God is Always Working!

             As we continue our look at the women of the Bible, we come to Potiphar’s wife.  She appears to be so inconsequential to God’s story that she isn’t even given a name.  She is known only as the wife of the Captain of the Guard.  Surprisingly, she plays an important part in God’s plan.

            Joseph, son of Jacob, encountered this deceitful woman after he was sold into slavery by his brothers.  Potiphar became his Master, and because Joseph served him well, he made Joseph head of his household.  Joseph was put in charge of everything Potiphar owned.

            Enter Potiphar’s wife!  Joseph was young and handsome, and immediately she attempted to seduce him.  Joseph gave three reasons why he could not concede to her temptations.  First, it would be a sin against God.  Second, she was the wife of his Master, and third, he could not violate the trust that his Master had placed in him.  None of that stopped this sinful woman.  Ultimately, she forced Joseph into a compromising position and accused him of attacking her.  Joseph was thrown into prison as a result.

            So, where was God during this?  It’s easy to think that God had abandoned Joseph.  After all, He had allowed Joseph to be sold and now imprisoned.  Where is the justice and fairness in that?  What Joseph didn’t know is what we can now see with the benefit of hindsight.  God was working all things out in His time.

            Eventually, Joseph gained favor with Pharoah by interpreting his dream.  As a reward, Pharoah made him second in command over the entire nation of Egypt.  That allowed Joseph to prepare for the coming famine.  It was that preparation that put Joseph in a position to save the Israelites from starvation.  In Genesis 12, God promised Abraham that He would bless Israel so that it could bless other nations.  This was one small fulfillment of that promise as both Israel and Egypt survived the famine.

            So, what do we learn about God?  Sometimes bad things happen to good people.  He doesn’t cause those things—it is the result of sin.  However, He may use those events in His Master Plan, and He walks with us through those difficult seasons.  I’m sure there were probably times when Joseph wanted to give up, but God’s hand was always on him.  Even Potiphar saw that (Genesis 39: 3).  God never abandoned him.

            We all experience bad things in our lives.  We have difficult seasons where we can’t help but wonder if God cares.  Never doubt that God is working.  We may not understand His ways.  We may long for Him to stop the pain.  We may want the “Potiphar’s wife’s temptations” to be removed from our lives.  We may even think that He has forgotten us, just as Joseph probably did while he was in that prison. Unfortunately, sin cost us much—our peace, our sanctuary, our communion with God.  Fortunately, God restored all that on Calvary.  Despite life’s storms, we can have God’s peace.  He is our refuge and protector, and His one desire is that personal relationship with Him.  Potiphar’s wife gave us a glimpse of how God works through all the ups and downs of our lives.  Don’t take Him for granted!  He is faithful!

Genesis 39

Philippians 4: 4 - 7

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