revolt. He patiently waited. You remember the events that brought •him before Pharaoh. It was to interpret a dream which had thoroughly confused the monarch. By his being able to give Pharoah what he was seeking, Joseph was elevated to the position of second in command over the entire land. In chapter 42 the scene goes back to Israel. Jacob had continued to mourn for his son, Joseph, through the years. He is still greatly bereaved (Genesis 42:36). Famine had severely hit the land and the brothers had gone down to Egypt seeking food. Simeon had been left behind and now there was the danger of losing Benjamin, too. This passage seems to suggest that Jacob possibly suspected that Joseph had met with foul play at the hands of his own brothers. God often uses even the evil purposes of the devil to bring His erring people back to Himself. He wants to remind us that we are dependent upon Him. The famine in Israel caused all the family of Jacob to go down to the land of Egypt. Joseph was governor over all the land (Genesis 42:1). His was a position of rare honor and splendor. He dealt with nobility who were no doubt jealous of his powers as a Jew in Egypt. He bargained with multitudes of people who were mad with hunger because of the drought. He built dikes and reservoirs to conserve the natural rise and overflow of the Nile River. He erected graneries to store surplus goods. He knew the yields of every corner of the land which he directed men in planting, reaping and harvesting.
Pharoah. Potiphar found him very industrious, prompt and obedient. Joseph considered himself as the servant of God, rather than the slave of Potiphar. The Lord was with Joseph at all times. The devil could only gnash his teeth in defeat as God had His way in Joseph’s life. It is an intensely interesting story to read of Joseph’s eventual imprisonment (Genesis 39:1-23). This will be the area of concern for our next study. The devil resolutely attacked the family of Jacob thinking that it would be through Joseph that the Messiah would come. We know now, of course, that Judah was the chosen tribe of blessing. If the devil can strike at you as a Christian, getting you to live any less for Christ he has achieved a mighty victory. He wants you to fall into sin and to disobey God’s will. This has been his program across the years, seeking to break up the program of the Lord in every way possible. In Genesis 39 we see Joseph in prison. To have Joseph executed was now the devil’s intention. Although Joseph was falsely and unjustly accused he remained silent before his accusers. He was kept from sinning by his honor. Potiphar’s wife had tried to seduce Joseph. This came as a powerful temptation, but God used it as a necessary link in the chain of events which would lead him to Pharoah. To the chagrin of the devil God kept Joseph from immediate execution. Possibly Potiphar realized just what had been in his own wife’s heart. We all recall the story of how Joseph was put in the prison, and yet he did not
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