Falsely Accused But Still Faithful

Good afternoon from the Panhandle. Well it snow some last night and then is bitterly cold this morning about 2º without the windchill. I know some of y'all are saying that's nothing, but it is cold enough, especially to this guy who does not like the cold. We did not have church this morning because of the temperature and the ice and snow, and there is still not much moving around town.

This morning we are looking at Genesis, chapter 39. Joseph has been purchased by Potipher and put to work. We don't know what Joseph's first job for Potiphar was, but we do know that what ever he was doing God prospered it. Does God still prosper our efforts to be faithful in our walk with Him? I think so. Does this mean everything is always going to just like we want it, no it does not. I don't think Joseph wanted to be put in a dry well and then sold into slavery. Life happens and we have to do the best we can to stay faithful.

CHAPTER 39 AT A GLANCE

At this chapter we return to the story of Joseph. We have him here,

I. A servant, a slave in Potiphar's house v. 1, and yet there greatly honored and favored,

I. By the providence of God, which made him, in effect, a master v. 2-6.

2. By the grace of God, which made him more than a conqueror over a strong temptation to uncleanness v. 7-12.

II. We have him here a sufferer, falsely accused v. 13-18, imprisoned v. 19-20, and yet his imprisonment made both honorable and comfortable by the tokens of God's special presence with him v. 21-23.

(From Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

Genesis 39:1-7

39:1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

1. Joseph in Potiphar’s house

Potiphar was commanding officer of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. The term officer signifies a prominent court official.

Though the reigning Pharaoh is not named, probably he was Sesostris III, who reigned 1878-1843 B.C. This placed Joseph’s entrance into Egypt about 1875.

In the 13 years or so since arriving in Egypt, Joseph had risen to a place of administrator, in charge of all the affairs of Potiphar.

"Beautiful in his person, and beautiful in his countenance." The same expressions are used relative to Rachel; see them explained Gen 29:17. The beauty of Joseph is celebrated over all the East and the Persian poets vie with each other in descriptions of his comeliness. Mohammed spends the twelfth chapter of the Koran entirely on Joseph, and represents him as a perfect beauty, and the most accomplished of mortals. From his account, the passion of guleekha (this is what the Asiatics call Potiphar's wife) being known to the ladies of the court, they cast the severest reflections upon her: in order to excuse herself, she invited forty of them to dine with her, put knives in their hands, and gave them oranges to cut, and caused Joseph to attend. When they saw him they were struck with admiration, and so confounded, that instead of cutting their oranges they cut and hacked their own hands, crying out, hasha lillahi ma hadha bashara in hadha illa malakon kareemon. "O God! this is not a human being, this is none other than a glorious angel!"-Surat xii., verse 32. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

Genesis 39:7-18

7 and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"

8 But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

2. His master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph. Egyptian women were not kept in the same secluded manner as females are in most Oriental countries now. They were treated in a manner more worthy of a civilized people-in fact, they enjoyed as much freedom both at home and abroad. So, Potiphar's wife had constant opportunity to meet Joseph. The ancient women of Egypt were said to be very loose in their morals. Intrigues and intemperance were vices very prevalent among the sex, as the monuments too plainly attest.

Wilkinson, `Herodotus,' b. ii., ch. 3; `Cambridge Essays,' 1858, pp. 234, 235, give instances of the general dissoluteness of the women, and their unfaithfulness to the nuptial bond. Potiphar's wife was probably not worse than many of the same rank; and her infamous advances made to Joseph arose from her superiority of station. She verified the quaint though striking solecism of the poet: `A shameless woman is the worst of men.'

(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

The tempter was his master's wife, a person of quality, whom it was his place to obey and his interest to oblige, whose favor would contribute more than any thing to his preferment, and by whose means he might arrive at the highest honors of the court. On the other hand, it was at his utmost peril if he slighted her, and made her his enemy.

(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

Joseph gives two powerful reasons for his noncompliance with the wishes of his mistress:

1. Gratitude to his master, to whom he owed all that he had.

2. His fear of God, in whose sight it would be a heinous offence, and who would not fail to punish him for it. With the kindness of his master and the displeasure of God before his eyes, how could he be capable of committing an act of transgression, which would at once have distinguished him as the most ungrateful and the most worthless of men?

(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

When she laid hold of him, he left his garment in her hand, v. 12. He would not stay so much as to entertain the temptation, but fled out from it as quick as he could; so much so he left his garment, as one escaping for his very life. Note, It was better to lose a good coat than a good conscience.

Genesis 39:19-23

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. 20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

3. Joseph Done Wrong

Joseph was wronged by Potiphar. Whether he believed the accusation or not, Potiphar had to act. That we know of Joseph did not try to defend himself by telling the truth, as it would reflect too much upon his mistress, or his master would not hear it, or would not believe it, and there is no remedy, he is condemned to perpetual imprisonment, v. 19, 20.

Potiphar’s treatment of Joseph is mild. He puts him in prison, probably to stand his trial for the offence. The Lord does not forsake the prisoner. God gave Joseph favor with the governor of the jail. The same unlimited trust is placed in him by the governor as by his late master.

NOTE: Prison or house of the round tower, a fortified prison; Septuagint, eis to ochurooma, the fortress] - usually attached to the dwelling of such an officer as Potiphar. It was partly a subterranean dungeon (Gen 41:14), though the brick-built walls rose considerably above the surface of the ground, and were surmounted by a vaulted roof, somewhat in the form of an inverted bowl. Into such a dungeon Potiphar, in the first outburst of rage, threw Joseph, and ordered him to be subjected further to as great harshness of treatment (Ps 105:18) as he dared; because the power of masters over their slaves was very properly restrained by law, and the murder of a slave was a capital crime.

The prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound. Though prisons seem to have been an inseparable appendage of the palaces, this was not a common jail-it was the receptacle of state criminals; and, therefore, it may be presumed that more than ordinary strictness and vigilance were exercised over the prisoners. In general, however, the Egyptian, like other Oriental prisons, were used solely for the purposes of detention. Accused persons were cast into these until the charges against them could be investigated; and though the jailer was responsible for the appearance of all placed under his custody, yet, provided they were produced when called, he was never interrogated as to the way in which he had kept them.

.. It is highly probable, from the situation of this prison (Gen 40:3), that "the keeper" might have been previously acquainted with Joseph, and have had access to know his innocence of the crime laid to his charge, and with all the high integrity of his character. Delitzsch, in attempting to account for the lightness of the punishment, considering the severity of the Egyptian law as to adultery, which was punished with one thousand blows, and rape on a free woman with a greater number says, `It is possible that Potiphar was not fully convinced of his wife's chastity, and therefore did not place unlimited credence in what she said.' That may partly account for his showing so much kindness and confidence to his prisoner. But there was a higher influence at work; because "the Lord was with Joseph, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper." (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)