Genesis 39:1-23 - God Is With You
God is good, and it is so good to be here with you tonight. My name is Josh. If we haven’t met, I’m one of the pastors here at The Well, and I want to welcome you. If you’re here new with us, I also want to welcome those who might be joining us online. I’m just so thankful to be able to be here and to open God’s Word with you.
As we continue in our series in Genesis, if you were with us last week, you might remember that Mike introduced Joseph to us. One of the things that Mike said about Joseph is that he is one of the rare shining stars in Scripture who really doesn’t go sideways in his relationship with God. He’s not like his dad, Jacob, who had quite a few of those moments. But what we also see in Joseph’s life is that there are still a lot of ups and downs. His life is still quite a bit like a roller coaster.
If you’ve been on a roller coaster, you know what I’m talking about. You have the ups, you have the downs, you have the moments of calm and anticipation, and you have those moments of exhilaration. You have times where you’re just getting jerked around, and maybe you feel like you want to throw up. Joseph’s life reflects that.
We’re going to be in Genesis chapter 39 today. As you’re turning there, I do want to mention that chapter 38 is about his brother Judah, and we’re not going to look at him tonight. That will be in a future message where we cover Judah’s life. One of the significant things about Judah is that the kingly line of Israel, including Jesus Himself, would actually come from Judah’s descendants. But his life is going to be covered in chapters 38, 43, and 49 later on.
As we come to Genesis 39 and Joseph’s life, we’re going to see something we haven’t seen yet: four times in this chapter, a statement is made that the Lord was with Joseph, or the Lord was with him. What we’re going to see is that God is with Joseph in the ups and downs of his life—that He is equally present when things are good and when things are not so good.
Consolation and Desolation
In spiritual formation theology, they have some fancy words for this. It describes two seasons of the spiritual life in which God is equally present, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Those words are consolation and desolation.
What do they mean? Times of consolation are those times in our life where God just feels present. It feels real to be in a relationship with God. Bible reading is insightful, prayer is awesome, worship is wonderful and exciting. Even when we have times of brokenness, it feels meaningful. We really sense that God is working in our lives, that He is moving us forward, and we might experience other successes as well. This is reflected in the Psalms:
Psalms 40:3 (NASB)
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.
These are times where we’re just singing God’s praises. But then there are times that don’t taste so good in our lives. There are times when God seems distant to us. There are times where we lack joy. The things of God might even seem boring or irritating. Maybe there are circumstances in life that don’t seem to get better, or they feel like they’re just getting worse, and we find ourselves thinking, Where is God in this?
The Psalms also reflect these times of desolation:
Psalms 13:1 (NASB)
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
The truth is, God is equally present with us in the times of consolation as He is in the times of desolation. If you’re in a time right now of joy and closeness, praise God for that! Celebrate that in your life. But know also that if you’re in a down season, in a time of desolation, God is with you just the same as He is in the good times. That’s what we’re going to see in Joseph’s life.
Joseph in Potiphar’s House
Looking at chapter 39, verse 1:
Genesis 39:1 (NASB)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there.
You might remember back in chapter 37, we saw that Joseph is one of twelve brothers, sons of the patriarch Jacob. Joseph was the favorite. Jacob made it clear that Joseph was the favorite—he gave him this multicolored coat that was super special. Then Joseph had these dreams that came from God, and he shared them, perhaps in a bit of an arrogant way. His brothers were so angry at him that they actually beat him up, threw him in a pit, and planned to kill him. Talk about an overreaction!
Fortunately, Judah convinced them, “Hey, let’s not kill him; let’s sell him into slavery instead.” So, a passing band of Ishmaelites—Bedouin tribesmen—bought Joseph. They went down to Egypt and sold Joseph to Potiphar. Potiphar was an important and powerful man in Egypt, the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard—a tough, Navy SEAL type of guy. We also see later in the chapter that Potiphar was in charge of Pharaoh’s imprisoned staff.
Here is Joseph, living as a slave in Egypt. His brothers had taken his coat, covered it with animal blood, and showed it to Jacob, claiming Joseph was killed by a wild animal. This broke Jacob’s heart. As far as Jacob is concerned, Joseph is dead. As far as Joseph is concerned, his brothers sold him into slavery, and he may never see his family ever again. Clearly, this is a desolation moment in Joseph’s life.
I want to ask: do you find yourself in a situation like that today? Maybe not exactly like Joseph—you haven’t been sold into slavery in Egypt—but maybe there is some kind of mess you’re in. As Joseph evaluated his life, he might have thought, Maybe I flaunted Dad’s favoritism too much. Maybe I was arrogant in how I shared my dreams. But did I really deserve this? Did I deserve to be sold as a slave by my own brothers?
Maybe you feel the same way. You think, Yeah, I could have done some things differently, but life seems really harsh right now when I think about how I’ve tried to live for God’s glory, and yet these things are still happening. If that’s where you’re at today, you’re in good company. That is likely how Joseph felt.
Then we come across this beautiful phrase in verse 2, the first of four times in this chapter:
Genesis 39:2-6 (NASB)
The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and [how] the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD’S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him [there] he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
Even though it was a terrible situation, things are looking up for Joseph. The downward trajectory is moving up because God is with him. He’s experiencing success in Potiphar’s house.
I wonder what Joseph was thinking. He might have thought, God is with me; hard work pays off. He was putting his heart into his work and getting some hope for the future: If I keep this up, maybe I’ll get more promotions. Maybe I’ll earn my freedom and go home someday. He was probably starting to dream again. But those hopes were about to be dashed.
The Test of Integrity
Genesis 39:6-10 (NASB)
So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him [there] he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ’Behold, with me [here], my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. ‘There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?’ As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her [or] be with her.
We’ve already been told that the Lord is with Joseph, and we can see by his response that Joseph is also with the Lord. His heart is with God. He recognizes that giving in to this temptation is a sin against God. I love that he calls it a sin. He doesn’t say, “It’ll be a moment of indiscretion” or “a little mistake.” No—he says, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
We often assume Potiphar’s wife was a beautiful seductress. In all likelihood, Potiphar being a rich and powerful man, she probably was physically beautiful. Either way, Joseph was a young man with normal desires. He was a slave, and while he had moved up to personal servant, his prospects for romance or marriage were minimal to none. This would have been a difficult temptation to resist. Yet Joseph says he will not sin against God or betray his master.
Then things get even worse:
Genesis 39:11-18 (NASB)
Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me!’ And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called to the men of her household and said to them, ’See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. ‘When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.’ So she left his garment beside her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with these words, ‘The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.’
Joseph emphatically removes himself from the situation. When the New Testament says we should flee sexual immorality, that is exactly what Joseph does. He flees. He doesn’t try to get as close to the line as possible; he just gets out of there.
Potiphar’s wife, furious at being scorned, attacks him with full fury. She blames Potiphar, emphasizes that Joseph is a Hebrew to stir up Egyptian prejudice, and twists the narrative to claim he attacked her. For the second time in Joseph’s life, his garment is used to tell a lie about him. First, the coat of many colors was covered in blood to convince his father he was dead; now, his garment is left behind to frame him for a crime.
From the Pit to the Prison
Whether or not Potiphar fully believed his wife, the situation angered him, and he sent Joseph to prison.
Genesis 39:19-20 (NASB)
Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, ‘This is what your slave did to me,’ his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.
There is some mercy shown here, because for a crime like that, a slave could easily have been executed. However, if you are Joseph, you aren’t thinking, I’m so glad I didn’t get killed. You’re thinking, Why is this happening to me? He did everything right, and he is paying for it.
Can you imagine what was going on in his mind? God, why did You let this happen? I obeyed You. Why have You abandoned me? Why have You allowed my reputation to be smeared? I was working my way up, and now I’m worse off than when I first came to Egypt.
Think about it in your own life. Getting caught doing something wrong is bad enough because of the shame. If someone misunderstands you and jumps to conclusions, that is deeply irritating. But if you have ever been falsely accused of something you didn’t do, it is infuriating.
I remember when I was a kid, we were out riding skateboards. I actually had my arm in a cast from a previous skateboarding injury—probably not the wisest choice to be riding again! We walked into a liquor store where we used to buy soda and candy. The owner looked at me and my friend and said, “You guys were jumping on my ice machine outside with your skateboards and stealing ice!” We literally had not done it. Now, we had probably done plenty of other things we shouldn’t have, but we hadn’t done that. I asked, “Well, how did the person describe who did it?” He looked at me and said, “You perfectly, chief. You had an arm in a cast!” I was being falsely accused. That was a minor thing—the only consequence was that I didn’t get Jolly Ranchers that day.
For Joseph, the stakes were massive. He had been living with complete integrity, walking closely with God, and doing what God called him to do. Yet he moved from being a free man, to a slave, to a personal servant, and now down to a convicted criminal in prison. This was an occasion to lose all hope. But look at verse 21:
Genesis 39:21-23 (NASB)
But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible [for it]. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.
Things changed drastically for Joseph. His social status dropped, his circumstances worsened, and his freedom was gone. But one thing had not changed: the Lord was still with Joseph. The presence of God had not changed. The steadfast love and kindness of God remained constant.
We see a repeat of what happened in Potiphar’s house. The Lord was with him, he experienced success, and he was put in charge of the entire prison. Whatever was going on in Joseph’s mind, he continued to trust in the presence of God and walk with Him.
The Lower Story and the Upper Story
Mike introduced a helpful concept last week: the idea of the lower story and the upper story. The lower story is what we see in the physical, tangible, material world. The upper story is the bigger picture of what God is doing in the spiritual realm—the unseen reality.
When you look at the lower story of Joseph’s life, it looks tragic. It looks like hard work doesn’t pay off, and trusting God doesn’t always lead to immediate blessing. But what about the upper story? The upper story is simply this: The Lord was with Joseph.
In the good times and the bad, in the ups and the downs of the roller coaster of life, the Lord was with Joseph. In consolation and in desolation, the Lord was with him.
What is happening in your lower story today? What is it telling you? Is it saying:
- “This is a terminal diagnosis.”
- “Your job is being eliminated at the end of the month.”
- “You’ve been betrayed.”
- “This mental health struggle is never going to change.”
- “Your finances are a wreck.”
- “You’re never going to recover from this.”
- “God is so distant.”
Are you in a season of desolation? Maybe you’re trusting God, holding out hope, and doing everything you can proactively, but nothing is changing. At the end of the day, if your circumstances don’t change, is God’s presence enough for you? In the time of desolation, is His presence enough? What will be written in our upper story? Will it be that the Lord was with us no matter what?
God Knows Your Pain
Several years ago, my wife Chris and I took my uncle, Nick Tunac, to see the movie We Were Soldiers. Uncle Nick, my mom’s brother, was the “scary uncle” growing up. He was a Vietnam veteran and combat medic. He had loaded guns in the house, was a tough guy, and never hugged anyone—ever.
We Were Soldiers is about one of the first major battles the U.S. military fought in Vietnam, in the Ia Drang Valley. Uncle Nick served in that same unit, the 7th Cavalry, in that exact valley just a month after the battle depicted in the film. As we watched those horrific battle scenes, so much of my uncle’s life made sense: the PTSD, the health problems from Agent Orange exposure, the failed relationships, and his guarded nature.
After the movie, we drove him home. Chris said, “Hey, I have to go talk to your uncle real quick.” She ran out of the car, walked over to him, and said something. To my absolute surprise, I saw him wrap his arms around her and give her the biggest, longest hug I had ever seen. I was in my early thirties, and I had never seen him hug anyone.
When she got back into the car, I asked, “Chris, what did you say to Uncle Nick?”
She replied, “I just felt like the Holy Spirit was leading me to tell him that God knows his pain, that He cares, that He loves him, and that we are proud of him for serving our country.”
That didn’t magically take away his PTSD or reverse the physical toll of Agent Orange that eventually took his life. But perhaps for the first time, he realized that God was with him. That began to change his heart.
Friends, that may be what you need to know today: God is with you.
Matthew 28:20 (NASB)
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’
At the end of his life, facing execution in a Roman prison, the apostle Paul wrote that everyone had deserted him. But notice what he says next:
2 Timothy 4:17 (NASB)
But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.
If you are in Christ, the Lord is with you.
Sometimes when we experience spiritual dryness, we assume something is wrong with us. While unrepentant sin can create distance, it is also possible to pursue God with all your heart and still walk through a season of dryness. We think we have to fix our methods, but the opposite may be true: God may be maturing you to love Him not merely for what He does or how He makes you feel, but simply because He is God and He is with you.
God used those seasons of desolation in Joseph’s life to prepare him for the calling ahead. Joseph could not have led Egypt through famine later in life had he not walked through these valleys first. God was drawing Joseph close to His heart.
We want to be able to say with Paul:
Philippians 4:11-13 (NASB)
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ—believing that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again—the New Testament gives you two unshakable promises:
- God is always equally present with you in the ups and the downs, in consolation and desolation, in good times and bad.
- He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will always stand with you.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You. We thank You for being our Creator, giving us life, and making us in Your image. We thank You that even in our rebellion and sin, You redeemed us through Christ to make us new. Thank You for the work of Jesus on the cross to forgive us and the resurrection to give us new life.
Thank You for the life of Joseph. As we look at his story, we see an example of faithful living, but we also see the upper story: that You are always with us in the ups and the downs.
Right now, as Your people, we open our hearts to You. Bring to mind the circumstances we’re facing. If we are in an “up” season, help us celebrate Your goodness. If we are in a “down” season, we receive Your strength, comfort, and encouragement. Help us live for Your glory, knowing that You are with us and will always stand with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.