We catch up with Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his older brothers. Joseph is purchased from the traders by a high-ranking Egyptian official named Potiphar.
“When [Potiphar] saw that the Lord was with [Joseph] and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” (v3,6)
After some time of Joseph running the household, Potiphar’s wife tries to encourage Joseph to sleep with her. Joseph replies: “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?” (v9) After several refusals she grabs at Joseph but only gets his cloak as Joseph flees from her. “She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: ‘That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.’ ” (v16-18)
Unfortunately for Joseph, Potiphar believes his wife and throws Joseph into prison. But, with one of God’s signature plot twists: “while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.” (v20b-22)
Joseph is truly a man of character and godliness, not only in this chapter but in the remaining chapters of Genesis (Joseph is featured in 12/50 chapters of Genesis, over 25% of the book, more chapters than any other patriarch). We will see many more instances of how Joseph honors God with his mouth and his hands.
My takeaway is that even in the midst of circumstances that were beyond his control (betrayal, slavery, more betrayal, more slavery), Joseph still conducts himself in an upright way, as though he is serving God, not his slave masters.
Today is Good Friday – we contemplate how Jesus’ death on the cross pays the debt of our sin, how He took our rightful place and our rightful punishment. Joseph, like Jesus, was unjustly punished for the sins of those around him (his brothers and Potiphar’s wife), yet he remained righteous and upright in his words and actions, setting a great example of what it means to honor God.
Jesus, we come before you today humbled by your humble sacrifice. Your death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin, a punishment we rightly deserved and You did not. Thank you for loving us so much that You gave Your life in order that we may live. Would You please help us to remember that sacrifice and live in a way that is honoring to You. May we fully submit to You through our mouths and hands, as if we are serving You alone. Thank You Jesus, our Lord and our God, the Savior of humankind.
~ Conqueror in Training