Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
Genesis 39:6b-10 (NKJV)
This could almost be the opening paragraph of a novel. A handsome young man left alone in the house of his boss and then along comes the seductive wife to tempt him into bed. He refuses her advances even though she tries it on day after day. So in her anger and rejection, she conspires to get back at him by making up a story that he tried to assault her and uses a piece of his clothing as evidence against him. Not only does he then get fired from his job but he also ends up spending years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
This was the second time that Joseph’s clothing was used to bring a false report about him (see Gen. 37:31-33). In both cases he had been serving faithfully but ended up in bondage. There’s no doubt that God’s blessing was on Joseph’s life but within ‘the blessing’, he had to endure some really difficult times. An example of this was the time he spent in prison which, especially in those times, would have been bleak and harsh. However, we’re told that: …he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper (Gen. 39:20-23).
We sometimes get confused that ‘blessing’ must involve everything going right for us and, conversely, when we hit difficult times, then we must be on the receiving end of punishment or some harsh discipline. The fact is that a look through the lives of numerous characters in the Bible shows very clearly that God’s people often had to endure a great amount of suffering even though they were exactly in the place where He wanted them to be. Following the path of obedience will often result in facing some kind of opposition, if not in a physical way, then at least in the spiritual dimension.
In different parts of the world, thousands of people face daily persecution as a result of their faith and the faithfulness in which they follow God. It’s very sobering to read about very ordinary men and women and the sufferings they endure. I’ve no doubt that they will receive rich rewards when they get to heaven but meanwhile they can be assured how much God’s blessing is on their lives even in the midst of such hardship. Perhaps they can receive at least some small comfort knowing the plight of those in the OT that have gone before them on a similar journey.
Joseph’s life was full of highs and lows but at least his story ends on a high note. We see him reunited with his family who, in an emotional last scene, ask him for forgiveness. He does forgive and reassures them that while they meant evil against him, God meant it for good in order to bring about a greater purpose. Joseph died at the ripe old age of 110.
DetailsLarry
March 26th, 2008
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