Genesis 39 – Success, What Does It Look Like?

Joseph was brought to Potiphar after the Ishmaelites sold him to the guard captain.

God blessed him abundantly and made him successful until Potiphar made him his right hand.

Potiphar’s wife wanted to seduce him as Joseph was attractive. Joseph refused that, even as she tempted him day by day. One day she pulled Joseph’s cloak and asked him to go to bed with her.

Joseph ran.

Potiphar’s wife slandered him and reported him to Potiphar who then threw him into prison.

Even in prison God made him successful. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

This is one interesting chapter!

If I to write it in melodrama K-drama genre, the story will be full of Joseph’s tears and agony, a sobbing tale from a beloved son of a rich family sold as a slave.

However that’s not the case. If you read, the chapter is full of these words: favor, God’s kindness, success, prosper etc etc…they are repeated many many times and no single mention of Joseph’s agony.

The other highlight is how Joseph honored God, when he refused the temptation, he credited it that he did not want to sin against God.

Wouldn’t he feel bitter to God who let him down from a princely son to be a slave? That God let him be taken away from his daddy’s love?

No. He honored God. He loved God.

If you count the word “success/favor/prosper” in the chapter, you can see the writer is telling you a success story.

Despite the circumstances.

Without faith, reading the above story looks like sarcasm:

– God made him successful as a slave, formerly was rich kid

– God made him successful in prison, when he was thrown there to avoid sinning

What kind of success is that???

Seriously??

If God can make one successful like that, why not make the miracle to free him???

……..

Well, actually later He did.

God has his time and his plan. If he is with you, he is making you prosper, whatever your situations are. You are successful not because of your milestones but because of His milestones of His faithfulness.

Ch 39 is a story of success and favor of God. Period.

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*I noticed the chapter mentioned he was sold by Ishmaelites while previously mentiones was Midianites. Could be both in cahot sold him in partnership

** as mentioned before, ch 38 is put in contrast of 39, contrasting Joseph’s purity to Judah.

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