Things weren’t going well for Joe. He wanted to be in the family business, but his brothers just didn’t like him. Joe was his Father’s favorite son—he never had to do any of the work, and everyone knew that he was probably going to take over one day. His brothers came up with a plan that would result in Joe being sent to a different country to work for a wealthy man. Joe was no stranger to hard work, and in no time, he was running this man’s entire enterprise.
This rich man’s wife saw Joe, and thought he was captivating by his youthful enthusiasm. She saw something in him that she used to see in her husband. One day, she approached Joe seductively. Although he was tempted, Joe understood that whether he was at home or in a different country, God was blessing the work that he was performing. He didn’t want to jeopardize his job or his integrity. So he ran out the door leaving his coat by his boss’s wife. She was not used to rejection. Angered by Joe’s “integrity,” she decided to teach him a lesson by telling her husband that Joe, his best employee, tried to rape her! Being a wealthy family and not wanting any public press, Joe was silently sent to jail. No trial needed.
This is a modernized telling of what happened to Joseph in Genesis 39. As we continue to read through Genesis, we find that Joseph eventually gets out of prison, starts working for Pharaoh, and saves multiple nations from a horrible famine. At any time, Joe could have given up, but he realized that God would continue to bless him if he remembered God in every aspect of his multiple jobs. He understood “whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people. You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ. (Col 3:23 - 24, Common English Bible)
