IntraText #6 - Genesis 39 part II

Ok, so you're up on Genesis 39 read in the context of Genesis 3?  Schweet.

Joseph's story is converse to Eve's in a couple more ways: in terms of (1) what he had and (2) what he didn't grasp at.

(1) Joseph felt like he had everything as Potipher's overseer, so at first it doesn't look like he's rewarded for his wisdom.  He goes to prison.  Yet the author is so keen to make sure we don't mistake this for curse from God that sticks in three verses of caveats right away:

But athe LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love band gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed. (Gen 39:21-23 ESV)

As if he couldn't wait until the next chapter when we'd get to find this out for ourselves.

In fact, as a result of his trust in God's goodness, looking at the everything given rather than the one thing withheld, Joseph goes from 2nd in charge of Potipher's household, to 2nd in charge of the whole flipping Egyptian nation.  Eve distrusted that God was good, looking at the thing supposedly withheld, and in grasping for it she lost it.  (I suspect that there's some interesting work to be done here with respect to seeing God's new methodology to bring blessing somehow in and through curse and negative things, but that's a whole different trajectory in Genesis.)

(2) Also, as a result of his right dealing with women, Joseph ends up with a woman.

And Pharaoh ... gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. (Gen 41:45 ESV)

Now I'm not sure if Potiphar and Potiphera are related.  But even if they're not, surely we're told this to make us connect the two characters in some way.  So as a part of the blessing for refusing to fornicate with Potipher's wife, Joseph ends up with Potiphera's daughter as his wife.

Eve had grasped at the fake, believing God to be stingy, and lost the real thing.

But Joseph refused to obey the tempter offering the fake, and so he gained the truly good thing that the fake thing looked so much like.


Amazingly crafted, these narratives, aren't they?  I think the point that all this literary art is driving at is God's positive disposition towards humanity despite human sinfulness.  God just seems determined to bless us, despite our self-destructive and world destructive and anti-God tendencies.  Determined to bring about life, even when the curse of death has been brought down upon us.

He's pretty awesome.

Instances of Gen 3 - #5 - Genesis 39

One part of what I've been doing as I've been working through Genesis has been to see whether Genesis 3 (with my particular reading of it) could be acting as a type-scene against which many of the subsequent events of Genesis can be set.

I think Genesis 39 is also such a scene. Let's look for some parallels.  (Not because parallels are cool in and of themselves, but because they point to the author trying to see one scene in the light of another, which enables us to better understand what the author is trying to do.)

Firstly, both scenes involve a woman desiring something forbidden to her. Secondly, they both involved a man who has been given absolutely everything, and has been forbidden only one thing.*  Third, that man is responsible to rule and care for all those things.  Fourth, we get Yhwh's blessing and increasing that sphere of influence.

Here's one which may be a long bow, but let me know what you think.  Have a look at verses 6 & 7.

So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me." (Gen 39:7 ESV)(Gen 39:6 ESV)

Why did he mention food and eating?  Completely irrelevant detail!  Just coincidence that this story juxtaposes something that's desirable to the eye with food and eating?  ^raised eyebrow^

Sixth, Joseph does not 'listen to her', the act of Adam that Yhwh cites as the reason the ground is cursed.

Convinced?  No?  That's ok.  But indulge me a moment.

If I'm right to read ch39 in the light of ch3, then a very interesting thing happens to the main point.  Have a look at how Joseph resists the temptation to sin. (I'm assuming it's not just that Potiphar's wife is fugly)

But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge.

He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Gen 39:8-9 ESV)

What was Joseph's weapon of choice against the temptation to take?  To remind himself of what he'd been given.  Joseph's weapon, was thankfulness.  Gratitude.

Which, if you'll recall, is the opposite of Gen 3 where the serpent turns the generosity of Yhwh in giving all things into the stinginess of God in withholding the one.

When faced with the choice to sin or not to sin, to take that which God has said not to take, thankfulness is a great weapon.  And I mean this in two ways.

Firstly, it reminds you of the fullness you already have.  How could you sin against the one who has given you everything?  Literally!  Is that other thing you want worth so much?
Secondly, it recalls the goodness, the generosity, of the giver.  The one who is reminded of just how much he/she has been given by God trusts that God will continue to do the right thing by them: both in giving, and in withholding.


To be continued...


* Yes, that conjunction is definitely meant to be 'and' and not 'but'.  The serpent would have used 'but', but.