†. Gen 39:1-3 . . Now when Joseph arrived in Egypt with the
Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, a member of the
personal staff of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was the
captain of the palace guard. The Lord was with Joseph and blessed
him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.
Potiphar noticed this and realized that The Lord was with Joseph,
giving him success in everything he did.
The identity of the Pharaoh during this moment in history is a total mystery,
and even that fact is a mystery in itself because Egypt was normally quite
meticulous in recording its accomplishments, and the names of Egypt's
dynastic successions are recorded practically without a break thru the Old,
Middle, and New Kingdoms, clear on back to 3,000 BC. But for some reason,
so far unexplained, a blank occurs in its history between 1730 to 1580 BC.
This absence of information puzzles Egyptologists; and thus far has only
been satisfactorily explained by the conquering-- and subsequent dominance
--of Egypt by an ancient people called the Hyksos; who were Semitic tribes
from Syria and Canaan. The Hyksos were of a different mentality than the
Egyptians and apparently weren't inclined to keep a meticulous record of
their own accomplishments as had their vanquished predecessors before
them. Not only is there a dearth of documents from that period, but there
aren't even any monuments to testify of it. If perchance Joseph was in Egypt
during the Hyksos, that might explain why there exists not one shred of
archaeological evidence to corroborate the Bible in regards to its story of
Joseph in Egypt.
Joseph's success was, of course, in regards to his proficiency, and in no way
says anything about his personal prosperity because as a slave, he had no
income, owned no property, controlled no business ventures, nor maintained
some sort of investment portfolio.
How Potiphar found out that Yhvh was Joseph's god isn't said. But in
knowing, he quite naturally credited Yhvh with Joseph's proficiency because
people in those days were very superstitious. Even Potiphar's own name,
which in Egyptian is Pa-di-pa-ra, means "the gift of the god Ra".
†. Gen 39:3-6a . . So Joseph naturally became quite a favorite with
him. Potiphar soon put Joseph in charge of his entire household and
entrusted him with all his business. From the day Joseph was put in
charge, Yhvh began to bless Potiphar for Joseph's sake. All his
household affairs began to run smoothly, and his crops and livestock
flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative
responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he
didn't have a worry in the world, except to decide what he wanted to
eat!
That was all idyllic for Mr. Aristocrat; but unfortunately, there was a fly
poised to plop itself into the ointment.
†. Gen 39:6b-7 . . Now Joseph was young, well built, and handsome.
After a while, his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said:
Sleep with me.
The apparent overture wasn't a request. Since Joseph was a slave, it wasn't
necessary for Potiphar's wife to seduce him. She only had to give him an
order, and he was expected to obey it.
It's not uncommon to find women who feel trapped in an unfulfilling
marriages. Henry David Thoreau once wrote that the mass of men lead lives
of quiet desperation. Well; some of that "mass of men" includes women.
Potiphar's wife (call her Anna for convenience) was a sexually active woman
married to the wrong man. Her husband was a courtier, and maybe an older
man, maybe a bit too old. It very well could be that Anna didn't marry for
love; but for security. That's understandable since women of that day didn't
have a lot of career options, nor a minority status, nor retirement benefits,
nor entitlements like Medicare and Social Security. For women in Anna's
day, marriage was often a matter of survival rather than a matter of the
heart.
She was obviously still lively and maybe would have enjoyed dinner out and
salsa dancing once or twice a week; while Potipher probably barely had
enough energy left to plop down and fall asleep in his La-Z-Boy recliner after
working 12-14 hours a day in the palace and just wanted to be left alone in
his man cave with a can of beer and CNN. There are women who prefer
older men; sometimes much older. But there are other women, like Anna,
who prefer the young ones; however, sometimes life just doesn't give them
any options.
So then, what's a perky girl to do when her husband is old and boring, and
here's this strapping, virile young slave guy around the house with you all
day long? Well . . you're either going to drink a lot, get bitchy, take pills, or
make a move and see what happens. Unfortunately, Anna isn't going to be a
very good sport about it.
†. Gen 39:8-18 . . But Joseph refused. Look; he told her; my master
trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has
more authority than I do! He has held back nothing from me except
you, because you are his wife. How could I ever do such a wicked
thing? It would be a great sin against God.
. . . She kept putting pressure on him day after day, but he refused
to sleep with her, and he avoided her as much as possible. One day,
however, no one else was around when he was doing his work inside
the house. She came and grabbed him by his shirt, demanding: Sleep
with me! Joseph tore himself away, but as he did, his shirt came off.
She was left holding it as he ran from the house.
. . .When she saw that she had his shirt and that he had fled, she
began screaming. Soon all the men around the place came running.
My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to humiliate us; she
sobbed. He tried to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard my loud
cries, he ran and left his shirt behind with me.
. . . She kept the shirt with her, and when her husband came home
that night, she told him her story. That Hebrew slave you've had
around here tried to humiliate me; she said. I was saved only by my
screams. He ran out, leaving his shirt behind!
Joseph's situation parallels a case in Harper Lee's book To Kill A Mockingbird
where a promiscuous woman accuses an innocent man of rape in order to
cover up her own indiscretions.
Scorned women can be very cruel. When I was a youthful, good-looking guy,
the wife (whom I was careful to avoid) of a good friend accused me to her
husband of going off on her with abusive language in a tirade. To defend
myself and expose his wife for the liar that she was, would have meant
causing my friend deep humiliation; so I elected to keep silent and take the
pain. Our friendship was of course ruined, and we parted. A few months
later, I was told they divorced. Like that was any big surprise.
†. Gen 39:19-20a . .When his master heard the story that his wife told him,
namely; "Thus and so your slave did to me" he was furious. So Joseph’s
master had him put in prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined.
I've no doubt Potiphar didn't believe a word of his wife's story or otherwise
he would have put Joseph to death rather than in a cushy jail where political
prisoners were kept, but what was he to do? Stick up for a slave over his
wife? Not happening. So Joseph was sacrificed to keep peace in the home.
†. Gen 39:20-23 . . But while Joseph was there in the prison, Yhvh
was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the
eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all
those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that
was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under
Joseph's care, because Yhvh was with Joseph and gave him success
in whatever he did.
A trustee's lot in prison is much more agreeable than regular inmates.
Joseph was very fortunate to have the Lord in his corner otherwise he might
have been neglected; but as a trustee, he could roam about the cell block
like as if he were one of the guards.
It would appear to the uninformed that Joseph had a natural aptitude for
management; but actually he didn't; no, he was supernaturally-gifted. That
is quite an advantage-- a resentful rival might even say: an unfair
advantage.
Cont.
/
Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, a member of the
personal staff of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was the
captain of the palace guard. The Lord was with Joseph and blessed
him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.
Potiphar noticed this and realized that The Lord was with Joseph,
giving him success in everything he did.
The identity of the Pharaoh during this moment in history is a total mystery,
and even that fact is a mystery in itself because Egypt was normally quite
meticulous in recording its accomplishments, and the names of Egypt's
dynastic successions are recorded practically without a break thru the Old,
Middle, and New Kingdoms, clear on back to 3,000 BC. But for some reason,
so far unexplained, a blank occurs in its history between 1730 to 1580 BC.
This absence of information puzzles Egyptologists; and thus far has only
been satisfactorily explained by the conquering-- and subsequent dominance
--of Egypt by an ancient people called the Hyksos; who were Semitic tribes
from Syria and Canaan. The Hyksos were of a different mentality than the
Egyptians and apparently weren't inclined to keep a meticulous record of
their own accomplishments as had their vanquished predecessors before
them. Not only is there a dearth of documents from that period, but there
aren't even any monuments to testify of it. If perchance Joseph was in Egypt
during the Hyksos, that might explain why there exists not one shred of
archaeological evidence to corroborate the Bible in regards to its story of
Joseph in Egypt.
Joseph's success was, of course, in regards to his proficiency, and in no way
says anything about his personal prosperity because as a slave, he had no
income, owned no property, controlled no business ventures, nor maintained
some sort of investment portfolio.
How Potiphar found out that Yhvh was Joseph's god isn't said. But in
knowing, he quite naturally credited Yhvh with Joseph's proficiency because
people in those days were very superstitious. Even Potiphar's own name,
which in Egyptian is Pa-di-pa-ra, means "the gift of the god Ra".
†. Gen 39:3-6a . . So Joseph naturally became quite a favorite with
him. Potiphar soon put Joseph in charge of his entire household and
entrusted him with all his business. From the day Joseph was put in
charge, Yhvh began to bless Potiphar for Joseph's sake. All his
household affairs began to run smoothly, and his crops and livestock
flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative
responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he
didn't have a worry in the world, except to decide what he wanted to
eat!
That was all idyllic for Mr. Aristocrat; but unfortunately, there was a fly
poised to plop itself into the ointment.
†. Gen 39:6b-7 . . Now Joseph was young, well built, and handsome.
After a while, his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said:
Sleep with me.
The apparent overture wasn't a request. Since Joseph was a slave, it wasn't
necessary for Potiphar's wife to seduce him. She only had to give him an
order, and he was expected to obey it.
It's not uncommon to find women who feel trapped in an unfulfilling
marriages. Henry David Thoreau once wrote that the mass of men lead lives
of quiet desperation. Well; some of that "mass of men" includes women.
Potiphar's wife (call her Anna for convenience) was a sexually active woman
married to the wrong man. Her husband was a courtier, and maybe an older
man, maybe a bit too old. It very well could be that Anna didn't marry for
love; but for security. That's understandable since women of that day didn't
have a lot of career options, nor a minority status, nor retirement benefits,
nor entitlements like Medicare and Social Security. For women in Anna's
day, marriage was often a matter of survival rather than a matter of the
heart.
She was obviously still lively and maybe would have enjoyed dinner out and
salsa dancing once or twice a week; while Potipher probably barely had
enough energy left to plop down and fall asleep in his La-Z-Boy recliner after
working 12-14 hours a day in the palace and just wanted to be left alone in
his man cave with a can of beer and CNN. There are women who prefer
older men; sometimes much older. But there are other women, like Anna,
who prefer the young ones; however, sometimes life just doesn't give them
any options.
So then, what's a perky girl to do when her husband is old and boring, and
here's this strapping, virile young slave guy around the house with you all
day long? Well . . you're either going to drink a lot, get bitchy, take pills, or
make a move and see what happens. Unfortunately, Anna isn't going to be a
very good sport about it.
†. Gen 39:8-18 . . But Joseph refused. Look; he told her; my master
trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has
more authority than I do! He has held back nothing from me except
you, because you are his wife. How could I ever do such a wicked
thing? It would be a great sin against God.
. . . She kept putting pressure on him day after day, but he refused
to sleep with her, and he avoided her as much as possible. One day,
however, no one else was around when he was doing his work inside
the house. She came and grabbed him by his shirt, demanding: Sleep
with me! Joseph tore himself away, but as he did, his shirt came off.
She was left holding it as he ran from the house.
. . .When she saw that she had his shirt and that he had fled, she
began screaming. Soon all the men around the place came running.
My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to humiliate us; she
sobbed. He tried to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard my loud
cries, he ran and left his shirt behind with me.
. . . She kept the shirt with her, and when her husband came home
that night, she told him her story. That Hebrew slave you've had
around here tried to humiliate me; she said. I was saved only by my
screams. He ran out, leaving his shirt behind!
Joseph's situation parallels a case in Harper Lee's book To Kill A Mockingbird
where a promiscuous woman accuses an innocent man of rape in order to
cover up her own indiscretions.
Scorned women can be very cruel. When I was a youthful, good-looking guy,
the wife (whom I was careful to avoid) of a good friend accused me to her
husband of going off on her with abusive language in a tirade. To defend
myself and expose his wife for the liar that she was, would have meant
causing my friend deep humiliation; so I elected to keep silent and take the
pain. Our friendship was of course ruined, and we parted. A few months
later, I was told they divorced. Like that was any big surprise.
†. Gen 39:19-20a . .When his master heard the story that his wife told him,
namely; "Thus and so your slave did to me" he was furious. So Joseph’s
master had him put in prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined.
I've no doubt Potiphar didn't believe a word of his wife's story or otherwise
he would have put Joseph to death rather than in a cushy jail where political
prisoners were kept, but what was he to do? Stick up for a slave over his
wife? Not happening. So Joseph was sacrificed to keep peace in the home.
†. Gen 39:20-23 . . But while Joseph was there in the prison, Yhvh
was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the
eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all
those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that
was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under
Joseph's care, because Yhvh was with Joseph and gave him success
in whatever he did.
A trustee's lot in prison is much more agreeable than regular inmates.
Joseph was very fortunate to have the Lord in his corner otherwise he might
have been neglected; but as a trustee, he could roam about the cell block
like as if he were one of the guards.
It would appear to the uninformed that Joseph had a natural aptitude for
management; but actually he didn't; no, he was supernaturally-gifted. That
is quite an advantage-- a resentful rival might even say: an unfair
advantage.
Cont.
/
