Genesis: Lesson 14
Overview
Joseph in Egypt: Success, Suffering, and the Hand of God
Genesis 39–41 traces Joseph's improbable journey from a pit, to Potiphar's house, to prison, and finally to the second-highest seat in Egypt. The repeated refrain in chapter 39 is unmistakable: "the LORD was with Joseph." His success in Potiphar's household, his preservation in prison, and his elevation before Pharaoh were not the fruit of self-made ambition but the blessing of God. This is a vital corrective in a culture that defines success by possessions and personal achievement. Jesus warns against that very mindset in the parable of the rich fool Luke 12:15, and Paul reframes true success around knowing Christ: "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ" Philippians 3:7. The greatest success story in history is the cross and the empty tomb; faithfulness, born of God's promises, is the measure that matters.
Joseph's faithfulness shines most clearly when Potiphar's wife pressures him toward sin. His response—"How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Genesis 39:9—reveals that he understood, as David later would Psalm 51:4, that all sin is ultimately against God. Joseph not only refused her advances but actively avoided her presence, embodying Paul's command to "flee from sexual immorality" 1 Corinthians 6:18. As Luther observed, you cannot stop birds from flying overhead, but you need not let them nest in your hair. When Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned for doing right, he became a living example of 1 Peter 2:18-21—suffering unjustly while entrusting himself to God. The pastoral question for us is the same one Joseph asked: not "What will this cost me?" but "What is right in God's eyes, and will this please Him?"
In prison, Joseph noticed the troubled faces of the cupbearer and baker and engaged them with care, opening the door to speak about God Genesis 40:6-8. This is lifestyle evangelism at its simplest: notice people, care for them, listen, and point them to the Lord. When Joseph later interpreted Pharaoh's dream, he refused the credit—"It is not I; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." A word of caution belongs here: God used dreams in redemptive history, but He has now spoken definitively in His Son Hebrews 1:1-2. We discern God's voice through His Word, not through feelings or dream analysis.
When Joseph named his sons Manasseh ("forget") and Ephraim ("fruitful"), he testified to God's grace in two directions Genesis 41:50-52. He had real wounds to put behind him—betrayal by his brothers, slander by Potiphar's wife, years lost in prison—yet by God's grace he refused to live in resentment. C.S. Lewis pictured hell as a place where no one ever forgets and no one ever forgives; Joseph chose otherwise. And in the very land of his exile, God made him fruitful. We too live away from home, for our citizenship is in heaven Philippians 3:20. Until the Lord brings us there, He calls us to leave the past behind in forgiveness and to bear fruit for Him in whatever place He has set us.
Transcript
Good morning. 2s
Good morning. 4s
Let's pray together, please. 5s
Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this time and your word for your word 8s
is truth. 12s
We give you thanks, O Lord, for your grace and for your promises. 13s
We thank you, Father, that we can live in the reality of the cross and the empty tomb. 18s
And so, blessed we pray, our study today to your glory, to your praise, and to your honor. 25s
In Jesus' name, amen. 30s
Well, last week, Genesis, chapters 37 and 38, were studied. 33s
And we entered into, last week, the final section with regard to Genesis. 40s
We see how the nation of God's people wind up in Egypt, and we began to spend some time 46s
with a person by the name of Joseph. 52s
There was a hateful rivalry between Joseph and his brothers. 55s
And as was studied last week, Israel, remember a former, formerly known as Jacob, he gave 64s
to Joseph a richly ornamented robe. 72s
That robe would have denoted status among the brothers. 76s
It would have denoted the prominent nature with regard to Joseph. 81s
And the brothers were jealous. 87s
The brothers throw him into a pit. 89s
They sold him as the Ishmaelites come along. 91s
They sell him into slavery. 93s
And they allow Israel to have the understanding that his son was dead. 96s
The tell it like it is approach in Genesis continued into chapter 38. 104s
You'll recall that Judah committed adultery with his daughter in law, Tamar, thinking her 111s
to be a prostitute. 116s
But we saw last week that the folly of sin can't cut the messianic line, that God's gracious 118s
presence remained, and that the gracious presence is proven as you look at the family 127s
line that includes sinners like Judah and Tamar. 134s
Well, today we turn to chapters 39 through 41, 39 to 41. 139s
And let's start in verse 1, Genesis chapter 39, please. 146s
Genesis 39, verse 1. 151s
Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt in Potapher, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the 156s
guard, in Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 163s
Lord was with Joseph and he became a successful man. 170s
He was in the house of his Egyptian master. 174s
His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to 178s
prosper in his hands. 182s
So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him. 184s
He made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 189s
From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had had, the 195s
Lord blessed the Egyptian house for Joseph's sake. 200s
The blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in house and field. 204s
You'll notice here in these first couple of verses here of chapter 39 that there's an 211s
emphasis on success, success. 215s
In a success oriented society in which we live in, we are tempted to view success as unbelievers 220s
do. 230s
In a success oriented society, like the one we live in, we are tempted to view success 231s
as the unbelievers do. 238s
Let's go to Luke, please, chapter 12. 241s
Matthew, Mark, and then Luke. 244s
Luke chapter 12, it will pick up in verse 15. 247s
Luke 12, 15. 254s
And he said to them, take care beyond your guard against all kinds of greed. 269s
For one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. 273s
Then he told them, apparently, the land of a rich man produced abundantly. 277s
He thought to himself, what should I do for I have no place to store my crops? 282s
Then he said, I'll do this. 285s
I'll pull down my barns and build larger ones. 287s
And there I'll store all my grain and my goods and I'll say to my soul, soul. 290s
You've ample goods laid up for many years, relax, eat, drink, be merry. 294s
The God said to him, you fool. 301s
This very night, your life is being demanded of you and the things you have prepared, 303s
whose will they be? 308s
So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves, but are not rich toward God. 310s
The secular world looks at success and defines it in terms of material possessions. 318s
It's the understanding that the one who dies with the most toys wins. 325s
Right? That's the secular view of success. 330s
How different is God's view? 335s
Let's go to Philippians, please. 339s
Chapter 3, Matthew Mark Luke, John, Acts and Romans. 340s
1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, then Ephlipians. 345s
Philippians chapter 3, verse 7. 349s
Paul writes this, 357s
Whatever gains I had, these I've come to regard as loss because of Christ. 360s
More than that I regard, everything is lost because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ, 366s
Jesus, my Lord. 372s
For His sake, I've suffered the loss of all things and I regard them as rubbish in order 375s
that I've gained Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that 380s
comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based 387s
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming 394s
like Him in His death if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 401s
Paul understands and we see that the greatest success story in history is the cross and the 410s
empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ. 417s
We see that that is how God understands success. 421s
We understand how God defines success in Scripture and that's faithfulness. 426s
Faithfulness to Him, born of His promises and the text reminds us that all of the success of Joseph 433s
was at the hand of God. 443s
Go back please to Genesis chapter 39, verse 3. 448s
Genesis 39, verse 3. 453s
His master saw that the Lord was with Him and that the Lord caused all that He did to 461s
prosper in His hands. 467s
So the master here sees this incredible blessing that continues to flow upon Joseph. 472s
Success was from the hand of God. 480s
All of our success in life. 484s
All of the blessings that we have, all of it comes from God. 488s
All of it. 497s
Sometimes I hear it's a dangerous statement when someone will say by my name, 499s
my hard work and my sweat, I built this company into the great company it is today. 508s
Really. 515s
Now God isn't opposed to hard work and sweat, right? 517s
But the company doesn't grow into what it is today without the blessing of God upon the company. 523s
Right? 530s
I was talking with a pastor one time and he said, I got one convert this week. 532s
I said, really? 541s
I said, you got the convert, huh? 544s
He goes, yeah, yeah, I converted a person this week. 548s
I said, really? 550s
I said, you transform them from an unbeliever into a believer. 552s
Yeah. 560s
Okay, let's do a little Bible study here. 562s
Right? 565s
All right? 566s
Because it's all God's work. 567s
Remember we just throw the seed. 568s
That's it. 571s
It's all God's work. 573s
Everything that we have. 575s
Your next beat of your heart and your breath and your blank of your eye is because God wills it and it is a blessing from Him. 576s
Period. 586s
Everything is a result of the blessing of God. 587s
We are reminded in Genesis 39 of that. 593s
Well, the passing traders that sold Joseph here, they had sold him into this house of Potiphar. 598s
That's where he winds up and that's the captain of Pharaoh's guard. 609s
Potiphar's wife falsely accuses him of rape because Joseph kept refusing her advances. 613s
So she accuses him of rape. 622s
Joseph was aware that all sin is ultimately against God, ultimately against God. 626s
Look at 39, 9, please. 634s
He's not greater in this house than I am nor has he kept anything back from me except yourself. 640s
He's speaking here of Potiphar because you are his wife. 646s
How then could I do this great wickedness and sin against God? 649s
See, he ultimately understands that not only would it be a sin to have relations here with Potiphar's wife, he also understands that he would be sinning against God. 656s
But you might put in your Bible there Psalm 51-4. 673s
David also understood that his sin was ultimately against God. 677s
Not only did Joseph refuse her advances, but he also attempted to avoid her presence whenever possible, which is good. 684s
Take a look at 1 Corinthians, the 6th chapter. 695s
1 Corinthians chapter 6, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, and then 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 18. 698s
Paul writes this. 715s
Shun, fornication. 718s
Every sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 720s
Paul says, shun it. 728s
And so what Joseph does is as best he could, avoided being in the presence of Potiphar's wife. 731s
Luther once said, you can't stop the birds from flying over your head, but you don't have to let them make a nest in your hair. 740s
See what he's getting at here? 753s
Temptation in many forms. 757s
It's just across the board there. 759s
It is always there. 762s
You can't stop the bird from flying over, but you can keep it from making a nest in the hair. 765s
Let's go on to Genesis 39 now, verse 19. 775s
Genesis 39, verse 19. 781s
So here, Potiphar, Potiphar's wife accuses him of rape. 789s
It's a false charge here, but then notice what happens. 794s
Verse 19. 799s
When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, this is the way your servant treated me, he became enraged. 800s
And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison. 811s
The place where the King's prisoners were confined, he remained there in prison. 815s
Let's go look at 1 Peter 2. 825s
Good way to find 1 Peter is to go to the book of Revelation and then work backwards. 827s
1 Peter chapter 2. 833s
I'm going to cross over to John's and then you're going to be there. 836s
1 Peter chapter 2 verse 18. 840s
Peter says, slaves accept the authority of your masters with all deference. 850s
Not only those who are kind and gentle, but also those who are harsh. 854s
For it is a credit to you if being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 859s
If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? 868s
But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. 872s
For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you should follow in his steps. 879s
Joseph did the right thing, right? 891s
And Joseph paid for it. 895s
So does that mean that Joseph, because he paid for doing the right things, 900s
shouldn't have done the right thing? 907s
No, right? 910s
Because in the end, who is Joseph wanting to please in the end, Joseph wants to please God. 912s
And if doing the right thing means you pay for it in the world's exacting of payment, then so be it. 923s
Right? 938s
If leaving your company, because they're calling you to do something, which is not right, it is not ethical, causes you to then be without a job and you wonder, 941s
how am I going to support my family and pay the mortgage? 959s
Because those problems then would occur, does that mean that one should stay in the company and then do what the company is asking you to do that is not ethical? 966s
No, because who are we wanting to please? 976s
It's God. 981s
Joseph refused the advances of Potiphar's wife, gets falsely accused of rape, he's then thrown into prison. 984s
What did Joseph do? 998s
He just did what was right. 1000s
Because in the end, Joseph could say, may you Almighty God be praised? 1006s
And I know you'll take care of me. 1017s
I know you'll take care of me. 1019s
That's a fundamental question that we have to ask ourselves each and every day because we live in a world increasingly, 1022s
where there are no defined understandings of right and wrong. 1030s
And right and wrong is determined by what one determines it to be. 1035s
We are now in a post-truth world. 1040s
We are now, as some scholars are saying, in a post-reality world, where one can create their own reality and think it's reality. 1042s
And you say, that's not reality. 1055s
Let me show you the facts. It doesn't matter. 1057s
Because that's the way it is. 1060s
And if one says it enough, then one can convince themselves and maybe another. 1062s
That's just a bunch of quicksand, isn't it? 1069s
In which one sinks? 1073s
The fundamental question must always be, is the fundamental question that Joseph asked. 1075s
What's right and wrong in God's eyes? 1083s
What's right and wrong in God's eyes? 1089s
And will this action please God? 1092s
That is just a really simple way to live, isn't it? 1100s
It's really simple. 1104s
And it takes one all out of what's reality for one person and what's reality for another kind of world that we live in. 1105s
And it brings it back to the facts of the Word of God. 1117s
This is what's truth. Here's truth. 1121s
Here's reality. 1125s
And Joseph paid for it. 1127s
And good for Joseph. 1131s
Good for Joseph. 1133s
That's a payment. 1136s
He would gladly take. 1138s
Well, Pharaoh in his palace, that was the religious social and political center of the nation. 1140s
Everything revolved around Pharaoh and his court. 1146s
In fact, to work near Pharaoh, the double edged sword. 1151s
On the one hand, that could be a really nice living. 1156s
On the other hand, if you made one mistake, you could be killed. 1160s
There's a lot of pressure there. 1164s
Especially for those that worked around the Pharaoh's table. 1167s
A common form of assassination in the day was poison. 1174s
And so if you were the cupbearer of Pharaoh, quite often you had to drink from Pharaoh's cup before Pharaoh drank from the cup. 1179s
If you were the cook for Pharaoh, you'd have to eat of the food before Pharaoh would eat of it. 1189s
We don't know why, but the cupbearer and the baker, crucial to Pharaoh's staff, 1200s
we don't know why, but they fell somehow out of favor with Pharaoh. 1209s
And they're sent to prison. 1214s
And who do they meet in prison? 1217s
But Joseph. 1220s
There's Joseph. 1221s
Look at chapter 40, please, of Genesis. 1224s
Genesis chapter 40. 1227s
We'll pick up in verse 6. 1231s
When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 1243s
So he asked Pharaoh's officers, who were with him in custody in his master's house, 1249s
why are your faces downcast today? 1256s
They said to him, we have had dreams and there's no one to interpret them. 1259s
And Joseph said to them, do not interpretations belong to God. 1263s
Please tell them to me. 1268s
Now a couple of little sides here. 1272s
One. 1274s
Joseph is a good example of what's called lifestyle evangelism, lifestyle evangelism. 1275s
He notices the demeanor here of the cupbearer and the baker in prison with him. 1282s
He notices their demeanor, cares about them, engages them in conversation, 1292s
and then takes the opportunity to talk about God. 1301s
That's a real simple outline with people, right? 1305s
You just start with caring for them. 1308s
And you look for their demeanor, for their demeanor, and you care about them. 1312s
And you ask, well, where are you looking downcast today? 1320s
And when you ask someone, how are you? 1327s
Listen for their response. 1333s
Because so often you can see in their eyes, or in their body language, 1336s
that when they say, I'm fine. 1340s
That doesn't sound fine to me. 1346s
You know, all of a sudden you're in a conversation. 1349s
People will, when they want to talk, they'll give you clues, right? 1352s
You just listen to what they say. 1358s
It's exactly what Joseph did, and it leads them for an opportunity to talk about God. 1361s
Now, another side here. 1370s
We're going to see Joseph interpret dreams. 1374s
Don't get carried away with that on that. 1379s
Because we see that God used dreams in the Scripture to communicate. 1383s
Don't get into all kinds of dream analysis as if God is speaking to you directly through your dreams. 1391s
That's dangerous footing to be on. 1400s
Remember what Scripture tells us in Hebrews. 1404s
In many and various ways God spoke to His people of old. 1407s
In many and various ways God spoke to His people of old. 1410s
But in these last days, He's spoken to us by His Son. 1413s
If we want to hear the voice of God, if we want to see what God's leading is on our life, 1417s
don't turn to dream interpretation. 1425s
As if God has sent me this dream and is speaking to me directly on that. 1428s
A former professor of mine, back in seminary, would say that when people would come to Him, 1436s
and they'd say, I just feel that God told me this. 1443s
Because I can just feel it. 1449s
His response was, one has to discern between the Holy Spirit and indigestion. 1452s
Now you see where He's going on that. 1462s
They simply say, I just really feel it. 1464s
I just really feel it. 1467s
You've got to watch that there. 1469s
You go to the Word, you receive counsel from Christian friends. 1471s
You do that. 1476s
It's not because we feel something or we had some kind of dream here. 1478s
So don't hear this section here this morning as an advocacy that when you have a dream here, 1484s
that is God speaking to you. 1490s
God speaks to us through His Word. 1492s
Period. 1496s
Period. 1497s
Okay. 1499s
Two years pass and Pharaoh has a dream. 1500s
Chapter 41, verse 8. 1504s
In the morning, his spirit was troubled. 1508s
So he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. 1512s
Pharaoh told them his dreams. 1518s
But there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 1520s
Let's go on into verse 9. 1529s
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, I remember my faults today. 1533s
Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in the chief baker and custody in the house of the captain of the guard. 1538s
We dreamed on that same night he and I each having a dream with its own meaning. 1545s
A young Hebrew was there with us a servant of the captain of the guard. 1551s
When he told him he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each according to his dream. 1555s
As he interpreted to us so it turned out I was restored to my office and the baker was hanged. 1562s
Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph and he hurly brought him out of the dungeon. 1571s
We need shaved himself and changed his clothes. 1576s
He came in before Pharaoh. 1579s
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have had a dream and there was no one who can interpret it. 1582s
I have heard it instead of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it. 1588s
Joseph answered Pharaoh, it is not I. 1593s
God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer. 1595s
And the interpretation here of Pharaoh's dream that Joseph gives is that there will be seven abundant years followed by seven years of famine. 1600s
Verse 33 now, chapter 41. 1613s
Now therefore let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise and set him over the land of Egypt. 1619s
Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentias, years. 1626s
Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and lay them and lay up grain upon the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities and let them keep it. 1637s
That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt so that the land may not perish through the famine. 1648s
Pharaoh is struck with Joseph's plan. 1658s
He places Joseph at his side and he makes him second in command of the world's greatest power in the day. 1662s
Now just think of it. 1676s
He was in a pit, sold into slavery and now he second in command to the greatest power. 1679s
Look please at verse 49 of chapter 41. 1691s
So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance like the sand of the sea that he stopped measuring it. 1698s
It was beyond measure. 1710s
And Psalm just another side. 1716s
Psalm 105 tells us that another thing that Joseph was doing in his new position is he was teaching people. 1719s
He was teaching people. 1727s
Oh glorious is that. 1730s
God puts him into a position here where now all of a sudden he's second in command of the world's greatest power and he has the opportunity to teach. 1732s
Look at chapter 41 now. 1746s
Verse 50. 1749s
Before the years of famine came Joseph had two sons whom as enough daughter of Potapherra priest of on bore to him. 1754s
Joseph named the first born Manasseh. 1764s
For he said God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house. 1768s
The second he named Ephraim for God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes. 1777s
When you consider the actions of the brothers, selling him into slavery, when you consider the actions of Potapher's wife falsely accusing him of rape, when you consider the fact that he's thrown into prison away from his homeland, 1789s
Joseph had a lot to put behind him, didn't he? 1810s
Had a lot to put behind him. 1815s
See us Lewis. 1817s
He picks hell as a place where nobody ever forgets anything. 1818s
Remember every cruel exchange or words, every harmful act and where everybody is utterly unforgiving. 1824s
Joseph has a lot to put behind him and he names his son. 1841s
Forget. 1850s
Forget. 1852s
He also names his other son Ephraim, fruitful because he sees how God made his life fruitful. 1853s
Fruitful as he is away from his home in Canaan. 1867s
Now reflect on our own lives. 1875s
There isn't a human being, right? 1877s
Who doesn't experience hurt. 1881s
There's not a human being that doesn't experience pain. 1884s
There's not a human being that doesn't conjure up those words that were said in anger, that just cut to the core. 1890s
There's not a human being that doesn't experience that. 1903s
And God calls us by His grace to forgive and to leave that behind, to forgive and leave it behind. 1909s
Now that doesn't mean, for example. 1927s
Don't take an example, for example, of physical abuse here. 1930s
One says, well I'm just going to forgive and just go right back in the relationship. 1936s
That's much more complicated. 1941s
Don't extrapolate to those kind of things. 1944s
But still one says, I'm going to leave that behind. 1949s
You enter into the relationship again. 1953s
I'm going to leave that behind in forgiveness and I'm going to live in the grace of God today. 1957s
I'm going to leave behind the words that were painful. 1965s
I'm going to leave behind the actions. 1970s
I'm going to by God's grace forget in the sense of moving on. 1973s
God's the only one that can forget. 1983s
Scripture says He casts our sins as far as the east is from the west. 1987s
He remembers them no more. 1990s
We don't have that ability. 1993s
We don't have an amnesia, all of a sudden to say, well I don't even remember that anymore. 1995s
Sure one remembers pain in their life. 2001s
Sure, but it's forgetting in the sense of I leave that behind. 2004s
I'm not going to live in that and I'm going to move on. 2011s
I'm not going to live in C.S. Lewis's definition of hell. 2014s
Where nobody forgets anything. 2022s
Remember, is every cruel exchange or word, every harmful act and is unforgiving. 2024s
By God's grace I'm not going to live that way. 2031s
And so Joseph names his first son, Menessa. 2034s
Menessa. 2039s
Forget what happened. 2041s
He names his other son, Fruitful, that God had made him fruitful when he's away from his homeless. 2043s
All of us are away from home right now, aren't we? 2051s
Right? 2056s
Life this, life this side of heaven is not home. 2057s
Pulse is our homeland, our commonwealth is in heaven and from there we await a savior. 2060s
This isn't home. 2067s
We're just passing through here. 2069s
Our homeland is in heaven itself. 2072s
And so while we are living away from home, 2077s
God makes us fruitful. 2082s
Uses us for his purposes, for however long he gives us breath. 2086s
And then he takes us home, home. 2092s
And so as we live then this side of heaven, as we live away from home by God's grace, 2097s
we put the past behind Menessa, forget, 2103s
and we live in the fruitfulness of the life that God gives us and his grace. 2110s
The names of Joseph's children are so instructive. 2118s
Well, we thought the reunion between Jacob and Esau was something. 2125s
Wait until the family reunion we get next week with regard to Joseph and his brothers. 2133s
Wait for that reunion. 2142s
We'll continue next week. 2145s
We'll continue next week with regards to Joseph and his brothers. 2154s