And his master saw that the LORDwas with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
Potiphar, an idolatrous captain of the guard surrounded by wealth and vice, saw that the Lord was with the Hebrew slave he had bought and made everything in his hand prosper, so he entrusted all he owned to Joseph's care. God had not left Joseph alone when he was torn from his father into Egypt, but watched over him and led him by a divine hand. That success came not by direct miracle but by divine blessing crowning persevering industry, diligence, care and energy. Joseph openly kept his purity and loyalty to God without hiding his faith or yielding principle to please those around him, and he gave God the credit for his prosperity until even his heathen master accepted it as the secret. In this way his faithful life made God's presence evident, making him a representative of the true God to bring blessing and knowledge of Him amid heathen darkness.
God With Joseph in Egypt
Potiphar, who bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, was captain of the king's guard, an idolater surrounded by Egyptian idolatry, wealth and vice. God did not leave Joseph to go into Egypt alone but was with him after he was separated from his father, with angels preparing the way for his reception. God's eye was upon him and a divine hand led him, showing God had not forgotten him in his trials.
The Lord prospered Joseph and greatly blessed his work, giving him favor with his master. Potiphar entrusted all that he possessed to Joseph's care and left all that he had in Joseph's hand. He knew nothing of his own affairs except the bread he ate, because it was considered an abomination for a Hebrew to prepare food for an Egyptian. That prosperity was not the result of a direct miracle but of the divine blessing crowning persevering industry, diligence, thoughtful care-taking, care and energy. Physical and mental powers must be exercised for full and perfect development, and without steadfast, well-directed effort such success is never attained.
Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph because everything placed under his care prospered, and Joseph's faithful life made God's presence evident to others. Joseph credited his success to the favor of God, and even his idolatrous master accepted that as the secret of his unparalleled prosperity. So Potiphar's confidence grew daily until he promoted Joseph to steward with full control over all his possessions and affairs.
Faithfulness That Honors God
Joseph kept his simplicity, purity and God-fearing fidelity while surrounded by idolatry, wealth and vice that was repulsive to his principles. He refused to hide that he was a worshiper of Jehovah in order to gain favor, refused to let his thoughts linger on the vice and revelry around him, and refused to sacrifice principle to please the Egyptians. He was unashamed of the religion of his fathers and openly loved and feared God, consulting duty rather than inclination, with fixed purpose of heart and purity of motive, trusting in God without discouragement through testing of courage and uprightness.
The excellence of his character came from God, to whom the glory for his conduct belongs, for he looked to the Lord as his friend and protector and was made a representative of godly character. His ability to stand in that corrupt heathen court depended on God's grace and not on his own strength. His success came from careful training in early years, with the purity and simple trust of the boy bearing fruit in the firmness of character, uprightness and wisdom of the man.
His firm, unswerving principle was founded on dwelling on themes of eternal interest, especially Christ bearing the terrible burden of the sins of the world on Calvary. There Christ endured the hiding of His Father's face, shame, cruel scourging, insult and mockery to reconcile fallen man to God and rescue him from endless death. Dwelling on these themes strengthens the mind, develops character, turns conversation to heaven whence the Saviour is looked for, makes vain thoughts seem out of place, excludes foolish jesting and joking, and is the secret of growth in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.
God is glorified by the faithfulness of His servant, with the believer in purity and uprightness standing in marked contrast to worshipers of idols so that the light and power of heavenly grace shine amid heathen darkness and superstition. In Potiphar's house Joseph was a representative of Jehovah and the true God to a foreign, heathen people, bearing his religious faith and his name as a worshiper of the living God as a special honor and never compromising with idolaters. His faithful life made him a representative of the God he worshiped, and his captivity served God's purpose of bringing blessing to others through knowledge of Him.
This was not accident but ordered by Providence, for God worked for Joseph because he was a youth of firm principle whom God could use to carry out His purposes. Joseph honored God in both prosperity and adversity, and God honored in return those who honored Him. Even while rightdoing brought Joseph suffering and persecution, his story shows that God can bring victory through apparent hardship and use a faithful servant's trials for good.
As a stranger and slave his faithfulness in even a lowly station amid vice and the attractions of heathen worship trained his powers for greater service, so he was trusted with great responsibilities. That path led from unjust accusation and prison to sharing the throne of Egypt. Tried and proved, he stood firm to principle and became a representative man and a pattern of integrity in his probationary time of testing and proving. He is an example of obedience and character shaped after the divine likeness through whom Christ can reveal Himself, worthy of imitation by children, youth and students who are themselves responsible for the kind of character they build to stand the test of the judgment and decide their own eternal destiny, and his example is a model for institutions serving God, with every institution to be to the world what Joseph was in Egypt.
Potiphar, an idolatrous captain of the guard surrounded by wealth and vice, saw that the Lord was with the Hebrew slave he had bought and made everything in his hand prosper, so he entrusted all he owned to Joseph's care. God had not left Joseph alone when he was torn from his father into Egypt, but watched over him and led him by a divine hand. That success came not by direct miracle but by divine blessing crowning persevering industry, diligence, care and energy. Joseph openly kept his purity and loyalty to God without hiding his faith or yielding principle to please those around him, and he gave God the credit for his prosperity until even his heathen master accepted it as the secret. In this way his faithful life made God's presence evident, making him a representative of the true God to bring blessing and knowledge of Him amid heathen darkness.
God With Joseph in Egypt
Potiphar, who bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, was captain of the king's guard, an idolater surrounded by Egyptian idolatry, wealth and vice. God did not leave Joseph to go into Egypt alone but was with him after he was separated from his father, with angels preparing the way for his reception. God's eye was upon him and a divine hand led him, showing God had not forgotten him in his trials.
The Lord prospered Joseph and greatly blessed his work, giving him favor with his master. Potiphar entrusted all that he possessed to Joseph's care and left all that he had in Joseph's hand. He knew nothing of his own affairs except the bread he ate, because it was considered an abomination for a Hebrew to prepare food for an Egyptian. That prosperity was not the result of a direct miracle but of the divine blessing crowning persevering industry, diligence, thoughtful care-taking, care and energy. Physical and mental powers must be exercised for full and perfect development, and without steadfast, well-directed effort such success is never attained.
Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph because everything placed under his care prospered, and Joseph's faithful life made God's presence evident to others. Joseph credited his success to the favor of God, and even his idolatrous master accepted that as the secret of his unparalleled prosperity. So Potiphar's confidence grew daily until he promoted Joseph to steward with full control over all his possessions and affairs.
Faithfulness That Honors God
Joseph kept his simplicity, purity and God-fearing fidelity while surrounded by idolatry, wealth and vice that was repulsive to his principles. He refused to hide that he was a worshiper of Jehovah in order to gain favor, refused to let his thoughts linger on the vice and revelry around him, and refused to sacrifice principle to please the Egyptians. He was unashamed of the religion of his fathers and openly loved and feared God, consulting duty rather than inclination, with fixed purpose of heart and purity of motive, trusting in God without discouragement through testing of courage and uprightness.
The excellence of his character came from God, to whom the glory for his conduct belongs, for he looked to the Lord as his friend and protector and was made a representative of godly character. His ability to stand in that corrupt heathen court depended on God's grace and not on his own strength. His success came from careful training in early years, with the purity and simple trust of the boy bearing fruit in the firmness of character, uprightness and wisdom of the man.
His firm, unswerving principle was founded on dwelling on themes of eternal interest, especially Christ bearing the terrible burden of the sins of the world on Calvary. There Christ endured the hiding of His Father's face, shame, cruel scourging, insult and mockery to reconcile fallen man to God and rescue him from endless death. Dwelling on these themes strengthens the mind, develops character, turns conversation to heaven whence the Saviour is looked for, makes vain thoughts seem out of place, excludes foolish jesting and joking, and is the secret of growth in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.
God is glorified by the faithfulness of His servant, with the believer in purity and uprightness standing in marked contrast to worshipers of idols so that the light and power of heavenly grace shine amid heathen darkness and superstition. In Potiphar's house Joseph was a representative of Jehovah and the true God to a foreign, heathen people, bearing his religious faith and his name as a worshiper of the living God as a special honor and never compromising with idolaters. His faithful life made him a representative of the God he worshiped, and his captivity served God's purpose of bringing blessing to others through knowledge of Him.
This was not accident but ordered by Providence, for God worked for Joseph because he was a youth of firm principle whom God could use to carry out His purposes. Joseph honored God in both prosperity and adversity, and God honored in return those who honored Him. Even while rightdoing brought Joseph suffering and persecution, his story shows that God can bring victory through apparent hardship and use a faithful servant's trials for good.
As a stranger and slave his faithfulness in even a lowly station amid vice and the attractions of heathen worship trained his powers for greater service, so he was trusted with great responsibilities. That path led from unjust accusation and prison to sharing the throne of Egypt. Tried and proved, he stood firm to principle and became a representative man and a pattern of integrity in his probationary time of testing and proving. He is an example of obedience and character shaped after the divine likeness through whom Christ can reveal Himself, worthy of imitation by children, youth and students who are themselves responsible for the kind of character they build to stand the test of the judgment and decide their own eternal destiny, and his example is a model for institutions serving God, with every institution to be to the world what Joseph was in Egypt.