Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 39-Genesis 40 

"A Strange Place Indeed." • 7.15.10 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro.

- When last we saw Joseph, he was being carried away to an unknown location. He was sold as a slave, which landed him in Egypt, in the the house of a man named Potiphar.

- A few years have passed and it is time to catch up with what has been happening with him.

Text

• Genesis 39:1-6a : "Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate." : Potiphar was a high ranking official. He worked very closely with the Pharoah himself. He was part of his staff.

- He was a captain, a leader, an overseer of those who would personally guard the Pharaoh. It might be akin to being the chief of the CIA or the Secret Service.

- Being an Egyptian himself meant that he was not merely an officer, but potentially a worshipper of the Pharoah.

- Egyptians believed that the Pharoah was a god or carried some manifestation of a god.

- Moses tells us that Joseph stood out among the many other slaves in Potiphar's employ. The Lord was with Joseph. His presence was tangible in that whatever he did, he did successfully.

- He moved from being a regular slave to being in the house of this Egyptian as a live in slave.

- God was with Joseph and Joseph knew that. But Potiphar also acknolwedged this and promoted Him to be the overseer, or the steward of his house.

- When Joseph managed this house, everything in an out was blessed by the Lord because of Joseph's presence. In the house, things were orderly. In the field, all was productive.

- It came to pass that soon, Potiphar did not even know what he had except what was given to him for food! He came home and ate and that's about it!

- Joseph was the most trusted servant of the whole lot of them. We need to comprehend that as men and women of faith, that this should be the rule, not the exception!

- Ask the Lord to give you a spirit like Joseph's. It should be that you are the most trusted employee that your employer has.

- Who knows how long it took Joseph to ascend to this promoted place. It was a place of prominence and blessing, which turns out, can be very tenuous.

• Genesis 39:6b-9 : "Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, 'Lie with me.' But he refused and said to his master’s wife, 'Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?'" : Joseph was in good shape and was good looking. I must confess: I have been cursed in this same way!

- Before long, his looks will catch the eye of Potiphar's wife.

- Notice it says "after these things." After his promotion, after he had been put over the house, after he had made a name for himself.

- It may be that he is doing well, but there is a target on his back.

- New dangers await each of us, no matter which floor we work on! Potiphar's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph.

- Remember what we mentioned about the eyes last week? Here they are again! Joseph did not have to wonder about her intentions. She told it straight: Lie with me!

- It was her idea, her initiation, her desire. It's one thing for a man to desire something and wish that it might be a possibility. It's another when a door is wide open and the invitation is clear.

- It's not likely that Mrs. Potiphar resembled a wildebeast! This woman was likely a very beautiful and alluring woman. This was a real temptation for Joseph.

- Joseph refuses and explains his position. He points first to Potiphar. He was his master, his employer. Joseph was loyal to Potiphar. He had a good relationship with her husband.

- Second, he points to his position. "I have worked hard to get to this place. I am a trusted man. Everything is in my hand." He had a good responsibility from her husband.

- Often sin presents itself and we have to look at what we stand to lose. See the disappointment in the eyes of a human boss and the loss of a job!

- These are simply human consequences. But for Joseph this was even worse. He points third to pleasing God.

- Before you scold him for putting God third in order, remember that he is talking with an unbelieving woman. She would understand the first two motivations, but not likely the third.

- What she was asking him to do was wickedness. I love that Joseph spoke about what she was asking for as "great wickedness."

- In the ancient world, in the code of Hammurabi for example, if a women was caught in adultery, she was tied to her lover and thrown into the ocean, where her husband could jump in and save her, or because of his feelings toward her lover, could not.

- Joseph, convinced of God's holinesss, calls this activity "a great wickedness" and a sin against God. Make no mistake: Adultery is not just a sin against a spouse. It is against the Lord.

- When David was caught in sin, he said, "it is against you and you alone that I have sinned."

- Note Joseph's integrity: He is away from home, in a pagan land, with a very willing partner, with a very low probability of getting caught. He says "no."

- God's presence was so real to him, even there, he would not relent, nor let down his guard!

• Genesis 39:10-15 : "So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, 'Lie with me.' But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, 'See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.'" : Every day that Joseph was in the house, an opportunity to sin presented itself.

- When this woman took it to the next level, Joseph did something incredibly instructive: He fled! He did not rely upon his strength or his moral character. He ran and ran quickly.

- The garment that he left was likely an outer garment, perhaps even like the one that he used to wear back in Canaan.

- The woman understanding that she had no chance of consummating her lust, now accuses Joseph with a trumped up charge of rape, which would be a deadly sin in that society.

• Genesis 39:16-20 : "So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, 'The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.' So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, 'Your servant did to me after this manner,' that his anger was aroused. Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison." : Notice that she invokes the race card. It's this Hebrew that YOU brought into our home!

- She is playing on racial prejudice, as well as husbandly pride. Had he been so blind? Had he been so foolish? Initiatially, Potiphar is furious, but then, a strange thing happens.

- Potiphar did not kill Joseph. He simply confined him to the prison.

- Joseph was a slave, a Hebrew and accused rapist. The accuser was the wife of a high ranking official. That should have meant death.

- Potiphar was angry, but it might have been that he was angry at his wife!

- Joseph was now in the place where the highest profile cases were handled.

- The phrase, "he was there in the prison" is yet another low point. Here he was: shackled and bound, in a space of confinement. What about his dreams now?

• Genesis 39:21-23 : " But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper." : Joseph was in the prison, but even there, the Lord was with Joseph.

- The Lord gave Joseph favor in the sight of this warden. Even there, Joseph sees the hand of God putting him in a place to succeed.

- It was obvious that Joseph was upright enough to entrust with the entire prison population.

- Notice now that Joseph has had three jobs. When he was with his family, he was made the supervisor of the shepherds, who happened to be his brothers.

- Then, he was made the supervisor over Potiphar's entire house. Now, he is doing the same thing in the prision. Just make note of the pattern here.

- I have held on to one great piece of advice from Pastor Ed that has always been helpful to me: If you want to see your future, look back on your past!

- The past usually shows you how God has been preparing you for what He wants for your future! With Joseph, this is especially true. Everywhere he had gone, God had promoted him.

- Verse 23 says it all: "Whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper!

- That would be a good prayer. Lord, put me in a position to prosper for your sake!

• Genesis 40:1-4 : "It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while." : I wonder if Joseph wondered about his dreams. How could they possibly be fulfilled now?

- He is in a deep prison, unlikely to get out, so how will his dream of saving his family be fulfilled? We are often very narrow in considering how God needs to do something in our lives.

- Here, God brings a situation to Joseph in the deep recesses of this prison. These two prisoners, the butler and the baker of Pharoah have offended, literally sinned against the Pharaoh.

- One commentator mentioned that an assassination attempt may have been attempted.

- In any event, Joseph, like that, is one step away from the Pharaoah! He was with these men for a while, presumably during the investigation into their actions.

• Genesis 40:5-8 : "Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation. And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, 'Why do you look so sad today?' And they said to him, 'We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.' So Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.'" : Joseph is faced with a situation that He knows that His God has control over.

- These men, under investigation, both likely wondering what their fate will be, have dreams that trouble them because of a lack of interpreter.

- What is happening here? The Egyptians put large stock in understanding and interpreting dreams. Egyptians believed that dreams were visits to the underworld or messages from the gods.

- They believed that dreams carried warnings, incitement to some action or prophecies about their future. Most Egyptians had "dream books" which catalogued their visions.

- If a person was especially needy of a special dream, he went to sleep in a temple. After performing certain rituals, the person went to bed making sure to have writing materials nearby.

- Now, at this point, certain things that people would dream would fall into certain templates.

- For example, if a man dreamt that he was dead, this was actually considered good and meant that they would experience long life.

- On the other hand, if a man dreamt about uncovering his derriere, this was considered bad, as it was thought that this meant that they would be soon orphaned. There are many other examples.

- What would one do when they had a dream that was out of their box? That is when one would call for a professional's help.

- There were priests who had professional dream interprestation certification. They had been endowed by the gods with this special ability. You could say that it was a "dream job!"

- That is what these guys are lamenting: They have no way to interpret their god's messages!

- Joseph, the Hebrew slave thinks that it's a simple job. "God can give interpretations!"

- I want to suggest something here: When people around you are dealing with difficult situations, it's good to have the faith to say, "God can handle that! Let's talk!"

- These men had no idea what to do. They were helpless. Joseph was not helpless!

• Genesis 40:9-15 : "Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, 'Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.' And Joseph said to him, 'This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler. But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.'" : The Chief Butler comes up first with a dream which reveals that his vacation will be over in three days. He'll be back at his former position.

- Joseph uses this occasion to tell his story. You can boil it down to four phrases: "Remember me," "show kindness to me," "make mention of me" and "get me out of this house!"

- This message has some heavy "ME" content! You can't blame Joseph. He wants out and he figures that this might be a good opportunity.

• Genesis 40:16-19 : "When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, 'I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.' So Joseph answered and said, 'This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.'" : The Baker's willingness to hear the interpretation was based on the good interpretation that Joseph had just given to the Butler.

- Sadly, the Baker's dream foretold a sad ending. In three days, the Baker would lose his head. No matter how difficult it must have been, Joseph told this man the truth.

- He was doomed and there was nothing that could be done about it.

• Genesis 40:20-23 : "Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." : Three days later and it all came true.

- The Pharoah's birthday, an otherwise festive occasion, saw the death of the baker.

- And the Butler, the one who had seen Joseph's talent, forgot him completely!

- Let's consider this for a moment. What would have happened had the butler said something and Joseph had gotten out? He might have returned home and been completely out of position.

- God wants him there. I am convinced that the butler was forgetful because God made him forget! In the meantime, Joseph will have to wait another two years.

Conclusion

- God's hand of providence can be seen all throughout your life. Your time is in His hands. Joseph, amid the confusion of what was his present, would soon know the power of that truth.

- In the meantime, I exhort us all to be excellent in what we do. Seek to be a blessing. Seek to do your best work, so that the Lord will be glorified.

- Flee from temptations, understand that there are always opportunities to fall. Those same opportunities are occasions for success as well!