Experiencing God’s FAVOR and INFLUENCE
Joseph the Slave
Genesis 37-50
I frequently pray for God’s favor on my life and I ask God for his favor to rest on Greta
and our kids as well. Several years ago I was walking my youngest daughter Kerrigan to school
and as I did almost every day when I prayed for her I said, “Father, let your favor rest on
Kerrigan so that people who don’t know you are attracted to you through her life.” When I
finished praying she asked, “Dad, why do you pray that same prayer every day?” I explained
that I regularly pray that prayer for favor because I think it’s so important—we’re called to
point people to Jesus and when God’s favor is on us, people will see Jesus in us and they’ll be
attracted to Him. You could say that asking for God’s favor is one my “go to prayers.”
We had a student intern at our church a number of years ago who came to us from
another church. Early in her internship we met for lunch, so I could get to know her a bit and to
help her get acclimated to me, our staff and McBIC. As we talked about who we were and what
our passions were, I mentioned my desire to have God’s favor rest on my life so that people
would be attracted to Him. She began to question me about that and it was clear that for her
the word, favor had some negative connotations. She associated favor with what she had heard
from some T.V. preachers—the idea that God’s favor is evidenced by wealth and power that
were blessed with because we follow Jesus. That’s not what I mean when I talk about
experiencing God’s favor. I don’t ask for God’s favor so that I can be wealthy, healthy, famous
and influential. I ask for his favor so that people who don’t know Jesus will be attracted to Him
through my life. The favor I’m referring to is what Jesus pointed to in Matthew 5:16 when He
said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father in heaven.” The favor I want for my life is what the religious leaders observed in Peter
and John, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they unschooled,
ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13
And the favor I’m talking about is very evident in the life of a man named Joseph, who
we’re introduced to in Genesis chapter 37. Joseph spent 13 years—from age 17 to age 30—as a
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slave. Throughout those years—in spite of his unfavorable circumstances—God’s favor rested
on Joseph. What I find most striking in Joseph’s life is that God was always at work in Joseph’s
life even when everything seemed dark and hopeless. At many points during those years Joseph
could have given up or thrown in the towel, but he kept pushing on. And remarkably, even in
the direst of circumstances, God was working out his plans for Joseph life.
Like Esther last week, Joseph’s story is too long to do justice to in one week—it spans 14
chapters from Genesis 37-50—but there is much we can learn even from a quick overview of
his life. Joseph was the 11th of 12 sons and he was his father’s favorite. His dad’s favoritism and
Joseph’s own youthful pride led his brothers to hate him so much that they planned to kill him.
Eventually they decided that killing their brother was too messy. So, instead they sold him to
some merchants traveling to Egypt. As a 17 year old, Joseph found himself in Egypt, a slave for
one of Pharaoh’s officials. Throughout the first 17 years of Joseph’s life there had been hints
that he was destined for greatness. His father sensed it and there were vivid dreams Joseph had
in which he was elevated to greatness and his brothers and parents bowed in reverence before
him. Joseph had naively assumed that his brothers would be as happy about his dreams as he
was, but instead the dreams fueled their jealousy. Now as a slave in Egypt all those hopes and
dreams seemed shattered into a million pieces with no chance of them ever being put back
together again. But it was when Joseph was at his lowest point that God’s favor began to be
most evident in his life. Follow along as I read Genesis chapter 39 verses 2-6:
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his
master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph
found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he
entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of
all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of
the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph’s care
everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he
ate.
Joseph was a slave, but maybe there was hope for him. After all, how many 17 year olds
are blessed with the privileges and responsibilities Potiphar gave to Joseph? And then, just
when things were starting to look pretty good, the bottom fell out once again. Potiphar’s wife
took notice of Joseph and she tried to seduce him. Joseph resisted her persistent overtures, but
she became bolder and bolder. One day she grabbed him by his cloak and demanded, “Come to
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bed with me!” When Joseph fled leaving his cloak in her hand, she told her servants and her
husband a story she fabricated about Joseph attempting to molest her. As a result, Joseph was
thrown into prison. Again, Joseph’s situation looked bleak, but even in prison the favor of God
rested on Joseph’s life.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted
him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the
prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to
anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he
did. Genesis 39:20-23
Being the warden’s “favorite prisoner” is better than having him and all the other
inmates hate you, but no one I know says their goal in life is to be a “model prisoner.” Yet even
in prison, God’s favor rested on Joseph and it was evident to everyone who crossed paths with
him. Sometime later two men who were formerly attendants to the Pharaoh had strange
dreams, which Joseph was able to interpret. When one of the men—Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer—was released from prison, just as Joseph had predicted, he promised to tell Pharaoh all
about Joseph and get him released from his dungeon. That promise probably gave Joseph some
hope…but after his release the cup-bearer forgot about Joseph and the promise he had made
to him.
Two years passed and then the Pharaoh had some troubling dreams of his own. When
the cup-bearer heard the dreams and saw Pharaoh’s despair over not having anyone to
interpret them for him, he remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh about his friend in prison and
Joseph was called for. Joseph was cleaned up, shaved, dressed in royal finery and escorted
before Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt.
Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams as God’s warning that 7 years of abundance in
Egypt would be followed by 7 years of devastating famine. Joseph then encouraged Pharaoh to
select someone to oversee the storage of grain in preparation for the famine. Pharaoh’s
response to Joseph demonstrated that God’s favor continued to rest on Joseph and was evident
even to the most powerful man in the world at that time.
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone
like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all
this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace,
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and all my people are to subject to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than
you.” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh
took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen
and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men
shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:37-43
In spite of his challenging circumstances, God’s favored rested on Joseph in a way that
was evident to anyone who interacted with him. Just as God’s favor rested on Joseph, I want
my Heavenly Father’s favor to rest on my life so that people are attracted to God through what
they encounter in me. I want God’s favor to rest on Greta and my kids’ lives so people are
attracted to Jesus through them. And I want God’s favor to rest on you as individuals and upon
our church so that people are attracted to Jesus and are able to connect with Him.
As we reflect on this concept of favor for our lives, I want to highlight some
observations from Joseph’s life that have significant implications for us as we ask God for his
favor to rest on us…
My first observation is a simple one that we might be tempted to take for granted, but
it’s mentioned 2x in chapter 39. Immediately after we read that Joseph was taken to Egypt as a
slave where he served in Potiphar’s house we’re told, “The Lord was with Joseph and he
prospered.” And then right after we’re told that Joseph landed in prison for a crime he didn’t
commit we read, “But while Joseph was there in prison, the Lord was with him.” When Joseph
was uprooted from his family—by his jealous brothers—and sold as a slave to Egypt it didn’t
feel to him like God was with him. And when he was unfairly thrown into prison—for doing the
right thing—I doubt if he felt God near him. Joseph didn’t understand why these things were
happening to him and he surely didn’t like the turns his life was taking, but none of that
changed the fact that God was with him. And in spite of where Joseph was, God’s favor was
evident in his life to everyone with whom he came into contact. That’s true for us too. God’s
favor isn’t reserved only for those of us who appear to be doing well in life. His favor isn’t just
for those in positions of authority and influence. Even when we’re in dark places where it’s
difficult to maintain hope and where the dreams that we’ve had seem unreachable, God is with
us and his favor can rest on us even there.
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A second observation from Joseph’s life that is critical for us to grab hold of is that No
matter where he was or what he was walking through, Joseph remained attuned to God and
continued relying on Him. When he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife Joseph responded, “How
then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” When Joseph was in prison and
learned about the cup-bearer and the chief baker’s dreams, he asked them, “Do not
interpretations belong to God?” And when he was called before Pharaoh and was asked
whether or not he was able to interpret the ruler’s dreams, Joseph humbly replied, “I cannot do
it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” And after Pharaoh recounted his dreams
Joseph said, “God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.” Even though he was living in
a foreign country—far away from his father and his family and the worship of his God—Joseph
stayed attuned to God. He honored God’s law when it would have been easier to give in to
Potiphar’s wife’s advances than it was to resist them. And he consistently gave credit to God for
his ability to interpret dreams, when it would have been tempting to take the credit for himself
in the hope of advancing his own interests. And for us, walking in God’s favor is dependent on
us cultivating our relationship with God and maintaining an awareness of his presence and how
He is at work in our lives and the lives of people around us. Remember Jesus’ words from John
chapter 15: “Remain in me and you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.”
One of the ways we can remain attuned to God—which Joseph modelled so well—is by giving
God glory for the abilities He has blessed us with and for the good things He accomplishes
through us, rather than taking credit for those things ourselves.
And the third observation I have from looking at Joseph’s life is that Joseph was fully
engaged—wherever he was and whatever he was doing. My tendency when things don’t go
the way I’d planned or the way I wanted them to go is to “check out” and tell myself that I’ll reengage when things get better or when I think it matters again. In the midst of temporarily
“giving up” and complaining that things weren’t supposed to be this way, I can easily miss what
God is doing. Joseph didn’t do that. He remained engaged. When he was a 17-year old slave in
Potiphar’s house he had every right to whine and complain about how unfair life was and how
much he hated his brothers and how the food and clothes and customs in Egypt were stupid
and how lame Potiphar and his wife were. But Joseph didn’t do that. He carried himself with
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such dignity and respect that as a 17-year old kid, he was put in charge of the whole household.
Joseph was so good at managing Potiphar’s house that the Bible tells us Potiphar’s only concern
was what he ate. And we see the same response from Joseph in prison. Again, he had every
right to mope around complain. If he had just given in to Potiphar’s wife he would have had
even more power and authority in his position at Potiphar’s home. But because he stayed true
to God and honored Potiphar and his wife, he landed in prison. How fair was that? But Joseph
once again rose to the top. The warden placed him in charge of the other prisoners. And again,
he was so effective that we’re told the warden didn’t have to concern himself with anything
that was under Joseph’s care. In his role in the prison Joseph would check in on all of the
prisoners each morning. And he was tuned into them enough to notice when the cup-bearer
and chief-baker were upset. Wherever he was and whatever he was doing Joseph didn’t check
out waiting for things to change. He stayed engaged and was able to be used by God. Joseph
experienced God’s favor and the influence that came with it.
To remind us of the need we have of God’s favor, I want to return to a Scripture I shared
with you 2 weeks ago—Matthew 9:35-38:
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of
the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on
them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his
disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to
send out workers into his harvest field.
Just as in Jesus’ day, there are hurting people all around us and there are many
opportunities for us to exercise positive influence. But none of us is capable of helping people
or stepping into those opportunities in our own strength. Only God’s favor on us can
accomplish that. What’s true for Joseph is also true for us—God’s presence is with us wherever
we are. Just as Joseph stayed attuned to God and relied on Him, we need to do the same. In
the same way that Joseph engaged rather than “checking out” wherever he was or whatever
situation he found himself in, we too need to stay engaged at all times. God longs for his favor
to rest on you and on me. It’s his favor that sets us apart. It’s his favor that points people who
don’t know Him to his love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. I want God’s favor on my life and I
want God’s favor to rest on you.
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