In this episode we continue studying the Book of Genesis. In this episode Joseph is sold to Pothipar, one of Pharoah's officers.

We note that the text says the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man. Yet, that statement seems out of touch for a generation like ours. We hear people ask where is God when bad things happen? How could he prosper as a slave? How could he be positive after all that's happened to him?

It seemed like what happened to Joseph was a bad thing, yet he had a good demeanor in Potiphar's house.

The text says, he was a goodly man and well favored.

Goodly refers to the condition of his heart displayed by his character and behavior as well as his outward appearance.

His good nature or character is finally being revealed. It wasn’t being revealed at home with his brothers.

If he had remained at home, with his brothers and his father, the good in him would have remained hidden.

Or it would have been extinguished, his father and his brothers did not bring out the good in him or the best in him, they brought out the worst in him.

They drew it out of him, they caused it to manifest, they were sinful men and he saw it and constantly reported it to his father who rebuked them.

If he remained with them, he would spend his life looking for evil instead of good.

We were told that he brought an evil report about his brothers to his father. The report he gave his father about them was true but an evil reporter was not who God wanted him to be, if his eyes were always focused on the evil in others, he couldn’t be used by God.

Jesus looked for the good in mankind, if he had looked at and focused on the evil in man, he would have judged us unworthy of his love and sacrifice. David noted God's forgiving nature in Psalms chapter 130:3. Here's the text:

Psalms 130:3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

God did not want Joseph going around marking his brothers iniquities. He wanted him to put away finger pointing because by mercy and truth is iniquity purged.

He did not want him to grow up looking for peoples faults and mistakes because
his evil reports would have never brought peace and unity between his father and his brothers. His evil reports only bread contempt between them.

But it wasn’t done on purpose, he thought he was going a good thing. He was obeying his father and he wanted to see his brothers change.

Now that he was in Potiphars house, God revealed to him, if he wanted to survive, if he wanted to enjoy life and see good days, if he wanted to see his dreams come to pass, he would have to learn to look for the good in people, situations and circumstances and recognize his soverignty in all things.

And this Joseph did, he learned to look for the good and prospered in Potiphar's house. But his good nature and his goodly physical appearance attracted Photiphar's wife and she begged Joseph to sleep with her.

He said he couldn't do it because God and Potiphar had been too good to him to betray them like that.

He also said, to do such a thing would be great wickedness in God's eyes. He didn't say he didn't want to do it. He said, he couldn't do it. He couldn't repay evil to the man who'd done so much for him. And he couldn't sin against the God who caused everything he did to prosper.

She didn't like his response, so she lied to her husband, saying he tried to force himself on her. Because of her false accusations he ended up in prison.

So, Joseph’s hard work, strong work ethic and devotion to God and Potphipar earned him a nice spot in prison.

But it didn't matter, because he found joy in the fact that he held on to his integrity, in the heat of the battle against temptation. He did not sin against the God he loved and that was all that mattered.