Genesis 40 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.” Genesis 40:2-3

The beginning of Genesis 39, Joseph rose to the head of Potiphar’s household. Potiphar was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. The middle of chapter 39 details a false sexual harassment accusation, landing Joseph in prison. But by the end of chapter 39, Joseph rises again to a position of leadership. He is still in prison but a leader, nonetheless.

Having said all that, the beginning of chapter 40 indicates that the prison, where Joseph was held, was Potiphar’s own home…“the house of the captain of the guard”.

If somebody made a pass at my wife, the last thing I would want is to keep him in my basement at home! Compound that with the knowledge that Joseph’s former boss was the captain of the guard! It would have been nothing for Potiphar to kill Joseph, yet he allowed for Joseph to stay. Why?

The obvious answer is that G_d’s providence protected, preserved, and prospered Joseph. But what would Potiphar’s logic have been? There are many answers. Maybe, Potiphar needed a sharp man running his prison, no matter how soiled his character may have been. Perhaps, Potiphar knew his wife was unfaithful, but didn’t want to publicly accuse Joseph or his wife. That would cause a scandal that might damage his own reputation. It could have been that Joseph simply had charisma and an indispensable way with money!

G_d probably used a myriad of factors to get Joseph to Potiphar’s home, and keep him there. Why? For the simple reason that G_d had redemption plans for His people, Israel. It is obvious Joseph was a leadership triple threat: Great looks, shrewd stewardship skills and the gifts of prophecy & interpretation. They were all gifts from G_d, which, in some circumstances, led Joseph into trouble. Joseph may have even cursed them all at certain points of his life. But since they were gifts from the L_rd, they ultimately had a Kingdom purpose, and Joseph discovered that he NEEDED them all.

Joseph needed to be a slave so he could prove himself a good steward in Potiphar’s home. He needed to be attractive, so he could be accused and imprisoned. He needed to be imprisoned so he could interpret dreams…on the list goes. Our directive is not to figure out G_d’s plan, but to honor His Name in all circumstances and trust His leading. (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

Every step of our journeys is a destination of sorts, yet G_d leads us onward. Wherever G_d led, Joseph glorified Him. Don’t waste your time focusing on “arriving”. Find the joy in the journey of trusting G_d. He is with you, knows everything you are going through, has the power to affect change, the wisdom to know when & how…and He has an unchanging character. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 Romans 8:28)

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Wednesday, February 19, 2014