September 2022 – Praying Pint

39. “Famine had spread over all the land”

Genesis 41:56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

Psalms 105:16-17 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

In the names of his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph owned the Divine providence. 1. He was made to forget his misery. 2. He was made fruitful in the land of his affliction. The seven plenteous years came, and were ended. We ought to look forward to the end of the days, both of our prosperity and of our opportunity. We must not be secure in prosperity, nor slothful in making good use of opportunity. Years of plenty will end; what thy hand finds to do, do it; and gather in gathering time. The dearth came, and the famine was not only in Egypt, but in other lands. Joseph was diligent in laying up, while the plenty lasted. He was prudent and careful in giving out, when the famine came. Joseph was engaged in useful and important labours. Yet it was in the midst of this his activity that his father Jacob said, Joseph is not! What a large portion of our troubles would be done away if we knew the whole truth! Let these events lead us to Jesus. There is a famine of the bread of life throughout the whole earth. Go to Jesus, and what he bids you, do. Attend to His voice, apply to him; he will open his treasures, and satisfy with goodness the hungry soul of every age and nation, without money and without price. But those who slight this provision must starve, and his enemies will be destroyed. (Henry)

Seven years of plenty and seven years of famine are God-ordained. How impressive it is that Pharaoh would be inclined to listen to Joseph and believe him. Right now we live in a time where man will try to make sense of God-Ordained occurrences through worldly wisdom and attribute causes to a host of meaningless reasons for purposes of financial gain and restrictive policies to gain more money and power for themselves.

Each believer should be seeking discernment from God to understand the signs of the times, the famine of the Word of God that is prevalent, and how easily worldly wisdom is being accepted as fact and truth.

38.z. “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”

Genesis 40:9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.” On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

God may certainly speak through dreams, and many passages of the Bible show this.

· God spoke to the pagan ruler Abimelech in a dream (Genesis 20:3).

· God spoke to Jacob in dreams (Genesis 28:12, 31:11).

· God spoke to Laban in a dream (Genesis 31:24).

· God spoke to the Midianite in a dream (Judges 7:13).

· God spoke to Solomon in a dream (1 Kings 3:5).

· God spoke to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream (Daniel 2:1).

· God spoke to Daniel in a dream (Daniel 7:1).

· God spoke to Joseph in dreams (Matthew 1:20, 2:13, 2:22).

· God spoke to Pilate’s wife in a dream (Matthew 27:19).

It’s always important to remember that not every dream is a revelation from God. Dreams can come just because our minds are busy: A dream comes through much activity… For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity (Ecclesiastes 5:3, 5:7) Still, we should be open to ways that God might speak – even if it might be in a dream. Our message is the same: Don’t look for messages from God anywhere else than the Bible – it is God’s voice. Yet we recognize that from time to time God will choose an unusual way to speak to us, yet never against the Bible or never even equal to the Bible. (Guzik)

I don’t know what to say about dreams. I have had many meaningless dreams and only a few dreams clearly from God. I knew these dreams from God because the Holy Spirit made it clear they were. We have to realize there was no written Word of God and there was no permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit like there is now in believers since Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and in-filling at Pentecost. God will speak clearly to us through His Word and lead us to knowledge, wisdom, and understanding through the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts and minds. It is good for us to seek God’s leading and to make sense of the world we live in and the events of each day by and through His Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading. Have a heart and mind ever-seeking and always ready for the quiet whispers of God speaking through His Word. Searching for meaning in dreams has little benefit compared to His Word and the Holy Spirit.

38.y. I want to share a note that was sent to a dear friend who was and is searching. Pray for God to continue to draw him to salvation, redemption, and forgiveness.

I am glad we talked yesterday. I was so encouraged by the way the Holy Spirit is leading you. He has allowed burdens to pile up and pile up to the breaking point. It is in this “no way out” that a person is very very close to realizing that they are unable to handle this on their own. This is good news because it is in this realization that they can finally give themselves over to God. “Come onto Me all who are heavy laden with burdens and I will give your rest”, “Behold I stand at the door and knock, anyone who opens this door, I will come into to them”, “the peace of God that passes all understanding is theirs through Jesus Christ”.

Many things in life should cause us to worry if we think about them at all. Add to this the busyness of life, relationships, work responsibilities, confusing uncertainties, fake news, and things we have or have not done in the past, a thinking person can easily get on a very fast train of thought that seems bleak and has no way to stop it.

Scripture speaks of the grace and mercy of God. (Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.) This love of God is freely given to all who humbly repent, believe, follow, trust, cling to, and rely on Jesus Christ alone.

Many times we will never find the need for this total surrender until we have exhausted all of our earthly efforts in self-reliance and find ourselves helpless.

“All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”, “It is not by works, lest any man should boast, but by the grace of God”, and “Though our sin be like scarlet we shall be washed white as wool”.

Whatever God is doing right now it is to bring you to a place of complete and total surrender. It is in this total surrender that you find refuge, peace, rest, joy, hope, strength, and courage. It is in His strength, power, and might that I can rely on and cling to. You don’t have to know how God does what He does but you can rest assured in His unfailing grace, mercy, and love.

Feeling of being unworthy of God’s grace, mercy, and love is natural because we can never earn it or be good enough to deserve it. It is a free gift of God to all of those who believe, repent, trust, follow and rely upon Him alone for their salvation.

God is standing at the door of your heart, mind, and soul saying; “I am here, let Me have your burdens and troubles, give them to Me and I will give you rest and purpose in your life on this side of eternity.

God is leading you to Himself with no barriers or hurdles to jump over. The only hurdles are self-erected by yourself, self-worthiness, and self-reliance.

When you come to the place of total surrender your prayer will be something like this;

God, I have tried everything on my own and continue to fall short of the peace I seek. I have spent most of my life wasted and without much thought of you. I am weighted down with worry and anxious thoughts. I repent of the life I lived up to now and seek your forgiveness. I trust in and cling to Jesus Christ alone and the forgiveness promised to those who believe and trust in Him. I humbly surrender and repent of my self-reliance and want to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ in all I think, say, and do from this day forward. Amen.

38.x. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God”

From Compelling Truth

Judges 15:14 But the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon Samson

Psalm 51:11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

1 Chronicles 12:18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty

1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

Ezekiel 11:5 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on me, and he told me to say:

John 14:17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1 John 4:15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.

Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

Romans 8:15–17 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

John 3:1–8 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

1 Corinthians 2:12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Galatians 5:22–23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

Romans 8:26 n the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is God taking up permanent residence in the heart of those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come intermittently upon the saints, empowering them for service but not necessarily remaining with them. The Spirit “rushed upon” Lehi and “clothed” Amasai. The Spirit was with David and able to be removed from him, and the Spirit “fell upon” Ezekiel and spoke to him . The Spirit, who had once been with King Saul, “departed from” him, removing His influence and guidance from the king .

It wasn’t until Pentecost that the Spirit began to indwell those who belong to God through Christ. Jesus predicted the coming of the Spirit who would live within His people, as well as the new role the Spirit of Truth would play in their lives. Prior to the resurrection and Pentecost, the Spirit was with the disciples and influenced them, but He did not yet indwell them, as Jesus explained to them: “he dwells with you and will be in you”. John 7:39 explains further: “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

The apostle Paul reiterated the same truth about the Spirit’s indwelling: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body”. Because believers have been purchased for God by the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for our sins, our bodies become a living temple where the Spirit of God resides.

The image of the believer’s body being a temple is reminiscent of the Old Testament tabernacle, in which the Spirit of God lived. There, God’s presence would appear in a cloud and meet the high priest, who came once a year into the Holy of Holies. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest brought the blood of a slain animal and sprinkled it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. On this special day, God granted forgiveness to the priest and His people.

The Jewish temple in Jerusalem no longer exists. Now the believer in Christ has become the inner sanctum of God the Holy Spirit, as the believer has been sanctified and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. In fact, Scripture also says that the believer is the dwelling place of all three Persons of the Trinity. Along with the Spirit, Jesus Christ is in us, as is God the Father.

The purpose of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is many-faceted. First and foremost, the Spirit creates new life in believers (), producing the same new birth Jesus spoke of in . The Spirit confirms to us that this new birth is real and that we truly belong to God (). He also imparts to believers spiritual gifts to be used to build up the body of Christ and glorify God (1 Corinthians 12:4–11). Further, as the author of Scripture through the writers He inspired (), the indwelling Spirit helps believers understand what He has written and how to apply it to daily life ().

Other functions of the indwelling Spirit include interceding for believers in prayer, leading us in the ways of righteous living, producing His fruit in our lives, and installing believers into the universal church of Christ, also called the baptism of the Spirit.

One of the indwelling Spirit’s most encouraging functions is to seal believers for eternity by placing His own mark upon us. Doing so assures our arrival in the Lord’s presence when we die (Ephesians 1:13–14, 4:30). The Holy Spirit’s presence within us is the guarantee that we have been purchased by Christ and redeemed from our sins. We can never lose our position as a prized possession. Until we die, the Spirit remains within us, renewing and sanctifying us, comforting us in trials, and sustaining us in afflictions. With the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are never alone, never lost, and never without His power.

38.w. “Should not a people inquire of their God?”

Genesis 40:8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

Job 33:15-16   In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings,

Isaiah 8:19    And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?

Daniel 2:11   The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

Daniel 2:28     but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:

Amos 3:7     “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

On their replying that they had dreamed, and there was no one to interpret the dream, Joseph reminded them first of all that “interpretations are God’s,” come from God, are His gift; at the same time he bade them tell him their dreams, from a consciousness, no doubt, that he was endowed with this divine gift.

Joseph’s request implies that the consciousness of his Divine calling to be a prophet had begun to dawn upon him, and that he was now speaking from an inward conviction, doubtless produced within his mind by Elohim, that he could unfold the true significance of the dreams.

The unbelieving Egyptians were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies applied worldly effort to that only God can provide. Those who have shut their hearts and minds to things of God will justly be left in darkness seeking worldly answers. They follow the delusions of their heart and mind rather than putting their confidence in God.

It is not only in the interpretation of dreams whereby people seek worldly answers. They seek them in every aspect of their lives. They give no thought to God or have any confidence in God’s power, might, and unlimitedness. No, they only give thought to worldly advice. Sadly enough Christians neglect God’s power as well. This should never be. We should be ever-growing in our understanding and reliance on God – not what the world has to offer.

38.v. “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.”

Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

2 Timothy 2:26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Ephesians 4:17-18 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Romans 5:6-11 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Colossians 1:21-22 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Ephesians 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

I read this statement this morning on “Regeneration” Faith/Repentance

“Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. “Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him and Lord and Savior.” Regeneration is necessary because the Bible describes unbelievers as the walking dead. Not only are they spiritually dead, but they are depicted as natural / without the Spirit; blinded in their minds; bound by Satan; alienated from God; enemies of the Lord; condemned in their unbelief; and in spiritual darkness.

38.u. “When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.”

Genesis 40:1 Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody. And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

In verse 39:1 the captain of the guard was Potiphar. The same person who put Joseph in prison. It is no surprise that Joseph was put in charge of all the prisoners. We should note that Joseph was a man of compassion and service. It did not matter that he was in prison or the position he held. He was a servant leader that cared for those who were under his watch. We can think of many examples of people in our past and present that give a clear vision of leadership without a care in the world for those under their watch or supervision. They think of themselves only. Being a servant leader is not natural in origin. Our natural self relies on self, only thinks of self, and sees others as a means to glorify self. How is God honored at all with this mindset? He is not. How many days do we pass by people who are hurting? How many times do we miss opportunities to be used by God to show compassion, mercy, love, and grace because we are only thinking about ourselves instead of how we might be used by God today for His honor and glory? How many times has the Holy Spirit’s leading been thwarted because our ears are care closed and our eyes blinded by self-interests, self-concerns, and self-worth?

It is easy to see how Joseph was able to be a servant leader while being in charge of Potiphar’s affairs but to maintain this while in prison is another level of commitment and service to God. We all have the opportunity to choose to be a servant to those around us. It is our choice. Make a difference today in the life of someone you know and in the life of someone you don’t. For sure it will not happen if you do not make a choice to do it. Ask God to open your eye and ears to the hurting souls around you. Ask Him to lead you in ways that honor and glorify Him.

38.t. “And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.”

Genesis 39:19 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. 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. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 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. 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.

Potiphar knew what kind of woman his wife was and he knew what kind of man Joseph was. His anger probably came because he knew that her accusation against Joseph was not true.

“Death was the only penalty Joseph could reasonably expect. His reprieve presumably owed much to the respect he had won; and Potiphar’s mingled wrath and restraint may reflect a faint misgiving about the full accuracy of the charge.” (Kidner)

“He never said a word, that I can learn, about Potiphar’s wife. It seemed necessary to his own defense, but he would not accuse the woman; he let judgment go by default, and left her to her own conscience and her husband’s cooler consideration. This showed great power; it is hard for a man to compress his lips, saying nothing when his character is at stake. So eloquent was Joseph in his silence that there is not a word of complaint throughout the whole record of his life. He felt it a cruel thing, to be under such a slander, and to suffer for his innocence. A young man so pure, so chaste, must have felt it to be sharper than a whip of scorpions to be accused as he was; yet as he sat down in the gloom of his cell, the Lord was with him. The Lord was with Joseph none the less when he was cast into the prison. He knew God was with him in prison, and therefore he did not sit down sullenly in his sorrow, but he bestirred himself to make the best of his afflicted condition.” (Spurgeon)

Joseph went:

· From privilege in his father’s house.

· To the pit his brothers threw him into.

· To being property in the slave market.

· To the privilege of managing Potiphar’s house.

· To the principled stand against temptation.

· To the perjury of false accusation.

· To the prison of Pharaoh.

We can see the mercy in this, because if Potiphar had believed his wife, he certainly would have put Joseph to death. We can see the injustice in this, because Joseph suffered for someone else’s sin. As Christians, we remember someone who perfectly resisted all temptation, who as He stood for righteousness was stripped of His garments, and who was then punished for the sins of others. We can see God’s hand in all of this. All of this moves God’s story forward, putting Joseph in the place where he can save his family and the whole world from coming famine, and prepare a place for them to live with him. If God blessed Joseph in the pit, if He blessed Joseph the slave, we are not surprised to see that He blessed Joseph in prison. None of these terrible circumstances changed or defeated God’s plan for Joseph’s life. As happened before in the house of Potiphar, Joseph rose to the top, becoming the chief administrator of the prison. Through his experience in both places, God sharpened the administrative skills Joseph needed to one day save his family and to save the whole world. (Guzik)

I don’t know about you but when I am wrongly accused I want to state my case and prove it not true at the expense of the offender. The integrity of Joseph is beyond my understanding and yet an example to glean wisdom and understanding from. It is not by our might, wisdom, knowledge, power, or eloquent language skills that we are to reliant but by the power, might, purpose, and plans of God. Oh, that we would not rest in our own power for defense but rather be in total reliance on God alone.

38.s. “Joseph fled and got out of the house.”

Genesis 39:11 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, 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. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 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. 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.” Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 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. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

Potiphar’s wife knew Joseph avoided her, so she made a deliberate plan to trap him. Surely, it was she who arranged it that none of the men of the house was inside. Joseph resisted this tremendous moment of temptation when he ran outside. Joseph did what we are all supposed to do when faced with this kind of situation: he fled and ran. 2 Timothy 2:22 makes it clear: Flee also youthful lusts. If we are not actually running towards sin, we have a tendency to at least linger in its presence. But we are commanded to do the only safe thing: run away from these lusts of the flesh, and run as fast as we can. God provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13), but you have to take the way out. (Guzik)

How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?—This remonstrance, when all inferior arguments had failed, embodied the true principle of moral purity—a principle always sufficient where it exists, and alone sufficient. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown)

It is no new thing for the best of men to be falsely accused of the worst of crimes, by those who themselves are the worst of criminals. It is well there is a day of discovery coming, in which all shall appear in their true characters. (Henry)

Setting our heart and mind against sin requires us to understand what sin is. How are we to know what is offensive to God when we spend little to no time in His Word and far less time meditating on it and even less time seeking God to speak to us through it? Neglect and complacency will distort and blind us to things of God, holiness, godliness, and that which truly honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.

38.r. “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Genesis 39:6 Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 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. 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?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

Beauty either in men or women, often proves a snare both to themselves and others. This forbids pride in it, and requires constant watchfulness against the temptation that attends it. We have great need to make a covenant with our eyes, lest the eyes infect the heart. When lust has got power, decency, and reputation, and conscience, are all sacrificed. Potiphar’s wife showed that her heart was fully set to do evil. Satan, when he found he could not overcome Joseph with the troubles and the frowns of the world, for in them he still held fast his principle, assaulted him with pleasures, which have ruined more than the former. But Joseph, by the grace of God, was enabled to resist and overcome this temptation; and his escape was as great an instance of the Divine power, as the deliverance of the three children out of the fiery furnace. This sin was one which might most easily beset him. The tempter was his mistress, one whose favour would help him forward; and it was at his utmost peril if he slighted her, and made her his enemy. The time and place favoured the temptation. To all this was added frequent, constant urging. The almighty grace of God enabled Joseph to overcome this assault of the enemy. He urges what he owed both to God and his master. We are bound in honour, as well as justice and gratitude, not in any thing to wrong those who place trust in us, how secretly soever it may be done. He would not offend his God. Three arguments Joseph urges upon himself. 1. He considers who he was that was tempted. One in covenant with God, who professed religion and relation to him. 2. What the sin was to which he was tempted. Others might look upon it as a small matter; but Joseph did not so think of it. Call sin by its own name, and never lessen it. Let sins of this nature always be looked upon as great wickedness, as exceedingly sinful. 3. Against whom he was tempted to sin, against God. Sin is against God, against his nature and his dominion, against his love and his design. Those that love God, for this reason hate sin. The grace of God enabled Joseph to overcome the temptation, by avoiding the temper. He would not stay to parley with the temptation, but fled from it, as escaping for his life. If we mean not to do iniquity, let us flee as a bird from the snare, and as a deer from the hunter. (Henry)

How many can say they meditate day and night on the Word of God so that they might not sin against Him?