Rolling downhill as a child can seem fun, though most adults would not want to join in. How about when your life is figuratively seeming to be rolling downhill, faster and faster, with one disaster after another rapidly happening? Some of us have had periods in our life that seemed like that. As believers, we might wonder where God is. Doesn’t He see us, with our life spinning out of control, and likely to end in disaster? Today let’s take a quick look at the life of Joseph in the Old Testament, with what happened to him, and how he reacted.
Joseph was the eleventh of the twelve sons of Jacob, grandson of Abraham. Because he was the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, Joseph was his favorite son, which Jacob never refrained from showing, including getting him an elaborate and probably very expensive multi-colored robe. It is never good for a parent to show favoritism of one child over the others, and the results of this mistake on Jacob’s part would greatly affect the family, particularly Joseph, for many years.
As we read in Genesis 37:12-36, Jacob sent Joseph one day to check up on his older brothers who were tending the flocks in a distant field. The seventeen year old was wearing his colored robe, and the brothers could identify him from a distance. They all hated Joseph because he was “Daddy’s favorite”, and plotted to get rid of him, some even wanting to kill him. When Joseph arrived, they stripped him of his robe, probably beat him up, and threw him in a pit. A short time later they sold him as a slave to passing traders. Naked, beaten and battered, and now in shackles, he was forced to walk through the wilderness and blazing sun from central Canaan all the way to Egypt.
We pick up our account now in Genesis 39. Joseph has been sold as a slave to Potiphar, a high-ranking official in Pharaoh’s court. One could completely understand if Joseph’s faith in God waned or even disappeared. That was not the case, though. God had not forgotten Joseph, and he knew it. His faith and trust in God was as strong as ever. We read that the Lord was with Joseph (vs. 2-3), and He blessed all that he did. Potiphar saw how Joseph’s work excelled, and within a short time promoted him to the point of putting everything in his hands (vs. 4-6).
However, Joseph’s problems did not end. Very soon Potiphar’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she desired to have an affair with him (vs. 7-10). Joseph, though, was a godly young man, and he determined that he was not going to sin against God or against his master. This angered the woman, who then turned her desire into a plot of revenge, accusing him of attempted rape, and Joseph was quickly put in prison (vs. 11-20).
It would have been easy for Joseph to give in, however he viewed adultery as a great violation of his ethical convictions. He desired to live a life of holiness before God. Any sin we commit is really an offense against God. Joseph was faithful, and it cost him greatly. Joseph knew that when tempted by the sin of lust, the best, the only sure defense was to flee. Better that he lose his coat than lose his virtue, testimony, and character. His relationship with God was far more important than a night of pleasure. You can’t play with fire without getting burned.
It seems Joseph was rolling down that hill faster and faster. From favored son to beaten and thrown in a pit, then sold as a slave, now falsely accused and thrown in prison. Did Joseph lose faith and turn his back on God? No! Joseph did not, and the Lord blessed him there, as the jailor quickly put him in charge of the other prisoners (vs. 21-23). As we read later, God brought Joseph out of prison and placed him as Prime Minister of all Egypt.
Through all that Joseph went through, he was neither angry nor discouraged. The Bible never records any bitterness or revenge in his response to all his circumstances. Joseph maintained a faith-filled outlook because he consistently relied on God, who was always with him. During our problems, we can experience God’s presence and thrive. We need to remember that the Lord is with us, even when our circumstances seem to shout that He has deserted us.
The difficulties we find ourselves in will continue until God’s purpose is accomplished. Joseph was put in the various places and difficulties so he could learn key lessons needed for the future, when God would put him in the highest of spots. He learned skills, and his faith and relationship with God was strengthened.
We learn more in the dark than we do in the light. Joseph learned how to discern God’s presence, reject temptation, and handle any position, whether high or lowly. In stressful times we discover how much we really trust the Lord. If doubt about His promises take root in our thinking, it can lead us off His chosen path. But with steady belief, we can recognize God’s presence, and we can persevere wherever we are.
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