Fear No Fear

“Meanwhile the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.” (Genesis 37:36). How is this an affirmation of anything but life sucking? Well, Joseph got sold to Potiphar. Let’s take a quick look at that. Scholars believe the ‘officer of’ part means Potiphar was a eunuch. This was often done to the officers nearest the Pharaoh so that the officer and the officer’s sons couldn’t join forces and assassinate the Pharaoh. Eunuch meant no sons. It also meant a wife who was maybe a little friskier for male companion than other wives. It gave an opportunity for Joseph to be accused of rape and adultery and imprisoned with a very handy nearby prison because Potiphar was ‘captain of the guard’. That meant he was a judge in the land. Which meant (at the time Joseph was there – during the reigns of Senusret II and III) that he was a priest. He heard the warden’s report of Joseph in the prison and personally put the officials into Joseph’s care (Genesis 49:4 – obviously renewing good relations with Joseph). Potiphar’s connection with Joseph would help him vouch for Joseph’s honesty and upstanding conduct when Pharaoh was told Joseph could interpret dreams. Potiphar gave his daughter to Joseph as a wife when Pharaoh raised his station in life (Genesis 41:45). And the two men worked together throughout the famine (Genesis 47:13-26) as the whole social structure of the land changed. They certainly were together when Joseph went to bury his father Israel (Genesis 50:7-11). Who else but God could orchestrate these two men being put together in the exact circumstances to help each other and get Joseph into the position God wanted him in? The affirmation of today’s verse is the ACTUAL position of Joseph in regard to God and His favour, not what APPEARED to be the position. You may not be thrilled where you are, but God is moving and arranging so very many things so that (if you’re faithful and obedient) you will end up in the exact position He needs you to be – and giving you the opportunity to shine in big and small ways along the way. Amen.