Good evening, and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Genesis.  Tonight is study #5 in Genesis 39, and we will read Genesis 39:4-6:

And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that JEHOVAH blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of JEHOVAH was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.

I will stop reading there.  It is about time for us to try to discover the spiritual meaning of what we are reading.  That is always the task that the reader of the Bible has, and it is the task God has assigned us in Proverbs 25:2:

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

We know the word “thing” and the word “matter” are both the Hebrew word “dâbâr,” pronounced “daw-bawr',” and it means “word.”  So it is the glory of God to conceal a word: but the honour of kings is to search out a word.”  God has concealed truth in our passage in Genesis 39.  We know that right away, even before we begin a Bible study.  We know this is a fact because God has concealed truth everywhere in the Bible. 

So how has He concealed it here?  I mentioned last time that Potiphar has to be looked at as a figure of God Himself.  Of course that sounds strange because he is an Egyptian.  He is a man of great authority and captain of the guard, and he is the one who bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites.  And now Joseph is his servant or slave. 

Yes, we read that Joseph was a prosperous man, and we read very good things about him.  But in order for us to find the spiritual meaning, we have asked a question.  We know that Joseph is a type of Christ, and we are putting forth the idea that Potiphar is a picture of God the Father.  Is it true that the Lord Jesus was a servant of God the Father?  What about what we read of Potiphar in Genesis 39:4?  “And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house.”  We find a few statements made.  Joseph found grace in Potiphar’s sight.  Joseph served Potiphar.  Potiphar made Joseph overseer over his house.

In order to know we have the correct spiritual meaning of Potiphar as a type and figure of God, we have to insert God and the Lord Jesus into these statements to see if they hold up.  So when we read that Joseph found grace in Potiphar’s sight, we would substitute, “And Christ found grace in God the Father’s sight.”  But grace is something that only sinners find, so how could Jesus, who was without sin, find grace in God’s sight?  Is there anywhere in the Bible we can read something like that?  The answer is, “Yes,” if we go to Luke 2 where we find the young child Jesus in view, and it says in Luke 2:40:

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Here, the Lord Jesus Christ has the grace of God upon Him.  Then it says in Luke 2:52:

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

The word “favour” is the same Greek word that is translated as “grace,” and it is the typical word for “grace,” as it says in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith…”  So where it is translated here as “favour with God,” it is indicating that the word “grace” has more in view than just “unmerited favour,” as far as receiving God’s salvation and forgiveness of sin.  But it is God’s favour upon someone, looking kindly and acceptably upon an individual.

So we can take that understanding back to Genesis 39 where Joseph found grace in Potiphar’s sight.  And we can confirm that Jesus found grace in God the Father’s sight, so that means that Potiphar extending grace or favor toward Joseph matches with God showing grace and being favorable toward someone.

Now let us go on to the next statement that said, “And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him.”  So part of our verification process is that we have to confirm if the Lord Jesus Christ served God.   First, the Hebrew word translated as “served” is used many times in the Old Testament in relationship to ministry, or service, to God.  Let us go to Exodus 28:35:

And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before JEHOVAH, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

Then it says in Exodus 39:1:

And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as JEHOVAH commanded Moses.

The cloths of service were used when the priests were going about their ministry duties.

We read in Exodus 24:13:

And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.

I wanted to look at this.  There are many verses that use this word, but I wanted to look at this verse because Joshua, who is also a type of Christ, was said to be the minister (servant) of Moses.  And Moses can represent the Law of God, or God Himself.

So that tells us about this particular word.  This is the advantage and point of checking out a word only to find that it is used repeatedly having to do with “ministry” or “service to God.” 

But it is also used in a lesser way in regard to doing service to a king.  Again, when we read that Joseph served Potiphar, we find that this is not a word used in regarding to a slave or bondservant serving a master.  That is not where the word directs us, but it directs us to service in the house of God, to God Himself, or to a king.  And when we think about service to a king, God is the great King, so even there we can see a picture of service to God.

This word is also used of Christ as the Messiah in Isaiah 42:1:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Here, the Lord Jesus is called God’s servant, and He is also called God’s elect.  Maybe you were not aware of that, but Christ is The Elect One.  He is the Chosen One that God chose to bring salvation to His people, and just as He is elect, we are elect in Him.   He is the Seed, and we are the seed in Him, as far as God’s salvation program.

In Isaiah 53, we have a Messianic chapter that clearly speaks of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and it says in Isaiah 53:11:

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

This is God speaking.  There is no question about it.  He calls the Lord Jesus “my righteous servant.”

By the way, the earlier Isaiah verse in Isaiah 42:1 is also quoted in the New Testament, in Matthew 12:17-18:

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

(The word “elect” is also translated as “chosen.”)  Again, this is referring to Christ as the servant to God who is speaking.

Let us look at one more place in Philippians 2:5-7:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Here, God is telling us that Christ became His servant, and this is the reason why we read, for example, this statement in John 9:2-4:

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

The Father sent the Son.  The Son went forth and carried out the Father’s will. 

So this helps to explain a lot about our verse in Genesis 39:4.  If Potiphar is a picture of God the Father, then we understand that Joseph was brought down into Egypt as Christ coming down from above to the world.  Then Joseph was bought of Potiphar and became his servant in Potiphar’s house.  Then he found grace in Potiphar’s sight, as we already talked about, and then he served him.  This completely identifies with Christ and His Father God.

Then it went on to say in Genesis 39:4:

… and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

We already talked about the house.  If you are looking for a word that stands out repeatedly in this chapter, it is the word house.  It is used eleven times because it is pointing to the first coming of Christ.  He was brought down to Egypt (the world) after 11,000 years of history, and He was born into the nation of Israel.  And the nation of Israel was the Old Testament church.  God calls them “the church in the wilderness” in Acts 7.  The nation of Israel was where you would find the house of God, the temple, where people worshipped.  The nation itself was like “the house of God.”  When the Lord Jesus came to visit His people, He came to the house of His Father.  Remember, in the Gospel account the Lord went into the temple, and it says in Mark 11:15-18:

And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

He was taking oversight of His house. 

We read similar language in John 2:14-17:

And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

So this is the picture when we see Potiphar setting Joseph over Potiphar’s own house.  So too the Father set the Lord Jesus Christ over the house of Israel that was the outward representation of God’s kingdom on the earth.  And the Lord Jesus was the ruler.  He was the Governor over the house of God.  Once we understand that, then we will understand what will happen next in Genesis 39 regarding Potiphar’s wife.  But we will have to look at that when we get together in our next Bible study.