Suffering and grace
Genesis 39:1-23
Key verse 39:20b-21
Today is Father’s Day. Usually, Father’s Day is treated less
important than Mother’s Day. It is because of many bad fathers and their bad
influence on their children, I think. But as the father of my children and as a
son of my father, I would say that fathers are also very important and we
should thank our fathers as much as we do to our mothers. To me, my father
always comes to me as a man who has suffered for his children and showed his
loving-kindness to me. I still remember my father who would open the door for
me whenever I came home so late. I came home over midnight when I worked as an
intern shepherd. My father did not go to bed until I came home though he was so
tired after hard works. But he did not complain about that. Without my father,
I would not be here. By the way, nowadays women live longer than men by about
five or six years? Do you know why? There are many different ideas about that.
However, one common idea most scientists agree is that “men drive themselves to
an early grave with all the hardship and stress of their working lives.” In
that sense, we should appreciate our father’s suffering. In fact, their
suffering brings grace to their children. Today, we are going to talk about
suffering. Everyone has suffering. Even children of God have suffering, more
suffering than unbelievers in a sense. Why? Why does God allow us to suffer
more? What is his purpose?
In the previous passage, we learned that Joseph was a man of
dreams. His dreams were so extraordinary that he was excited and told them to
his brothers. However, his brothers did not like his dreams because his dreams
implied that he would rule over them. Because of his dreams, they hated Joseph
all the more. Out of jealousy, they eventually sold Joseph to a caravan of the Ishmaelites.
It was when he was about seventeen years old. However, Joseph’s story did not
end here. Actually, the long journey of his life had just begun according to
God’s will and plan. In today’s passage, Joseph suffered from slavery,
temptation, and imprisonment. It seemed that he plunged into the bottom of life
at such a young age. Where was God who gave him the dreams? What did God do and
how did Joseph get through his suffering? I pray that we all may find God’s
grace in our sufferings. The title of my message is “Suffering and grace.”
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an
Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the
guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
According to 42:21, Joseph pleaded with his brothers for his
life. “Please let me go. Don’t do this evil thing to me.” Joseph was so much
distressed and kept crying. However, his brother did not hear him but rather sold
him to the caravan. How anxious and fearful he must have been when he followed
the strangers? All kinds of thoughts passed through his mind. He was so anxious
and worried, not knowing what would become of him. The caravan took Joseph down
to Egypt. Soon, Joseph found himself standing in the slave market to be sold. One
day, an Egyptian came and bought him, and Joseph became a slave. His master was
one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. His name was Potiphar.
Joseph could not believe that he suddenly became a slave in
a foreign country. He used to be the most favorite son of his father. He received
a special treat from his father, wearing luxury clothes. But now in a foreign
country he became a slave. He had no way to go back to his country and his
family. No more good clothes and food for him. He had no freedom and time to do
what he liked to do. His works were hard since he had never done such slave works
in his father’s house. Besides, he suffered from the language barrier and the
culture shock. The food they ate was strange to him. No one cared when he got
sick. All this was so much overwhelming to him. Most of all, he was so lonely.
Have you ever lived far away from your home? Have you ever been
sick or hungry in a strange place where no one could help you? During my
military service, I was stationed at a remote place where there were no
electricity and no tap water. I would drink water from puddles. I would be scared
by centipedes crawling on my blankets. Some of my seniors gave me a hard time
and even knocked me down. But the most painful thing was loneness especially when
I got sick. I missed my parents and my church coworkers. But they could not
help me. However, I was better than Joseph because he was a permanent slave but
I went back home after finishing my military duty. Joseph might have been very
fatalistic with his suffering. There was no way out for Joseph.
In such sufferings, however, someone was with Joseph and
looked on him.
2 The Lord was with
Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian
master.
No one could or would be with Joseph in slavery. Even his
father who loved him the most could not. But the Lord was with him. The Lord remembered
him, watched over him, and was concerned about him. The Lord understood
Joseph’s suffering, sympathized with him, comforted him, and sustained him. This
must have been a great encouragement to Joseph in such a devastating situation.
Without the Lord, Joseph could have not overcome his adverse situation. In what
way was the Lord with him then?
The Lord blessed Joseph so that he prospered. Whatever
Joseph did, the Lord helped him to be successful and he became a profitable man
to his master. Since he lived in the house of his master, not sent out to the
field, his master could easily notice his success, which was God’s grace. Joseph
was so excellent and successful in his work that his master perceived that the
God of Joseph was with him and gave him success in everything he did. So his
master favored Joseph and Joseph became his attendant. Joseph was put in charge
of his master’s household and everything his master owned was entrusted to him.
Since then, Potiphar’s properties increased and his household became bigger and
abundant. It was because the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian for
Joseph’s sake. Joseph took care of all matters so wisely and faithfully that
everyone in the house was happy under his supervision. What a great asset Joseph
was to his master! So, Potiphar fully trusted Joseph and did not concern
himself with anything except the food he ate.
No one was greater than Joseph other than his master in the
household. In a sense, he became better off in Egypt than in his land. In his
land, he would live as a shepherd forever. But here he became a powerful man in
a high-ranking official household. But again it was possible because the Lord
was with him and made him prosper. As such, when the Lord was with Joseph, he
could overcome his suffering and become a source of blessing. When the Lord is
with us, our suffering become sweet and our fate turns out to be God’s
blessing.
Joseph soon faced a very difficult challenge, however.
Probably, Joseph was in his twenties now. When he came to the household, he was
just a teen. Now he was a good-looking and smart man and the manager of the
house. More people, especially women, paid attention to him, saying, “Look at
him. How handsome he is. Whoever marries him will be lucky.” Some women tried
to catch his attention. Among them was a powerful woman and she was Potiphar’s
wife.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and
after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed
with me!”
Seeing Joseph’s success and his good-looking appearance, his
master’s wife was attracted to him. One day she came to Joseph and smiled. She
said, “What do you think about me? I am very interested about you. Why don’t
you come to bed with me?” It was a very powerful temptation to Joseph. He was a
young man, who could easily become horny. And he was the second powerful man in
the household, and his master fully trusted him. And now he could have had the
most powerful woman in the house.
How did Joseph react to her seduction?
8 But he refused. “With me in
charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the
house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No
one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing
from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked
thing and sin against God?”
Joseph refused her temptation with two reasons. First, having
an affair with his master’s wife would be betraying his master. Though he was
the second powerful man in the house, the woman was his master’s wife. He always
remembered and appreciated his master’s favor for him. So, how could he betray
his master? That was a wicked thing! The more important reason Joseph refused
her was that it was sin against God. Joseph was always conscious of God. He
knew that it was God who made his master favorable to him and gave him such a
success. God saved him and led him thus far. He attributed his prosperity to
God and was faithful to him. Having such an affair would displease God for
sure, which was a terrible sin against God. Joseph clearly said, “No!” He chose
not to sin before God.
The wife of Potiphar kept seducing Joseph regardless. Her
temptation was so persistent and tenacious. But Joseph also persistently
refused to have a relationship with her. He even avoided being with her.
The former president Clinton had an affair with one of the
White House interns. John Edwards, a former US Senator from North Carolina,
committed an extramarital affair. Arnold Schwarzenegger also had the same kind
of scandal. Even some pastors also had sexual affairs and had to step down.
Interestingly, most of them had such affairs when they were successful. Potiphar’s
wife’s temptation also came to Joseph when he was successful. When we are
successful or blessed by God, we are the most vulnerable to temptation. Many
people fall into sexual temptation and ruin their lives. However, I am not
talking about such famous people only, but also all men and women, young and
old, including myself. We are easily exposed to sexual temptation. Satan’s temptation
is so tenacious and persistent like Potiphar’s wife.
How can we overcome it? Let’s see again how Joseph overcame
the temptation. What do you think made Joseph refuse her sweet temptation and
choose not to sin? The fear of God! He feared sinning against God. The fear of
God was deep in his heart. He knew that such a sin would incur God’s anger and
eventually his judgment. So, he refused the seduction and denied his flesh desire
and fled away from evil.
God knows everything about us. We cannot hide our sins from
his sight. He will sure judge our sins at the last day. But it can be now. So,
fear God! Be conscious of his eyes. He is holy. He cannot tolerate sins. So
fear him! Fear him especially when you are successful or receive much of God’s
grace or when you have much time or when you are alone. That time is the most
dangerous time to fall into temptation. But we must overcome it. Otherwise, we
will displease God and could lose all God’s blessing, even our salvation. However,
the fear of God will keep you from temptation and sin. The fear of God will
humble you and make you appreciate his grace and grow you in his holiness.
How can we fear God then? What is a practical way to fear
God? Let’s read Psalm 119:9.
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By
living according to your word.”
The psalmist also struggled with his sinful desire and found
out that only the word of God could keep him from sins and helped him fear God.
That’s right. Fearing God means loving his word and holding to it each day.
Otherwise, we will love something else, like TV, games, or some worldly stuff,
and then will lose holy desire, joy, and thanksgiving, and then become proud,
cynical, lazy, and insensitive to sin.
We believers are God’s people. God has blessed us so much
that Jesus Christ died for our sins and has given us the living hope in his
kingdom. In some sense, we are much more blessed than Joseph. We should not
disappoint our Lord or displease him by committing sexual sins and gratifying
our sinful desires. We should not crucify Jesus again on the cross. (Heb 6:6)
11 One day he went into the house to
attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was
inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and
said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out
of the house.
One day when there was no servant inside, Potiphar’s wife seized
the opportunity to seduce Joseph. This time, she caught Joseph by his cloak and
aggressively seduced him. Her grip was so strong that Joseph could not get away
from her. So he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. This way,
Joseph did not sin against God and betray his master. But it was not without
cost. Potiphar’s wife felt so humiliated that she got angry and accused Joseph
falsely. She set up things against Joseph.
16 She kept his cloak beside her
until his master came home. 17 Then she told him
this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make
sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help,
he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
She accused Joseph in a sly way, using Joseph’s cloak left
in her hand and even racism. She also blamed Potiphar for bringing a Hebrew
slave. Potiphar burned with anger and put Joseph into prison, the place where
the king’s prisoners were confined.
Now Joseph became a criminal from a slave. The place he was
put was a dungeon. (40:15) It was dark and damp. Rats ran all over the place in darkness and bugs crawled
on the walls and sometimes on Joseph’s cloths. Joseph was sitting on the cold
floor in distress and shame. He had barely overcome his hardship and even had
success. But now he lost everything and his situation became worse. All kinds
of thoughts might have passed through his mind. “Can I see my family again? What
will happen to me next? Does God really exist? If so, why did he allow this
kind of suffering to me again?” Joseph was so distressed and felt that he was
hitting rock bottom. There was no way out. He could not be worse than this.
Yet, again the Lord was with Joseph even in prison.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was
with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of
the prison warden.
In verse 2, when the Lord was with Joseph in slavery, he
made Joseph prosper. Here when the Lord was with Joseph in prison, he showed
Joseph kindness. What is the kindness the Lord showed to Joseph? The word
kindness here (chased) is a very special word in the Bible. It does not simply
refer to a good thing we modern people think of. It refers to God’s loving-kindness,
mercy, loyal love, and much more. The Lord loved Joseph so much. He was pleased
with Joseph’s choice not to sin though he lost everything again because of that.
So the Lord stayed faithful with him even in prison. And he granted Joseph
favor in the eyes of the prison warden. The prison warden saw that the Lord was
with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did, so he put him in charge of
all matters in the prison. This way God blessed Joseph again in prison and made
him a source of blessing.
As we have seen so far, Joseph’s life was a continuation of
difficulties and hardship. However, whenever he was in suffering, the Lord was
with him. The phrase “The Lord was with Joseph (or him)” appears four times in this
passage (V 2,3,21,23). This is the key motif, which dominates today’s passage.
What does it mean then? Who is the Lord who was with Joseph?
What God’s people in the OT feared the most was the absence
of God with them, which was understood as God’s ignorance or rejection. In
fact, the departure of God or the absence of God’s Spirit was frequently used as
a curse. (Gen 6:3; Ex 3:3-4) So, one of the most important prayers, particularly
in the book of Psalms, was that God might be with them, that God might remember
them, or that God might turn his face to them. In fact, without God’s presence we
cannot be satisfied even if we are full and lack nothing now. But, with God’s
presence we are happy even if we are in suffering, because God is everything to
us and he really cares for us. His being with us means his compassion, his blessing,
his forgiveness, his vindication, his love, and so on. We humans are sinful and
deserve not for his blessing. So, If God is with someone, it means God’s amazing
grace to the person. (This grace was ultimately revealed in his coming to
sinners in flesh through Jesus.)
So, the Lord who was with Joseph was the God of grace. In
other words, Joseph could overcome his suffering and temptation by God’s grace.
Though Joseph worked hard and hated evil, he could not have overcome his
overwhelming situation without God. God was gracious to Joseph by being with
him. Whenever he was in trouble and wherever he was, God was with Joseph and
showed him grace and loyal love (chased).
However, God’s grace does not necessarily mean that we are
without suffering. God was with Joseph but he did not remove his suffering.
Rather, when he was put in prison, things looked worse. Yet, suffering was also
God’s grace to him because through his sufferings, God molded him into a man of
God, who put his full trust in God and depended on the Lord alone. Undergoing
unbearable pain and hardship, until he hit rock bottom, Joseph learned how weak
and helpless he was. But he learned that only God was his hope and that he
should live on God’s grace not on his strength. And as we will see in the
following chapters, through his suffering he could see God’s kingdom and God’s
will and plan for him.
As such, when we are in suffering, we finally break down and
come to see God and then we realize how helpless we are and how gracious our
Lord is. Then we realize that we are privileged to suffer for his name and we
are already in his kingdom. Even if we are in dungeon or end up with a strange
place, we are in his kingdom as God is with us. We would rather live in
suffering with God than living in sin without suffering. (Ps 84:10)
As I mentioned earlier, during my military service I
underwent sufferings I had never experienced. I felt I was finished there. It
was so stressful that one of others who joined the army at the same time
committed a suicide by his rifle. Each day was so painful and passed so slowly.
The people hated me more because I went to church every Sunday though they
thought I was supposed to do chores as a youngest soldier. I was a crazy man to
them. Then, one day I received news that I was chosen as a religious soldier
because of my craziness about God. (Actually, they were afraid that I would do
a crazy thing with my rifle.) That meant I could have some freedom and time to
preach the gospel in my company. However, I worked and received the same training
like any others. I still lived in the same bad environment. But I was so
thankful because I was convinced that God was with me. His presence with me made
me feel heavenly. My suffering with him was his grace to me. I met God deeply through
my suffering and it laid the foundation for me to serve God’s ministry fruitfully
after I was discharged from the military service. I praise God who was with me when
I was in suffering and showed me his kindness.
Let’s sing, “Where
Jesus is” in the Hymnbook.
God was with Joseph
when he was in suffering. In fact, his suffering had to do with the dreams God
had given him. To be a ruler as shown in his dreams, he first needed to be
molded into a man of God who was humble enough carry out God’s will and plan
for him and so suffering was inevitable. No dreams no sufferings (for Joseph).
By the same token, we have
suffering because we hope for the kingdom of God. We do not want to suffer. But
suffering is inevitable for God’s people and is the mark of God’s people. As
long as God is with us, however, we are in his kingdom even the mist of
suffering.
So, Rom 8:17 says, “17 Now
if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if
indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his
glory.
Are you in suffering
now? Wait on God. The Lord is with you. He is gracious to you. However,
we should bear his grace with the fear of God as Joseph did. The fear of God
helps you keep God’s grace as grace. That will keep you from sins and help you
not take God’s grace for granted. God’s grace should go together with the fear
of God. And again his grace is more abundant in suffering. May the Lord be with
you all.
Message by David Yun
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