God is With Us

God is with His people at all times. Regardless of the circumstances in our lives, God is with His people. Throughout the scriptures God demonstrates His presence in the lives of His people even in their most trying circumstances. The story of Joseph recorded in Genesis is a story in which God never speaks. However, Joseph is keenly aware that God is with him. The story challenges us to look at how God blesses us in both good times and bad times. The story challenges our faith when God is silent. Do we believe that God is with us only during the times that things are well in our lives? Do we believe that God has deserted us when things go against us? Do we need the sun to shine everyday to believe that God is with us? Do we become victims in our own eyes, or do we remain hopeful because we have faith that God is with us? As previously stated, the scriptures have many stories in which God makes His presence known to His servants. This article will focus on the life of Joseph.

The story of Joseph begins in Genesis 37 and continues through Genesis 50. Genesis 38 interrupts the story of Joseph, telling the story of Judah and his relationship to his daughter-in-law Tamar and the birth of their two sons Zerah and Perez. Perez is the ancestor of the kings of Israel beginning with David (see Ruth 4:18-22). Joseph is the eleventh of twelve sons born to the patriarch Jacob. Joseph is the firstborn of Jacob’s wife Rachel. Joseph is born when Jacob is an older man and Jacob is more mature in his relationship with God. I believe that this is significant in the growth and development of Joseph contrasted to the older brothers who were raised during a time of jealousy and conflict between their mothers Leah and Rachel (see (Genesis 29:30-30:24). Jacob loves Joseph and favors him above his brothers. Jacob gives Joseph a multicolor tunic indicating that Jacob has placed him above his brothers.

The rivalry between Joseph and his brothers intensifies when Joseph tells his brothers of his dreams indicating that they will bow down to him. The brothers first plan to kill Joseph, but eventually they sell him to Ishmaelite merchants, traveling in a Midianite caravan, who take him to Egypt and sell him to Potiphar the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. In Genesis 39:2 the writer of Genesis records “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian” (Gen. 39:2, NASB). The Hebrew word saleah is translated prosper in the King James Version. It expresses the idea of success contrasted with failure. God is the source of the success. Immediately after recording Joseph’s unpleasant situation, the writer tells us that Joseph is where God wants him to be. Joseph is accomplishing the things that God wants him to. At this point in the story the writer does not explicitly say that Joseph is aware of God’s presence. When we think like the world with a carnal mind, we measure success by what we accomplish by the world’s standards. Joseph is a slave. He is a young lad whose dreams have turned into nightmares. These are the circumstances that test our faith. These are the situations that cause us to ask God, “why?” These are the things that move our families and friends to think that we have done something terribly wrong. They may say, “God is punishing you for your wrongdoings.”

Again, Joseph is a slave in Egypt. His brothers have invented a story to convince their father that his favorite son has been killed by a vicious animal. They live this lie, and based on Genesis 42:13 they have made this a part of their reality. “But they said, ‘Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive’” (NASB). Potiphar soon sees that God favors Joseph because he sees that Joseph has success in everything that he does. Let us be aware that Potiphar does not know Joseph’s God. Potiphar can see that Joseph’s God gives him qualities that make him successful. Potiphar sees Joseph as a man that can be trusted.

As a result, Potiphar makes Joseph to be in charge of everything in his house. Initially, things are looking good, but Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of sexual harassment because he refuses to respond favorably to her overtures. Based on the text Joseph does not refuse her overtures because he finds her unattractive and undesirable. Joseph’s reason is that Potiphar trust him and if he violates that trust it is a sin against God. (39:8-9). “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. ‘There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this evil and sin against God?’” (NASB). In this statement we learn that Joseph is living his life according to his awareness that God is present in his life.

Potiphar’s wife cries out. When the servants come in she makes her accusations against Joseph. She tells the same lie to Potiphar who puts Joseph in jail. It is another setback for Joseph. However, Joseph is still where God wants him to be. He is doing what God wants him to do. “But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it” (39:21-22, NASB). Later, Joseph interprets the dreams of the king’s baker and cupbearer who are in prison also, and he gives God the credit for the interpretations (40:8). The cupbearer is returned to his position in Pharaoh’s service. Joseph request that the cupbearer speak to Pharaoh on his behalf. Although God is with Joseph and he is favored by first Potiphar and now the chief jailer Joseph is still lonely and suffers depression because he is a slave away from home and family. “‘Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. ‘For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into this dungeon’” (40:14-15, NASB).

Later, Pharaoh has two dreams. The cupbearer tells Pharaoh about Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams. Pharaoh sends for Joseph and he interprets the king’s dreams, and again he gives credit to God. As a result of the interpretation, Pharaoh makes Joseph second ruler in Egypt. He is in charge of implementing a plan in which food is stored for seven years so that the people will not starve during seven years of famine. Due to the food shortage Joseph’s brothers come from their home in Canaan to Egypt to buy grain. They bow to the man who sells them grain, but they do not know that it is their brother Joseph. At first Joseph conceals his identity, but eventually he makes himself known to his brothers. Joseph sends for his father and his whole family. Joseph takes care of his family in the land of Goshen. Jacob dies and his sons take him back to Canaan to be buried with his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.

After the death of their father Jacob, Joseph’s brothers thinks that he remembers how they had treated him. Joseph assures them that no harm will come to them. “Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’ But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? ‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive’” (50:18-20, NASB). Joseph has known all along that God is with us.