Genesis 38-39, Judah & Joseph

Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers at Shehman.  They were 12 miles north at Dothan.  Brothers saw him coming from a long way off, hatred boiled forth, decided to kill him.  Judah talked them into selling him into slavery.

18 year old slave in far away country
Potiphar--eunuch, court official in Egypt often made eunuchs to reduce threat to royal women.

Judah falls.  Joseph triumphs.
Contrast between faithless

Judah moves 8-10 miles away (perhaps to avoid Dad's grief), stays with heathen friend “a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.” Hirah shows up three times in this chapter. He marries a Shua, a Canaanite woman.  Canaanites were the worst of the worst--child sacrifice, prostitutes worshiped in temple, God eventually said destroy everything in the land.

Judah and Shua's sons:
Er, Onan, Shelah

Judah picked Tamar as Er's wife.  Er, the first born, has no interest in the things of God, and God kills him (first time God kills someone, and without explanation...compares to Aaron's sons, Ananias & Sapphira.)

Kinsman-Redeemer Law
Verse 8, “And Judah said to Onan,” (that’s his second-born son) “ ‘Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.’ ” Now, the instruction of God to His people about this practice would later be written down and codified in the Law of Moses. This one, in particular, is found in Deuteronomy 25. But there are thirty-four distinct laws in Genesis that kind of come up out of nowhere, like this one, that will later find their way into the Law of God as a practice both for the Jews and for the nation. And this is one of them – Deuteronomy 25. But it had been well-established by this time. "   Ruth  and Boaz, ultimately a picture of Jesus

Onan under obligation to marry Tamar but doesn't want to give Tamar children because he recognizes his heir would receive the inheritance.  So he emits on the ground.  Disrespects wife. God kills off Onan too.

Judah blames Tamar for their deaths.  But he's the one who married the Canaanite wife.  Sometime later, Judah's wife dies and he goes back to pagan friend for comfort....harvest celebration....

Tamar....saw Shelah was grown but she's not given to him as a wife.  Plan....embarrass father-in-law.  Use of temple prostitutes was common, acceptable practice (related to Ishtar/Ashturah, goddess of fertility.  They believed worshiping this woman would bless the flocks and fields.  If you had sex with this temple prostitute honoring the goddess.  This is about as bad as it gets. You can imagine men lining up for this religion.)

Tamar dresses up as a temple prostitute.  She knew he'd be in that area. Motivation? She's angry because father-in-law not supporting her). Shelah laters marries someone else in the family of Israel. She covered her face. She knew her father-in-law would be a likely candidate.  She was pretty sure this would work.  She want to negotiate a young goat and she says what will you give me until you send it.

He hands over his signet ring---big deal, like giving someone your credit card. Basis for wedding rings eventually, covenant signature  Hands over ring, bracelet, shepherd's staff.  He goes into her and she becomes pregnant. Sends goat with Hirah (friend) but can't find her.  He returned to Judah.  Judah's concern is that he wants to be sure he's perceived as promptly paying. Judah's not upset about losing his things, but about that he might be perceived as a snake.

Three months later learns about Tamar being pregnant. His response is to suggest they bring her out so that she can be burned. No double standard, right?  We always have an explanation.  It's amazing how bad our sin looks on other people. All of a sudden, we are so self-righteous.  David & Nathan

She brings forth the signet ring, staff, bracelets.  Judah acknowledges them.  Admits to own sin.  Doesn't go into her again but doesn't stay with her. He's gone; he has no involvement with these children.  Doesn't give son to her ever.  She has to bear it up by herself now.

Tamar gives birth to twins...Perez (first born breech--should have been second, but slipped into first position), Zerah (scarlet thread--second).  First born child would need to be redeemed with sacrifice.  That God would pick either one of these kids is God's grace.  It is Perez that you find in the genealogy of Joseph the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew.  In this genealogy there are four women listed, all gentiles...Tamar, Rahab (harlot from tribe God had cursed forever) Ruth (Moabite), Bathsheeba.  Beautiful picture of God's grace overuling man's weakness and failures and mistakes.  It's a harsh story and paints a pretty interesting picture of Judah who is in the lineage of Christ.

This is the only story we have of those 20 years of that family (while Joseph is away).  We could literally go from Chapter 37 to 39 without skipping a beat.  Chronologically, Joseph was 18-28 in Potiphar's house as overseer, manager. Dies at age 110.  In every place God puts him he's a vessel of deliverance.  Joseph is 38 when he sees his brother again.

Beginning with Joseph's age, I have a firm conviction that God has his heart on the youngsters--teens. There is something exciting about young people when God begins to stir their hearts. He was willing to serve the Lord and speak up. Samuel was much younger than Joseph when God begins to speak with him. Jeremiah was also younger than Joseph.  And he tried to excuse himself to the Lord, and the Lord said, knock it off. Daniel was 16...would be the leader and the voice of God for 80 years. No wonder Paul at  40 wrote to Timothy don't let them despise you because you are young.

Our chances at salvation diminish statistically as we age.  Mathematically at 25 (1 in 50,000),  45 (1 in 60,000) at 55  (1 in 125,000) chance come to know the Lord.  You get picky about the things that matter little.  It's just "the way you like it." Adults get locked in; kids aren't like that. God gets ahold of people like Joseph.  He had a pliable kid who was willing to work. Young kid, now he finds himself in a world of hurt.

"Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, a eunuch, a captain of the guard, an Egyptian,  ad bought him from the Ishmaelites.  Joseph found favor in his sight. That the Lord was with him. Joseph was made overseer of his house and all that he had was put under his authority.  The Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph's sake.  He did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate, and Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 

Popular phrase, "the Lord was with Joseph.  The Lord's hand was upon him."  Now, there is no mention made, at all, of how hard this might have been for young Joseph to deal with.  I would expect to read, "I had a hard couple of months adjusting." No complaint, no questioning God.  And if Joseph, I always say to people who ask, "Who do you like the best in the Bible?"  I'll tell you who I like the least, Joseph and Daniel--because they're so convicting.  I read Peter and I go, I could be Peter (I can shoot my mouth off at the wrong times).  I could be Paul (I can lose my temper and punch someone in the nose) that's easy.  Joseph, I hate that guy because he's not complaining. I'm complaining here, aren't you? Really you're not, is it just me?

In any event, you don't read one word of questioning of God at all. What you read is Joseph faithfully began to do his work, serving God, loving the Lord, bringing God's blessing upon himself, upon the people that he was serving, upon his surroundings. There's no mention of the horrible treatment by his brother, how unfair slavery is, how unright his imprisonment later would be.  Joseph if nothing else was able to at a young age to be convinced that God was taking care of his life. So he set that aside and he was diligent wherever he was planted being the best for the Lord even in unfair circumstances.

When he gets to be 40 years old in Genesis 50, and his father has died and the boys are pretty sure now that dad's dead that he's going to get even with them He says, "Look, do not be afraid of me, I'm not God. As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good in order to bring about...." He was able to say that 22 years later. I know that God had a plan.  But he sees it at 18.

One of the things that challenges me about Joseph's life is that so often we find lots of ears to listen to our complaints because they're reasonable complaints, but they just don't work. No sense asking God why, and what, and where, and what's happening to me. If you really believe God's in charge, you rest, right.  Joseph's the absolute example of rest in the worst of places.  He remember meeting Corrie ten Boom a couple of different times-most of her family was killed around her.  It was a death camp.  But Corrie ten Boom, even in her own testimony, labored to be the best inmate she could. She did what she was told.  She didn't gripe or complain. She didn't put up any fuss. She led clandestine Bible studies in Barracks #28, she'll tell you.  And many inmates on their way to death gave their lives to Christ. No sense complaining; live for Jesus.  Live for the Lord. Do for Him. He knows.

And Joseph was diligent with glorious results.  Potiphar saw it and instead of converting to Joseph's God, he just put Joseph in charge. Ask yourself--how often do you find yourself in contrary circumstances where no one can tell the difference between a good day and a bad day in your life because you just walk with God? If you met Joseph, I don't think he's say "You should see what happened to me." Only one time does he even bring it up, years later in jail. "I was unjustly accused...maybe you could put in a good word with Pharoah." When that didn't work, he went back...

We all can worship when things are going our way, but could you worship like that when you got fired?
Or your kids didn't do as well as you hoped. Or your wife walked out the door. Usually not. We usually find great reason.  It's the same God who sits on the throne of our life.  You see Judah, he's lying, sleeping with prostitutes, divorced, and sorrow and guilt and he can't be home.  Then there's Joseph.  He's a slave. Doing so well that everyone around sees it and knows it, and is aware of it, amazed by it.

Now, the devil is not going to leave a guy like that alone. So it shouldn't surprise you that after that we read about Potiphar's wife. She said, "hey come lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife "He has committed all that I have into my hand. Nor has he kept back anything but you. How then could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"

If the enemy can't get you with sorrow or suffering, maybe he can get you with something else. He's got another angle.  In Luke 4:13, he remembers reading, "Then the devil left him until an opportune time."  The enemy came back. Now the enemy brings this next temptation, the seductive advances of an older woman whose husband had made himself a eunuch for his job and she was a desperate housewife. She wasn't subtle, "lie with me." 

And he refused. Day-by-day Joseph kept saying no. Be with Joseph here--he's maybe in his early 20's, a an with sexual drive as any man in his 20's might be, far from home, things are going his way, he could easily have taken advantage of the situation for his own gratification, and she comes out everyday, dressed to kill.  You can just see her, the nod, the wink, the stare, And Potiphar's wife still has lots of descendants. And there are still a lot of young people who have to face that temptation

Joseph's response is awesome.  First he recognizes his position. He says "I have been entrusted by your husband with a great responsibility and accountability, and I can't violate that trust.  He's a guy with great fidelity, honesty. You can trust him with whatever you give him. Second he recognizes who he is. He says literally "How could I as God's child do this wickedness against the Lord who loves me." He calls it "great wickedness and sin."  Now, that's quite a mouthful coming from a 20-year-old good-looking guy to an older woman who is more than willing to accommodate his youth.

Oftentimes we find,  even in counseling, that people's view of sin is insufficient to keep them from it. They don't hate sin enough, or they don't see it as problematic enough, or it doesn't register in their hearts as wicked enough to say no to it.  Because so much of what we see around us is sin with prosperity.   It's easy to develop a mentality that sin is fine, or that it's not that big of a deal. But notice Joseph.  He's convinced. He sees it in black and white; there's no shades here.  He sees it as an affront to God.

Ultimately and I think, as a young person, you can grab ahold of this, it will help you. Sometimes we think we can get away with stuff because no one sees it. But God sees it. He always sees it. David realized it with the whole issue with  Bathsheeba.  In Psalm 51, he said "Against You only I have sinned." Ultimately it's sin against God---God's rules, God's laws, God's demands.

I think one of the keys to Joseph if you want to learn from him as a young person, is that Joseph had a great fear of the Lord in his life as a young guy. He knew sin was wicked and he knew God was good. And he took it seriously. We read that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom or knowledge" Proverbs 8---the fear of the Lord it to hate evil. And Joseph hated evil. If you can hate evil, you can do well with the Lord. But if you can accommodate evil, you'll have a hard time because that door is always be half open, isn't it?Joseph never allowed that door to open. He was convinced he had to serve God.

Make a comparison between Joseph and Moses. Moses who knew because he was raised by his mother and father for a few years or because God had told him. Moses knew he was going to be God's deliverer.  When the time came, or when he thought the time had come, for him to take over and he killed that Egyptian.  He looked one way and then the other (when he was going to kill the guy), but he never looked up. He killed that guy because  And he would have to spend the next 40 years on the back of the desert learning that God knows what you are up to and God's watching. Then he was able to come back to Pharoah and speak for the Lord. to 40 years it took Moses to learn what Joseph knew at 20.

Day by day he did not heed to lie with her or to be with her. He determined his best move was to not be anywhere near her.  Joseph just figured, I'm going to stay as far away from her as he possibly can.  He didn't allow himself a place of difficulty.  He just wanted to serve the Lord. Pretty smart young man, don't you think?

So it was that she spoke to Joseph day-by-day, that he wouldn't heed her or lie with her or be with her...none of the men of the house were around, so she caught him by his garment, he fled outside.  She called the men of her house and says "he came in here to lie with me" accuses Joseph of rape. So the temptation did not diminish or subside, eventually an opportune time came for this woman to hit on him again. So Joseph resorted to step 5---run, running works. Timothy said "flee youthful lusts." It's hard to be in trouble when you are running.

She blames him to her husband. Joseph's master took and put him into the prison, a place where the king's masters were confined.  It appears that rape was punishable by death in ancient Egypt and no time was spent thinking about it.  The actions of Potiphar were merciful and perhaps suggest he didn't fully believe his wife. He didn't have him killed. Now if it were your wife, and he had slept with your wife and you had the ability to put him to death.... His behavior suggests even he was a little doubtful about Mrs. Potiphar---28 years old when this takes place, is now in prison after 10 years of serving so faithfully and so well.

"But the Lord was with Joseph. He showed him mercy. He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to him all the prisoners.  And the keeper of the prison did not look into anything he did." 2nd unfair place, ten years later. God's favor is shown to him.  Soon he's the chief trustee of the jail. Now, you might read this and think, I'd rather not be so blessed to get out. But, again, it's Joseph growing where he's planted. You may in a job tonight you hate, and you wonder why. Maybe you could just enjoy what God has for you, God's plans.  He didn't love prison, but he loved the Lord. And he was sure God had a purpose and a plan, and he could rest in God's purposes.  So his faith remains strong. He's in jail at least a year before these men are sent to him. He becomes in charge of the prison. It's a very unfair life as it reads, and yet in every position, God blesses him, and Joseph sets out to be the best prisoner in the world. What a guy, don't you think? I'm impressed by this guy. He's terribly challenging. I hate him a little bit. And we are just getting started; his best years are ahead of him.