Introduction: Joseph has been sold into slavery, but his father believes his favorite son is dead.  We now find Joseph in Egypt, working for the captain of the king’s guard.  

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3) Rising and Falling, from Genesis 39

Joseph rose quickly in the house of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.  In a short time, Potiphar trusted him to govern the whole household: “So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.”

But Potiphar’s wife had plans.  “Come to me,” she invited.  Joseph refused: “My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”  But day after day she pursued him.

One day Joseph was alone in the house, and Potiphar’s wife came to him again, and grabbed him by the cloak.  Joseph ran out of the room, his cloak in her hands.  The woman was furious and called the other servants: “That slave came in here to me.  When I screamed for help, he ran.  Look at his robe!”  

(Notice how deception again enters the story.)

When Potiphar arrived home, he believed his wife’s tale, and had Joseph thrown into the prison that was used for the king’s convicts.  

But again, the story doesn’t end there:

“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD 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 the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”

Make it a great trip!

Daddio