December 6, 2023

Genesis 39:1-23 (HCSB)
Joseph in Potiphar’s House
39 Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful, 4 Joseph found favor in his master’s sightand became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority. 5 From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6 He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome. 7 After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” 8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority. 9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” 10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her. 11 Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there. 12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, 14 she called the household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “my husband brought a Hebrew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me screaming for help, he left his garment with me and ran outside.” 16 She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, 18 but when I screamed for help, he left his garment with me and ran outside.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious 20 and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison. Joseph in Prison 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority and he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23 The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.

Julia Burns
Joseph is now a slave and has been sold and bought. He’s sold to an Egyptian named Potiphar. He is an officer and captain of the guard for Pharaoh. Otherwise known as the king of Egypt. “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man serving in Potiphar’s household.” “Potiphar saw the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything he did successful.” Now there’s trouble in Potiphar‘s house; his wife. She saw that Joseph was well-built and handsome. So, she set a trap for Joseph. She threw herself at him and wanted him to sleep with her and here we have a woman scorned, so she devises a plot to hurt Joseph. It’s amazing how sinful, wicked people want to hurt others. Joseph gave three reasons why he couldn’t sleep with Potiphar’s wife: breach of responsibilities, betrayal of his boss, and most of all, sin against God! Because of the lies of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was unjustly sent to prison. Have you ever experienced anything like this; where you had to take a stand for what is right and suffered the consequences?