Genesis 39
Title: The Secret of Success
What’s the secret of success?
What is the key to mastering life?
Some say it’s gainful employment.
One man struggled for a longtime as a banker because he was always losing interest.
But then he took up astronomy. Ever since then, his career’s been looking up!
You probably guessed it’s Dad Joke Sunday!
Some say it isn’t fair to define success by one’s employment.
What about the guy with ADD who was fired from the juice factory, all because he couldn’t concentrate.
What about the guy that started the failed hot-air balloon company – yeah, it never took off.
He was encouraged when he heard that three companies were after him.
But then he found out that they were the water, gas, and the electric companies.
This morning, we’ll find Joseph is very successful in his work.
He’s appreciated so much by his boss that he’s given responsibility for everything in the home.
So, we pick up in Joseph’s story in Genesis 39
1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.
6b Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.”
16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
So, we see pretty clearly in this chapter that the secret to Joseph’s success is this – the Lord was with him.
This is very different than most of the world sees the secret of success.
Others might say that it’s about being respected by others.
Like the man who wanted to impress others with his daily exercise.
He told them that he walked five miles everyday.
Then they learned that he’d named his dog Five Miles.
Others might say that success is found in gaining knowledge.
Like the man who stayed up all night wondering where the sun went, and then it dawned on him.
Others define success by what you give to others.
But not like the woman who gave away all her used batteries – free of charge.
Let’s just notice some things in v. 1-6
Joseph is a passive pawn in his own story.
He had been promoted by his father to supervise his brother’s who were shepherds.
You’d think that Joseph should’ve been raised in a family of people who never got angry.
I mean they are called “Nomads.” Right?
(Still Dad Joke Sunday)
He was sold into slavery by his own brothers, who went on to tell his dad that he was dead.
He’s purchased from the regional traders by a high ranking official in Pharaoh’s court, named Potiphar.
He serves well, with the Lord’s blessing and ends up in prison.
Remember what we looked at prior to the life of Joseph – Embracing Glorifying God.
If we didn’t know that what’s most important is that we glorify God, Joseph’s story would seem pointless.
Looking at the Secret of Success, we read something that’s very significant to Joseph’s success in verses 2&3
2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
There is a clear connection being made between God’s presence with Joseph and his success.
Potiphar sees specifically that the Lord was with Joseph and was the cause of his success.
Joseph’s influence grows as Potiphar recognizes the blessing of the Lord on what he does
This is a perfectly parallel experience that we’ll see Joseph have later in this chapter when he’s in prison.
So, it’s clear that the secret to Joseph’s success is the presence and blessing of God in his life.
A significance with this that we might easily miss is that we’re told that God is with Joseph even in the distant, pagan land of Egypt.
God isn’t bound to geographical areas or only centered around the people group that worship Him.
This is an important lesson for the whole world throughout the OT – our God is the God of the whole earth!
The next thing were told about Joseph’s life is that Potiphar’s wife became impressed with him too.
6b Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
We’re told that this took place after a time.
But what’s valuable to not is that Joseph served in his role in Potiphar’s house for 11 years.
It certainly took him some time to be recognized and move into his place of great responsibility.
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
Potiphar’s wife was following the culture of her land – marital unfaithfulness.
We don’t know how much this temptation ramped up over the 11 years that Joseph worked for Potiphar.
What we’re mainly learning from in this section comes from Joseph’s statement in the later half of v. 9
“How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
And from Joseph’s wisdom and great conviction, I tell you –
KEEP STRAIGHT ABOUT WHAT GOD DESERVES. (6-10)
After 11 years in a the pagan culture of Egypt, Joseph still worships God and knows He’s worthy of glory.
Even after being abused and experiencing the trauma of being sold into slavery,
Joseph remains faithful to the God who has remained with Him and blessed his work.
The first idea that we should be reminded of by Joseph’s statement is that –
GOD DESERVES TO DEFINE WICKEDNESS.
Joseph reasons with her that it would be a betrayal of the great trust that her husband had placed in him.
Interestingly, others might use what Joseph lists off as reasons why he should give in to the temptation.
I mean, he could’ve rationalized that, after serving his master so well, he deserved to do something for himself for a change.
He could’ve assumed that all his success was due to his own skills. So why worry about obeying God.
He could’ve argued that he was just following the orders of the “lady of the house.”
Instead, Joseph makes his stand on the most important principle –
To give in to the great wickedness that she is encouraging in his is to sin against God.
Psalm 119 teaches the importance of allowing God to define right and wrong, as we can read in -
* Psalm 119:9–10 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
Like Joseph, we must allow the all-wise, righteous God to tell us what is right and wrong.
The second concept that we should keep in mind is that –
GOD DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED WHEN WE’RE TEMPTED.
Joseph could’ve rationalized that the one thing that was beyond his reach was just too tempting after her daily requests.
Instead, even with the daily siren call of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph chooses to stay away from her.
He refuses to lie with her.
In fact, he refuses to allow himself to be alone with her.
And His statement in v. 9 tells us that all of this is because He didn’t want to sin against God.
Spurgeon - “When I regarded God as a tyrant, I thought sin a trifle; but when I knew him to be my father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against him. When I thought that God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against one who loved me so, and sought my good.”
I know a man who was a young husband and had a serious lust problem.
He was viewing pornography any chance he was alone.
By the time he was a young father, he was working for the historical society.
I remember learning that he was working with a younger woman.
And their job required them to be spending a lot of time on the road looking for historic buildings.
I remember telling him that I didn’t think that was a good idea.
Sadly, his lustful mind had him setup for terrible sin when the young woman made her move to seduce him.
He fell into a sin which led to lifestyle of adultery once he had crossed that boundary.
Eventually, he ruined his entire family.
Lao Tzu wrote, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
As appropriate for Father’s Day, we need to heed the advice the father gave to his son in Proverbs 5
Proverbs 5:1–14 (NLT)
1My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.
2Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
3For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.
4But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.
7So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say:
8Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house!
9If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
10Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
11In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body.
12You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
13Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
14I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.”
As believers, we won’t lose our position as God’s child from choosing to sin.
But we can lose so much that should be precious to us.
Aside from earthly and relational consequences, we lose our closeness and fellowship with God.
We lose our ability to walk by His Spirit, bear the fruit of the Spirit and to be able to make wise decisions.
Some application question that I’d like for you to ask yourself are in the bulletin -
Are you listening to the justification for sin that’s so common in our world, or are you defining sin as God does in His Word?
Do you know what it means to lose closeness with God when you choose to sin?
Do you ever make the choice to avoid sin so that you can maintain your fellowship with God?
Moving forward, I also want to challenge you to -
KEEP YOUR CHARACTER EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO LOSE YOUR SHIRT. (11-12)
11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
Quote – One writer describes this situation as one in which “all is lost or won in a moment”
At some point, Joseph had to be in the house by himself, and the temptress saw her opportunity.
The term caught is used elsewhere in situations of rape.
It may be that Joseph didn’t exactly choose to disrobe and leave.
She may have gotten him partly there with her aggressive grasping at him.
Spurgeon - “Slavery itself was a small calamity compared with that which would have happened to young Joseph had he been enslaved by wicked passions.”
You may already be thinking of what we’re told in -
* 2 Timothy 2:22 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Two helpful quotes from John Owen speak well into this moment of temptation for Joseph and us.
“Too many people play with sin instead of putting it to death.”
“Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
I know another man who many of you know well.
He also faced temptation.
He owned a business on the north side of Crawfordsville and the business wasn’t going well.
In fact, it was going bankrupt.
But the offer came from another businessman to purchase the building and save him from a lot more financial pain.
The problem was that the businessman wanted to turn the building into a strip club.
And my friend couldn’t sell it to him because he knew that God didn’t want him to do so.
The other businessman thought he was doing my friend a favor because he knew he could buy the building for much cheaper after the bank put it up for sale as a part of the bankruptcy.
And it would’ve helped my friend’s situation to sell to take the businessman’s offer.
But, he kept his character even though it meant losing is shirt financially.
Sadly, the strip club still became the evil place that it is.
But my friend doesn’t have to see it and have any regret that he had a part in its founding.
What kind of embarrassment or ridicule are you willing to endure in order to obey God?
What kind of financial gain have you missed because you chose to obey God?
What steps can you take to help yourself obey God?
Memorize scripture to keep the truth at the forefront of your mind.
Reach out to a friend who can pray for you and hold you accountable.
Seek discipleship or counseling to gain a deeper understanding of your heart.
The next actions of those of this woman scorned is to go scorched earth.
13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.”
We read that she gave the same story to her husband when he returned home, and he ain’t happy.
So, we see what he did in v.19
19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
But in v. 21, we find a statement that’s familiar to Joseph’s story.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
It’s just good that Joseph wasn’t Potiphar’s blacksmith or he would’ve been charged with FORGERY
(Yep, still Dad Joke Sunday)
The moment of temptation became a situation in which everything was either lost or won in a moment.
So, did Joseph lose or win?
He WON because he kept his close relationship with God and his character in tack.
Lastly, you can be reminded from Joseph’s experience -
KEEP FAITHFUL DESPITE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. (13-23)
Unlike in our nation, Joseph doesn’t go to trial but goes straight to prison.
Many wonder at the fact that Joseph wasn’t executed immediately for the crime he was accused of.
It’s likely that Potiphar either appreciated Joseph’s service too much to put him to death or that he suspected his wife was lying.
In prison, we learn the most important secret to Joseph’s success is still that the Lord was with Joseph.
We’re also told that God was showing Joseph steadfast love
This is God’s “hesed,” which means His loyal, covenant keeping love.
We’re not told that this would’ve been removed if Joseph had failed and been guilty of the adultery he’s charged of.
But we can assume the abundant blessing he experiences would’ve certainly suffer.
This is similar to the fact that the Christian doesn’t lose their position as God’s child when we sin.
But we do lose the fellowship we experience with God when we choose to disobey him.
Once again, we see the results of God’s blessing and Joseph’s faithfulness.
22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
The point being made in these verses is obvious.
God is still with Joseph even though his circumstances have changed.
Once again, Joseph shows his maturity and his skill that are , no doubt, related to God’s blessing.
And the warden recognizes his talent and possibly the Lord’s blessing as Potiphar did.
Like with Potiphar, we’re told that nothing was outside of Joseph’s care.
In fact, the keeper of the prison didn’t have to pay attention to anything that was under Joseph’s care.
And what was under Joseph’s care? - EVERYTHING in the prison.
Still, this wasn’t painless for Joseph.
We’re told in -
* Psalm 105:18 18 His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;
Think of David who refused to kill King Saul and was still pursued by him for many years after that.
Think of Jeremiah and other prophets who obeyed God and then were mistreated when people didn’t like the message they brought from God.
Think of Mary who suffered stigma and doubt from others that she was truly carrying our Savior in her womb through miraculous means.
Think of Paul who’s obedience only brought more hardship in his life as he preached the gospel to those who were opposed to Christ.
None of their hardship meant that God wasn’t with them or pleased with them.
Rather, their earthly hardship was due to their faithfulness to God.
People like these are listed in Hebrews 11 and of whom we’re told -
* Hebrews 11:13–16 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth… 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
What about you?
When you don’t like your circumstances, do you tend to think that God has left you?
Do you tend to think that God is going to put you in your preferred circumstance if you obey Him?
Our number one concern should be the presence of God in our lives.
Is He present in your life through saving you and giving you His indwelling Holy Spirit?
Is His active presence in your life effective through your obedience and being filled with His Spirit?
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