Joseph: when the going gets tough, the faithful keep trusting.

Genesis 39

Overcoming Adversity

Last week we left off with Joseph being sold into slavery. Can you imagine your brothers rejecting you and selling you off into a life of slavery? I can’t even fathom that.

How do you handle adversity? What is your typical response when things are not going your way? Sure, I’d imagine you haven’t faced what Joseph faced, but we all are confronted with major things in our lives that don’t play out as we thought.

Our responses to adversity demonstrate our character. We could throw a temper tantrum and show that we cannot handle it. We could sulk away and allow ourselves to get lost in depression. We could get angry at God and blame Him for not doing what we wanted. We could get real determined to prove others wrong.

The old saying says, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” We see this in the story of young man who didn’t make the cut to be on the varsity team when he was 15 years old. He grew determined and worked hard and later became one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. His name was Michael Jordan.

We are not privileged to know Joseph’s thought process or how he handled the emotions of being sold by his brothers. But somewhere between being sold by his brothers and bought by Potiphar, Joseph decided, “when the going gets tough, the faithful keep trusting.”

Joseph seemingly understood the principal that God is working through every adversity we face in life. Much later, Jesus’ half-brother James would write:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3

On that caravan down to Egypt, Joseph affirmed his trust in God and decided to remain faithful to the God of his fathers, the one true God of the Bible. We see this in verse 2 of chapter 39.

The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. Genesis 39:2

This is so key, the “LORD was WITH Joseph.” This is one of the most profound promises in the entirety of Scripture, that God promises to be WITH His people (Matthew 28:18-20). When God calls you to Himself and to the works which He has prepared for you (Ephesians 2:10), He never abandons you but is with you (Hebrews 13:5)!

James also writes,

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you… James 4:8

In his alienation from his family, stripped from everything he held dear, Joseph chose to hold fast to God, to draw near to God. And God blessed him for it.

When we don’t allow our adversity to defeat us, but rely on God’s strength and His presence, we will see God do things in and through our lives that cannot be explained any other way then to say it is a God thing.

Joseph found himself purchased by an important man in Pharaoh’s trust, Potiphar, the captain of the guard. Instead of being bitter, complaining, or depressed, Joseph went to work. He faithfully served Potiphar as unto the Lord. Potiphar quickly noticed and began entrusting more and more responsibility to Joseph. Joseph trust in God was evident in his attitude and work ethic, because he believed “when the going gets tough, the faithful keep trusting.”

As a follower of Christ, your love for Jesus should be developing the Fruit of the Spirit in your life. This means that the Holy Spirit is the one who works in and through you in all of life’s circumstances. When you are loving Jesus and walking with Him, He will bring these about in your life, so you too will be an example to others (Matthew 5:16).

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22–23

When the fruit of the Spirit are on display in your life, others will notice and be blessed by your life. Potiphar saw this in Joseph’s life and entrusted him with all of his house.

Temptation Strikes

Joseph has overcome being a slave. He has overcome a bad attitude. He has overcome separation from family and from the familiar, because of his faith in God. Looking at what he has already faced, you would think he has had enough. But his story is still just beginning and adversity strikes in many ways.

Joseph was a hard worker and is described as handsome man. Although he was entrusted with a lot of responsibilities, he was still a slave. Potiphar had left the house in his charge while he traveled.

It was while her husband was gone, that Potiphar’s wife began to flirt with Joseph and tempt him. She tried to get Joseph to sleep with her, but he continually resisted. He told her that he could not do “this great wickedness and sin against God!” Joseph knew that God called him to a life of purity and He was not willing to disobey Him.

But Potiphar’s wife had set her eyes on the slave boy and she wanted him. She kept tempting him and he kept resisting. Until one day, she made sure nobody else was home and that’s when she became more aggressive. She grabbed his coat and demanded him to have sex with her. Suddenly, Joseph turned and ran out, leaving his coat behind.

Sexual temptation comes in many forms. Here, Joseph faced the seduction of a wealthy and persistent woman who was married to his boss. Today, sexual temptation may come from a boyfriend/girlfriend who wants to see how far you are willing to go. Or it may come from someone texting you or messaging you to show some inappropriate pictures. There are even apps today that are being used to send “gifts”, “affirmations” and money for people posting compromising videos or pictures of themselves.

Don’t give in. Stand strong and know that true love won’t pressure you to break God’s law. If you have given in, know that God is a God of forgiveness and promises to forgive if you confess your sins to Him (1 John 1:9). As we find forgiveness, Jesus calls us to “go and sin no more,” meaning we are to find freedom from sin and no longer go back (Galatians 5:1).

How can God be so loving and forgiving? Because Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life. He was tempted in every way we are, but he remained faithful when we were faithless (Hebrews 4:15). He overcame temptations, He chose obedience and He took our punishment so that we could have victory over sin.

Joseph recognized what temptation was and he ran from it. Temptation is anything that is inviting you to disbelieve in the promises, provisions and goodness of God and leads to disobeying the commands of God. In what ways are you tempted? Do you recognize it as something enticing you to disbelieve and disobey God? How can you run from temptation?

Running from temptation can come in the form of accountability, letting other Christians who you trust know how you are being tempted. It could be deleting an app, or unfriending someone from social media. It could be breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend. It can be hard. And it can be costly, but following Jesus is worth it.

Punished for Doing Good

Potiphar’s wife was angry. She called out to the guards and spread lies about Joseph, saying he accosted her. She then told Potiphar when he came home. Potiphar was angry and sent Joseph to prison.

Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t pay off the way you might think. We live in a broken and fallen world full of sinners. Our culture today has flipped a lot of things upside down and what the Bible calls evil, culture calls good. Sometimes doing what God wants means that you won’t be accepted, you won’t be popular, and you may be rejected by some.

But know that God is pleased by your faithfulness and He hasn’t forgotten you. Don’t lose faith when things don’t go your way, God isn’t finished yet. For those who remain faithful, they will see God’s faithfulness, just as God remembered Joseph 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. Genesis 39:21

You are loved by God and He will not forget you. God is the faithful covenant keeping God. He allowed Joseph to be sent to Egypt to ultimately save his people and preserve the promises He made. God will keep His promises He made to you too.

Adversity will come to you many times throughout life. Sometimes it will be bigger than you can handle on your own, but God is with you and will give you the strength to overcome. Remember that God is always working and moving in ways you cannot see, but He will prove faithful to those who hold on. Don’t allow the temptation to blame God and lose heart. Instead, be like Joseph who believed “when the going gets tough, the faithful keep trusting.”