March 6, 2013
GOD WITH US
Genesis 39
Leah Vick
Central Truth
God's sovereignty not only means that He is in control of all things, but also means that He is present with us in each situation and is able to use even difficult experiences for our good and His glory . . . even when we cannot always see it at the time.
Key Verse | Genesis 39:20–21
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. But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. (Genesis 39:20-21)
Genesis 39
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.
Dive Deeper | Genesis 39
Have you ever witnessed children learning to walk? You see them struggle, fall down multiple times, and start crying. Time ticks by, failed attempt after failed attempt, and dad watches from a short distance. If you have ever seen this, you probably had the same question I've had at one point or another. Why won't the dad just help the kid? Does he care? Does he even notice that his son is struggling?
Honestly, I sometimes find myself feeling the same way about God when I am in a time of suffering. My finite mind thinks He has left me to fend for myself. Joseph's story in Genesis 39, however, could not display a more opposite picture of God's sovereignty in our lives. The idea that the Lord was with Joseph comes up four times in this chapter alone (verses 2, 3, 21, and 23). We see two drastically different scenarios in these verses. At the beginning, Joseph is prospering in Potiphar's household; and at the end, he is thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit. If you are anything like me, you are probably thinking, "It sure doesn't feel like God is present during captivity."
A wise friend frequently reminds me that feelings are never a good indicator of truth. Regardless of whether he felt the Lord's presence, Joseph was confident that the Lord would not leave or forsake him. He trusted God's character and remembered God's faithfulness in past times. The Lord was sovereign over Joseph's enslavement and had blessed him with success while he lived in Potiphar's house. Joseph knew that God's sovereignty and good purpose would yet again prevail.
At times, God allows us to suffer through a situation to develop character and strengthen our faith in Him (James 1:2-4). However, just as a dad will watch his child from a close distance, God sees our struggles, knows our heart, and will never leave our side. The God who permits the suffering is the same God who is with us in the suffering.
Discussion Questions
1. Are there any trials or struggles in your life in which you feel the Lord has abandoned you?
2. What lies are you believing about God during this current time of suffering? What truths about God's character do you know that oppose those lies?
3. Take a few minutes to write down times in your past when you were confident God was present in your suffering. Keep this some place safe to look back on when you begin to doubt His sovereignty in your life.