Joseph in Egypt
In
the Book of Psalms and in many other parts of the Bible we see God’s providence
over His people in times of trial. In the life of Joseph, we see God’s
wonderful providence even while he was sold as a slave to a wealthy Egyptian
Potiphar. Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into Egypt; Gen 37:2 and we
can safely assume that he spent 10 out of 13
intervening years as a slave of Potiphar and the following 3 years in
King’s prison. The capital of Egypt at the time of the occurrence was Zoan,
near one of the mouths of the River Nile. Jacob his father was still living in
Hebron, and he is around 121 years old.
Potiphar trusted Joseph: Gen 39:1-6
Joseph
when he reached Egypt was sold to Potiphar, “the captain of the guard”. In those days, the military class in
Egypt was ranked next to the priesthood, and the entire military force
consisted of around 400,000 men. These men were divided into two corps, and
1000 of them were serving as King’s body guards. So Potiphar was probably one
of these body guards of the King and consequently a man of great honour and
influence. Even though Joseph was sold as a slave he came under the influence
of a man of honour and influence. We can understand that there is a Divine plan
in the life of Joseph.
And
Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain
of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which
had brought him down thither. 2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he
was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master
saw that the Lord was with him,
and that the Lord made all that he
did to prosper in his hand. 4 And Joseph found grace in his
sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that
he had he put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the
time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that
the Lord blessed the Egyptian's
house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the
field. 6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he
knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly
person, and well favoured.
Joseph is sold to a
high-ranking Egyptian named Potiphar and eventually becomes the supervisor of
Potiphar’s household. From the above section of the Scriptures we read of how
Joseph excelled at his duties and became one of Potiphar’s most trusted
servants and was put in charge of his household. Potiphar could see that
whatever Joseph did, God looked favorably on him and he prospered in all that
he did. Very often non-believers around us can see that God was with us and He
draws people around us and this should be an encouragement for anyone who goes
through trials like Joseph.
Potiphar’s
wife cry rape at Joseph: Gen: 39:7-20
[Potiphar’s wife has no name.
This is a way of making her seem less real. Her version of what happened is
ignored by the story-teller, since it does not serve the narrator's purpose.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that she stands as a symbol of Egypt -
its decadence and cruelty.
Potiphar or Potiphera is an Egyptian name meaning 'he whom the god Ra has given'
Joseph means 'God increases or adds to’] 1
Potiphar or Potiphera is an Egyptian name meaning 'he whom the god Ra has given'
Joseph means 'God increases or adds to’] 1
However, Potiphar’s
wife attempts to seduce Joseph, and when her advances are rebuffed, she falsely
accuses him of attempted rape. After the long resisting temptation, his very
goodness was made the occasion of an unjust accusation, and without trial Potiphar
trusted his wife and Joseph was thrown into prison. Joseph, although innocent
in the matter, is cast into prison.
7 And it came to pass after these things, that his
master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8 But
he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what
is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9 There
is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from
me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God? 10 And it came to pass, as she
spake to Joseph day by day that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to
be with her. 11 And it came to pass about this time that Joseph
went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the
house there within. 12 And she caught him by his garment,
saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him
out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his
garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14 That she called
unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in
an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried
with a loud voice: 15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I
lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and
got him out. 16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his
lord came home. 17 And she spake unto him according to these
words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in
unto me to mock me: 18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my
voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. 19 And
it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake
unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was
kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the
prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the
prison.
Main themes of the story
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| Reconstruction of a bed from ancient times, gold coverlet. |
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| Statue of Ahmenemhet111 |
- The
decadence of Egypt. The sophisticated Egyptian culture always
posed a danger to Israel. The Israelites led by Moses
would eventually flee from it, just as in this story Joseph fled from an
alluring Egyptian woman.
- The
contrast between Egypt and Israel. They had different ideals,
different cultures, different practices. For an example, see the love poems from ancient Egypt. Contrast them with the
love poems in the Song of Songs.
- Israel's ability to resist. Though in an apparently vulnerable position, Joseph was able to resist the allure of a foreign woman and a foreign culture. Both tried to entice him, but he stayed true to the Israelite moral code.
The story seems to be set during the Middle Kingdom, somewhere between
2030BC to 1640BC. Potiphar may have been 'Ptahwer', an officer of Pharaoh Ahmenemhet
III (pictured at right).2
Keeper of
the prison and Joseph: Gen: 39:21-23
21 But the Lord
was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the
keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed
to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they
did there, he was the doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison
looked not to anything that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he
did, the Lord made it to prosper.
The imprisonment on Joseph was not only severe initially but very unjust
and was a lie. He found favour with the keeper of the prison, and he began to
trust Joseph and we see God is behind this scene as well.
Prison ministry
of Joseph: Gen: 40:1-23 & 41.
In jail, Joseph
interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners. Both interpretations prove
to be true, and one of the men is later released from jail and restored to his
position as the king’s cupbearer Gen: 40:1-23.
Two years later, the
king himself has some troubling dreams, and the cupbearer remembers Joseph’s
gift of interpretation. The king calls for Joseph and relates his dreams.
Joseph predicts seven years of bountiful harvests followed by seven years of
severe famine in Egypt and advises the king to begin storing grain in preparation
for the coming dearth Gen: 41:1-37.
Joseph’s troubles were very severe, and through
these troubles he learned to trust God, whole heartedly. This served as a huge
opportunity for Joseph to study about himself, and look into his heart, his
heart motives, and at the same time to honour God, even if the situations were
very harsh around him. Joseph has learned to look at the bright side, and he
was very faithful in smaller things. A successful leader will be always
faithful and honest in smaller things, and he did the right thing even in unfavourable
circumstances. Joseph served with humility, courage from God, in love,
gentleness, and in continuous self-denial. Though injustice was done to him, in
turn he did justice to others. He was a keen observant, hardworking and
diligent in the development of his God given mind. In an influential culture of
Egypt, unlike Canaan he continuously learned the art, government policies,
finances and even Pharaoh’s Kingly culture and the executive ability needed.
For Joseph to be trained in all these and to care would require much learning,
preparation, and real executive ability. God saw his difficulties, and He has
given Joseph a keen mind, in order to fulfill His purposes in Egypt and in the
life of Pharaoh.
God was with him in his unjust
imprisonment and brought him out later and gave him a life he deserved and
which was ordained by God. For his wisdom, Joseph
is made a ruler in Egypt, second only to the king (41:38-49). 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and
without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 45 And
Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath
the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land
of Egypt. 46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood
before Pharaoh King of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh,
and went throughout all the land of Egypt; Gen: 41:44-46. Join with me in
this journey and see how God delivered Joseph in the next part series.
End Notes:
Potiphar's
Wife cries
'Rape!' Potiphar’s wife has no name
Website References:
1. What
should we learn from the life of Joseph?
... as we learn from the account of
Joseph’s life, by
remaining faithful and accepting that God is ultimately in charge, we can be confident that God will
reward ...
How many of life’s lessons have you ... Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have
dreamed: For, behold, we were
... I produced a series called Lessons
from Joseph.
What should we learn from the life
of Jacob? ... What should we learn from the life of
Joseph? What should we learn from the life of Elisha?
bibleseo.com/old-testament/joseph-bible-character-study
What can we learn about Joseph
in the bible? ... Lessons learnt
from Life of Joseph: God’s plans and purpose are
greater and better than ours!
tafj.org/2009/12/24/lessons-from-the-life-of-joseph
Lessons
From The Life Of Joseph. As we consider ... viewpoints are
opportunities for us to learn
from ... the life of Joseph, we will find our hearts ...
The Bible
tells us that Joseph and
Benjamin are the sons of Jacob's second ... However some new scientific
evidence helps to support the case of a historical
Joseph.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_(son_of_Jacob)
For the New
Testament Joseph, ... There have
been many attempts to trace the story's redaction history ... In the Bible,
Joseph discloses himself to his
...
Book References:
1.
Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream.:
Tyndale House publishers, 1995.
2. Jay E. Adams. Critical
Stages of Biblical Counseling, Finishing Well, Breaking Through, Getting
Started. New Jersey: Zondervan,
2002.
3. Jay E. Adams. How to Help People Change, The Four-step Biblical Process. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
4. John F. MacArthur, JR. Wayne A. Mack & The Master’s College Faculty. Introduction To Biblical Counseling, A Basic Guide To The Principles And Practice Of Counseling. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.
5. Jay E. Adams. Lectures on Counseling. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p.192-203.
3. Jay E. Adams. How to Help People Change, The Four-step Biblical Process. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
4. John F. MacArthur, JR. Wayne A. Mack & The Master’s College Faculty. Introduction To Biblical Counseling, A Basic Guide To The Principles And Practice Of Counseling. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.
5. Jay E. Adams. Lectures on Counseling. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p.192-203.
6. The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Women
of Destiny Bible. Women Mentoring women Through the Scriptures, A Spirit
Filled Life Bible. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.
7. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream: Tyndale House publishers, 1995; pgs, 301, 346.
7. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream: Tyndale House publishers, 1995; pgs, 301, 346.
8.
Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream:
Tyndale House publishers, 1995; pg331.
9. David A. Norris. Lasting Success;
Quality Decisions, Relationships and Untamed Emotions. Ames, Iowa:
Alpha Heartland Press, 2003.
