Dreaming with Joseph: Scandal

June 24^th, 2018      “Scandal”      Rev. Heather Jepsen

Summer Sermon Series: Dreaming with Joseph

Genesis 39

         This morning we return to our summer sermon series, “Dreaming with Joseph.”  When we began our journey a few weeks ago we met Joseph and his brothers in their dysfunctional family.  Their father, Jacob, had made it clear that Joseph was the favorite son by giving him the gift of a special robe.  The brothers were overcome with jealousy and planned to kill Joseph.  In a twist of fate, Joseph was saved from death and sold into slavery.  That is where we pick up our story today.

         (Read Genesis 39:1-6a)

         Joseph has been sold to Potiphar, an officer in Pharaoh’s court and the captain of the guard.  In a surprising difference from last week, God appears in the narrative.  We read that “the Lord was with Joseph” and this sense of blessing leads to his success. 

         Even though he is a man of Egyptian origin, Joseph’s owner Potiphar notices that Joseph has been blessed by the God of Israel.  Everything that Joseph is involved with seems to succeed, so the man gives Joseph more and more responsibility.  This says a lot about the character and nature of Joseph, as well as about the power of the Hebrew God.

         (Read Genesis 39:6b-18)

         Although the Lord is with Joseph and he is favored by his master that will not save him from scandal and ruin.  His master’s wife, who remains un-named within the story, desires a sexual relationship with Joseph.  She can see that he is handsome, and he is probably often at home with her while the master is away.  The temptation is great, but Joseph’s sense of character is greater.  He refuses her advances, claiming loyalty to his master. 

         As Potiphar’s wife sees she will not succeed in her desire to sleep with Joseph, she settles for revenge instead.  Grabbing his cloak, she concocts a story of attempted rape.  She uses Joseph’s outsider status as a Hebrew to prey on the fear and prejudice of her community.  “This foreigner has attacked me” she cries, and now surely there must be judgment for his crimes.

         (Read Genesis 39:19-23)

         Potiphar is angry at this accusation against Joseph and needs to find a proper punishment to save face with his wife and society.  Whether or not Joseph committed the crime is not in question.  He is an accused foreigner and that is enough for condemnation.  Potiphar is lenient, as most slaves in this position would receive the penalty of death.  Joseph is merely put into prison, the prison that was specifically for Pharaoh's prisoners.

         Once again we read that the Lord is with Joseph and gives him favor, and once again Egyptians around Joseph notice this and offer him special treatment.  The chief jailor sees that Joseph is a man of integrity and responsibility, despite the crime he is accused of.  And the jailor offers responsibility to Joseph, giving him charge over the care of other prisoners.  Just as he rose to power in the home of Potiphar, Joseph now rises to power within the structure of the king’s jail.

         There are three things I want to point out in our story today and the first is the role of Potiphar’s wife.  It is not often that women play such a central part in our scripture readings.  Though she is not given a name, Potiphar’s wife certainly plays an important role in the story of Joseph and his eventual rise to power within Egypt.

         Potiphar’s wife is a troubling character, especially in the day and age of the “me too” movement.  What shall we say about this woman who aggressively pursues a man who is not her husband, and then wrongly accuses an innocent man of rape when he refuses her advances?

         While feminists rightly see a caricature of men’s fears of women’s sexuality; more than anything, the character of Potiphar’s wife is set into the story as a contrast to Joseph.  In the Women’s Bible Commentary we read:

“The wisdom hero lives by the sort of advice offered in wisdom collections such as the biblical book of Proverbs.  One of the dominant themes in Proverbs is to keep one’s distance from the loose woman, the adulteress.  Joseph exemplifies the wise man: hardworking, sober, God fearing, and able to resist forbidden fruit.  Potiphar’s wife exemplifies the female personification of anti-wisdom: disloyal to her husband, quick to seek satisfaction in forbidden places, strongly sexual, and duplicitous.  In vengeance she uses the garment she has ripped from Joseph to accuse him of her own misdeed.  Her accusation to the servants, repeated to her husband, echoes the accurate description of what has happened, but now recasts the information in a lie.  Wisdom and anti-wisdom, truth and lies, are thus reverse images.”

         As we can see, the role of Potiphar’s wife serves as a foil to the character of Joseph.  We understand how good Joseph is by understanding how bad she is.

         That brings me to the second thing I wanted to point out in this text which is Joseph’s character.  Not only in his dealings with Potiphar’s wife but throughout this narrative, we find that Joseph is one who acts with the most upright character and morality.

         In contrast to the stories of his trickster father, Jacob, Joseph is honest to a fault and always choosing the moral high road.  He is loyal, patient, wise, and faithful.  This enables him to be put in positions of trust, and to gain acclaim in whatever situation he finds himself, be that as a slave or as a prisoner in a jail.  Also, Joseph’s outstanding moral character magnifies the work of God within his life.  Because Joseph behaves so well, God is able to do more through his life.  Because Joseph makes good choices, those around him recognize the blessing of God.  God’s ability to work through Joseph is directly tied to Joseph’s character.

         This brings me to the final thing I wish to discuss with this passage, and that is the role of God.  When we read chapter 37 a few weeks ago God was nowhere to be found.  There was no mention of God in the text and no reference to any character’s faith.  And yet in today’s reading, God is suddenly forefront in the action.  Suddenly the Lord is with Joseph, the Lord blesses Joseph, and outsiders recognize the power of God through Joseph’s life.

         One reason for this could be that Joseph is now alone.  He is no longer with his family, he is no longer with his brothers, and he is now outside the religious structure.  He is the only Hebrew in a community of Egyptians.  Perhaps Joseph’s separation from familiar surroundings and from his family has caused him to notice the presence of God in his life.  Even today, many young adults don’t truly understand their faith until they leave home and spend some time searching without the help of family and friends.

         It is important to note that even though the presence of the Lord is with Joseph, and Joseph is blessed by God, that doesn’t relieve him from suffering.  Joseph is still sent to prison, wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife.  This is a good reminder that bad things will still happen to good people, and that God never promises us a life without suffering.  Even though he is faithful, even though God is with him, even though he did nothing wrong, Joseph is still wrongly accused and sent to prison.  Faith in God will not excuse us from suffering.  And just like Joseph, we will often find that life is unfair.

         And so today we end our story of Joseph.  He is in prison, wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit.  What will happen next for this morally upright Hebrew dreamer, trapped in a foreign land?  Come back next week to find out as we continue “Dreaming with Joseph”.  Amen.