Genesis 39:2

LESSON/VERSE 2 OF 12

When we left off, Joseph had been thrown in a pit and then sold to Ishmaelites (Midianites) who took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, and the captain of the guard. The brothers took Joseph’s coat and dipped it in blood. When they showed it to Jacob, their father, he assumed Joseph had been eaten by wild animals. Jacob is filled with grief.

What a mess! Lies and deceit everywhere we turn.

Joseph is sold to Potiphar and that brings us to my verse:

Genesis 39:2

The Lord was with Joseph and he became a successful man and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.

On its own this verse may not seem terribly special but it is the first five words that stopped me in my tracks… the Lord was with Joseph… how powerful is that?  I had to look up the phrase “the Lord was with” and see where else it appears in the Bible. It is interesting that so many of the occurrences of the phrase appear in this story of Joseph. 7 times this phrase appears (in one form or another) relating to Joseph.  And while Joseph has the Lord with him he is still in situations of temptation and struggle and hardship. For me, no matter what else comes Joseph’s way, the Lord is with him!

In the remainder of the portion, we see Potiphar’s wife has her eye on the young and handsome Joseph. Poor Joseph.

 Imagine you are a stranger in a new country, new culture, foreign language and you end up as the trusted servant of the captain of the guard. Your boss trusts you with his household and you value that trust. What can you do when the wife of your boss puts the moves on you? He refused acknowledging the trust of her husband and the wickedness of the sin against God. That doesn’t stop her and so the next time she corners him and says, come lie with me, he runs! Even though the Lord is with him, he knows he has to high tail it out of there or his flesh may give into temptation.

The Bible tells us what to do

1 Peter 5:8-11

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

So even though the Lord is with us we must act accordingly when faced with temptation –Resist and Flee!

I take great comfort when I read the phrase “the Lord is with…” but that doesn’t mean smooth sailing is ahead. It usually means –Hold on you are in for a bumpy ride!

What verses stood out to you in this portion? 

For next time read Genesis 39:19-40

Thank you for being here and reading along with me. Be blessed today!