1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home,
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Joseph was now in Egypt. He had been sold as a slave to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. God was with Joseph and allowed him to succeed in all that he did. Potiphar noticed this and gave Joseph more responsibility. God blessed Potiphar’s household because of Joseph and so Potiphar eventually put Joseph in charge of everything and didn’t worry about anything except the food he ate. He completely trusted Joseph. When you find yourself in a less than desirable situation, how do you react? It’s hard to think of a worse situation than being sold as a slave. What if you find yourself in a school you don’t really want to be in? Or you’re put in a class with a teacher who has it in for you? Or you’re dropped from the first team to a lower team? Or you’re put in the chorus rather than being picked for the lead role in the play? In any of these situations, it could be easy to feel sorry for yourself and give less than your best. Or like Joseph, you could have the right view that God puts you where God wants you and decide to serve Him with all your heart and soul and might (Col 3:17).
Joseph was good looking and Potiphar’s wife took a fancy to him. She tried to seduce him into sleeping with her. Joseph refused. He knew that even though Potiphar had put him in charge of everything, some things are clearly off-limits—especially his master’s wife. He told her that to sleep with her would be wicked and a sin against God. All sin is ultimately against God (Ps 51:4). She wouldn’t take no for an answer and continued to pursue him but he refused to listen to her. One day he found himself in a tricky situation. He was alone with her in the house and she began to force herself onto him. She grabbed his sleeve. He slipped out of his jacket and ran away leaving his jacket in her hand. She saw an opportunity to get back at him for not doing what she wanted and used the jacket in her hand to falsely accuse him of coming on to her. It can be hard to resist temptation especially when it’s right there calling to you all the time. Know that all sin is against God. God has called you to holiness (1 Pet 1:15-16) and even when no one else is around, there is no way to hide your sin (Hebrews 4:13). The best course of action is to stay as far away from the source of temptation as you can, and if necessary, run! (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Do not throw away God’s blessings for the pleasures of sin.