Metz03/10/19

Joseph Tested and Approved

Gen. 37:25-36; Gen 39:1-20

A young nurse who worked in the emergency room in a certain hospital shared a story about a certain pastor in her city. When anyone from this pastors church had an accident and ended up in the emergency room, he would rush to the hospital. His first words to the victim and family were, Remember, God had nothing to do with this. Was the pastor trying to protect Gods reputation? Was the pastor concerned that those in his church would desert the faith? Whatever he was trying to do, in the end it wasnt helpful. Why? Because he was unconsciously moving God right out of the picture and leaving the injured person in the hands of either Satan or blind, cruel fate[footnoteRef:1] [1: Reisinger, The Sovereignty of God in Providence, page 4]

As much as we dont appreciate that pastors methods, many of us do probably struggle with the idea of locating our loving, powerful, merciful, faithful God at the scene of a crime or at the onset of a life-threatening illness or at an explosion of evil like Joseph experienced last week. Is God really present at those times? We asserted last week that He is! We asserted that God is present in our lives when the sun is shining and everything is right with the world. And God is present in our lives when the bottom falls out and everything goes south. In fact we live out our lives in the presence of God. And we introduced a Latin phrase that communicates that very thing

We live out our lives Coram Deo. We live out our lives in the presence of God.

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Last week we looked at the first twenty four verses of Genesis 37familiar verses typically. Long story short, there came to be lots of bad blood between Joseph and his brothers. It started with a bad report by Joseph about some of his step-brothers behavior. It escalated when Jacob, out of favoritism, set Joseph apart with a coat of many colors. It escalated further when God granted Joseph two dreams which seemed to communicate that one day Joseph would rule over his brothers.

You can see this escalating hatred in the text--verse 4, they hated him and could not speak peacefully with him; verse 5, they hated him even more; verse 8, they hated him even more for his dreams. The escalating hatred is like a fuse on a piece of dynamite that just keeps getting shorter and shorter.

Well one day his brothers went to pasture their fathers flock near Shechem which was 50 miles away, perhaps a 5-day journey distant. And Jacob sent Joseph to check on them: Is everything ok with my sons?

{They happened to be pasturing the flock near the city where Simeon and Levi had led a terrible massacre just two years before--thats back in Genesis 34.}

By the time that Joseph had arrived in Shechem the brothers had moved twelve miles further to Dothan. We located those places on a map last week.

Well the brothers saw Joseph coming and their hatred for him boiled over. Verse 18 says, They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. Here comes this master of dreams they said. Come now lets kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him.

When Joseph arrived, he encountered an explosion of evil. They stripped him of his coat and threw him in an abandoned cistern.

We said last week that the the verbs of verse 23 and 24 describe a brutal assault. They stripped him is a term to describe the skinning of an animal (Lev 1:6).[footnoteRef:2] [2: Hughes, Genesis, page 445]

Well if you have your bible, we pick up Josephs story in Genesis 37, verse 25.

25 Then they (the brothers) sat down to eattheyve thrown Joseph in the empty cistern, Joseph is pleading for his life--twenty years later his brothers will remember the way he pled for his life, well see that in several weeks--and the brothers callously sit down to eat a bite. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

Lets not miss thistheres a caravan of Ishmaelites[footnoteRef:3] coming from Gilead through Dothan and headed to Egypt. Lets locate these three places on a map [3: Who are the Ishmaelites? Theyre just a people group in the Sinai Peninsula. Later in the chapter we find out they are Midianites, the same people group that Moses father-in-law came from. Now the text in the next verses uses the term Ishmaelites and Midianites interchangeably. A verse in Judges 8, Judges 8:24 connects the two. The Ishmaelite traders were made up of the descendants of Abraham through Keturah (Gen. 25:1) and also Midianites who were residents of the desert with whom the Ishmaelites had intermarried. The point is that both groups were outside the covenant. Joseph was sold to a non-covenant people (Hughes, Genesis, page 446) It would seem that Ismaelites was an inclusive term for Israels nomadic cousins somewhat as Arab embraces numerous tribes in our way of speaking. (Kidner) Ishmaelites may have been a title for nomadic merchants. (Davis, Paradise to Prison, page 265) ]

You can see Gilead on the right of the map--Gilead is the territory east of the Jordan River. So these Ishmaelites/ Midianite tradersthe names are used interchangeably in the text, Ishmaelites and Midianites.come from Gilead and they travel through Dothan (the second blue circle at the top of the map) on their way to Egypt (bottom left on the map)

Looking at the route on the map, we could say it this way: Dothan just happens to be one of the Midianite/Ishmaelite bus stops on their route to Egypt from Gilead. Now thats interesting isnt it? So Joseph and his brothers just happen to be in Dothan. They left Hebronlets go 50 miles to Shechem to graze our sheep. And then they say, Hey guys lets go further to Dothan. And the Midianite traders headed to Egypt just happen to be passing through Dothan on their way to Egypt at the very moment Joseph needs a ride.at the very moment that Joseph needs a ride. The brothers sat down to eat and they look up and lo and behold theres a caravan passing by headed to Egypt.

Now the question that makes this scene really beautiful in my way of thinking is this, When did this caravan begin its journey? Now of course the bible doesnt tell us that but we have to believe it was many days before right? (Now given that this caravan is going to be Josephs taxi ride to Egypt were thinking ahead in the storythat means that the solution to Josephs problem was put in place before Joseph had a problem, the caravan started way before Joseph was thrown in the pit)

Think of the wonder of that! Because God is sovereign, because God knows the future, because God works all things together for good he can put in place the solutions to our problems before we even have the problems we have. Some of you probably have stories in your life where God did that.

{Think about Jonah being thrown off the ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Seawhen Jonah was thrown into the water, did God say, Oh myI better get a fish over there right away! or had that big fish been shadowing that boat for some time?}

OR CONSIDER THIS.

{I met my wife on a street corner in Dallas. Not to worry! We had just come out of the same bible study. What if Id stopped to go to the bathroom before heading to that street corner? What if Id stopped to talk to someone in the Sunday school room before I headed to that fateful street corner?}

All of this falls under the heading of Gods providence. We mentioned the concept last week.

So the word providence literally means to see beforehand. And here is another good definition: Gods activity through history in providing for the needs of human beings, especially those who follow him in faith.

Didnt Jesus say to his followers in Matthew 10? 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Our heavenly father knows when a sparrow dies! 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. God is involved in the smallest of details in our lives. Do you keep track of the number of hairs on your head? Not individually right? So what does that mean? It means that God takes care of stuff in our lives to the level of detail that we would never take care of them! Whats the conclusion? 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.[footnoteRef:4] [4: Matthew 10:29-31]

Think about whats happened in the Joseph story so far

Vs. 12-13, The brothers just happened to wander all the way up to Shechem, and Jacob their father just happened to be concerned for their safety and he sent Joseph to see about them.

Vs. 17 The brothers just happened to move to Dothan, a bus stop so to speak on the main caravan route to Egypt.

Vs. 17 Joseph, as he went looking for them, just happened to wander in a field where he met an anonymous man who overheard the brothers plans to go to Dothan. Joseph just happened to be pointed in the right direction by this anonymous man.

Vs. 23 Joseph just happened to meet his brothers while he was sporting his multicolored coat and this was the straw that broke the camels back! the tick or tock that caused the bomb to explode, the burn of the fuse right before the dynamite exploded. Their resentment exploded and they threw Joseph in the pit. What if he had chosen to not wear it on that particular day?

Vs. 25 An Ishmaelite caravan on its way to Egypt just happened to be passing by that particular place at that particular time.

Chip Ingram writes Gods name is never mentioned in Genesis 37 but his fingerprints are found everywhere! It was not chance that all this happened. The sovereign Lord was invisibly arranging all those apparent accidents of life, using both the routine circumstances of life and the evil deeds of sinful people for his own ends.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Ingram, page 47]

Look at verse 26 and 27

26Then Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened to him.

So Reuben, the first born, had an idea back in verse 22.Lets dont shed his blood, lets throw him into this pit(for he intended to rescue Joseph). And now Judah, the fourth born, has the idea to sell Joseph to these traders who are passing by.

So we can add those initiatives by the older brothers to our list of just happened circumstances

Verse 22 It just happened that Rueben suggested Instead of killing him, lets throw Joseph into this pit

Verse 27 It just happened that Judah suggested that Joseph be sold to the caravaners passing by on the way to Egypt.

{Judah in the end saved Josephs life didnt he? From here on out, Judah will play a more active role in leadership and by the end of the story, many chapters from now, many years from now, Judah will seem a reasonable choice to bear the Messianic line--Jesus comes from the tribe of Judah[footnoteRef:6] [6: Hughes, page 447]

Do you not see Gods invisible hand in the circumstances of Josephs life? Gods got Joseph in his grip even though he is going through horribly difficult circumstances

Again think about what happened. On the spur of the moment it occurs to Judah to sell Joseph, so Joseph happens to end up in Egypt. The favoritism of a father and sibling rivalry (end) in selling the favorite son into Egypt as a slave--its the crime of the century![footnoteRef:7] But God is using all of it for a bigger purpose. [7: Waltke, page 492]

28Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. Why 20 shekels? Twenty shekels of silver was probably the current slave price at the time[footnoteRef:8] [8: Kidner, Genesis, page 183]

(I mentioned that the Joseph story foreshadows the Jesus story in a ton of ways. Just as Judah betrayed Joseph for silver, so Judas betrayed Jesus for silver)

29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30and returned to his brothers and said, The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go? 31Then they took Josephs robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.

Apparently, Reuben as the oldest brother who cares for the flocks, was on the go. He left and now he comes back and finds that Joseph is no longer in the pit. And his plan to save Joseph has been foiled. [footnoteRef:9] Where shall I go?, he laments. [9: Hughes, Genesis, page 447]

The many colored robe began in deep love. Then it was torn in deep hate. Now it is the main tool for deception[footnoteRef:10] [10: Hughes, Genesis, page 447]

There is bitter irony here as Jacobs sons used their brothers clothing and the blood of a slain goat to deceive Jacob, just as Jacob had long ago deceived his own father Isaac with his brothers clothing and a dish cooked from a slain goat[footnoteRef:11]. [11: Hughes, page 448]

Let me open that up a bit so it becomes clearer Back in Genesis 27, Rebekah, Jacob and Esaus mother, told Jacob to get a goat from the flock and make a savory dish with it and dress up in Esaus clothes, so that they could deceive their father and husband Isaacand now Jacobs sons are using their brothers clothing and the meat from a slain goat to deceive Jacob.

Well in verses 32-36, they bring the coat of many colors back to their father Jacob. And he immediately identifies it as Josephs coat. That wouldnt be hard would it? He quickly concludes a fierce animal has devoured Joseph and that he was torn to pieces. He mourned for Joseph many days and refused to be comforted. And I suppose that those who have lost a child can relate.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[footnoteRef:12]c sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaohs officials, the captain of the guard. [footnoteRef:13] [12: c Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites] [13: The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984]

{You know at this point Joseph had many reasons to feel self-pity and anger with God. Kent Hughes writes: He had been relationally crippled by his fathers overweening favoritism. He had suffered from the yours, mine, ours relational pathology of polygamy. He had been monstrously abused by his brothers and the scars were there to stay[footnoteRef:14]. He had just experienced an agonizing trip to Egypt and the naked humiliation on the slave block of Egypt. He had many reasons to feel self-pity and anger with God. [14: Hughes, page 448]

I could wish that the text helped us know how he slayed the enemies of self-pity and anger with God. Was he trusting in the promises of God? Did he nurture his soul with the dreams that God gave him? Did he believe that one day his family would bow down to him as part of Gods mysterious plan? [footnoteRef:15] Was he able to reason that because God was good he was working out his good plan even if there was no evidence of that in the events of his life? [15: Hughes, page 449]

Here is reality. Real life is unfair. Real life deals out many inequities. Real life is filled with sin and sinners. Real wounds are everywhere. But the transcending eternal reality is that God is all-powerful and that his massive providence is at work in his childrens behalf. (Because of that) life brims with hope and optimism.[footnoteRef:16] [16: Hughes, page 450]

How long Joseph was a slave we dont really know. We do have a rather obscure reference to Josephs time as a slave---and by the way this second outfit represents Josephs time as a slave--we do have a rather obscure reference to Josephs time as a slave in Psalm 105:16-19.

Lets observe four things from Psalm 105:16-19

1. Vs. 16 God summoned a famine on the land (now that hasnt happened in our story yet) but notice that the psalmist puts God in charge of the weather.

2. Vs 17 God sent a man ahead of them, Joseph who was sold as a slave. So God is clearly behind everything that has come together to get Joseph to Egypt. God sent Joseph ahead of his family.

3. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron--thats probably the only picture we have of Joseph as a slave. How painful and sad that must have been for Joseph!

And finally

4. The word of the LORD was testing him through it all. Weve asked the why question lots already in our time with Josephs story. Why is God doing this? Why is God letting this happen? Here in this rather obscure reference in Psalm 105, the window is briefly opened into the why behind Gods work in Josephs life. Why did God allow Joseph to go through so many difficulties? He was testing him.

If we call in the insights of Deuteronomy 8 here--which admittedly is not about Joseph but its about the ways God tested the nation of Israel--so admittedly were just wondering out loud here

Could God have been testing Joseph to humble him?[footnoteRef:17] to make him God dependent? [17: Deut. 8:2]

Could God have been testing Joseph to know what was in his heart?[footnoteRef:18] [18: Deut. 8:2]

Could God have been teaching Joseph that man doesnt live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD?[footnoteRef:19] [19: Deut. 8:3]

Thats why God was testing the nation Israel Could it have been why God was testing Joseph? We can only wonder.

The book of James tells us that God tests our faith to produce endurance or steadfastness, or grit.

Gods tests of faith produce steadfastness. What is steadfastness? Endurance, faithfulness, sticking with something to the end, grit. A life of faithful endurance amid troubles and afflictions.[footnoteRef:20] And that steadfastness is to have its full effect that we may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing. [20: ESV Study Bible page 2391]

{Steve Young, famous retired quarterback for the 49ers, arrived at Brigham Young as a freshman. And that freshman year he was the 8th string quarterback. He called home at the end of his freshman year and talked with his dad, They use me as tackling dummy dadThey dont even know mecan I come home? His dad said, You can quit but you cant live here; quitters dont live in this house Well Young took the challenge. He worked extra hard in the two months that his team was off. He threw 10,000 passes in December and January. He had rigged up a kind of a cage with a net and target at the end of it. Well his sophomore year he was 2nd string quarterback. His junior year he made first string and won several awards. And his senior year he was incredible. He went on to play in the NFL with distinction for the SanFrancisco 49ers.[footnoteRef:21]} [21: From the book Grit]

Gods tests help our character grow. So all of these hard things are helping Joseph grow up.

Theres an old proverb (thats not from the bible), Smooth seas dont make skillful sailors.[footnoteRef:22] Do you understand? Its troubled seas--difficulties, trials, that make a skillful sailor. [22: Inrig, page ]

Well the last verse of Genesis 37, verse 36, says that Joseph was sold in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer to Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

The name Potiphar means he whom (the god) Re has given.[footnoteRef:23] Re was the chief god of the Egyptians. And I mention that to emphasize that Egypt was a bewilderingly foreign place with a bewildering number of so called gods. And the culture of Egypt was different from anything Joseph had ever experienced. If ever someone experienced culture shock, it was Joseph as he arrived in Egypt. [23: Hamilton, Genesis]

Now Josephs story continues in Genesis 39.

{Genesis 38 is an unrelated story about Judah. I say its unrelated but Judah is a foil for Joseph--while Joseph is walking with God and passing every test, Judahs life comes off the tracks}

If you have your bible lets look at verses 1-6 of Genesis 39

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Josephs sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6So he left all that he had in Josephs charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

So Joseph was sold to Potiphar and immediately God began to bless everything Joseph did, verse 2 Why? 2The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man And the Lords blessing spilled over into Potiphars life.[footnoteRef:24] [24: Joseph became a successful manit speaks of achievement rather than status. (Kidner)]

The name YHWH, represented in most of our bibles as capital L-O-R-D, represents the personal covenant name of God. Its used eight times in this chapteronce in vs. 2, twice in verse 3, twice in verse 5, one time in verse 21, and twice in verse 23. The personal covenant keeping God clearly had Joseph in his grip!

{Interestingly enough, the name Yhwh is never again used in the remainder of the Joseph story except when father Jacob uses it on his deathbed (Gen. 49:18).[footnoteRef:25] [25: Hughes, Genesis, page 461]

Gods presence with Joseph should encourage us. Clearly this chapter represents the most uncertain time in Josephs life. His future hangs in the balance. He is alone in Egypt, separated from his family, hes vulnerable. There is a cloud over his future. But is he really alone? In this most precarious time, the Lord is with him[footnoteRef:26] [26: Hamilton, Genesis, page 459]

And the writer of Hebrews reassures you and me that God is with us, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear; what can man do to me? (Hebrews 13:5)

Josephs difficult journey reminded me of the famous poem Footprints in the Sand Its been around a long time. Its probably overused--but you will forgive me wont you?-because its perfect for this season in Josephs life. A man had a dream that he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Scenes from his life flashed across the sky and there were almost always two sets of footprints walking together. But he noticed in the most difficult times there was only one set of footprints. So he questioned the Lord about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to followyou, you'd walk with me all the way.But I have noticed that during the mosttroublesome times in my life,there is only one set of footprints.I don't understand why whenI needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:

"My son, my precious child,I love you and I would never leave you.During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints,it was then that I carried you."

With our theme in mind we could reword the ending of that famous poem. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, I had you in my grip.

So we are to understand that at the most uncertain time of Josephs life, when he could see nothing of God, the covenant God of Israel was at work to effect his covenant promises through Joseph. Alone in Potiphars house with the intimidating architecture of Egypt dwarfing him, living amidst idolatrous hymns, Joseph was not alone. Yahweh was with him to effect a mighty work for his covenant people and the blessing of the world.[footnoteRef:27] [27: Hughes, page 2170]

You and I, whether we are aware of Gods presence in the midst of our trials, are like Joseph, recipients of Gods promises. As I reflected on this, I couldnt help but think of some verses from Romans 8.

Romans 8:2630 26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

There is no question in those verses whether Gods purposes for our lives will be accomplished. The foreknown ones are predestined. The predestined ones are called. The called ones are justified. The justified ones are glorified. There is a golden chain in our salvation that cannot be broken. Gods got us in his grip.

Well Potiphar, because of the blessing on Josephs life from God, verse 4, made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.

And this third outfit (point to the correct outfit) reflects Josephs movement from slave to Potiphars overseer.

Look at verse 6the blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had You see even Potiphar, in our story, was experiencing the Lords blessing because God blessed Joseph.

Now in the midst of this blessing, Joseph experiences a temptation from none other than Potiphars wife, verses 7-20. Ive decided to let you read those verses later if you would like and what I want to do instead is summarize some key principles on temptation.

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Youll see these on your sermon notes. Eight thoughts about temptation with blanks to fill in:

1. What is temptation? Temptation is an enticement or invitation to sin

2. We should expect to encounter temptation as long as were alive. And we should be on our guard. We should be __prepared____. We should be discerning. Watch and pray, Jesus said, that you may not enter temptation.

3. Gods ____love_____ for us, ultimately, is our chief weapon against temptation. Knowing we are loved through and through gives us the security to reject the temptations that come our way.

4. Like Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11, we must use Gods word to fight temptation.

5. Long term we need to renew our mind, Romans 12:1-2. If we hope to resist temptation consistently, we must replace worldly thinking with Gods thoughts, found in Gods word.

6. We must remember that God is faithful, and he will not let us be tempted beyond our ability but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, so we can endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

7. In our fight against sin, we should involve others for support and accountability.

8. When we successfully resist temptation we can grow. The church reformer Martin Luther once noted, My temptations have been my masters in divinity

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Well Potiphars wife framed Joseph. She produced false evidence against Joseph so that he appeared guilty. She got him in trouble and he hadnt done anything wrong.

And verse 20 tells us that Potiphar put Joseph in prison, the place where the kings prisoners were confined. So Joseph gloriously passed every test that God put before him but life went downhill none the less. Hes still headed down in his parabola shaped life.

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If we were able to interview Joseph, how might the interview go?

Joseph, it seems that your world continues to crash down around you. First your brothers throw you into a pit. And then youre sold as a slave. And now youve been framed by Mrs. Potiphar and put in prison and all along youve done nothing wrong. Could you comment on that?

I am confused, Joseph would probably say, I really dont know what God is up to. I have tried and tried to bring honor to God. I have tried and tried to be as faithful as I can. But things continue to get worse, they continue go down hill.

Whats next for you, Joseph?

All I know is to trust God

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Sometime life doesnt make sense. It can feel like a maze. On your sermon notes there is a simple maze. Take a minute and see if you can get from the arrow on the left to the arrow on the right without crossing any lines.

Everyone done? Perhaps you found the maze to be pretty easy. If you found the maze easy, why? Why was it easy? Its not very complicated. Thats right. Why else? Well its easy to solve a maze looking down on it from the birds eye view. But its hard to make progress in a maze when youre actually in it--not able to see the big picture from above.

We can imagine that Joseph feels like he is in a maze. He doesnt know which way will lead him out of the trouble he is in. All he can do is take one step at a time and trust the God who has him in his grip. Some of you can relate to life feeling like a maze.

How strange and mysterious Gods pathways are.

Two principles as we close.

1. When things are the darkest and hardest, God is most certainly present with us. Weve said this before.

Look back at verse 20, Genesis 39:20 (ESV)

20And Josephs master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the kings prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.

Now Joseph doesnt know this (but we do), Joseph is right where God wants him--the place where the kings prisoners were confined. Were going to find as we move along that this place where the kings prisoners were confined is at the heart to Josephs ultimate rise to power. More on that later.

2. Our Lord often uses the hardest of places to make us, not break us. More on that in the next message.

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Story #2

On November 1, 1660, thirty-two year old Baptist preacher John Bunyan was thrown into jail in Bedford, England. The king, Charles II, had returned to the throne and he made it clear that he intended to stop virtually all religious gatherings apart from the state church, and to ban anyone from preaching who was not ordained.

Well, John Bunyan fit that category. And when the kings mandate that anyone who lacked the approval of royal and state officials became known, Bunyan refused to obey. And a local judge decided to sentence him to jail for his horrendous crime even though Bunyan had broken no law. Bunyan had four children under six--one of them blind. His wife was pregnant and he had no financial resources to leave his family.

He would later write from prison, Parting with my wife and poor children has often been to me in this place as the pulling of flesh from my bones.because I should often have brought to my mind the many hardships, miseries, and wants that my poor family was likely to meet with.especially my poor blind child, who lay nearer my heart than all I had beside.

Bunyan would stay in that prison, without trial, for twelve long, hard years, the first to be arrested and the last to be released after the kings mandate became law. In all of this, Bunyan was apparently the helpless victim of evil men.sounds similar to Joseph doesnt it?

So many years of imprisonment seem like a waste! Yet in a remarkable way, Bedford prison was an investment. Bunyan would later write, I never had in all my life so great an inlet into the Word of God as (in prison).Jesus Christ was never more real and apparent than now. Here I had seen Him and felt him Indeed. From his jail cell he wrote over sixty books including the one for whom he is famous, The Pilgrims Progress, which was for centuries second only to the Bible as the worlds best-selling book. For Bunyan, prison was an exceedingly fruitful place.

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