Daily Devotions - Entries tagged "Joseph"

TueTuesdaySepSeptember20th2011 Tuesday, September 20

Posted Tuesday, September 20 2011 @ 5 AM byKim Miller Tagged Genesis 39 Joseph Suffering When the Bottom Drops Out 0 comments Add comment

On Sunday, Pastor Rob will continue his sermon series drawn from the content of his new book, When the Bottom Drops Out. During this series, he is sharing the lessons he and his family learned about God’s grace in the midst of profound disappointment. As we prepare our hearts for the next message in his series on God’s grace in the midst of disappointment, we will take a closer look this week at Joseph from the Old Testament, and how he models what living well in the light of adversity looks like.

We thank Kim Miller -- a senior editor at Tyndale House Publishers who worked with Pastor Rob on the editing of his book -- for preparing these devotional thoughts . Kim also attends Wheaton Bible Church, and leads a small group of sixth grade girls in Quest56.

Today we are reading and meditating on Genesis 39:6–9 from the New Living Translation:

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.

But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

A few years ago, the Ethics Resource Center surveyed 2,852 workers and found that about 15 percent of the respondents said it’s acceptable to call in sick when they are not actually ill. [Sarah Needleman, “‘The Cat Hid My Car Keys’ -- Excuses Workers Make,” Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2010.] How did the employees rationalize this? Many workers said they deserved more time off than their companies gave them.

What if Joseph had followed similar reasoning when approached by Potiphar’s wife? What if he had decided he was entitled to a little human affection after being rejected and treated so miserably by his own brothers? Or what if he had determined that he deserved some “relaxation” after working so hard to advance Potiphar’s interests and increase his wealth?

If the ERC took another survey in which they asked whether Joseph should have been excused for giving in to the advances of Potiphar’s wife, I suspect a fairly high percentage of respondents would give him a pass. And yet Joseph stood firm. Why was that?

Interestingly, he doesn’t mention fear of being caught or indicate that Potiphar’s wife was unattractive. Rather, his response to her advances makes clear that Joseph recognized God’s holiness. Refusing her invitation, he said: “How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God” (Genesis 39:9).

When the bottom falls out of our own lives, we are vulnerable, just as Joseph was. We may distance ourselves from God out of anger and hurt. That makes it easy to rationalize sinful behavior. Joseph stood strong because he revered God. He was willing to delay gratification but unwilling to violate God’s standards -- even in difficult circumstances.

That allowed the Lord to work out His purposes for Joseph’s life. Before elevating Joseph to a high position of honor where he “could instruct the king’s aides as he pleased and teach the king’s advisers” (Psalm 105:22), God refined his character through servitude, temptation, and imprisonment.
Not surprisingly, Joseph is included in the “faith hall of fame” found in Hebrews 11. He is commended because he remained confident in God’s promises all his life. Perhaps the writer of Hebrews still has Joseph in mind when, in chapter 13, verses 5 and 6, he quotes from Proverbs 3:11-12: “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves.” In verse 11, he adds, “God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.”

Sharing in God’s holiness? May that be true in our own lives as we invite the Spirit to give us a glimpse of God’s purity, even today!

Heavenly Father,
Today I praise You for Your holiness, purity, and majesty, though they are far beyond what my mind can comprehend. Remind me that sometimes Your love comes in the form of righteous discipline designed to refine and shape me. Give me the grace to turn to You for strength in times of trouble.
Amen.