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In the last article we finally wrapped up the historical account of Judah's household and its overall importance. The Holy Scriptures has now taken us back to the account of Joseph. Now remember that when we had last left him, he had been betrayed by his brothers and sold off into slavery to the Ishmaelites. It's at this point, the Sacred Record informs us that the Ishmaelites had taken Joseph down to Egypt. A short while later he would soon be sold to an Egyptian officer, who was captain of the guard in Pharaoh's court, who went by the name "Potiphar". It's at this time we are told that the Lord was with Joseph and that he was prosperous while he lived in the house of his new Egyptian master. "Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian." -- (Genesis 39:1,2) Now this little bit of information that is revealed within the Scripture above, is something that I personally think that we need to really get excited about. Why so, you may be wondering? Well, let's think about the household that Joseph had come from for a moment. And while we do, also keep in mind that his father Jacob was very wealthy and would eventually become a well respected man in the land of Canaan. It was revealed to us that Jacob's favorite son was Joseph and being that his older brothers had forfeited their rights to the birthright of the first born (because of their sinful actions) that birthright had now fallen upon Joseph. Understand that the sons of Jacob were not only jealous of him, but they felt threaten by Joseph as well. This is why, at first they sought to kill him, but then later on would agree to have him sold. Understand that Joseph loved his family and was loyal and obedient when it came to them and yet, he now finds himself having to endure an unfair season of hardship that was brought on at the hands of his brothers. And by the world standards, Joseph would have every right to be angry, bitter and sad, being that he was forced in this unjust situation. But a powerful lesson is now being presented to us, for we will soon see that Joseph would not follow down a destructive emotional path like most of us would have probably done. But instead, in spite of his current ordeal, he stayed true and obedient to the Almighty God. And he was rewarded for doing so, being that the Lord was with Joseph in everything that he did and it was for this reason, success came at whatever Joseph had decided to put his hands towards. The favor of the Lord was found to be so strong with Joseph that his new master had begun to notice it as well: "When his master [Potiphar] saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 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." -- (Genesis 39:3-4) Now let's take a closer look at this Scripture for a moment, and let's start by noticing Potiphar's reaction to the blessed effects that the Lord was bestowing upon Joseph's life, while he was in the midst of his storm: "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." What this simply means is that Joseph was no longer a lower class servant in Potiphar's household, for he was now the head steward of the entire estate. Take note and notice that Joseph was able to earned the respect and favor of his new master, without compromising his relationship with the One True God. It's not clear on what type of success that Potiphar had before Joseph had come along, but the captain of the guard made a very wise decision when he placed Joseph over everything he had. For now, everything that Potiphar own and did in the field, had the blessing of the Lord. Potiphar had now found favor in the Lord's eyes and he owed all of this to Joseph. I find it very interesting that this same type of situation had happened to Joseph's father Jacob, back when he worked for his father-in-law Laban. Being that Jacob was himself forced from the wealthy estate of his father's household - due to the rift that he had with his brother Esau. Jacob would work for Laban in unfair conditions for fourteen years and although altogether he was with Laban for twenty years - fourteen of those years were deemed to be unfair by the Sacred Record. Also note, that although Jacob was treated unkindly, he too did not turn bitter, for he also stayed obedient to the one true God and therefore he too was rewarded, for the Lord was with him and success followed Jacob in all that he did. I would also like to point out that Laban's household was blessed for those fourteen years and he owed this to Jacob as well. Jacob would come out of that ordeal a well respected and wealthy man and now we find his son Joseph going through a similar situation. Or, so it would seem...? Being that God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore - will this be the start of a prosperous career for Joseph. Or will we find him still in the midst of a season that continues to be filled with life suffering hardships and a road of uncertainty? Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE**
69) Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams 71) Joseph & The Pit of Darkness 72) Jacob the Father of Sorrow 73) The Importance of Judah's History 75) The Reaping Season of Judah 76) Tamar's Revenge 78) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 79) Potiphar's Wife Pursues Joseph 82) The Dreaming Cupbearer & Baker 84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation 85) Joseph the Overseer of Egypt  |
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