“Suffering for Doing Right”
Genesis 39:16-23 & 40:1-15
Have you ever been falsely accused of something? How did you feel? I read about a guy called John who was driving home late one night when he picked up a hitchhiker. As they were driving along, John began to be suspicious of the guy he had just picked up. He wondered to himself, “Is he trying to steal my wallet?” As he was driving John felt to see if his wallet was in the pocket of his coat that was on the seat between him and the hitchhiker. It wasn't there! He slammed on the brakes and ordered the hitchhiker out. He said, “Give me back my wallet immediately!” The frightened hitchhiker denied he has his wallet but hurriedly gave him a $10 note instead. John drove off and when he arrived home, he started to tell his wife about what had happened. His wife interrupted him, saying, “O, before I forget, John, do you know that you left your wallet at home this morning?” Yes, that poor hitchhiker had been falsely accused. Joseph was falsely accused and he didn’t simply come out $10 poorer. He lost his job and his good name and was thrown into prison. Joseph was falsely accused of trying to rape the wife of his boss, Potiphar. Of course the truth was he had done nothing wrong. He had refused the repeated attempts of Potiphar’s wife to get him to have sex with her, yet when she almost forced herself on him and he ran away she accused him of attempted rape! Let us take a closer look at this woman. We read from verse 13, “When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. ‘Look,’ she said to them, ‘this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.’” Potiphar’s wife may have been a leading woman in Egyptian society – someone with prestige and position. As the wife of a leading official she would have been admired and envied as a successful woman. She may have been dressed in the latest fashions, she may have looked beautiful and sexy, and she certainly was wealthy. She looked good – on the outside. But of course in reality her life was a mess. Her glamorous appearance was no more than a thin cover for her flawed character. Maybe she was like so many of the glamorous & famous women in the world today – beautiful on the outside but empty and hurting on the inside. She allowed herself to become controlled by lust. She had always, it seems, been able to get anything and anyone she wanted, until she met godly Joseph. Her lust was not able to overcome the purity in this young man’s life. Nothing she did or said would shake his sense of right and wrong. Not only was Potiphar’s wife lustful. She was also a liar. She could look straight into the face of her husband as she accused Joseph. We read in v 16-18: “She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: ‘That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.’” It was a straight lie. She knew such an accusation against Joseph could land him in huge trouble. It could even mean the end of his life but she didn’t care. Such was the evil of this woman. Lies may get us out of trouble for a short while but in the end they cause endless pain & suffering. The Bible tells us, “The Lord detests lying lips” Proverbs 12:22. Potiphar’s wife was also a clever manipulator. She implied that in fact the whole thing was her husband’s fault. He was the one who bought Joseph as a slave & brought him into their house. Notice in v.19 how she refers to Joseph as Potiphar’s slave. She said, “This is how your slave treated me.” Was she stressing “your slave” in order to blame Potiphar? She was a controlling, manipulating wife. What a dangerous woman! It is the last we hear of her in the story but what she did and said left behind a trail of misery & suffering. Potiphar was understandably angry. The Bible says “he burned with anger.” This may seem perfectly natural. Any husband would want to protect his wife. To think another man had tried to violate his wife would make any man mad. However Potiphar should have stepped back before making his judgment. He should have checked the facts. Surely he should have considered the incredible record of Joseph – who had worked for him for almost ten years. By this time Joseph was 27. His godly example & outstanding character were well known to Potiphar and all in his household. Sadly, Potiphar either didn’t check out the facts or he chose to ignore them. Maybe it was loss of face for him – the fact his wife was making these accusations. Indirectly it reflected on him too. Did he even suspect his wife was not totally innocent? Whatever the case, Potiphar allowed his anger & loss of face to cloud his judgment. It is not good to make decisions when we are angry. Anger clouds our judgment. It can even blind us to the truth. In James 1:19 & 20 we read, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” We need to remember this as we relate to one another. It affects husbands & wives, parents and children. Whether we are talking about parents and their little kids or teenage kids or talking about grown up children & their elderly parents – remember, anger can cause much heartache. It leads to inappropriate words & unwise decisions. We need to remember this also as we relate to our brothers & sisters in the body of Christ – in the Church family. Potiphar was extremely angry & unfortunately it prevented him from thinking clearly and acting fairly. In addition, Potiphar “allowed himself to be unduly influenced by his wife.”[i] I must say the stress here is on “unduly influenced”. Every husband is or should be influenced by his wife, and normally greatly to his benefit. I have found it is very important and helpful to listen to my wife and take her suggestions, ideas and feelings seriously. I have a godly & wise wife and would be very foolish not to listen to her. Men, you might be surprised to find your wives are actually sometimes quite sensible. It pays to listen to them. Of course, not all wives are right all the time! A Christian husband must obey God’s Word. If his wife suggests he say or do anything that is not according to God’s Word he should not listen to her. Potiphar’s wife was not a good woman. She certainly did not know Joseph’s God nor seek to follow God’s ways. Potiphar was unduly influenced by her. He was right to take what she said seriously but he should have checked out the facts & should not have been intimidated by her sharp tongue or deceived by her lies. And so, godly faithful Joseph finds himself falsely accused and thrown into prison. Verse 20 says, “Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.” We learn that this was a dungeon. It was not a clean, modern prison with a decent bed, blankets, writing desk & chair, toilet, exercise yard, and a library – as one might find in New Zealand. No, it was dark & dirty with little fresh air and no comfort. Those of you who have visited old castles in the UK or Europe might have visited the dungeons in those castles. They were scary, dark & damp - not the sort of place anyone would like to be. I read a report about prisons in Zimbabwe today. It said, “Zimbabwe's prisoners are suffering untold horrors in Zimbabwe's jails. The State is locking them up in hell-holes, condemning them to slow starvation and possible death from nutrition-related illnesses or the vast array of other diseases they are exposed to through unhygienic conditions.” The report went to say “… Zimbabwe's prisons constitute a unique & especially cruel form of torture that has both physical & psychological impacts on the people affected.” What Joseph faced in prison was probably very much like this and like many in Zimbabwe’s prisons today he was not a criminal and didn’t deserve to be there. What a price Joseph had paid for his desire to honour God and live a pure & upright life! As a reward for his hard work, his honesty, his loyalty, & his integrity he was given a one-way ticket to the dungeon. He didn’t even have time to pack his stuff. I wonder what was going through Joseph’s mind as the bottom seemed, once again, to fall out of his world. Would he start to complain to God? Would his faith begin to crumble? Would he start to question God’s goodness? Would he start to question the value of living a godly life based on the principles of right and wrong? Would it not have been better to compromise a little and avoid getting into such a mess? Would it not have been more sensible to act according to pragmatic considerations rather than to act according to principle? Was it fair to suffer like this for doing what was right? Joseph may have been tempted to ask such questions but it seems he chose to hold on to his faith and his integrity – even in the dungeon. Whether he was the manager of a large estate or a prisoner wearing chains in a dungeon, Joseph on the inside was the same guy. He was a man of faith and a man of principle. He was not a believer only when everything seemed to be going well for him. Even when everything seemed to be going horribly wrong Joseph determined to trust God. There is an old song that goes like this:
“God has not promised skies always blue, Flower strewn pathways all our lives through; God has not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain. Refrain
But God has promised strength for the day, Rest for the labour, light for the way, Grace for the trials, help from above, Unfailing sympathy, undying love.”
God has not promised we shall not know Toil and temptation, trouble and woe; He has not told us we shall not bear Many a burden, many a care.
God has not promised smooth roads & wide, Swift, easy travel, needing no guide; Never a mountain rocky and steep, Never a river turbid and deep.”
Dear friends, when the bottom seems to fall out of your world, when everything seems to be going wrong – don’t give up. Don’t despair. Don’t question the love and the sovereign grace of God in your life. He has a plan. He will not let you down. He will be with you. Indeed that is what Joseph experienced right there in the dungeon. The Scripture verse goes on to say, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden.” (v. 20 & 21) The Lord was with him, right there in the prison. As a prisoner and also a slave, with no rights and no chance of a fair trial, Joseph might have seen his situation as totally hopeless. Yet even there in that terrible “hole” God began to work on behalf of Joseph. God used an unusual person to show him kindness. It was the prison warden. Prison wardens are not normally chosen for their position because they have good people skills or are nice, kind people. A typical prison warden, I imagine, would be a big muscular man, a rough tough sort of guy - someone you would not want to mess with. A prison warden has power to make life extremely miserable for any prisoner. They are not known for being soft-hearted. Yet God moved upon this prison warden’s heart and made him kind to Joseph. Even in that horrible place God’s love was to shine upon Joseph. God was with him in prison.
There was another godly young man who found himself in prison not because he was a criminal but because he refused to stop preaching the Gospel. And God was with him in prison too and used him to write a book that has been translated into more than 200 languages and has blessed countless numbers of people in many nations. His name was John Bunyan (1628-1688), the author of Pilgrim’s Progress. God had a plan for John Bunyan while he languished in prison, and He had a plan for Joseph too. He has a plan for you as well – no matter what you are going through. Like Joseph, when you are falsely accused or ill-treated, will you trust in the Lord? In many ways Joseph reminds us of our wonderful Saviour for Jesus Himself was falsely accused. On the cross He prayed for those who nailed Him there saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) When we face unfair treatment, when we are falsely accused or criticised, let us learn to be like Joseph. Indeed, let us learn to be like Jesus.
Lessons from the Life of Joseph (3)
“Success & Temptation” Genesis 39:5-15 & 1 Corinthians 10:11-13
Joseph made the decision to trust God. He may have been a slave in the house of the Egyptian official Potiphar but his attitude of trust lifted him above his circumstances – and God blessed everything he did. He didn’t have to say anything. People noticed. Potiphar noticed. He was not only impressed with the way Joseph worked. He not only admired Joseph’s upright character and winsome personality - he saw something in Joseph that made a deep impression on him. He recognized that the reason Joseph was so different was that God was with him. Joseph’s relationship with God was so real that Potiphar could not help but make the connection between him and his God. How about you and me? Do people see Jesus in us – in our words, in our attitudes, in the things we do? Do they connect the way we live with the fact we know God? American preacher John MacArthur said: “Your lifestyle is your most powerful message”. How true that is! People can read us like a book. In the New Testament we have the four gospels - the Gospel according to Matthew, the Gospel according to Mark, the Gospel according to Luke, and the Gospel according to John. Well, what is the Gospel according to you? What do people learn about Jesus from your life? Do they see Jesus in you?
Potiphar was so impressed with what he saw in Joseph, we read in v 4, that he “…put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” Joseph made such an impression, and God blessed him so much, that Potiphar appointed him as manager of his whole estate. Notice something else in v. 5, “From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.” Not only was God with Joseph. Not only did God bless Joseph and have him promoted. More than that – God blessed Joseph’s boss, Potiphar and his whole estate. Directly because of Joseph those he worked for and all those he worked with were blessed. What an incredible testimony! I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” When people see something different in us, they often ask why. Of course when they do not see anything there is nothing to ask! Let me give you some examples of how this can work. Take for example the influence of a Christian teacher. Their influence can go way beyond the classroom. It can affect the whole school – other teachers, other pupils and even their homes. I have also seen the way a Christian can impact others on the sport’s field. By playing fairly and cleanly a culture of sportsmanship spreads to other players. There was a great South African cricketer called Jonty Rhodes who together with other Christians in the Springbok team influenced not only the team but the whole country. Michael Jones, the famous All Black rugby player, had a similar influence. The same can happen in the business world or in any professional field as Christians live godly lives. So Joseph began to enjoy success. Potiphar also prospered. His investment portfolio was looking extremely healthy. His estate, his house & fields were flourishing. His work force was happy. With Joseph in charge, someone in whom he had complete confidence, things were going really well. And what a change in circumstances for young Joseph! He had come from the bottom of a dry cistern in the desert, and from being sold as a slave in Egypt, and was now a very successful manager on the estate of one of Egypt’s top officials. He was respected. He was trusted. But success brings other challenges. The higher up one rises the further one has to fall, and others may well try to pull you down. Those with responsibilities or status often become the focus of criticism. No one seems to have been criticising Joseph but popularity also has other inherent dangers. And Joseph was very popular. We read in v 6 & 7, “Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’” There is danger in being good looking – whether we are male or female. Beautiful girls or handsome, gifted men face temptations that can if they are not careful destroy them. In fact all of us face temptations, whether we are good looking or not. Temptations come to all of us at one time or other. Often there is a progression in temptation. It often starts with just a look. Potiphar’s wife “took notice of Joseph”. She looked at him and then looked again – in a way that a married woman should not look at another man. Her looking turned into lustful thoughts, and it was not long before lust took over. She forgot modesty & unashamedly said to Joseph, “Come to bed with me!” Wow, this lady was a fast mover! She would have fitted well in a modern movie where one minute a man notices a pretty lady and the next minute he has her in his arms. Only here, it is the woman who does the chasing, not the man! There is a warning for us in this story. We need to refuse to allow lustful thoughts to settle in our minds. This is why we need self-discipline when watching television or surfing the net. We must refuse the temptation to click on images that feed lust. Pornography feeds lust & can become a crippling addiction bringing ruin to other healthy & precious relationships. How would Joseph respond to the sexy suggestions of Potiphar’s wife? Would he take the line of least resistance? Look how he responds in verses 8 & 9, “But he refused. ‘With me in charge,’ he told her, ‘my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’” Immorality was part of Egyptian society and Egyptian women were known, at the time, for their loose morals. Joseph could have looked at the culture around him and decided that it was OK to go along with the majority. After all he was now living in Egypt. He could have argued that it was best to do as the Egyptians do. But no, Joseph acted on principle. He made his decision on the basis of what he knew was right and what he knew was wrong. No doubt long before Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph he had made up his mind to keep himself pure & to be pleasing to God, not least in how he related to women. Let me encourage our young people to be like Joseph. Decide now that no matter what others around you are saying or doing, by God’s grace & with the help of the Holy Spirit, you will keep yourself pure & pleasing to God. Unless you make up your mind & set boundaries beforehand, when faced by unexpected temptation, it’s not easy to think as clearly or act as decisively as Joseph did. Purity is precious & worth fighting for. If we compromise in this area we place ourselves outside the will of God. His hand of blessing will be withdrawn. We will lose our testimony & our usefulness to the Master. Joseph’s response to the temptation was based on principle – on his understanding of right & wrong. He could so easily have made excuses and compromised his principles. He could have given in to Potiphar’s wife. He could have rationalized by saying to himself: “Giving in just once won’t harm me,” or “She initiated this so I can’t get the blame,” or “this small compromise could help advance my career.” No, Joseph did not rationalize. He did not make excuses. Look again at what he said, “My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Joseph knew that marriage was sacred. He was a single man & Potiphar’s wife was a married woman. For him to flirt with her let alone have sex with her would be to violate not only the trust of Potiphar but also to violate their marriage relationship. It would be a sin against Potiphar. But more than that, Joseph knew that it would be a sin against God. Basically sin is rebellion against God. There is no greater help in overcoming temptation than to have a holy fear of God. It is not like the sudden fear we have when we notice a police trap & realise that we are going 70 kph in a 50 kph speed zone. That is the fear of being caught. Our fear of God is more like the fear of grieving someone we love – it is the last thing we would want to do. And, like Joseph, we know that God is with us always & He sees everything – even what is in our hearts. When we truly love & fear Him we desire only to do what is pleasing in His sight. Joseph knew that to commit adultery would be an act of rebellion against the God he loved & served. No matter what today’s culture says sexual sin is not just something between two consenting adults. It is disobedience against God. Joseph successfully refused to compromise his purity. He refused to go along with Potiphar’s wife. But his refusal only made her more determined. She sought out every opportunity to seduce him. Whenever she saw Joseph, and if it was safe to do so, she gave him those sexy looks. She brushed past him so close he could smell her perfume. “Joseph, I think of you constantly. Come on, who will know? What’s wrong with a little bit of fun?” Who knows what she said or did, but the Bible says she kept at him day after day. I do not think Potiphar’s wife was very much older than Joseph nor was she unattractive. Potiphar as a high official & a wealthy aristocrat in all likelihood had a pretty stunning wife. Yet Joseph was not moved by her beauty or by her persistence. Verse 10 tells us, “…though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” Joseph faced temptation daily – “day after day” Potiphar’s wife tried her charm on him. To overcome repeated temptations is much more difficult than to overcome a one-off temptation. For example if we had a cheese cake sitting in our fridge – sooner or later I’d be tempted to help myself – probably one piece with morning tea & another with my afternoon cup of coffee. If there was no cheese cake in the fridge I would not even think about it. That is a trivial example but here is one that is not so trivial, mentioned by a pastor friend of mine. A couple who were thinking of marriage assured him, “Pastor, we don’t sleep together. We keep busy and have everything under control!” A few months went by and my pastor friend noticed the same couple were avoiding him. He guessed what had happened. They were not strong enough to face on-going temptation. They forgot that they were weak & allowed themselves to get into compromising situations. Only by drawing on the power of God can we resist the devil, and when we do resist him he will run from us. Joseph took action. Verse 10 says, “…he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” Joseph wisely tried to avoid being with her. He was not someone who said, “I resisted the temptation yesterday. Today should be fine too.” No, he knew he should remain vigilant. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says “If you think you are standing, be careful that you don’t fall.” The very next verse in that passage goes on, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Joseph needed that special way out and for him it was to run. In Genesis 39:11 &12 we read, “One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” There are times, friends, when the only way to overcome temptation is to get out of temptation’s way as fast as possible. Even though Potiphar’s wife grabbed his cloak Joseph knew it was better to lose his cloak than to lose his character. Next time we will see what happened to Joseph and will discover that doing things God’s way doesn’t always result in everything turning out well for us. In fact Joseph got falsely accused and ended up in prison – but his integrity was intact and God was still with him. Finally, I want to say a word to those for whom talking about temptation brings up bad memories of past failure. The Lord wants you to know that He can forgive the past and can give new hope for the future. The Lord says in Jeremiah 31:34 “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sin no more.” This is His promise to all who repent of their sin and turn away from it. The Lord is not only ready to forgive us but He is able to take away our guilt and shame. And by His Holy Spirit He gives us new strength, like Joseph, to choose to do what is right, regardless of the consequences.
Lessons from the Life of Joseph (2)
“Triumphing in Trial” (Genesis 37:23-36 & 39:1-7)
Last week we began our series of messages looking at the life of Joseph. Even though he lived 3,900 years ago the incredible story of this young man speaks powerfully to us today. Joseph grew up in a complicated and dysfunctional family. He had ten older brothers who were very unkind to him. Joseph’s father Jacob sent him to see how his brothers were getting on with the family flocks. Joseph happily agreed to go. He must have been excited to finally find his brothers but little did he know they were far from happy to see him. Unbelievably, when his brothers saw Joseph approaching they plotted to kill him. Hatred in the heart & mind can so easily boil over into violence. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him because he was his father’s favourite and they hated him because of his dreams. However the fact he had a very different outlook on life to them also upset them. The God of their father Jacob, their grandfather Isaac, and great grandfather Abraham seemed somehow to be with Joseph in a special way – and that irked them. Do not be surprised if after becoming a Christian some of your family and friends no longer seem as friendly. Don’t be surprised if they no longer welcome you as part of their inner circle as perhaps they once did. When we become Christians and seek to live a godly life not everyone is happy about it. Non-believers, & even nominal (in name only) Christians, sometimes feel embarrassed and even threatened by the presence of a sincere follower of Jesus. Not everyone is happy when light shows up the bad things that previously were unseen.
Oldest brother Reuben did not think that killing Joseph was a good idea. He said, “Let’s not take his life. …Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him.” (Gen 37:21 & 22) The other brothers didn’t know that Reuben was intending to later rescue Joseph and so they went along with his suggestion. They stripped Joseph of his coat and threw him into the dry cistern.
We know from Genesis 35 that Reuben had on one occasion slept with Bilhah one of his father’s concubines. Clearly he had a problem in the area of sexual lust. However, he did have some good points. His brothers wanted to kill Joseph but Reuben wanted to save him. Lust was one of his weaknesses but one of his strengths was being able to show compassion. The other brothers clearly struggled with hatred & jealousy. All of us have different areas of weakness. For some it is self pity or doubt. For others it is pride or the desire for control. For some it is anger. For some it is lust. For yet others it is envy, or bitterness or an unforgiving spirit. Let us be honest with ourselves, admit our weaknesses, and ask God to help us overcome them. He will not reject us. He gives grace to all who humbly seek His help. Joseph’s life was spared but throwing him into the dry cistern was still a very cruel thing to do. How would Joseph ever get out? He could easily die down in there – from thirst & starvation. Incredibly v. 25 tells us that after they had thrown him into the cistern his brothers, “…sat down to eat their meal…” How unfeeling could they be? That is what sin does – it hardens our hearts. Just at that moment, we read in v. 25, “…they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.” Another brother, Judah, had a new idea. Rather than leave Joseph, their teenage brother, to die in the cistern, rather than kill him, why not sell him to these foreign traders on their way to Egypt! It seemed a good plan, and so for a pathetic twenty shekels of silver they sold Joseph as a slave. I wonder what they bought with that money? Not much, probably. Just imagine how Joseph felt! He must have been terrified. He cried out to his brothers to show mercy, but they went ahead with their cruel plan anyway. We know from later in the story (Gen 42:21) that in fact the brothers never ever forgot the cries of Joseph that day. Their cruel crime would forever be on their consciences. Reuben must have been somewhere else when the sudden decision to sell Joseph was made and when he found out about it he was very upset – but in the end he went along with the others in deceiving their father. They took Joseph’s special coat, ripped it and dipped it in animal’s blood and showed it to their father. Notice what they said in v. 32: “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” They didn’t say “see whether it is our brother’s robe” but rather “your son’s robe”. They tried to distance themselves from Joseph. They tried to cover up the truth. They lied but would never be able to escape their guilty consciences. Their father was overwhelmed by grief and so was the rest of the family. That is what sin does. Meanwhile young Joseph, just a teenager, found himself a prisoner, tied up or even chained on the long dusty journey down to Egypt. He would be treated like an animal and on arrival in Egypt was put up for auction in a slave market. Imagine how he felt. Life must have been scary and uncertain. He could not understand what people were saying or what was happening around him. He was no longer able to enjoy the safety and comfort of home nor could he get help or advice from his father. However God his Heavenly Father was with him. Maybe on the journey to Egypt Joseph thought of the stories about God that he had heard from his grandfather Isaac and his father Jacob. He thought about his dreams. Somehow despite his terrible situation Joseph was aware that the God of his ancestors was with him. God was still in control of his life, even though everything seemed to have gone horribly wrong. This is a very important lesson to learn. For the child of God, even when everything seems to be out of control, even when God seems to have abandoned us, in fact He is still in control and is working powerfully behind the scenes. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Do not be afraid of the tough times, the hard times, the dark times. God is doing His work in your life. My good friend & former classmate, well-known radio pastor in America, Alistair Begg, wrote, “It takes the test of trials to make us useful to God. Some of us are not as useful as we might be, for in shunning the trials we have missed the blessings.” [i] Those who have experienced tears are more able themselves to comfort those who are crying. Of course no one asks for tears but the loving Heavenly Father sometimes allows them in order to make us more useful in His service. Everything had changed for Joseph. From being the favourite son of his dotting father he found himself in a foreign country, not as a new immigrant, but being sold as a slave. It is hard to picture the humiliation of being treated like an animal in a slave market. It was totally degrading. We perhaps know a little about the horrors of slavery from reading about the African slave trade when millions of black Africans were captured by cruel slave traders and shipped off to America in the nineteenth century. Many slaves died on the way even before they got to America. Missionaries like David Livingstone fought against the slave trade as did parliamentarians like William Wilberforce. All through human history slavery has been all too common. Even today slavery exists in some places, especially in the Muslim world, and of course we know about the awful sex trade in countries like Thailand which is a form of slavery. Young girls from poor villages are sold by their parents to unscrupulous agents who promise them a good life in the city. Of course they end up as no more than sex slaves in the red light districts of cities like Bangkok. They live enslaved in a life of misery. They need the prayers & the help of Christians. We read in Genesis 39:1, “Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.” Joseph, not even out of his teens, was bought by a guy called Potiphar. He had no idea who his new master was and could not understand the language being spoken around him. Pretty frightening! Soon enough he discovered that Potiphar was in fact a very high official. Pharaoh was the name given to the Egyptian emperor or king – a title like the Chinese “Huangdi” or the Japanese “ten noo”. Potiphar was probably head of the secret police. He was the top security official in the whole of Egypt – a very important position. No doubt he was also very wealthy – and powerful. He had a beautiful home and a large estate – where Joseph was put to work. Joseph had to make a decision. Would he become bitter? Would he complain to God and give up his faith? Would he try to keep out of trouble by doing only what he had to do, and no more? Would he have a bad attitude to the locals around him and say, “I can’t speak Egyptian”? “I don’t understand what you are saying.” Would he try to escape – not much chance of that! Or would Joseph make the most of his new situation? Would he continue to trust God? Would he try to learn all he could about the language and culture of the Egyptians? Would he make friends? Would he work hard? Would he be honest and diligent? I think Joseph chose to embrace life. He chose to do his best – for the glory of God. I can imagine Joseph saying to himself: “Everyone thinks I am one of Potiphar’s slaves, but actually I am God’s slave. I am serving God while I work in Potiphar’s house.” Clearly despite his new circumstances, Joseph made the decision to trust God. He did not allow things like bitterness, self-pity or fear destroy him - and these things can so easily destroy us! Joseph chose to believe that God still had a plan for his life. Notice the next phrase in verse 2: “The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” It was the presence of the Lord with Joseph that made all the difference. His circumstances had not changed. Life was still very tough. He was still a slave – but his heart was free. There were times when he was sad & lonely, when he was unfairly or cruelly treated, but even at such times He knew God was with him. And God blessed Joseph. Our Scripture says, “…he prospered”. Joseph’s attitude of trust lifted him above his circumstances – and God blessed everything he did. He didn’t have to say anything. People just noticed. Even Potiphar noticed. Verses 3 & 4 say, “When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” What a fantastic witness Joseph was! I can imagine Potiphar saying, “I have many slaves but never have I had one as smart, reliable, as impressive as the young Hebrew lad, Joseph. There is something very special about him!” By the power of the Holy Spirit you & I can be like this in the marketplaces of the world. People will notice a difference in the way we live and work. I remember meeting an official in China at a recruitment conference run by the State Administration for Foreign Expert Affairs. When he realised I was a Christian, he whispered to me, “I am also a Christian.” And he went on to tell me that he came to faith after watching the lives of Christian English teachers who were employed in his university. They were so different to others. He could not figure out why they were so helpful & cooperative, so diligent in their work. After several years he finally put two & two together. He realised it was their faith in Christ that made all the difference. By then he too was ready to believe. So friends, make the most of the circumstances in which you find yourself. Don’t complain or wish you were somewhere else. God wants you to bear fruit for Him right where He has planted you. I heard about two grasshoppers that fell into a bucket of milk on a farm. The first grasshopper gave up all hope of getting out & drowned. The second grasshopper began to kick its legs & wings frantically trying to get out of the bucket. After some time of kicking & struggling the grasshopper churned the milk into butter & climbed out of the bucket. How do we cope with unexpected trial or difficult circumstances? Do we complain? Do we feel that God has let us down or forgotten us? Do we stop believing or trusting in God? Do we stop going to church? Do we simply give up? I hope not! May God use the example of young Joseph to encourage us to rise above our circumstances, however hard or unfair they may seem, and trust God. May Joseph’s example be a reminder that even though we cannot always see it, God has a plan! He is not finished with us. He wants to bless us and use us but He is not in a hurry. Joseph made such an impression, and God blessed him so much, that Potiphar put him to charge of his whole estate. Next time we will think about how Joseph coped with the success he began to enjoy. We will see too how he dealt with another new challenge that presented itself. It was a challenge that, sadly, many have failed.