Joseph - Favored Son to Forgotten Slave

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. (Genesis 39:1–6 ESV).

 

In just a short time, Joseph plummeted from being a favored son to being a slave. What a descent! His brothers had plotted to murder him, but when some Ishmaelite traders came by, the brothers got rid of him instead by selling Joseph as a slave to be resold in Egypt. For many of us, it may be hard to imagine what that exile felt like. Joseph was thrown out, shipped off to be forgotten! He was separated from his father and the rest of his family without hope of ever seeing them again.

 

What’s more, he was in the company of Ishmaelites! These were distant cousins, descendants of his great-grandfather Abraham. Ishmael, their grandfather, was described as a “wild donkey of a man,” whose hand was “against everyone” and who lived in hostility toward everyone (cf. Genesis 16:12). These were ferocious men—not only traders but slavers. Joseph was nothing to them but flesh to be sold for a good price at auction. And they sold him to a captain of the guard—an official of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Could things get any worse than that?

 

Was Joseph angry? Was he filled with bitterness of spirit? We aren’t told. But this much is sure: he was deeply hurt. The wound was massive. Would he ever heal? One thing was certain—God was not done with this story yet! As you can see from the rest of the reading today God blesses Joseph in ways that will ultimately put him exactly where God needs him to save the nation of Israel and finally set the stage for Moses to come to the deliverance of the Jews leading them into the Promised Land.

 

While God’s plan is often counter-intuitive as it unfolds, it is always designed perfectly to bring about our greatest good! Trust Him!