David and Joseph Contrasted
by Bryan Carlson
The story of David and Bathsheba—the temptation and the choice
David was now about fifty years old, perhaps a few years older. He had been the King of Israel approximately twenty years. He had distinguished himself as a man of God called by God Himself “a man after my own heart.” He was a composer of psalms, a faithful shepherd, a valiant warrior on the battlefield, and a strong leader of his people. But he made a bad choice.
The story: 2 Samuel 11:1-5
Sin’s consequences
The consequences of David’s sin—before and after
Before Bathsheba:
He was the powerhouse in the world. God was with him and always gave him victory. God allowed his kingdom to expand from 6,000 to 60,000 square miles under his leadership.
He was blessed by God with a great family.
After Bathsheba: Consequences:
2 Samuel 11:6-17—had Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband killed; became a murderer
2 Samuel 12:10-12—the sword will never depart from your house.
2 Samuel 12:13-23—son Bathsheba bore, dies
2 Samuel 13: 1-22—Amnon, his son, rapes Tamar, his daughter.
2 Samuel 13:23-39—Absalom has Amnon murdered
2 Samuel 15:1-18—Absalom revolted and laid with David’s wives in broad daylight
2 Samuel 18:9-33—Absalom was killed; David mourns
David’s sin led to the destruction of his family and a painful, sorrowful second season of his life.
The Story of Joseph:
Joseph is one man in the Bible with nothing negative written about him. This does not mean that Joseph was perfect and never sinned. This does mean that he was a man of great character; a man who was above reproach in the way he lived his life.
Joseph ended up as a servant working in the home of one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the bodyguard. Since Joseph was such a righteous man, God blessed Potiphar’s house and all that he had because of Joseph. Potiphar put Joseph in control of his household and all that he owned. Potiphar did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate (Gen. 39:1-6).
Read the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife—Genesis 39:6-12
Genesis 39:6 tells us that Joseph was handsome in form and appearance and Potiphar’s wife noticed him and asked him to come to bed with her. What an offer! Though she pursued him day after day he refused saying, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9) He refused to sleep with her or even be with her. One day when he was in the house alone she grabbed him by the shirt and asked him again to come to bed with her. He refused and ran of the house leaving his shirt in her hand. Angry and frustrated, she falsely accused Joseph of trying to rape her and had Joseph throne into prison.
What an example for us. He faces an enticing temptation but never considers giving in. He doesn’t flirt a little bit or spend time with her. He avoids her and flees from her.
Was it easier to live for God and make good choices back then? Harder. We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit indwelling us!
The only way to successfully overcome sin is to flee. “If you do not run, you will fall.”
1 Cor. 6:18
James 4:7
Psalm 119:9,11
Immediate consequences of his choice:
Genesis 39:13-20
Well, we find Joseph again in another unfair situation and in another environment that he doesn’t understand or relate to. He now finds himself in a dark, cold, damp, rat-infested dungeon with people who have stolen, cheated, and murdered. They did not have politically correct prisons in those days—it would not have been a comfortable place to be.
Here is how God rewarded Joseph:
Gen. 39:21 through Gen. 39:23 (NIV) 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.
The result of righteousness:
God blessed Joseph in prison and put him in charge of all that was done there (Gen. 39).
While in prison Joseph interpreted dreams for two different men—Pharaoh’s cup bearer and baker. Both of the dreams came true the way Joseph said they would (Gen. 40).
Two more years passed and Pharaoh had a dream, but he could find no one who could interpret the dream. The cupbearer remembered Joseph from prison and Pharaoh sent for him.
What type of person would even think they could interpret another’s dream? Humanly speaking, that is impossible. And to attempt to interpret a pharaoh’s dream—that was suicide—if he got it wrong or gave an interpretation that Pharaoh didn’t like, he would be killed. Pharaoh hurriedly brought Joseph before him and asked if he could interpret his dream. This was his response: “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” (Genesis 41:16).
What faith—how intimate and personal his relationship with God must have been. What makes Joseph think that God would speak to him? What if God didn’t speak and he made a fool out of himself? Do you have that kind of faith? Is your relationship with God such that you would have responded as Joseph did?
Joseph was able to interpret the dream fully. He told Pharaoh that seven years of abundance in Egypt would be followed by seven years of severe famine and that Egypt must store up enough grain during the seven good years to survive the seven bad years.
Gen. 41:39 through Gen. 41:40 (NIV) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
God once again blessed Joseph:
Pharaoh put him in charge of all of Egypt. He was the most powerful man in the entire country right under Pharaoh (Gen. 41).
Joseph stored up so much grain during the seven good years that he stopped keeping records because it was too much to calculate (Gen. 41).
The famine hit and Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians and all the other countries of the world (Gen. 41).
When Jacob, Joseph’s father heard there was grain in Egypt he sent 10 of his sons to buy food.
The story of Joseph and his brothers: Gen. 42-46.
Joseph sent for this father and had his father and all of his descendants—70, not counting the wives. They were given the finest land in the country of Egypt. These were the first Israelites living in Egypt (Gen. 46-47).
Conclusion:
What can we learn from Joseph when it comes to us to being confronted with discouragement and sin? How was able to live such a righteous life? He was in love with God served Him faithfully in the little and the big things. He had an audience of one—he realized that even when no one else is looking, God always is, and being obedient to Him was what mattered. God blessed Joseph and as a result of his obedience, God used him to save his own family, the entire country of Egypt and the entire world at that time. God’s plans for our lives are so much greater than we can see. We must choose to live for God rather than to give into sin. God will bless our faithfulness more than we can imagine.
God’s forgiveness:
(1 John 1:9) 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
God showed amazing grace to David. Under the law, when you committed adultery you were to be stoned. When you committed murder you were to be killed.
“Grace means that God, in forgiving you, does not kill you.” It does not mean that the consequences are removed. If you break your arm while sinning, and ask God for forgiveness He will forgive you but you will still have a broken arm. Sin is pleasurable, but the pain of the consequences is worse.
We must look at the big picture rather that the pleasure of the moment. Satan wants us to fall. He makes is look like sin is the greatest thing in the world; like he is our best friend for allowing us to have so much fun. But when we are paying the consequences, he’s just laughing at our gullibility.
How about your life? Do you live in a way that you please God in every decision of your life? Do you just try to look good around people or do you realize that God desired holiness in every decision of your life? How do you handle sin? Do you give in when no one is watching? Or do you avoid and flee from tempting situations?
God’s plans for our lives are so much greater than we can see. We must choose to be faithful to God even in the little things. We must choose to live for God rather that giving into sin. We must realize that even when no one else is watching, God always is, and He will always bless us for our obedience. God will bless our faithfulness more than we can imagine. For Joseph, the fact that he was a faithful shepherd boy translated to a faithful servant, to a faithful prisoner, to a faithful vice pharaoh of the entire country of Egypt where God was able to use him to spread God’s love to an entire world.
