Potiphar to Prison

God is a relational God. Even before creation He existed eternally in relationship with Himself as the Father, Son and Spirit. It was no accident that when God created Adam and Eve He created them as relational beings. You were designed to be a relational being.

What does it mean for God to be with you?

God’s omnipresence

There is a very simple but profound reality that God is always with you because He is everywhere present at all times.

Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.”

God’s active participation in your life

There will be times in your life when you clearly see the hand of God guiding your choices and orchestrating your circumstances.

There will be other times when only hindsight reveals God’s active participation in your life. For anyone who walks with God they will at some point say “You know, looking back on it now I can see God at work...”

And finally there will times when only our presence in heaven will provide the clarity of all the ways God providentially participated in your life.

Six Observations

1. It changes how you view success and failure.

One of the great misunderstandings of Joseph’s story is that because God’s presence brought Joseph material blessing the same will be true for us today. This is the lie of the prosperity gospel.

God materially blessed Joseph because it was an essential part of His plan for Joseph that led to the rescue of and reunification with his family.

My word of caution is to be careful about viewing every material success as a sign of God’s approval and every failure as a sign of God’s judgment.

By the end of this chapter Joseph is in prison, but the reality of God’s presence is unchanged.

In fact, it also important to remember that while he had a pretty good gig going in Potiphar’s house he was still a slave.

God’s presence changes how we view success and failure because we no longer view success and failure as a measure of God’s grace.

God’s presence redefines success and failure.

“The success of our friends can be harder to deal with than the hate of our enemies.”

Every human hearts tends to take the credit for success but be the victim of our failure.

Even a basic understanding of God’s active presence helps prevent holding unbiblical views of success and failure.

2. It does not guarantee a change of circumstances.

Notice the parallels between chapter 37 and 39.

Joseph starts both chapters from a place of privilege

Joseph is betrayed in both chapters

Joseph’s outer garment plays an interesting role in both chapters

The one who could have protected Joseph is deceived in both chapters

Joseph’s circumstances changed sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse but God’s presence was constant.

Your circumstances may change when you don’t want them to or they may not change when you do want them to. Neither is necessarily an indicator of God’s approval or disapproval.

The truth is that no matter your circumstances God is with you, and the real question is, do you live like it?

3. It does not negate the reality of temptation.

God was with Joseph and he was still put in a very compromising situation with the wife of another man.

From a narrative perspective we are meant to compare this to what we just read in chapter 38

Judah gave in to his temptation without so much a second thought.

Joseph resisted temptation even though he knew there would be consequences.

In Joseph’s situation we have an unusual circumstance where the woman is the aggressor in what amounts to what we would call today sexual harassment.

This true story does help provide some biblical context to some of the issues of modern days.

Suffice it to say that a persons gender does not automatically make them trustworthy or untrustworthy, and the truth matters.

We don’t know what Potiphar’s wife’s motivation was, but the text does day that Joseph was a good looking guy.

Nevertheless, Joseph could have easily rationalized sinning in this situation.

I deserve it

She can ruin my life

Potiphar is a bad husband

I probably wont get married and this is my only chance to know a woman in this way.

Joseph’s perspective

How could I do this to Potiphar? (v. 8, 9a)

How could I do this to God? (v. 9b)

One of the most important things we have to remember about our sin is that all sin is primarily against God.

As we are able to apologize to the people we have offended we certainly should, but to be honest that is the secondary offense.

This important truth also should change the way we view offenses done to us.

4. It provides confidence that we are never alone.

Do you think Joseph ever felt alone?

In the pit?

In prison?

Even in Potiphar’s house when things were going well?

There had to be more than one moment in Joseph’s life when his relationship with the Lord was all that kept him going.

Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

We started this conversation by recognizing God’s omnipresence. Don’t underestimate the practical importance of this theological truth to the everyday Christian life.

5. It motivates God-glorifying service.

Joseph had no reason to keep any false pretenses of serving or loving God.

He undoubtedly went years without every meeting another worshiper of the one true God.

He didn’t have anyone to impress spiritually speaking.

This tells us that Joseph’s continued worship of Yahweh was motivated by God’s glory and not his own.

6. It is the source of genuine joy.

Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

After all the betrayals how is it that Joseph could remain a man capable of forgiveness? - The Joy of the Lord

Nehemiah 8:10 “Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.””

The joy of the Lord is a powerful side-effect of God’s presence.

This is not a self produced joy. It is the joy of the Lord, of Christ given to you because of the presence of God and His relationship with you.

John 15:11 ““These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

God wants you to have joy. Not at the expence of His glory or your good but one of the great truths of our sovereign God is that His will doesn’t come at the expense of our joy. In fact it is the opposite that is true.