Genesis 39 - Is God with You?

While passages like Genesis 39 can be ripe for various hermeneutical errors, they can also provide a good way of describing how to approach Scripture, with an eye toward understanding the intent of God in that passage and how that fits into God's overall story of redemption, before we decide how we might apply certain principles from such a passage into our own lives as believers.

Even though Joseph had been sold off as a slave by his brothers, taken to Egypt, and then falsely accused and thrown into prison, the text tells us during it all that "Yahweh was with Joseph."

Instead of coming to a passage like this with the question, "What does this mean to me?" it's probably better to ask the question, "Is God with me?" The answer to that question makes all the difference.