately, no matter the journey, the destination would be Jospeh reigning over his brothers and rescuing his family. The little details matter in our lives, and even though we may not understand how, God is always working through triumph and tragedy.

The partnership between Joseph and the Lord was seen through God’s favor being poured out on Jospeh and everything he did. (Psalm 1) Favor meant success in his endeavors, favor with those near him, and blessing upon the household he served. Faithful believers like Jospeh, will find these things in their lives.

Success means to make steady favorable progress. it is advancing progress on the journey God has placed us on. Remaining faithful to him means that our sin and the enemy will not hinder the advancing progress in God’s plan for our lives. Hardships and suffering for a believer can always be turned into this kind of success.

Success didn’t come with positions of great achievement, accolades, or titles. Success is mentioned here first, before Joseph ever becomes someone in Egypt. Who Joseph was on the inside matters far more than what he did. As Pete Scazzero says “The first and most important task of leadership is not what you do, but who you are.”

Integrity is of utmost importance, and for believer who we are in Chirst dictates how we live our lives. Obedience to God comes through Faith and submission to the Spriit of God, to Chirst as our Saviour and Lord. Following conversion, faithfulness to live according to God’s word, according to wisdom is vital. Integrity and faithfulness to God will always be seen by others. While it may not always be appreciated, many will see our Good works and give Glory to God. In Jospehs case, his integrity lead to Potipher elevating him, trusting him, and experiencing God’s blessing upon his household.

When we live with faithfulness and integrity we not only GLORIFY GOD but we EXPERIENCE his blessing in our lives, and we BECOME a blesing to others. We often ask God to bless us, and use us, we ask him to give us better circumstances and influence. But if we are not living our lives with integirty why would he do any of those things?

If Our neighbor, our rich uncle, our boss, anyone really put us in charge of all of their stuff could they count on your integrity? If your spouse asks you to do the dishes or take out the trash, or pick something up from the store on the way home, and everytime you offer only excuses how could God use you elsewhere. If your coworkers comsume more of your time than your children how could God use you more? If you complain far more than you rejoice in your circumstances, how can God use you to be a light in darkness, if all you bring to the room is a pity party? Integrity goes far deeper than, we think and it affects every aspect of our lives. Be faithful in the little things, in the lowly circumstances, in the less weighty avenues of life, and you will experince God’s presence & blessing in your life.

Intergrity is living righteously in public and in private. like everything, it has a force of opposition that tests it’s weakness and vulnurability. For Adam & Eve, they had integrity until something more beautiful and desirable caught their eye. For Samson, David, Solomon, and Judas all of these men had their integrity tested, in this same way, would beauty tempt them to waver, would temptation test the boundaries God had established, would Sin taste better than righteousness, would it outweigh God and his glory.

Joseph, on the inside had integrity, and on the outside he was the full package, he was smart, emotionally stable, rugged, and handsome, and as the story goes he was so pleasing he caught the eye of Potiphers wife.

Temptation like a fire rarely begins in engulfing flames, it often begins with a simple spark that relentlessly pushes until we are fully consumed. Sin will aways win unless we are reliant upon God and his power, entrusting that his presence and his Word empower us to flee from evil.

Potiphers wife is exactly this fire, she pushes and pushes, and I’m sure every time she is met with a stone wall of integrity, where Jospeh calls out this flirty woman, claiming her proposition as a great evil against his earthly master and his creator. Temptation was not the evil, we see this truth in James, but when we act upon it we then are placing our feet on an very unstable ground. when we waver from what we know is right, we set our feet on the sand and not upon the rock of Christ.

Jospeh continues to reject her advances, refusing to put his life in the hands of this temptress, and like the devil himself, this woman cunningly devises a plan of which Jospeh becomes the victim of sin or suffering. Brothers and sisters, i would rather be the victim of suffering and still maintain my integrity then dabble in a little sin and do great harm to my family, my ministry, my life, and most importantly the name of my God. Sin robs us of the glory of suffering, because we no longer suffer like Christ but we suffer from the very thing that put Christ on the cross.

Jospeh in this woman advances chooses to flee, just as Paul calls believers to do. not looking back he runs away, with his integrity intact, looking forward to the very suffering he would endure. Is’nt this just like our saviour, who in hebrews is said to have looked forward to enduring the suffering of the cross knowing what greater results would come from this sacrifice. Jospeh is but a shadow and an example of what it looks like for a believer to follow Christ into suffering, retaining our integrity and testimony before all others.

But our enemies are still crafty, and just as Satan saw Job & Christ’s suffering as a his victory, this woman found a way to play the victim and make Jospeh pay for refusing to give in. She saw to it that he would suffer, and unfortunately in this life, Christians will experience this same thing. Integrity ensures suffering, but in our suffering we also are reminded of God’s favor, his kindness and love towards us. When we live in the power and the strength of the Spirit of Christ, we reflect our maker as his children and he is pleased with us. The righteous never experience the absence of God’s presence and blessing because they remain faithful to build their life on the rock.