What does it mean to be successful? And what is the secret to being successful? We must always be careful to define success Biblically because there are times where prospering before God looks like failure to the world. And it is my assumption that many times we do not take God’s work of providence into account when we consider what a successful life would be.
I’d like you to think of God’s providential working in our lives is as a dance that God is inviting us to join Him in. Today we will see a man named Joseph join the God who is at work in this dance, and we will see that when we join God, His providential presence becomes the secret to true success in our lives. We find our deepest joy and greatest victory when we take His hand and join Him in this dance. And we take His hand by placing our faith in His providential presence at work for us.
I. The Providential Presence of God Prospers Us in Our Trials (38:1-6a, 20-23)
a. God with Us (1-6a):
[39:1] Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. [2] The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. [3] His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. [4] So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. [5] From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. [6a] So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. (Genesis 39:1-6a ESV)
Joseph is prospering in a trial here. And the author of Genesis goes to great lengths to make sure we do not miss why Joseph is prospering: because “the Lord was with Joseph.” This is put forth as the reason that Joseph prospers: because God was “with” him. Notice that God’s being “with” Joseph doesn’t simply mean that He is there, but that He is there working. He is causing Joseph to succeed. He is giving Joseph favor in Potiphar’s sight. So when we read that “the LORD was with Joseph,” we need to understand that it is not just the presence of God being spoken of, but the providential presence of God being described. He is not simply there; He is there at work for His glory and Joseph’s good. It is a description of God’s active faithfulness to Joseph in particular and His people in general.
Let me also point out that this passage is not teaching what some call the “prosperity gospel.” The reason we can be certain that the “prosperity gospel” is not being taught here is because Joseph is a slave! Also, things don’t get better for Joseph in this chapter, but worse. He is suffering unjustly as this chapter begins and he is going to suffer even more unjustly before it is over.
[20] And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. [21] But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. [22] And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. [23] The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed. (Genesis 39:20-23 ESV)
Joseph goes from being a slave to a being a prisoner! And where is God in all of this? Look at verse 21: “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Catch this: Joseph is not protected from his circumstance; he is protected in his circumstances.
Now here we learn another thing that God being “with” Joseph means: that He is showing Joseph “steadfast love.” This is one of the most beautiful words in the Hebrew language: “hesed”. There is no English word that can adequately translate “hesed” because so much is wrapped up in that one word. It means covenant loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, mercy, love, and compassion.[1]
This is important to remember: when everything seems to go wrong, we can still be certain that God is showing “hesed” to His people. He is still keeping covenant. He is still being faithful. He is still being good. He is still showing steadfast love to us. This is ultimately what it means for God to be “with” us.
And know that if you belong to God, know that God is “with” you. Matthew 28:20: “And behold, I am WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the end of the age.” Hebrews 13:5-6: “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will NEVER LEAVE YOU nor FORSAKE YOU.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Is this not the message of Romans 8:31-39, that nothing can separate us from the steadfast love of Jesus Christ? Our God is with us!
Also, don’t miss another thing that is at work here. He is thrown in to prison precisely where the “king’s prisoners were confined” (20). If you know the Joseph story, you know that Joseph is now one man away from Pharaoh. What looks like a set back is actually progress in God’s providential plan.
b. Us with God:
But we can’t stop here. We also need to see Joseph’s faithfulness in this account. This chapter shows us two ideas side by side: (1) God’s faithfulness to Joseph and (2) Joseph’s faithfulness to God. This is the dance of providence. What Joseph does is walk by faith in the God who is providentially “with” him. And in trials, Joseph shows us what walking by faith looks like: always making the most of our situation for God’s glory. Joseph believed that he was ultimately God’s slave and ultimately God’s prisoner, and he sought to bring God glory wherever he found himself. And hear me on this: you are only free to do that when you have rested your hopes in the promise that God is with you.
This is what it means for us to dance with God in this dance called providence: to walk by faith in the God who is with us and bring Him glory wherever we find ourselves. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” And as we walk by faith with our providential God , our testimony is to be a witness to those around us. Potiphar recognized that God was with Joseph. This Matthew 5:14-16 in action: [14] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
So to sum this first point, we are saying that providence is a dance in which God is always with us, working for us, and showing steadfast love to us and that He is also asking us to take His hand and join Him on the dance floor. We do so by waling by faith in a way that brings Him glory and is a witness to the world around us. And when we take His hand, we find a prosperity that the world cannot take away in our trials.
II. The Providential Presence of God Protects Us in Our Temptations (38:6b-19)
[6b] Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. [7] And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
In this passage we meet the original “desperate housewife”! This “cougar” is on the prowl after Joseph!
[8] But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. [9] He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” [10] And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
Sexual promiscuity was very common among slaves and their owners in this culture, which makes Joseph’s refusal all the more remarkable. Joseph refuses to sin here for three reasons. First, he views it as a sin against his master. Second, he views it as a sin against the sanctity of marriage. Joseph views marriage as sacred. Finally, and most importantly, he views it ultimately as a sin against God. The Bible teaches us that all sin is ultimately against God (Ps. 51:4). God sees and will judge all sin. Joseph not only understands this but also believes this. He fears God, which is actually another expression of His faith in God. Fear of God is an expression of faith in God to see and judge sin. But in spite of Joseph’s refusal, Potiphar’s wife does not stop her advancements toward Joseph.
[11] But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, [12] she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
We also learn a great deal about the nature of temptation in this chapter, especially sexual temptation. Notice first that men are not the only people who struggle with sexual sin. Also, we see here how sexual sin begins with the eyes (7), and we are reminded to guard our own. And finally we learn from this passage that sometimes the best way to fight temptation is to flee from it (12). This is the command of 1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee sexual immorality.” Paul instructed young Timothy to “flee youthful passions” (2 Tim. 2:22). If you meet a lion on a path, you don’t stand and fight, you run for your life! God promises us to always provide a way to escape temptation (1 Cor. 10:13) and sometimes that way is to run. And remember, that when we run from temptation, we are running to God!
[13] And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, [14] she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. [15] And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” [16] Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, [17] and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. [18] But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
[19] As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. [20] And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. (Genesis 39:6b-20 ESV)
Joseph ends up in prison, but let me say again that he is ultimately successful before God because he doesn’t fall to temptation. In the end, honoring God is all that ultimately matters. If God is pleased, we have been successful.
This passage does call us to develop such an esteem for the providential presence of God that we refuse to sin even when no one is looking and take drastic measures not to do so. It call us to walk by faith by fearing God. In our temptations, this is what it means to take God’s hand and join Him in the dance of providence. God’s providential presence is a fortress of protection when we are tempted if we will walk by faith. When you’re tempted to sin in times where it seems no one is looking, pray that God would cause you to (1) be aware of His presence and (2) both fear and savor His presence. Choose to believe that Christ is better than the empty pleasure offered by the sin in front of you.
Also, we need to walk by faith in the fact that God is able to help us in our temptations. The power of the gospel is power to help you have victory over sin. This doesn’t mean that you will be perfect. It doesn’t mean that you will not be sinless, but it does mean that you will sin less. It does mean that victory is there for the taking if you will lay hold of it by faith.
In closing, let’s do remember that even Joseph could not be a “Joseph” without the Lord’s being “with” him. So Joseph is a commendable example, but we need to go further and make the connection as to why he is such a commendable example: because God is providentially “with” him.
We need more than a good example. We need someone who can resist temptation for us. We need someone who can stand and defeat it rather than have to run from it. Jesus Christ in the only such person in history. He was tempted, He withstood, and just as Joseph’s victory earned him a prison cell, Jesus’ victory earned Himself a cross. But in dying on the cross, He won our ultimate victory. He stood, fought the lion and won. His is even our source of victory now when we trust Him and He is our substitute when we fail, and He becomes both by us placing faith in Him. I cannot over emphasize the importance of faith today. That is why this “dance” analogy is so important. You must see every trial and temptation as the hand of God extended to you, inviting you to join Him. Say “yes” to Him today.
God is with you! Settle this in your heart today. The issue is not if we will ever be tried or tempted. The issue is always if we will believe in, trust in, hope in, and depend upon the God who is with you when tried and tempted. Will you? When we trust God (when we walk by faith), we find that God becomes a rock and a fortress for us. At the end of it, we either trust Him or we don’t. Fear, worry, anxiety, etc. come from not trusting in God, from not walking by faith. Rather than freaking out and running from God, we are to run to Him and hide in Him. We are to take His hand and join Him in this dance of providence.
No comments:
Post a Comment