Wonder of the Word Daily Video
Joseph: A Three-Fold Declaration of Trust (Genesis 37-41)
Transcript
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Some time ago, Robert and I watched a livestream of a memorial service of a dear pastor and lifelong friend of my family. His son-in-law preached the message at that service. He pointed out that Bill had had a threefold declaration of trust that he was known for. It’s something Bill would say often.
Here's what he said:
“God knows who I am.
God knows where I am.
God knows what He intends to do with me, so I can trust Him.”
Well, that same threefold declaration could have been said of the man whose story we're turning to today as we continue in the book of Genesis.
We've gotten to know the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then we come to Genesis chapter 37. It says:
“Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. These are the family records of Jacob.” (vv. 1–2)
We've seen that Jacob had twelve sons. And the rest of Genesis—fourteen chapters—focuses on one of those sons primarily, the son Joseph, the long-awaited child born to Rachel who was the wife Jacob loved.
I want us to walk through some of Joseph's life today and see the stages, the situations that he found himself in and how he learned to make this affirmation of trust in God. Genesis 37, verse 3 says that:
“Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a robe of many colors for him.”
Now, Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, but he was favored by his father. He received special treatment from his dad. We might say he had a privileged position. I'll give you some words that start with “P” as we go through the life of Joseph. If you're doing this in another language, the words won't all start with the same letter, but you'll get the idea.
So, Joseph begins in a privileged position. Now, we come to verse 2, and we realize that this was not a picture-perfect family. As we said in the last session, no family is picture perfect. Verse 2 of Genesis 37:
“At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. . . . and he brought a bad report about them to their father.”
Oh no, tattling; I would say that's a sign of hard things to come. If you've had children, you know all about tattling and bad reports. It doesn't lead to good things. Well, verse 4 says:
“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him.”
Joseph becomes persecuted by his brothers. So he goes from a position of privilege to being persecuted, and the situation goes from bad to worse. Joseph had two dreams indicating that he would one day rule over his older brothers. And verse 5 says, “They hated him even more.” And if that's not clear, it says it again in verse 8, “They hated him even more.” And then verse 11, “His brothers were jealous of him.”
Can you tell there are not some good vibes going on in this family? Well, then Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers. His brothers saw him coming. Verse 18, says they “plotted to kill him” and throw his body into a pit.
That would be the next “P” word from privilege to persecution to a pit. The oldest brother Reuben talked them out of killing him. And then verse 23 says:
“When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph's robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty without water.”
Well, verse 28, tells us that:
“When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.”
So Joseph is thrown into a pit, and then he's purchased by traders who are heading to Egypt. Chapter 38 is a bit of a parenthesis here, and we're going to come back to that chapter in the next session. But for now, let's move on to chapter 39 of Genesis, verse 1.
“Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, [this is a high ranking official, Potiphar] bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. The LORD was with Joseph.” (vv. 1–2)
Remember how God had promised to be with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, “I am with you; I will be with you.” Now it says of Joseph, “The LORD was with Joseph.” Where was the Lord with Joseph? Away from home, in captivity, in a place and with a job he would never have chosen.
There's another “P” for you: in Potiphar’s house the Lord was with him. I’m reminded of what my pastor friend Bill often said, “God knows who I am. God knows where I am. God knows what he intends to do with me, so I can trust Him.” Verse 2:
“The LORD was with Joseph and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him . . .”
Did you know people can see when God is with you? It becomes obvious.
“And the LORD made everything he did successful. Joseph found favor with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority. From that time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph.” (vv. 2–5)
Listen, when the Lord is with you, when you're letting Him work in and through you, those around you will experience the Lord's blessing, but that doesn't make you immune to problems. Look at verse 6 of chapter 39.
“Now, Joseph was well built and handsome. After some time, his master's wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
Now we see Joseph experiencing pressure, temptation to sin against his God. Verse 8 says:
“But he refused. . . . he said to his master’s wife . . . “No one in this house is greater than I am. [My master] has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” (vv. 8–9)
Well, she persisted in her wiles and her advances. Verse 10 says: “[S]he spoke to Joseph day after day.” This could have been for years that this went on, and he had no choice as far as we know but to continue working in the house of Potiphar.
“[S]he spoke to him day after day, [but] he refused to go to bed with her.”
Listen, when God is with you, not only do others know it and experience His blessing, but also, you have the power to say no to sin, even to ongoing, unrelenting temptations. Why? Because you see sin as being an immense evil. That's what Joseph called it, an immense evil, not just some sort of evil, but an evil against God. That's what makes sin so horrific.
Fear of the Lord kept Joseph from yielding to the advances of his boss's wife, but fear of the Lord doesn't always mean an easy life. It doesn't necessarily keep us from being misunderstood, falsely accused, mistreated, maligned.
One day, Potiphar’s wife was alone with Joseph in the house. She grabbed him and tried to force him to sleep with her. He ran from his house, leaving his outer garment in her hands. As I was reading this this morning, it struck me that's the second time that Joseph had lost a coat, an outer garment, under less than ideal circumstances. He left his outer garment in her hands, and when her husband got home, she falsely accused Joseph of having assaulted her. She acted like she was the one who had barely escaped his advances. Well, verse 19:
“When his master heard the story, his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me—” he was furious and had [Joseph] thrown into prison, where the king's prisoners were confined.”
So now we see that fear of the Lord, obedience to God, lands Joseph not in some cushy job but in prison. There's another “P” word for you. Chapter 39, verse 21, we see this again:
“But the LORD was with Joseph [the Lord was with Joseph, there in prison] and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden. The warden put all of the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph's authority, and he was responsible for everything that was done there. The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him, and the LORD made everything that he did successful. (vv. 21–23)
I think of what my friend Bill was known for saying, “God knows who I am. God knows where I am. God knows what he intends to do with me, so I can trust him.” Well, when we get to chapter 40, Joseph is still confined in that prison. He's assigned to assist two of Pharaoh’s top officials who had offended the king and been thrown into the same prison where Joseph was being held.
One night both of those officials had a dream. They were shaken by the dreams, and the next morning they wanted to know what they meant, and no one could tell them. But Joseph said, verse 8 of Genesis 40:
“ “Don't interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Well, God gave Joseph the interpretation of the dreams. And in three days, both of the dreams came true, exactly as Joseph had said they would. The chief baker was executed by hanging, snd the chief cupbearer was restored to his position in the palace. And before the cupbearer went back into the palace, Joseph said to him, look at verse 14, Genesis 40:
“When all goes well for you, remember that I was with you. Please show kindness to me by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon.” (vv. 14–15)
Joseph was there in that prison in those circumstances through no sin, no fault of his own. But then we see verse 23:
“Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.”
Forgotten. Joseph sat in that prison, that dungeon for two more years. Verse 46 of this chapter tells us that by this time Joseph was thirty years old. Now, do you remember how old Joseph was when his brothers sold him into slavery? He was seventeen.
So thirteen years he had been in one form or another of this mess. One thing after another—humiliated, lied about, framed. He had faithfully and humbly served wherever he was, day after day, year after year, he had waited for justice that never seemed to come. He had feared the Lord. He had obeyed the Lord. And as far as he knew, he would never see the light of day again, far from home, separated from the father who loved him dearly and thought he was dead.
So for those two more years, Joseph was forgotten by men, but not forgotten by God. Look at verse 1 chapter 41. “At the end of two years,” let me just say parentheses here, God knows and God determines when our troubles will come to an end. He determines exactly how long it will be, that we are in this present trouble.
One night, after Joseph had been two more years in that prison, Pharaoh had two dreams. They troubled him, and none of his wise men could interpret them. And then the chief cupbearer . . . Remember him? The one whose dream Joseph had interpreted two years earlier. He remembered Joseph. He'd forgotten for two years. Now he remembers, and he told Pharaoh, and Pharaoh sent for Joseph in prison. Verse 15 he says:
“I've heard [that] you can hear a dream and interpret it.” [Joseph says] “I'm not able to do that. It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (vv. 15–16)
So God through these dreams, through Joseph's interpretation, revealed to Pharaoh that Egypt would experience seven years of great prosperity, great economic abundance, and then there would follow seven years of severe, extreme drought that would devastate the land. So Joseph urged Pharaoh to find someone who had the skill and the ability to manage the food supply during the years of plenty so there would be a reserve to sustain the nation during the years of the famine. Well, who better than Joseph for that job? So verse 41 says that:
“[Pharaoh] placed Joseph over all the land of Egypt.”
Joseph is promoted to Pharaoh's palace. He had gone from the prison, now to Pharaoh's palace. You can't make this story up. This is a complete immediate reversal of Joseph’s circumstances.
Pharaoh rewards Joseph by giving him an Egyptian woman, the daughter of a priest, to marry. During those years of plenty, two sons were born to Joseph. It's interesting to see what Joseph named those sons. The first one he named Manasseh. That's a Hebrew word that sounds like the verb “forget.” And Joseph said, verse 51:
“God has made me forget all my hardship and my whole family.”
God has made me forget; He's put it behind me. He's allowed me to move on. And then the second son was named Ephraim. The Hebrew sounds like the word for “fruitful.” And Joseph says in verse 52:
“God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
I love that name. I love that line. What a testimony to God's presence and to God's faithfulness. God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. He's still in Egypt. He's still not home. He's still away from his family. But he says, “God has made me fruitful, even here.”
God's promise to you and to me is that one day every hardship in your life, every hardship in my life, will be forgotten, past, as if it had never happened. And then in the meantime, He can make us fruitful in the land of our affliction:
- If we will let Him.
- If we will cry out to Him for grace.
- If we will recognize and experience His presence even in those hard places.
Well, we've seen Joseph starting out with a privileged position in his parents home. We've seen him persecuted by his brothers. We've seen him dumped into a deep, waterless pit. We've seen him purchased by traders and taken to Egypt to Potiphar’s house, where he served. He blessed his master’s home, but he was put under pressure, temptation to sin. He rejected Potiphar’s wife's advances, and that landed him in prison. But then God lifted him up to a palace. That’s a very short way of summarizing the first part of this man's life.
God was with Joseph in every place, in every chapter of that journey. All along the way, God was sovereignly ordering, orchestrating every event, every detail of his life, even when Joseph could not see and Joseph had no idea where this was going? How is this going to end? What's going to happen? He didn't know. But God knew.
We're going to see that through all of these circumstances, through all this process, that God has been working for the good of His people who are back in Canaan. He is working for the good of Joseph who is in Egypt. God is with them. God sees them. He cares for them. God has plans and purposes that He is going to fulfill in and through their lives.
All of this is leading to something bigger than their own stories, something that's part of our story—and that is a Messiah, a Savior, who will deliver the world. As Joseph was used to help provide bread for the Egyptians and the rest of the world in their years of leanness and famine, so Jesus has come to us as our Messiah, the bread of life, the bread of the world, to feed our hungry souls. God was always at work. It was all pointing toward a Messiah, a Savior, who would rescue and save His people.
As my pastor friend had that threefold declaration of trust, I hope you remember it. He would often say, “God knows who I am. God knows where I am. God knows what He intends to do with me, so I can trust him.”
This was something that Bill said throughout his life. He went to heaven when he was eighty-nine years of age. He had many seasons and places—some really hard places in his journey. But he would say this line, this threefold affirmation. He would say it when life made sense, when things were going smoothly as he wished and as he'd hoped. “God knows who I am. God knows where I am. God knows what He intends to do with me, so I can trust Him.
But he would also say it when life didn't make sense, and it was marked by loss and by grieving. I watched when Bill and his wife went through the loss of their thirty-something year-old daughter, mother of their four grandchildren, as she died from a brain tumor. I watched this family as they lived out, “God knows who I am. God knows where I am. God knows what He intends to do with me, so I can trust Him.”
And then in the last few years of his life, he was not in good health. His mind was fading. His body was failing. As he was slipping away into the darkness of dementia, his son-in-law told us at that memorial service that this remained Bill's constant refrain, even when he knew almost nothing or no one else. He would still remember and say this, “God knows who I am. God knows where I am. [Sometimes when he maybe didn't know where he was himself]. And God knows what He intends to do with me, so I can trust Him.
Where are you sitting today? Some kind of prison? Some kind of pit? Some kind of persecution? Some kind of pounding temptation? God knows. God sees. Maybe it's at work. Maybe it's in your home. Maybe you've been wronged by others. Maybe you're waiting for an apology or reconciliation that seems like it will never come. God is with you. In every place, in every season, in every chapter, God is with you. He has promised. He will keep His promise. And so, the reminder is that God knows who you are. God knows where you are. And God knows what He intends to do with you, so you can trust Him.
Our Father, how I pray today for my friend who's listening, watching today. I don't know what her circumstances may be. I don't know what she may be facing. I don't know the hardships. I don't know the pain. I don't know the shame. I don't know the pressures and the problems. But You know. You are with her. You are with her family. You have not deserted her. You will not abandon her.
I pray that You would this day reassure her heart with glimpses of grace and the reminder that You know who she is. You know where she is. And You know what You intend to do with her, so she can trust You. And we do that Lord and bring You glory, even in the hard places, as we trust You. I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
This program is a listener-supported production of Revive Our Hearts in Niles, Michigan, calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.
All Scripture is taken from the CSB.