Oct 1, 2026
Daily Dose of Hope
October 1, 2026
Scripture: Genesis 39
Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy.
Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis, followed by the book of Exodus. Today’s reading is Genesis 39.
Today, we turn back to Joseph. He is now in Egypt. It turns out that Potiphar, one of Pharoah’s top officials purchases Joseph from the Ishmaelites. He puts Joseph in charge of his home. God is with Joseph. Think about it. Joseph has to learn a new language and a new culture. He does it though. He endures and succeeds. In fact, everything Joseph does is successful so Potiphar puts Joseph in charge of more and more. Is this the arrogant and naïve boy we met a few chapters ago? He has matured. God has been working in him, for sure. By the time we meet Joseph in this chapter, he has risen to a high rank, something like a prime minister.
And then Potiphar’s wife takes notice of handsome Joseph. She wants to sleep with him but Joseph refuses. By this point, he knows right from wrong. Joseph’s commitment to God enhanced his loyalty to Potiphar. That’s the truth. He knows what would disrespect Potiphar but more than anything, he knows what would displease the Lord. But Potiphar’s wife is persistent. When Joseph won’t sleep with her, she grabs his cloak and tells her husband that Joseph tried to accost her.
Joseph is sent down to the prison, but his sentence seems kind of light for supposedly sexually assaulting Potiphar’s wife. We know God is with Joseph, but I’m also thinking Potiphar doesn’t totally believe his wife either. Regardless, even down in the jail, Joseph excels. Whatever he does, he excels.
The Lord is with Joseph in slavery and the Lord is with Joseph in jail. As we will see tomorrow, Joseph is in the prison for years. There is no way the conditions could be good. An Egyptian prison today is probably pretty terrible, in 1900BC it had to be really bad. But Joseph endures. God is working in Joseph’s heart. Something is happening here that we aren’t really privy to, but we will see the result of pretty soon. God is at work.
Blessings,
Pastor Vicki