But God was with him

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
- Genesis 38:1 NKJV

The first verse of Genesis 39 links this story to Genesis 37:36 but we now see it from Potiphar’s perspective. This verse also connects with Genesis 38:1 when Judah leaves his brothers and goes down. The main difference here is that Joseph was taken down against his will and Judah left and went down on his own accord. (For more on Genesis 37 you can read my post Betrayed by Family and for more on Genesis 38 check out my post Strong Female Character)

Descents

The story of Joseph is shaped by three descents.

1. Joseph’s first descent took place when his brothers lowered him the lowering of Joseph into the pit (Genesis 37:24–25).

2. His second descent is his forced descent into Egypt (Genesis 37:36; 39:1)

3. His third descent is more symbolic and will take place a little later. (Genesis 39:20).

The LORD was with Joseph?

The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
- Genesis 39:2 NKJV

If you were in Joseph’s situation would you feel like the Lord was with you?
If your own family members had betrayed you and sold you as a slave? Being betrayed is a terrible experience, being betrayed by those you love is a special kind of pain. Oftentimes, our family members are the ones able to inflict the most pain in our lives.

The phrase “The LORD was with Joseph” reminds me of a story from the book of Judges. The story of Gideon begins in Judges 6 and in verse 12 the Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and says “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” to which Gideon replies,

[…]“O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
- Judges 6:13 NKJV

If I was in Joseph’s shoes I would have felt similar to Gideon. If the LORD is with me, why is my life so difficult?

If the LORD was with Joseph why did He allow Joseph’s brothers to sell him?

If God is really with us, why do we experience bad things?

That is a huge question and I am not ready to tackle it here, but I will not ignore it either. How free do we wish to be? How much do you appreciate your freedom being removed for your own good?

If we don’t like it when our government or our employer limits our freedom, why do we demand that God limit the freedom of those around us?

How free are you if you are only free to do good things? Do you develop a character when you can carelessly go through life knowing that only good things will happen? You can drive carelessly knowing no one will be hurt.

Should God restrict the freedom of Joseph’s brothers and force them to be kind and loving to Joseph? How would you feel if everyone was kind to you only because they had no other option?

Would love feel like love if no one could ever choose to not love?

I do not have all the answers, but this is part of how I wrestle with these questions. My wife’s love for me is more meaningful because she is also free to hate me. When my children are kind to me and obedient it is meaningful because they are free to disobey and to be mean.

When you choose to read my blog is it meaningful to me because you are free to not read it.

In this story, we witness the complexity of life where God is moving yet without limiting the freedom of humans. God is with Joseph, but those around Joseph are free to decide how they want to treat him.

Described above are my personal views on this topic. This was a super brief approach to a small portion of the argument regarding pain and suffering in light of a powerful and loving God. My favorite resource on this for those who want to go deeper is Dr. John Pekham’s book Theodicy of Love (if you use this link to buy the book it does not add to your cost but I receive a small benefit)

Evidence of the LORD’s presence

And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
- Genesis 39:3-4 NKJV

It is likely that Joseph felt betrayed and maybe even cursed. He went from the favorite son in his father’s household to a slave to an Egyptian. We have a tendency to interpret hardships as evidence of God’s displeasure. Whether we articulate it or not, we expect blessings from God to look like a life of ease or even idleness. But there is no biblical evidence of that that comes to my mind.

Genesis 2:15 indicates that before the fall, before sin came into the world, God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to tend and to keep it. So work was not a result of sin, the result of sin was for work to become burdensome (Genesis 3:17-19).

Even in the midst of hardships, there is a blessing and dignity that comes from work well done. Joseph had plenty of reasons to be a terrible worker. He could have been bitter and destructive. Many of us have reason to be rebellious, angry, and destructive. However, just because it would be understandable for you to behave in an angry and destructive way does not mean that it is what you should do. Being angry and negative does not solve problems. Joseph had limited resources, as a slave he had no one to help him except God, and God probably felt a million miles away.

Instead of despairing at the great injustice done to him and how unfair his life was Joseph focused on what was under his control. Joseph could choose his attitude. Joseph had control over how he would direct his efforts and energy. He could be an unruly, undisciplined, incorrigible slave that no one wanted. He could have been the worst young man Egypt had ever seen. Though his rage and frustration would have been understandable, they would not have fixed anything, but would likely have made things worse. Joseph could have caused those around him to feel a fraction of the pain he felt, but that would not have helped him. Causing pain to those around him would not have soothed his pain.

Do we ever hurt those around us because we have been hurt? Because we are having a bad day we guarantee that everyone around us will also have a bad day. If everyone heaves this way it is an easy way to guarantee no one will ever have a good day.

What I see Joseph doing is starting a revolution, a rebellion. Joseph is refusing to behave in a way that would make sense by this world’s standards. Joseph chooses to live in a way that brings honor and glory to God’s name. Joseph chose to behave in a way that brings blessings to those around him, not pain. He had suffered so much, and he did not want to be the cause of the suffering of those around him.

What if more people behaved like Joseph? What if our attitude was, I have suffered so much that I want to alleviate the suffering of those around me? I know, it’s backward. Because I have experienced pain, I want to help you avoid the pain I have been through.

Context is so important. As I write these words I am aware that there are those who will use this to take advantage of you. Spiritual abuse is a real thing and I want to take this opportunity to warn you. Joseph had extremely limited options as a slave. He did not have the freedom to leave. I do not want anyone to take this lesson of doing good despite being treated in a horrible way, and remain in an abusive relationship. If your work environment is abusive and is causing you and your family harm, prayerfully consider other options. If you have an abusive family member or friend, seek help. Do not stay in an abusive relationship. Seek help. Look for options. This is a nuanced conversation and we should all strive for healthy relationships.

Joseph had one thing under his control. His attitude. He chose to be the best worker Egypt had ever seen, and everyone around him noticed there was something special about him. Joseph’s master, Potiphar, recognized that God was with Joseph and God blessed everything that Joseph did. I do not interpret this to mean that Joseph had an easy job, but rather that his hard work paid off. As Joseph put forth effort in accordance with God’s will, God blessed his efforts and caused him and all that he did to prosper.

Joseph was promoted to the point that he was the highest authority in Potiphar’s house, second only to Potiphar, his master. But the way I see it, Joseph was not working for Potiphar, he was working for God.

It’s like Joseph was aware of the principles that were described in more detail in the New Testament.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
- Colossians 3:17 NKJV

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV

Potiphar did not deserve the quality of work that Joseph delivered. Joseph worked like he did because it was an act of worship. It is easy to blame our low effort and sloppy performance on the shortcomings of our superiors, our bosses, our teachers, our parents, etc. But what if the way we lived our life, the way we treat others and the way we work instead reflected our relationship with God? It is true that people do not deserve your best effort. But what if people need it? We don’t always deserve love, but we need it. We don’t necessarily deserve help, but we need it. What if we could be more generous and merciful to those around us, not because they deserve it, but because we also receive blessings we do not deserve from God?

I often wrestle with this. I do not want to become a workaholic. I cannot spend my whole life just giving, it would drive me to an early grave. My personal life is a constant balancing act, between giving, and also taking some time to rest and heal so that I can continue to give in the future. A healthy life allows me to give for many years as opposed to giving everything over a relatively short period of time.

We need to become aware of our boundaries and how much we can give. What I want to encourage you to do is to live from a place of generosity and kindness, desiring to be a part of the good that is in the world.

Blessed for Joseph’s Sake

So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.
- Genesis 39:5-6a NKJV

Your personal relationship with God does not impact only your life. People around you are blessed because of your relationship with God.

Only when we get to heaven will we fully realize how many people around us were blessed because of our relationship with God, as well as how often we were blessed by the relationship those around us have with God. I have been so blessed throughout my life, and continue to be blessed by people who have gone out of their way to bless me, even though I have no way of repaying them. I have been so blessed how can I refuse to bless those I can?

At every stage of my life I have been helped by others, how can I withhold help from those who need it?

Once again, I do struggle with finding that balance. But I consciously want to help as many as I can, and I pray for God to teach me the best way to do it. I want to invite you to do the same. Life is difficult, and there will be struggles, but I find it better to struggle to do good and to help as many as I can, as opposed to struggling to amass power and wealth at the cost of those around me.

Joseph’s master trusted Joseph with everything he had, he didn’t even bother to check. I struggle to come up with a more powerful sermon, or a more compelling argument about the existence of God, His power, and His character. When you live like Joseph, people around you can’t help but be exposed to God and His power and character. Witnessing is much less about having the right argument and much more about living an authentic life of worship.

I remember being impressed by Christians who have large portions of scriptures memorized, and who live a careful and disciplined life. But I now realize I often did not enjoy their presence, and neither did their kids, their spouses, their neighbors, or even other members of their church. The memorization of scripture is not the problem. The problem is that they did not memorize scriptures to encourage and bless others, but rather as weapons to win arguments and shame and coerce others. Scripture was used as a means of control and power.

Yet here we have Joseph, a slave. No sermons from Joseph are recorded, yet the Bible says that “his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.” (Genesis 39:3) Joseph did not have a theological argument. He simply lived his life in a way that revealed God to his master. Joseph was no ordinary slave. I would argue that Joseph was not a slave, because his work went above and beyond that of a slave, Joseph went the extra mile as a free man. His work was not based on how closely he was being supervised. His motivation was not to avoid punishment. Joseph worked for God, his true Master, Potiphar had front-row seats to watch Joseph worship God in everything he did and to see God’s power at work in Joseph’s life blessing all that he had.

Practical Application

Let us live our lives as worship. We do not work for our employer or our client, we live for God. We engage with our clients and bosses in order to bless them, to reveal to them the heart of our God. God is our provider and the source of everything that is good. God is also our source of strength to face life’s challenges. So I encourage you to go above and beyond in all you do, not because of who you’re doing it for but because of your relationship with God. May that be your sermon.

A life well lived.