Seeking Wisdom in Joseph's Story (4)

 Let's talk about that false accusation. (Genesis 39:19-20)

Actions have consequences, right?  Well, in this case, the innocent party suffered as one guilty while the one who spoke falsehood was left with nothing but her conscience to convict her. Joseph paid the consequences for her spiteful, fictitious accusation. It just feels wrong and backwards, doesn't it? Even knowing the end of the story is not much consolation for how the injustice of it feels. 

God is with Joseph and gives him the strength to maintain his integrity. Oh how hard would it have been to remain silent in the face of her lies and his resulting punishment and humiliation? How humble and full of faith he was. Scripture does not record a hint of retaliation on Joseph's part. Surely he was tempted to redeem his reputation and prove his innocence! Yet here he was, in Egypt, faced with her word against his. Naturally, Potiphar believed her and acted accordingly. Besides her and Joseph, God alone knew the truth. 

So Joseph patiently bears up first under his family's mistreatment, and now under this lying woman's accusations. His only satisfaction was God's favor and a clear conscience. 

Joseph could have tooted his own horn about his history of impeccable work ethic, loyalty, and leadership skills, but he remained quiet and humble. He knew that his value was in God alone, and he patiently waited for his Master's guidance. Joseph was a willing servant, ready to give God all the glory. 

Hebrews 12:1,2 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Joseph is cited among that great cloud of witnesses. His integrity, humility, and powerful faith in this encounter alone is awe inspiring. Enduring hardship and persecution while maintaining godly character is challenging and often feels impossible. Jesus was the only One to ever do so perfectly. The path He lays for us may look daunting at times, but when God is with us, we can not fail. 

I look forward to digging in and discovering more in the next part of his story. 

Seeking Wisdom in Joseph's Story (3)

Remember from last time that Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, has just been betrayed by his own brothers and sold into slavery. He was purchased by Potiphar, the (Egyptian) captain of Pharaoh's guard.

Joseph's story continues in Genesis chapter 39. His life situation had just changed drastically. He went from being 'spoiled' as his father's favorite to being thrown away like trash by his own brothers. There must have been at least a brief period of fear and uncertainty for Joseph, right? Scripture doesn't specify. Whatever his feelings were, however, he proved to be virtuous and prudent from the very start.

"The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian." Genesis 39:2

God was with him! He maintained virtuous character regardless of what his own family had done to him. The Lord gave him success in everything he did. Joseph's work ethic was so good that Potiphar put him in charge of his house and all he owned! Indirectly, Potiphar reaped benefit through God's favor on Joseph. 

Potiphar's wife soon begins to lust after and pursues Joseph, begging him to sleep with her. He refuses, stating in verse 9, "...How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"  It would have been easy enough, considering he had charge over the place but, again, he maintained his character and said no. So one day she catches Joseph alone. He still says no, even runs! She is angry and spiteful, and falsely accuses him so he is thrown into prison. 

Another drastic life change. What a rollercoaster! 

Thoughts for personal reflection: 

1. Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way." Proverbs 16;9 The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. 

Sometimes I think God must chuckle at how "in control" we think we are of our life. We can make all kinds of plans, but ultimately it is God who lays the path. 

2. Joseph suffered great losses! His life as favorite son in the palace, his favored position of watching over his brothers, his family--especially Jacob,  his position of authority in Potiphar's house. Yet in the face of each major loss, he persisted with virtue and prudence. God was with him! 

3. Gen 39:2 "God was with him so he was a successful man." We need to realize that if we are prospering in life, work, etc, it is only because our Lord is with us. It is Him who causes us to succeed. Regardless what people do to try to derail us--even our own family--if God is with us, we can not fail. God may even use us to bless others. (The world was blessed through Abraham! "...I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing." Genesis 12:2)  

We are blessed to be a blessing! 

4. Sometimes we have to get radical to avoid sin! I can't say with certainty whether I could run outside naked to flee a situation like the one Joseph was in. Especially if I was in such a position of power. That took a lot of grit and fortitude! Integrity is doing what's right, even when nobody is looking, right? Joseph knew God was present. His love for, and desire to serve God outweighed everything else! I aspire to that kind of faith and dedication to my Almighty!! 

Seeking Wisdom in Joseph's Story (2)

 I have not forgotten. I am still seeking wisdom from the story of Joseph (beginning in Genesis 37).

After Joseph's brothers go off to work feeding their father's flocks, their father (Jacob) sends Joseph to check up on them and report back to him. As previously noted: Joseph was great at being an inspector and "telling on them" to their father, Jacob. Joseph was ready & willing to go do so again. He had to do some searching, but with a little help he found them in Dothan. When Joseph's brothers saw him coming, they plotted to kill him. 

V20 says, "....We shall see what becomes of his dreams!" 

So their murderous ideas came from hearts of envy and revenge. Not necessarily against Joseph, specifically, but against the revelations he received from God through his dreams. I can't help but feel like a young Joseph, who had been blatantly favored by Jacob, might have had a bit of arrogance in the manner with which he delivered his dreams' content, but that is speculation because Scripture does not explicitly say so. 

Thankfully one brother, Reuben, wanted to save Joseph's life. He talked his brothers out of killing him but tossing him into a pit instead. He had his own secret plan to later return and get him out. Could Reuben have been seeking to gain a little favor from Jacob? Maybe. 

Joseph's brothers were sick of him and wanted to humiliate him. When he reached them, they stripped him of his special "coat of many colors," and threw him into a pit in the desert. Then they went to grab a bite to eat. I imagine the whole scene took Joseph by surprise. Surely the scene had begun in a similar manner many times before. 

So they look up from their meal and see a group of Ishmaelites approaching. Another brother, Judah, realizes they can not only get rid of Joseph without having to kill him, but make a profit from it also. They sold Joseph as a slave to the Ishmaelites. Reuben seemed distraught when he returned to the pit to find Joseph missing, but it appears he went along with his brothers to kill a goat, dip Joseph's coat in it, and bring it back to Jacob, claiming they found it this way and knew nothing of Joseph's fate. 

Jacob was inconsolable. How diabolically cruel of Joseph's brothers to give their father his special, bloody coat and let his imagination go wild. It seems their envy and thirst for revenge was not merely pointed at Joseph, but at Jacob also. 

Meanwhile, the Midianites who bought Joseph took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. 

Just a few thoughts/questions I'm pondering from this portion of the story: 

1) At this point in the story, no one within it is aware of how God's plan will unfold. I wonder what Joseph is thinking: Was he terrified? Confused? Prayerful? Hopeful when they pulled him out of the pit? Calm and full of faith? Is he feeling any regret for consistently sharing his dreams/the way he shared them? Is he wondering what his dreams meant and how they could possibly come to fruition now that he is Potiphar's slave in Egypt?

2) Did that 20 shekels of silver satisfy the brothers' revenge craving? Did it sustain the satisfaction when they saw Jacob's reaction to the perceived, brutal death of his beloved son? Did they feel any regret at all? Did Reuben know what actually happened to Joseph? 

3) Life events, partial information, and misleading messages can cause our imagination to conjure up plenty of untruths. It is important to discover all the facts rather than make assumptions and jump to conclusions. 

4) Even after we have all the facts, the enemy will pounce every chance he gets. He will capitalize on our vulnerabilities to try and convince us that his evil lies are true. What we believe to be true will shape our actions. (Just as Jacob believed Joseph had been ripped to shreds & refused to be consoled). 

5) We are promised eternal life in Christ. How often do I allow my circumstances to drown out that perfect truth? 

We know the end of Joseph's story and that God's perfect plan was at work throughout his life. Pondering these thoughts & truths until next time. 

Learning Lessons (Joseph's Story 1)

I pray that I never reach a time that I think I know enough. That it's time to stop learning. That I'm the smartest one in the room. 

I love to learn. 

Learning requires listening. Hearing what is said and what is not said. Paying attention to the circumstances and taking context into account. Being curious. Realizing we may not understand what we see and having the humility to ask clarifying questions. 

I've always said that I don't believe in coincidence so, for me, part of learning is investigating what the Lord is trying to teach me through them. This week, He has made the story of Joseph (Genesis 37) part of four different devotional studies I'm taking part in. I apparently have lessons to learn from this story! 

I recently mentioned something I have heard before (unfortunately I don't remember where) about the way we tend to identify with the hero of the story. Whether it's a story from the Bible or a secular story, we want to be the hero.  David > Goliath, the son who humbly returned home > the proud brother, Job > his friends, and Joseph > his brothers. 

If we dig into Joseph's story from the beginning, we learn that his family life was definitely not perfect. In fact, they had a lot of issues. Jacob (his dad) has quite a story of his own! Scripture is full of stories about how God works in and through very dysfunctional families. Joseph's is no exception. 

A few things we're told about Joseph in the first 11 verses: 

1) He was Jacob's favorite, as evidenced by the gift Jacob gave him: his famous "coat of many colors." This was a bold statement that Joseph was to receive the birthright--he was the favored one, the one with clout. 

2) His brothers hated him and were mean to him. Joseph ran to tell Jacob when they mistreated him, which certainly would not have changed their minds! They hated him even more. Joseph's favor was a source of constant family conflict. 

3) God spoke to Joseph through dreams. 

Imagine, you already know you're the family favorite & that your brothers are bitter about it. Then you have a dream that will "rub it in" and you can't wait to share it with them. But wait!! You have another dream! As if telling the first one didn't cause enough termoil...you just have to tell them this one too; and this one not only rubs it in with your brothers-but your parents too. Your dad, who already shows favoritism toward you. 

4) To me, this indicates that perhaps Joseph was a little prideful and perhaps boastful about the favor Jacob showed him? 

I'm going to ponder, pray, and sleep on this section of the story...I can relate in some ways to each person in the story, and I am eager to learn the lessons He has for me. I'll be back!