Date: 13 October 2024, 9.30 am
Speaker: Ps Daniel Tan Sermon Text: Genesis 39:1-23
CLICK HERE to join in our Livestream service on Youtube
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction
Blessed Sunday to all.
Last Sunday we were reminded from Ps 90 that we are to pray daily – Lord, "Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Has that been our prayer this past week?
That we seek the Lord to teach us to number our days and to attain a heart of wisdom.
Dn Pak Choon offered for our consideration that to number our days would be to live wisely with eternity in view. And that means we seek to finish well.
Finishing well is not only for those in their final years of life. It’s not for those who are 55 and above.
No, it begins the moment we become His children. It has already begun for all of us.
Finishing well is about the legacy we want to leave behind. And we know that legacy is built over time, over the marathon of life.
Through Genesis 37 to 50, in these final 13 chapters of Genesis, we will see the legacy of faith in the life of Joseph.
We will see how God providentially worked in and through the faithfulness of Joseph to preserve the people of Israel.
Today’s passage is I’m sure a very familiar one for many of us. And I’m sure we all can see that Joseph numbered his days for he responded wisely to sexual temptation.
May I submit that there is a bigger picture that can encourage us as we seek to number our days, and that is the picture of God’s providence.
The Westminster Confession in chapter 5, explains what God’s providence is:
WCF 5.1. God, who created everything, also upholds everything. He directs, regulates, and governs every creature, action, and thing, from the greatest to the least,1 by his completely wise and holy providence.2 He does so in accordance with his infallible foreknowledge3 and the voluntary, unchangeable purpose of his own will,4 all to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.
Heb 1.3, Dn 4.34-35, Ps 135.6, Acts 17.25-26,28, Jb 38-41, Mt 10.29-31, 6.26,30, Neh 9.6, Ps 114.14-16.
Prv 15.3, 2 Chr 16.9, Ps 104.24, Ps 145.17.
Acts 15.18, Ps 94.8-11.
Eph 1.11, Ps 33.10-11.
Is 63.14, Eph 3.10, Rom 9.17, Gn 45.7, Ps 145.7.
So, what it means is that providence is God working circumstances together to accomplish His purposes.
Now the fact that God is able to accomplish His purposes means that He is sovereign. It means he is in complete control.
And so, in God’s sovereignty, His providence is the way He orchestrates all things according to His will.
A helpful summary that I’ve come across is - Sovereign is who God is, providence is what He does. God’s sovereign will is accomplished through His good and wise providence.
And this church is what I submit we see, not just in these 13 chapters, but in the book of Genesis as a whole and even throughout the entire Gospel narrative.
God’s sovereignty and providence should be a great comfort for us. It means things do not happen randomly to us. It means circumstances have a divine purpose.
That God knows and that God is in control.
And especially for very prolong and challenging situations we might find ourselves in. In His loving wisdom we can accept that it is for our good and for His glory.
I pray that we will observe God’s providence in the life of Joseph here in Genesis 39 today. May this truth of God’s providence teach us to number our days alright.
God’s providence in Joseph’s work (v1-6a)
Genesis 39 continues from where Genesis 37 ended. Joseph went to visit his brothers who were pasturing their flock in Shechem.
They didn’t like Joseph very much. So, they initially threw him into a pit. Judah who is infamously portrayed in Genesis 38, felt, killing Joseph was a waste, let’s get something out of him.
So Judah suggested, let’s sell Joseph to some travelling Ishmaelites who were heading to Egypt.
When Joseph was sold as a slave to Egypt, he was 17 years old (Gen 37:2).
Gen 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.
In these first 6 verses of Genesis 39, I’ve entitled it God’s providence in Joseph’s work.
God’s providence, is God orchestrating all things according to His will. We are only told of God’s big picture in Genesis 50, but Genesis 39 begins the journey.
In God’s providence Jospeh is kept alive. He could have died in the pit, but instead he is brought as a slave in Egypt.
And in God’s providence, he is sold to Potiphar an officer of Pharoah, the captain of the guard.
I submit, there are 3 significances for Joseph being in the household of Potiphar.
Firstly, it is a testing of Joseph’s fidelity to God as the 2nd point of the sermon will cover.
Secondly it will lead to the divine placement of him being out in a specific prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were placed. This will be covered in the 3rd sermon point.
Finally, Potiphar’s household would be the ideal training ground for Joseph to learn the ways of the Egyptians and how to govern the country. That would prepare him for the responsibilities God will give him through Pharoah in Genesis 41.
Joseph was 30 years old when he became the right-hand man of Pharoah. He came to Egypt at 17, so we see how God providentially led Joseph these 13 years.
Psalm 37 captures it beautifully:
Ps 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.
In God’s providence, Moses records that God’s favour was upon Joseph in Egypt.
In these 6 verses, God’s favour is noted 5 times.
V2 – The Lord was with Joseph
V3 – His master saw that the Lord was with him
V3 – The Lord caused all that he did to succeed
V5 – The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake
V5 – The blessing of the Lord was on all that he had
In the midst of God’s providential favour, I submit that Joseph was uncharacteristically responsible.
Think with me, he went from a favourite son in Canaan to a slave in a foreign pagan land.
What kind of attitude towards work might someone in his position exhibit?
Knowing the character of God, if His favour was upon Joseph, I’m pretty sure, Jospeh’s attitude and his quality of work was gold standard.
And I submit that would have been uncharacteristic. Slaves were obedient because they were slaves. Joseph was trusted because he was responsible.
Jospeh was so trusted that Potiphar put him in charge of all that he had and all Potiphar had to care about was the food he ate.
If we were Joseph, would we be as responsible? It’s just a job that I’m forced to do, I didn’t even apply for it. I’m not contented to be a slave anymore. I want my freedom, I want to go back to my family.
Lord, what kind of favour are you showing me. My lot in life has not changed. I’m still a slave.
And note this, God’s favour upon Joseph (acknowledged by Potiphar in v3) did not benefit Joseph one bit. V5 says the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house and field.
The person who benefitted from God’s favour upon Joseph was only Potiphar.
If you were Joseph, would you firstly willingly work hard as a slave and secondly, would you continue to willingly work hard as a slave knowing your master is reaping the benefits?
The bible teaches us how to number our days:
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Joseph was living out Colossians 3. Are we doing that today?
Today, none of us are slaves like Joseph, though some of us may feel that way!
Do we attribute our successes, our personal achievements or financial gain to the Lord’s hand upon us?
In this merit-based society of Singapore, do we instead feel it is solely due to our hard work?
I submit this issue comes to the fore when we struggle to tithe our bonuses and financial rewards from say property sales.
We may faithfully tithe our monthly salary but somehow, to tithe the windfall at the end of the financial year seems too unreasonable. We feel, that’s a recognition of my hard work.
Church, Joseph’s life highlights for us the issue of stewardship.
Our health, talents and opportunities are all God-given. It means when we are recognised socially and materially enriched, we should attribute it to God.
It also means when we face uncertainties, when we go unrecognized, we can run to God as well. Knowing that in His providential will, He will guide us through.
Joseph’s faithfulness to God’s will (v6b-12)
Gen 39:6 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.
This second portion begins with the second half of v6. Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
It appears this is his DNA that he had inherited from his mother Rachel. For she is described similarly in Gen 29:17.
Gen 29:17 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.
I’m sure his character must have also added to Joseph’s charm and so after a period of observation, Potiphar’s wife became attracted to Joseph.
If unnatural sexual acts outside of marriage were already prevalent during the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, such advances by Potiphar’s wife would seem mild in comparison.
We are also reminded of Judah in Genesis 38. In contrast to Joseph, Judah followed the pagan custom of enjoying temple prostitutes during festival times.
It is with all that as a backdrop that we see how remarkable it is for Joseph to walk as he did.
Has sexual faithfulness already been established by God?
Gen 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
So, yes, God has already established that the one flesh union is to only be between the husband and the wife.
Now Joseph has found himself to be in a position of temptation which is against God’s will.
Significantly, we see that this temptation happens when he is enjoying God’s favour. Remember we see that God is prospering Potiphar in everything because of Joseph.
Could it be the same for us too? That temptations happen when things seem to be going smoothly. For that is when we let our guard down and when we are at our most vulnerable.
A case in point is the recent judgement of our former minister S. Iswaran. If you look at the details, the amount that he was tempted with, is a small fraction of his minister’s pay over the last decade.
He is not a rookie minister too, so his case warns us that no one is immune to temptations.
We are not as wise, mature and temptation-resistant as we think we are.
V10 tells us that Potiphar’s wife was persistent. She did not just approach Jospeh once. No, v10 says, she spoke to Joseph, day after day.
Now Joseph was a slave, he could not just change masters. But I think he did what he could do within his means.
This is hinted at in v11.
The fact that the fateful day of the sexual assault happened when no other male slaves were around, gives the hint that Joseph tried his best not to be in the same place with Potiphar’s wife alone.
But that day, there was no other males around and Potiphar’s wife seized her chance.
In direct contrast to Judah in Genesis 38, Joseph in Genesis 39 is recorded to reject the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife.
In v9, Joseph gives 2 reasons.
Firstly, morally he will not sleep with her because she is Potiphar’s wife. He reminds her, Potiphar has kept back nothing from Joseph except her.
Secondly, spiritually, he will not sleep with her because he will be sinning against God.
From the first 6 verses, we see that Joseph knew he has God’s favour and that God was blessing Potiphar because of him.
Thus, Joseph must have realized that God has a particular plan for him. He might not know all the details yet, but surely God was preparing him for something.
How then can he disobey God’s revealed will and yield to temptation?
I submit this principle still holds today. We cannot defiantly sin against what we know to be God’s righteous will and continue to enjoy His presence and blessings.
By stating that he would be sinning against God, Joseph acknowledges God’s sovereignty over him. What Joseph thought, what he said and did, everything is lived under the will of God.
This principle is elaborated for us by king David in Psalm 51.
This is David’s prayer of repentance after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah her husband:
Ps 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Judah saw a temple prostitute and he sought for sex. David saw Bathsheba bathing and he demanded for sex.
Joseph was a slave tempted by his master’s wife yet he fled instead.
If we want to number our days, Scripture tells us, follow the pattern of Joseph, flee from temptation.
1 Cor 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
2 Tim 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
1 Cor 6:18 and 2 Tim 2:22, both exhort, flee. Run far away, don’t linger, don’t hesitate.
1 Cor 6:18 speaks of sexual sins and teaches us, that when we sin sexually, we sin against even our own body.
2 Tim 2:22 expands by saying, not only should you flee, but you should then pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.
Flee sexual temptation, and instead pursue righteousness.
An example of this are the testimonies, I’ve heard of Christians who hold a regional role in their workplaces, that requires them to spend a significant amount of time abroad.
Sexual temptations abound when we travel for business in the region. So, I’ve heard that Christians have paid out of their own pockets for their spouses to accompany them on their business trips.
It is not just a sacrifice on the part of the working spouse but also the accompanying spouse.
Yet they are willing to do so because their marriage is important. They want to flee temptation and pursue righteousness.
Now here in Joseph’s story, there is a twist at the end.
Humanly speaking, we tend to think that obedience begets blessings. That the law of reciprocity applies. Lord, I obey you, and you bless me.
And our understanding of blessings is very narrow – good health, great wealth and gracious relationships.
But Joseph’s story tells us otherwise.
By his obedience to God through resisting sexual temptation, Joseph’s blessing is instead to be thrown into prison.
If Joseph were to look back at his life so far, would he not question God’s wisdom?
I obeyed my earthly father and I get thrown into the pit and sold to Egypt.
I obeyed my heavenly father and I get falsely accused and thrown into prison.
But Genesis 39 instructs us, Joseph was experiencing God’s favour.
Firstly, Potiphar could have Joseph executed since he was a slave, but instead he was sent to prison.
Secondly, as we already realized, God’s providential will was being done. Joseph was sent to this particular prison to divinely meet the chief cupbearer.
Temptation is a negative word. What about looking at it from a positive perspective.
Today, are we living with integrity? Integrity means doing the right thing especially when no one is looking.
In our competitive society, many feel the pressure to compromise. There is acceptance that the end justifies the means.
But God’s word encourages, have integrity by pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace, and do it alongside those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
And when we pursue such things, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it would be possible to fulfill the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:
Mt 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
God’s providence in Joseph’s suffering (v13-23)
Joseph seemed to have gone from the frying pan into the fire. From a slave now he is a prisoner.
Yet, Scripture repeats the refrain, the Lord looked with favour upon Joseph.
3 times it is recorded for us:
V21 – But the Lord was with Joseph
V23 – Because the Lord was with him.
V23 – And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed
So we see in Genesis 39, that Moses emphasizes 8 times that God’s favour was upon Joseph.
Again, we observe, like in the house of Potiphar, even under God’s favour, Joseph remained a prisoner. He had to eat and sleep like a prisoner. He was still in chains.
Yet, Joseph continued to be responsible to those God put above him in authority, be it Potiphar or the jailer.
Like Potiphar, the keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge.
Joseph was steadfast in his willingness to do his assigned task to the best of his ability be it as a slave or a prisoner.
God makes explicitly clear elsewhere that Joseph suffered in prison:
Ps 105:16 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, 17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; 19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.
Through the rest of Genesis, we will eventually come to see that all this was part of God’s providential will so that Joseph may save his family, the 12 tribes of Israel from famine.
You may ask, is Joseph’s experience of experiencing challenging situation despite obedience normal? As much as I don’t like it, it appears so:
Jesus said:
Mt 5:11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Apostle Paul who suffered greatly for the Lord encourages:
Phil 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Do you find it hard to accept what Scripture says from the life of Joseph, Jesus and Paul?
I do. I identify with the complaints of the Israelites in the wilderness. Remember this is after the Lord had rescued them from Egyptian slavery:
Num 11:4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
The remedy thus, is to ask God to teach me to number my days alright. It means I have to learn the truth of God’s providential will in my life.
I’m reminded of the words of a hymn I learnt as a youth:
Simply trusting every day,Trusting through a stormy way;Even when my faith is small,Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Refrain:Trusting as the moments fly,Trusting as the days go by;Trusting Him whate’er befall,Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Easily sung, but now after 5 decades of living, realizing how profound those words are.
Conclusion
Doesn’t the life of Joseph point us to Christ?
Jesus was sent by God the Father to a world that did not want to receive him. A world that rejected and persecuted him.
Isa 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
God’s providential will was for Jesus to be Emmanuel, God with us. And to be the Passover Lamb so that by His blood, we can be given the gracious gift of eternal life.
Church, God’s providential will is that while we await the 2nd coming of Jesus, we live out the truth of Romans 8:
Rom 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Because of God’s providential will in our lives, believe that all things work together for good.
Because of God’s providential will in our lives, God’s glorification of us, though happening in the future, is stated in the past tense. A wonderful certainty we can look forward to.
May we like Joseph be faithful in whatever station of life we find ourselves in right now.
Comments