Genesis 39
Joseph purchased by Potipharverse 1
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt
and Potiphar – an officer of Pharaoh
captain of the guard – an Egyptian
bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites
who brought him down there
Joseph put in charge of Potiphar’s houseverses 2-4
And the LORD was with Joseph – and he was a prosperous man
and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian
And his master saw that the LORD was with him
and that the LORD made all that he did to PROPER in his hand
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
LORD blessed Potiphar’s house because of Josephverses 5-6
And it came to pass from the time that he had made him
OVERSEER in his house – and over all that he had
that the LORD BLESSED the Egyptian’s house
for Joseph’s sake
And the BLESSING of the LORD was on 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 anything he had
save the food which he did eat
And Joseph was a HANDSOME person and WELL FAVORED
Potiphar’s wife cast her eyes on Josephverses 7-12
And it came to pass after these things
that his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph
And she said – Lie with me
BUT he refused – and said to his master’s wife
Behold – my master knows not what is with me in the house
and he has committed all that he has to my hands
There is none greater in this house than I
neither has he kept back anything from me but you
BECAUSE you are his wife
How then can I do this great WICKEDNESS
and sin against God?
And it came to pass – as she spoke to Joseph day by day
that he HEARKENED NOT to her – to lie by her
or to be with her
And it came to pass about this time
that Joseph went into the house to do his business
and there was none of the men of the house
there within
And she caught him by his garment – saying
Lie with me – and he left his garment in her hand
and FLED – and GOT OUT
Joseph falsely accused by Potiphar’s wifeverses 13-18
And it came to pass
when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand
and was fled forth
That she called to the men of her house
and she spoke to them
saying
See – he has brought in an Hebrew to us
to mock us
He came in to me to lie with me
and I cried with a loud voice
And it came to pass
when he heard that I lifted up my voice
And cried – that he left his garment with me
and FLED – and GOT OUT
And she laid up his garment by her
until his lord came home
And she spoke to him according to these words – saying
The Hebrew servant – whom you have brought to us
came in to me to mock me – and it came to pass
as I lifted up my voice and cried
that he left his garment with me
and fled out
Joseph cast into prisonverses 19-23
And it came to pass – when his master heard the words of his wife
which she spoke unto him – saying
After this manner did your servant to me
that his wrath was kindled
And Joseph’s master took him – and put him in prison
a place where the king’s prisoners were bound
and he was there in the prison
BUT the LORD was with Joseph – and showed him MERCY
and gave him FAVOR in the sight of the keeper of the prison
And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand
all the prisoners that were in the prison
and whatsoever they did there – he was the doer of it
The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand
BECAUSE the LORD was with him
and that which he did – the LORD made it to prosper
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. (6743 “prosper” [tsalach] means bring to successful issue, advance, to make successful, to finish well, enjoy success, grand prosperity, win a case, or to push forward)
DEVOTION: Joseph was in a unique situation. He was sold as a slave to a rich officer. The soldier realized that whatever he touched was successful. He liked the fact that Joseph worshiped a God who caused him to handle the situation with a proper attitude.
Each new assignment that was given to this young man produced increase in the wealth of his owner. The owner than gave him more responsibility until he was the steward of his whole household. God was blessing this slave owner because he was treating Joseph right.
When we move into the work place with an attitude to please the LORD in whatever we do the LORD will bless us and those we work for because of a proper understanding of who we are working for in reality. We are working for the LORD and HIS glory.
Joseph must have told this officer of Pharaoh who he was and what he believed. He was a young man but he knew the difference between right and wrong. He knew the difference between doing a good job and just putting in his time.
Many people can get bitter if they think that they shouldn’t be working for a certain wage or in a certain place but here we have no bitterness but acceptance at what the LORD was doing in his life.
How would you have handled this situation if it had been you who was sold into slavery and made to work for your owner? Would you have become a good servant or a bitter servant? If we trust the LORD as Joseph did we would understand that HE was working HIS plan in hisr life.
CHALLENGE: In life we are usually put in this situation at least once by the LORD. Sometimes if we don’t learn our lesson the first time HE has us experience it again. We are to give thanks in all situations!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph, and she said, Lie with me. (7901 “Lie” [shakab] means sleep, lie down, to have sexual intercourse, to be lain with, ravished, sexual relations, or to sleep)
DEVOTION: Here is what is happening in the real world today. We have individuals who don’t know how to control their emotions. If they want something they want it now even if it is wrong in the sight of the LORD.
Christians are supposed to be different but the temptation is real to them as well. There has to be a controlling factor in the life of a believer. The LORD sets a standard for our behavior in relationship with those of the opposite sex. Men and women are to follow the instructions of the LORD.
The LORD doesn’t want a man to have any relationship with a woman until they are married. This is the LORD’S plan for the lifetime of two individuals who are married.
In this account of Joseph’s life we find that a married woman wants to have a relationship with him. Remember he is probably an older teenager at this time and so there can be the temptation to please the homeowner’s wife. She would not give up on her desires for him. The only choice he had was to run away from her.
God allows him to be falsely accused. God needed him in prison for the next step in HIS plan for his life.
He had done nothing wrong but was falsely accused and paid the consequence of being lied about. It doesn’t seem fair when we do everything right and people lie about us but that is what happens in life now and then.
Joseph kept the right attitude while he was in prison. Would we keep the right attitude if this happened to us? How would we handle it? Would we accept this as God’s plan to teach us a lesson we would need later in life?
Too often we think the Christian life should be an easy life if we do what we think the LORD wants us to do in every situation. It was not true in the life of Joseph or in the life of many of the servants of the LORD throughout the Bible. We learn through adversity.
CHALLENGE: Each trial is a test to help us walk closer to the LORD. Maturity is HIS goal for our life. HE wants us to be like Christ.
: 19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, After this manner did your servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. (1697 “manner” [dabar] means speech, utterance, statement, account, happening, or affair)
DEVOTION: Have you ever done something in anger? After you found out the truth you regretted what you had done. Many times we act in anger and find out that what we thought had happened or was said was not what actually happened or was said. You wished you had looked into the matter more before you reacted.
Here we have a master who knew Joseph was blessed of the LORD and yet when his wife accused him he took her word for what had happened rather than hearing Joseph’s side of the story.
We always have to remember that God was active in the life of Joseph and HE had a plan HE was working in his life but we often wish that we would stand back in any given situation and see the truth in the matter before we acted on what we thought was the truth.
People lie!!! People lie about people they don’t like or people who don’t do what they want them to do. It seems that our human nature wants us to get ahead of everyone we meet. We want to be number one. We want others to realize that we are number one.
Potiphar’s wife wanted what she wanted from Joseph and was angry when he would not give it to her. People who think they know what is right for themselves don’t care what is right for others. She was greedy for something that she should not have been greedy for from Joseph.
We have to evaluate our desires through the Word of God. If the Word of God says it is wrong we should accept that fact and move on to the next event in our life.
CHALLENGE: We should also not act in anger but look into all matters with a level head to find out the truth. Anger causes most people not to act rationally.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (2617 “mercy” [checed] means goodness, kindness, faithfulness. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: For many of us, the first association we had with lovingkindness is with our mothers. They nurtured us, held us, fed us, and protected us. We were able to bond with them because we trust in their provision for us.
God is described in the Bible as a God of lovingkindness. This verse shows another illustration of God’s lovingkindness. The Hebrew word is an extremely broad term, and applies to God’s attitude of love toward His creatures. The New Testament word to express this same quality of God is His grace. It is His unmerited favor toward His creatures that expresses itself in a number of ways on a daily basis, including paying the penalty for our sins so that we can be restored to a right relationship with God. It showed God’s unconditional love (agape) for us.
God’s only desired response to His lovingkindness is our trust in Him. He has promised that He is in control of our lives and all that occur within them. The evil one (Satan) wants us to doubt God’s goodness and lovingkindness, and challenges us when God tells us to trust Him in the midst of trials and suffering. Yet we are to see all these things as part of God’s loving plan for us.
Joseph no doubt struggled in trusting the LORD when he was first sold into slavery and then later put into prison for not having sex with Potiphar’s wife. Even in prison, Joseph is shown as an illustration of man who kept his faith. This was to be a model to the nation of Israel later on when, first, they were made slaves in the land of Egypt, and, second, when they were subjugated by the king of Babylon and deported.
CHALLENGE: Do you fully trust in the grace and lovingkindness of God? Ask Him to show you one way today that He is being gracious to you. (MW)
: 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. (6743 “prosper” [tsaleach] means succeed, make a success, be victorious, to push forward, be good, be profitable, or break out)
DEVOTION: Have you ever been falsely accused of something? Did anyone believe you were innocent? Did you have to pay consequences for something you didn’t do? How are you reacting to the situation? Are you bitter? Are you better for the circumstance? Can you help others who have been falsely accused or do you just let them suffer? We are to be encouragers of those who are suffering, whether for chastening or purging. We are to encourage everyone to trust the LORD in all circumstances.
Here we have Joseph as a slave in the household of Potiphar. Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph. He put Joseph in charge of his whole household as a steward. Potiphar’s wife saw that Joseph was handsome and well-favored and wanted him to have a physical relationship with him. He refused.
She found an occasion when they were alone in the house and asked him again but he ran from her leaving his outer garment behind. She had grabbed so hard that he had no choice. With the garment in hand she called the men of the house and accused Joseph of mocking her. She told her husband. He got mad and cast Joseph in prison.
Joseph was in a strange country working as a slave who is falsely accused and judged for something he didn’t do and yet the LORD is said to be with him.
Does this make sense? If the LORD is with a person then there should be no trouble in his life, right? Here we see that he is a slave, he is lied about, and he is sent to prison for something he didn’t do and yet the Bible says that the LORD is with him.
To us it doesn’t make sense but in God’s plan and purpose it DOES. When bad things happen to godly people, should they TRUST God? YES. HE knows just what it will take for us to serve HIM best. HE knows what is good for us to grow. Sometimes we are chastened for our sins. Sometimes we are pruned to be better servants of the LORD. Here we have Joseph pruned by the LORD for better service to HIM. Joseph had not sinned but was still suffering.
Joseph made all the right choices and still ended up in jail. In R.C. Sproul’s book on Holiness he says that God could send us to prison for the rest of our lives for a crime we didn’t commit and still be just.
Joseph found himself in prison finding grace with the LORD. The jailer had him work with the other prisoners in the jail. Joseph was respected even in jail. He was trusted with the other prisoners by the keeper of the jail.
Sounds like a contradiction but wherever we find ourselves we need to be available to the LORD. Remember we can get better or bitter in every situation that comes our way in this life. God wants us to get better. Joseph knew the LORD was with him. He didn’t understand at first but he continued to serve the LORD.
We can even succeed in bad circumstances if we trust the LORD. Sometimes this involved a period of time when we have to wait for the LORD to deliver us out of our present circumstances. Remember that sometimes we are chastened or purged, so that, our love for the LORD will grow. If we are chastened for our sin – accept it and move on. If we are purged – accept it and move on. Bitterness is not the answer.
When we are falsely accused – how do we react? Do we let the LORD handle the situation or do we try to handle it ourselves? Do we trust the LORD, even when we are falsely accused and still pay for something we didn’t do? We don’t know what God is doing all the time in our lives.
CHALLENGE: Suffering is sent our way to cause us to trust HIM more. TRUST HIM!!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Joseph would not lie with Potiphar’s wifeverse 12
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 2, 3, 5, 21, 23
LORD was with Josephverses 2, 3, 23
LORD made all that Joseph did prosperverses 3, 23
LORD blessed the Egyptianverse 5
God (Elohim)verse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Egyptverse 1
Potipharverses 1-20
Officer of Pharaoh
Captain of the guard
Egyptian
Bought Joseph from Ishmeelites
Joseph found grace in him
Believed lie of wife and had wrath
Put Joseph in prison
Ishmeelitesverse 1
Potiphar’s wifeverses 7-19
Cast eyes on Joseph
Wanted Joseph to lie with her
With garment she called other servants
Said Hebrew mocked her
Keeper of prisonverses 21-23
Showed Joseph mercy and favor
Committed all prisoners to Joseph
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Potipar’s wife asks Joseph to lie with herverses 7, 10, 12
Wickednessverse 9
Sinverse 9
Potipar’s wife liedverses 14-17
Mockverses 14, 17
Wrathverse 19
Salvation(Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Presence of the LORDverses 2, 3, 21, 23
Prosperousverses 2, 3, 23
Graceverse 4
Blessedverse 5
Goodly personverse 6
Well favoredverses 6, 21
Refuse sinverses 8, 9
Prisonverse 20
LORD with Josephverses 21, 23
Mercyverse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Josephverses 1-23
Sold to Potiphar
LORD was with him
Prosperous man
Overseer of house of Potiphar
Blessed Potiphar because of Joseph
Goodly person
Well favored
Refused to lie with Potiphar’s wife
Left garment in wife’s hand
Called a Hebrew servant
Put in prison because of lie
LORD with him in prison
shown mercy and favor
LORD made things to proper in prison
Hebrewverses 14, 17
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
2–6 Verse 2 establishes the overall theme of the narrative: “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” Verses 3–6 relate the theme to the specific series of events to follow: Joseph’s blessing from the Lord is recognized by his Egyptian master, and Joseph is put in charge of his household. Joseph’s sojourn in Egypt, like that of his father, Jacob’s (30:27), has resulted in an initial fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (12:3). Thus, we are told that “the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph” (v.5). Such a thematic introduction alerts the reader to the underlying lessons intended throughout the narrative. This is not a story of the success of Joseph; rather it is a story of God’s faithfulness to his promises. The last note about Joseph in this introductory section (“Joseph was well-built and handsome,” v.6) sets the stage for what follows. (Sailhamer, J. H. (1990). Genesis. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 234). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
39:1–6a. After the important digression in the family history of Judah (chap. 38), the narrative returns to Joseph who had prospered under God and had become the attendant or steward over Potiphar’s household. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh. This Pharaoh was probably Sesostris II (1897–1879 b.c.). (See the chart “Chronology from Solomon Back to Joseph.”) Joseph’s presence was also the means of God’s blessing on Potiphar. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 90). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
When he was at home in Hebron, Joseph’s brothers considered him to be a trouble-maker, but in Egypt, he was a source of blessing because God was with him. God promised Abraham that his descendants would bring blessing to other nations (12:1–3), and Joseph fulfilled that promise in Egypt. Like the blessed man described in Psalm 1, everything he did prospered (Ps. 1:3; see also Josh. 1:8).
Joseph is a good example of a believer who trusted God and made the best of his difficult circumstances. He never read what Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon (Jer. 29:7) or what Peter wrote to the scattered Christians in the Roman Empire (1 Peter 2:13–20), but he certainly put those instructions into practice. Joseph would rather have been at home, but he made the best of his circumstances in Egypt, and God blessed him.
The blessing of the Lord was very evident to the people in Potiphar’s household, and they knew that Joseph was the cause. “The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake” (Gen. 39:5, kjv), just as God had blessed Laban’s house because of Jacob (30:27, 30). Potiphar gradually turned more and more responsibility over to Joseph until Joseph was actually managing the entire household, except for the food Potiphar ate.
Joseph was well liked by the people in Potiphar’s house; and in pagan, idol-worshiping Egypt, Joseph was a testimony to the true and living God. He was an honest and faithful worker, and the people he lived and worked with got the message. God took note of Joseph’s character and conduct and made him a blessing; and unknown to Joseph, God planned to fulfill the dreams He had sent him. “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men” (Prov. 22:29, nkjv).
But his faithful service wasn’t only a blessing to the household, it was also a blessing to Joseph himself. Had he stayed home with his pampering father, Joseph might not have developed the kind of character that comes from hard work and obeying orders. God’s method for building us is to give us a job to do and people to obey. He tests us as servants before He promotes us to being rulers (Matt. 25:21). Before He allows us to exercise authority, we have to be under authority and learn to obey.
The description of Joseph in Genesis 39:6 prepares the way for the episode involving Potiphar’s wife. Not only was Joseph godly, dependable, and efficient, but he was also handsome and well favored, qualities he inherited from his mother (29:17, kjv). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be authentic (pp. 94–95). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
Joseph has two things going for him. First, the Lord is with him. Joseph may not know this—at least not yet. In addition to the divine presence, Joseph is a diligent worker, one who impresses his master with his conscientious industriousness. Joseph is to Potiphar what Jacob was to Laban. Both of these non-Israelites experienced blessings because a child of Abraham was in their midst. Joseph oversees everything except Potiphar’s food (v.6). (Elwell, W. A. (1995). Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, Ge 39:1). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
39:2 The Lord was with Joseph. Any and all ideas that Joseph, twice a victim of injustice, had been abandoned by the Lord are summarily banished by the employment of phrases highlighting God’s oversight of his circumstances, e.g. “with him” (vv. 3, 21), “caused all he did to prosper” (vv. 3, 23), “found/gave him favor” (vv. 4, 21), “blessed/blessing” (v. 5), and “extended kindness to him” (v. 21). Neither being unjustly sold into slavery and forcibly removed from the Land (37:28), nor being unjustly accused of sexual harassment and imprisoned (vv. 13–18) were events signaling even a temporary loss of divine superintendence of Joseph’s life and God’s purpose for His people, Israel. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ge 39:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 2. And the Lord was with Joseph, &c.] Blessing him with his gracious presence, with discoveries of his love, and communion with himself, though destitute of the means of grace and ordinances of worship he enjoyed in his father’s house; favouring him with bodily health, and protecting him from all evils and enemies: and he was a prosperous man; in worldly things, and which was owing to the presence of God with him, and his blessing on him: and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian; he continued there, and did not attempt to make his escape; or his employment lay chiefly, if not altogether, in the house, and herein he was prosperous, and continued to be so as long as he was in it; the Jews say, he remained here 12 months. Near the pyramids built in the neighbourhood of Memphis, as is affirmed unanimously by the antients, to this day is shewn a hill, on which they say the house of Potiphar was built, whose servant the patriarch Joseph was, and some of the rubbish of the bricks are yet to be seeno. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 250–251). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
The secret of Joseph’s career at that stage of his life can be summed up in a single phrase—boundless industry. Not for Joseph was the long face, the sullen look, the resentful air. Not for him were senseless criticisms of fate and long, wasted hours plotting revenge. Not for him the futile cursing of God and the gnawing cancer of longed-for revenge. Not for Joseph the dull acquiescence with fate that would have turned him into a plodding brute. Evidently Joseph decided, once the initial stunning shock was absorbed, that God had some wise purpose in allowing him to be sold as a slave. “All things work together for good to those that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,” he might well have assured himself. The will of God is “good and acceptable and perfect. I will therefore trust God in these dark circumstances. If God wants me to be a slave, I shall be the best slave in Egypt. I shall study my master until I know him better than he knows himself. I shall study his interests and make them my own, and I shall perform every task allotted to me, not as unto Potiphar, but as unto the Lord. Thus these bonds will no longer be the bonds of a slave, they will be the bonds of the Lord. I shall consider myself God’s bond slave and in all my ways and words I shall endeavor to please Him.”
So often adverse circumstances find us bemoaning our fate instead of looking for ways to glorify the Lord Jesus in them and through them. We have to learn life’s adversities before we can be trusted with life’s advancements. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Genesis: An Expository Commentary (Ge 39:1–6). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
THE LIFE OF THE SOUL
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. Luke 9:60
Some men and women can see that there is truth in the Christian message, but they are troubled by it and say, “Yes, of course that is what I really must do–but not yet.” Take the prayer of Augustine. He was a brilliant philosopher, but he was troubled. He was listening to the preaching of Ambrose, that great preacher in Milan, and he was disturbed by it. He knew it was right and that he was wrong, but he was living with his mistress. And here, you see, is the fight and the conflict. He knew what was right; so he offered this prayer: “Lord, make me chaste: but not yet.”
Do you know something about that? “I want to be good, but I also want to have this other thing. ‘Suffer me first…'” How many have done this! “Let me make my name first. I do not believe in some of the things I am doing, but they have to be done, and once I have got on, then I will be a thorough Christian. I really will!” And so our Lord confronts this man immediately and shows him that he is all wrong, and He puts it in a very striking manner: “Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”
Christ says in effect, “The kingdom of God is for live people, not for dead ones. I am not in this world to deal with matters like that. They are all right; there is nothing wrong with a man looking after his aged parents and burying them; but you know, that is not the first thing in life. The first thing in life is the soul! The men and women in My kingdom are alive, awakened to the fact of the soul and its eternal destiny and its relationship to God.”
A Thought to Ponder: The first thing in life is the soul!
(From The Kingdom of God, pp. 129-130, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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