Genesis 39 1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. 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.
2 The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 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. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
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19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
As we saw on Sunday, this story is a profound mix of good and bad, blessing and injustice, integrity and evil. It's messy.
Although the messiness of Joseph's experiences is exceptional this is a concept every human being can relate to. Life is messy. Most our lives are a mix of good and bad, blessing and injustice, integrity and sin. The question most people are asking, and humans have asked for centuries, is, "Where is God in the midst of this messiness?" The narrator in this story makes it abundantly clear that despite the messiness of his life God is with Joseph. Joseph as God's chosen, and his family as God's chosen people, carry with them the presence of God regardless of their circumstances. Even in the evil, powerful, foreign country of Egypt, yes, even in the dungeons of Egypt, God is with Joseph. This brings to mind the question of the Psalmist, "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?" (Ps. 139:7) The implied answer is, nowhere.
Yet, in the midst your circumstances you may feel as if God is not with you. God is far from you. How can a good God allow these bad things to happen to you? The story of Joseph doesn't supply all the answers to every person's circumstances but it does show us that, for his chosen, even in the darkest of hours God is there. This is a powerful truth that cannot be overstated. Yet it is easier said than believed. We can proclaim this in church, sing it in songs, pray it in prayers, but when suffering comes will we cling to this? Will we trust that this is true when our circumstances bring us to the pit of despair and the darkest times in our lives? May this truth be real to you, bringing you comfort and peace when you need it most.
Reflection
- Reflect on a tough time you went through and someone was there for you. How did it help knowing that they were there?
- How has the knowledge of God's presence through times of suffering helped you walk through it? Is it a natural inclination for us to recognize God's presence with us or do we try to go it on our own?