The opening phrase of verse 2 sums up very well the
life of Israel's choice son: "...the Lord was with Joseph..." So,
what were the effects of God's presence? Safety, prosperity, acceptance,
wisdom, diligence, responsibility and temptation... yes, temptation. Anyone who
walks with God is shortly going to be a target of Satan. Joseph was no
exception.
Joe became the master of his master's house. His
master was Potiphar, captain of the Egyptian guard. In Joseph's role as chief
steward, he was both trusted and trustworthy. But, it seems that the astute
ways of this young man helped to make him an appealing target for a wicked and
licentious woman. The wife of Joseph's master fell for Joseph... and she wasn't
subtle about it either. "Lie with me!" she said to him day after day
(Genesis 39:7 & 10). Finally, when she was alone with him in the house, she
literally took hold of him and attempted to force him into her bed. Her
insatiable determination to have Joseph was so consuming that he literally had
to run out of his robe to get away from her.
Now, lest you and I ever imagine that if we would
just "do the right things" then God would automatically solve all of
our problems and fix all of our pains... notice that Joseph did the right thing
and it cost him his job. Potiphar's wife lied about the situation. She accused
Joseph of doing the thing that she was actually guilty of doing. So Joe went to
jail! But God was with him there too.
Joseph became as influential and prosperous in the prison as he had been in the
house of Potiphar. Only now he was one step closer to where he needed to be...
in the palace.
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