I know how to lighten things up. Let’s talk about the Star Wars prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III from the early 2000’s). Any fans out there?
I’ve kind of got mixed feelings about them. The CGI is terrible, the writing is hit or miss, Jar Jar Binks is an abomination. But I do love the concept of the prequels.
Because I watched the original trilogy dozens of times growing up. And I find it very cool to see how we got to Episode IV.
How did the good Jedi Anakin Skywalker become the evil Darth Vader? How did the Empire come to power? How did Luke and Leia end up separated as babies?
It’s fun to have those questions answered. The same thing is true for Harry Potter prequels or the Rings of Power or whatever…
What makes prequels so entertaining is that we already know where things are headed. It’s not like a John Grisham novel where we have no idea how it’s going to end. We know the end of the story. We just don’t know how we’re going to get there.
Here’s why I’m talking about all this: because in a way, the story we’re looking at this month - the story of Joseph in Genesis - does kind of the same thing. It’s kind of like a prequel.
Think of it this way. The book of Exodus, which comes after Genesis, starts with the Israelites in slavery in Egypt. They’ve become a huge nation and they’re suffering under Pharaoh. That’s when God delivers them, parts the Red Sea, and gives them the law.
In a way, it’s where the story of the people of Israel as a nation begins. It’s Episode 4: A New Hope. Genesis, then, is kind of like the prequel to all of that.
In Genesis we see the Israelites as this one tiny family in the land of Canaan. It’s just Abraham, his children, and his grandchildren’s families tending sheep in the hills.
But we know that in Exodus that same family has become a huge nation of slaves all the way down in Egypt. How did we get from there to here?
Well, that’s where the story of Joseph comes in. It’s the “Star Wars Episode III of the Bible.”
It’s a great story and the plot is engaging, because we know where things going to end up. We just don’t know how they’re going to get there.
Last week, Amy introduced the character of Joseph to us. I’m not going to recap the whole thing, but essentially, Joseph was hated by his brothers for being their father Jacob’s favorite… So, they sold him into slavery, as one does.
He gets carted off to Egypt (“Oh, Egypt! That’s where the Israelites end up! Ooo, and he’s a slave… foreshadowing!”).
We know that Joseph is going to somehow be an instrument of God’s purposes. He has a destiny that will lead his people to Exodus chapter 1. But how?
We left off last week with Joseph’s fortunes turning around. From his slavery he found himself the head servant of an important Egyptian official. Maybe his hard days are behind him…
POTIPHAR’S HOUSE
Well, let’s find out. Turn with me to Genesis 39, Page ______ and we’ll continue the story.
Genesis 39:1-6
When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!
Alright. Obviously Joseph is crushing it in his new job, right? The Lord is with him. It makes sense. But here’s what’s interesting. All of a sudden, Potiphar, this Egyptian official, is also doing great. His household is humming, his crops are abundant, his livestock is flourishing. Why is that?
Well, when Abraham (Joseph’s great grandfather) was called by God to start a new nation - the Israelites - God told him,
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.
(And by extension - your family) When Potiphar starts giving Joseph some responsibilities and “blesses” him by lifting him out of his wretched condition, Potiphar started getting blessed in return. “I will bless those who bless you.”
It’s a reminder to the discerning reader that even in slavery and despair, God’s promises will endure. It’s kind of the big idea of Exodus, and here we’re seeing it in miniature.
Ah, but now this blessing is about to be threatened. Let’s keep reading.
Genesis 39:6-9
Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
A couple of interesting points here. First, it’s kind of lost in the English, but what Potiphar’s wife says to Joseph here is far more direct and lustful. It’s only two words in the Hebrew.
It’s not some nice request. “Please come and sleep with me.” It’s more literally like, “Bed me.” I’m sure you could fill in your own saucy euphemism.
Regardless, she’s on the hunt. But Joseph rejects her advances. Although, not entirely for the reason you’d expect. Look at v.8. It’s not just because he sees sexual unfaithfulness as a sin before God, which he does.
It seems like it’s almost a bigger deal to Joseph to not breach his master’s trust. “He has held back nothing from me except you… How could I do such a wicked thing?”
Now, why would that be Joseph’s mindset? Why not just indulge a little? No one needs to know.
Well, I think it’s because Joseph believes that he is where he is because of God. And not just the cushy job. The slavery as well. He sees God’s hand guiding all of it.
Listen to what Joseph says to his brothers near the end of the story.
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
This is how Joseph understands his fate. Feast or famine, it’s God who commands his destiny.
And so, to get back to our question. Why does Joseph care so much about maintaining Potiphar’s trust? Because it was God, not Potiphar, who gave him this job. So, he’s going to be the best, most faithful servant that he can possibly be.
Instead of “doing whatever seemed right in his own eyes” (as so many people do in the Bible), Joseph trusts in God’s plan. Being a faithful servant to Potiphar was how he would honor the Lord.
FROM ONE PIT TO ANOTHER
Of course, as we’ll see next, that mindset is going to cost him.
Genesis 39:10-12
She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.
I just want to point out that yet again, one of Joseph’s garments is being used to deceive. And yet again, it’s going to hurt Joseph. I just love the literary artistry of this story.
Genesis 39:13-20
When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.” She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!” Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.
Yet again, as a prequel this is an unexpected turn. Because it kind of seemed like Joseph had already reached his happy ending. How are we going to get to Exodus chapter 1 if Joseph ends up wasting away in an Egyptian jail? Again, these are the questions that make the story engaging.
Two more quick observations about what we just read. First, I just have to share this. In verse 19 when it says “Potiphar was furious,” what it literally says in Hebrew is that “His nose burned.” That’s it. I just think it’s a great way to talk about anger.
The second thing is a bit more substantial. Look at how Potiphar’s wife talks about Joseph in verse 17. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house…”
All of a sudden, she’s gone from pursuing this hot, successful young man, to dehumanizing and degrading him. She’s pointing out his foreign ethnicity. “He’s a Hebrew.” She’s sneering about him being a slave. “He doesn’t belong here. This is our house.”
I think this is a bit of foreshadowing. Because when you read the book of Exodus, guess what you see? The people of Israel (the great- great- great- great- whatever grandchildren of Joseph and his brothers) enslaved in Egypt, being dehumanized and oppressed and degraded, just like Joseph here.
Just like a good prequel we’re getting hints of what’s to come. And yet this story is designed to not just entertain, but to teach future generations.
TRUST
So let’s stop here for today and ask what this section of the story of Joseph is trying to teach us. What can we learn from Joseph in Potiphar’s house?
Well, I think the first takeaway is something that Amy also said in her sermon last week. It’s kind of the big idea of the whole Joseph story: God is working, even when we can’t see it.
This is the benefit of knowing the end of the story. We know that Joseph’s enslavement leads him to Potiphar’s house. Potiphar’s house leads him to prison. And that might feel like a dead end.
But as we’ll see next week, because he’s in this prison at this time, Joseph ends up in the court of Pharaoh himself - the king of all Egypt. And it’s the same pattern of blessings as before.
It’s because he has this much higher position that Joseph is able to protect both his family and the rest of Egypt in the midst of a famine.
Genesis 12:3
All the families on earth will be blessed through you.
That’s how Genesis ends. That’s how the Israelites end up in Egypt. But this is just the prequel. The rest of the story is even more spectacular, and it’s a story that even involves you and me.
Because again, we know what happens next. The Israelites grow and multiply in Egypt. God rescues them from slavery and plants them in the Promised Land.
And even though they fail time and time again (just like Joseph’s brothers), it is through the Israelites that Christ comes into the story and brings salvation to the whole world, including you and me. Remember, Jesus is a direct descendent of Joseph’s family.
My point is, God is working, even when we can’t see it. He was working as Joseph was sold into slavery. He was working to make Joseph successful in Potiphar’s house, and he was still working as Joseph was thrown in jail.
TRUST
So that’s the first takeaway. The second lesson from the story has a lot to do with Joseph’s posture which we talked about before. His unfailing trust in God regardless of the circumstances.
I think Joseph’s behavior is a model to us all.
Think of it this way. When Joseph found himself suddenly the head of an important official’s household, it would have been extremely easy to let the newfound power and success go to his head.
“I used to be a sheep farmer, and now I’m rich!”
The moment the chains came off, he could have started doing whatever seemed right in his own eyes. He could have given in to the advances of Potiphar’s wife because he felt like he deserved it. He could have taken matters into his own hands.
But if he had… If he had dishonored God by breaching the trust of his master – if he had slept with another man’s wife, then none of us would be sitting here today.
You see, his posture of faithfulness, regardless of his circumstances, is what made the rest of the story possible. He trusted that God knew what he was doing.
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
That is the posture of trust that we should all strive to imitate.
God is working, even when we can’t see it. Are we willing to be faithful to his call, his commands, his desires, even when we don’t know where our story is headed next?
Our job is not to know the end of our story, but to trust God while we’re in the middle of it.
In abundant times or in despair. In blessings or in chains. Asking not “what do I want,” but “God, what do you desire?
Trust is not always easy. But I do have some good news.
True, we don’t know how our individual stories end. Joseph sure didn’t when he was in the middle of his. In a time as chaotic and divisive as ours, the next 10 years could go just about any direction.
But we’ve been given a gift that Joseph didn’t have. We know where the grand story of our world is headed: New Creation.
Resurrection. The reign of Jesus over a world finally filled with justice and life. An eternity of abundance where God will wipe every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death or crying or pain. A broken world healed.
We don’t know how. We don’t know when. But that’s where things are headed. That’s the sequel trilogy.
No matter your circumstances right now, are you willing to trust God, as Joseph did, that you have a part to play in getting us there?
If so, then now’s the time to give your all. Follow hard after Christ, set your own life aside. Don’t take matters into your own hands but put matters into his.
Trust that God is going to work through you to heal this broken world. Just not always in the ways you’re expecting.
[PRAY]