Genesis 39:7

The Bible says concerning Potiphar, Joseph’s master, in Genesis 39:7-9, “And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” This incident tells us something very important about Joseph’s Christian character: what God wanted was more important to Joseph than anything else. Joseph’s desire was to please God. When Potipher’s wife tried to tempt Joseph into committing adultery with her, Joseph refused. Joseph thought of others and what such an act would really mean. Joseph remembered Potipher’s kindness to him. He remembered that Potipher had elevated him into the next highest household position and that Potipher graciously shared his wealth with Joseph. Thus we see that in Joseph’s desire to please God, Joseph was mindful of the first and second greatest commandments. Jesus said in Matthew 22:39 that the second greatest commandment is: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” And Jesus tells us the greatest of all commandments in Matthew 22:37-38, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Joseph said, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Obviously, Joseph loved God, and this love kept him from even considering falling into the temptation of adultery. When we sin, we can be sure that the root of the problem is that we did not love God as we should love God. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:4, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

The Bible says in Genesis 39:10-18, “And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto 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 him out. And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto 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 him out. And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto 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 was a very honorable person. He was determined not to commit adultery, not to sin against God, and not to sin against the husband of this woman. But she was equally determined to tempt him. In her determination to try to get what she wanted, Potipher’s wife finally changed tactics from trying to entice him to forcefully trying to physically grab a hold of Joseph.

At that time Joseph had only one thing he could do to escape: run. It says in Second Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts.” This verse presents an important principle about temptation that the best way to avoid falling into temptation is to avoid being in the place of temptation. Never rely upon your own strength to resist temptation. Jesus knows that we are often weak in the face of temptation, and that is why He told us to ask for divine help in order to keep from falling into temptation. In what is commonly called the Lord’s prayer, Jesus said in Matthew 6:13 that we should pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Wise people will understand their own weaknesses. They will ask God for help in being lead away from temptation, and they will do what Joseph did and stay away or even run away from temptation when necessary. For example, someone who has had a problem with alcohol should never go into a tavern or a bar to buy a newspaper. He would be putting himself into a place of temptation.

Joseph fled from the place of temptation, and he did not sin. But then Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph. When her husband came home, she said, “The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto 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.” When it is a man’s word against a woman’s word, either one could be lying. In this case the woman lied because of her anger and her desire for revenge. Sometimes women and men use violence to get what they want, or sometimes like Potiphar’s wife they connive and use the wickedness of their tongue to cause harm. It says in James 3:6, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.” One lesson to learn from this false accusation that was made by Potiphar’s wife against Joseph is this: it is best to never be alone with a member of the opposite sex unless that person is your spouse or your child.

The Bible says in Genesis 39:19-23, “And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour 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 any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.” Joseph’s life was definitely one of very low lows, followed by very high highs. However, living such a life is possible for a believer because as the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who stengtheneth me.”

It says here in Genesis 39:21, “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy.” Every believer needs mercy because we are all sinners. Every day we rely on mercy from the great Judge of the whole earth. It is only because of the mercy of the Lord that He is with us. It is only because of the mercy of the Lord that He strengthens us. It is only because of the mercy of the Lord that He protects us. It is only because of the mercy of the Lord that He guides us. It is only because of the mercy of the Lord that He provides for us. David understood the importance of mercy. He wrote in Psalm 100:5, “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting.” David also wrote in Psalm 101:1, “I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.”

Joseph was given a place of responsibility when he was in prison in a very similar way as when he was working for Potiphar. It says in Genesis 39:22, “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.” Of course, the reason that Joseph was given this responsibility and the reason that he prospered in whatever he was asked to do was as follows: “the LORD was with him.”

The Bible says in Genesis 40:1-23, “And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward. And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.”

This is a tremendous passage of scripture that shows the hand of God in the life of Joseph. Genesis 40:23 says, “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.” But God did not forget. While Joseph was in the prison, God was at work arranging all things so that Joseph would be released from prison in God’s time. In a sense there are no accidents or coincidences. God is always at work. It was not a coincidence that Pharaoh sent his butler and his baker to prison. It was not a coincidence that they were in prison at the same time as Joseph. And it was not a coincidence that they each had a dream that troubled them. God was at work for the purpose of guiding Joseph. God was using Pharaoh to help Joseph. Of course, all of this had to do with God’s plan to preserve the nation of Israel through whom the Messiah would come. It says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God: to them that are the called according to His purpose.” Joseph was put into prison, but God had not abandoned Joseph. God was at work. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the next time some seemingly “bad” thing happens to you, remember Romans 8:28 and remember Joseph. God is at work, and God loves you.

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