Genesis 39:1-23: God is With Us

Introduction:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vaccine-fake-arm-italy_n_61a6653de4b044a1cc1b18e2

A reminder that it’s been a tough couple of years. So much controversy. Good decisions, bad decisions, frustrations… Now, another variant. I just want to go to Israel.

Here’s what I know. Even through all of the craziness we’ve been through: God has been with us. Our church is evidence that God has been with us. Look at how He has been at work: growth, baptisms, discipleship, ministry, etc.

Northwood: Maybe the hardest 2 years we’ve experienced, but also maybe some of the most fruitful years we have had in a long time.

THIS is the Christmas promise: God with us. (Matthew 1:23)

That simple reality changes everything. God with you gives you hope when life gets tough, and gives you strength to endure when you want to give up.

Gen. 39 - back to Joseph’s story - hardest time of his life - away from family, a slave in Egypt, but God is with him.

This story is a great story to hold on to when we feel like life is at its hardest. God is with you when life is hard. Since God is with you, you can hold on to these two truths:

Your most trying days can be your most fruitful days.

Gen. 38 - Judah - atrocious sin, but God graciously at work in a messy situation. Gen. 39 - return to Joseph’s story. In Gen. 37, sold into slavery by his brothers. Carted off to Egypt by slave traders never to return to his father’s home again.

A dream that one day his brothers would bow do him. He’s not living a dream now, he’s living a nightmare.

Ishmaelite slave traders sell him to Potiphar - an officer of Pharaoh. Potiphar an influential man in Egypt. Not a man Joseph wants to cross. Joseph a slave to a man that could easily end Joseph’s life if Joseph stepped out of line.

Joseph had lived a privileged life - favored by his father over his other brothers. The most privileged son now a slave. He has no freedom. Joseph longed for home.

Moses’ detail (vs. 2) - “The Lord was with Joseph...” A phrase used several times in the passage. Used at the end of the story as well. Beginning and end: “God was with Joseph.” Moses wants us to know in what was a very bad situation - the complete opposite situation from the situation that Joseph had dreamed of - God was with Joseph. Not only was God with Joseph, God prospered Joseph.

Don’t know exactly what Potiphar saw in Joseph, but he saw that God was with him and prospered him. A pagan sees God at work in Joseph.

“God prospered the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph.” (vs. 5)

Joseph put in charge of Potiphar’s entire house - everything except the food he hate - because no man wants to be told how to eat.

For Joseph - probably many days he asked, “where is God?” Moses telling us, “the God who seemed absent was very present at work in Joseph’s life to accomplish His purpose for His covenant people.”

Your most trying days can be your most fruitful days.

We have a tendency to think of the hard times in life as a curse, or as a punishment for something we’ve done. Or, at best, a distraction from the better things in life. But, what if we didn’t view the hard times as a distraction or a curse, but as a tool in His sovereign hand for His glory and your ultimate good? Think about it:

God has entrusted you with trials for the sake of His purpose. This is the story of how God’s people ended up in Egypt - and ultimately the story of how God will bring His people out in a mighty Exodus - maybe the greatest miracle in the OT. It all starts with Joseph. Joseph can’t see it - but God had entrusted him with trials for His purpose.

You need that perspective - you’ve been entrusted - Instead of grieving your trials, keep reminding yourself that God is at work in ways that are beyond your comprehension (Is. 55:8-9).

God has entrusted you with trials for the sake of someone else. God put Joseph in Potiphar’s house for Joseph to prosper Potiphar - so that Potiphar - a pagan - might know Joseph’s God.

Question to ask when life gets hard: Who needs to see God at work in you? The way you walk with the Lord in the hard times is a powerful testimony of God’s grace at work in your life. And, how can you bless? Joseph blesses Potiphar by giving best when life was hard. How can you bless?

Give even though life hurts.

Give your time even when you don’t have time.

Give financially even if it’s a strain.

Give an encouraging word even if you’re the one who needs an encouraging word.

When life gets hard two choices: Close my hands even tighter - “I’m losing my world. I have to hold on to whatever I can.” But, when you realize that God has entrusted you with the hard times: Open your hands even wider - “Use me to be a blessing.”

Your most tempting days can be your most victorious days.

Hard days are tempting days - Whenever life gets hard tempted to take eyes off of God and do what we want. Why not? Thought: When life isn’t going well, I might as well do what I want. After all, doesn’t seem like God cares anyways. BUT, it shouldn’t be that way when you realize that God has entrusted you with trying days.

Joseph - well-built and handsome. (No other man in the Bible this is said of.) Potiphar’s wife - “Sleep with me.” Potiphar’s wife - a powerful woman, and likely a beautiful woman. Every day, Potiphar leaves for work, and Joseph left alone. Potiphar would never find out.

Joseph refused (vs. 8). “Your husband has entrusted me with everything in this house.” Joseph could not betray Potiphar, but more importantly, he could not betray God (vs. 9).

Key to Joseph’s ability to resist Potiphar’s wife: a heart that wanted to please God more than a desire to experience temporal pleasure. (Very different than Judah in Gen. 38.)

The temptation was not a one-time temptation. Daily, she persisted. Daily, Joseph resisted. One day, she grabbed him by his coat, “Sleep with me.” Joseph fled with his coat in her hand. Second time he’s been stripped of his coat. She uses the coat to accuse him of rape. Joseph lost his coat, but he kept his character. Falsely accused and slandered, but he was right before God.

Joseph thrown in a prison. From slavery to prison. Life can’t get any worse, but the same thing happens. The Lord was with Joseph (vs. 21). All the prisoners put under Joseph’s authority. vs. 23 - Again, Lord with Joseph, and Lord made him successful. Life couldn’t get any worse, but God was still with Joseph. God was still in control bringing His plan to fruition.

Temptation is a present reality for all of us, and it seems we’re most tempted when life is the hardest. When tempted, three questions:

Will I satisfy someone else? (Joseph’s temptation.) Other people have a will for your life… Sinful people want you to be sinful with them… Live for the acceptance of others so we’ll do what others want in order to make others happy. We’ll listen to the voices of family and friends who we know don’t have God’s best for us.

Will I satisfy myself? When life is hard attitude: “I deserve a little self-gratification. Doesn’t seem like God cares, what does it matter?” In hard times the enemy will expose your vulnerabilities. Be on guard.

We sin when we want something more than we want God. If Joseph valued his safety, comfort, and position in Potiphar’s house more than he loved God, he would have given in to Potiphar’s wife.

Will I satisfy God? No one has done for you what God has done for you. Why would you live for anyone else other than God? You have to preach the Gospel to yourself when life is hard. God loves you. He proves it through the death and resurrection of His Son. You have to see that you are His passion, because when you know that you are His passion, He’ll become your passion. That’s the key in overcoming temptation. To overcome sin, you must desire Jesus more than you desire sin.

Remember when tempted:

God is with you. He is a present help.

God has spoken. (Spoke to Joseph. The dream will come true.) You know what He wants for you.

God’s people surround you. Joseph felt all alone in Egypt. You’re not all alone. Look around this room. People who want to cheer you on, yet you stay disconnected.

Joseph, an innocent man, is a slave and prisoner in Egypt. Eventually a leader in Egypt, but he never comes out of Egypt. He dies in Egypt. Then, some 400 years after he died, his bones would be carried out, and his bones would be carried through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.

Years later, a child born in Bethlehem. But, a power-hungry king wanted this child dead because He was a threat to Herod’s throne. His parents, who had honored the Lord - walked by faith - took the infant Jesus to Egypt. Didn’t seem fair… They did everything God told them and ended up as refugees. But… Jesus didn’t die in Egypt. He came out of Egypt.

When Matthew writes He is intentionally drawing our attention back to this story that starts with Joseph. Through Joseph God brings His chosen people to Egypt where they will live as slaves and then be delivered by Moses.

No greater act of deliverance in the OT than the Exodus. So great that the people had a feast every year to remember it (Passover).

Now, Matthew - a baby born who is going to lead a greater deliverance than the Exodus.

Jesus like Joseph - led a life of integrity and faithfulness, overcame every temptation, and was thrown into the prison of our sin as a result. But, by His own power, He came back from the dead defeating death. Jesus bones weren’t left in Egypt, nor were they left in a tomb to rot. He rose from the dead.

Jesus is far greater than Joseph, and He’s far greater than Moses - through His death and resurrection, He delivers us from sin and death to give us life abundant and eternal.

Matthew wants us to know at the birth of Jesus, the great deliverer is here. AND, Matthew also wants us to know something else about this great deliverer. His name is Immanuel: God with us.

Jesus has delivered you, and now He lives in you, empowering you to be fruitful on your most trying days and victorious on your most tempting days.

Joseph’s story, Moses’ story - it’s all pointing to the eternal hope you can have in Christ - God with us - the God who has come to deliver you and be with you. Turn to Him today.