Review of Genesis 39

— by Victor Fawole

Welcome to one of the most frequently read chapters of Joseph’s life – the go-to chapter for young men in our battle against sexual temptations. If you’ve ever faced workplace sexual harassment, this chapter contains arguably the oldest record of such, and there are lessons we can learn from it. But the story is much more than sexual harassment. Joseph went from a pit to Potipher’s penthouse, then to prison. Let us consider the unavoidable lessons in this chapter…

1. JOSEPH: Successful in Bondage and Business

Gen. 39:1-2 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

Joseph’s ordeal is a terrible one to go through. He went from being his father’s favourite son with a coat of many colours to being the common slave of an uncircumcised Egyptian. Potiphar was described using three titles:

• “officer of Pharaoh” – indicating that he was a high-ranking official in the land.
• “captain of the guard” – indicating that he was chief of the executioners. The king’s prison was under his command.
• “an Egyptian” – indicating that he had no moral or religious reason to love Joseph.

“And the Lord was with Joseph…” Joseph had a lot of troubles, yet God did not abandon him, not even in the smallest way. This chapter started and ended with the truth of God being with Joseph (Gen. 39:2, 23), and that was the secret of his successes. Although Joseph had no control over his circumstances, God broke through the evil actions of men to be with him, and granted him success.

Through Joseph, Potiphar had a perception of the reality of God. He knew that God was with him. Joseph’s principles made it clear: Trusting in God, Diligence at work, and Blessing from God. Joseph was so trustworthy that Potiphar’s only concern was what was for dinner; he didn’t even know how much he had. Joseph literally took care of everything for him. These principles are also for us believers, as we ensure that others should see the difference Jesus makes in our lives by the way we work (1Pet. 2:18-21, Eph. 6:5, Col. 3:22, 1Tim. 6:1, Tit. 2:9-10). We have God with us and we can rest assured of the success that comes from Him.

You can take some time to listen to this short sermon that explains the five levels of God’s presence that every believer enjoys.

As usual, let us draw the important parallels between Joseph and Jesus:

• Like Joseph, Jesus left His Father and emptied Himself of His glory to become a servant. (Phil 2:7, Matt. 20:28, Luke 22:27; John 13:12, 2Cor. 8:9)
• Like Joseph, God was with Jesus and granted Him success. (Isa. 42:1, 2Pet. 1:17, John 14:10-11)

Joseph prospered, not because he was good, but because God is good. Although God was with Joseph and he was successful regardless of his location, his circumstances were not all pleasant. This takes us to the second point to consider.

2. JOSEPH: Sanctified in Beliefs and Behaviour

Gen. 39:7-9 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Like his mother Rachel, Joseph was astonishingly handsome – so much that Potiphar’s wife was overcome with lust. There could be many reasons for Mrs. Potiphar’s fixation on Joseph, but permit me to speculate three:

• The Nearer is Dearer
  It could be that Potiphar’s wife felt sexually deprived, due to her husband’s business and unavailability. Her situation was most likely that of a woman who was starved of attention, love, and romantic pleasure. Some Bible scholars even claim that Potiphar was a eunuch and their marriage was purely a ceremonial arrangement. So, she probably felt the need to pursue sexual pleasure outside the marriage, and here was Joseph – so near and dear!
• The Facilitator is Fascinating
  Women have a natural tendency of being affectionate towards a man who helps/makes the home run. We see this in Rebekah’s affection towards Jacob, who was a homeboy. We see this in Sarah as Abraham was involved in kitchen affairs. Joseph was the one who ensured that the gas cylinder was filled, the floor was mopped, the generator was powered, the DStv subscription was renewed, the wife’s car was serviced, etcetera. Potiphar’s official duties could have made him spend more of his time outside the home, only to return late for dinner, sleep off, and wake early the next morning for work.
• The Beautiful is Breathtaking
  This is clearly the strongest reason: Joseph’s looks. Only two other men have this kind of accolade – David (1Sam. 16:12) and Absalom (2Sam. 14:25). Yes, women also love “beautiful” men. Mrs. Potiphar fell flat for Joseph’s six packs, broad shoulders, curly beards, baritone voice, just name it!

This woman’s seduction was not subtle at all. She came clearly with her full chest, in clear words, and strong determination.

• She was Passionate:
  she said, Lie with me
  She had an unquenchable desire for sexual satisfaction!
• She was Persistent:
  she spake to Joseph day by day
  Nameless and shameless, her hunger and thirst drove her every day!
• She was Provocative:
  she caught him by his garment
  She went as far as employing force to get Joseph at all costs!

However, Joseph refused to do evil in God’s eyes (Gen. 39:9). He knew that adultery was not just a sin against Potiphar; it was also a sin against God.

• He didn’t call her wicked; he called “adultery” wicked. So, it wasn’t primarily about the woman, but the action.
• He was not negotiating or hesitating; he refused. His “no” was as loud and clear as possible.
• He honoured his Commander (Potiphar) and wouldn’t betray his trust.
• He honoured his Consecration (sanctification) and wouldn’t betray his own conscience.
• He honoured his Creator (God) and wouldn’t act wickedly before Him.

Despite being at the height of his hormonal explorations, Joseph showed that he was sanctified at heart and in acts. Sanctification was in his belief system, and it translated to his behaviour. That is the pattern for us as believers (1Thess. 4:7).

Want to learn biblical steps to overcome temptations? Take your time to listen to our highly recommended series on Overcoming Temptations.

Joseph was then falsely accused by a desperate housewife who couldn’t take rejection and forcibly jailed by her husband. The fact that Potiphar threw Joseph into the prison, instead of beheading him, gives a hint that Potiphar knew the kind of woman his wife was and he knew the kind of man Joseph was. He became angry probably because he knew that her accusation against Joseph was not true. The many travails of Joseph can be summarised this way:

• from the PRIVILEGE in his father’s house…
• to the PIT his brothers threw him into…
• to being a PROPERTY in the slave market…
• to the POSITION of managing Potiphar’s house…
• to the PRESSURE from Potiphar’s wife…
• to the PERJURY of her false accusation…
• to the PRISON of Pharaoh…

There are more parallels we can draw between Joseph and Jesus:

• Like Joseph, Jesus was also falsely accused and he was “numbered with the transgressors”. (Isa. 53:12, Mark 15:28)
• Like Joseph, Jesus did not fight back when he was wrongly accused. (Isa. 53:7, Matt. 27:12-14)

Dear Gogolights, your purity is more important than your career advancements or social status. Though it seemed that Joseph’s life was ruined when he lost his job and status in Potiphar’s house; yet, from God’s perspective, it was better for him to lose his status and remain pure than to keep his status and commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;” (1 Thess. 4:3-5).

This chapter began with Joseph’s suffering of slavery and ended with his suffering of imprisonment. However, the constant theme is that Joseph succeeded because of the presence of God and the blessings that come with it. Just like in the house of Potiphar, Joseph was promoted, becoming the admin of the prison. God was using his experiences, albeit painful, to sharpen his administrative skills, which he would one day need to save his family and the whole world. God is indeed the Master Baker!

Let us continue to pray and trust in God to turn our unpleasant situations around for His ultimate good.

Grace to you, Church!