Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 39:1
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 Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.
1. was brought down ] This follows upon Gen 37:28.
Potiphar, &c.] See note on Gen 37:36. These words the Compiler seems to have added from E to harmonize the two accounts. J merely read “And an Egyptian bought him”; cf. Gen 39:2, “in the house of his master the Egyptian.” The words “an Egyptian,” “the Egyptian” would have been needless in Gen 39:1-2, after the full description of Potiphar as “an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
– Joseph in Potiphars House
According to our reckoning, Perez and Zerah were born when Judah was in his twenty-eighth year, and therefore, Joseph in his twenty-fourth. Here, then, we go back seven years to resume the story of Joseph.
Gen 39:1-6
Joseph fares well with his first master. Potiphar. This is a racapitulation of the narrative in Gen. 37: The Lord; the God of covenant is with Joseph. In the house. Joseph was a domestic servant. And his master saw. The prosperity that attended all Josephs doings was so striking as to show that the Lord was with him. Set him over – made him overseer of all that was in his house. The Lord blessed the Mizrites house. He blesses those who bless his own Gen 12:3. Beautiful in form and look Gen 29:17. This prepares the way for the following occurrence.
Gen 39:7-10
Joseph resists the daily solicitations of his masters wife to lie with her. None greater in this house than I. He pleads the unreserved trust his master had reposed in him. He is bound by the law of honor, the law of chastity (this great evil), and the law of piety (sin against God). Joseph uses the common name of God in addressing this Egyptian. He could employ no higher pleas than the above.
Gen 39:11-18
At this day, the day on which the occurrence now to be related took place. To do his business. He does not come in her way except at the call of duty. He hath brought in. She either does not condescend, or does not need to name her husband. A Hebrew to mock us. Her disappointment now provokes her to falsehood as the means of concealment and revenge. A Hebrew is still the only national designation proper to Joseph Gen 14:13. Jacobs descendants had not got beyond the family. The term Israelite was therefore, not yet in use. The national name is designedly used as a term of reproach among the Egyptians Gen 43:32. To mock us, – to take improper liberties, not only with me, but with any of the females in the house. I cried with a loud voice. This is intended to be the proof of her innocence Deu 22:24, Deu 22:27. Left his garments by me; not in her hand, which would have been suspicious.
Gen 39:19-23
Her husband believes her story and naturally resents the supposed unfaithfulness of his slave. His treatment of him is mild. He puts him in ward, probably to stand his trial for the offence. The Lord does not forsake the prisoner. He gives him favor with the governor of the jail. The same unlimited trust is placed in him by the governor as by his late master.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Gen 39:1-6
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt
The prosperity of Joseph in the house of his first master
I.
ITS EXTRAORDINARY NATURE. Cast off by his own brethren, he rises amongst strangers to dignity and honour.
II. ITS BASIS AND SECURITY.
1. His own bearing and conduct.
2. The favour of God.
III. ITS LESSONS.
1. That Gods blessings and grace are with His people everywhere, and under the severest trials.
2. That Gods blessing and grace are manifest to Others (Gen 39:3).
3. That God blesses others for the sake of His people (Gen 39:5).
4. That God is still working out His designs, even when they seem to fail. (T. H. Leale.)
Lessons from Joseph in captivity
1. We have all our captivities at some time or other in our experience. The essence of Josephs trial here was that he was taken whither he had no wish to go, and was prevented from going back again to the home in which his father was sitting mourning for his loss. But is not interference with our comfort or our liberty still the bitter element in all our afflictions? Take bodily illness, for example, and when you get at the root of the discomfort of it, you find it in the union of these two things: you are where you do not want to be–where you would never have thought of putting yourself–and you are held there, whether you will or not, by a Power that is stronger than your own. No external force constrains you, no fetters are on your limbs, yet you are held where you are against your own liking, and you do not relish the situation–you are a captive. But the same thing comes out in almost every sort of trial. You are, let me suppose, in business perplexity. But that is not of your own choosing; if you could have managed it, you would have been in quite different circumstances. Yet, in spite of you, things have gone against you. Men whom you had implicitly trusted, and whom you would have had no more thought of doubting than you would think now of doubting your mothers love, have proved deceitful; or the course of trade has gone against you, and you are brought to a stand. You have been carried away perhaps by brothers, perhaps by Ishmaelites–for the race is not yet extinct–from the Canaan of comfort to the Egypt captivity, and you are now in helpless perplexity. It may be standing, not like Joseph, in the slave-pen, but in the market place of labour, and condemned to do nothing, because no man hath hired you. Ah! there are many, too many always, in a largo city like this who are in just such circumstances. What then? Let them learn from Joseph here that the first thing to do in a captivity is to acquiesce in it as the will of God concerning them.
2. But then, in the second place, we must learn from Joseph to make the best of our remaining opportunities in our captivity. If he was to be a slave, Joseph was determined he would be the best of slaves, and what he was required to do he would do with his might and with his heart. This is a most important consideration, and it may, perhaps, help to explain why similar trials have had such different results in different persons. One has been bemoaning that it is not with him as it used to be, while the other has discovered that some talents have been still left him, and he has set to work with these. One has been saying, If I had only the resources which I once possessed I could do something; but now they have gone, I am helpless. But the other has been soliloquizing thus: If I can do nothing else I can at least do this, little as it is; and if I put it into the hand of Christ, He can make it great; and so we account for the unhappiness and uselessness of the one, and for the happiness and usefulness of the other. Nor will it do to say that this difference is a mere thing of temperament. It is a thing of character. The one acts in faith, recognizing Gods hand in his affliction, the other acts in unbelief, seeing nothing but his own calamity, and that only increases his affliction. So we come to this: keep fast hold of Gods hand in your captivity, and do your best in that which is open to you. That will ultimately bring you out of it; but if you lose that you will lose everything. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Joseph a slave
I. THAT A GOOD MAN IN CAPTIVITY CAN ENJOY GODS PRESENCE.
II. THAT A GOOD MAN IN BONDAGE CAN SHOW FORTH GODS GLORY.
III. THAT A GOOD MAN IN SLAVERY CAN DEVELOP THE HUMANITY OF OTHERS.
IV. THAT A GOOD MAN IN BONDAGE MAY BE TRUSTED.
V. THAT A GOOD MAN IS A GREAT BLESSING WHEREVER HE MAY BE FOUND. (Homilist.)
Trying days
Notice some of the points brought out in this trying portion of Josephs history.
1. The fact of having parted with the restraints and wholesome influences of home.
2. Josephs new position also placed him among strangers.
3. Josephs lot was also that of inexperience surrounded with the numerous and glaring temptations of a great city.
4. How Josephs new lot subjected his religious principles to the test. (J. Leyburn, D. D.)
The trustworthy servant
I. JOSEPHS FAITHFULNESS TO HIS MASTER.
II. JOSEPHS FAITHFULNESS TO HIS GOD.
III. JOSEPHS SOURCE OF HELP AND GLADNESS. The Lord was with him. CONCLUSION:–What shall we learn from this part of Josephs history? That amidst darkness–of sorrow (Joseph exiled); of trial (Joseph tempted); of injustice (Joseph imprisoned)–there always arises light for the faithful and pure of heart. Let us ask God to make us from our earliest years, and in all circumstances, honest, diligent, pure-minded, patient; and let us never lose hold of our trust in Gods help. (W. S. Smith, B. D.)
A kingly slave
Scene, Memphis. Splendid architecture, chased in mimic forms of nature, amid feathery palms waving in the breeze. A red quivering heat, like a bakers oven, enswathing field and city. On the horizon gigantic pyramids of stone. Nearer to the eye calm, sleepy sphinxes, guarding the entry to palace and to temple. On the margin of the city an open market, with piles of fruit; bales of merchandise; slaves, for the most part, black as ebony; noisy hucksters; groaning camels. Among the Nubian slaves a fair Syrian youth attracts attention; realizes a high price, and passes into the hands of a pompous potentate. To the careless traffickers Joseph was simply a question of gain or loss–more money or less–an item of evanescent interest. But to Joseph it was a question of joy or ruin–a matter of life or death. An awful reversal this from the sunny atmosphere of home I Had God seen all this wrong-doing of men, and had He allowed it so far to succeed? Could it be that God was on the side of righteousness?
I. RELIGION TRANSFORMS A SLAVE INTO A HERO.
1. Outward circumstance is a trivial thing. An officer of Pharaoh bought him of the Ishmaelites. It is a frightful degradation to be reduced to a chattel; yet it is only external degradation. But the man need not be degraded. Slavery may give scope for the play of noble principles. Integrity, faithfulness, goodness, piety, love, are untouched, are free to develop.
2. Mans judgment is often in opposition to Gods.
3. In the darkest night true piety shines the more brightly. Doubtless, Joseph was cast down, yet was he not in despair. Instead of repining, he kept a brave heart. Here in Potiphars mansion is one doing Gods will as angels do it in heaven. There is a noble seraph within this apparent slave.
II. RELIGION BRINGS MEN INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD. The Lord was with him: the Lord made all that he did to prosper.
1. A good man is a mystery to onlookers. There is something about him which the world cannot understand. He is patient when others fume and fret. He is buoyant when others are submerged. An unseen Anchor hold his barque, let the storm howl as it may.
2. This superior factor in life is conspicuous. His master saw that the Lord was with him. Such diligence, honesty, thoughtfulness, promptitude, were unusual, unconventional, superhuman. Some men have a trick of concealing their religion. Joseph allowed his light naturally to shine out.
3. God is an active Partner in honest work. The source of Josephs prosperity is revealed: The Lord made it to prosper. A merchant in feeble health once accounted for his successful conduct of a gigantic business by saying that God was his acting Partner. This is the fellowship of the Spirit. A true Christian is man plus God.
III. RELIGION MAKES A MAN A MEDIUM OF BLESSING TO OTHERS. The Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake. Potiphar is not even named: Joseph is everything.
1. A good man is the channel of good to others. Here is Gods law of mediation. A man prospers in business through the prayers of a pious servant. A father is raised up from a bed of fever for the sake of a child. A husband is saved from moral wreck by the faith and love of a wife. The God-fearing are the salt of the earth. For Josephs sake, the fields of Potiphar are fruitful.
2. Real prosperity embraces all the interests of mankind. The blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. The beneficent effect of religion is commensurate with man. It blesses domestic life, agriculture, commerce, politics, literature. It enhances all human joy; it soothes all human sorrow. It kindles a lamp in the darkness of the grave. It fills the heart with an immortal hope. (J. Dickerson Davies, M. A.)
Joseph in Egypt
Joseph, whose studied silence has unrivalled eloquence, is now in Egypt. New scenes are before him. In the far distant stretches the beauteous valley of the Nile, its fertility unsurpassed. Pyramids, hoary with years, strange mementoes of buried generations, tower towards the transparent firmament. A brief journey has brought him from a region scarcely more than semi-barbarous to one far advanced in civilization. The skilled agriculturist is in the field, the ingenious mechanic at his daily toil. The children have those rare evidences of refined state of society, toys, with which to while away the joyous hours. The judge in his court is administering statutes which even modern society might advantageously re-enact. The priest in the temple is endeavouring to propitiate the gods, and secure blessings for their erring children on earth. A written language, the laborious work of many generations, and which had passed from hieroglyphics to phonetics, meets his eye on cunningly prepared papyrus leaves. A settled religious faith, a complicated system of government, a language bearing evidence of growth through many centuries, a vast empire consolidated upon the wrecks of pre-existing nationalities, great material prosperity accompanied with the knowledge of the physical sciences, of history, of metaphysics, and even of theology; a degree of progress in the fine arts which, though different, still rivals that of the present day–these, as well as their institutions, their laws, and their brilliant achievements, unmistakably testify to the immense antiquity of the empire under whose overshadowing influence Joseph is to pass his days of servitude. Nor is he a solitary bondman among a nation of freemen, but one of a vast number of slaves–slaves from Nubia, from Ethiopia, from Asia, from many surrounding nations, all of which had witnessed, and many of which had submitted to the conquering valour of Egypts powerful emperors. (J. S. Van Dyke.)
Lessons
1. Histories of the wicked and righteous are set together by Gods Spirit to abase sin and heighten grace in the Church. So of Judah and Joseph.
2. Providence determining to bring any to greatness, leads them usually first into a low estate. Joseph dreams of dignities, but first meets with slavery.
3. Men-selling, though it be great sin in man, yet is it permitted and ordered by God.
4. Gods choicest ones may be bought and sold by the hands of strangers and enemies.
5. Providence orders the slavery of His own to such men, by whom more fitly they may be preferred.
6. Egypt may be the house of bondage to Gods servants in order to greater freedom (Gen 39:1). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Piety in unfavourable places
Josephs religion overcame all obstacles because there was real life in it. The other day I slackened my step opposite a garden to notice the crocuses raising their slender heads amid the heavy gravel on the walk. The tender plants, having real life, forced their way through the hard earth and conquered the very stones. So the heavenly plant of Josephs piety displayed all its beauty and gave out its sweet odours in the wicked palaces of Potiphar and Pharaoh.
Joseph carried down to Egypt
I. First, then, we will contemplate THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH JOSEPH WENT DOWN TO EGYPT.
1. It was not by his own choice. This is intimated by the emphatic expression he was brought down. It appears that his brethren became envious of him; and they so indulged this bad feeling of the heart Gen 37:18-20). In saying that it is similar to the case of some persons, I do not mean that the same treatment is experienced by them, though unhappily this is the case with many who are torn from their native shores and sold into captivity and bondage against their will; but what I mean is, that their position in life is often fixed for a time without any power on their part to shape their own course. They are governed by the force of circumstances, and find themselves fixed in situations, not because they have chosen it so to be, but because things have tended to that particular position in which they find themselves placed–without their own choice, and without their own control. On the other hand, there is a dissimilarity between the case of Joseph and some others. Time, circumstances, means, are all such that they can, apparently, make their own election, and direct their own pursuits.
2. It was with the prospect of servitude before him. The Midianites bought him to sell him as a slave. That Josephs being a servant, distinguished as he was by only being removed two descents from Abraham, and honoured as he was also–as we shall afterwards find–by God himself, has sanctified, as it were, the employment of servitude and made it honourable. It can never be a disgrace to us to be employed as he was, especially if we pursue our calling in the way that he pursued his. And how was that? perhaps some may ask. We answer that he pursued it faithfully. While he served his master he was faithful to the confidence reposed in him. He was an honest man, and this conduct led to his services being viewed by his master with acceptance. But we mark another trait in the character of Joseph; he was attentive to his duties. But there was a principle in Josephs conduct that we must not omit to notice–he feared God. In this was the secret of his prosperity. But in further contemplating the circumstances under which Joseph went down to Egypt, we observe that–
3. He was brought down thither really, though not apparently at the time, by God. This Joseph himself acknowledged to his brethren in an interview with them some few years afterwards (Gen 46:7-8). Was it God, then, who excited in Josephs brethren that feeling of envy which existed in their breasts–the feeling which led them first to resolve on his murder, and then to agree to report to his father that some evil beast had slain him? No; it was not God who was the author of this conduct. The whole of it was sinful; and God is not the author of sin.
II. What are the LESSONS WE LEARN FROM THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE HAVE BEEN CONTEMPLATING?
1. To acknowledge God in all our ways.
2. To confide in God under all circumstances. We can scarcely conceive, humanly speaking, of any circumstances being more dark and mysterious than those in which Joseph was placed. It was good for me that I was afflicted. And, eventually, our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 2Co 4:17). On this point, then, I will conclude in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isa 1:10), Who is among you thatfeareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.
3. To repress every bad feeling of the heart.
4. That the providence of God attends those that love Him. But God does not lead all His children to degrees of honour and usefulness equal to those of Joseph. Among His people there are those who may be compared to vessels of gold, and of silver, of wood, and of earth; some to honour and some to dishonour (2Ti 2:20). (W. Blackley, B. A.)
Joseph in Potiphars house
The name Potiphar frequently occurs on the monuments of Egypt (written either Pet-Pa-Ra, or Pet-P-Ra), and means: Dedicated to Ra, or the sun. According to some writers, at the time that Joseph was sold into Egypt, the country was not united under the rule of a single native line, but governed by several dynasties, of which the fifteenth dynasty of Shepherd-kings was the predominant one, the rest being tributary to it. At any rate, he would be carried into that part of Egypt which was always most connected with Palestine. Potiphars office at the court of Pharaoh was that of chief of the executioners, most probably (as it is rendered in our Authorized Version) captain of the kings body-guard. In the house of Potiphar it went with Joseph as formerly in his own home. For it is not in the power of circumstances, prosperous or adverse, to alter our characters. He that is faithful in little shall also be faithful in much; and from him who knoweth not how to employ what is committed to his charge, shall be taken even that he hath. Joseph was faithful, honest, upright, and conscientious, because in his earthly, he served a heavenly Master, whose presence he always realized. Accordingly Jehovah was with him, and Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand. His master was not long in observing this. From an ordinary domestic slave he promoted him to be overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. The confidence was not misplaced. Jehovahs blessing henceforth rested upon Potiphars substance, and he left all that he had in Josephs hand; and he knew not aught that he had, save the bread which he did eat. The sculptures and paintings of the ancient Egyptian tombs bring vividly before us the daily life and duties of Joseph. The property of great men is shown to have been managed by scribes, who exercised a most methodical and minute supervision over all the operations of agriculture, gardening, the keeping of live stock, and fishing. Every product was carefully registered, to check the dishonesty of the labourers, who in Egypt have always been famous in this respect. Probably in no country was farming ever more systematic. Josephs previous knowledge of tending flocks, and perhaps of husbandry, and his truthful character, exactly fitted him for the post of overseer. How long he filled it we are not told. (Dr. Edersheim.)
And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man
The secret of prosperity
There are many ways in which the Lord is with a man. Not always by visible symbol; seldom by an external badge which we can see and read. God is with a man in the suggestion of thought; in the animation of high, noble, heavenly feeling; in the direction of his steps; in the direction of his speech, enabling him to give the right look, the right answer at the right time under the right circumstances; giving him the schooling which he could never pay for, training him by methods and processes unknown in human schools, and not to be understood except by those who have passed under them. If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God. Ideas are the gifts of God, as well as wheat fields and vineyards and other fruits of the earth. Suggestions in business, delivering thoughts in the time of extremity, silence when it is better than speech, speech when it will do more than silence. These also come forth from the Lord of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. The Lord was with Joseph and yet Joseph was under Potiphar. These are the contradictions and anomalies of life which ill-taught souls can never understand, and which become to them mysteries which torment their spirits and which distract their love. Undoubtedly this is an anomalous state of life: Joseph brought down to Egypt by his purchasers–Joseph sold into the house of Potiphar–bought and sold and exchanged like an article of merchandise. Yet, he was a prosperous man! Understand that there are difficulties which cannot impair prosperity, and that there is a prosperity which dominates over all external circumstances and vindicates its claim to be considered a Divine gift. Looking at this case through and through, one would say, it is hardly correct to assert that Joseph was a prosperous man, when he was to all intents and purposes in bondage, when he was the property of another, when not one hour of his time belonged to himself, when he was cut off from his father and from his brethren. Yet, it is distinctly stated that, notwithstanding these things, the Lord was with him and he was a prosperous man. There must be a lesson for some of us here. When men live in their circumstances they never can be prosperous. When a man has to go out into his wheat-field to know whether there is going to be a good crop before ha can really enjoy himself–that man does not know what true joy is. When a man has to read out of a bank-book before he dare take one draught out of the goblet of happiness–that mans thirst for joy will never be slaked. Man cannot live in wheat-fields and bank-books and the things of the present world. If he cannot live within himself, in the very sanctuary and temple of God, then he is at the sport of every change of circumstance–one shake of the telegraph wire may unsettle him, and the cloudy day may obscure his hopes and darken what little soul he has left. If Joseph had lived in his external circumstances he might have spent his days in tears and his nights in hopelessness; but living a religious life, living with God, walking with God, identifying his very souls life with God, then the dust had no sovereignty over him, external circumstances were under his feet. This is the solution of many of our difficulties. Given a mans relation to God, and you have the key of his whole life. (J. Parker, D. D.)
A miniature portrait of Joseph
Scripture frequently sums up a mans life in a single sentence. Here is the biography of Joseph sketched by inspiration: God was with him, so Stephen testified in his famous speech recorded in Act 7:9. Observe, however, that the portraits of Scripture give us not only the outer, but the inner life of the man. Man looketh at the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart; and so the Scriptural descriptions of men are not of their visible life alone, but of their spiritual life. Here we have Joseph as God saw him, the real Joseph. Externally it did not always appear that God was with him, for he did not always seem to be a prosperous man; but when you come to look into the inmost soul of this servant of God, you see his true likeness–he lived in communion with the Most High, and God blessed him: The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. This striking likeness of Joseph strongly reminds us of our Master and Lord, that greater Joseph, who is Lord over all the world for the sake of Israel. Peter, in his sermon to the household of Cornelius, said of our Lord that He went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. Exactly what had been said of Joseph. It is wonderful that the same words should describe both Jesus and Joseph, the perfect Saviour and the imperfect patriarch. This having the Lord with us is the inheritance of all the saints; for what is the apostolic benediction in the Epistles but a desire that the triune God may be with us? To the Church in Rome Paul saith, Now the God of peace be with you all. To the Church in Corinth he writes, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. To the Thessalonians he saith, The Lord be with you all. Did not our glorious Lord say, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world?
I. First, we will run over Josephs life, and note THE FACT The Lord was with Joseph.
1. God was gracious to Joseph as a child. Happy are those who have Christ with them in the morning, for they shall walk with Him all day, and sweetly rest with Him at eventide.
2. The Lord was with Joseph when Joseph was at home, and He did not desert him when he was sent away from his dear father and his beloved home and was sold for a slave. I think I see him in the slave market exposed for sale. We have heard with what trembling anxiety the slave peers into the faces of those who are about to buy. Will he get a good master? Will one purchase him who will treat him like a man, or one who will use him worse than a brute? The Lord was with Joseph as he stood there to be sold, and he fell into good hands. When he was taken away to his masters house, and the various duties of his service were allotted to him, the Lord was with Joseph. The house of the Egyptian had never been so pure, so honest, so honoured before. Beneath Josephs charge it was secretly the temple of his devotions, and manifestly the abode of comfort and confidence. That Hebrew slave had a glory of character about him, which all perceived, and especially his master, for we read: His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight.
3. Then came a crisis in his history, the time of testing. We see Joseph tried by a temptation in which, alas, so many perish. He was attacked in a point at which youth is peculiarly vulnerable. His comely person made him the object of unholy solicitations from one upon whose goodwill his comfort greatly depended, and had it not been that the Lord was with him he must have fallen. Slavery itself was a small calamity compared with that which would have happened to young Joseph had he been enslaved by wicked passions. Happily the Lord was with him, and enabled him to overcome the tempter with the question, How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? He fled. That flight was the truest display of courage. It is the only way of victory in sins of the flesh. The apostle says, Flee youthful lusts which war against the soul. When Telemachus was in the isle of Calypso, his mentor cried, Fly, Telemachus, fly; there remains no hope of a victory but by flight. Wisely Joseph left his garment and fled, for God was with him.
4. The scene shifts again, and he who bad been first a favoured child at home, and then a slave, and then a tempted one, now becomes a prisoner. The prisons of Egypt were, doubtless, as horrible as all such places were in the olden times, and here is Joseph in the noisome dungeon. He evidently felt his imprisonment very much, for we are told in the Psalms that the iron entered into his soul. He felt it a cruel thing to be under such a slander, and to suffer for his innocence. A young man so pure, so chaste, must have felt it to be sharper than a whip of scorpions to be accused as he was; yet as he sat down in the gloom of his cell, the Lord was with him. The degradation of a prison had not deprived him of his Divine Companion. Blessed be the name of the Lord, He does not forsake His people when they are in disgrace: nay, He is more pleasant with them when they are falsely accused than at any other time, and He cheers them in their low estate. God was with him, and very soon the kindly manners, the gentleness, the activity, the truthfulness, the industry of Joseph had won upon the keeper of the prison, so that Joseph rose again to the top, and was the overseer of the prison. Like a cork, which you may push down, but it is sure to come up again, so was Joseph: he must swim, he could not drown, the Lord was with him. The Lords presence made him a king and a priest wherever he went, and men tacitly owned his influence. In the little kingdom of the prison Joseph reigned, for God was with him.
5. Joseph was made ruler over all Egypt, and God was with him. Well did the king say, Can we find such a man as this is in whom the Spirit of God is? His policy in storing up corn in the plenteous years succeeded admirably, for God was evidently working by him to preserve the human race from extinction by famine.
6. God was with him in bringing down his father and the family into Egypt, and locating them in Goshen, and with him till he himself came to die, when he took an oath of the children of Israel, saying God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. The Lord was with him, and kept him faithful to the covenant, and the covenanted race, even to the close of a long life of one hundred and ten years.
II. We shall next review THE EVIDENCE OF THE FACT that God was with him.
1. The first evidence of it is this: he was always under the influence of the Divine presence, and lived in the enjoyment of it.
2. The next evidence is this: God was certainly with Joseph because he was pure in heart. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; no other can do so. What fellowship hath light with darkness, or what concord hath Christ with Belial? The intense purity of Joseph was a proof that the thrice holy God was ever with him. He will keep the feet of His saints. When they are tempted He will deliver them from evil, for His presence sheds an atmosphere of holiness around the heart in which He dwells.
3. The next evidence in Josephs case was the diligence with which he exercised himself wherever he was. God was with Joseph, and therefore the man of God hardly cared as to the outward circumstances of his position, but began at once to work that which is good.
4. But notice again, God was with Joseph, and that made him tender and sympathetic. Some men who are prompt enough in business are rough, coarse, hard; but not so Joseph. His tenderness distinguishes him; he is full of loving consideration. He loved with all his soul, and so will every man who has God with him, for God is love. If you do not love, God is net with you. If you go through the world, selfish and morose, bitter, suspicious, bigoted, hard, the devil is with you, God is not; for where God is He expands the spirit, He causes us to love all mankind with the love of benevolence, and He makes us take a sweet complacency in the chosen brotherhood of Israel, so that we specially delight to do good to all those of the household of faith.
5. Another mark of Gods presence with Joseph is his great wisdom. He did everything as it ought to be done. You can scarcely alter anything in Josephs life to improve it, and I think if I admire his wisdom in one thing more than another it is in his wonderful silence. It is easy to talk, comparatively easy to talk well, but to be quiet is the difficulty.
6. God was with him, and this is the last evidence I give of it, that he was kept faithful to the covenant, faithful to Israel and to Israels God right through. Joseph stuck to his people and to their God: though he must live in Egypt, he will not be an Egyptian; he will not even leave his dead body to lie in an Egyptian pyramid. The Egyptians built a costly tomb for Joseph: it stands to this day, but his body is not there. I charge you, says he, take my bones with you; for I do not belong to Egypt, my place is in the land of promise. He gave commandment concerning his bones. Let others do as they will; as for me, my lot is cast with those who follow the Lord fully. Yes, my Lord, where Thou dwellest I will dwell; Thy people shall be my people, and Thy God my God, and may my children be Thy children to the last generation. If the Lord is with you that is what you will say, but if He is not with you, and you prosper in the world, and increase in riches, you will turn your back on Christ and His people, and we shall have to say as Paul did, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.
III. Thirdly, let us observe, THE RESULT OF GODS BEING WITH JOSEPH. The result was that he was a prosperous man; but notice that, although the Lord was with Joseph, it did not screen him from hatred. The Lord was with him, but his brethren hated him. Ay, and if the Lord loves a man, the world will spite him. Furthermore, The Lord was with Joseph, bat it did not screen him from temptation of the worst kind: it did not prevent his mistress casting her wicked eyes upon him. The best of men may be tempted to the worst of crimes. The presence of God did not screen him from slander: the base woman accused him of outrageous wickedness, and God permitted Potiphar to believe her. Nay, the Divine presence did not screen him from pain: he sat in prison wearing fetters till the iron entered into his soul, and yet the Lord was with him. That presence did not save him from disappointment. He said to the butler, Think of me when it is well with thee; but the butler altogether forgot him. Everything may seem to go against you, and yet God may be with you. The Lord does not promise you that you shall have what looks like prosperity, but you shall have what is real prosperity in the better sense. Now, what did Gods being with Joseph do for him?
1. First, it saved him from gross sin. He flees, he shuts his ears: he flees and conquers, for God is with him.
2. God was with him, and the next result was it enabled him to act grandly. Wherever he is he does the right thing, does it splendidly.
3. In such a manner did God help Joseph that he was enabled to fulfil a glorious destiny, for if Noah be the worlds second father, what shall we say of Joseph, but that he was its foster nurse? The human race had died of famine if Josephs foresight had not laid by in store the produce of the seven plenteous years, for there was a famine over all lands.
4. Also it gave him a very happy life, for taking the life of Joseph all through it is an enviable one. Nobody would think of putting him down among the miserable. If we had to make a selection of unhappy men, we certainly should not think of Joseph. No, it was a great life and a happy life; and such will yours be if God be with you.
5. And, to finish, God gave Joseph and his family a double portion in Israel, which never happened to any other of the twelve sons of Jacob. Those who begin early with God, and stand fast to the end, and hold to God both in trouble and prosperity, shall see their children brought to the Lord, and in their children they shall possess the double, yea, the Lord shall render unto them double for all they may lose in honour for His names sake. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Prosperity
In a long sunshine of outward prosperity, the dust of our inward corruptions is apt to fly about and lift itself up. Sanctified affliction, like seasonable rain, lays the dust and softens the soul. (H. G. Salter.)
Prosperity and security
Prosperity is not to be deemed the greatest security. The lofty unbending cedar is more exposed to the injurious blast than the lowly shrub. The little pinnace rides safely along the shore, while the gallant ship advancing is wrecked. Those sheep which have the most wool are generally the soonest fleeced. Poverty is its own defence against robbery. A fawning world is worse than a frowning world. Who would shake those trees upon which there is no fruit? (T. Secker.)
The prosperity of Joseph
This cannot mean that Joseph was entirely happy, or that he had everything he wanted. It means that he prayed to God, and knew that God heard his prayers; it means that he felt that God was good to him and was helping him gain the favour of his master; it means that he was certain that by and by he would be delivered in some way; it means that he was able to bear his troubles and to make the best of them; it means that he was getting along well. Read the text again. It doesnt say, the Lord was with Joseph because he was a prosperous man; but, the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.
1. It was because of Josephs simplicity. By this I do not mean that he was foolish. I mean that he was just what he seemed to be, and seemed to be just what he was. He didnt deceive folks. He had no small, mean ways. Perhaps you may say that he would have escaped the trouble that was coming if he had not had this simplicity; but he did not need to escape it; it was far better that it should come. It is best to do right, no matter what comes. Josephs trouble did not hurt him, it did him good; and all the trouble that will ever come to you from doing right will be a blessing to you.
2. God was with Joseph, and he was prosperous, because of his obedience. When Jacobs sons had been away from home some time, their father began to be anxious. I cant make you understand the full meaning of this word anxious; but when you are men and women and have children of your own, you will know without being told. Well, Jacob was anxious about his sons; he was afraid something had happened to them, and wanted to hear from them. In those days, and in that part of the world, there was no mail, and people usually travelled from place to place in large companies called caravans. This is the way they travelled then, and the way they travel now. But there was no caravan going where his sons were, and so Jacob wanted some person to go alone, and there was no one who was so trustworthy and so fearless, who would go and come so quickly, and do his errand so well, as Joseph. So his father said to him: Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come and I will send thee unto them. And Joseph answered promptly: Here am I; which means, I am ready to go; send me. And his father sent him. Now Josephs obedience is shown here, not merely in his saying, Here am I, nor in his starting off at once, but in his going, and going until he found them. Many boys and girls say, I will go, and some actually start, but that is all they do. They find a difficulty and come back, saying, I cant; or they are drawn away by bad company; or for some other reason they give it up. But see how Joseph did. When he came to Shechem, where his brothers had been, they were not there, but while he was searching for them he came across a man who told him they had gone to Dothan, fourteen miles farther. Many a lad of seventeen hearing this would have gone back, for Joseph was nearly ninety miles from home, alone, and in a dangerous country. But this was not Josephs way. His father had sent him to find his brothers, and he was determined to do it, no matter if it did take him fourteen miles farther than he thought they were, and more than a hundred miles from the tents of Jacob in Hebron. This is obedience that is obedience, to do what you are told to, to face dangers, to overcome difficulties. I want these children to do what they are told to, whatever it costs. It cost Joseph his liberty and almost his life, but it was the foundation of all his future greatness; it was worth more than liberty or life; it was worth ten thousand times more than the coat of many colours, or his fathers favouritism, or the throne of Egypt. Obedience taught Joseph how to command, and no one knows how to command who has not learned first how to obey.
3. God was with Joseph, and he was prosperous because of his moral courage. I suppose you know the meaning of courage. It is bravery, fearlessness. A boy who leaps overboard to save a drowning companion is courageous; so is a man who rushes into a burning building to save persons from being burned. This is courage. But what is moral courage? It is that which makes one do right when people will blame him, or laugh at him, or try to injure him for doing so. It is easier for many to be knocked down than to be laughed at or blamed. I dont know that Joseph ever struck a blow in his life; and we do know that when his brothers sold him he cried very hard, and begged them not to do it; for afterwards they said one to another: We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us and we would not hear. But his moral courage was shown by the way he behaved in adversity. He dared to do right wherever he was. No matter how wicked those about him were, he would not do a wrong thing. Nor is this all; he gave his reasons. He said, How, then, can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? And then he kept away from temptation. But Joseph showed moral courage in still another way. When he was accused falsely and punished, he did not try to save himself by exposing his accuser. He said to himself: I will suffer rather than ruin the reputation of this woman; may be she will repent; and what was still better, he chose to go to prison rather than remain in temptation.
4. And another reason for Josephs prosperity was his patience. To be patient is to bear quietly any evil, such as pain, toil, affliction. Josephs affliction lasted about thirteen years. All this time he was a slave, and part of it–two years certainly–he was a prisoner. This was a long time, but he made it seem shorter by always trying to deserve something better.
5. Another reason for Josephs prosperity was his spirit of forgiveness. It is said of the North American Indians that they never forget an injury and never forget a kindness; this may be well for a heathen savage, but it will not do for a Christian child. Christ said, forgive your enemies.
6. Once more, God was with Joseph and he was prosperous because of his trust in God. Joseph trusted in God when he was a boy, when he went away from home, and when he was sold to the Ishmaelites, when he was in the prison, and when he was on the throne. It was this that sustained him in his trials, that kept him in temptation, and that made him a wise and virtuous ruler. (E. N. Pomeroy.)
Prosperous days
When may we speak of a man as prosperous? As a general rule, I suppose, when he carries out his plans to a successful issue; when his business is established on a sound basis, and is in a flourishing condition; when his investments are wisely made, and largely profitable. If, with all this, he enjoys good health and lives in the midst of domestic affection and comfort, then his lot is doubly fortunate. When life is attended by these circumstances, he may be said to be a prosperous man.
I. PROSPERITY IS A LEGITIMATE OBJECT OF PURSUIT. Our great care should be to pursue it lawfully–to use none but upright and honourable means for its attainment.
II. The counsels given by wise and practical men as to THE BEST MEANS OF SECURING LEGITIMATE SUCCESS are manifold–all agreeing in the main. One writer says, If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counsellor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian angel. Another likens prosperity to a ladder having six steps–faith, industry, perseverance, temperance, probity, independence. This, I think, is a ladder by which you are sure to rise, and to rise safely.
III. PROSPERITY HAS ITS DUTIES. Wealth always brings with itself responsibilities. Divine learning is needed for this stewardship. One of the first duties of a prosperous man is hearty gratitude to God. This will show itself in works of benevolence and religion, and cheerful consecration to God.
IV. PROSPERITY HAS ITS ANXIETIES. Care disfigures its face. One of the most successful men of this century, when surrounded by immense wealth and supposed to be enjoying it, wrote to a friend: I live like a galley-slave, constantly occupied, and often pass the night without sleeping. I am wrapt in a labyrinth of affairs, and worn out with care.
V. PROSPERITY HAS ITS DANGERS. It may prove a great blessing to a man, or a great curse. Many have been ruined by success. Valerian, the Roman Emperor, before he was raised to the throne, was temperate, wise, and virtuous; but after his investment with the purple he completely changed, and was notorious for meanness, imprudence, and general incapacity. (W. Walters.)
Prosperity and right principle
That in the working out of right principles there is a natural tendency to promote prosperity, and ensure success. (R. Wardlaw, D. D.)
Tokens of Gods love
Prosperity is not always a sign of Gods special favour, yet prosperity undoubtedly comes from God, and is a fruit of Gods love to His own people, when He sees that prosperity is better for them than adversity. But how did God show that He was present with Joseph, by making him to prosper? Was not Josephs prosperity more properly his masters than his own, when all the business which he transacted was his masters, and the profit redounded to him? It is true, that Josephs prosperity was, to outward appearance, his masters advantage rather than his own. But as the little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked, so the benefit which Joseph derived from Gems kindness to him was far greater than his masters. He saw the love of God mitigating and sweetening his sorrows, and recommending him to his masters favorer, that he might spend even the days of his banishment and humiliation with comfort. The more clearly we can discern the love of God in any prosperous incidents, the more pleasure we can take in them. A temporary relief in bondage with the love of God, is worth more than all the prosperity which ungodly men can enjoy. (G. Lawson, D. D.)
Lessons
1. The greatness of God disdains not to be with the lowness of His servants. God and Joseph are together.
2. Gods special presence of grace is vouchsafed to such as are more especially humbled.
3. Gods gracious presence maketh souls prosperous, wherever they be.
4. Gracious souls, though in bondage, will abide faithful unto Egyptian masters.
5. Providence in exercising saints usually proportions employment to endowment. Joseph for the house (Gen 39:2).
6. God maketh sinful masters to see that He is present graciously with their servants.
7. Gracious servants make house, and all affairs prosper unto ungracious masters.
8. God maketh wicked men to see that they prosper by reason of His servants (Gen 39:3). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Josephs good fortune
Our common expression, Hes a lucky fellow, is hardly a phrase that we expect to find in Scripture. But it does occur, in Wycliffes version, in this very thirty-ninth chapter of Genesis. The second verse, as rendered by the earliest of Bible translators, runs thus: The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a luekie felowe. Both the words lucky and fellow lost dignity between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, and King James translators wrote instead a prosperous man. But it is useful to refer to the older and more colloquial form, to emphasize what is really a most important though little recognized truth, namely, that a lucky fellow is not he that is rich, not he that makes a good stroke of business, not he that wins a coveted post, but he of whom we can truly say, The Lord is with him. For see who it is that the Bible calls a lucky fellow. Would any of us call Joseph lucky? Yes, says a sharp boy, I should; for in one day he became the greatest man in Egypt next to the king. The teacher who gets such an answer as this will himself be lucky! There is nothing like a half-wrong answer to emphasize the right one. The rejoinder will be–Very well, but look and see when it is that Joseph is called a lucky fellow. The phrase is not used of him when he becomes virtual ruler of Egypt, but long before that. It is just when he begins his life as a slave in a strange land. And the narrative is going on to tell of his encountering sore temptation, false accusation, unjust condemnation, and the horrors of an Egyptian prison. It is at the beginning of all this that he is called a lucky fellow. Why? Because the Lord was with him. (E. Stock.)
The Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake
Joseph brings prosperity to his masters house
Some individuals there are who carry blessings with them everywhere. Like richly-scented flowers they fill the habitations into which they enter with delicious perfume, or, like clouds surcharged with rain, they let down benefits on every hand. Thus this Hebrew captive brings with him into Egypt, and into the house of Potiphar, the captain of the guard, a cornu copiae–a horn of plenty, and for his sake the Egyptians stores are multiplied to an extent he had not previously known. And cases similar to this are also often seen. Pious servants and pious slaves have frequently been blessings to their masters house. Even in instances where the slave has been treated cruelly, his prayers, offered up in secret for his owners weal, have been answered in a manner the most remarkable, and his efforts to promote that owners interests have been crowned with very considerable success. Generally, however, it is only when the master acts towards his servant or towards his slave with justice that the blessing of heaven descends upon his house. It was from the time that Potiphar raised Joseph from the position of a slave to one of comparative dignity and honour that the Lord blessed him. (Thornley Smith.)
One man blessed for the sake of another
One man blessed for the sake of another. Here is a great law–here is a special lesson for many. A man looks at his property, and reasons that he must be good, and approved of God, otherwise he never could have so many blessings in his possession. It never enters the mans mind that he has every one of these blessings for the sake of another man. The master blessed because he has a good servant! Would to God I could speak thunder-claps and speak lightning to many thousands in our city and throughout our land to-day upon this very matter I Here is a man, for example, who never enters a place of worship. No, no–not he. His wife is a member of the church, and if ever she is fiveminutes late in on Sunday, his mighty lordship foams and fumes, and is not going to be put upon in this way, and have his household arrangements upset by these canting, fanatical, religious people. What shall I call him? The wretch, the almost-devil, owes every penny he has to his dishonoured praying wife. If that woman–the only angel in Gods universe that cares for his soul–were to cease praying for him, God might rain fire and brimstone upon him and his dwelling-place. He does not know it. No! He is shrewd, cunning, wide-awake, has his eyes open, knows when the iron is hot and when to strike it, and he is such a wonderful genius in business. A maniac–not knowing that it is his praying wife that saves him from ruin, meanwhile from hell I Here is another man who thinks it manly to blaspheme, swear, and use profane language upon every opportunity, and to ridicule religion and religious people. He knows that it is all wrong. He has revelations from the nasty little god that he worships that everybody in the world is all wrong but himself. And that man prospers! His fields are verdant in spring-time, his crops are rich and golden in autumn. If you speak a word to him about religion he laughs at you, and intimates, in a not very roundabout manner, that you are a fool. And he owes all he has to a little invalid girl, who believes in God and prays to Him, and connects the house with heaven! God blesses one man for the sake of another. The husband is blessed because of the godliness of the wife. The parent is honoured because of the Christianity of the child. The strong man has prospered in his way because of the poor weak creature in his house who is mighty in soul towards God and truth. Yet these are the elements and the facts which are so often overlooked when men take stock and tell what they are worth. Ten men keep that brimstone-and-fire shower back. The righteous are the salt of the earth. The true, loving and God-fearing are the light of the world. But for them would God be patient with the world? What would it be, with His great power, to crush your little world, to pulverize and throw it away on the flying winds and forget it? It is Paul that saves the vessel on the stormy Adriatic. It is Joseph that blesses the house of Potiphar. It is the ten praying men that save the Sodoms of the earth from the lightning showers of judgment. And this is Gods plan all through. There is one man for whose sake all other men are blessed. This is the principle of mediation which runs through all the Divine government of man. If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father. (J. Parker, D. D.)
A lesson to servants and masters
Joseph, like his father Jacob, is an example of contentment, industry, and fidelity, to servants. It is true, servants cannot command success, and God does not bind himself by an absolute promise to grant success to the best-conducted affairs. But it is undoubtedly the duty of servants to take the most likely means to promote the prosperity of their masters, and to seek the Divine blessing upon those affairs that are committed to them. By such behaviour, they are likely to prove blessings to their masters, and to attain that favour and confidence which they take pains to deserve. But if they should be ungratefully treated by their masters according to the flesh, they have a master in heaven who will by no means suffer them to want their due reward. Masters may likewise learn from this passage, what treatment is due to faithful servants. They ought to trust, to honour, and to love them. Potiphar was a stranger to the family of Israel, and yet he loved Joseph for his fidelity, and honoured him as the instrument of Gods providential blessings to himself. Christian masters have far stronger motives to honour Christian servants, whom they know to be not only servants, but above servants, brethren partakers of the same heavenly blessings and dignities with themselves. (G. Lawson, D. D.)
Lessons
1. Gods favour to His servants maketh them to be favoured by men.
2. Grace in the eyes of men and rulers justly gotten, is a blessing desirable here below.
3. A gracious Joseph may be an Egyptians favourite.
4. Favour with men of place usually draws favourites nearer to themselves.
5. Gradual is the preferment which Providence ordereth to His saints from men.
6. Grace, prudence, and fidelity win hearts of great men to trust strangers rather than their own.
7. Providence ordereth lowest slavery the way to greatest oversight in greatest charges (Gen 39:4).
8. The time of doing good and lifting up saints, is the time of good to them that do it.
9. Jehovah himself rewardeth the good done unto His servants.
10. All outward blessings in the house and in the field are the blessings of God.
11. The gracious ones of God are the means of procuring blessing to all where they dwell.
12. Those rulers best provide for families, and states, who commit affairs to faithful ones (Gen 39:5).
13. Faithfulness in servants worketh confidence in their rulers.
14. It is the rare commendation of gracious servants, that the hearts of masters may be secure in them. (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XXXIX
Joseph, being brought to Potiphar’s house, prospers in all
his undertakings, 1-3.
Potiphar makes him his overseer, 4.
Is prospered in all his concerns for Joseph’s sake, in whom
he puts unlimited confidence, 5, 6.
The wife of Potiphar solicits him to criminal correspondence, 7.
He refuses, and makes a fine apology for his conduct, 8, 9.
She continues her solicitations, and he his refusals, 10.
She uses violence, and he escapes from her hand, 11-13.
She accuses him to the domestics, 14,15,
and afterward to Potiphar, 16-18.
Potiphar is enraged, and Joseph is cast into prison, 19, 20.
The Lord prospers him, and gives him great favour in the sight
of the keeper of the prison, 21,
who intrusts him with the care of the house and all the
prisoners, 22, 23.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIX
Verse 1. An officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard] Mr. Ainsworth, supposing that his office merely consisted in having charge of the king’s prisoners, calls Potiphar provost marshal! See Clarke on Ge 37:36, See Clarke on Ge 40:3.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord was with Joseph, with his gracious presence and blessing, as this phrase is taken here, Gen 39:21; 21:22; 26:24.
He was in the house of his master: he doth not endeavour to make an escape to his father, but demeaned himself patiently and faithfully in the station into which God’s providence had brought him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. PotipharThis name,Potiphar, signifies one “devoted to the sun,” the localdeity of On or Heliopolis, a circumstance which fixes the place ofhis residence in the Delta, the district of Egypt bordering onCanaan.
officerliterally,”prince of the Pharoah”that is, in the service ofgovernment.
captain of the guardTheimport of the original term has been variously interpreted, someconsidering it means “chief cook,” others, “chiefinspector of plantations”; but that which seems best founded is”chief of the executioners,” the same as the captain of thewatch, the zabut of modern Egypt [WILKINSON].
bought him . . . of theIshmaelitesThe age, appearance, and intelligence of the Hebrewslave would soon cause him to be picked up in the market. But theunseen, unfelt influence of the great Disposer drew the attention ofPotiphar towards him, in order that in the house of one so closelyconnected with the court, he might receive that previous trainingwhich was necessary for the high office he was destined to fill, andin the school of adversity learn the lessons of practical wisdom thatwere to be of greatest utility and importance in his future career.Thus it is that when God has any important work to be done, He alwaysprepares fitting agents to accomplish it.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt,…. By the Ishmaelites,
Ge 37:28; as in a following clause:
and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian; as his name also shows, which signifies the fruit of Pot or Phut, that is, the son or grandson of one of that name m; which might be common in Egypt, since it was the name of a son of Ham, Ge 10:6, from whom the land of Egypt is called the land of Ham, Ps 105:23; of this man and his offices, [See comments on Ge 37:36];
he bought him: that is, “Joseph”,
of the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down thither; what they gave for him we know, but what they sold him for to Potiphar is not said; no doubt they got a good price for him, and his master had a good bargain too, as appears by what follows.
m Onomastic. Sacr. p. 671, 672.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In Potiphar’s House. – Potiphar had bought him of the Ishmaelites, as is repeated in Gen 39:1 for the purpose of resuming the thread of the narrative; and Jehovah was with him, so that the prospered in the house of his Egyptian master. : a man who has prosperity, to whom God causes all that he undertakes and does to prosper. When Potiphar perceived this, Joseph found favour in his eyes, and became his servant, whom he placed over his house (made manager of his household affairs), and to whom he entrusted all his property ( Gen 39:4 = Gen 39:5, Gen 39:6). This confidence in Joseph increased, when he perceived how the blessing of Jehovah (Joseph’s God) rested upon his property in the house and in the field; so that now “ he left to Joseph everything that he had, and did not trouble himself (with or near him) about anything but his own eating.”
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The History of Joseph. | B. C. 1721. |
1 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. 2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. 6 And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
Here is, I. Joseph bought (v. 1), and he that bought him, whatever he gave for him, had a good bargain of him; it was better than the merchandise of silver. The Jews have a proverb, “If the world did not know the worth of good men, they would hedge them about with pearls.” He was sold to an officer of Pharaoh, with whom he might get acquainted with public persons and public business, and so be fitted for the preferment for which he was designed. Note, 1. What God intends men for he will be sure, some way or other, to qualify them for. 2. Providence is to be acknowledged in the disposal even of poor servants and in their settlements, and therein may perhaps be working towards something great and important.
II. Joseph blessed, wonderfully blessed, even in the house of his servitude.
1. God prospered him, Gen 39:2; Gen 39:3. Perhaps the affairs of Potiphar’s family had remarkably gone backward before; but, upon Joseph’s coming into it, a discernible turn was given to them, and the face and posture of them altered on a sudden. Though, at first, we may suppose that his hand was put to the meanest services, even in those appeared his ingenuity and industry; a particular blessing of Heaven attended him, which, as he rose in his employment, became more and more discernible. Note, (1.) Those that have wisdom and grace have that which cannot be taken away from them, whatever else they are robbed of. Joseph’s brethren had stripped him of his coat of many colours, but they could not strip him of his virtue and prudence. (2.) Those that can separate us from all our friends, yet cannot deprive us of the gracious presence of our God. When Joseph had none of all his relations with him, he had his God with him, even in the house of the Egyptian. Joseph was separated from his brethren, but not from his God; banished from his father’s house, but the Lord was with him, and this comforted him. (3.) It is God’s presence with us that makes all we do prosperous. Those that would prosper must therefore make God their friend; and those that do prosper must therefore give God the praise.
2. His master preferred him, by degrees made him steward of his household, v. 4. Note, (1.) Industry and honesty are the surest and safest way both of rising and thriving: Seest thou a man prudent, and faithful, and diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings at length, and not always before mean men. (2.) It is the wisdom of those that are in any sort of authority to countenance and employ those with whom it appears that the presence of God is, Ps. ci. 6. Potiphar knew what he did when he put all into the hands of Joseph; for he knew it would prosper better there than in his own hand. (3.) He that is faithful in a few things stand fair for being made ruler over many things, Matt. xxv. 21. Christ goes by this rule with his servants. (4.) It is a great ease to a master to have those employed under him that are trusty. Potiphar was so well satisfied with Joseph’s conduct that he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat, v. 6. The servant had all the care and trouble of the estate; the master had only the enjoyment of it: an example not to be imitated by any master, unless he could be sure that he had one in all respects like Joseph for a servant.
3. God favoured his master for his sake (v. 5): He blessed the Egyptian’s house, though he was an Egyptian, a stranger to the true God, for Joseph’s sake; and he himself, like Laban, soon learned it by experience, ch. xxx. 27. Note, (1.) Good men are the blessings of the places where they live; even good servants may be so, though mean, and lightly esteemed. (2.) The prosperity of the wicked is, one way or other, for the sake of the godly. Here was a wicked family blessed for the sake of one good servant in it.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
GENESIS – CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Verses 1-6:
Joseph arrived in Egypt with the Ishmaelites (see comments on Ge 37:36). He was bought as a slave by a man named Potiphar. This man was an important officer in Pharaoh’s court, serving as the commander of the royal executioners (or body-guard).
Some historians write that at this time. Egypt was not united under the rule of a native Egyptian king, but was ruled by one of the several dynasties of the Hyksos (Shepherd) kings. Others write that Joseph came to Egypt at the close of the twelfth dynasty, under the original Pharaohs. The former seems to be the more likely time, because of the favorable treatment which was shown to Joseph and later his family by the Pharaohs.
Joseph was faithful to his new master. He was honest, conscientious, and upright. He recognized and submitted to the authority over him, even though Potiphar was dedicated to the Egyptian God Ra, and did not recognize Jehovah as the true God. Joseph’s submission to his pagan master does not mean he accepted Potiphar’s god. He was also serving the heavenly Master, and always realized His presence. This is the Scriptural principle of Eph 6:5-8; Col 3:22-25. Because of this obedience to Scriptural principle, Jehovah blessed Joseph and prospered him in all he did (see Pr 16:17; Ps 1:1-3).
Joseph’s attitude expressed his faith in Jehovah. He was hated and betrayed by his own brothers, separated from his beloved father and home, and sold as a slave in pagan Egypt. From a human view, he had every reason to be depressed and to blame God for his terrible misfortune. Joseph was in these circumstances through no fault of his own. This meant that Jehovah had placed him in this position for His own purpose. Joseph accepted this, by faith, and continued to live and act in keeping with Jehovah’s righteous principles.
God honored His promise to Abraham, in Joseph’s situation.
God promised to bless those who would bless Abraham and his descendants (Ge 12:3; 18:18; 26:4; 28:14; Ga 3:8). He blessed the house of Potiphar, because of the faith and testimony of Joseph The text implies that Potiphar recognized the hand of Jehovah in Joseph’s life.
Because Joseph was obedient to Divine principles, God blessed him in all he did in his master’s service. Potiphar soon promoted Joseph from an ordinary domestic slave to the position of chief steward in charge of all he had. Because Joseph was faithful in the small things, God raised him up to be faithful in great things (Lu 16:10).
Joseph’s elevation as Potiphar’s chief administrative steward was not uncommon in Egyptian custom. Sculptures and paintings in tombs vividly picture the customs of the day. Scribes managed the property of wealthy noblemen. They were very methodical in their supervision over all operations of the estate, including farming, gardening, livestock husbandry, and fishing. They carefully registered every product, as a deterrent to the dishonesty of the laborers who in Egypt were historically notorious in this respect. Joseph’s previous experience in caring for his father’s livestock combined with his faithful and upright character to make him ideal for his job.
“Joseph was a goodly person, and well-favored” is literally “Joseph was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance.” He had inherited from his mother Rachel her striking beauty. This made him the more vulnerable to the trial which he faced, in the matter involving Potiphar’s wife.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. And Joseph was brought down. For the purpose of connecting it with the remaining part of the history, Moses repeats what he had briefly touched upon, that Joseph had been sold to Potiphar the Egyptian: he then subjoins that God was with Joseph, so that he prospered in all things. For although it often happens that all things proceed with wicked men according to their wish, whom God nevertheless does not bless with his favor; still the sentiment is true and the expression of it proper, that it is never well with men, except so far as the Lord shows himself to be gracious to them. For he vouchsafes his blessing, for a time, even to reprobates, with whom he is justly angry, in order that he may gently invite and even allure them to repentance; and may render them more inexcusable, if they remain obstinate; meanwhile, he curses their felicity. Therefore, while they think they have reached the height of fortune, their prosperity, in which they delighted themselves, is turned into ruin. Now whensoever God deprives men of his blessing, whether they be strangers or of his own household, they must necessarily decline; because no good flows except from Him as the fountain. The world indeed forms for itself a goddess of fortune, who whirls round the affairs of men; or each man adores his own industry; but Scripture draws us away from this depraved imagination, and declares that adversity is a sign of God’s absence, but prosperity, a sign of his presence. However, there is not the least doubt that the peculiar and extraordinary favor of God appeared towards Joseph, so that he was plainly known to be blessed by God. Moses immediately afterwards adds, that Joseph was in the house of his master, to teach us that he was not at once elevated to an honorable condition. There was nothing more desirable than liberty; but he is reckoned among the slaves, and lives precariously, holding his life itself subject to the will of his master. Let us then learn, even amidst our sufferings, to perceive the grace of God; and let it suffice us, when anything severe is to be endured, to have our cup mingled with some portion of sweetness, lest we should be ungrateful to God, who, in this manner, declares that he is present with us.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
JOSEPH. GODS FAVORITE
Gen 36:1 to Gen 50:26
IF we began our study with the 36th chapter of Genesis we should have to do with the generations of Esau, who is Edom. It is a chapter filled with hard names of men, many of whom wore the title Duke, but like many of the lords and dukes of the present day, did nothing worthy the pen of inspiration. The men whose history God passes over with the mere statement of birth, name, title and death, we may be excused for skipping in our search for the more important characters and the more impressive lessons of the sacred Word.
The 37th chapter introduces us to such a character in Joseph, and launches us upon a study which has engaged the most serious thought of Scripture students for thousands of years. According to the reckoning of John Lord, in his essay on Joseph, this great-grandson of Abraham was born at Haran about 3701 years ago. The most distinguishing feature of his early life was his peculiar and prophetic dreams or visions. He comes before us in the blush of seventeen summers, nicknamed by those who knew him best, this Dreamer. Already in the visions of the night, God had vouchsafed to him the earnest of his coming supremacy and power. The eleven sheaves of his brethren had made obeisance, while Josephs sheaf had stood upright and received their homage. The sun and moon and eleven stars had gathered at his feet. And, when the dreams were known, his father gently reproved, but his brothers resolved and agreed to watch for a chance to act. The favorite of the household was to be put out of the way. The beauty of face that had made him a subject of parental partiality was to be despoiled. The jealousy-breeding coat was to become all crimson; the tattling tongue was to be silenced, and this business of first dreaming and then interpreting to his own profit was to be brought to a deserved end!
Such were the resolutions; and their chance came. Joseph is at last within their grasp, and with a shout of triumph they cry, as they lift their eyes to his sweet though envied face,
Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreamt (Gen 37:19-20).
The remainder of the story is familiar to every one of you, and I do not propose to give time to a rehearsal of its incidents, but rather to a consideration of its fundamental lessons.
DIVINE FAVORS DO NOT INSURE AGAINST HUMAN HATRED.
Joseph had, indeed, almost a monopoly of the favors to be coveted in this life. Through his veins there pulsed no common or unclean blood. Four of his brethren were of the meaner extraction of slave mothers, while six others were born to the tender-eyed Leah. It was Josephs good fortune, and doubtless his pride, to be the elder son of the beautiful Rachel, the only lawful wife of Jacob, because the woman of his selection, and the only one to whom he was bound by love. It may be a sin in the child to love his father and mother less because they are those in whom he can take no special pride, but I am sure that his joy is as commendable as natural who loves and delights in them the more, because they are virtuous, honorable and superior in every way. Such a pride was Josephs possession. Who of us are as grateful as we should be for godly and noble parentage?
Again, providence had favored this child in his own person. Joseph was a goodly person and well favored (Gen 29:6). Doubtless that fact accounts for some of Jacobs inexcusable partiality. He saw in the beautiful boy those princely features which called for a royal tunic as a natural complement. Beauty of person is one of Gods better gifts, and it has played its part in the role of human history. It was that charm and that alone that saved the child, Moses, and opened to him the princess nursery and put him in the splendid Egyptian school from which he graduated unto the great work of saving his people and serving his God. It was beauty of face and grace of form that brought Esther to the throne at the very time when the interests of Israel were trembling in the balance, and Gods people were waiting for just such a friend. The prominent role that Cleopatra played in the world is assigned almost entirely to the solitary circumstance of her personal charms. I have often wondered why the great artists have not made more of Joseph as a subject fit for the choicest marble, and worthy the best skilled brush.
In his spirit also, Joseph was divinely favored. So far as the record of his life goes, it would be dangerous to affirm that the splendid child, or the saintly man, Samuel, was ever possessed of sweeter temper than that which Joseph discovered in all the changing and trying experiences of his life. Not a single indictment against his conduct can be successfully sustained. If it be said that his brothers hated him on account of his intolerable pride, let it be remembered Eliab hurled at David this sentence, I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thy heart. In each instance the bigger brother was voicing the naughtiness of his own heart instead. If he be charged with tattling because he brought unto his father the evil report of his brethren, let us answer with a question, Is silence at the sight of sin a virtue? If a report is to be made, to whom other than the father, the rightful authority? His behavior toward the woman whose unholy love his beauty had excited discovers at once a righteousness of personal character, a keen sense of others interests, and a splendid sensitiveness to sin against God that all right thinking people must admire. His dealing with the butler whose freedom he secured, to be rewarded by base neglect for two long years, proved his patience with forgetfulness and ingratitude. Toward his fratricidal brothers, whose lives eventually fell to his disposal, he discovered only the bosom of love, treating with all tenderness those who had attempted his destruction. Blood may be a good thing, and beauty a joy forever, but that magnanimity of soul which can forget a wrong, be patient with a weakness, and treat with affection those who have subjected you to contemptthat is divine! To do that is to prove ones kinship with the Son of God.
Finally Joseph was favored with dreams of a wider and nobler life. The most promising youth is the one who enjoys such visions of the night. Guizot once wrote to his son who was contesting for a university prize, You are ambitious, my boy; you have a right to be. A man at forty may be too ambitious, but at 20, never.
Now and then the world is astonished by the sudden awakening of some sleeping Samson who discovers unsuspected powers at the attack of the Philistines of opposition; but the rule is that Longfellows, while still beardless, dream of being laureates and write to their mothers asking, Do you not think I may one day write books that will be read all over the land? I think that Dr. Hillis has called attention to an important truth when, in his book A Mans Value To Society, he emphasizes the imagination as the architect of manhood.
But let no man conclude that such Divine favors will insure against human hatred. Jealousy is the blindest of passions, and envy never sees anything save through the green glasses which convert all virtue into vice, and all merit into excuses for murder. We have already seen that Josephs conduct toward his brethren was commendable and in every instance meant for their good. But as the belligerent Israelites resented Moses plea for peace between brethren, so these sons of Leah and the concubines interpreted Josephs just report of their behavior as bad tattling. How many a noble Christian man has been insulted and cruelly criticised because, forsooth, he tried to get people to live right and when they would not, reported their sins to the church!
The modern martyr is that noble Joseph who keeps out of fights himself and says to his brethren, You must behave or I shall be compelled to report you to our spiritual mother. Yes, it is one of the most significant suggestions of the sham of modern profession that it will brook no correction from the brother of tenderest love, yea, even from the officials of the church of God elected for the very purpose of counsel and, when needful, of correction.
Again, how many, Joseph-like, are hated because they have had some dream of position, influence and real worth? You have heard it said, There is one black sheep in every flock. Yes, and the converse is equally true, In a black flock one white sheep appears. In most families there is one child that early comes into possession of that broader view of character, conduct and life. How often his first utterance of the hope for the future, that has grown big within his breast, is met with some expression of contempt for such pretensions, or scorn for such pride of heart! Josephs experience and Davids has been known to the bleeding heart of many a precocious boy. An education has been resolved upon, and he begins the long climb of attainments ladder alone. It would seem enough that he should struggle single-handed, and without assistance or sympathy, but how often he must make his way upward, carrying in memory the bitter reproaches and keen sarcasm of his brothers who see nothing in his dream save concentrated egotism and vain conceit!
If any reader has suffered at one or more of these points, I come to say, Be not discouraged! Retrace your steps in nothing! Be slow to conclude you are wrong, or that it is of no use to labor against such opposition. Christ experienced it all boiled down to its last bitterness and yet, when it did its final work of lifting Him to the cross, it only hastened His crown. Josephs brethren can sell him, but if he is always right the Lord will be with him, and the sale into slavery is only an additional push toward the waiting throne.
Now for our second suggestion,
And Josephs master took him and put him into prison. But the Lord was with Joseph (Gen 39:20-21).
INNOCENCE CANNOT BE EFFECTUALLY DISHONORED.
People sometimes make the mistake of affirming that an innocent man cannot be injured. On the contrary, history is rife with illustrations of the fact that no character is so easily sullied as that of the purest and best of men and women. The principle is easy of explanation. The whiter the sheet of paper the easier it is for dirty fingers to leave their track. Some people have the impression that after all preachers and other religious people are about as capable of immoralities as are the members of any other circle. Alas! for the poisoning power of a sensational and truthless press! Many a Joseph has been silenced, and even banished for a while by such confessed lovers of the profession. They know the ease with which that lord, Public Opinion is excited to jealousy and cruel judgment. They know, too, the inability of the best man to defend himself when accused of the meanest crimes, and so they clap their hands and seek on the spotted hounds of slander. Let us ever be slow in believing charges that are calculated to humble the best reputations to the dust, and wrong the most innocent by robbing them of their good name, and opening for them the door into some dungeon of shame!
Joseph may submit to the inevitable, and under the ban of the law, languish in silence, but God has a reckoning to make, and then the Hamans will swing on the gallows, and the Mordecais ride in the royal chariot and dictate to the throne.
Innocent men, however, can best afford to be lied about and wronged, since truth has wonderful powers of coming abroad. So far as the record of Scripture goes, Joseph complains in never a word. Who doubts that by faith he saw his final triumph; and said in his heart of that prison what the three Hebrew children, of a later time, said of the fiery furnace, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, and He will deliver us. The innocent and righteous man, and he alone, can employ such words and give to them their weight. I come more and more to think that no enemy can effectually injure him who walks uprightly, loves the truth and obeys God.
Dr. Talmage tells how, some years ago, two professed temperance lecturers speaking in Ohio, and taking the unusual course for that class of men, maligned Christians and preachers. Among other things they claimed to be well acquainted with Dr. Talmage and declared that their former drunkenness began with drinking wine from that clergymans table. Talmage, indignant over such a charge, went to Patrick Campbell, then chief of the Brooklyn police, and requested his company to Ohio to effect the arrest of the libelous orators. Campbell only smiled and said, Do not waste your time by chasing these men. Go home and do your work, and they can do you no harm. The advice was taken, and the falsehood died of weakness, if indeed it was not stillborn. There is not a scandal in the power of the tongue strong enough to blight the life that loves innocence and clings to God. Joseph may be imprisoned and never entertain the thought of breaking jail, and yet there are not doors enough in all the dungeons of Egypt to keep him in the narrow cell. Butlers will need his help, the king will require his wisdom and God will bring him forth. This brings us to a third lesson.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Thou shalt he over my house and according unto thy mind shall all my people be ruled, Only in the throne shall I he greater than thou (Gen 41:39-40).
PRISONS WILL NOT HOLD THE MAN FIT TO BE PREMIER.
I know of few things that will so certainly effect recognition as merit. You cant sell into slavery the man who has it. You may set a price on him and be paid it, but you cant enslave him. There was an old colored man who trotted me on his knees the year the Civil War began. He never was a slave. He was always free! He would have been free on the southern plantations where masters rode with revolver in pocket and whip in hand. You cant enslave the man who makes himself needful to you at every turn. You can put him in prison but an hour later you will need him and bring him out again. Darius once had Daniel put into a lions den. But Daniel was still freer than the king. He curled himself up in a corner of that cage and slept, while Gods angel watched with his hand at the hungry mouths. But the king went to his palace and passed the night in fasting, and his sleep went from him, and very early in the morning he made haste to see if the Hebrew was yet alive, without whom the kingdom could not run; and so Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of
Cyrus the Persian. The city authorities at Philippi tried imprisoning Paul and Silas, but next day they came and let them forth and gave them full permission to depart in freedom. You may bind the body of Zedekiah with fetters of brass, and carrying him away to Babylon, imprison him for life; but he, in whom the spirit of Joseph is, must yet rule in the throne.
Moreover he called for a famine upon the land; he brake the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant; whose feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in iron. Until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his substance; to bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his senators wisdom (Psa 105:16-22).
Men are slow at times to discern merit, but even jailbirds will feel its power and witness to its presence. The incidental remarks in Acts, which say of the midnight song of Silas and Paul and the prisoners heard them, is not more significant than the sentence which informs us of Joseph that he was in favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Let no man flatter himself that he has great virtues but the world is ignorant of them. Goodness is power and will be felt, and the worlds wise men will be discovered, though a very prison seek to both hide and silence them. God knows the nooks of the universe and when there is need of a man he will find the fittest one in some corner and bring him forth.
When Saul has uncrowned himself, there is a shepherd youth known to God upon whom the mantle will fall. When Eli is old and his family are an offense to heaven, there is a boy in the temple trained, though the great outside world has never heard his name. When famine threatens Egypt and the king is unequal to the task of averting it, Joseph is lying in wait, ready to take the place by Divine appointment.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL NOTES.
Gen. 39:1. Pharaoh.] The name is derived from Phra, meaning the sun. Potiphar means belonging to the sun.
Gen. 39:2. The Lord.] Jehovah. This, the covenant name of God, is here, for the first time, introduced into Josephs history.
Gen. 39:6. And he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat.] Heb. Knew not anything with him. He did not insist upon a personal knowledge of his affairs, but left everything to Joseph. But this committal of his affairs to Joseph did not extend to anything concerning his food, for that would have been an abomination. (Gen. 43:32.) (Alford.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Gen. 39:1-6
THE PROSPERITY OF JOSEPH IN THE HOUSE OF HIS FIRST MASTER
I. Its extraordinary nature. Here was a man who had everything against him. A youth of seventeen years of age, torn from his father, from home and country, and sold as a slave among idolators; what condition could be more hopeless and forlorn? And yet this youth is raised from his low and mean estate to the highest place in his masters house, and has unlimited confidence reposed in him. He prospers to a wonderful extent, and causes all around him to prosper. (Gen. 39:2-3.) Cast off by his own brethren, he rises amongst strangers to dignity and honour.
II. Its basis and security. How are we to account for this young man rising thus in the face of every disadvantage?
1. By his own bearing and conduct. Surely Joseph must have been cheerful and resigned under his hard lot. He must have made himself agreeable to his master by his diligence in business, and by a brave and manly behaviour. He had nothing of the meanness of the slave about him. His great character shined through every outward disadvantage, and charmed and impressed all who came under its influence. He was a noble example of one who was completely resigned to the will of God in affliction. In the day of adversity he would consider, and be quiet in his confidence, bating no jot of heart or hope; but still bearing up and trusting the faithfulness of his God. Firm faith in the revelations made to him of his coming greatness sustained him in the midst of overwhelming adversities. There was nothing like fretfulness about this man; for a gloomy and peevish spirit would not have won the admiration of his master. Joseph rose to influence by the force of character.
2. By the favour of God. It was the grace of God that made his character what it was, and imparted to it an energy for good. That grace, in the form of favour and blessing, made Joseph prosperous. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. The Covenant Jehovah was with him, his portion, his guide, his stay and support. He was like the tree planted by the rivers of water. Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psa. 1:1; Psa. 1:3.) He was robbed of all society but that of his God. He left behind him father and home, but he took God with him. He could be persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. Surely he could say in the spirit of the words of the Psalmist: When my father and mother forsake me, then Jehovah will take me up.
III. Its lessons.
1. That Gods blessings and grace are with His people everywhere, and under the severest trials. The grace of God was seen in the noble bearing of Joseph in adversity, and the blessing of God in that prosperity which he gained. No exile, no stroke of adversity can deprive Gods saints of their best comforts.
2. That Gods blessing and grace in His people are manifest to others. His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord had made all that he did to prosper in his hand. (Gen. 39:3.) The spiritual convictions of Joseph, which made his outward life what it was, were recognised by his master. He felt that he was in the presence of a goodness which was uncommon and superior, and which could only be traced to a Divine spring. Such is the power of a saintly character which compels the world to ascribe it to the grace of God. If a man love the Lord, the same is known of him. The saints of God though hid as to their deepest feelings, and the Divine source of their strength, cannot be hid as to the influence of their lives and the impressions of their character. They are public lights. They compel observation, like a city set upon a hill which cannot be hid. It is to Josephs credit that his goodness was manifest to all, for this implies that he did not hide his religion. It is probable that he took his stand at once as a worshipper of the true God. The Lord gave him the hearts of all. Them that honour me I will honour. (1Sa. 2:30.)
3. That God blesses others for the sake of His people. His Kindness overflows to those who, by His providence, are brought into relations with them. The Egyptians house is blessed for Josephs sake. (Gen. 39:5.) God blesses those who bless His own people, according to the promise. (Gen. 12:3.) He makes His saints a blessing. Thus was Jacob made to Laban; Joseph to the house of Potiphar, and afterwards to all Egypt; Israel to the world. Salvation is of the Jews.
4. That God is still working out His designs, even when they seem to fail. The hope of the house of Israel centered upon Joseph; and now, to all human appearance, all was lost. But God, though hidden for awhile in the mysterious way of His providence, was working out His own purposes. His wisdom would yet be manifest. Had the House of Jacob remained in Canaan, they would, in all probability, have been dispersed among the people, have lost their unity and independence, and been wasted by numerous wars. In Egypt they would grow up into a great and united people, and receive the advantage of an important educational influence by being brought into contact with that seat of culture and worldly power. They would thus acquire the elements of political strength. Even the afflictions which were visited upon them worked for their good, by drawing them closer together and thus preserving their unity, and by awakening in them a longing after redemption. The destiny of the church has often seemed, to merely human eyes, to hang upon the frail thread of some threatened life; from such threads as Joseph in prison, Moses in the ark, David in the cave of Adullam. But the providence of God, like His mercy, is ever faithful, ever sure.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Gen. 39:1. Joseph brought down to Egypt and sold as a slavea dark Providence. But consider his own interpretation of it when he reviews it in the time to come. Be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither; for God, etc. (Gen. 45:5; Gen. 45:7.) God orders all the ways of His people; and though they may seem to be forgotten, His eye is always upon them.
This was to Joseph the day of his distress, as Jacob called that sad day when he departed from his fathers house. Surely the archers may well be said to have sorely grieved him.
Gen. 39:2-3. The Covenant God victoriously carries forward His decrees through all the need, sufferings, and ignomony of His people.(Lange.)
Gods presence can make up for any loss, and bless us in any place.
What a difference is there between the case of Joseph and that of Jonah! They were both in trouble, both absent from Gods people, and among the heathen; but the sufferings of the one were for righteousness sake, while those of the other were of his own procuring.(Fuller.)
Prosperity is not always a sign of Gods special favour, yet His hand is always to be recognised in it by His people, when He sees it would be better for them than adversity, or when, by means of it, He proposes to make them blessings to others.(Bush.)
Potiphar was constrained to acknowledge that Joseph was the object of Divine care and favour. Here is an example to Christians to recommend the Gospel by their fidelity and diligence, and to be faithful to God even when there are no religious friends about them to watch over them.
Gen. 39:4. Josephs promotion illustrates
1. The principle, that he who is faithful over a few things shall be made ruler over many things.
2. The principle, that God honours those who honour Him.
3. That God was carrying out hereby His purpose of mercy towards the house of Jacob.
He that is mourned for in Canaan, as dead, prospers in Egypt under Potiphar; and of a slave, is made ruler. Thus God meant to prepare him for a greater charge; he must first rule Potiphars house, then Pharaohs kingdom.(Bishop Hall.)
Gen. 39:5. Joseph reminds us of St. Paul (2 Corinthians 6), who through the persecutions of his brethren is forced to carry the light of Gods kingdom into the heathen world.
Pious stewards, and pious servants of every class, are a blessing to their masters, not only because they are faithful and manage their affairs with discretion, but because they draw down the special blessing of God upon the households to which they belong. Masters may learn what treatment is due to faithful servants; they ought to trust, to honour, and to love them. When men are precious in Gods sight they are honourable, whatever be their station in life.(Bush.)
Gen. 39:6. Potiphar took what was provided for him, and cared for no more. This is few mens happiness; for usually the master is the greatest servant in the house.(Trapp.)
Beauty of person and face is a quality which gains love, and ought to make the possessor of it thankful; but it easily proves a snare. It was Josephs comfort that he was beloved by his master, but it was his misfortune that he was too well beloved by his mistress.(Bush).
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
2. Joseph as Prisoner in Egypt (Gen. 39:1 to Gen. 41:45).
39 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaohs, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, that had brought him down thither. 2 And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 And Joseph found favor in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake; and the blessing of Jehovah was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. 6 And he left all that he had in Josephs hand; and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was comely, and well-favored.
EGYPT
and the Nile
Egypt is the gift of the Nile.
(Herodotus)
The Nile is 3,743 miles long from its origin at Lake Victoria in central Africa to the Mediterranean.
Numbers on the map indicate the cataracts of the Nile.
The first cataract at Aswan marks the southern limits of Egypt.
7 And it came to pass after these things, that his masters wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his masters wife, Behold, my master knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand: 9 he is not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11 And it came to pass about this time, that he went into the house to do his work; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12 And she caught him by the garment, saying, Lie with me; and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14 that she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us: he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: 15 and it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out. 16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home. 17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18 and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out.
19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled, 20 And Josephs master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the kings prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. 21 But Jehovah was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Josephs hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand, because Jehovah was with him; and that which he did, Jehovah made it to prosper.
40 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and they continued a season in ward. 5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. 6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were sad. 7 And he asked Pharaohs officers that were with him in ward in his masters house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sad today? 8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.
9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10 and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 11 and Pharaohs cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaohs cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaohs hand. 12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; 13 wherein yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine office: and thou shalt give Pharaohs cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. 14 But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: 15 for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head: 17 and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. 18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof; the three baskets are three days; 19 within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. 20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaohs birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaohs hand: 22 but he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
41 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well-favored and fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass. 3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of grain came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker: 11 and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And there was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. 13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharoah. 15 And Pharoah said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I have heard say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it. 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, 17 In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river: 18 and, behold, there came out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored; and they fed in the reed-grass: 19 and, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: 20 and the lean and ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 21 and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke, 22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk, full and good; 23 and, behold seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears; and I told it unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27 And the seven lean and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine. 28 That is the thing which I spake unto Pharaoh; what God is about to do he hath showed unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30 and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 31 and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this there is none so discreet and wise as thou: 40 thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Josephs hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharaoh called Josephs name Zaphenathpaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
(1) Joseph and Potiphars Wife (Gen. 39:1-23). It is a characteristic of Joseph that throughout his life his faithfulness to God brought upon him, and upon all those associated with him, the blessing of God. So it was in Potiphars household into which he was sold as a slave. Here he soon rose to the high post of overseer, and the house, we are told, was divinely blessed for his sake, a fact which even Potiphar himself recognized (Gen. 39:3-6). We have to admit that Joseph, whatever may have been his faults as a youth, certainly developed into one of the most admirable men of all those who figure in the Old Testament records, The character of Joseph stands out as one of the purest in the whole compass of sacred history. No temptation could overcome his high-toned morality, no calamity could shake his implicit faith in God. Adversity in its bitterest form did not unduly depress him, and neither did the giddiest height of prosperity generate unseemly pride. In his fathers house pampered and fondled; in slavery wantonly and falsely accused; in the palace wielding unlimited power, he was always the same truthful, pure, just, noble-minded, God-fearing man (SIBG, 279). The fact he loved God, however, and was destined to accomplish Gods will in Egypt did not make it possible for him to be spared the injustice of false accusations and undeserved imprisonment. When Potiphars wife, a fair example of her kind (whose name is Legion), tried to take advantage of his physical attractiveness and vigor by repeatedly trying to inveigle him into an adulterous relationship, he stoutly refused to be unfaithful either to his God or to his master, and fled the place of temptation, even as the Apostle advises all righteous men to do on facing the snares of the devil (1Ti. 6:11, 2Ti. 2:22; 1Co. 6:18, 1Ti. 3:7, Eph. 6:11). From this human point of view, Joseph could not betray the trust placed in him by Potiphar. It is significant, however, that he affirmed a higher motivation for his refusal, How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Angered by Josephs refusal to accept her advances, Potiphars wife determined to get revenge. She called for the male servants in the house, who in any event would have been glad to be rid of the foreigner. She spoke of Joseph as a Hebrew using Egyptian racial prejudice to serve her purpose. On one occasion, previously, finding herself alone with Joseph, she took hold of his garment in her desire to consummate her sinful appeal. But this was the occasion on which Joseph fled, unfortunately, however, leaving the garment in her hand. Now, in her desire to make him pay for his rejection of her, she told the Egyptian servants that Joseph had been the aggressor, and that she had resisted his advances, calling for help, and seizing his garment when he fled. When Potiphar heard this report he was angered and had Joseph put into prison. (It has been suggested that he might have had some doubt about his wifes story, otherwise Joseph would have been put to death immediately.) (It should be noted, too, that Joseph had the responsibility for all the business of this household, with one exception, namely, the provision of food (Gen. 43:32). Egyptians would have considered themselves defiled, we are told, if they were to eat with a foreigner.) Some authorities call attention to the Egyptian Tale of Two Brothers as an interesting parallel of this account of the temptation of Joseph. In that story it is the younger brother who is falsely accused by the older brothers wife. When the truth is finally known, the wicked wife is slain by her husband. It seems rather far-fetched to establish any significant correspondence between the two tales.
(2) Joseph in Prison (Gen. 39:20-23). The best of men have been accused of the most atrocious crimes. And there is a great readiness in men to believe an evil report, especially against the professors of religion. Here the most improbable story gains easy credit. How often is guilt honored, and innocence oppressed and punished! Yet let me not be weary in well-doing, or in resisting unto blood, striving against sin; for the bitterest sufferings, with a good conscience, are to be preferred to all the pleasures of sin. Though persecutors should be deaf to my plea, there is one, Jehovah, who seeth and judgeth. In his time he will vindicate my character and plead my cause. No prison can exclude his presence (SIBG, 279). Joseph was to learn that to them that love God all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28). When Joseph was sold as a slave he could hardly have known that God was arranging circumstances which would make possible the fulfilment of his dreams (Gen. 37:5-10). Nor could he have suspected the long years needed before the fulfilment. But of one truth he early became aware that God was with him, for no adversity could make him bitter or distrustful of God. Twice we are told that the Lord was with Joseph (Gen. 39:2; Gen. 39:21). Josephs rich spiritual insight was plainly evidenced when he attributed to God his imprisonment and slavery as well as his rise to power (Gen. 45:7-8). His brothers sinned as they wrought their own wilful wickedness, but God used it for the accomplishment of the divine purpose (Gen. 45:7, Gen. 50:20, Psa. 76:10) (HSB, 63). (Cf. Isa. 46:8-11). The story was the same in prison as it had been in Potiphars house: Joseph rose to the position of great responsibility: the keeper of the prison soon came to trust him implicitly, and finally put him in charge of all those who were in the prison. Jehovah was with Joseph and showed kindness unto him, etc., Gen. 39:21.
(3) Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams (Gen. 40:1-23). It so happened that the kings chief butler and chief baker were thrust into prison for offenses against the Pharaoh. In prison each of these men had a remarkable dream which he related to Joseph. The butler dreamed that he saw a vine with three branches, the clusters of which produced ripe grapes; these he pressed into Pharaohs cup. As scribe of the sideboard he had been responsible, of course, for the kings food and drink. The dream was in harmony with his vocation, his usual employment: however, he had done something to cause him to fall into disfavor with the monarch. Joseph interpreted the dream to signify that in three days he, the butler, should be released from prison and restored to his position. Joseph asked of this butler a favor, a very small favor in a sense, in view of the butlers restoration to his place in the royal court: he asked the butler to call the Pharaohs attention to his unjust imprisonment and to intercede for him. He did not mention the incident with Potiphars wife but did protest his innocence. He mentioned his having been stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews (Gen. 39:15), a reminder that he had not been a slave from birth. The baker dreamed that he had three white baskets on his head, the uppermost basket containing baked meats for Pharaoh which were eaten by the birds while he was carrying it. (We learn that bread baskets such as those described here appear in tomb paintings from ancient Egypt.) This dream was explained by Joseph to mean that the chief baker also should be taken from prison in three days, but only to be hung on a tree for the birds to eat the flesh off his bones. (To the Egyptian who held that the welfare of the soul in the next life would be dependent on the preservation of the body, that is, the earthly body, such a destiny would be particularly offensive.) The two dreams were fulfilled to the letter: on the third day the chief butler was restored to his office, where he immediately forgot all about Joseph and his request; and on the third day the chief baker was hanged. Joseph had to choose between his position and his purity. He chose the latter only to suffer unjust accusation and punishment for a crime he did not commit. Yet his noble stand was not in vain, for it resulted in his meeting the kings butler and baker, and this contact in turn made possible his becoming premier of Egypt under the Pharaoh (HSB, 64).
(4) Joseph the Interpreter of the Pharaohs Dreams (Gen. 41:1-36). For two whole years the chief butler forgot, and for two whole years Joseph lingered in prison. Of all the sins in the category, yet the most universal undoubtedly, what is baser, what is more deplorable, more genuinely selfish, than ingratitude? The Bible portrays heaven as essentially the place of joyous eternal thanksgiving (Rev. 5:9-14; Rev. 11:15-17; Rev. 15:2-3; Rev. 19:1-10): and in this world he who has the most thankfulness in his heart has the most of heaven in his life. At the end of the two years, however, something happened: The Pharaoh himself had two dreams, In the first he stood by the river, the Nile of course, on which the very life of all Egypt depends. Irrigation comes to the soil of Egypt by the annual overflow of the Nile; apart from this river, Egypt would be only a part of the great desert which covers all of northern Africa. The Pharaoh saw, coming up out of the river seven fat kine (cows) which proceeded to feed on the marsh-grass that grew along its banks. (In the Egyptian heiroglyphics, the ox is the emblem of agriculture). Then, behold, the Pharaoh saw seven lean cows come up out of the river and devour the seven fat ones. Then he had a second dream: in this he dreamed that seven full ears of grain came up on one stalk, and behold, seven thin ears sprung up after the good ones and devoured them. The king was sore troubled, of course; none of his magicians (not necessarily wise men, but necromancers) could interpret these dreams. Then it was that the chief butler remembered! He came to the Pharaoh with an open confession, I do remember my faults this day! and he told the king about the young Hebrew prisoner who had correctly interpreted the dreams of the butler and baker in prison. Joseph was hastily released and prepared for his meeting with the Pharaoh. As of Semitic origin of course he wore a beard, but now he must be shaved in anticipation of his meeting with the Egyptian monarch (it must be remembered that Pharaoh was only a title, like Caesar, Czar, Kaiser, etc.). Suitable clothing was provided for Joseph and he was ushered into the presence of the king. With a minimum of ceremony, the monarch quickly related to Joseph the contents of his dreams which were actually only one as to meaning. It is interesting to note that Joseph disclaimed any personal psychic powers: what God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh, Gen. 41:25. Joseph then explained the dreams of the cattle and the ears of grain as descriptive of the immediate agricultural future of Egypt: the seven good cattle and seven good ears signified seven years of plenty; but the seven thin cattle and the seven bad ears signified seven bad years that would follow. God was warning the Pharaoh that he must prepare during the seven years of plenty for the seven years of famine that would inevitably follow. The dream, said Joseph, was doubled unto Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Joseph then proceeds to make some recommendations. He suggests that the king appoint an administrator to be responsible for securing sufficient food during the years of plenty to provide for the needs which would arise during the years of famine. One fifth of the produce of the good years, he said, should be placed in the royal granaries for distribution throughout the land during the lean years. The king recognized in Joseph the kind of administrator he was now in need of, the kind who would serve Egypt in the impending time of crisis. Whereupon, he appointed Joseph himself as Grand Visier, or Prime Minister (over my house, Gen. 41:10). The official signet ring was given to Joseph that he would have power to issue edicts in the name and with the seal of the Pharaoh. He arrayed Joseph in vestments of Egyptian fine linen, the material used by the royal family and the highest officials of the realm. The king put the gold chain around Josephs neck, the emblem of a signal honor, and kind of distinguished service medal. He caused Joseph to ride in the second chariot, next to that of the king himself. A herald went before Joseph crying out, Abrech, meaning probably, Bow the knee. The royal command was given as stated in Gen. 41:44, and meaning, it would seem, something like Without thee, or thy command, shall no man do anything. Joseph was also given an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah (a name of uncertain derivation and said to be meaningless in Hebrew). He took as his wife an Egyptian named Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of On. A characteristically Egyptian tableau of investiture: Joseph is made viceroy of Egypt; he is second only to the Pharaoh; his house is the centre of administration and he is the keeper of the kings seal. The runners before his chariot of state cry Abrek, which suggests the Egyptian thy heart to thee, beware, make way (JB, 65). These three names indicate pretty clearly the nature of the religion at that time prevailing in Egypt. Asenath signifies belonging to Neith, and Neith was the Egyptian Minerva. Potipherah means belonging to the sun, and On seems to have been identical with the Syrian Baalthe Sun-god. The Egyptians, in fact, were wholly given to idolatry (SIBG, 282). (Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom. The Sun-god in Egypt was most generally known as Re; his seat of worship was at Heliopolis in the Delta. Herodotus, the father of history, relates in detail the circumstances of his visit to Heliopolis.)
On Dreams: An Excursus
Dreams have always been fascinating subjects in human experience. What is the relation between our dream world and the world of our waking hours? Who can say? Erich Fromm tells the story of a Chinaman who had an unusual dream. In it he dreamed that he was a butterfly flitting around and sipping nectar from flower to flowera delectable experience. Suddenly he was awakened by a loud noise. Then he began to think, and ask himself: Was I, a few minutes ago, a Chinaman dreaming that I was a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly dreaming that I am a Chinaman? This, absurd though it may seem, is a question not to be dismissed too carelessly.
What is the nature of dreams? Dr. James L. Jarrett, in his excellent book, The Quest for Beauty, 5963, deals with this subject most interestingly. He writes: There is an easy answer to the question: a dream is the psychic activitythe experience of happenings, thoughts, feelings, imagesduring sleep. But to go further in our probing is not quite so easy. Why does one dream? To protect ones sleep, says Freud, by channeling certain stimuli which might otherwise wake one up. Not all agree with Freuds answer, but a more important question for our purpose is this: Why does one dream what he does dream? And this: Do dreams mean anything? Do they signify? The easy answerperhaps the most popular one, even todayis that dreams are mere nonsense, just a jumble of images as if the wind caught and scattered the snapshots from an open drawer. There is no reason for dreaming the way we doexcept, perhaps, that when our digestive system is having its troubles, we do tend to have troubled dreams; and when our feet get cold, we may have some appropriate dream, such as walking over snowbut nothing more profound than this. So there is not importance or significance to dreamsthough occasionally one may be amusing or weird enough to tell at the breakfast table, even if the audience, in such cases, is seldom as interested as the teller. Jonathan Swift in his parody of Petronius has expressed this position:
On Dreams
Those dreams that on the silent night intrude,
And with false flitting shades our minds delude,
Jove never sends us downwards from the skies;
Nor can they from infernal mansions rise;
But are all mere productions of the brain,
And fools consult interpreters in vain.
For when in bed we rest our weary limbs,
The mind unburdend sports in various whims;
The busy head with mimic art runs oer
The scenes and actions of the day before.
But not everyone has thought so lightly of dreamseven before the influence of psychoanalysis. Literature of every age expresses peoples concern with their dreams; consider Josephs interpretation of Pharaohs dream of the fat kine and the lean kine, Chaucers Nuns Priests Tale, or the wife warning her husband in Tolstoys God Sees the Truth But Waits not to undertake a journey because she had dreamed his hair turned suddenly white. Then there are Strindbergs Dream Play and Joyces Finnegans Wake, a whole novel expressive of a dreambut the list is virtually endless. Dreams, then, according to some strains of folk opinion, are important, at least sometimes. They are ominous, revelatory, prophetic. If they are shadows, they are foreshadows and had better not be lightly dismissed, though their meaning may well be ambiguous and obscure like the pronouncements of the oracles.
Our language employs two other meanings of dreaming, both so common as to require no more than mention. One is idle, profitless musing. Thus Wordsworths Expostulation and Reply :
Why, William, on that old grey stone,
Thus, for the length of half a day,
Why, William, sit you thus alone,
And dream your time away?
Another common meaning is: wishing, hoping, planning. When Jeannie of the light brown hair is dreamed of, there is present, no doubt, something more wishful than a mere phantasmagoria. The coming true of dreams is a favorite cliche of song writers and advertising copy writers.
Now, these two latter uses will be noticed to refer especially to daydreams, which differ from sleeping dreams mainly in being somewhat more coherent and certainly under better control from the conscious will of the dreamer; but as the language suggests, the similarity between day and night dreams is more impressive than their differences.
So far, then, mention has been made of four characteristics commonly attributed to dreams: irrationality or silliness, occasional prophetic quality, idleness as contrasted with up and doing, and wishfulness as contrasted with present reality.
As everyone knows, one of the distinctive and (to many people) outrageous characteristics of depth psychology is its insistence upon taking dreams seriously. [Depth psychology postulates some conception of an unconscious dimension in the self, emphasizes unconscious or hidden motivation and the emotional element in the human being. It stresses especially the irrationality of man.] Nevertheless, it by no means contradicts the common-sense notions, It too says that dreams are irrational, prophetic, idle, and wishful; and it goes on to say that however ill dreams conform to the outside world, they arise from and therefore potentially reveal the inside world of the dreamer. The primary assumption is that there is some reason for our dreaming everything we do dream. This reason, though usually not perfectly apparent at first, is discoverable; indeed, in some sense the dreamer knows the meaning of his own dream though it may require a therapist to help him realize explicitly what he knows.
We must distinguish, Freud tells us, between the surface or manifest plot of the dream and the deeper symbolic latent significance that it almost always has. A child may wish to go on a picnic and then dream of going on a picnic; but the older the child gets, the more complex and involved his dreams become. He begins to employ symbols which are at once richer and more obscure than the childs direct imagery. At the adults dreamed picnic there may be apples and flowers and ants and swings and lakes, but these things will seem somehow different from their waking selvesand they are, because they are not only themselves but are also persons and acts in disguise. Above all, the dreams are the products of our feelings and attitudes, our loves and hates, wishes and fears, confidences and insecurities. A dream may reveal to us emotions that we are unaware of, antipathies which we have never been willing to admit, dreads that we have kept hidden even without trying to, desires that we consider shameful, beneficial courses of action that for some reason we have regarded as impossible.
The symbols that dreamers employ are not, according to the psychoanalytic theory, entirely understandable without the interpretive help of the dreamer; yet men for some reason dream more nearly alike than might be supposed. Consequently, there are a number of dream symbols which have a nearly constant meaning, however particularized a significance they have in different occurrences. Water, for instance, seems always to have to do with birth, as journeying symbolizes death. And these meanings, it is curious and interesting to note, apparently do not vary much as to time and place. However unlikely it might offhand seem, there are striking similarities in the dreams of a twentieth-century Wall Street broker; his contemporary, a Zuni warrior; and their ancient predecessor, a Persian king. Yet perhaps it is not so strange either; men everywhere and in every time are born, reared, and educated; they work, marry, raise children, and die. Their bodies are much alike; they share certain basic needs. All of them must relate in a variety of ways to their fellows; all of them love and hate, know fear and hope; have times of joy and times of sorrow. Man, said someone, is the animal who knows he must die. Man, said Aristotle, is the rational animal; but, said Aristotle, he is also vegetative and carnal. And man, as all men know, is a dreamer of dreams. [Plato taught, in the Republic, that the good (just) man is the man in whom reason sits on the throne and functions to control the emotions and direct the will. He admits, however, that in every man a wild beast is lurking in his interior depths and may break loose if not continually kept in subjection by the reason and the will.]
Dreams are irrational if by that description is meant that their coherence is a coherence of emotional tone and not, necessarily, of orderly sequence of events and of images matching those of waking perception and of thoughts arranged in syllogistic pattern. Their irrationality, however, is not beyond all understanding, [The chief characteristic of man, said Aristotle, that which marks him off a man, is the range of his moral potential: he is capable either of wallowing in the gutter or walking up among the stars.]
For instance, dreams may be understood to be prophetic. Not because of their being vehicles of occult omniscience but because they are records of the past and present, which are the seedbed of the future. Take the wonderful case of Pilates wife. She warned her husband not to deal with Jesus because, she said, I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him (Mat. 27:19). May it not be that her dream showed her something about her own perception of Jesus that she had not before been quite able to acknowledge? The person who had been dreaming of falling down mountain cliffs might be advised to postpone his ascent of F-6, not because the dreams are a glimpse of fate exactly, but because they perhaps reveal a certain fear of the dreamer, a fear which might during a climb contribute to the actualization of the dreams. (The student who may wish to pursue this subject further is advised to make a study of Jungs interesting doctrine of the Collective Unconscious).
As usual, as on other matters of human experience, our great genius, William Shakespeare, has a most significant comment to give us on the subject of dreams, as embodied in Hamlets famous soliloquy:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep:
No more: and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wishd. To die, to sleep:
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, theres the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. . . .
Dreams: In The Bible
Dreams, in Biblical terms, may be classified as (1) Vain dreams (Job. 20:8, Psa. 73:20, Isa. 29:8); (2) Dreams employed by God in the actualization of His designs in the production of which He works according to the laws of the mind and perhaps always makes use of secondary causes. These are (1) designed to affect the spiritual life of specific persons, e.g., the Midianites dream which was providentially overheard by Gideon and encouraged the latter to his signal victory (Jdg. 7:13). The dream of Pilates wife may have been of this character (Mat. 27:19). (2) Designed to be directive and prophetic when revelation was as yet incomplete. These carried with them, it seems, credentials of their divine origin. We find many of these in Genesis: Gen. 20:3; Gen. 28:12; Gen. 31:10; Gen. 31:24; Gen. 37:5; Gen. 37:9-10; Gen. 37:20; Gen. 40:5; Gen. 41:7; Gen. 41:15; Gen. 41:25-26. See also 1Ki. 3:5; Dan. 2:1; Dan. 2:4; Dan. 2:36; Dan. 4:1 ff; Dan. 7:1 ff.; Mat. 1:20; Mat. 2:12, The power of accurately interpreting prophetic dreams was granted to certain favored people, as to Joseph (Gen. 41:16), and to Daniel (Dan. 2:25-28; Dan. 2:47). Dreams offered as revelations to the O.T. saints were subjected to tests to determine their character. If they inculcated immoral conduct, they were by that very fact proclaimed false; and any person who sought by such means to lead Israel from the worship of Jehovah was to be put to death (Deu. 13:1-5; Jer. 23:25-32; Jer. 29:8; Zec. 10:2).
The dream is a domain of experience, having an intellectual, ethical, and spiritual significance. Living in an earthly body, we have, as the background of our being, a dim region, out of which our thinking labors forth to the daylight, and in which much goes forward, especially in the condition of sleep, of which we can only come to a knowledge by looking back afterward. Experience confirms to us the assertion of Scripture (Psa. 127:2) that God giveth to his beloved in sleep. Not only many poetical and musical inventions, but, moreover, many scientific solutions and spiritual perceptions, have been conceived and born from the life of genius awakened in sleep. [Students of psychic phenomena are unanimous in our day in affirming that the Subconscious in man is the seat of perfect memory, perfect perception of the fixed laws of nature, and creative imagination. See my Genesis, Vol. I, 4567, 460465.]
Another significant aspect of dreaming is the ethical. In the dream ones true nature manifests itself, breaking through the pressure of external relations and the simulation of the waking life. From the selfishness of the soul, its selfish impulses, its restlessness stimulated by selfishness, are formed in the heart all kinds of sinful images, of which the man is ashamed when he awakens, and on account of which remorse sometimes disturbs the dreamer. The Scriptures appear to hold the man responsible, if not for dreaming, at least for the character of the dream (Lev. 15:16, Deu. 23:10).
A third significant aspect of dreams is the spiritual: they may become the means of a direct and special intercourse of God with man. The witness of conscience may make itself objective and expand within the dream-life into perceptible transactions between God and man. Thus God warned Abimelech (Genesis 20) and Laban (Gen. 31:24) in a dream, and the wife of Pilate warned her husband against being concerned in the death of the Just One (Delitzsch, Biblical Psychology, 324ff., quoted, UBD, p. 275). A good dream was one of the three things-viz., a good king, a fruitful year, and a good dreampopularly regarded as marks of divine favor; and so general was the belief in the significance that it passed into this popular saying: If anyone sleeps seven days without dreaming call him wicked (as being unremembered by God): see again Delitzsch (ibid.). The conviction of the sinfulness and nothingness of man is related by Eliphaz as realized in a dream (Job. 4:12-21).
There are many instances in Scripture of dreams in which the special will of God is revealed to men. (Cf. Gen. 28:12; Gen. 31:10-13; 1Ki. 3:5; Mat. 1:20; Act. 16:9; Act. 18:9; Act. 23:11; Act. 27:23; note that these last were night visions of the Apostle Paul). Waking visions probably are to be distinguished from prophetic dream visions, which the seer, whether by day or by night (Eze. 8:1; Dan. 10:7; Act. 7:55; Act. 10:9-16; Act. 16:9; Act. 18:9), receives in a waking state. As we have noted heretofore, dreams of presentiment (premonitions) occur frequently in Scripture (as especially were the dreams that played such an important role in the career of Joseph, Gen., chs. Gen 37:511, 40, 41; cf, Gen. 42:9). Dreams and visions are said to be two forms of the prophetic revelations of God (Num. 12:6). Still and all, we are warned against putting too much reliance on dreams (Ecc. 5:7). In the pagan world, because dreams were looked upon as communications from the gods, there arose those who professed special ability to interpret them (Magi). These men were not to be heeded if they taught anything contrary to the Law (Deu. 13:1 ff., Jer. 27:9). There are instances recorded of Gods helping men to understand dreams and the divine truth communicated through them (Gen. 40:5,ff; Gen. 41:7-32; Dan. 2:19 ff; Dan. 4:8).
In common with contemporary peoples the Hebrews sought an explanation of their dream experiences. But in the matter of the interpretation of dreams the Bible distinguishes between the dream-phenomena reported by non-Israelites and by Israelites. Gentiles such as Pharaoh (Gen. 41:15 ff.) and his high-ranking officers (Gen. 40:12 ff., Gen. 40:18 ff.) require Joseph to explain their dreams, and Nebuchadnezzar needs Daniel (Dan. 2:17 ff.). On occasion God Himself speaks and so renders human intervention unnecessary (Gen. 20:3 ff; Gen. 31:24; Mat. 2:12). But when the members of the covenant community dream, the interpretation accompanies the dream (Gen. 37:5-10; Act. 16:9 ff.).
This subject is important for the Old Testament view of prophecy. Among the Hebrews there was a close association between dreams and the functions of a prophet. The locus classicus is Deu. 13:1-5, but 1Sa. 9:9 remarks that a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer. If seer means a man of visions, then it supports Deu. 13:1; Deu. 13:3; Deu. 13:5, where the prophet is mentioned along with the dreamer without betraying any sense of incongruity. The close connection in Hebrew thought between dreaming and prophesying is again revealed in Jer. 23:25; Jer. 23:32. It is also clear that in the days of Samuel and Saul it was commonly believed that the Lord spoke through dreams as well as by Urim and the prophets (1Sa. 28:6), However, a revelation through dream phenomena was thought of as being inferior to a revelation that was received by the prophet from the Lord at first hand. This is the conclusion which Num. 12:6-8 forces upon us. Jeremiah uses the same kind of distinction in discrediting the revelations of the false prophets of his own day (Jer. 23:25; Jer. 23:32). The Word of the Lord which came to the authentic prophet was a hammer and a fire (Jer. 23:29), whereas a dream-revelation was straw (Jer. 23:28) (See NBD, s.v.).
REVIEW QUESTIONS
See Gen. 41:46 to Gen. 47:31.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, Gen 39:1-23.
1. Down to Egypt “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley . The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization . The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights . ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love .
Potiphar This officer of Pharaoh (see Gen 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married . Gen 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241.
“It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” Newhall.
Joseph Is Sold Into Slavery, Resists Temptation and Strangely Prospers in Prison ( Gen 39:1-23 ).
That what now happens to Joseph is in the hands of Yahweh is abundantly made clear (Gen 38:2-3; Gen 38:21). He is with him there in that strange land able to bring about His will. He is Lord of all the earth.
Gen 39:1 .
“And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh” This verse basically repeats Gen 37:36 to update us on the situation after the detour of Genesis 38. It may well have been written by the compiler with Gen 39:2 continuing on from Gen 37:36. He describes him as sold by the Ishmaelites because that is how Judah had described it in Gen 37:27, to remind us of Judah’s part in the ‘tragedy’.
Gen 39:2
‘And Yahweh was with Joseph and he was a man who prospered, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.’
In these next few verses Yahweh’s part is emphasised. Joseph may be in Egypt (and notice the stress on the fact that his master was an Egyptian (Gen 39:1-2; Gen 39:4)) but he is not forsaken by Yahweh. The name Yahweh is used to stress that what is happening is within the terms of the tribal covenant. Yahweh is at work.
“He was a man who prospered.” Things went well with him because Yahweh was with him.
“In the house.” He was a domestic servant.
“His master the Egyptian.” The constant repetition of this fact may indicate an intention to bring out a feeling of familiarity in others who have also been slaves in Egypt. If Moses is the compiler this is fully understandable and explicable. On the other hand it may have the purpose of emphasising that even an Egyptian can be prospered by Yahweh.
Gen 39:3-6 a
‘And his master saw that Yahweh was with him and that Yahweh made all he did to prosper in his hand, and Joseph found favour in his sight and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it happened that from the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, and the blessing of Yahweh was on all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and with him he knew nothing except the food that he ate.’
What a different Joseph we have here from the tale-bearing, consciously superior Joseph we have known. His captivity has already done him good. And while his prospering is stressed to be due to Yahweh’s watch over him it also includes the fact that he works hard and wisely.
“Made him overseer over his house.” In all periods in the second millennium BC we know that Semites were often placed in places of favour and authority in Egyptian households, from Pharaoh’s house downwards. Thus his being made overseer of the house (imy-r pr, a common Egyptian title) is not unusual. The result is that his master puts him in control of everything he has which results in increased prosperity as a result of the blessing of Yahweh.
The Egyptologist K. Kitchen states: “Joseph was but one of many young Semites who became servants in Egyptian households between 1900 and 1600 B.C. Papyrus Brooklyn 35:1446, part of a prison-register, bears on its reverse a list of 79 servants in an Egyptian household around 1740 B.C. of whom at least 45 were not Egyptians but “Asiatics”, i.e. Semites like Joseph. Many of these have good North-eastern Semitic names linguistically related to those of Jacob, Issachar, Asher, Job (Ayyabum) and Menahem. Some were “domestics” (hry-pr) just like Joseph in Gen 39:2 (“in the house”).”
Thus Yahweh is seen not only to prosper Joseph but also to prosper an important high official in the Egyptian court. Where now are the gods of Egypt?
“With him he knew nothing except the food that he ate.” This may mean that Joseph was so efficient that he simply left him to it and his only exertion was to eat his food, or it may suggest that that was the one sphere which was not left to Joseph, possibly for reasons of ritual separation (consider Gen 43:32).
Gen 39:6 b
‘And Joseph was good looking and well favoured. And it happened after these things that his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me my master does not know what is in his house, and he has put all that he has into my hand. There is none greater in this house than I, neither has he kept anything back from me except you because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” ’
The sad story that follows is not unusual. Well favoured slaves were regularly pursued by over-sexed mistresses. And to yield was often the path to even more favours, while to resist was to court revenge. But Joseph shows his worthiness by refusing to countenance her suggestion. His master has been ultra-good to him and trusted him with everything he has apart from her. How then can he fail him? And he has also God to answer to. To sin so would be to sin against God.
It has often been suggested that this story is based on ‘The Tale of the Two Brothers’, but a comparison between the two reveals little similarity. They differ on nearly every point. The only parallels are the sexual pursuit by the woman and the revenge sought by the woman and of these the one quite naturally follows the other and both are common features of life through the ages. In background and every detail the stories are different. We attach a copy of the story so that you may judge for yourselves.
Gen 39:10-20
‘And it happened as she spoke to Joseph day by day that he would not listen to her to lie by her or to be with her. And it happened about this time that he went into the house to do his work, and there were none of the men of the house there within, and she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and got himself out. And it happened, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out, she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to insult us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice, and it came about that when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment by me and fled and got himself out. And she kept his garment by her until his master came home. And she spoke to him in with similar words, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to seduce me, and the result was that as I lifted up my voice and shouted, he left his garment by me and fled out.” And it came about that when the master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him saying, “Your servant treated me in this way,” that his anger was kindled, and Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in prison.’
The wife of Potiphar tries again and again to seduce Joseph but he continually resists her. But one day when he found himself alone in the house with her she grabs his clothing, and when he flees into the outer courtyard, probably quite naked, leaving the clothing in her hand she uses it as false evidence to condemn him, first to the servants and then to her husband, with the result that he is thrown into prison.
“See he has brought in a Hebrew to insult us.” The word almost certainly means Habiru. These were known to the Egyptians as ‘prw. The general idea in men’s minds about them was of wild, independent people of no specific race who were not quite respectable and who went their own way. Thus by calling him a ‘Hebrew’ she was cleverly suggesting this of him to servants who probably looked down on such people so that they were likely to believe her story.
Then to her husband she spoke accusingly as though her husband was to blame for bringing such a wild man among them, and spoke of him as ‘your servant’, almost certainly in a derisory and emphatic tone, making it quite clear whom she expected him to believe. And naturally he accepted her side of the story. Unless he was going to condemn her he had no option. So his anger was kindled against Joseph and he put him in the king’s prison ‘where the king’s prisoners were bound’.
Adultery was not seen as quite the grave personal offence among other nations as it would later be by Israel (Exo 20:14; Lev 18:20; Deu 22:22 on). The offence was more of taking a man’s chattel, what belonged to him, and thus the death penalty would not necessarily be applied. But Joseph had no means of recompense and therefore must be punished. It may be that he was seen as still awaiting trial and left there. The captain of the bodyguard may have had some doubts about his guilt, and would not necessarily want the affair publicised.
Egyptian prisons were highly organised. Each prisoner’s record was filed under seven separate headings from initial arrest to the completion of the sentence. And the prison into which Joseph was put was no ordinary prison, but a special prison for those who were guilty of serious political offences as well as for criminals (‘where the king’s prisoners were bound’), which demonstrates how seriously Joseph’s supposed offence was taken. It may have been that in the well-known fortress Saru, which was on the borders of the Palestinian frontier. This prison is mentioned a number of times in the writings of Thutmosis III, some considerable period after the time of Joseph. It is also mentioned in the edicts of Pharaoh Haremheb, about the middle of the 14th century B.C. But 40:3,7 may suggest a more private prison.
“Insult us —- seduce me.” The Hebrew is the same. The word means to play, to sport and thus to mock and insult and to play with sexually, therefore seduce.
Gen 39:21-23
‘But Yahweh was with Joseph and showed kindness to him and gave him favour 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, and whatever they did he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison did not look to anything that was under his hand because Yahweh was with him. And what he did Yahweh made it prosper.’
Joseph was one of those people who have the ability to make people have confidence in him. He had failed abysmally with his brothers, but to them he was only ‘younger brother’. But he had succeeded with Potiphar, and now, an even more difficult task, with the keeper of the prison (parallel to the Egyptian title s’wty n hnrt which has the same meaning)
The day to day running of the prison was clearly in the hands of certain of the trusted inmates under the keeper of the prison. Joseph gained his confidence over a period and was eventually put in over-all charge of the general day to day running of the prison.
But it is stressed that all this was due to Yahweh. Yahweh had prospered him in the house of the king’s officer, now he prospers him in his prison. The writer does not let us forget that Joseph is there under the protection of Yahweh for the fulfilment of His purposes. What is happening is all part of the covenant between Yahweh and the patriarchs. And the unseen presence of Yahweh must be recognised in the following narrative.
Joseph as a Slave in Potiphar’s House Gen 39:1-23 records the account of Joseph being sold as a slave in the house of Potiphar.
According to Psa 105:17-19, the word of the Lord was trying Joseph during this period of his life. Joseph was able, during these times of imprisonment and persecution, to begin to develop a Christ-like character in preparation for his coming years of leadership. It was in the furnace of affliction that Joseph’s character was shaped, and not in the glory of a throne.
Psa 105:17-19, “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him .”
Illustration – When I left the Southern Baptist denomination, in which I was raised, some people spoke against me. Although I did not behave properly all of the time, those years of being spoken against and wronged as I stood up for the full-Gospel message of the Christian faith helped to shape my character for years to come.
Gen 39:3 Comments – Potiphar could see what Joseph’s brothers could not see, that the Lord was with Joseph. Because of the hardness their hearts, his brothers rejected their deliverer and the world received him.
Joseph serves as a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. The story of Joseph serves as an example of what would come to pass. The Jews would one day reject their Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Joseph was drawn out of the pit, Jesus would be resurrected. The Gentiles would receive Him and God would bless the nations. In the fullness of time, God would use the Gentile Church to protect the young Jewish nation that God has restored since 1948, just as Pharaoh protected the young Jewish nation in the land of Goshen.
Gen 39:2-5 Comments – Gen 39:2-5 is an illustration of Pro 14:35.
Pro 14:35, “The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.”
Gen 39:9 Comments – Joseph well knew that sin in any form is ultimately against God himself.
Gen 39:12 Comments – The garments of Joseph will play an important role in the life of this servant. He will remove the garments of a youth and put on a coat of many colors, which symbolizes a prince. When this garment is taken from him by his brothers, he will put on the garments of a slave. Then these garments will be taken from him by Potiphar’s wife and he will put on the garments of a prisoner. Finally, he will be clothed with the garments of the Prime Minister of Egypt. Each time his garments were taken he had to forgive and forget. He did not long for the past, but looked to God to make a way for him in the future. Eventually, he realized that each time it was divine providence that caused his garments to be changed, and he became content wearing the garments and the ministry that God had placed him into.
Gen 39:20 Comments – The Book of Jubilees says that Joseph was a servant for ten years and was in prison for three years.
“And Joseph died being a hundred and ten years old; seventeen years he lived in the land of Canaan, and ten years he was a servant, and three years in 4 prison, and eighty years he was under the king, ruling all the land of Egypt.” ( The Book of Jubilees 46.3-4)
Ten Genealogies (Calling) – The Genealogies of Righteous Men and their Divine Callings (To Be Fruitful and Multiply) – The ten genealogies found within the book of Genesis are structured in a way that traces the seed of righteousness from Adam to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and the seventy souls that followed him down into Egypt. The book of Genesis closes with the story of the preservation of these seventy souls, leading us into the book of Exodus where we see the creation of the nation of Israel while in Egyptian bondage, which nation of righteousness God will use to be a witness to all nations on earth in His plan of redemption. Thus, we see how the book of Genesis concludes with the origin of the nation of Israel while its first eleven chapters reveal that the God of Israel is in fact that God of all nations and all creation.
The genealogies of the six righteous men in Genesis (Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) are the emphasis in this first book of the Old Testament, with each of their narrative stories opening with a divine commission from God to these men, and closing with the fulfillment of prophetic words concerning the divine commissions. This structure suggests that the author of the book of Genesis wrote under the office of the prophet in that a prophecy is given and fulfilled within each of the genealogies of these six primary patriarchs. Furthermore, all the books of the Old Testament were written by men of God who moved in the office of the prophet, which includes the book of Genesis. We find a reference to the fulfillment of these divine commissions by the patriarchs in Heb 11:1-40. The underlying theme of the Holy Scriptures is God’s plan of redemption for mankind. Thus, the book of Genesis places emphasis upon these men of righteousness because of the role that they play in this divine plan as they fulfilled their divine commissions. This explains why the genealogies of Ishmael (Gen 25:12-18) and of Esau (Gen 36:1-43) are relatively brief, because God does not discuss the destinies of these two men in the book of Genesis. These two men were not men of righteousness, for they missed their destinies because of sin. Ishmael persecuted Isaac and Esau sold his birthright. However, it helps us to understand that God has blessed Ishmael and Esau because of Abraham although the seed of the Messiah and our redemption does not pass through their lineage. Prophecies were given to Ishmael and Esau by their fathers, and their genealogies testify to the fulfillment of these prophecies. There were six righteous men did fulfill their destinies in order to preserve a righteous seed so that God could create a righteous nation from the fruit of their loins. Illustration As a young schoolchild learning to read, I would check out biographies of famous men from the library, take them home and read them as a part of class assignments. The lives of these men stirred me up and placed a desire within me to accomplish something great for mankind as did these men. In like manner, the patriarchs of the genealogies in Genesis are designed to stir up our faith in God and encourage us to walk in their footsteps in obedience to God.
The first five genealogies in the book of Genesis bring redemptive history to the place of identifying seventy nations listed in the Table of Nations. The next five genealogies focus upon the origin of the nation of Israel and its patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
There is much more history and events that took place surrounding these individuals emphasized in the book of Genesis, which can be found in other ancient Jewish writings, such as The Book of Jubilees. However, the Holy Scriptures and the book of Genesis focus upon the particular events that shaped God’s plan of redemption through the procreation of men of righteousness. Thus, it was unnecessary to include many of these historical events that were irrelevant to God’s plan of redemption.
In addition, if we see that the ten genealogies contained within the book of Genesis show to us the seed of righteousness that God has preserved in order to fulfill His promise that the “seed of woman” would bruise the serpent’s head in Gen 3:15, then we must understand that each of these men of righteousness had a particular calling, destiny, and purpose for their lives. We can find within each of these genealogies the destiny of each of these men of God, for each one of them fulfilled their destiny. These individual destinies are mentioned at the beginning of each of their genealogies.
It is important for us to search these passages of Scripture and learn how each of these men fulfilled their destiny in order that we can better understand that God has a destiny and a purpose for each of His children as He continues to work out His divine plan of redemption among the children of men. This means that He has a destiny for you and me. Thus, these stories will show us how other men fulfilled their destinies and help us learn how to fulfill our destiny. The fact that there are ten callings in the book of Genesis, and since the number “10” represents the concept of countless, many, or numerous, we should understand that God calls out men in each subsequent generation until God’s plan of redemption is complete.
We can even examine the meanings of each of their names in order to determine their destiny, which was determined for them from a child. Adam’s name means “ruddy, i.e. a human being” ( Strong), for it was his destiny to begin the human race. Noah’s name means, “rest” ( Strong). His destiny was to build the ark and save a remnant of mankind so that God could restore peace and rest to the fallen human race. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning, “father of a multitude” ( Strong), because his destiny was to live in the land of Canaan and believe God for a son of promise so that his seed would become fruitful and multiply and take dominion over the earth. Isaac’s name means, “laughter” ( Strong) because he was the child of promise. His destiny was to father two nations, believing that the elder would serve the younger. Isaac overcame the obstacles that hindered the possession of the land, such as barrenness and the threat of his enemies in order to father two nations, Israel and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “he will rule as God” ( Strong), because of his ability to prevail over his brother Esau and receive his father’s blessings, and because he prevailed over the angel in order to preserve his posterity, which was the procreation of twelve sons who later multiplied into the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, his ability to prevail against all odds and father twelve righteous seeds earned him his name as one who prevailed with God’s plan of being fruitful and multiplying seeds of righteousness.
In order for God’s plan to be fulfilled in each of the lives of these patriarchs, they were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. It was God’s plan that the fruit of each man was to be a godly seed, a seed of righteousness. It was because of the Fall that unrighteous seed was produced. This ungodly offspring was not then nor is it today God’s plan for mankind.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The Generation of the Heavens and the Earth Gen 2:4 to Gen 4:26
a) The Creation of Man Gen 2:4-25
b) The Fall Gen 3:1-24
c) Cain and Abel Gen 4:1-26
2. The Generation of Adam Gen 5:1 to Gen 6:8
3. The Generation of Noah Gen 6:9 to Gen 9:29
4. The Generation of the Sons of Noah Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:9
5. The Generation of Shem Gen 11:10-26
6. The Generation of Terah (& Abraham) Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11
7. The Generation Ishmael Gen 25:12-18
8. The Generation of Isaac Gen 25:19 to Gen 35:29
9. The Generation of Esau Gen 36:1-43
10. The Generation of Jacob Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26
The Calling of the Patriarchs of Israel We can find two major divisions within the book of Genesis that reveal God’s foreknowledge in designing a plan of redemption to establish a righteous people upon earth. Paul reveals this four-fold plan in Rom 8:29-30: predestination, calling, justification, and glorification.
Rom 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
The book of Genesis will reflect the first two phase of redemption, which are predestination and calling. We find in the first division in Gen 1:1 to Gen 2:3 emphasizing predestination. The Creation Story gives us God’s predestined plan for mankind, which is to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with righteous offspring. The second major division is found in Gen 2:4 to Gen 50:25, which gives us ten genealogies, in which God calls men of righteousness to play a role in His divine plan of redemption.
The foundational theme of Gen 2:4 to Gen 11:26 is the divine calling for mankind to be fruitful and multiply, which commission was given to Adam prior to the Flood (Gen 1:28-29), and to Noah after the Flood (Gen 9:1). The establishment of the seventy nations prepares us for the calling out of Abraham and his sons, which story fills the rest of the book of Genesis. Thus, God’s calling through His divine foreknowledge (Gen 11:27 to Gen 50:26) will focus the calling of Abraham and his descendants to establish the nation of Israel. God will call the patriarchs to fulfill the original purpose and intent of creation, which is to multiply into a righteous nation, for which mankind was originally predestined to fulfill.
The generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob take up a large portion of the book of Genesis. These genealogies have a common structure in that they all begin with God revealing Himself to a patriarch and giving him a divine commission, and they close with God fulfilling His promise to each of them because of their faith in His promise. God promised Abraham a son through Sarah his wife that would multiply into a nation, and Abraham demonstrated his faith in this promise on Mount Moriah. God promised Isaac two sons, with the younger receiving the first-born blessing, and this was fulfilled when Jacob deceived his father and received the blessing above his brother Esau. Jacob’s son Joseph received two dreams of ruling over his brothers, and Jacob testified to his faith in this promise by following Joseph into the land of Egypt. Thus, these three genealogies emphasize God’s call and commission to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their response of faith in seeing God fulfill His word to each of them.
1. The Generations of Terah (& Abraham) Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11
2. The Generations Ishmael Gen 25:12-18
3. The Generations of Isaac Gen 25:19 to Gen 35:29
4. The Generations of Esau Gen 36:1-43
5. The Generations of Jacob Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26
The Origin of the Nation of Israel After Gen 1:1 to Gen 9:29 takes us through the origin of the heavens and the earth as we know them today, and Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:26 explains the origin of the seventy nations (Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:26), we see that the rest of the book of Genesis focuses upon the origin of the nation of Israel (Gen 11:27 to Gen 50:26). Thus, each of these major divisions serves as a foundation upon which the next division is built.
Paul the apostle reveals the four phases of God the Father’s plan of redemption for mankind through His divine foreknowledge of all things in Rom 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Predestination – Gen 1:1 to Gen 11:26 emphasizes the theme of God the Father’s predestined purpose of the earth, which was to serve mankind, and of mankind, which was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with righteousness. Calling – Gen 11:27 to Gen 50:26 will place emphasis upon the second phase of God’s plan of redemption for mankind, which is His divine calling to fulfill His purpose of multiplying and filling the earth with righteousness. (The additional two phases of Justification and Glorification will unfold within the rest of the books of the Pentateuch.) This second section of Genesis can be divided into five genealogies. The three genealogies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob begin with a divine calling to a patriarch. The two shorter genealogies of Ishmael and Esau are given simply because they inherit a measure of divine blessings as descendants of Abraham, but they will not play a central role in God’s redemptive plan for mankind. God will implement phase two of His divine plan of redemption by calling one man named Abraham to depart unto the Promised Land (Gen 12:1-3), and this calling was fulfilled by the patriarch. Isaac’s calling can also be found at the beginning of his genealogy, where God commands him to dwell in the Promised Land (Gen 26:1-6), and this calling was fulfilled by the patriarch Isaac. Jacob’s calling was fulfilled as he bore twelve sons and took them into Egypt where they multiplied into a nation. The opening passage of Jacob’s genealogy reveals that his destiny would be fulfilled through the dream of his son Joseph (Gen 37:1-11), which took place in the land of Egypt. Perhaps Jacob did not receive such a clear calling as Abraham and Isaac because his early life was one of deceit, rather than of righteousness obedience to God; so the Lord had to reveal His plan for Jacob through his righteous son Joseph. In a similar way, God spoke to righteous kings of Israel, and was silent to those who did not serve Him. Thus, the three patriarchs of Israel received a divine calling, which they fulfilled in order for the nation of Israel to become established in the land of Egypt. Perhaps the reason the Lord sent the Jacob and the seventy souls into Egypt to multiply rather than leaving them in the Promised Land is that the Israelites would have intermarried the cultic nations around them and failed to produce a nation of righteousness. God’s ways are always perfect.
1. The Generations of Terah (& Abraham) Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11
2. The Generations Ishmael Gen 25:12-18
3. The Generations of Isaac Gen 25:19 to Gen 35:29
4. The Generations of Esau Gen 36:1-43
5. The Generations of Jacob Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26
Divine Miracles It is important to note that up until now the Scriptures record no miracles in the lives of men. Thus, we will observe that divine miracles begin with Abraham and the children of Israel. Testimonies reveal today that the Jews are still recipients of God’s miracles as He divinely intervenes in this nation to fulfill His purpose and plan for His people. Yes, God is working miracles through His New Testament Church, but miracles had their beginning with the nation of Israel.
The Genealogy of Jacob The genealogies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have a common structure in that they open with God speaking to a patriarch and giving him a commission and a promise in which to believe. In each of these genealogies, the patriarch’s calling is to believe God’s promise, while this passage of Scripture serves as a witness to God’s faithfulness in fulfilling each promise. Only then does the genealogy come to a close.
Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26 gives the account of the genealogy of Jacob, Isaac’s son. Heb 11:21-22 reveals the central message in this genealogy that stirs our faith in God when Jacob and Joseph gave redemptive prophecies, saying, “By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.” As Abraham’s genealogy begins with a divine commission when God told him to leave Ur and to go Canaan (Gen 12:1), and Isaac’s genealogy begin with a divine commission predicting him as the father of two nations (Gen 25:23), so does Jacob’s genealogy begin with a divine encounter in the form of his son Joseph’s two dreams. These dreams make it clear that Jacob’s divine commission was to bring his clan of seventy souls into Egypt through Joseph for four hundred years while the people multiply into the nation of Israel. This genealogy closes with the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “prince of God,” because his destiny was to father a multitude of godly seed. He fathered the twelve sons, or “princes,” who multiplied into the twelve tribes of Israel. His ability to father twelve righteous seeds earned him his name as a prince of God, as a man who ruled over a multitude of godly seed. The Scriptures testify to Jacob’s faith in God’s promise that Joseph would rule over his brethren by the fact that he followed his son into Egypt (Gen 49:22-26), and he blessed the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh (Heb 11:21-22). The fact that Jacob died in a ripe old age testifies that he fulfilled his destiny as did his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
The Story of Joseph The last story in the origin of the nation of Israel that is recorded in the book of Genesis is the story of Joseph. Perhaps there is no other Old Testament story so moving as when he reveals himself to his brothers. There are many truths that are taught to us in this great Bible story. We learn that if we will serve the Lord amidst persecutions, God will always bring someone into our lives to bless us. Joseph had the favour and blessings of his father as a young man in the midst of his brothers’ persecutions. He then had the blessings of Potipher as a young man in Egypt. He found the favour of Pharaoh as an adult.
God gave Jeremiah some friends who stood by him and blessed him during the most difficult times in his ministry. God gave Daniel three friends in his Babylonian captivity. God gave to Paul men like Timothy and Luke to stand by him during times of persecution and even imprisonment. But for Joseph, he often stood alone, totally trusting in God.
The Chronology of the Life of Joseph – Jacob was one hundred thirty (130) years old when he went to Egypt.
Gen 47:9, “And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
Jacob died at the age of 147.
Gen 47:28, “And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.”
Joseph became ruler in Egypt at the age of 30.
Gen 41:46, “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Joseph had two sons by the age of 37.
Gen 41:50, “And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.”
Joseph was 39 when his family comes to Egypt.
Gen 45:11, “And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.”
Therefore, Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born.
Also, Joseph died at the age of 110 (Gen 50:22; Gen 50:26)
Gen 50:22, “And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.”
Gen 50:26, “So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.”
Joseph as a Type and Figure of Christ Jesus In many ways we can see Joseph as a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note some comparisons:
1. Joseph was Jacob’s beloved son, just as Jesus was the Heavenly Father’s beloved son.
Mat 3:17, “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
2. Joseph was given a coat of many colours, which was similar to the seamless robe worn by Jesus Christ, of which the Roman soldiers cast lots (Joh 19:23-24).
Joh 19:23-24, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”
3. Joseph took bread to his brothers, just like Jesus was sent as the bread of life to His people.
Mat 15:24-26, “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
4. Joseph was rejected by his brothers like Jesus was rejected by His people, the Jews.
5. Joseph was thrown in the pit in Gen 37:24. This is like Jesus’ death on the cross (Psa 16:10)
Gen 37:24, “And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.”
Psa 16:10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
6. When Joseph was betrayed by his brethren and sold as a servant. Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for thirty pieces of sliver.
7. Joseph became a servant in the house of Potiphar, just like Jesus Christ took form of a servant (Php 2:7) and (Psa 105:17).
Gen 37:36, “And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.”
Gen 39:1, “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.”
Psa 105:17, “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:”
Php 2:7, “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
8. Joseph was sent to Egypt to deliver the house of Jacob (Israel) (Gen 45:7-8) like Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to deliver them.
Gen 45:7-8, “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Mat 15:24, “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
9. Joseph was lifted up by Potiphar, then brought down into prison, then raised up by Pharaoh at his right hand. This is like Jesus being brought down to the grave, and then being raised to the right hand of the Father.
10. Joseph was exalted as ruler under Pharaoh, like Christians at the right hand of the Father in heaven today.
11. Some scholars suggest that Joseph’s marriage to the Egyptian is a type of Christ’s marriage to the church (especially to the Gentile church). He had two sons, which symbolizes the salvation of the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
12. Joseph’s brothers bowed down to Joseph during the famine (Gen 42:6) like Israel will bow down to Jesus one day (Rom 11:26). Israel shall be saved through the Deliverer.
Gen 42:6, “And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.”
Rom 11:26, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
13. Joseph revealed himself to his brothers on their third trip to Egypt. The ten brothers finally coming to Joseph and recognising him and receiving an inheritance is like Israel turning to and recognising Jesus and all being saved.
Rom 11:26, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
Jesus will reveal Himself to the Jews after the Church is raptured at His Second Return, thus, a third return.
14. All nations came and bowed down to Joseph, as all nations will someday come and bow down at the throne of the Lord Jesus.
15. Joseph was ruler over Egypt and the whole world, just as Jesus will reign in Zion as king of kings over the earth.
Joseph Finds Favor with Potiphar
v. 1. 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 Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. v. 2. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. v. 3. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. v. 4. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. v. 5. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. v. 6. EXPOSITION
Gen 39:1
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. The narrative now preparing to recite the fortunes of Joseph in Egypt, which eventually led, through his elevation to be Pharaoh’s prime minister, first to the salvation of the patriarchal family, ‘and finally to their settlement in Goshen, the historian reverts, in accordance with his usual practice, to a point of time antecedent to the incidents contained in the preceding chapter, and makes a new departure in his story from the moment of Joseph’s crossing into Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard (vide Gen 37:36), an Egyptian,literally, a man of Mitzraim. This implies that foreigners were sometimes employed to fill responsible offices about the Court of Pharaoh. The phrase “is not a superfluous addition, as the population of Heliopolis, from remote times, included a considerable admixture of Arabians” (Kalisch)bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites (vide Gen 37:36), which had brought him down thither.
Gen 39:2
And the LordJehovah, as usual, because the entire chapter is the work of the Jehovist (Tuch, Colenso), with the exception of a few alterations by the redactor (Davidson), or because, though the work of the Elohist, it has been modified by the Jehovistic editor (Bleek, Vaihinger); but more likely because the advancement of Joseph in Egypt was a special fruit of the theocratic promise which belonged to the patriarchal family (Hengstenberg, Quarry)was with Joseph (cf. Gen 39:21; Gen 21:20; Gen 26:24; Gen 28:15), and he was a prosperous man (literally, a man prospering); and he was in the house of his master the Egyptiani.e. as a domestic servant.
Gen 39:3
And his master saw that the Lord (Jehovah) was with himthis does not imply that Potiphar was acquainted with Jehovah, but simply that he concluded Joseph to be under the Divine protectionand that the Lord (Jehovah) made all that he did to prosper in his hand. That which led to the conviction of Potiphar concerning Joseph was the remarkable success which he saw attending all his efforts and undertakings.
Gen 39:4
And Joseph found grace in his sight,vide Gen 6:8; Gen 18:3; Gen 19:19; Gen 39:21. Most men are pleased with a good servant. Even Laban bad no objections to Jacob so long as he divided that Jehovah was multiplying his flocks for Jacob’s sake (Gen 30:27)and he served him (i.e. he waited on Potiphar, or acted as his personal attendant and comptroller of his household): and he (i.e. Potiphar) made him overseer over his house,a position corresponding to that occupied by Eliezer in the household of Abraham (Gen 24:2). Egyptian monuments attest the existence of such an officer in wealthy houses at an early period; a tomb at Kum-el-Ahmar exhibiting the account books, writing materials, and clerks that pertain to the office of’s steward, and another at Beni-hassan, besides displaying his accustomed implements, styling him the Overseer. A sepulchral inscription belonging to the period of the eleventh dynasty also mentions among the officers comprising the household of Ameni the chancellor Athorsi, the barber Khentikhrati, the slave Gefahapi, the lady’s maid Khui, the steward Ameni, the steward Santit. Joseph had also, after his exaltation, a ruler or steward of his house (cf. Gen 43:16, Gen 43:19; Gen 44:1)and all that he had he put into his hand = literally, and all which was to him he gave into his hand, i.e. he entrusted to Joseph’s cam).
Gen 39:5
And it same to pass from the time that he had made (literally, from that time he made) him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that (literally, and) the Lord (Jehovah) blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake (cf. Gen 30:12); and the blessing of the Lord (Jehovah) was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. It is observable that throughout this chapter, when the historian is speaking in his own name the term Jehovah is used to designate the Supreme Being (cf. Gen 39:21, Gen 39:23), whereas when Joseph replies to his mistress it is the word Elohim which he employs, the reason of which is sufficiently obvious.
Gen 39:6And (accordingly, encouraged by the admirable success attending Joseph’s management) he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand (i.e. gave him unrestricted control over all his temporal affairs); and he knew not ought he had (literally, he knew not anything with him, i.e. he shared not the care of anything along with him), save the bread which he did eat. This was necessitated by the laws of caste which then prevailed among the Egyptians, and in particular’ by the fact that ” the Egyptians might not eat with the Hebrews (Gen 43:32). And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoredliterally, beautiful is form and beautiful in appearance, like his mother Rachel (Gen 29:17).
HOMILETICS
Gen 39:1-23
Joseph is the house of Potiphar.
I. PURCHASED AS A SLAVE.
1. A sad lot. Worse even than being kidnapped by strangers, Joseph had been first sold by his brethren; carried into Egypt, he had there been exposed for sale in a slave-market; and now, as if he had been a beast of burden or a captive taken in war, he had been a second time purchased for money. Few fortunes are more touchingly sorrowful or more deeply humiliating than this which was now measured out to Jacob’s youthful son.
2. A common lot. Happily in our land, and indeed wherever the gospel prevails, it is not a spectacle that can now be beheldthat of men trafficking in each other’s flesh. But in those days the horrors of the auction block were not infrequent sights, and Joseph, in being sold and bought like goods and chattels, Was only experiencing a fate which had been undergone by many previous to his times, and has by myriads been suffered since.
3. An appointed lot. As everything on earth is, so was Joseph’s sad and sorrowful estate assigned him by Heaven; and the recognition of this doubtless it was by Joseph that prevented him from mur-touring, and apparently inspired him with a cheerful confidence, even in the darkest times.
II. EMPLOYED AS A SERVANT.
1. Eminently prosperous.
(1) The extent of this prosperity. All that he did prospered. Everything he put his hand to appeared to thrive. Success seemed to wait upon him like his shadow. It is seldom such a measure of good fortune is meted out to any of God’s people on the earth, or even of the devil’s children. For the first they would probably be spoiled by such indulgence, while for the second they mostly fail in the conditions that are needful for such distinction.
(2) The means of this prosperity. That Joseph was attentive. diligent, and conscientious in the performance of his household duties, as well as faithful and devoted to the interests of his master, may be reasonably inferred, since success seldom waits upon the negligent, the idle, or the unprincipled.
(3) The source of this prosperity. The historian is careful to note that the true mainspring of Joseph’s as of every other person’s, prosperity was the Divine blessing on his labors. The Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
2. Greatly rewarded. Joseph was
(1) Noticed by his master. It is a pleasure to true and faithful servants when those they serve regard their work with favorable observation.
(2) Accepted by his master. It says a great deal for Potiphar that he treated Joseph kindly, even though it was largely on account of his excellent qualities as a servant.
(3) Promoted by his master. From being humble valet to the great man’s person, he was exalted to the high position of steward or comptroller of the great man’s house.
(4) Trusted by his master. Everything connected with the management of Potiphar’s establishment, in his mansion and on his farm, was unreservedly committed to the care of Joseph. Potiphar troubled himself about nothing “save the bread which he did eat.”
III. BLESSED AS A MAN.
1. He enjoyed Divine companionship in his sad captivity. “The Lord was with him;” a compensation rich enough to be set against the miseries of bondage and exile, as God’s people, when similarly situated, have not un-frequently experienced (cf. Act 16:25; 2Ti 4:17).
2. He obtained Divine assistance in his arduous duties. When the circumstances of Joseph’s lot might have induced despondency, indifference, inaction, carelessness, and inattention, Divine grace so upheld and cheered him that he was able to go about his duties with alacrity and cheerfulness, so that everything he turned his hand to succeeded.
3. He received Divine favor in the eyes of his master. For Joseph himself to have secretly known that God approved of his person and behavior would have been an ample consolation to his sad heart; but to obtain the good-will of Heaven so conspicuously that even his heathen master could not avoid observing it was surely a signal honor.
4. He attracted Divine blessing towards his fellow-men. “The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake.” Here was a clear experience by Joseph of the truth of the Abrahamic blessing (Gen 12:2, Gen 12:3). In this also Joseph was an eminent type of Christ.
Lessons:
1. Patience under suffering.
2. Contentment with one’s lot.
3. Fidelity in service.
4. The secret of prosperity.
5. The obligations of masters towards servants.
6. The value of religion to a workman.
7. The profit of a pious servant.
Gen 39:1-23
Sunshine and shadow.
I. THE BRIGHTENING SKY. The advancement of Joseph in the house of Potiphar.
1. To Joseph’s sense it was a lightening in his bondage.
2. To Joseph’s faith it was the smiling of Jehovah’s face.
3. To Joseph’s hope it was the dawning of a better day.
II. THE THREATENING CLOUD. The temptation of Joseph by his mistress. Here was
1. An assault upon his virtue, which, unless it were overcome, would deprive him of Jehovah’s favor, and consequently put an end to any prospect he might have of deliverance; and,
2. An attack upon his safety, which, however it resulted, whether in his defeat or his victory, would likely terminate his enjoyment of his master’s favor, if not altogether cost him his life.
III. THE FALLING DARKNESS. The accusation of Joseph by his mistress.
1. Though untrue, it was almost certain to be believed.
2. If believed, it would certainly involve him in punishment.
3. If deemed deserving of punishment, he would almost certainly be put to death.
IV. THE STARLIGHT NIGHT. The history of Joseph in the prison.
1. He had not been executed, but only imprisoned.
2. God was with him in the dungeon, as he had been in the palace.
3. If the favor of his master had been lost, the confidence of his keeper had been gained.
4. Misfortune might seem to be always lying in wait for him, but, on the other hand, prosperity appeared to be ever following close upon his heels.
HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD
Gen 39:1-23
The righteous man.
Again the word of the Lord tries Joseph, but not so much now as the word of prophecy, but as the word of command, the doctrine of righteousness. “The Egyptian’s house is blessed for Joseph’s sake.” “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.” A lesson on the true method of prosperity. A prosperous man is one who has the Lord with him
1. To give him favor with fellow-men.
2. To teach him wisdom, and put things into his hand.
3. To give him the faculty of rule, and dispose others to trust him entirely.
4. To keep him pure from the vicious besetments of the world, both by his own personal chastity and by his courage and self-command in hours of temptation.
5. By delivering him when he is entangled in the meshes of the evil-minded. The bad woman’s determination is thwarted. Mercy is shown him in the prison.
6. By making him a messenger of peace and truth, even in the very prison house of shame and misery.
Notice again the elevation of Joseph‘s character.
1. His love of God. “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
2. His love of man. “My master hath committed all to mehow can I wrong him so?
3. His confidence in the blessing of God on the upright and holy life. He knew that God would vindicate him.
4. His self-control. His circumstances were fearful temptation. Had he not been a virtuous man in his heart of hearts, he would have succumbed, and then pleaded, as so many do, the power of the flesh and of the tempting circumstances.
Notice also how these characteristics do help one another when they are in the character, and how, when a man casts himself upon God, God makes the way of escape. Joseph was safer in prison than he was in his master’s house.R.
Gen 39:1, &c. And Joseph, &c.] Moses here resumes the history of Joseph, who, he informs us, was so particularly favoured by the Lord, that his blessing attended the house of Potiphar for Jacob’s sake. Potiphar, sensible of this, and charmed with the goodness and fidelity of Joseph, raised him to the first place in his family, made him, Gen 39:4 his overseer, his major domo, whom the Romans called atriensis, to whom all the other servants were to be obedient, and put all he had into his hands, Gen 39:6 committed to him the management of all his household affairs; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat; i.e.. secure in Joseph’s fidelity, and relying on his care, he never scrutinized his affairs, but left them wholly to this honest and trusty young man. See Gen 39:8.
THIRD SECTION
Joseph in Potiphars house and in prison. His sufferings on account of his virtue, and his apparent destruction.
Gen 39:1-23
1And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard [life-guardsmen, executioners], an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. 2And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. 6And he left all that he had in Josephs hand; and he knew not aught he had save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well-favored 7[see Gen 29:17]. And it came to pass, after these things, that his masters wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8But he refused, and said unto his masters wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and Hebrews 9 hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 10And it came to pass as she spake to Joseph, day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out [of the house]. 13And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to he with me, and I cried with a loud voice: 15And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me and fled, and got him out. 16And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice, and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. 19And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. 20And Josephs master took him, and put him into the prison [stronghold]1 a place where the kings prisoners [state-prisoners] were bound: and he was there in the prison. 21But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22And the keeper of the prison committed to Josephs hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS
1. The three chapters, 3942, form a distinct section by themselves. Joseph in Egyptin his misery and in his exaltation; first, himself apparently lost, afterwards a saviour of the world. Ch. 40 presents the transition from his humiliation to his exaltation. 4. Our narrative may be divided into three parts: 1) Josephs good conduct and prosperity in Potiphars house (Gen 39:1-6); 2) Josephs temptation, constancy, and sufferings (Gen 39:6-20); 3) Josephs well-being in prison (Gen 39:21-23).
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. Josephs good behavior and prosperity in Potiphars house (Gen 39:1-6).And Potiphar bought him (see Gen 37:36).As captain of the executioners, he commanded the guard of the palace, or Pharaohs body-guard, who were to execute his death-sentences, and was named accordingly. Concerning this office among other ancient nations, see Knobel, p. 303. The name eunuch also denotes a courtier in general; but Knobel, without any ground, would regard Potiphar as really such; though these were frequently married.And the Lord was with Joseph.Here the name Jehovah certainly corresponds with the facts. Joseph was not only saved, but it is Jehovah who saves him for the purposes of his kingdom. His master soon recognizes in him the talent with which he undertakes and executes everything entrusted to him. As by Jacobs entrance into Labans house, so by Josephs entrance into Potiphars, there comes a new prosperity, which strikes Potiphar as something remarkable. He ascribes it to Joseph as a blessing upon his piety, and to his God Jehovah, and raises Joseph to the position of his overseer. In this office he had, doubtless, the management of an extensive land-economy; for in this respect there was, for the military order, a rich provision. It was a good training for the management of the trust he afterwards received in respect to all Egypt. Upon this new influence of Joseph there follows a greater prosperity, and therefore Potiphar commits to him his whole house.Save the bread which he did eat.Schrder: There appears here that characteristic oriental indolence, on account of which a slave who has command of himself may easily attain to an honorable post of influence. Save the bread, etc. This, according to Bohlen, is an expression of the highest confidence; but the ceremonial Egyptian does not easily commit to a stranger anything that pertains to his food. Besides, the Egyptians had their own laws concerning food, and did not eat with Hebrews.
2. Josephs temptations, consolations, and sufferings (Gen 39:6-20).And Joseph was a goodly man.His beauty occasioned his temptations.His masters wife cast her eyes upon him.His temptations are long continued, beginning with lustful persuasions, and ending in a bold attack. Joseph, on the other hand, tries to awaken her conscience; he places the proposed sin in every possible light; it would be a disgraceful abuse of the confidence reposed in him by his master; it would be an outrage upon his rights as a husband; it would be adultery, a great crime in the sight of God. Again, he shuns every opportunity the woman would give him, and finally takes to flight on a pressing occasion which she employs, notwithstanding he is now to expect her deadly revenge. Knobel: The ancients describe Egypt as the home of unchastity (Martial, iv. 42, Genesis 4 : nequitias tellus scit dare nulla magis), and speak of the great prevalence of marriage infidelity (Herod, ii. 111; Diod. Sic. i. 59), as well as of their great sensuality generally. For example, the history of Cleopatra, Diod. Gen 51. 15. For similar statements respecting the later and modern Egypt, see Keil, p. 251, note.To lie by her.An euphemistic expression.That she called unto the men.Lust changes into hatred. She intends to revenge herself for his refusal. Besides, it is for her own safety; for though Joseph himself might not betray her, she might be betrayed by his garment that he had left behind. Her lying story is characteristic in every feature. Scornfully she calls her husband he (he hath brought in, etc.), and thereby betrays her hatred. Joseph she designates as an Hebrew, i. e., one of the nomadic people, who was unclean according to Egyptian views (Gen 43:32; Gen 46:34). Both expressions show her anger. She reproaches her husband with having imperilled her virtue, but makes a show of it, by calling the pretended seductions of Joseph a wanton mockery, as though by her outcry she would put herself forth as the guardian of the virtue of the females of her house.Unto me to mock me.Her extreme cunning and impudence are proved by the fact that she makes use of Josephs garment as the corpus delicti, and that in pretty plain terms she almost reproaches Potiphar with having purposely endangered her chastity.That his wrath was kindled.It is to be noticed that it is not exactly said, against Joseph. He puts him into the tower, the state-prison, surrounded by a wall, and in which the prisoners of the king, or the state criminals, were kept. Gen 39:10. Delitzsch and Keil regard this punishment as mild; since, according to Diod. Sic. i. 28, the Egyptian laws of marriage were severe. It must be remembered, however, that Potiphar decreed this penalty without any trial of the accused, and that his confinement seems to have been unlimited. At the same time, there is something in the opinion, expressed by many, that he himself did not fully believe his wifes assertion, and intended again, in time, to reinstate Joseph. It may, therefore, have seemed to him most proper to pursue this course, in order to avoid the disgrace of his house, without sacrificing entirely this hitherto faithful servant. The prosperous position that Joseph soon held in the prison seems to intimate that Potiphar was punishing him gently for appearance sake.
3. Josephs well-being in the prison (Gen 39:21-23).Favor in the sight of the keeper.This was a subordinate officer of Potiphar; and thus vanishes the difficulty presented by Tuch and Knobel, that Joseph is said to have had two masters, and that mention is made of two captains of the body-guard. Delitzsch. The overseer of the prison also recognizes Josephs worth, and makes him a sort of sub-officer; though he does not, by that, cease to be a prisoner.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Gerlach: The important step in the development of the divine plan is now to be made: the house of Jacob was to remove from the land of the promise into a foreign country, as had been announced to Abraham many years before (Gen 15:13). Jacobs numerous family could no longer remain among the Canaanites, without dispersion, loss of unity and independence, and troublesome conflicts with the inhabitants of the country. Further on it is said: They were to become a people in the most cultivated country then known, and yet most distinctly separated from the inhabitants.
2. Jehovah was with Joseph. The covenant God victoriously carries forward his decrees through all the need, sufferings, and ignominy of his people. Joseph, so to say, is now the support of the future development of the Old-Testament theocracy; and on the thread of his severely threatened life, as one above whose head hangs the sword of the heathen executioner, there is suspended, as far as the human eye can see, the destiny both of Israel and the world. Gods omnipotence may, and can, make its purposes dependent from such threads as Joseph in prison, Moses in the ark, David in the cave of Adullam. Providence is sure of the accomplishment of its object. 4. Joseph, as an example of chastity, stands here in the brightest light when compared with the conduct of Judah in the previous chapter. From this we see that the divine election of the Messianic tribe was not dependent upon the virtues of the Israelitish patriarchs. We should be mistaken, however, in concluding from this a groundless arbitrariness in the divine government. In the strong fulness of Judahs nature there lies more that is undeveloped for the future, than in the immature spirituality and self-reliance of Joseph. It is a seal of the truth of Holy Scripture that it admits such seeming paradoxes as no mythology could have invented, as well as a seal of its grandeur that it could so boldly present such a patriarchal parallel to a people proud of its ancestry, whose principal tribe was Judah, and in which Judah and Ephraim were filled with jealousy toward each other. HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
See Doctrinal and Ethical. Josephs destiny according to the divine providence: 1. His misfortune in his fortune. As formerly the preference of his father, his variegated coat, and the splendid dreams, prepared for him misfortunes, so now his important function in Potiphars house, and his goodly person. 2. His fortune in his misfortune. He was to go to Egypt, assume the condition of a slave, enter prison, and all this in order to become a prophetic man, an interpreter of dreams, an overseer of estates, lord of Egypt, a deliverer of many from hunger, a cause of repentance to his brethren, and of salvation to the house of Jacob.Taube: The promise of suffering, and the blessing of godliness: 1. Its use: godliness is profitable unto all things; 2. its sufferings: all that will live godly shall suffer persecution; 3. its blessing in its exercise: exercise thyself unto godliness.
Section First. (Gen 39:1-6). Starke.: There is no better companion on a journey than God. Blessed are they who never forget to take this society with them wherever they go.Bibl. Tub.: Gods blessing and grace are with the pious everywhere, even in their severest trials.Cramer: Where God is present with his grace, there he will be soon known through his word, and other tokens of his presence.Osiander: Pious servants should be made happy in their service; they should be loved as children, and elevated to higher employments.Lange: A beautiful bodily form, and a disposition fundamentally enriched, both by grace and nature! how fitly do they correspond.Schrder: In Egypt Jacobs family had a rich support during the famine; there could it grow up to a great and united people; there it found the best school of human culture; there was the seat of the greatest worldly power, and, therefore, the best occasion in which to introduce those severe sufferings that were to awaken in Israel a longing after redemption, and a spirit of voluntary consecration to God (Hengstenberg).Gods being with Joseph, however, is not a presence of special revelations, as with the patriarchs, but a presence of blessing and success in all things (Baumgarten).Joseph happy, though a servant.Among the implements of agriculture delineated on the Egyptian tombs, there is often to be seen an overseer keeping the accounts of the harvest. In a tomb at Kum el Ahmar there is to be seen the office of a household steward, with all its appurtenances.
Section Second. (Gen 39:7-20). Starke: Luther: Thus far Satan had tempted Joseph on his left side, i. e., by manifold and severe adversities; now he tempts him on the right, by sensuality. This temptation is most severe and dangerous, especially to a young man. For Joseph lived now among the heathen, where such sins were frequent, and could, therefore, more easily excite a disposition in any way inclined to sensual pleasure. The more healthy one is in body, the more violent is this sickness of the soul (Sir 14:14), The more dangerous temptations are, or the more difficult to be overcome, so much the more plausible and agreeable are they. Nothing is more alluring than the eyes. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.
Gen 39:9. Musculus: In all cases he who sins, sins against God,even then when he is wronging his fellow-men. But he most especially sins against God who injures the forsaken, the miserable, the little ones, and those who are deficient in understanding. For God will protect them, since they cannot be wronged without the grossest wickedness.Augustine: Imitentur adolescentes Joseph sanctum, pulchrum corpore, pulchriorem mente.Lange: Since by nature shame is implanted in women to a higher degree than in men (in addition to the fact, that in consenting and transgression she is exposed to more danger and shame), so much the more disgraceful is it when she so degenerates as not only to lay snares secretly for the other sex, but also impudently to importune them.The same: The fear of God is the best means of grace for avoiding sin and shame.Hall: A pious heart would rather remain humbled in the dust then rise by sinful means.
Gen 39:12. He preferred to leave his garment behind him, rather than a good conscience.Lange: In a temptation to adultery and fornication, flight becomes the most pressing necessity.
Gen 39:18. Cramer: The devil will be true to his nature; for as he is an unclean spirit, so also is he a liar.Hall: Wickedness is ever artful in getting up false charges against the virtues and good works of others (Act 16:20). We must be patient toward the diabolical slanders of the impious; for God finally comes and judges them.Beware of the act itself; against the lie there may be found a remedy
Gen 39:19-20. He who believes easily is easily deceived. Magistrates should neither be partial, hasty, nor too passionate.
Schrder: Joseph was a goodly person. With literal reference to Gen 29:17, Joseph was the reflected image of his mother. They in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells, are wont to have a countenance frank, upright, and joyful (Luther).The love of Potiphars wife was far more dangerous to Joseph than the hatred of his brothers (Rambach).Now a far worse servitude threatens him, namely, that of sin (Krummacher).Joseph had a chaste heart, and, therefore, a modest tongue (Val. Herberger). Unchaste expressions a mark of unchaste thoughts. On the monuments may be seen Egyptian women who are so drunk with wine that they cannot stand. Of a restriction of wives, as customary afterwards in the East, and even in Greece, we find no trace.Joseph lets his mantle go, but holds on to a good conscience. Joseph is again stripped of his garment, and again does it serve for the deception of others.Sensual love changes suddenly into hatred (2Sa 13:15).Calwer Handbuch: Such flight is more honorable than the most heroic deeds.
Section Third. (Gen 39:21-23). Starke: Osiander: To a pious man there cannot happen a severer misfortune than the reputation of guilt, and of deserved punishment therefor, when he is innocent (Rom 8:28).Cramer: God sympathises with those who suffer innocently (Jam 1:3). God bringeth his elect down to the grave, but bringeth them up again (1Sa 2:6). Whom God would revive, can no one stifle. Whom God favors, no misfortune can harm.
Schrder: Those who believe in God must suffer on account of virtue, truth, and goodness; not on account of sin and shame (Luther). Exaltation in humiliation, a sceptre in a prison, servant and Lordeven as Christ.Gods eyes behold the prison, the fetters, and the most shameful death, as he beholds the fair and shining sun. In Josephs condition nothing is to be seen but death, the loss of his fair fame, and of all his virtues. Now comes Christ with his eyes of grace, and throws light into the grave. Joseph is to become a Lord, though he had seemingly entered into the prison of hell (Luther). Josephs way is now for a time in the darkness, but this is the very way through which God often leads his people. Thus Moses, David, Paul, Luther; so lived the Son of God to his thirtieth year in Nazareth. Nothing is more opposed to God than that impatience of the power of nature which would violently usurp his holy government.Stolberg justly commends the inimitable simplicity of Josephs history, narrated in the most vivid manner, and bearing on its face the most unmistakable seal of truth.
Footnotes:
[1][Gen 39:20. . Literally, the round house, so called from its shape, which was different from the common Egyptian architecturethus constructed, perhaps, as giving greater strength. Aben Ezra expresses the opinion that the word is Egyptian; but it occurs in Hebrew, as in Son 7:3 (), where it evidently has the sense of roundness, and is so rendered in the ancient versions. This is confirmed by its near relationship to the more common , to go round, from which the Syriac has its word for tower or castle. Although Joseph, for policy, used an interpreter when speaking with his brethren, yet there must have been, at this time, a great affinity between the Shemitic and the old Egyptian tongue. Very many of the words must have been the same in both languages. The LXX. have rendered it, , in the stronghold; Vulg., simply in carcerem.T. L.]
CONTENTS
In this Chapter the Sacred Writer reassumes the history of Joseph The account is related of Joseph’s being carried down into Egypt; and of the reception he met with there. He is sold to Potiphar, a captain under Pharaoh king of Egypt: Joseph is so blessed of the LORD, that his master commits unto him the care of all his substance: Joseph, on account of the comeliness of his person, becomes an object of desire to his mistress. She attempts to seduce him; but by the grace of GOD being preserved from the temptation, her lust is changed into hatred. She accuses Joseph to her lord, who, unheard, throws him into prison. The LORD manifests his favor to his servant, so that he inclines the heart of the keeper of the prison to be kind to Joseph These are the contents of this Chapter, to which as there is much in type and figure of the LORD JESUS, we shall do well to be very attentive in the perusal.
Gen 39:1
Gen 37:36Gen 37:36 ; Psa 105:17 . Observe how the LORD arrangeth all his providences. Joseph being sold to Potiphar, rather than to any other, became the foundation of his being known to Potiphar’s master.
Gen 39:9
‘How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ So said Joseph, alone with Potiphar’s wife? The unhappy woman had been enticing Joseph, then about twenty-seven years old, to gross and grievous sin. Sin had mastered her; she was the insane slave of its power. Now, she in turn craved, by a sort of dreadful ‘law of sin,’ to drag down another soul with her in the pit.
Joseph was not a glorified spirit. He was a young mortal man, subject to ‘like passions’ with ours. The fiery arrows of the words, acts, looks of the temptress were aimed upon no automaton, or statue, but upon a being full of the perils of our nature in its prime. Not only so; this young man, this young Oriental man, was placed in circumstances exquisitely hard for virtue and easy for moral relaxation. Outwardly, there was no call upon him such as the words noblesse oblige imply; he was but a purchased slave. And he was in a country, Egypt, peculiarly infected by moral pollution; he had breathed for years the air of its opinion and practice around him. His home in Canaan was no perfect home, yet it had the breath of the Lord and the Promise in it. But now he was a young man away from home, awfully away, helplessly separated from the helps of home, including the moral influence of a father who had ‘seen God face to face,’ poor as his use of that blessing had been. He had been carried off from home by an act of atrocious injustice and cruelty, enough to embitter Joseph’s spirit for all time. Awful is the tempter’s power when he comes with some seduction, and finds the spirit in rebellion under some real wrong, angry with man, and fretting against Him who has permitted the wrong to be done.
I can hardly imagine a position more terribly difficult than that of Joseph, as regarded the open avenues for the temptation. And now, in all its force, it came.
I. In this case, unlike Abraham’s, the temptation is put before us as an enticement from the powers of darkness. But in Abraham’s case we saw how the enemy must have used the test as a lure. So here we may be confident that Joseph’s eternal Master and Friend used the lure as a test in faithfulness and love. He took the occasion to give Joseph just that victory which is won by tested faith alone. The young man put the sin away at once, in the name and in the power of God. He was instantly conscious of two things; that sin was sin, and that God was near. His moral standard was true. Egypt might condone what it pleased; for him, this act was a ‘great wickedness’. And the essence of it was that it was ‘against God’. He said nothing of Potiphar’s wrath. The all-possessing thought was God. Jacob was far away; but God was there. And how could he ‘sin against God’?
II. Joseph’s temptation and his victory over it are both richly typical. His temptation was of a kind about which it is best to say and to write very little, unless under the sternest compulsion of manifest duty. But the kind is a kind awfully present to innumerable lives; the besetments of impurity in one form or another, where may they not be? ‘The corruption that is in the world through lust’ is a deep cancer, and a deadly one. Too many a human life has felt it first in quite young years. And how persistent it can be, long after the prime is over! So Joseph’s awful trial stands for trials past all counting. And thus there comes through it, at once, at least this message, that the Word of God ‘knows all about’ these fierce assaults. And in that one simple reflection lies a help and hope very precious to tempted hearts.
III. Joseph’s secret of victory we have noticed already. Briefly, and in its essence, it was ‘the practice of the presence of God’. We read nothing, all through Joseph’s life, of his inner spiritual experience. But this one sentence, spoken in the hour of temptation, is eloquent to tell us what it must have been. He must have ‘walked with God’ in close and watchful intercourse. Perhaps that awful hour in the dry pit at Dothan was his great crisis of discovery of the supreme reality of God for his soul. But however, ‘God was in all his thoughts’; aye, in the Egyptian house, in the daily task, and so in the fierce temptation. The enemy assailed him with desperate force. But it was in vain. The chamber was not ’empty, swept and garnished’. God was at home within.
Bishop H. C. G. Moule.
The Victory of Conscience and Faith Over Impulse and Opportunity
Gen 39:9
All of us may be benefited by seeing how other men have acted under given circumstances. Perhaps the most instructive and helpful biography ever penned, next to that of the only perfect one, is the life of the patriarch Jacob’s favourite son; a type in many ways of Christ.
I. Think of the circumstances which might have made it easy for him to succumb to the temptation so powerfully described in this chapter.
( a ) He was young. This fact alone In the estimate of worldly minds is often enough to condone the gravest offences. Youth has its disadvantages, want of experience, etc., but it has also an unspeakable advantage over sinful advanced life in that it is free from the domination and tyranny of inveterate evil habit.
( b ) He was away from home. How often do young men think that absence from home gives them license to do as they think fit. It was not so with Joseph. He forgot not the lessons he had received under his father’s tent nor the God before whom his father had taught him to bow.
( c ) Joseph might have pleaded that the consequences of his sin would be favour and advancement, while the consequences of his resistance would be, in all likelihood, irretrievable disgrace.
II. Consider the way in which Joseph, instead of yielding to the pressure of these circumstances, met and overcame the temptation which assailed him. How did he fortify himself against the enticement to evil?
( a ) By calling things by their right names. He had not so lived as to bedim or disturb his spiritual vision; and so he blurted out the truth at once, and called the act to which he was invited “This great wickedness”.
( b ) By remembering that all wrongdoing is sin against God. It may be sin against self also but it most assuredly is sin against God. The faith which utters itself in these words was the source at once of the insight which enabled Joseph to perceive the true nature of the temptation, and of the strength in which he was able to overcome it.
J. R. Bailey, The Contemporary Pulpit, vol. v. p. 160.
References. XXXIX. 9. G. W. Brameld, Practical Sermons, p. 330. C. Kingsley, Gospel of the Pentateuch, p. 103. J. Clifford, Daily Strength for Daily Living, p. 57. XXXIX. 12. Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 207. XXXIX. 20. G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 369.
The Gift of Influence
Gen 39:22
Joseph, as depicted in the beautiful Biblical narrative, was a born leader. His sweet and gracious nature, with its brightness and alertness, gave him easy access to men’s hearts. Then he was of a gentle and affectionate disposition, which delighted in giving people pleasure and in serving them. He was a man of principle, too, conscientious, trustworthy, willing to suffer rather than commit a base or dishonourable act; and in the long-run character counts for much and makes men instinctively trust the man of tried probity. His supreme qualification was that he had an inner life of simple faith, which kept him from personal anxiety about his own future and left him free to think of others. There was in him in addition the unusual combination of the imaginative and the practical. The born leader of men must have something of both qualities, the power of the dreamer of appealing to sentiment and creating enthusiasm, bringing a glimpse of the ideal to his more prosaic followers; and at the same time he must prove his capacity and create confidence in his practical wisdom. Joseph showed he possessed both sets of qualities in all the varied situations in which he was placed. The young slave, who rose to be overseer in the house of his master, when he sank to be a prisoner impressed all there with his character and his capacity, so that the keeper of the prison trusted him, and all the inmates readily assented to his personal superiority, till he took his natural place as leader so that ‘whatsoever the prisoners did there, he was the doer of it’. The prisoner became the real governor.
I. This is the way all leadership works. It is the power to do this which constitutes leadership. This peculiar magnetic power of a great leader makes his followers associate themselves utterly with his fortunes, so that his triumphs become theirs, and his ambitions write themselves on their minds. In truth the world waits for leaders in every branch of thought and activity, waits for men whom it can follow with a whole heart, whether or not we believe with Carlyle that universal history, the history of what man has accomplished in this world, is at bottom the history of the great men who have worked here. Even for practical success in every great enterprise there is a clamant need of leadership. The best designs and the best organisations will come to little without some inspiring head. Every great work needs a controlling brain and heart, a centre for affection and devotion. If this be amissing, even though all else be there, the best results are impossible. The history of the world may not be what it has been called, merely the biography of great men; but at any rate the history of the world would be different if the influence of even a few of its great men had been left out. Sometimes a whole epoch has been dominated by one man, who has made history because he was able to move men by the impulse of his mind and soul. It is a foolish way to treat history as if it were in a vacuum, the whirl of impersonal forces without father or mother or any definite human connexion. To treat the world of man without reference to the power of personal influence is to make it inexplicable. Joseph was the key of whatsoever the prisoners did; for he was the doer of it. The lines the Reformation took cannot be understood unless you understand something of Luther.
II. After all the subtle, magnetic force of a great man is only a common fact of life and experience, seen on a larger scale than usual. It is, or may be, the gift of all in some measure; and is not merely the privilege of the few. There is none who may not share in the burden and the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. The patience of the sufferer, the faith of, the lowly, the prayers of the saints, the love of loving hearts, the ministry of kindly hands, are as incense swung from the censers of the angels. If you consecrate yourself to God you will get your place and wield your influence. What higher work is there than to help another to a clearer vision of truth, or to a nobler sense of duty, to encourage good and inspire to high ends?
Hugh Black, University Sermons, p. 55.
References. XXXIX. XL. F. W. Robertson, Notes on Genesis, p. 140. XL. 1-15. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Genesis, p. 248. XLI. 4. Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 185. XLI. 9. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xii. No. 680.
Joseph’s Captivity
Gen 39
Up to this time we hear next to nothing of what Joseph himself said or thought about the peculiar, the romantic, and the distressing circumstances under which he was placed. It occurs to me, however, to call attention to one observation of his, omitted in our last reading. You remember that Joseph had two remarkable dreams, in both of which his own prospective supremacy was broadly indicated. He dreamed that all other sheaves bowed down before his sheaf. He dreamed, also, that the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to him; and yet, whilst these dreams were in his recollection, his father called to him and proposed that he should go to see whether it was well with his brethren and well with the flocks. When Jacob made this proposition, the prospectively great man, instantly, humbly, with filial simplicity and love, answered, “Here am I.” There is a lesson, in this reply, to young men, who have dreams of future greatness, who see sheaves falling down before their sheaf, and see the host of heaven making obeisance to them. Meanwhile, if you are children, obey your parents in the Lord. If you are servants, do the day’s work, not with the hireling’s niggardliness, but with a servant’s noble trust, with self-expenditure, with an attention which commands confidence, and with a diligence that ought to merit reward. It is always a great pity when a man’s dreams destroy his strength for practical work and his interest in the affairs that are round about him. No man can live healthily on dreams. If the dreamer be not superior to his dreams, in the meantime, then he will become the victim of fancies; he will be led about under the enchantment of the most mocking delusions; and he who might, by humbly, patiently, and nobly waiting, have become a great man, will subside into commonplace, and leave no recollection for which the world or his friends in particular will thank him.
This is nearly all that we hear of Joseph’s own speech. Up to this time he has been to a large extent silent. In the verse before us we hear nothing of his thoughts or of his speech. How is this? The deepest things in life are never told. When men are in their greatest sorrows they are often also in the deepest silence. There are crises in life when we cannot speak, we are stunned, overwhelmed, dismayed. We look almost vacant to observers whose eyes are upon us. They cannot understand our speechlessness; whilst they themselves are under such great excitement, they wonder at our passivity. There is an excitement that is passive; there is a passion that is latent; there is a vehemence of feeling which is often kept under restraint. Men misunderstand us because, in our sorest experiences, we do not exclaim aloud; we do not protest against the injury which is being inflicted upon us: we are led off in silence, and we seem to justify those who injure us by want of protest, and argument, and vehement denial of the justice which is being accorded to us. Learn that there is a sublimity of silence. There are two ways of enduring the wrongs of life. An exclamatory, effusive, protesting style of endurance; and a silent, calm, dignified acceptance of trial, scourge, injury, injustice, wrong. The quiet man has suffering as well as the stormy man; and not always those who protest most loudly feel most keenly the impression which the iron is making on their souls.
“And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian” ( Gen 39:2 ).
There are many ways in which the Lord is with a man. Not always by visible symbol; seldom by an external badge which we can see and read. God is with a man in the suggestion of thought; in the animation of high, noble, heavenly feeling; in the direction of his steps, in the inditement of his speech, enabling him to give the right love, the right answer at the right time under the right circumstances; giving him the schooling which he could never pay for; training him by methods and processes unknown in human schools, and not to be understood except by those who have passed under them. “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” Ideas are the gifts of God, as well as wheat-fields, and vineyards, and other fruits of the earth. Suggestions in business, delivering thoughts in the time of extremity, silence when it is better than speech, speech when it will do more than silence. “This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.” The Lord was with Joseph, and yet Joseph was under Potiphar. These are the contradictions and anomalies of life which ill-taught souls can never understand, and which become to them mysteries which torment their spirits and which distract their love. Undoubtedly this is an anomalous state of life: Joseph brought down to Egypt by his purchasers, Joseph sold into the house of Potiphar, bought and sold and exchanged like an article of merchandise. Yet, he was a prosperous man! Understand that there are difficulties which cannot impair prosperity, and that there is a prosperity which dominates over all external circumstances and vindicates its claim to be considered a Divine gift. Looking at this case through and through, one would say, it is hardly correct to assert that Joseph was a prosperous man, when he was to all intents and purposes in bondage, when he was the property of another, when not one hour of his time belonged to himself, when he was cut off from his father and from his brethren. Yet, it is distinctly stated that, notwithstanding these things, the Lord was with him and he was prosperous.
There must be a lesson here. When men live in their circumstances they never can be prosperous. When a man has to go out into his wheat-field to know whether there is going to be a good crop before he can really enjoy himself, that man does not know what true joy is. When a man has to read out of a bank-book before he dare take one draught out of the goblet of happiness, that man’s thirst for joy will never be slaked. Man cannot live in wheat-fields, and bank-books, and things of the present world. If he cannot live within himself, in the very sanctuary and temple of God, then he is at the sport of every change of circumstance, one shake of the telegraph wire may unsettle him, and the cloudy day may obscure his hopes, and darken what little soul he has left. If Joseph had lived in his external circumstances, he might have spent his days in tears and his nights in hopelessness; but, living a religious life, living with God, walking with God, identifying his very soul’s life with God, then the dust had no sovereignty over him, external circumstances were under his feet. This is the solution of many of our difficulties. Given a man’s relation to God, you have the key of his whole life. If that relation be disturbed, unequal, distracted, unsatisfactory, never bringing light and peace unto his heart and mind, then, whatsoever prosperity (so called) may attend his outward life, it is but a gilded coating which will be worn off by time, and which cannot stand the test of the greatest crises of life. Understand, then, how possible it is to be an exile, a slave: cut off from father, and mother, and home, and friendship, and yet to be a prosperous man. The man lies deeper than the slave. The Christian is, so to speak, higher than the man. He who has the bread of heaven to eat spends his life in the very banqueting-house of God.
“And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand” ( Gen 39:3 ).
There is something about a religious man that is not to be found about any other man. Pagans can see whether God is with us. Heathens and idolatrous men have some notion of our religious position, our religious thinking, our religious relationships. Potiphar knew nothing about the true God, yet saw in this fair-faced youth something he had not seen before. Such is the mysterious working of the higher life in a man. How did Potiphar see that the Lord was with Joseph? Because Joseph made long religious speeches to him whenever he had a spare hour? It is not said so here. Because Joseph wrote out in illuminated characters a brilliant religious creed? hung it up in his chamber, or bound it round his forehead? It is not said so in the text. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with him because all that he did prospered. You can only get at some minds through external phenomena, through circumstances, through evidence that appeals to the senses. It was not through the deepest religious things that Potiphar came to understand that the Lord was with Joseph; but, reasoning from the outside to the interior, he came to the conclusion that, as a mysterious and unmingled prosperity attended everything this young man did, there was no solution for such a state of things but a religious one. This man is the Lord’s servant, and the Lord’s crown of approbation rests upon his honoured head. How far is it possible to be any man’s servant, and yet to conceal from that man that we know the true God? A nice problem in casuistry! How long may a man be in the service of his employer, and his employer never have a conception that the man knows that there is so much as a God in the universe? Some of us have a very skilful way of concealing our religion. Perhaps you have been in the employment of your master seven years, and your master is surprised and startled to find that you are a member of a church, and that you take the Lord’s Supper from time to time. Now, there ought to be ways of revealing the deepest life. We ought not to be all surface. There ought to be subtleties of expression, of movement, mysteries of conduct, which cannot be explained on any other ground than that we take our soul’s law from the lips of the Eternal, and that we never do anything without first seeking the sanction and benediction of God. Oh, but some of us are exceedingly afraid of what we term “cant”! We can produce the evidences of our Christianity without saying a word. You cannot talk to some men without being the better, even for five minutes, in their company. It was said of one of our great English statesmen that you could not meet him under shelter during a rain-shower without being impressed with the fact that he was a remarkable man. We can understand that very well. There is influence in the expression of the countenance, in the glance of the eye, in the tone of the voice, in the little courtesies of life, in the small things which some men hold in contempt. Some men speak light. Some men bring with them the terribleness of judgment, when we are doing anything in their presence that is mean, sneaking, cowardly, or unworthy of manhood. We feel, when they get round about us, that they are like a flame piercing, scorching at every point. Yet they never preach to us, they never lecture us, they never go over the points of their theology to us: still, it is as impossible to disbelieve their sincerity and nobility as it is to deny the shining of the sun at noonday.
Perhaps we ought to pause here to point out that prosperity of the kind to which Potiphar referred is not always granted to men in vindication of their Christian sincerity and filial relation to God. Sometimes our manner of bearing adversity is the seal of our sonship: our patience under failure, our magnanimity in the time of trial, our hopefulness and chastened cheerfulness when the east wind is blowing or the clouds are thick and threatening. This may testify that we have learned of God. It is enough, therefore, to lay down this doctrine broadly, thus: When a man loves the Lord, and his ways please the Lord, there will be some opportunity of showing the man is not all surface, but that he has a deep true Christian heart, that he is a child of God, a son of light.
“And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field” ( Gen 39:5 ).
One man blessed for the sake of another. Here is a great law, here is a special lesson for many. A man looks at his property, and reasons that he must be good, and approved of God, otherwise he never could have so many blessings in his possession. It never enters the man’s mind that he has every one of those blessings for the sake of another man. The master blessed because he has a good servant! Would to God I could speak thunder-claps and lightnings to many thousands in our city and throughout all lands upon this very matter! Here is a man for example, who never enters a place of worship. No, no, not he. His wife is a member of the Church, and if ever she is five minutes late in on Sunday, his mighty lordship foams and fumes, and is not going to be put upon in this way, and have his household arrangements upset by these canting, fanatical, religious people. What shall I call him? The wretch owes every penny he has to his dishonoured praying wife. If that woman the only angel in God’s universe that cares for his soul were to cease praying for him, God might rain fire and brimstone upon him and his dwelling-place. He does not know it. No! He is shrewd, cunning, wide-awake, has his eyes open, knows when the iron is hot, and when to strike it, and he is such a wonderful genius in business. A maniac not knowing that it is his praying wife that saves him from ruin, meanwhile from hell!
Here is another man who thinks it manly to blaspheme, swear, and use profane language upon every opportunity, and to ridicule religion and religious people. And that man prospers! His fields are verdant in spring-time, his crops are rich and golden in autumn. If you speak a word to him about religion, he laughs at you, and intimates, in a not very roundabout manner, that you are a fool. And he owes all he has to a little invalid girl, who believes in God and prays to him, and connects the house with Heaven! God blesses one man for the sake of another. The husband is blessed because of the godliness of the wife. The parent is honoured because of the Christianity of the child. The strong man has prospered in his way because of the poor weak creature in his house, who is mighty in soul towards God and truth. Yet these are the elements and the facts which are so often overlooked, when men take stock and tell what they are worth. Ten men keep the brimstone-and-fire shower back. The righteous are the salt of the earth. The true, loving, and God-fearing are the light of the world. But for them, would God be patient with the world? What would it be to him, with his great power, to crush the little world, to pulverise and throw it away on the flying winds, and forget it? It is Paul that saves the vessel on the stormy sea. It is Joseph that blesses the house of Potiphar. It is the ten praying men that save the Sodoms of the earth from the lightning-showers of judgment.
And this is God’s plan all through. There is one Man for whose sake all other men are blessed. This is the principle of mediation which runs through all the Divine government of man. “If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father.” When we go to God with the story of our sin, and the cry of our penitence, we are heard, not for our own sake, but for the sake of Jesus Christ. It is the same principle, the principle of interposition, the ministerial, mediatorial principle, on which he conducts his government of human society. Does any poor guilty man want to talk to God? Here is the instruction for such a man. It will be for Christ’s sake that God will hear you. And as long as Christ’s name sanctifies and elevates your petitions you may pray on. There is no prayer long that gushes from the heart, and rises to God through the mediation of Christ.
After this Joseph had to encounter the great, moral crisis of his life. He has already passed over what I may term the social crisis, the physical crisis. He has come out of that crisis calm, strong, reliant upon God. And now the great temptation seizes him, is aimed at him, at least. Happily it cannot touch him. What is his answer to the temptation? This. God! There is no other true answer. When the tempter comes, when the enchantress stands there, what is the reply of the youth? God! And he is more than conqueror. “How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” A man must go back upon his religious principles when he is tempted; he must not try to prove to the individual in question that it is inexpedient; he must not quote the example of the man who has sinned before him. He must take wing, and get away to God! And from the height of God’s throne he must answer the temptation, and, when he does so, he will be more than conqueror. What are we, if we have not struggled against evil, if we have not proved our manhood, given to us of God, on the battle-field? You are tempted to put forth your hand to steal; and ere you touch the forbidden property, you thought of God and recoiled, and you are now the stronger man for temptation overcome. There are temptations in life temptations at every turning of the street temptations in all the evolutions of daily circumstances temptations that come suddenly temptations that come unexpectedly temptations that come flatteringly. There is no true, all-conquering, all-triumphant answer to the temptation of the devil but this, God! Be deep in your religion, have foundations that are reliable, know your calling, and God will protect you when the time of battle, and storm, and flood shall come. He will do it, if so be we put our trust in him.
What is the cure for all that we have seen in the case of Joseph that is bad? For the envy of brothers, the malice of those who ought to be our saintly protectors from all evil-mindedness, from all worldly passion, from all selfishness, from all prejudice? What is the cure? The cure is crucifixion with the Son of God! Except we be crucified with Christ we shall have no hidden power. Except we know the fellowship of his sufferings we shall be foiled in the day of attack. There is one life that touches all other life beneficently, benignly, redeemingly, that is the life of Jesus Christ. To those who need the exhortation, let me say: Read that Life with an attention you have never bestowed upon it before, with special desire to know the meaning of that mysterious Life, and you will see that there is no point of human experience which it does not touch. Nothing has been forgotten, nothing overlooked. All sin, weakness, shame, fear, greatness, littleness all man has been comprehended within the scheme of that Life, and been redeemingly touched by the mighty power of the Son of God, who is also God the Son.
Joseph In Prison
Gen 39:20
We now know enough of the history of Joseph, to see that he had not done anything worthy of imprisonment and pain. Let us keep steadily in mind the fact that there are false accusations in human life. There is a tendency to believe charges against men, without patiently and carefully going into particulars, without making such moral inquest into them as ought alone to justify our belief in any charge that may be made against a human creature. We are prone to say, when an accusation is lodged against a man, “After all there must be something in it” We reason that it is impossible to get up a charge against a man Without that charge having, at least, some foundation. We think it charitable to add, “That probably it is not quite so bad as it looks; yet, after all, there must be something in it.” Here is a case in which that doctrine does not hold true at all. There is nothing in this but infamy. May it not be so amongst ourselves, today? Has human nature changed? Are there not, today, tongues that lie, hearts that are inspired by spite? We are in danger, I think, of being very pathetic indeed over historical characters, and forgetting the claims of modern instances. There are people who will be exceedingly vehement in their pity for Joseph, who can say spiteful or unkind words about their neighbour who is labouring under an accusation quite as groundless and quite as malicious as that which ended in the imprisonment of Joseph. There are men who will preach eloquent sermons about the fall of the Apostle Peter, who will yet, in the most unchristian spirit, expel and anathematise brethren who have been overtaken in a fault. And the worst of it is, they are apt to think that they show their own righteousness by being very vehement against the shortcomings of other people.
Now, history is wasted upon us if we do but shed tears for the ill-used men of far-gone centuries. See how easy it is to do mischief! You insinuated against a certain man that there was something wrong in his case. You never can withdraw your insinuation. You lie against your fellow-creature, and then apologise. You cannot apologise for a lie! Your lie will go where your apology can never follow it. And men who heard both the lie and the apology will, with a cowardice that is unpardonable, say, when occasion seems to warrant their doing so, that “they have heard that there was something or other about him, but they cannot tell exactly what it was.” So mischief goes on from year to year, and a lie is, in the meantime, more powerful than the truth. It is always easier to do mischief than to do good. Let us, then, be careful about human reputation. The character is the man. It is better to believe all things, hope all things, endure all things, in the spirit of Christ’s blessed charity, than to be very eager to point out even faults that do exist. There are men today who are suffering from accusations as false as the lie of Potiphar’s wife. There are other men who have been sinned against by false accusations who have received withdrawments and apologies. But such, alas! is the state of so-called Christian charity, that, though we have a memory for the indictment, we have no recollection for what ought to have been a triumphant, all-inclusive, and all-delivering vindication. Terrible is the state of that man who has a good memory for insinuations, charges, innuendoes, and bad suggestions, but no recollection for things that are beautiful, and healing, and redeeming, and helpful. That man’s destiny is to wither away.
“But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison” ( Gen 39:21 )
What a poor compensation! The man’s character is taken away, and the Lord gives him favour in the sight of a jailer! There are honours in life which are aggravations. My name is blasted, my home is broken up, my whole life is withered right away down into the roots, and on either side there is a turnkey somewhere who says he has great confidence in me! Why not have vindicated the man before Potiphar? Why not have withered up the accuser who took away his dear fair name? That would have been compensation. If, when the woman’s mouth had opened to tell the lie, God had locked her wicked jaw, that would have been vindication. Instead of that, Joseph has the wonderfully good luck of being thought well of by a jailer This is the danger of our criticism. We mistake the process for the result. We rush at the semicolon as if it were a full stop. We judge God by the fraction, not by the integer. I am prepared to grant that if the whole scene had ended here if this had really been the culminating point, the completion of the sad romance the favour which Joseph received of his jailer would have been a mockery, and he might have thrown such favour back in the face of God, as a poor compensation for the injury which had gone like iron into his soul, for suffering which had destroyed his sleep, and turned his days into wintry nights.
The difficulty of the critic is to be patient. He is so anxious to make a point that he often ruins himself by his own sagacity. He jumps in upon the way of God with such impetuosity that he has to spend the remainder of his days in apologising for his rudeness, his want of patient saintly dignity in waiting until God himself said, “It is finished.” Still, the point of the favour accorded to Joseph by the jailer ought not to be forgotten in making up our view of life, for this reason: We shall redeem ourselves from much suffering, help ourselves towards a nobler, stronger, manlier endurance, by looking at the one bright point which remains in our life. Is there any life that has in it no speck of light? any day that has not in it one blue spot? What is the moral use and purpose of a glint of light and speck of blue? It is a reminder that there is still light; that the blue morning may come back again; and that God hath not though the day be dark and cloudy and the wind be bitterly cold forgotten to be gracious. Our honours may chafe us. We may reason from them that having so much, we ought to have more. What we require, when such impatience has reached us, is a devout, urgent desire that God will tame our impetuosity, and teach us the sweet mystery and the mighty power of childlike waiting.
“And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound” ( Gen 40:1-3 ).
No man liveth unto himself. There is a little upset in the king’s house, and, somehow or other, that will be linked with all these events that are happening a little way off. You run against a man in the dark; he remonstrates with you in a vexed tone, and, in that vexed tone, you hear the voice of your own long-lost brother. You go over the street without knowing what you have gone for, and you meet the destiny of your life. A child tells you its little dream, and that dream awakens a blessed memory which throws light upon some dark and frowning place in your life. Some people do not believe in dramas, not knowing that all life is an involved, ever-moving, ever-evolving drama. Life is a composition of forces. The chief butler gives Pharaoh the cup with a fly in it, and the chief baker spoils his baking. These things are to be added to some other things, and out of this combination there is to arise one of the most pathetic and beautiful incidents to be found in all the treasure-house of history. We do not know what is transpiring around us, and how we are to be linked on to collateral processes. There is a main line in our life; there are also little branch lines. You jostle against a man, and get into conversation with him, and learn from him what you would have given gold for, had you known where it was to be found. Everything in life has a meaning. Mistakes have their meanings. Misunderstandings will often lead to the highest harmonies. No man can do without his fellow-men. It is a very sad thing, indeed, that we have to be obliged, in any sense, to a butler or a baker. But we cannot help it. It is no good attempting to shake out of the sack the elements we do not like. We cannot colonise ourselves in some fairy-land, where we can have everything according to our pick and choice. The labourer in the streets, the child in the gutter, the poor suffering wretch in the garret, all these, as well as kings and priests, have to do with the grand up-making and mysterious total of the thing we call human life. God is always coming down to us through unlikely paths, meeting us unexpectedly, causing bushes to flame and become temples of his presence. We go out for our father’s asses; we may return crowned men. There are some people who do not like religion because it is so mysterious, not knowing that their own life is a constantly progressing mystery. Whenever they would deliver themselves from the presence of mystery, they must deliver themselves from their very existence.
“And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison” ( Gen 40:5 ).
The chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it. There are dreamers and there are dream interpreters. There are men who live by their ideas. Men who seem to be able to do nothing, and yet society could not get on without them. You see fifty men building a great house, and there is a man standing amongst them with his hands idle, and a black coat on. You say the fifty men are building the house, and a lazy man is standing there with his hands in his pockets, and your notion of political economy is that such men ought to be put down. Put them down, and you will have no more building. The man that is standing there, apparently doing nothing, is the inspiration of the whole thing. Men in the world poor, poor men who have nothing but ideas! If they were to sell bricks, they would eventually retire to detached villas and tennis lawns. But, if they have nothing but ideas, they retire into the workhouse. A man builds a bridge, and he is a great man; another man puts up a cathedral, and he, too, is a great man. I will not take away one iota from the just fame and honour of such men. We cannot do without them. We should be poor, if we had not such men amongst us. They are the glory of civilisation. But is it nothing to give a man an idea that shall change his life? to tame the tiger-heart and make it gentle as a lamb’s? to put into man thoughts, and stir in him impulses, that shall heal him in his sorrows, chasten him in his joys, interpret to him the darkest problems of his life, and hold a light over his way when he passes into the wonderful dark Unknown?
The preacher does not build stone cathedrals. But does he not build temples not made with hands? He cannot say, “See in these mighty stoneworks what I have done”! But he may be able, through God’s mighty grace, to say, “Look at that man: once he was the terror of his neighbourhood, the torment of his family, and now he is a strong, pure, kind man.” Is that nothing? Stoneworks will crumble; time will eat up the pyramids. But this man, this soul, shall be a glorious unfading light when the world, and all the wondrous works upon it, shall be burned up. Be cheered, then, preacher of the gospel, teacher of the young, obscure one who can only work in the family, giving direction to young thought and young feeling, dropping into the opening heart seeds of Divine truth! Thou art doing a work which, though it cannot be valued by any human figures or by any arithmetic, is prized, and shall be rewarded, by God, who is not unrighteous to forget your work of faith and your labour of love.
Life is a dream, a riddle, a mystery, a difficult problem. But there is one Interpreter. What is his name? Where can he be found? His name is Jesus Christ, and he can be found wherever there is a heart that wants him. You have a dream you cannot call it by any other name about sin. You know there is something wrong somewhere. You cannot explain it; you cannot set it down in order, proposition after proposition. It is as unsubstantial as a dream and impalpable as a vision. Yet it haunts you, and you want to know more about it. Christ is the Interpreter, and he alone can explain what sin is: show it in its reality, and give the soul to feel how terrible a thing it is. You have dreams about truth. Sometimes you see an image that you think is the very angel of truth herself. Sometimes that angel comes quite near you, and you are almost on the point of laying your hand on the glittering vision. You cannot quite do so. It leaves you, escapes you, mocks you! Jesus Christ is the Interpreter of that dream. He knows truth, he reveals truth, he sanctifies man by truth, he enriches the human mind with truth, and he alone has the truth. Why? Because he is the truth. It is one thing to have a truth. It is then a possession, something to be pointed out and described. It is another thing to be the truth. Christ himself had not the truth in our poor sense of the term, for he was the truth. He did not so much preach the gospel as be the gospel. You are conscious of glimmerings of objects: dreamings about better states of things. You have a moral nature that now and again gives you hints about right and wrong, and truth and falsehood. You have an imagination that will go out beyond the present and the visible. Are you content to be tormented and mocked by these dreamings, half visions, spectral revelations, and tempting fancies? Why not take them all up to the Son of God, and say, “We have dreamed this! We cannot make anything of its harmonies, anything truly beautiful. Yet we think it ought to be made into something beautiful, because look what glittering pieces there are here what wondrous shapes, what marvellous adaptations we think there are to be found amongst these pieces.” If you go up to him so, he, more readily than ever Joseph or Daniel did, will show you the interpretation of the dream, and will bless you with revelations of what is in yourself, as well as what is in God.
You cannot get on without the interpreter of dreams, without the man of thought, without the inspired teacher, without the profound interpreter of God. I know very well that when you get among your day books and dust of various kinds, you are apt to think you can do without ideas, imaginings, and dreams, and mere thinking. But there are times in your life when you begin to feel that without thought, idea, impulse, emotion, life would be but a mockery, and death itself would be the welcomest guest that ever crossed your threshold. Ho! every one that desires to know the highest thought, and the highest feeling in the universe, this can be found only in the book of God and in communion with the Holy Ghost.
“But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house” ( Gen 40:14 ).
The first touch of humanity we have seen in Joseph: human nature is in this little plea. He would have been far too great a man, if I had not seen this little trace of human nature coming out after all. I have wondered, as I have read along here, that he did not protest and resent, and vindicate himself, and otherwise come out as an injured man. He has been almost superhuman up to this point. Now the poor lad says, “The chain is very heavy, this yoke makes me chafe. I cannot bear this any longer.” And he tells the butler, who has good luck before him, that he would like to be taken out of the dungeon. There are times when we want to find a god even in the butler; times when our theism is too great for us, and we want to get hold of a man, when our religion seems to us to be too arial, afar off, and we would be glad to take hold of any staff that anybody could put into our poor trembling hands. This is natural, and I am not about to denounce Joseph, nor to reproach him, as though he had done some unnatural and unreasonable thing. I am glad of this revelation of his nature; it brings me near to him. Though God will not substitute himself by a butler, but will give Joseph two more years’ imprisonment, yet God will make it up to him somehow. He shall not want consolation. It was very human to seek to make a half-god of the butler to get out of that galling bondage. We shall see, in the course of our reading, whether God be not mightier than all creatures, and whether he cannot open a way to kingdoms and royalties, when we ourselves are striving only for some little, insignificant, and unworthy blessing.
After this the baker told his dream. He was a long-headed man. He waited to hear how the case would go with the butler, and when he heard all that the butler could know about his vision, he went and told his dream, and Joseph told him, “Within three days thou shalt be hanged.” The interpreter of dreams must not always tell good news. The interpreter must not tell people’s fortunes according to his own ideas. He must do as Joseph did. He must say, “Interpretations are with God. I am but the medium on which the Infinite Silence breaks into language. It is not in me to tell the meaning of the mystery. It is in God, and with God alone.” This is a lesson for preachers of the gospel. It would be a joyous thing to say to every man, “You are right; you are on the road to glory; nothing can stand between you and heaven.” That would be a very gracious thing to say. But if I fail to warn the ungodly man, to tell him that God is angry with the wicked every day, and yet that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, that the Son of God has died for the sins of the world, that there is no man too vile to be received and to be redeemed by the Great Sacrifice, then shall I fail in my mission, and my word of joy for a moment shall be a mockery and a cruel thing, and your pale and reproachful countenance, on the last day turned upon me, would be an everlasting punishment. No, we must be faithful. There are interpretations that are favourable and helpful; there are interpretations that mean ruin, punishment, death.
May God make his servants faithful, that they may speak the cheering, the life-cheering word; and that they may speak the terrible word with self-restraint and with heart-breaking pathos, that men may begin to feel that there is something in the message that ought to make the heart quake, and turn their minds to devout consideration. To every man’s dream, and thinking and scheming about life there is an answer in One alone, and that One is Jesus Christ, son of Mary, Son of God, God the Son, Emmanuel, God with us! He never refuses to have long, long talk, either by night or day, with the man who goes to him tremblingly, devoutly, penitently. Try if this be not so.
XXIX
JACOB, JOSEPH, AND OTHERS
Genesis 35-41
This will be a running comment commencing at the thirty-fifth chapter and extending through the forty-first. Our last discussion showed the great disturbance of mind on Jacob’s part at the cruelty of Simeon and Levi in destroying the Shechemites. At this time God told Jacob to leave that place and go to Bethel. In removing, Jacob determined to purify his household from idols; if he was to have the enmity of the people, he was determined not to have the disfavor of God. So be commanded all his household to put away their strange gods and to change their garments. They also gave up the rings in their ears and noses. It is not fashionable with us now to wear rings that way, but many do. After this purification God protected them by causing a fear to fall upon the inhabitants of the land, or else Jacob’s crowd would have been annihilated on account of what Simeon and Levi bad done.
At Bethel he builds an altar and worships God, and God reappears to him and gives him a renewed assurance of his protection. He then leaves Bethel for what is now called Bethlehem, or Ephrath. At that place occurred the death of Rachel in giving birth to Benjamin. She was not buried in the cave of Machpelah, like the rest of the family, but for hundreds of years her tomb was standing and visible; they show it to you now, but not with certainty may you accept the tradition. In Gen 35:8 , we find an account of the death of Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse. That is the only hint as to the death of Rebekah. We infer from the fact that the old nurse had come to live with Jacob that Rebekah was dead. I may have an examination question on that point. The rest of the chapter is devoted to the names of Jacob’s sons by his several wives, which I will bring out in an examination question. The chapter closes with the death of Isaac. Jacob comes to Mamre, or Hebron, now the head of the tribe. Esau and Jacob unite to bury their father. The thirty-sixth chapter gives a genealogy of the descendants of Esau. Nothing is particular in that except the generations of Seir, father of the Horites. I will give this examination question: Why in the generations of Esau, are the generations of the Horites included? The answer is that Esau’s people moved to the country occupied by the Horites and intermarried with them. You will note that the Horites, or cave dwellers, are not prehistoric men.
The thirty-seventh chapter is devoted to the youth of Joseph, a very particular section. We find here the development of the murderous envy and hate of Joseph’s brethren toward him. An examination question will be: State what caused the envy and hatred of Joseph’s brethren toward him. The answer is: Joseph brought an evil report concerning the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, and they counted that tattling. If he had been one of the sons at work, and had reported on the others, that would have been a tell-tale business. If one in college should be appointed as a representative of the faculty, he could make a report without being justly amenable to the charge of tattling. Joseph was sent by his father to make a report. Next, Israel loved Joseph above all his other sons. I think the circumstances make it certain that he loved him justly. He was the oldest son of the only woman Jacob ever loved. He was intensely lovable, more so than any of the other boys. It is a fact, however, that there never was a case where a parent loved one child more than the others that it did not cause ill will in the family. The third reason is given here: “And he made him a full length garment.” King James Version, “a coat of many colours.” When a parent distinguishes between his children in dress he is sure to bring on a row. There Jacob made a mistake. Fourth, Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers, and they hated him yet the more. “I dreamed that we were binding sheaves, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright, and your sheaves stood around and bowed down to my sheaf.” If that dream originated with Joseph it shows that he was already imagining superiority over his brethren. But if it did not originate with Joseph, which it did not, as it came from God it showed a lack of wisdom in Joseph to tell the other boys. The dream was literally fulfilled in afterlife, and so must have been from God. He dreamed another dream: “Behold, I dreamed yet again, and behold the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” The sun is papa, and the moon is mamma, and the stars are the eleven brothers, the whole family bowed down. He ought never to have told that dream to those boys. He told it to his father also. To show how quickly his father understood it, he said, “Shall we indeed, thy mother and thy father and thy brethren, bow down to thee?” His brothers envied him because his father kept that saying. He knew that meant something for his boy, and he was proud of the glory the boy would attain. Here are five things, and envy can get very fat on five things.
I once delivered an address on that subject before the Wake Forest College, entitled the “Ambitious Dreams of Youth.” There do come into bright minds forecasts of future greatness, great elation and swelling of the heart in thinking about it, that cannot be doubted. Sometimes these ambitious dreams do not come from God but from the heart of the student. I told those Wake Forest boys of a young fellow out in the mountains. When he started off to school a dream ran through his mind: “I will go to Wake Forest and make the brightest record ever made in that school. I will get through the four years’ course in three. I will get up my recitations so that the faculty will be talking about the most brilliant student in the institution. I will get the class honors. When I shall have delivered the valedictory and go home, all along the way people will say, ‘There is the boy who delivered the valedictory address.’ When I get home the family and all the servants will come out in a double row, and a band will play, ‘See the conquering hero come.’ ” Then I turned to the president and said, “Mr. President, what are you going to do with these ambitious boys who see the other boys bow down and their parents bowing down before them? Those boys think they have the world in a sling.” But one thing ‘is sure, no one ever became really great who did not aspire to be great. There is an honest ambition to excel, but where the faculty of imagination is wanting and it takes that to be a dreamer that man can be successful in a matter-of-fact way, but he certainly can never be successful as an artist, sculptor, painter, or as an orator or statesman. There is a creative power in the imagination. Woe to the one who expects to be great and has it not. It is characteristic of the Spirit’s day, as foretold by Joel and expounded by Peter, “Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Sometimes men who have not the Spirit, and who find it easier to win in fancy than in fact, indulge in air castles which need to be ridiculed. There is a story in the old “Blue Back Speller” of a maiden who, walking alone with a pail of milk upon her head, fell into the following train of reflections: “The money for which I shall sell this milk will enable me to increase my stock of eggs to three hundred. These eggs, allowing for what may prove addle, and what may be destroyed by vermin, will produce at least two hundred and fifty chickens. The chickens will be fit to carry to market about Christmas, when poultry always brings a good price; so that by May Day I cannot fail of having enough money to purchase a new gown. Green! , let me consider, yes, green becomes my complexion best, and green it shall be. In this dress I will go to the fair, where all the young fellows will strive to have me for a partner; but I shall perhaps refuse every one of them, and, with an air of disdain, toss from them.” Transported with this triumphant thought she could not forbear acting with her head what thus passed in her imagination, when down came the pail of milk, and with it all her imaginary happiness. Dr. Wayland, one of the greatest educators in the United States, has a lecture on the “Evils of the Imagination,” that every schoolboy ought to read. Even barefoot boys, fishing in the creek, will weave stories of companies of which they are captains, and they will kill 1,000 buffaloes and 1,500 Indians. When I was canvassing for the Education Commission in Northeast Texas, I had to go about eleven miles out into the country. A lad of about twelve asked the privilege of taking me. I wondered why, but when we got out of town he turned around and said, “Dr. Carroll, I asked the privilege of taking you to this place because I wanted to talk to you. I heard your address on education, and do you know, I am going to be governor of Texas someday?” I smiled and said, “Tell me about it,” and he unfolded himself. That boy had already drawn out his own horoscope and filled out all the details of his future. He was brilliant. He had stood at the head of his classes. Instead of rebuking him I simply cautioned him and at the same time encouraged him because he had this record. He did not tell lies. He was never absent from his classes. He was never guilty of what you call schoolboy follies. He was intense in his application, and up to that time he had accomplished all that he had ever undertaken. So it would not surprise me if that boy yet becomes governor. I am waiting to see, however. One of the most instructive parts of the Bible is this that relates to the early life of Joseph and his premonitions of future greatness. Not long ago I read an account of a brilliant girl about thirteen years old. Her parents, uncles, and aunts were all trying to restrain her from following a certain line of education. She met it all by saying, “It is in me to do that. I know I can win on it. I dream about it. It fills my vision. I am irresistibly drawn to it.” And she did win on it, a country girl that became famous before the great audiences in European capitals.
This envy that had five roots, after awhile will come to a head when opportunity presents itself. A great many people carry envy and hate in their hearts and it eats like a cancer and burns like a hidden fire and no opportunity ever comes to gratify it, and the world knows nothing about it. “Gray’s Elegy” tells, in referring to the lowly graves, about “some mute, inglorious Milton” that never had a chance to follow the promptings of his muse. Not only that, but the lowly graves hold many a heart which had burned with hatred and envy and petulance that never had an opportunity to express itself in “Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country’s blood.” They say that everything comes to him who waits, and so this crowd waited, and here is their chance. Joseph’s brethren left Hebron, and went to Shechem, where they had massacred the Shechemites. They were looking for territory to pasture their immense herds. The father tells Joseph to go and see if it is well with the brothers and their flocks. It is a long way from home. When the boys see him coming they say, “Behold the dreamer cometh; let us slay him and cast him into a pit.” There were ten brothers in the meeting; eight were of one mind, but two had dissenting views. Reuben, the oldest, said, “Let us not kill him. Let us cast him into the pit.” The record says that Reuben intended to carry him back to Jacob. So he stands guiltless. The other one is Judah. We find when they bind him and strip off his coat that he pleads with them, ten great strong men, binding a boy, their own brother, and he weeping. Later they saw a caravan coming called Ishmaelites in one place and Midianites in another. Midian was a descendant of Esau, whose territory bordered on Ishmael’s, and the two tribes intermingled. Now Judah said, “Let us not kill him, but sell him to this caravan to take to Egypt.” In a speech I once delivered in the chapel of Baylor University, I told of a proposition about selling a man that would scorch the paper it was written on. The high court of state plotted it, the leading preacher instigated it, and the man they proposed to sell was one of the most illustrious on the roll of fame in the United States. So they sold Joseph. Then they took his coat and dipped it in the blood of a kid, and carried it to the father to make the impression that Joseph bad been torn to pieces by wild beasts. That was the heaviest stroke that Jacob ever received. He rent his garments, put on sackcloth, mourned many days and refused to be comforted. “I am going down to my son mourning to the underworld.” We will leave him there and look at one or two other matters.
The thirty-eighth chapter is devoted entirely to some rather scaly incidents in the life of Judah. The chapter is of such a character that it forbids discussion in a public address. Read it and gather your own lessons. It commences with Judah’s sin in marrying a Canaanite woman. Two of the sons born of this marriage God killed for their wickedness. This wife became an ancestress of our Lord. He derives his descent from four women not Jewesses. Rahab, the harlot; Tamar, the Canaanite; Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, whom David took; Ruth, the Moabitess.
The next three chapters give an account of Joseph in Egypt. When the caravan reached Egypt they sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Potiphar finds his trustworthiness, purity and truthfulness and attention to business, and promotes this slave to the head of the house. When sold into slavery the brave heart ought not to despair. But the beauty of his person, great personality, evident kindly manhood, attracted Potiphar’s wife, and she fell in love with him, as some married women do. Joseph refused to Join her in this unlawful love. Whereupon, as “love unrequited and scorned turns to hate,” she accused him of the very offense which he refused to consider. So Potiphar puts him in prison. Now, though a prisoner, this man begins to work his way to the front. He is faithful to every duty. Finally he is put at the head of all the criminals in the jail. How can you put down a good man, true to God and himself? This position brings him into contact with other dreams besides his own. There are two that the birds snatched the bread of Pharaoh’s table out of fellow prisoners, the chief baker and butler of Pharaoh. Both are troubled. God sent those dreams. For a man to dream the basket on his head is a very singular thing. Joseph interpreted that to mean that he would gain his liberty but that Pharaoh would put him to death. It happened just that way. The butler dreamed about a cluster of grapes, well formed, sweet flavored, and luscious, and that he squeezed it into a goblet and handed the new wine to Pharaoh. Joseph tells him that means that he shall be restored and promoted to his old place, and says, “When you are promoted, remember me.” The butler promised well enough, but forgot. It is easy to forget the unfortunate. But after awhile God sends more dreams. This time Pharaoh has a double dream. He dreams that he sees seven stalks of grain come up in the Nile Valley, full eared and heavy headed. Right after them come up seven thin) shrivelled, parched stalks and they devour the others. He dreamed he saw seven fat beef cattle, and seven lean, ill favored, gaunt, starved specimens that ate the fat ones up. Nobody could tell Pharaoh what the dream meant. But finally the butler remembered Joseph and said, “When I was in prison there was a Hebrew lad who told us our dreams and they came out just like he said.” Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and we see him step out of the prison to stand before the monarch to explain dreams, as Daniel did later. He says each dream means the same thing, that there were going to be seven years of great plenty in which the earth would be burdened with its crops. It reminds me of what a man on the Brazos River said. Leaving out part of his language, which was very emphatic, I quote the other: “I tell you, I will have to build a wall around my field and call it a crib: there is so much corn in it.” He did make eighty bushels to the acre, and showed me a number of stalks with three full cars, standing only a foot apart and twenty feet high. Joseph said, “These seven years will be followed by seven years of drought and famine in which nothing will be made. God sent me here to provide. You ought to husband the resources of these fruitful years so that they can be spread out over the famine years.” Pharaoh was wonderfully impressed, and instantly promoted Joseph to the position of prime minister and made him next to himself. Just exactly as Joseph predicted, the thing happened. Great storage places, perfect reservoirs for holding wheat, and treasure houses were built. At the end of the first year people wanted bread to eat. Under advice of Pharaoh Joseph sold to them, taking their money, jewels, stock, land, then themselves. At the end of the seven years Pharaoh had the whole country, and Egypt was the granary of the world. “And all countries come into Egypt to Joseph to buy corn.”
That is the history of Joseph up to the time we come in touch with Jacob again.
QUESTIONS 1. Where did God tell Jacob to go from Shechem?
2. What important step did he take before going, and why?
3. How did God intervene to save Jacob from the inhabitants of the land?
4. What events happened at Bethel?
5. When did Rebekah die and what is the evidence?
6. Where did Jacob go from Bethel and what the events by the way?
7. Name the sons of Jacob by each of his wives and handmaids.
8. Where were they born?
9. Where does Jacob go from Ephrath, or Bethlehem, and what important event occurred there?
10. To what is the thirty-sixth chapter devoted, and why the genealogy of the Horites in this connection?
11. Whose is the most flawless character in history i Ana.: Joseph’s.
12. As a child, what could he say of his father and mother?
13. State in order the several causes or occasions of the hatred of his brothers.
14. What mistake did Joseph make in this?
15. What is the importance of dreams of greatness? Illustrate.
16. What is the difference between dreams of true greatness and building air castles? Illustrate.
17. What is the nature of ungratified envy and hate?
18. Cite passages from “Gray’s Elegy” to illustrate this point.
19. What was the culmination of the hatred of Joseph’s brothers? Can you find a parallel to this in the New Testament?
20. How was Reuben’s attitude toward the hostility against Joseph distinguished from that of his brothers?
21. How was Judah’s?
22. Who took Joseph out of the pit and sold him? (Gen 37:27-28 .)
23. Explain the confusion of the names of the Midianites and the Ishmaelites.
24. Compare the dejection of Jacob with that of Elijah, and show wherein both were mistaken.
25. To what is the thirty-eighth chapter devoted?
26. What was Judah’s beginning in this downward course of sin?
27. What four Gentile women became ancestress of our Lord?
28. Who became Joseph’s master in Egypt, what of his promotion and misfortune in this house?
29. How did he get out of prison and what six dreams touched his life?
30. Who was the author of those dreams?
31. To what position was he promoted in the kingdom?
32. What of Egypt at the close of the seven years of famine?
Gen 39:1 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.
Ver. 1. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s.] See here a sweet providence, that Joseph should fall into such hands. Potiphar was provost-marshal, keeper of the king’s prisoners. And what could Joseph have wished better than this, that, since he must be a prisoner, he should be put into that prison, where he might, by interpreting the butler’s dream, come to so great preferment? Chrysostom, in his nineteenth Homily on the Ephesians, saith: We must not once doubt of the divine providence, though we presently perceive not the causes and reasons of many passages. And this he sweetly sets forth by apt similitudes drawn from the works of carpenters, painters, bees, ants, spiders, swallows, &c. Surely, as a man, by a chain made up of various links, some of gold, others of silver, some of brass, iron, or tin, may be drawn out of a pit: so the Lord by the concurrence of several subordinate things, which have no manner of dependence, or natural coincidency among themselves, hath oftentimes wrought and brought about the deliverance and exaltation of his children, that it might appear to be the work of his own hand. a
a See M. Reynold on Psalm cx. 5.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 39:1-6 a
1Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. 5It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD ‘s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 6So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.
Gen 39:1 “Potiphar” This name, in Egyptian, seems to mean “he who the sun god gives” (BDB 806). He is mentioned in Gen 37:36. A similar feminine name (i.e., Potiphera, BDB 806) is seen later in Gen 41:45; Gen 41:50; Gen 46:20.
“an Egyptian officer” Many commentators have assumed that the Pharaoh who put Joseph in charge of Egypt was of the Hyksos or shepherd kings rulers (1720-1550 B.C., see History Channel Video: The Exodus Decoded). These Semitic invaders controlled Egypt for several hundred years. They assert that the reason this officer is identified as an Egyptian (cf. Gen 39:2) was in contradistinction to a Semitic Hyksos ruler.
“officer” Literally this means a “eunuch” (see note at Gen 37:36). However, because of Gen 40:2 we understand that Potiphar was married. It is true that some physically castrated men were married, but it is not the norm. This term came to be used as simply the title for a court official and that seems to be the way it is used in this passage.
“Pharaoh” This is the title for all the Egyptian kings (BDB 829, lit. “great house”). The Egyptian kings were believed to be the sons of the sun god, Re. The “great house” is a reference to the royal palace or temple complex which represented the earthly abode of the Egyptian gods.
“the bodyguard” Literally this means “slaughterer” or “butcher” (see note at Gen 37:36). Some have asserted that it is very similar to the term executioner. However, its usage, in both the Bible and in extra-Biblical material, seems to involve a military position connected to the royal guard. This would have meant that Potiphar was a very important, influential, and wealthy man.
“Ishmaelites” There has been much question about the identification of these nomadic traders. In Gen 37:36 they are either called Midianites or Medanites (see note at Gen 37:35). These groups both are identified in Gen 37:28 and Jdg 8:22; Jdg 8:24. They have some connection with Ishmael and his descendants.
Gen 39:2 “the LORD was with Joseph” It is theologically significant that this is one of the rare occurrences of the term YHWH in this section of Genesis. As a matter of fact it is the only occurrence in the account concerning Joseph. Also note it is speaking of events outside of Canaan. YHWH is not limited to the Promised Land (cf. Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7).
The phrase “the LORD was with Joseph” occurs repeatedly (cf. Gen 39:3; Gen 39:21; Gen 39:23) in this chapter and the blessings which accrue to him because of this become the main plot of the story. God, not Joseph, is the central character!
“he became a successful man” Joseph was a “successful” (BDB 852 II, KB 1026, Hiphil PARTICIPLE) man and those around him also were successful and prosperous. This was exactly what Jacob’s presence did for Laban. Potiphar took note of the special blessing of Joseph’s presence (cf. Gen 39:3).
The VERB in the Hiphil and Qal stems denotes a successful accomplishment of a task (not physical blessings exclusively).
1. Gen 24:21; Gen 24:40 (Hiphil)
2. Jdg 18:5 (Qal)
3. 2Ch 26:5 (Hiphil)
4. Neh 1:11; Neh 2:20 (Hiphil)
5. Isa 53:10; Isa 55:11 (Qal)
6. Dan 8:12; Dan 8:24; Dan 11:36 (Qal)
Be careful of English definitions and connotations guiding biblical word studies!
“he was in the house of his master the Egyptian” This is in contradistinction to the fact that he was not a field hand or that he lived in the master’s house instead of the servant’s quarters. Joseph became a trusted member of Potiphar’s home.
Gen 39:3 “his master saw that the LORD was with him” Potiphar did not put him in charge simply because of his administrative abilities, but because of his unique connection with the blessings of God. Potiphar did this strictly for personal gain and not in any religious sense.
Gen 39:4 Joseph’s service is described in two ways.
1. “personal servant,” BDB 1058, KB 1661, Piel IMPERFECT, used of higher ranking minister, cf. 2Sa 13:17-18; 1Ki 10:5; 2Ki 4:43; 2Ki 6:17
2. “overseer,” BDB 823, KB 955, Hiphil IMPERFECT, cf. 2Ki 25:23
Today we might call him “an administrative assistant” or “executive secretary.” In Egyptian literature of this period “a household steward.”
Gen 39:5 “the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph” This seems to be a truth throughout the OT period. There is a connection between physical blessing and one’s relationship to the covenant people (cf. Gen 12:3; Gen 30:27).
Gen 39:6 “So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge. . .he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate” Some historians have mentioned that there was a strict dietary separation between the Egyptians and all other foreigners based on religious guidelines, as there is today between the Jews and all other foreigners. Whether this was the basis of this exception is uncertain, but this cultural distinction is apparent in Egyptian society (cf. Gen 43:32).
Potiphar. See note on Gen 37:36.
guard = executioners.
Egyptian. This is emphasized three times (verses: Gen 39:1, Gen 39:2, Gen 39:5); because recent discoveries show that Egypt was at this time under a new dynasty; and emphasis is put on the fact that Potiphar, though an “Egyptian”, was retained in high position.
Ishmeelites. See note on chapter Gen 37:25.
Now we get back in chapter thirty-nine to the story again. This is just a little interlude and it is just sort of a parenthetical-kind of a thing thrown in and now we get back to Joseph. Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him at the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down to Egypt. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man ( Gen 39:1-2 ); “The LORD was with Joseph.” This is the summation of the man’s life. As we pointed out this morning, it is interesting how that God can sum up a person’s life with just a few words: “The LORD was with Joseph”. That’s the story of his life. But you’re sort of reminded of the fiddler on the roof where the fellow says: “Lord, I know we’re the chosen people but would you mind choosing somebody else for a while”, because of all of the calamities that were happening. The Lord was with Joseph but it is interesting that the Lord being with him did not spare him the hatred of his brothers, the jealousy. Did not spare him being sold by his brothers. It did not spare him from slavery. It did not spare him from false accusations. It did not spare him from temptation. It did not spare him from false imprisonment. Being a Christian is not any kind of a divine immunity from problems. “In this world, Jesus said, ye shall have tribulation” ( Joh 16:33 ). Peter said, “Don’t consider it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened unto you” ( 1Pe 4:12 ). Everybody has problems, Christians and non-Christians alike. The big difference is with the Christians; the Lord being with us gives us a way out of temptation, a way out of our trials, or victory in the midst of our trials. Now here Joseph was a slave. And what does it say about him in his slavery? “The Lord was with him and prospered him.” Even in these adverse circumstances, the hand of the Lord being with him, he was prospered by the Lord. And Joseph found grace in his master’s sight, and he served him: and he made him an overseer over the house, and all that he had put he put in Joseph’s hand. It came to pass from that time that he made him the overseer in his house, and over all that he had, and the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; he knew not how much he had, save only the bread which he did eat. For Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured ( Gen 39:4-6 ). Now that is a way of saying he was very handsome, just good-looking and good actions, too. He was just a very-“goodly” though speaks of his own personal physical appearance. He was just a very handsome young man and well favoured. 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 doesn’t even know what I have in the house, for he has committed all that he has into my hand; There is nothing there is none that is greater in his house than I; and neither has he kept back any thing from me but you, because you’re his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God ( Gen 39:7-9 )? Now you must remember that Joseph at this time is in his early twenties, a time when in the body maturation those biological drives are becoming very powerful, and he’s just a normal young man. And he is faced with a severe temptation: this woman and daily close contact, daily pressing him, urging him, pressuring him to go to bed with her. It would have been easy for Joseph to have succumbed, but understanding who he was kept him pure. How can I? She was no doubt saying, “Hey”, you know, “this happens all the time in Egypt. Everybody’s doing it”, you know, “it’s common”. “It may be common for the world but how can I? I’m not of the world, I’m a child of God. If I were a child of the world, yes, I might enter into such an arrangement. But I’m not a child of the world; I’m a child of God. How can I do this great wickedness?” As a child of God, there are things that I cannot do because I am a child of God and I don’t care if the world around me is doing it. That’s no excuse for me. How can I do this great wickedness? The recognition of who he was; a child of God. The Lord was with him. And that consciousness of the Lord’s presence with him was very great for “how can I do this sin against God?” You say nobody’ll see us. You say nobody will know. God knows. It was an awareness that sin is against God. Even as David had the awareness when the prophet Nathan came to him and rebuked him for the relationship that he had with Bathsheba. David in his prayer for mercy, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. For against thee and thee only, have I sinned, and done this great wickedness in thy sight” ( Psa 51:1 , Psa 51:4 ). Paul tells us in Romans the sixth chapter, “How can we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein” ( Rom 6:2 )? That’s the equivalent to Joseph. How can I do this great wickedness? How can we who have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, who have been cleansed from the old life and the old nature, who have been made new creatures in Christ Jesus, who have been made one with Christ, how can we being one with Christ join Christ together with a harlot, with a prostitute? Or with an illicit relationship? “How can we who are dead to sin live any longer therein?” You need to know who you are. You need to have that recognition of who you are and you need to have the recognition of God’s presence with you at all times. You cannot and do not hide a thing from God and do this sin against God. How can I who have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ add more sins to Him? “For he in his own body bore my sins on the tree” ( 1Pe 2:24 ). How can we, dead to sin, be living in them? And so it came to pass, as she was speaking to Joseph day after day, that he did not hearken to her, to lie with her ( Gen 39:10 ), He started avoiding her. It came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men in the house. And she caught him by his garment, and said, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out ( Gen 39:11-12 ). That fleeing to me was a sign of great courage and bravery, not of cowardice. It was a lot harder to run than it would have been to stay. It’s a lot harder to run from temptation than to yield to temptation. It takes a lot more courage to run from temptation than to fall into temptation. Again, like my mom used to tell me: “Son, any dead fish can float down the stream. It takes a live fish to swim upstream”. When the pressure is all going downhill, it’s easy to coast downhill. It’s much harder to run uphill against the pressures, against the mores, against the whole cultural concepts that we have. It’s a lot harder to stand up for righteousness and morality and purity. When the whole direction of the world is going downhill so fast, it’s awfully hard to go uphill. It takes a lot more strength, a lot more courage, a lot more fortitude. Running is sometimes the wisest, bravest thing you can do. Paul said to Timothy, “Flee youthful lust” ( 2Ti 2:22 ). If you feel the pressure on, if you feel yourself slipping, starting to go, hey, run! Get out of there just as fast as you can. Flee the place of temptation. Oh, they may laugh. They may say, “Look at him go. Chicken”. Hey, that’s all right. Let them call me what they want. I’m getting out of here. This is no place for me. “Flee youthful lust.” So Joseph ran from her presence. And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had run out, she called unto the men of the house, and she spoke to them, saying, See, he has brought in a Hebrew to mock us; he came in to force me to lie with him, and I cried, I screamed, and he ran ( Gen 39:13-14 ): It is interesting that she is probably taking a certain bit of animosity and jealousy that they already had for Joseph because of his position. “A Hebrew”. “He’s made this Hebrew ruler in the house over you Egyptians. And now this man has tried to disgrace me. If I hadn’t screamed, he surely would have raped me.” So it came to pass that when her husband came home, she spoke to him the same words saying, The Hebrew servant, which you have brought to us, came in to mock me: it came to pass, as I screamed and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. So when the master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph ( Gen 39:15-21 ), Wait a minute. How can that be? This is worse than the Tijuana jail. And you’ve got false charges. You’re family, man; they’ve sold you out. Now this woman is telling lies and you’ve been sentenced with an indefinite term into prison, and the Lord is with me? But that’s what it says, “The Lord was with Joseph”. That’s the story of his life. In prison, in slavery, the Lord was with him. It’s glorious to know that the Lord is with me in the toughest circumstances of life. When everyone else has turned against me. When everything else has failed, the Lord is still with me. Oh, praise the Lord! Others may desert me. Others may turn against me but the Lord never will. The Lord was with Joseph even in prison. and He showed him mercy, and He gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph the hand of all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. And the keeper of the prison did not look after any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with Joseph, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper ( Gen 39:21-23 ). God’s hand upon his life, whatever he did, God blessed it because of Joseph. The Lord was with him. So beautiful how God is with us and will be with us. He said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” ( Heb 13:5 ). “
Here begins the story of Joseph in Egypt which is so full of interest. Through the malice of his brethren he had been sold into slavery and in such condition we now see him. Here, at the very beginning of the story of his life and work in Egypt, we learn the secret of all his wonderful success, “Jehovah was with him.” and also that, “His master saw that Jehovah was with him.”
In those two statements is revealed a man in circumstances which always have been calculated to degrade. He was a slave. Nevertheless, in these very circumstances he so lived as to demonstrate to his master that he was a man having communion with God. Potiphar’s conviction resulted in Joseph’s promotion.
While it is true that godly men must suffer persecution sooner or later, it is equally true that the life of simple godliness commands the respect and trust even of ungodly men.
Then follows the story of his temptation, a temptation subtle and fierce, presenting itself as it did in the person of one who was supposed to be infinitely Joseph’s superior in social position. His quiet and heroic victory bears testimony to the strength of the man who lives with God habitually, even under circumstances of temptation, which are at once subtle and sudden and strong.
Once more his circumstances were changed, and he was a prisoner; and again it is declared, “Jehovah was with him”; and the fact was manifest with practically the same result of promotion to a position of trust. The chapter reveals the fidelity of God to a man who was loyal to Him. Whether in slavery or in prison, in prosperity or adversity, Jehovah was still with Joseph and he was triumphant.
Joseph in Potiphars House
Gen 39:1-18
Ungodly families and employers owe more than they realize to the presence in their homes and businesses of those who love God; for God comes with His servants. See Gen 39:2; Gen 39:21; Gen 39:23, and Act 7:9. But those who would enjoy that accompanying Presence must resist and overcome the appeals of the flesh. Days of outward prosperity are those in which we are most keenly tempted. The most venomous serpents coil in the damp heat of tropical forests. When temptation and opportunity meet, our case is hard indeed. At such times only Gods grace can hold us back. As temptation presents itself again and again, it gives us opportunities of continued growth in strength and grace. Joseph had probably wrought out his noble answer in his own secret heart, and had lived by it, weeks before he flashed it forth. In the critical hour the mouth blurts out what the heart has been meditating. They who can rule themselves will be presently trusted to rule others.
Gen 39:9
We are accustomed to admire the mere act of resistance to temptation, by whomsoever and howsoever offered. But there is a vast difference between the ways in which temptation is resisted. Some, knowing the thing desired of them to be essentially wrong, have recourse to cowardly shifts and evasions. They are unable to comply; thus much they will answer; but for this inability they will render all sorts of secondary and insufficient reasons, and keep back the right one. How very different from this weak and ineffectual course is the refusal of one who fearlessly states at once the right and master reason why he should not yield to temptation; “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” One of the lowest advantages of the brave and decided course is that such a person has the least trouble after all. His place is ascertained; his colours are shown. He is no waverer, and the crowd of busy mischief-makers cease from him and let him alone. The noble words of our text let us into the whole secret of endurance.
I. The answer of Joseph implies a sense of direct accountableness to God. This sense of responsibility leads at once to a truer estimate of right and wrong. While we tarry on the level of the world’s maxims and habits, and try to decide our line of conduct, many a matter seems ambiguous and difficult to determine; but rise to the throne of God, and look down from thence, and all is clear. Oh for that second and better nature, sprung from the habit of seeing God in everything, which, when doubts, when questionings, when temptations arise, asks counsel at once of Him, runs into the strong tower of His name, and is safe.
II. This answer implies a sense of sin. Sin is a word of which the world knows not the meaning. Men must know what God is, or they cannot know what sin is. When Joseph spoke of sinning against God, he used this term of a positive and definite God, who had manifested Himself, and with whom he was in covenant. To sin against Him, to break His positive command, was to reject and despise his covenant God; to tread under foot His promises and His mercies.
III. This reply shows that true courage and seasonable boldness which ever characterise the genuine soldier of heaven. In every occupation of life, in all intercourse, in toil and in recreation, our Christian armour should be worn, and never be laid aside. The moment our allegiance is tested, the moment that the world requires what God forbids or forbids what God requires, we must stand to our arms, and admit no thought of a surrender.
H. Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. vii., p. 245.
I. At once we recognise the presence of the Holy Ghost in this scene. He is its light and glory, its power and victory. God the Holy fills the entire field of vision, and Joseph is strengthened by an all-pervading awe of Him. The recognition of God keeps him from sin. His sacred presence blocks the way. This Authority ruling in and for righteousness shuts out all possibility of yielding.
II. This passage gives evidence of a large access of energy to Joseph’s conscience, from his perfect identification of God with his own personal purity.
III. Joseph differed from Jacob in that he had no Bethel visions, and from Abraham in not hearing the Divine voice; but he had the Divine facts of life, and in them he read the ideas and will of God. The oldest of all Bibles, the Bible of human experience, was before him, and he read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested its contents.
J. Clifford, Daily Strength for Daily Living, p. 57.
References: Gen 39:9.-C. Kingsley, Gospel of the Pentateuch, p. 103. Gen 39:12.-Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 207. Gen 39:20.-S. Cox, Expositor’s Notebook, p. 40; G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 369. 39:20-40:14.-Parker, vol. i., p. 302. Gen 39:21. -Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. viii., p. 94, and vol. xxii., p. 159. Gen 40-F. W. Robertson, Notes on Genesis, p. 140; R. S. Candlish, Book of Genesis, vol. ii., p. 150; W. M. Taylor, Joseph the Prime Minister, p. 61. Gen 40:7.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. x., p. 90. Gen 40:8.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. xii., p. 139. Gen 40:9-11.-Homiletic Magazine, vol. xi., p. 70. Gen 41-F. W. Robertson, Notes on Genesis, p. 146; M. Dods, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, p. 189; Parker, vol. i., p. 311. Gen 41:1-25.-Parker, vol. i., p. 311. Gen 41:1-37.-R. S. Candlish, Book of Genesis, vol. ii., p. 162. Gen 41:1-46.-W. M. Taylor, Joseph the Prime Minister, p. 76. Gen 41:4.-Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 185. Gen 41:9.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xii., No. 680; J. Burns, Sketches of Sermons on the Parables, etc., p. 314. Gen 41:37-57.-M. Dods, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, p. 209; R. S. Candlish, Book of Genesis, vol. ii., p. 171. 41:46-42:22.-Parker, vol. i., p. 320. Gen 41:47-52.-W. M. Taylor, Joseph the Prime Minister, p. 91. Gen 41:51.-Expositor, 3rd series, vol. iv., p. 401. Gen 41:56.-Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes, p. 24. Gen 42-M. Dods, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, p. 231; F. W. Robertson, Notes on Genesis, p. 152. Gen 42:1, Gen 42:2.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. v., No. 234. Gen 42:1-17.-Homiletic Magazine, vol. xiv., p. 240. Gen 42:1-24.-R. S. Candlish, Book of Genesis, vol. ii., p. 179. Gen 42:1-38.-W. M. Taylor, Joseph the Prime Minister, p. 108; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. iv., p. 102. Gen 42:2.-Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 142.
CHAPTER 39 Joseph In Egypt
1. In Potiphars house (Gen 39:1-6)
2. Tempted by Potiphars wife (Gen 39:7-18)
3. Joseph in prison (Gen 39:19-23)
Potiphar, the master of Joseph, was an officer of Pharaoh. His name means devoted to Ra, a god of Egypt. Why is it stated a number of times that Potiphar was an Egyptian? Discoveries have shown that Egypt had come at that time under a new dynasty; therefore it is repeatedly stated that Potiphar, the Egyptian, was retained in his official position. Joseph in Egypt is the type of Christ among the Gentiles. Jehovah blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake.
The temptation of Potiphars wife brings out the marvelous character of Joseph. The critics in rejecting this story have dug their own pit into which they have fallen. A number of critics (Von Bohlen, Tuch, and others) claim that Joseph could never have seen his masters wife, for the women were secluded and had separate apartments. Monuments and Egyptian paintings have shown that the women were not secluded, but mingled freely with the men. Woman in the hieroglyphics is called neb-t-en pa, which means mistress of the house. An ancient papyrus was discovered containing the romance of the two brothers. It contains an episode similar to that of our chapter. It fully bears out the fact that the temptation of Joseph is not a myth and it is thought that this event in Josephs life formed the basis for the romance of the two brothers.
Joseph suffered innocently, but the prison in which he was confined becomes the high road to power and glory. How much greater were the sufferings of Him, who was not only innocent, but holy.
Chapter 34
Joseph was brought down to Egypt.
“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.
Gen 39:1-23
As Joseph was brought down to Egypt to save his people, so the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ was brought down to this earth as a man to save his people. This is the picture drawn by the Holy Spirit in Genesis 39. Certainly, there are other things taught in this chapter. There are other moral and spiritual lessons to be learned from these twenty-three verses. But the primary purpose of the Holy Spirit in giving us this piece of history is to show us a picture of Christ, our Redeemer. Realizing this fact, we do, I will simply direct your attention to the obvious, showing the blessed type picture here drawn of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have seen Joseph as a type of Christ before. In this 39th chapter of Genesis, the Holy Spirit continues with the history of Joseph, giving us several more aspects of his life in which he was a type and picture of our blessed Savior.
Joseph was a servant
Gen 39:1 — “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.
He who was the beloved son of his fathers house was brought down to Egypt as a lowly servant. Here Joseph portrays Jehovahs righteous Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa 42:1-4; Exo 21:5-6; Isa 50:5-7; Psa 40:6-10; Heb 10:5-14; Php 2:5-11).
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law (Isa 42:1-4).
The Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily became his Fathers Servant to redeem and save his people (Isa 50:5-7). He is that One to whom the law of God referred in Exo 21:5-6). The bond slave who refused his freedom because he loved his master, his wife, and his children was typical of our Savior. In the covenant of grace, before the world began, the Son of God voluntarily made himself his Fathers Servant because he loved his Father, and his chosen family.
It was in this capacity that he spoke in Psa 40:5-10. Heb 10:5-14 explains that the words of our Lord in Psalms 40 referred to his obedience unto death as our Substitute, by which the Lord of glory obtained the everlasting salvation of his chosen. Our great Savior came into the world in the fulness of time to fulfill his covenant engagements as Jehovahs Servant. And when he had fulfilled those covenant engagements his people were redeemed, sanctified and perfected forever by his finished work.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb 10:5-14).
The basis of our Lords exaltation and glory, the means by which the God-man, our Mediator obtained the monarchy of the universe was his accomplishments as Jehovahs Servant (Psa 2:8; Joh 17:1-5; Rom 14:9; Php 2:5-11; Heb 1:1-3).
The Lord was with Joseph (Gen 39:2).
Behold, a greater than Joseph is here. Our Lord Jesus Christ is that man who is himself God almighty, Immanuel, the incarnate God, one with the Father, full of grace and truth (Joh 1:1-3; Joh 1:10-11; Joh 1:14; Joh 1:16-17). Not only was God with him and he with God, the incarnate Christ is God with us. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truthAnd of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
The Lord made all that
he did to prosper in his hand (Gen 39:3).
Again, Joseph portrayed and typified our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ, as Jehovahs Servant is that truly blessed Man, — that Man who walked not in the counsel of the ungodly, — that Man who stood not in the way of sinners, — that Man who sat not in the seat of the scornful, — that Man whose delight was in the law of the Lord. What does the Lord God tell us about that blessed Man?
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosperBehold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very highYet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand (Psa 1:3; Isa 52:13; Isa 53:10).
Joseph was a trusted servant.
Gen 39:4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
Potiphar trusted Joseph with everything he had, and put everything into his hands. The Lord Jesus Christ is that Servant whom the Father has trusted with everything, into who hands he has put everything he has. The Father trusted the Son as his Servant, putting his glory, his people, the world and all things in it into his hands (Eph 1:12; Joh 17:2).
The Lord blessed the
Egyptians house for Josephs sake (Gen 39:5).
Egypt was altogether insignificant, except for the fact that Joseph was there, his people must sojourn there, and redemption must be accomplished there. Therefore, for Josephs sake, God blessed the Egyptians in providence. So too, this world, all its nations and all its people, are altogether insignificant except for the fact that Christ has his people here. Here redemption and grace must be performed. Therefore, God blesses the world and preserves it for Christs sake (Isa 65:8-9; 2Pe 3:9); but his object is the salvation of his people. He does not hesitate to sacrifice men and nations for the people of his love (Isa 43:3-4).
Joseph was a faithful servant
When he was tempted to sin Joseph proved himself a faithful man, true to his master in all things (Gen 39:6-12). The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Son of God was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He who was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, knew no sin. He was holy, harmless, undelfiled, and separate from sinners.
Joseph was falsely accused of evil.
Gen 39:16-18 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.
Joseph was accused of crimes he did not commit. When the chief priests, elders, and all the Jewish council did their best to find some charge against our Savior, they found none. At last, they hired two false witnesses to perjure themselves by bringing false charges against him, and accused the Lamb of od of insurrection (Mat 26:59-61).
Joseph was numbered with trangressors.
Gen 39:19-23 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.
It is obvious that Potiphar did not believe his wifes accusations. Had he believed her, he would probably have had Joseph executed for attempting to rape his wife. Yet, to save face before men, he delivered Joseph to prison. That is exactly what happened in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pilate knew that our Master was totally innocent of the charges trumped up against him. He knew that the Jews wanted him crucified simply because of their spiteful envy. Yet, to save face with men, he delivered the Son of God over to the hands of the soldiers to crucify him as a common criminal. Not only was our Lord Jesus Christ numbered with transgressors, he died in the transgressors place, as our Substitute (Isa 53:7-12).
In all these things, Joseph was a type of our Savior, the Man whom the Lord God sent to save us, whom he has made Lord of his house and Ruler of all his Substance. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance (Psa 105:17-21).
am 2276, bc 1728
Joseph: Gen 37:36, Gen 45:4, Psa 105:17, Act 7:9
the Ishmeelites: Gen 37:25, Gen 37:28
Reciprocal: Gen 17:13 – bought Gen 30:24 – And she Gen 40:4 – the captain Gen 41:12 – servant Gen 42:23 – he spake unto them by an interpreter Gen 46:19 – Joseph Num 1:32 – General
Joseph Rejected by His Brethren
Gen 37:20 -Gen 39:1-23
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
As we proceed to consider Joseph, as rejected of his brethren, there will be discovered an outline of Christ rejected by His people which will stand forth in amazing colors. Truly the hand of God was working in a way that neither Joseph nor the brothers who delivered him, knew.
Let us now consider the five reasons which Christ, Himself, gave for His being refused by His own. In these five statements we will likewise discover the five reasons why men are rejecting Christ today.
1. Christ was rejected by the Jews because they had not His Word abiding in them. They read the Prophets, or they heard them read in their synagogues every Sabbath, and those Prophets testified of Christ and yet they knew it not.
They even went so far as to fulfill all the things concerning Christ up to the hour of His crucifixion until the moment that they took Him down from that Cross, and yet they knew not that they fulfilled the Prophets.
How many there are today who are rejecting Christ because of their ignorance of the Word of God! The world is filled with Bibles, and thousands of pulpits are dedicated to its exposition, and yet the world knows not the Bible.
2. Christ was rejected by the Jews because they believed Him not. He wrought many miracles, and signs, and wonders which portrayed His glory and gave witness to His Messiahship, and yet they did not believe in Him.
He spake before them as none ever had spoken; He lived before them as none other had ever lived; He wrought deeds of love and mercy as none had ever wrought, and yet they believed not on Him.
3. Christ was rejected by the Jews because they would not come unto Him that they might have life. Their wills were unbending and their hearts were filled with rebellion against God. “They turned every one to his own way.”
Having cast off the authority of the Father they were prepared in heart to cast off the authority of the Son. Having rejected the Prophets and having stoned them, or killed them, they found it easy to reject the One of whom the Prophets had written.
4. Christ was rejected by the Jews because they did not have the love of God in them. God loved the Son, but they did not know God, neither did they possess the love of God. They professed to serve God, they boasted that they knew Him, yet, withal, they knew nothing of His love either toward others or toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Christ was rejected by the Jews because they received Him not When Christ was born He had no reception on the part of national Israel. When He was grown His own home city of Nazareth received Him not. For a while the populace followed after Him because of the miracles which He did, but the masses never opened their hearts that He The Word of God with its message is set at naught.
As we have brought before you the reasons why Christ was then rejected, we are sure that we have also suggested the reasons why He is now rejected. The world will not believe today any more than it did then. Innumerable excuses may be given for the rejection of Christ, but the reasons noted above are those which Christ gave in the fifth chapter of John for His rejection.
I. JOSEPH’S BRETHREN SETTING THEMSELVES AGAINST HIM (Gen 37:20)
1. Joseph’s brethren disbelieved his dreams. They said, “We shall see what will become of his dreams.” Joseph had related his dreams to his brethren, but they believed him not. They had no sympathy for Joseph’s visions.
When Christ spoke men believed Him not. He was the Truth, but they preferred to believe a lie. He was Life, but they preferred to abide in death. It is still the same today. might come in and rule and reign in righteousness.
Joseph’s dreams were great prophecies of his future power and glory. This glory was utterly repudiated by his brethren. They would not concede to Joseph any superiority. to themselves.
Here is another striking thing. All of Christ’s Word is set at naught, but the world particularly rejects His prophetic words. Prophecy foretells the coming glory and might of the Son of God, and the complete overthrow of the enemy-this the world will not accept.
2. Joseph’s brethren set themselves in array against Joseph’s dreams. Here is the way the brethren spake: “Let us * * cast him into some pit, [then] * * we shall see what will become of his dreams.” They thought within themselves to utterly undo the words of Joseph. They felt assured that they could forestall any prophecy that Joseph might make.
Once again we are face to face with facts concerning Christ and His brethren. They thought to lift their hand up against God’s beloved Son. They thought that they could make void any prophecy that Christ gave.
All of this is but a pen picture of the spirit of our own day. The Word tells us, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” What consummate folly is man’s effort against God!
II. JOSEPH’S BROTHER, REUBEN, SOUGHT TO DELIVER JOSEPH (Gen 37:21-22)
Among the ten brothers there was one who sought to stay the wrath of the rest, thinking that he might, by chance, deliver Joseph to his father. Here was a touch of sunshine against the clouds.
Let us look for its counterpart in the wrath of the Jews against the Lord. This, as we see it, will not be difficult to find.
As the days wore on the antagonism to Christ deepened. The rulers were seeking how they might slay the Lord. Officers had been sent to apprehend the Master; they returned saying, “Never man spake like this Man.” The Pharisees tauntingly replied, “Are ye also deceived?” Then the rulers said, “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?” It was at this juncture that Nicodemus, the one who had visited Jesus by night, said, “Doth our Law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” Thus did one man at least seek to curb the wrath of the Pharisees.
What we now desire to ask, however, and to ask with all of our soul, is this: Who is there among those who now live who will stand forth against the voice of the masses, and step in the breach for Christ?
The world cannot, now, crucify the Son of God. He is risen indeed and hath ascended to the Father. However, the world with an heart of unbelief still hates the Son of God. Where is He who will stand with Reuben, and plead the cause of our Joseph?
Do you cry, “Let Him plead His own case? If He be God let Him deliver Himself.” Never thou fear. Our Christ will yet vindicate His holy Name. He will yet put to rout the enemy. Every knee shall yet bow, and every tongue shall yet confess Christ as Lord. Now, however, He is looking to see who will stand with Him and for Him, against the unbelief of the hour.
Be thou a Reuben. Take up the cause of the Lord. Lift up thy hand against His foes. Cry aloud thy praises of the Christ. One day He will come and will glorify thee.
III. JOSEPH STRIPPED OF HIS COAT OF MANY COLORS (Gen 37:23)
We have already spoken of Joseph’s coat of many colors. We now wish to suggest how the age in which we are living today has sought to rob our Lord Jesus Christ of that robe of His Deity, which is His token of many colors, which designates His glory.
1. The Lord Jesus is defamed as to His Virgin Birth. No one would hesitate in saying that the fact that He was begotten of the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin stands forth as one of the colors which crowns Christ as God. If Jesus were not the Son of God, begotten of the virgin, then He would hare been a sinner the same as all other men who are conceived of natural generation.
2. The Lord Jesus is defamed as to His eternity. Here is one of the colors that stands out so plainly in the Word of God. He came forth from the Father because He had been with the Father. He is described in the Bible as the Word which was with God, and was God, in the beginning. He is described in the Bible as the One by whom and for whom all things are made, and in whom all things consist. The world would rob Christ of that glory.
3. The Lord Jesus is defamed as to His miracle-working power. The Bible says of His first miracle, wherein He turned the water into wine: “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory.”
The Jews said that Jesus wrought these miracles through Beelzebub. Theologians of today do not always go thus far, but they do endeavor to do away with the miraculous by explaining the miracles upon some supposed natural basis.
4. The Lord Jesus is defamed as to His vicarious atonement. Men seek to take away this color of His God-given coat by stating that His death was due to the increasing wrath of the Jews and His utter inability to avert its catastrophe. They utterly repudiate any vicarious, saving power in His Cross.
IV. JOSEPH CAST INTO A PIT (Gen 37:24)
1. Joseph helpless to his brethren’s wrath. “And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.” Such is the story of their treatment of Joseph. The next statement is, “And they sat down to eat bread.”
We know that it was after the Lord was nailed to the Cross that they sat down and watched Him there. Thus, it seems that the pit may have to do with the seeming utter helplessness of Christ as He came to the hour of His death.
Not but that the Lord had all power as Deity-not that. But, because of His having voluntarily given Himself over to His persecutors and would-be slayers, He was left helpless in their hands.
Joseph, shut up in the pit, was without an avenue of escape. He could not scale the sides of the pit, he could not lift himself out. Jesus Christ was shut up to the will of the Father. He was shut up by His love for the lost. It was for this cause the Lord did not exert His own power, nor did He call for twelve legions of angels, as He might have done.
2. Joseph suffered while his brethren sat down and ate bread. What spirit of unconcern to the fate of their brother did these sons of Jacob show! They could eat while he was left to die.
As they ate, they, no doubt, talked about Joseph and sought to justify their villainous deed. They simply had made up their minds to get rid of the one whom they despised. They were setting themselves to do away with any possibility of Joseph’s holding any lordship over them.
As Jesus hung on the Cross His haters sat down and watched Him there. They also talked. They talked of their notable achievement against what they termed was a would-be Messiah. They said, “Let us see what He can do now.” They imagined that all of His power was gone. If God had ever “been with Him, they assured themselves that He was now, at least, deserted by Him.
V. JOSEPH SOLD TO THE ISHMAELITES (Gen 37:27-28)
1. A cunning subterfuge. As they sat down to eat, while Joseph languished in the pit, they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead en route to Egypt. One of them said unto his brethren, “What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him.”
This action of Joseph’s brethren reminds us of the Jews seeking to shift the burden of Christ’s death over on Pilate and the Romans. When Pilate urged them to judge Him according to their own law, they said, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.”
Unto this very day the Jews will argue that it was the Romans who crucified Christ. This was true. The guilt, however, of the death of the Lord lay upon the Jews. Peter was not slow to say, “Ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”
2. Sold by Judah. We almost catch our breath as we note that it was Judah, one of Joseph’s brethren, who suggested that Joseph should be sold, and it was Judas who sold the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver; Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver-this was the price by which He was appraised.
Think you that the brethren of Joseph lessened their crime by selling him to the Ishmaelites? They sold him into what they supposed would be abject slavery and death, They never expected to see Joseph again.
We wonder if the twenty pieces of silver did not burn in the pockets of these men as the Ishmaelites moved on their way carrying Joseph with them as merchandise, to be bartered and sold in Egypt.
After Judas had sold his Lord he went and hanged himself, and perhaps, Judah ofttimes wished himself dead, as in the wee hours of the night the last look of his brother haunted him.
VI. THE BLOOD-SPRINKLED COAT OF MANY COLORS (Gen 37:31-32)
While Joseph himself was spared from death, yet a kid of the goats was killed in Joseph’s stead, and the coat of many colors was dipped in the blood.
1. The coat all blood-stained and dirty suggests the humiliation which men placed upon the Lord. Christ was covered with all indignity by the ruthless “brethren” who delivered Him to death. He was buffeted, spit upon, beaten, and exposed to the ribaldry of the maddened mob. A crown of thorns was placed upon His brow, as the people in mockery bowed the knee and cried, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
The Prophet Isaiah in the Spirit described Christ in death, with His visage more marred than any man, and His form more than the sons of men. Thus was Deity set at naught. Yet the God-man bore the ignominy and shame without a word. He gave His back to the smiters and His head to those who plucked out His hair. For the joy that was set before Him He endured the Cross, despising the shame.
Let those of us who suffer, not count it a matter of boast, that we are buffeted for Christ’s sake. Let us gladly bear His reproach.
2. The coat dipped in blood was brought to Jacob with the statement: “This have we found; know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.”
After the Cross work of Christ was finished, we have every reason to believe that the Blood was carried into the Heavenly Holy of Holies and presented to the Father. We know in the annual feasts of Jehovah, once a year, the high priest carried the blood into the holiest of all and there he sprinkled it upon the mercy seat.
Of this much we are sure, the Blood of Christ is the basis on which God, the Father, accepts the trusting sinner.
Here is a quotation from Hebrews concerning Christ’s sacrifice: “But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
VII. JACOB’S GRIEF (Gen 37:34-35)
Travel in memory with us now into that ancient dwelling of the aged patriarch. There we may learn several vital lessons.
1. Sin begun, must be sin continued. The brethren of Joseph not only sold their brother, but when they returned home they were compelled to add sin to sin in order to cover their tracks.
They carried with them the coat of many colors, and as they gave it to their father, they lied saying, “This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.” They played the part of the innocent although they were guilty. They sought to cover their sin by an act of deceit and by a falsehood.
The same men who so treacherously treated their brother, now, with the same maliciousness, trample under their feet all the tender love and devotion of their father toward his son Joseph.
2. Jacob mourning for Joseph. When Jacob saw the coat all stained with blood, he said, “Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.” Then Jacob rent his own clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son for many days.
As Jacob mourned, his sons and his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted. Thus did Jacob weep for Joseph and said, “I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.”
3. A cloud with silver lining. As Jacob wept, God was working. The Midianites had sold Joseph to Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard.
Is it not often true that if we could look beyond our tears, we would find God working out our own salvation? That which seemed against Jacob was, in fact, for him. In a future sermon we will learn how God had sent Joseph down into Egypt to preserve the lives of Jacob, his sons, and his son’s sons.
AN ILLUSTRATION
TO DIE FIGHTING
Let us have the courage of Joseph.
“‘Sometimes God letteth His people alone till their latter days, and their season of fighting cometh not till they are ready to go out of the world, that they may die fighting and be crowned in the field. But first or last the cross cometh, and there is a time to exercise our faith and patience before we inherit the promises.’
It has been observed that many of those who begin their spiritual career with severe mental conflicts are afterwards filled with peace, and are left unmolested for years. Others have their battle in middle-life, and find the heat of their noontide sun to be their severest trial; while a third class suffer, as our author tells us, at the very close of their pilgrimage. No rule can be laid down as to the varied experiences of the saints; but we suspect that few make the voyage to Heaven over a perpetually glassy sea; the vast majority, at some time or other, are ‘tossed with tempest and not comforted.’
What if we also must die fighting? We shall fall amid the shouts of victory. How surprising will Heaven be to us! One moment almost wrecked, and the next in ‘the Fair Havens.’ Wrestling one moment, and resting the next with the crown about our brows! ‘At eventide it shall be light.'”
Section 3. (Gen 39:1-23; Gen 40:1-23; Gen 41:1-52.)
Zaphnath-paaneah, “the Revealer of Secrets.”
With the next section we return to Joseph, to see Christ in connection with the Gentiles. It is plain that, thus viewed, there is no continuity with the thirty-seventh chapter, but in some sort, a new beginning. Even the position of Joseph, under an Egyptian master, may remind us of Zechariah’s words, which I, with others, believe to be intended of Christ, “Man acquired Me as a slave from My youth.” (Zec 13:5, Heb.) Here, notice, it is not said, Israel: the lowly service to which He has stooped has the widest scope. But what response did this service receive from man? “What are those wounds in Thy hands? Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.”
With Joseph in it, the house of the Egyptian is blessed of God; but with Christ ministering in it, how unspeakably was the world blest! All the power was there, and manifesting itself, which could have turned, and will yet turn, the need of man, however great and varied, into occasion for the display of the wealth of divine loving-mercy. But it availed not to turn man’s heart to God: false witness casts Joseph into Pharaoh’s prison, where, however, again all things come under his hand; while under false accusation, the Lord descends into a darker prison-house, in result to manifest Himself as Master of all there.
A higher power than man’s was working beneath all this in Joseph’s case. The path of humiliation was to end for him in glory; the sorrow of the way was to issue in joy -love’s own joy of service in a higher sphere. “God did send me before you to preserve life,” he says to his brethren afterward; and he who in prison reveals himself as the interpreter of the mind of God, is, as such, qualified to administer the resources of the throne of Egypt, for the relief of the distress which is at hand for the world. All this is easily read as typical of the Lord, only that the shadows of the picture are immeasurably darker here, as the lights are inexpressibly brighter. From the humiliation and agony of the cross, in which He is the interpreter of man’s just doom on the one hand, and of the mercy for him on the other, the lowly Minister to human need comes forth to serve as the Wisdom and Power of God upon a throne of grace.
Seven years of plenty to be succeeded by seven years of famine, which shall devour them up, -such is the prophecy of Pharaoh’s dream. Even yet is the world enjoying its plenteous years, and little it believes in its plainly predicted future. The time of famine is nevertheless not far off, which is to manifest the resources of Him who will then be seen alone competent to meet its terrible exigencies. In that time of sore trial, both Israel is to be brought back to Him whom they have rejected, and the world subjected to the throne whose provision of grace He ministers.
But first, and as soon as ever he is exalted, we hear of new relationships for Joseph: “And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On; and Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” The name given we may take as Hebrew, and in the meaning anciently given to it, “Revealer of Secrets.” How precious a title for Him who has revealed to us the secrets of the heart of God! And especially appropriate is it in connection (as the text suggests) with Joseph’s Gentile marriage. To Christianity belongs above all the revelation of the divine “mysteries.” The “mysteries of the kingdom,” the “great mystery” of Christ and the Church,” “the mystery of His will . . . for the administration of the fullness of times to head up all things in heaven and earth in Christ” (Mat 13:11; Eph 5:32; Eph 1:9-10) are given to us for the first time in these Christian days, while He is Himself, in His own person and work, the “mystery of godliness.”
Even the false church appropriates (though but to pervert) this idea of mystery (Rev 17:5); while the apostle desires no better estimation for himself and others than “as ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1Co 4:1.) For us even the stored treasures of the past dispensation are revealing themselves, and things which happened unto Israel happened unto them for types, and are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. (1Co 10:11.) All these things are pledges of new relationship, confidences, unspeakably precious, of the heart of Christ. (Joh 15:15.) Revealer of secrets indeed is He; no truer or sweeter name for Him who has been pleased to take, in these plenteous days before the time of the world’s famine, a Gentile bride.
At the same time, if our Joseph’s title can be shown to have in Egyptian the meaning, “Saviour of the world,” we need not reject it. This is indeed the outward aspect in which Christ is now revealed.
As to Asenath, if the meaning of her name is conjectural only, those of her two sons are very significant. Born before the famine, and while Joseph’s brethren are yet strangers to his exaltation, “he called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, -for God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house;” while “the name of the second called he Ephraim, -for God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” For His Church, His heavenly bride, He has been content to be as if He remembered not His relationship with His people of old. The thread of prophecy lies unwoven in the shuttle of time, as if its wheel had stopped forever. Why this apparent forgetfulness on the part of Him who never slumbereth nor sleepeth? Surely, no change; but the pursuance of eternal purposes, which accomplished, Israel shall look upon the face of Him whom they have pierced, and a fountain be open to them also for sin and for uncleanness.
In the individual application we are again unable to go into much detail. We may easily, indeed, see how the wisdom of God, and His power in measure too, abide with such an one as our type represents. He is master of the circumstances by which at times he may appear mastered. All things necessarily serve the One who is ever with him, content Himself to find, through seeming defeat, His sure, eternal victory. Through all, he is preparing for the place where at last both his brethren shall be restored to him, and also the world shall be his own; for when Christ reigns (of which we have been tracing the figures here), His saints shall reign with Him.
Sold to Potiphar
God blessed the household because of Joseph. Potiphar did not concern himself with anything going on in the house. All he did was eat his meals and leave the rest to Joseph ( Gen 39:1-6 ).
Gen 39:1. And Joseph was brought down into Egypt The history of Joseph is one of the most remarkable, interesting, and instructive of any contained in the Scriptures or elsewhere. It affords us the clearest evidence of the providence of God conducting all things with amazing and stupendous wisdom, and making them work together for good to those that love him; nay, and causing even the wickedness of men to become subservient to the accomplishment of its designs. One design of God, with regard to Joseph, was to raise him to such a degree of greatness and power, as should oblige his brethren to bow down humbly before him: his brethren opposed this, and meant to humble him: but what they did with this view was the first step by which God led him to elevation and glory; and the horrible calumny of his unchaste mistress, which seemed to complete his misfortunes, was the circumstance which advanced him almost to the throne! This may afford us great comfort under all our troubles, as we may from hence be assured that God can make whatever shall be designed against us the means of promoting our happiness.
The Jews have a proverb, If the world did but know the worth of good men, they would hedge them about with pearls. Joseph was sold to an officer of Pharaoh, with whom he might get acquainted with public persons and public business, and so be fitted for the preferment he was designed for. What God intends men for, he will be sure, some way or other, to qualify them for.
Gen 39:1. Potiphar. What a providence, that Joseph was bought by a man in whom Pharaoh had placed very much confidence. Captain of the guard. He seems to have been a military superintendent of the butchers, bakers, and every other class of servants in the kings household.
Gen 39:2. The Lord was with Joseph. The Targum reads, The Word of the Lord was Josephs helper; that is, the Messiah.
Gen 39:7. It came to pass. In the eleventh year of Josephs servitude, when he was twenty-seven years of age, and well acquainted with the language and laws of Egypt.
Gen 39:17. The Hebrew servantcame in to mock me. The story of Hipponome, a beautiful youth, son of Glaucus, king of Epyrus or Corinth, found in pagan fable, seems to corroborate this part of the Mosaic history. Homer, bk. 6. Hipponome having killed his brother Beller, was surnamed Bellerophon; that is, murderer of Beller, fled to the court of Prote, where the king received him with great hospitality. But the queen, Stenoba or Ant, falling passionately in love with him, assayed by all means to allure him to her desires; but unable to succeed, the tide of passion turned at length to hatred: she accused him to her husband, as having insulted her modesty. Prote, unwilling to stain his asylum with blood, sent him with a sealed letter to his son-in-law, Jobates king of Lydia, containing proofs of his guilt, and commanding his execution. Jobates, however, having need of his services in his wars against the Solymonites, a warlike people of Asia, gave him a commission in his army. See Deu 33:16-17.
Gen 39:20. Put him into the prison. That grace which softened Reubens heart to save his brother, now softened Potiphars to mitigate Josephs punishment. What has the man to fear who trusts in God? If God abase him for a moment, it is to exalt him for ever.
Gen 39:22. The keeper. We find Joseph prosperous in his masters house; we find him prosperous in prison; and by and by we find him steward of the whole kingdom. God never lost sight of the dreams he gave his servant: not only the sheaves and stars, but Egypt must bow down to the man whom God exalts.
REFLECTIONS.
When God is about to do some great and good thing for the church, he has but to draw the instruments from the treasury of his providence. He was now about to instruct the nations in righteousness, and to multiply the Hebrew family, that they might possess the promised land. With these wise and holy purposes he first humbled and then exalted Joseph. Let us therefore in a series of events keep our eyes on this most hopeful branch, and mark how it flourished and grew, being watered and defended by the special care of heaven.
He was a youth of early piety, and designated by his father to serve at the altar. How lovely it is for youth to be waiting in the church, for the future unfoldings of the divine pleasure. Being honoured as a prophet with early dreams, the hatred of all his brothers was excited. It was hatred that rose to the intention of murder; the murder of an unoffending brother, from whose youth, as yet, they could fear no supremacy. Oh the heart, the deceitful heart of man!
We see Joseph removed from being a son in his fathers house, to be a servant and a slave in the house of Potiphar. Well: let no man be depressed by reverses in life, while he has a God rich in resources. But oh slavery! that bitter word, and galling yoke! We see no remedy, but in the overspreading of the christian religion, which knows neither bond nor free in Christ Jesus, but a new creature. To ask the planter to emancipate his slave, is like asking the wolf to resign his prey.
Joseph, the best of sons and of brothers, became the best of servants in his new and humble situation, for God was with him in counsel and in divine support. The Lord blessed the master for the servants sake. What a model for others in the like situation. Such faithful domestics generally receive a reward in this world, and their fidelity is crowned with the approbation of the Lord.
But the faith and piety of Joseph, long inured to adversity, though supported with the hallowed hope, that the sheaves should bow with repentance at length, must next be tried from another quarter, and equally unsuspected. His mistress, utterly forgetful of consequences, spread her net for his feet from day to day. Unable to fly from his masters house, his virtue recoiled at the atrocity of the crime against the best of masters, who had raised him to be steward of all his estate. He dreaded to sin against God by violating one of the first laws of society. While guilt would plead for secresy, he pleaded the divine omniscience, and the vengeance of his arm. He did more: in the crisis of temptation he fled from a woman, whose ebb of passion would ruin innocence to cover guilt. Oh how happy is the man who adheres to the morality of our Saviour, If thy right hand cause thee to offend, cut it off, and cast it from thee. Virtue does not dare to contemplate the character of this woman, except in the shades of horror. And if the consequences were so serious where one only was guilty, what must they eventually be when both become the victims; how will they meet each other beyond the shades of death!
Joseph was dragged to prison; his brilliant virtues covered with obloquy and a cloud. But his hands were clean, and he had the approbation of God, whose sunbeams are sure to shine out, how long soever the lowering cloud may obscure his cheering rays. What a time to exercise faith in a God unseen; to walk in darkness, and have no light! The good man who groans under oppression, who cries out of wrong, and is not heard, shall surely be heard in the issue. A worm shall feed on the guilty conscience, while the ever faithful God shall prepare a crown of righteousness for the man that endureth temptation.
But let the good man who groans like Joseph under a complication of wrongs, and is carried away with the impetuous torrent of adversity, repose on the providence of God. He shall be landed on a safe and peaceful shore. Let oppressed innocence, and reproached virtue, rest the issues on this rock, and wait in hope. God may have causes for his conduct which future years shall unfold. Soon or late he will deliver: and the lustre of righteousness shall be the greater after a cloud. A viper shall riot on the evil conscience, and the lying tongue in cries for mercy, or in cries of vengeance shall be constrained to speak the truth, and give glory both to God and man.
Genesis 37 – 50
On which we shall dwell more particularly. There is not in scripture a more perfect and beautiful type of Christ than Joseph. Whether we view Christ as the object of the Father’s love, the object of the envy of His own, – in His humiliation, sufferings, death exaltation, and glory, in all we have Him strikingly typified by Joseph.
In Gen. 37 we have Joseph’s dreams, the statement of which draws out the enmity of his brethren. He was the object of his father’s love, and the subject of very high destinies, and inasmuch as the hearts of his brothers were not in communion with these things, they hated him. They had no fellowship in the father’s love. They would not yield to the thought of Joseph’s exaltation. In all this they represent the Jews in Christ’s day. He came to His own and his own received him not.” He had “no form nor comeliness in their eyes.” They would neither own Him as the Son of God, nor king of Israel. Their eyes were not open to behold “his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of “grace and truth.” They would not have Him; yea, they hated Him.
Now, in Joseph’s case, we see that he, in no wise, relaxed his testimony in consequence of his brethren’s refusal of his first dream. “And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren;” and they hated him yet the more….And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren.” This was simple testimony founded upon divine revelation; but it was testimony which brought Joseph down to the pit. Had he kept back his testimony, or taken off ought of its edge and power, he might have spared himself; but no; he told them the truth, and therefore they hated him.
Thus was it with Joseph’s great Antitype. He bore witness to the truth – He witnessed a good confession He kept back nothing – He could only speak the truth because He was the truth, and His testimony to the truth was answered, on man’s part, by the cross, the vinegar, the soldier’s spear. The testimony of Christ, too, was connected with the deepest, fullest, richest grace. He not only came as “the truth,” but also as the perfect expression of all the love of the Father’s heart:” grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” He was the full disclosure to man of what God was. Hence man was left entirely without excuse. He came and showed God to man, and man hated God with a perfect hatred. The fullest exhibition of divine love was answered by the fullest exhibition of human hatred. This is seen in the cross; and we have it touchingly foreshadowed at the pit into which Joseph was cast by his brethren.
“And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh; come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit; and we will say, some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” These words forcibly remind us of the parable in Matthew 22. “But, last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.” God sent His Son into the world with this thought, “They will reverence my son;” but, alas! man’s heart had no reverence for the “well beloved” of the Father. They cast him out. Earth and heaven were at issue in reference to Christ; and they are at issue still. Man crucified Him; but God raised Him from the dead. Man placed Him on a cross between two thieves; God set Him at His own right hand in the heavens. Man gave Him the very lowest place on earth; God gave Him the very highest place in heaven, in brightest majesty.
ALL this is shown out in Joseph’s history. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him; but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel;) even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breast and of the womb; the blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” (Gen. 49: 22-26)
These verses beautifully exhibit to our view “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” “The archers” have done their work; but God was stronger than they. The true Joseph has been shot at and grievously wounded in the house of his friends; but “the arms of his hands have been made strong” in the power of resurrection, and faith now knows Him as the basis of all God’s purposes of blessing and glory in reference to the Church, Israel, and the whole creation. When we look at Joseph in the pit, and in the prison, and look; at him afterwards as ruler over all the land of Egypt, we see the difference between the thoughts of God and the. thoughts of men; and so when we look at the cross, and at “the throne of the majesty in the heavens,” we see the same thing.
Nothing ever brought out the real state of man’s heart toward God but the coming of Christ. “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin.” (John 15: 22) It is not that they would not have been sinners. No; but “they had not had sin.” So He says, in another place, “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin.” (John 9: 41) God came near to man in the Person of His Son, and man was able to say, “this is the heir;” but yet he said, “come, let us kill him.” Hence, “they have no cloak for their sin.” Those who say they see, have no excuse. confessed blindness is not at all the difficulty, but professed sight. This is a truly solemn principle for a professing age like the present. The permanence of sin is connected with the mere profession to see. A man who is blind, and knows it, can have his eyes opened; but what can be done for one who thinks he sees, when he really does not?
Genesis 39. Joseph Repels his Master’s Wife, and is Imprisoned on her False Accusation.This section is from J with touches from E. It is generally agreed that Potiphar . . . guard is an insertion in Gen 39:1. J represents Joseph as sold to an unnamed Egyptian; the governor of the prison is also unnamed. According to E, Joseph is sold to Potiphar the captain of the guard, and attends, not as himself a prisoner, but as Potiphars slave (cf. Gen 41:12), to the officers who are in custody in the house. Clearly, Josephs mistress cannot have been the wife of Potiphar the captain of the guard, who entrusts him with the service of Pharaohs officers (Gen 40:4). The identification is made in Genesis 39 to harmonise the two accounts. The story has a striking Egyptian parallel in The Tale of the Two Brothers. The younger brother, tempted by the elder brothers wife, wrathfully rejects her proposals in affection for his brother and horror at her wickedness. Securing his silence, the wife accuses him to her husband, confirming her tale by wounds she has made on her body. The husband goes out to kill his brother, but, receiving proof of his innocence, kills his wife. A Greek parallel is the love of Phdra the wife of Theseus for Hippolytus, her husbands son, and several other peoples have similar stories.
JOSEPH–A SUFFERER FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
How good it is to turn from Judah’s sordid history to consider Joseph’s history of faithful devotedness to the Lord! The deepest blessing for us in this is of course in the fact of the refreshing way in which Joseph is a type of the Lord Jesus. Just as Joseph learns through suffering, so the Lord Jesus “learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb 5:8).
Joseph was sold in Egypt to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. But the Lord was with him (v.2). He had suffered unrighteously, losing every connection with relatives and friends, and the Lord delights to encourage the lonely and deprived. The result was that he was faithful and dependable in his work, prospering in it, though he was a slave. For this reason Potiphar put him in charge of the work of his entire house, and everything prospered under his direction. This included too the work carried out in the fields of Potiphar (v.5), so that he was no doubt over many other servants.
This faithful, dependable character reminds us of the far more devoted life of the Lord Jesus in His proving Himself through lowly obedience to be fitted for the highest honor of His being entrusted by God to rule over all creation.
JOSEPH FALSELY ACCUSED AND IMPRISONED
But Joseph must learn that further suffering must take place in view of his being eventually promoted to a higher honor than he would have before imagined. If God is to exalt anyone, it must be through suffering. Those who humble themselves to bear the suffering will be exalted, while those who seek to exalt themselves will find themselves abased.
Satan’s instrument in this wicked attack was Potiphar’s wife. She sought a number of times to seduce Joseph to commit adultery with her (vs.7-14), but he stedfastly refused, telling her that his master had trusted him with great responsibility in his house. He was not going to prove false to that trust by violating the marriage between his master and his wife. By doing so, he tells her he would be committing great wickedness, and sinning against the Lord.
When Potiphar’s wife continued urging Joseph to commit adultery with her, what could he do but firmly refuse? If he reported it to Potiphar, she would accuse him of lying, and probably say that Joseph had tried to seduce her. Finally, when no-one else was present and Joseph had to go into the house to take care of work responsibilities, she caught him by his garment and demanded again that he commit adultery with her. He pulled away, anxious to get far from her, but she held on to his garment while he left the house (vs.11-12).
She then saw an opportunity of getting revenge on Joseph because he would not join her in evil. She called out for other men, no doubt servants of the household, and told them Joseph had come in with the object of raping her. She said she cried out, and he left without his garment. Thus, from the very time of the incident, she had witness against Joseph that seemed conclusive. When Potiphar came home she told him the same false story, having Joseph’s garment there as apparent proof of her evil accusation (vs.16-18).
Of course Joseph was helpless to do anything. His word, the word of a slave, would mean nothing to Potiphar in comparison to the word of his wife. He was understandably angry with Joseph, and not only demoted him from his high position in Potiphar’s house, but put him in prison with others who were evidently mostly political prisoners of Pharaoh (v.20).
But again, as in verse 2, we are told, “the Lord was with Joseph.” How good it is that everyone who suffers for righteousness sake will have the gracious sympathy of the Lord, and He will not give him up to self-pity and depression. The chief jailer of course observed that Joseph was an honorable man, not a common criminal, and he soon entrusted Joseph with unusual responsibilities for a prisoner. He could see that Joseph was well able to keep things in order even among the other prisoners, and willingly left to Joseph the responsibilities that were normally those of the jailer himself. Again we are told that the Lord was with Joseph and whatever he did the Lord made to prosper (vs.22-23). It may seem strange that this could be true of a prisoner, but it does indicate that Joseph was not of a negative character, but positive and faithful.
39:1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an {a} officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
(a) See Gen 37:36.
The clause "the Lord was with Joseph" occurs four times in this chapter (Gen 39:2-3; Gen 39:21; Gen 39:23) and explains the reason for his success. The divine name "LORD," Yahweh, appears seven times in this chapter (Gen 39:2-3 [twice], 5 [twice], 21, and 23) but only one other time in the Jacob toledot (Gen 37:2 to Gen 50:26): in Gen 49:18. God had previously promised to be with Isaac and Jacob (Gen 26:3; Gen 26:24; Gen 26:28; Gen 28:15; Gen 28:20; Gen 31:3). Yahweh is the name for God used. The covenant-keeping God of the patriarchs was with this son of Jacob far from home. Joseph had a fine physique and a handsome face, features that he seems to have inherited from his mother Rachel (cf. Gen 29:17). He proved faithful in a little and therefore the Lord placed him in charge of much (cf. Luk 16:10). Note that God blessed Potiphar because of Joseph (cf. Gen 12:3 a).
"The whole sequence of Gen 39:2-6 is a particularly apt and clear example of the meaning of blessing in the Old Testament. Assistance and blessing belong together, though they are different. Blessing embraces both people and the rest of creation. The narrator simply presupposes that the blessing can flow over from the one whom Yahweh assists to a foreign people and adherents of a foreign religion precisely because of the one whom Yahweh assists. The power inherent in the blessing is expansive . . ." [Note: Westermann, Genesis 36-50, p. 63.]
JOSEPH IN PRISON
Gen 39:1-23
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life.”- Jam 1:12
DRAMATISTS and novelists, who make it their business to give accurate representations of human life, proceed upon the understanding that there is a plot in it, and that if you take the beginning or middle without the end, you must fail to comprehend these-prior parts. And a plot is pronounced good in proportion as, without violating truth to nature, it brings the leading characters into situations of extreme danger or distress, from which there seems no possible exit, and in which the characters themselves may have fullest opportunity to display and ripen their individual excellences. A life is judged poor and without significance, certainly unworthy of any longer record than a monumental epitaph may contain, if there be in it no critical passages, no emergencies when all anticipation of the next step is baffled, or when ruin seems certain. Though it has been brought to a successful issue, yet, to make it worthy of our consideration, it must have been brought to this issue through hazard, through opposition, contrary to many expectations that were plausibly entertained at the several stages of its career. All men, in short, are agreed that the value of a human life consists very much in the hazards and conflicts through which it is carried; and yet we resent Gods dealing with us when it comes to be our turn to play the hero, and by patient endurance and righteous endeavour to bring our lives to a successful issue. How flat and tame would this narrative have read had Joseph by easy steps come to the dignity he at last reached through a series of misadventures that called out and ripened all that was manly and strong and tender in his character. And take out of your own life all your difficulties, all that ever pained, agitated, depressed you, all that disappointed or postponed your expectations, all that suddenly called upon you to act in trying situations, all that thoroughly put you to the proof take all this away, and what do you leave but a blank insipid life that not even yourself can see any interest in?
And when we speak of Josephs life as typical, we mean that it illustrates on a great scale and in picturesque and memorable situations principles which are obscurely operative in our own experience. It pleases the fancy to trace the incidental analogies between the life of Joseph and that of our Lord. As our Lord, so Joseph was the beloved of his father, sent by him to visit his brethren, and see after their well-being, seized and sold by them to strangers, and thus raised to be their Saviour and the Saviour of the world. Joseph in prison pronouncing the doom of one of his fellow-prisoners and the exaltation of the other, suggests the scene on Calvary where the one fellow-sufferer was taken, the other left. Josephs contemporaries had of course no idea that his life foreshadowed the life of the Redeemer, yet they must have seen, or ought to have seen, that the deepest humiliation is often the path to the highest exaltation, that the deliverer sent by God to save a people may come in the guise of a slave, and that false accusations, imprisonment, years of suffering, do not make it impossible nor even unlikely that he who endures all these may be Gods chosen Son.
In Josephs being lifted out of the pit only to pass into slavery, many a man of Josephs years has seen a picture of what has happened to himself. From a position in which they have been as if buried alive, young men not uncommonly emerge into a position preferable certainly to that out of which they have been brought, but in which they are compelled to work beyond their strength, and that for some superior in whom they have no special interest. Grinding toil, and often cruel insult, are their portion: and no necklace heavy with tokens of honour that afterwards may be allotted them can ever quite hide the scars made by the iron collar of the slave. One need not pity them over much, for they are young and have a whole lifetime of energy and power of resistance in their spirit. And yet they will often call themselves slaves, and complain that all the fruit of their labour passes over to others and away from themselves, and all prospect of the fulfilment of their former dreams is quite cut off. That which haunts their heart by day and by night, that which they seem destined and fit for, they never get time nor liberty to work out and attain. They are never viewed as proprietors of themselves, who may possibly have interests of their own and hopes of their own.
In Josephs case there were many aggravations of the soreness of such a condition. He had not one friend in the country. He had no knowledge of the language, no knowledge of any trade that could make him valuable in Egypt-nothing, in short, but his own manhood and his faith in God. His introduction to Egypt was of the most dispiriting kind. What could he expect from strangers, if his own brothers had found him so obnoxious? Now when a man is thus galled and stung by injury, and has learned how little he can depend upon finding good faith and common justice in the world, his character will show itself in the attitude he assumes towards men and towards life generally. A weak nature, when it finds itself thus deceived and injured, will sullenly surrender all expectation of good and will vent its spleen on the world by angry denunciations of the heartless and ungrateful ways of men. A proud nature will gather itself up from every blow, and determinedly work its way to an adequate revenge. A mean nature will accept its fate, and while it indulges in cynical and spiteful observations on human life, will greedily accept the paltriest rewards it can secure. But the supreme healthiness of Josephs nature resists all the infectious influences that emanate from the world around him, and preserves him from every kind of morbid attitude towards the world and life. So easily did he throw off all vain regrets and stifle all vindictive and morbid feelings, so readily did he adjust himself to and so heartily enter into life as it presented itself to him, that he speedily rose to be overseer in the house of Potiphar. His capacity for business, his genial power of devoting himself to other mens interests, his clear integrity, were such, that this officer of Pharaohs could find no more trustworthy servant in all Egypt-“he left all that he had in Josephs hand: and he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat.”
Thus Joseph passed safely through a critical period of his life-the period during which men assume the attitude towards life and their fellow-men which they commonly retain throughout. Too often we accept the weapons with which the world challenges us, and seek to force our way by means little more commendable than the injustice and coldness we ourselves resent. Joseph gives the first great evidence of moral strength by rising superior to this temptation, to which almost all men in one degree or other succumb. You can hear him saying, deep down in his heart, and almost unconsciously to himself: If the world is full of hatred, there is all the more need that at least one man should forgive and love: if mens hearts are black with selfishness, ambition, and lust, all the more reason for me to be pure and to do my best for all whom my service can reach; if cruelty, lying, and fraud meet me at every step, all the more am I called to conquer these by integrity and guilelessness.
His capacity, then, and power of governing others, were no longer dreams of his own, but qualities with which he was accredited by those who judged dispassionately and from the bare actual results. But this recognition and promotion brought with it serious temptation. So capable a person was he that a year or two had brought him to the highest post he could expect as a slave. His advancement, therefore, only brought his actual attainment into more painful contrast with the attainment of his dreams. As this sense of disappointment becomes more familiar to his heart, and threatens, under the monotonous routine of his household work, to deepen into a habit, there suddenly opens to him a new and unthought-of path to high position. An intrigue with Potiphars wife might lead to the very advancement he sought. It might lift him out of the condition of a slave. It may have been known to him that other men had not scrupled so to promote their own interests. Besides, Joseph was young, and a nature like his, lively and sympathetic, must have felt deeply that in his position he was not likely to meet such a woman as could command his cordial love. That the temptation was in any degree to the sensual side of his nature there is no evidence whatever. For all that the narrative says, Potiphars wife may not have been attractive in person. She may have been; and as she used persistently, “day by day,” every art and wile by which she could lure Joseph to her mind, in some of his moods and under such circumstances as she would study to arrange he may have felt even this element of the temptation. But it, is too little observed, and especially by young men who have most need to observe it, that in such temptations it is not only what is sensual that needs to be guarded against, but also two much deeper-lying tendencies-the craving for loving recognition, and the desire to respond to the feminine love for admiration and devotion. The latter tendency may not seem dangerous, but I am sure that if an analysis could be made of the broken hearts and shame-crushed lives around us, it would be found that a large proportion of misery is due to a kind of uncontrolled and mistaken chivalry. Men of masculine make are prone to show their regard for women. This regard, when genuine and manly, will show itself in purity of sympathy and respectful attention. But when this regard is debased by a desire to please and ingratiate ones self, men are precipitated into the unseemly expressions of a spurious manhood. The other craving-the craving for love-acts also in a somewhat latent way. It is this craving which drives men to seek to satisfy themselves with the expressions of love, as if thus they could secure love itself. They do not distinguish between the two; they do not recognise that what they most deeply desire is love, rather than the expression of it; and they awake to find that precisely in so far as they have accepted the expression without the sentiment, in so far have they put love itself beyond their reach.
This temptation was, in Josephs case, aggravated by his being in a foreign country, unrestrained by the expectations of his own family, or by the eye of those he loved. He had, however, that which restrained him, and made the sin seem to him an impossible wickedness, the thought of which he could not, for a moment, entertain. “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 anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Gratitude to the man who had pitied him in the slave market, and shown a generous confidence in a comparative stranger, was, with Joseph, a stronger sentiment than any that Potiphars wife could stir in him. One can well believe it. We know what enthusiastic devotedness a young man of any worth delights to give to his superior who has treated him with justice, generosity, and confidence; who himself occupies a station of importance in public life; and who, by a dignified graciousness of demeanour, can make even the slave feel that he too is a man, and that through his slaves dress his proper manhood and worth are recognised. There are few stronger sentiments than the enthusiasm or quiet fidelity that can thus be kindled, and the influence such a superior wields over the young mind is paramount. To disregard the rights of his master seemed to Joseph a great wickedness and sin against God. The treachery of the sin strikes him; his native discernment of the true rights of every party in the case cannot, for a moment, be hoodwinked. He is not a man who can, even in the excitement of temptation, overlook the consequences his sin may have on others. Not unsteadied by the flattering solicitations of one so much above him in rank, nor sullied by the contagion of her vehement passion; neither afraid to incur the resentment of one who so regarded him, nor kindled to any impure desire by contact with her blazing lust; neither scrupling thoroughly to disappoint her in himself, nor to make her feel her own great guilt, he flung from him the strong inducements that seemed to net him round and entangle him as his garment did, and tore himself, shocked and grieved, from the beseeching hand of his temptress.
The incident is related not because it was the most violent temptation to which Joseph was ever exposed, but because it formed a necessary link in the chain of circumstances that brought him before Pharaoh. And however strong this temptation may have been, more men would be found who could thus have spoken to Potiphars wife than who could have kept silence when accused by Potiphar. For his purity you will find his equal, one among a thousand; for his mercy scarcely one. For there is nothing more intensely trying than to live under false and painful accusations, which totally misrepresent and damage your character, which effectually bar your advancement, and which yet you have it in your power to disprove. Joseph, feeling his indebtedness to Potiphar, contents himself with the simple averment that he himself is innocent. The word is on his tongue that can put a very different face on the matter, but rather than utter that word, Joseph will suffer the stroke that otherwise must fall on his masters honour; will pass from his high place and office of trust, through the jeering or possibly compassionating slaves, branded as one who has betrayed the frankest confidence, and is fitter for the dungeon than the stewardship of Potiphar. He is content to lie under the cruel suspicion that he had in the foulest way wronged the man whom most he should have regarded, and whom in point of fact he did enthusiastically serve. There was one man in Egypt whose good-will he prized, and this man now scorned and condemned him, and this for the very act by which Joseph had proved most faithful and deserving.
And even after a long imprisonment, when he had now no reputation to maintain, and when such a little bit of court scandal as he could have retailed would have been highly palatable and possibly useful to some of those polished ruffians and adventurers who made their dungeon ring with questionable tales, and with whom the free and levelling intercourse of prison life had put him on the most familiar footing, and when they twitted and taunted him with his supposed crime, and gave him the prison sobriquet that would most pungently embody his villainy-and failure, and when it might plausibly have been pleaded by himself that such a woman should be exposed, Joseph uttered no word of recrimination, but quietly endured, knowing that Gods providence. could allow him to be merciful; protesting, when needful, that he himself was innocent, but seeking to entangle no one else in his misfortune.
It is this that has made the world seem so terrible a place to many-that the innocent must so often suffer for the guilty, and that, without appeal, the pure and loving must lie in chains and bitterness, while the wicked live and see good days. It is this that has made men most despairingly question whether there be indeed a God in heaven Who knows who the real culprit is, and yet suffers a terrible doom slowly to close around the innocent; Who sees where the guilt lies, and yet moves no finger nor speaks the word that would bring justice to light, shaming the secure triumph of the wrongdoer, and saving the bleeding spirit from its agony. It was this that came as the last stroke of the passion of our Lord, that He was numbered among the transgressors; it was this that caused or materially increased the feeling that God had deserted Him; and it was this that wrung from Him the cry which once was wrung from David, and may well have been wrung from Joseph, when, cast into the dungeon as a mean and treacherous villain, whose freedom was the peril of domestic peace and honour, he found himself again helpless and forlorn, regarded now not as a mere worthless lad, but as a criminal of the lowest type. And as there always recur cases in which exculpation is impossible just in proportion as the party accused is possessed of honourable feeling, and where silent acceptance of doom is the result not of convicted guilt, but of the very triumph of self-sacrifice, we must beware of over-suspicion and injustice. There is nothing in which we are more frequently mistaken than in our suspicions and harsh judgments of others.
“But the Lord was with Joseph, and allowed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” As in Potiphars house, so in the kings house of detention, Josephs fidelity and serviceableness made him seem indispensable, and by sheer force of character he occupied the place rather of governor than of prisoner. The discerning men he had to do with, accustomed to deal with criminals and suspects of all shades, very quickly perceived that in Josephs case justice was at fault, and that he was a mere scapegoat. Well might Potiphars wife, like Pilates, have had warning dreams regarding the innocent person who was being condemned; and probably Potiphar himself had suspicion enough of the true state of matters to prevent him from going to extremities with Joseph, and so to imprison him more out of deference to the opinion of his household, and for the sake of appearances, than because Joseph alone was the object of his anger. At any rate, such was the vitality of Josephs confidence in God, and such was the light-heartedness that sprang from his integrity of conscience, that he was free from all absorbing anxiety about himself, and had leisure to amuse and help his fellow-prisoners, so that such promotion as a gaol could afford he won, from a dungeon to a chain, from a chain to his word of honour. Thus even in the unlatticed dungeon the sun and moon look in upon him and bow to him; and while his sheaf seems at its poorest, all rust and mildew, the sheaves of his masters do homage.
After the arrival of two such notable criminals as the chief butler and baker of Pharaoh-the chamberlain and steward of the royal household-Joseph, if sometimes pensive, must yet have had sufficient entertainment at times in conversing with men who stood by the king, and were familiar with the statesmen, courtiers, and military men who frequented the house of Potiphar. He had now ample opportunity for acquiring information which afterwards stood him in good stead, for apprehending the character of Pharaoh, and for making himself acquainted with many details of his government, and with the general condition of the people. Officials in disgrace would be found much more accessible and much more communicative of important information than officials in court favour could have been to one in Josephs position.
It is not surprising that three nights before Pharaohs birthday these functionaries of the court should have recalled in sleep such scenes as that day was wont to bring round, nor that they should vividly have seen the parts they themselves used to play in the festival. Neither is it surprising that they should have had very anxious thoughts regarding their own fate on a day which was chosen for deciding the fate of political or courtly offenders. But it is remarkable that they having dreamed these dreams Joseph should have been found willing to interpret them. One desires some evidence of Josephs attitude towards God during this period when Gods attitude towards him might seem doubtful, and especially one would like to know what Joseph by this time thought of his juvenile dreams, and whether in the prison his face wore the same beaming confidence in his own future which had smitten the hearts of his brothers with impatient envy of the dreamer. We seek some evidence, and here we find it. Josephs willingness to interpret the dreams of his fellow-prisoners proves that he still believed in his own, that among his other qualities he had this characteristic also of a steadfast and profound soul, that he “reverenced as a man the dreams of his youth.” Had he not done so, and had he not yet hoped that somehow God would bring truth out of them, he would surely have said: Dont you believe in dreams; they will only get you into difficulties. He would have said what some of us could dictate from our own thoughts: I wont meddle with dreams any more; I am not so young as I once was; doctrines and principles that served for fervent romantic youth seem puerile now, when I have learned what human fife actually is. I cant ask this man, who knows the world and has held the cup for Pharaoh, and is aware what a practical shape the kings anger takes, to cherish hopes similar to those which often seem so remote and doubtful to myself. My religion has brought me into trouble: it has lost me my situation, it has kept me poor, it has made me despised, it has debarred me from enjoyment. Can I ask this man to trust to inward whisperings which seem to have so misled me? No, no; let every man bear his own burden. If he wishes to become religious, let not me bear the responsibility. If he will dream, let him find some other interpreter.
This casual conversation, then, with his fellow-prisoners was for Joseph one of those perilous moments when a man holds his fate in his hand, and yet does not know that he is specially on trial, but has for his guidance and safe-conduct through the hazard only the ordinary safeguards and lights by the aid of which he is framing his daily life. A man cannot be forewarned of trial, if the trial is to be a fair test of his habitual life. He must not be called to the lists by the heralds trumpet warning him to mind his seat and grasp his weapon; but must be suddenly set upon if his habit of steadiness and balance is to be tested, and the warrior-instinct to which the right weapon is ever at hand. As Joseph, going the round of his morning duty and spreading what might stir the appetite of these dainty courtiers, noted the gloom on their faces, had he not been of a nature to take upon himself the sorrows of others, he might have been glad to escape from their presence, fearful lest he should be infected by their depression, or should become an object on which they might vent their ill-humour. But he was girt with a healthy cheerfulness that could bear more than his own burden; and his pondering of his own experience made him sensitive to all that affected the destinies of other men.
Thus Joseph in becoming the interpreter of the dreams of other men became the fulfiller of his own. Had he made light of the dreams of his fellow-prisoners because he had already made light of his own, he would, for aught we can see, have died in the dungeon. And, indeed, what hope is left for a man, and what deliverance is possible, when he makes light of his own most sacred experience, and doubts whether after all there was any Divine voice in that part of his life which once he felt to be full of significance? Sadness, cynical worldliness, irritability, sour and isolating selfishness, rapid deterioration in every part of the character-these are the results which follow our repudiation of past experience and denial of truth that once animated and purified us; when, at least, this repudiation and denial are not themselves the results of our advance to a higher, more animating, and more purifying truth. We cannot but leave behind us many “childish things,” beliefs that we now recognise as mere superstitions, hopes and fears which do not move the maturer mind; we cannot but seek always to be stripping ourselves of modes of thinking which have served their purpose and are out of date, but we do so only for the sake of attaining freer movement in all serviceable and righteous conduct, and more adequate covering for the permanent weaknesses of our own nature -” not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon,” that truth partial and dawning may be swallowed up in the perfect light of noon. And when a supposed advance in the knowledge of things spiritual robs us of all that sustains true spiritual life in us, and begets an angry contempt of our own past experience and a proud scorning of the dreams that agitate other men; when it ministers not at all to the growth in us of what is tender and pure and loving and progressive, but hardens us to a sullen or coarsely riotous or coldly calculating character, we cannot but question whether it is not a delusion rather than a truth that has taken possession of us.
If it is fanciful, it is yet-almost inevitable, to compare Joseph at this stage of his career to the great Interpreter who stands between God and us, and makes all His signs intelligible. Those Egyptians could not forbear honouring Joseph, who was able to solve to them the mysteries on the borders of which the Egyptian mind continually hovered, and which it symbolized by its mysterious sphinxes, its strange chambers of imagery, its unapproachable divinities. And we bow before the Lord Jesus Christ, because He can read our fate and unriddle all our dim anticipations of good and evil, and make intelligible to us the visions of our own hearts. There is that in us, as in these men, from which a skilled eye could already read our destiny. In the eye of One who sees the end from the beginning, and can distinguish between the determining influences of character and the insignificant manifestations of a passing mood, we are already designed to our eternal places. And it is in Christ alone your future is explained. You cannot understand your future without taking Him into your confidence. You go forward blindly to meet you know not what, unless you listen to His interpretation of the vague presentiments that visit you. Without Him what can we make of those suspicions of a future judgment, or of those yearnings after God, that hang about our hearts? Without Him what can we make of the idea and hope of a better life than we are now living, or of the strange persuasion that all will yet be well-a persuasion that seems so groundless, and which yet will not be shaken off, but finds its explanation in Christ? The excess of side light that falls across our path from the present seems only to make the future more obscure and doubtful, and from Him alone do we receive any interpretation of ourselves that even seems to be satisfying. Our fellow-prisoners are often seen to be so absorbed in their own affairs that it is vain to seek light from them; but He, with patient, self-forgetting friendliness, is ever disengaged, and even elicits, by the kindly and interrogating attitude He takes towards us, the utterance of all our woes and perplexities. And it is because He has had dreams Himself that He has become so skilled an interpreter of ours. It is because in His own life He had His mind hard pressed for a solution of those very problems which baffle us, because He had for Himself to adjust Gods promise to the ordinary and apparently casual and untoward incidents of a human life, and because He had to wait long before it became quite clear how one Scripture after another was to be fulfilled by a course of simple confiding obedience-it is because of this experience of His own, that He can now enter into and rightly guide to its goal every longing we cherish.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2. In the section from Genesis 39-42, Knobel recognizes the elements of the original text, mingled with the additions of the Jehovist. It is a matter of fact, that the elohistic relations predominate, but in decisive points Jehovah appears as the ruler of Josephs destiny.
3. If the preceding chapter might be regarded as a counterpart to ch.37, then the present chapter forms again a counterpart to the one before it. Both chapters agree in referring especially to sexual relations. In the former, Onans sin, whoredom, and incest, are spoken of; in the one before us, it is the temptation to adultery. In the former, however, Judah, on account of sexual sins, seems greatly involved in guilt, though it is to be considered that he intended to restrain the unchastity of his sons, that he upholds the levirate law, that he judges severely of the supposed adultery of one betrothed, and that he purposely and decidedly shuns incest. Nevertheless, he himself does not resist the allurement to unchastity, whilst Joseph persistently resists the temptation to adultery, and shines brilliantly as an ancient example of chastity. His first trial, when he was sold, was his suffering innocently in respect to crime, and yet not without some fault arising from his inconsiderateness. His second and more grievous trial was his suffering on account of his virtue and fear of God, and, therefore, especially typical was it in the history of the kingdom of God.
3. Joseph suffering innocently, yet confiding in God: a. a slave, yet still a free man; b. unfortunate, yet still a child of fortune: c. abandoned, yet still standing firm in the severest temptations; d. forlorn, yet still in the presence of God; e. an object of impending wrath, yet still preserved alive; f. a state-prisoner, and yet himself a prison-keeper; g. every way subdued, yet ever again superior to his condition. In this phase of his life, Joseph is akin to Paul (2 Corinthians 6), with whom he has this in common, that, through the persecutions of his brethren, he is forced to carry the light of Gods kingdom into the heathen world,a fact, it is true, that first appears, in the life of Joseph, in a typical form.
5. Josephs victory shows how a man, and especially a young man, is to overcome temptation. The first requirement is: walk as in the all-seeing presence of God; the second: fight with the weapons of the word in the light of duty (taking the offensive, which the spirit of conversion assumes according to the measure of its strength); the third: avoid the occasions of sin; the fourth: firmness before all things, and, if it must be, flight with the loss of the dress, of the good name, and even of life itself.
6. The curse of adultery and its actual sentence in Josephs speech and conduct.
7. The accusation of the woman a picture of cabal, reflecting itself in all times, even the most modern. The first example of gross calumniation in the Sacred Scripture, coming from an adulterous woman, presenting a picture, the very opposite of Josephs virtue, as exhibiting the most impudent and revengeful traits of vindictive lying. Thus, also, was Christ calumniated, in a way that might be called the consummation of all calumny, the master-piece of the prince of accusers.
8. Potiphars wrath and mildness are indications that he had a presentiment of what the truth really was. It is also an example showing how the pride of the great easily inclines them to sacrifice to the honor of their house the right and happiness of their dependants.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Mackintosh’s Notes on the Pentateuch
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary