(Due to being without electricity for 9 hours yesterday, this post is from Tuesday, August 27, 2019.)
Good morning and happy Taco Tuesday. I will in fact be getting some tacos today for Taco Tuesday. My awesome mom & dad-in-law are coming out for a visit and what better way to celebrate family than tacos. This will be a busy week for me as I had classes last night, several Zoom calls all over the world throughout the week, a workshop at UTD on Thursday night and then Friday morning I fly to Santa Barbara to run a satellite workshop for USC through Sunday. I recall a line from the movie “Return to Me” where Carrol O’Connor is busy with his daily duties and he says, “I am blessed with work.” For many years in my life, I couldn’t say that (or wouldn’t.) But working for and serving God is so different.
Speaking of, I pontificated with some of my students at SMU over the weekend about the true definition of success. I love this discussion because it quickly gives you a view into the soul. The top answers I get on “what is success” are money, good job (which gets you money), degree (which gets you good job, which then gets you money, and then material objects (which the first three allow you to buy.) So if you boil it all down, basically money equals success to the world. Money and stuff. Stuff and money. I however challenged them with this definition that God has given to me. Success is the realization of true purpose. When you discover God’s purpose in your life and dedicate yourself to the completion of it, you will indeed taste true success. Success is therefore being blessed with the peace of the Lord as you fulfill His purpose with the gifts He has given you.
Speaking of successful, let’s move into Genesis 39 and the continuation of the great story of Joseph. When we last saw Joseph, he had been sold into slavery by his brothers and he was heading to Egypt, all be it against his will. In chapter 39 he arrives in Egypt and because he is a good-looking, smart, 17 year old young man, he is quite the coveted slave. He is quickly bought up by Potiphar, a 4 star general in Pharaoh’s army. I’m not going to go through the entire story in chapter 39 today, that’s your job. But what I do want to do is look out the airplane window at the 34,000 foot view. I want to look at one of my favorite men in God’s Word and specifically the “favor of Joseph.”
You can ask Margie, I use this term numerous times throughout the week. The “favor of Joseph” is something that inspires me, intrigues me, and brings about great introspection. The word favor is used twice in our chapter today.
“ His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight…(Gen 39:3-4a)
“ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (Gen 39:21)
Now if I were to tell you that someone had the favor of the Lord, what would you say that looked like? I think most would say that to hold the blessed favor of the Lord would be to walk the good life. A life free of trouble, disaster, calamity or hazard. A life that is free of anxiety, depression, loneliness or fear. A life that is happy, free, peaceful and joyous. But what we see in the life of Joseph is far from this definition. We have already seen that he was hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit to die and then cruelly sold into foreign slavery, to disappear forever. I can only imagine those first few nights Joseph spent in slavery on the way to Egypt. Alone, homesick, hungry, cold, and so uncertain of what his future held. I can imagine he so desperately wanted to just talk to his dad. To hug Jacob and simply tell him he was alright and that he loved him. Folks, at this particular moment, this does not seem like the favor of God to me.
But because of this same favor of God, we see Joseph rise quickly to the ranks of overseer over Potiphar’s household. All of it. Part of the favor of God must have been great wisdom as Joseph clearly had great business acumen for such a young man. He went from common slave to being clothed well, dining on fine food, enjoying luxury accommodations in a palace and even held great merit and social standing within this foreign community. It seems that God had indeed redeemed Joseph. Now surely this is the “real” favor of God, right?
But our story turns quickly. Potiphar’s lonely, promiscuous wife sets her carnal sights on Joseph and is relentless in her conquest of him. But Joseph is relentless in His pursuit and adherence to the law of God and he firmly rejects her and flees her sinful embrace. Folks, there is an entirely separate lesson, sermon and even sermon series here on how we should be viewing and treating sin in our lives. Sin is death (Rom 6:23) and I don’t know many people that are purposefully hanging out around cobras and angry grizzlies for fun. Hear me clearly on this. If you hang out with snakes, you’re gonna get bit. It might not be today, it might not be next week, but you will get bit. I’ve also heard it said this way, “if you hang out in a barbershop long enough, you will get a haircut.” Friends, if your hanging out around sin, if your hanging out with the wrong crowd, sin will ensnare you. It’s a guarantee. Sin is the most treacherous thing you will ever deal with in your life and you must deal with it accordingly. And notice exactly how Joseph deals with it…he flees from it. He turns tail and sprints. I heard a preacher say last week that the best weapon against sin is a good pair of Nikes. Oh, the truth of that statement. Run from sin. Get away from it. Don’t hang around it and think that you can beat it. Joseph had the favor of the Lord and he still knew that sin could defeat his flesh if enough time and exposure was given to it. He left his post, quit his job and ran. Whatever it takes, get distance between the heart God has given you and the sin that looks to destroy it.
As a result of this episode, Joseph suffers a catastrophic fall. Potiphar’s wife out of scorn, falsely accuses him and her husband has no choice but to believe the story. Joseph is tossed in jail and left to rot. Now, back to the favor of the Lord. Did Joseph now lose it? I mean, he has gone from hero to zero in about 8 verses, surely the Lord is somehow punishing Him, right? Has He somehow repealed or retracted His favor from Joseph? Folks, hear this…the favor of God in your life has nothing to do with your circumstances. Let me repeat that. The circumstances that are currently in motion in your life have absolutely nothing to do with the favor of the Lord. And the story of Joseph right here in Genesis, is the proof in God’s Word that I rest my conclusion upon.
I had someone ask me at camp in China one day how I was doing. And it was not just any particular day, it was day 18 of camp. Now something you need to know about the China camp is that it wears on you. Like a hundred miles on good running shoes, the process just wears and takes a toll. My honest reply was, “I’m excellent.” Their reply was “really, how?” “Aren’t you tired and homesick?” I said, “of course I am, but I do my best not to let my circumstances determine my joy from the Lord.” I call it living a circumstantial life. Letting what’s happening in your life dictate your level of Godly joy.
You see, Joseph did not let his circumstances determine how he saw and communed with God. He did not let what was happening in his life determine how he served and worshipped God. What a picture we see from Joseph on the real favor of the Lord. So, as a result guess what? Yep, the favor of the Lord, never left Joseph, it just materializes differently now. In a strange turn of God-inspired events, Joseph rises to become the head of the prison, second only to the warden. This young man’s life, thus far, was a roller coaster indeed.
The life lesson today? Don’t live a circumstantial life. Don’t look at your circumstances today and draw your conclusion about how God is blessing you. The favor of the Lord rested on Joseph when he was a new slave in shackles, weeping about his plight. The favor of the Lord rested on Joseph as he was loyally operating Pharaoh’s entire household. The favor of the Lord was with Joseph as he was publically humiliated by Pharaoh’s wife and falsely thrown into prison to die. The favor of the Lord was with Joseph as he found mercy in the eyes of the warden. And the favor of the Lord will continue in Joseph’s life. Palace or prison, Joseph walked in the favor of the Lord.
Folks, what a glorious Heavenly Father we serve today. He has a grand vision and a perfect plan for each of us. A purpose for each of us to serve Him and therefore further the kingdom of God. You must always see this. If you’re in bondage today, you still have the favor of God. If you’re in prison today, you still have the favor of God. If you’re riding high today in a big house with great clothes and lots of money, it’s the same favor of God. Praise God for his favor upon you wherever you’re at, because one truth of life exists…your circumstances could all change tomorrow…just don’t let your view of God’s goodness and favor change along with them.
Be blessed my beloved brothers and sisters.
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