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"And
Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. 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? 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."
Genesis 39:6-12
LESSON 1,
VERSE 6:
The Lord tells us something
about Joseph here in this opening verse that introduces the
whole paragraph.
"And
Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured."
First of all, notice his name.
"Joseph" (in Hebrew = "yoseph") means "Jehovah has added!" Why,
this is the very epitome of growth and maturity and forward
progress! In the Old Testament this name appears 214 times,
proving he is a main character of Scripture. In many ways he is
a Type of Christ, nearly a hundred some Preachers say!
The expression "goodly person"
is represented by two Hebrew words, a noun and an adjective. In
the Massoretic Text, from which the King James Bible is
translated, they read: "yapheh-toar." The first word is the
adjective and means handsome! In total, 50 verses use this term
in Scripture. Twice we are told that Sarah was beautiful! Once
that Rachel was too. So was David in 1st Samuel 16:21. And
Abigail. And Tamar, daughter of David. Even Absalom! And Abishag.
And Esther! Add Job's daughters according to Job 42:15. And even
a city, Jerusalem! So is God's handiwork in Ecclesiastes 3:11.
But Song of Solomon, a short book, is the main repository for "yapheh,"
using it 16 times!
Then comes "toar," which means
something like our word "form" or even "figure."
Its "root" verb, "taar," literally means "to
delineate or to mark out or draw!" Hence,
one's appearance or outline when viewed at a
distance. Here's our word in Isaiah 52:14, speaking of Jesus on
the Cross. "As many were astonied at thee;
his visage was so marred more than any man, and his
form more
than the sons of men." Then Isaiah quickly 53:2 adds:
"For he shall grow up before him as a
tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no
form nor
comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty
that we should desire him."
Next we learn that Joseph was
also "well favoured." Again we have a double expression, "yapheh
mareh." Since we've just discussed "yapheh" go back two
paragraphs and review it. But "mareh," appearing 103 times in
the Bible, suggests "the act of seeing" or "a view," one's
"appearance." Its first Bible occurrence is Genesis 2:9 ---
"And out of the ground made the LORD God
to grow every tree that is pleasant to the
sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the
midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and
evil."
Again we are being told
emphatically that Joseph was a handsome young man!
We are never told that of
Paul!
Or Peter!
Or John!
But in this context we need to
know such about our hero!
"And
Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured."
Oh, I will say this to the
Preachers reading here today. You do have beautiful feet! That
is, if you really preach the Word! Using a different Hebrew
term, but conveying the same meaning Isaiah says:
"How
beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good
tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of
good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God
reigneth!" Isaiah 52:7
Therefore we learn that even
God has a pure and holy sense of beauty!
Yet beauty can have its
drawbacks!
We shall see this soon.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2,
VERSE 7:
We do not know how long Joseph
labored in his Master's house before it happened.
"And it
came to pass after these things, that his master's wife
cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me."
Genesis 39:7
The underlined words in verse
7 do imply that some time has lapsed since his arrival.
During those days Joseph
worked.
Here's another time indicator:
"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 upon all that he had in
the house, and in the field." Genesis 39:5
This "love" thing ... really a
"lust" thing ... did not immediately begin with Potiphar's wife.
It apparently gradually developed.
This "developmental" point is
further proved by the opening words of verse 7:
"It came to pass." They translate "hayah"
and mean "to occur, to take place, to happen or TO COME INTO
BEING!" In other words, "to be birthed" into existence. While
not the main Hebrew verb for travail and delivery, "hayah" can
support this meaning! This reminds me of James 1:15.
"Then when lust
hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death." Such "coming into being" takes some time.
Next let's note the role her
"eyes" played in the event. 1st John 2:16 mentions the "lust of
the eyes" as one of Satan's tools.
"Potiphar's
wife cast her eyes upon Joseph," this handsome godly
young man.
The verb "cast" or "nasa" (in
Hebrew) means "to lift up." The form this verb possesses here
indicates continual action too! She could not keep her eyes off
Joseph! And she indulged herself too!
If a person cannot control his
or her eyes, eventually that individual WILL succumb to some
form of visual stimuli and likely yield to temptation.
Here's how Job handled that
situation in his godly life. "I made a
covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?"
Job 31:1
Job just said that he would
NOT stare at a pretty young lady! He would force his eyes
elsewhere!
Sister Potiphar had not
learned that lesson!
Neither had David that night
on the roof!
Or Lot that day when he
pitched his tent toward Sodom!
But Paul sure had ... keeping
his eyes on Jesus!
Sin, once given an "inroad,"
always spreads!
Her eyes now participating in
this "lust" project, she next engages her "mouth" as well!
Interesting!
Each of these two Hebrew words
... "eyes" ("ayin") and "mouth" ("peh") ... are characters
(letters) in the Hebrew alphabet! God gave them quite a place of
prominence, didn't He? They are so important to godly living!
If you're wondering how the
word "mouth" got into this discussion, she "said" to
Joseph ...! Of course, we speak with our mouths.
To "say," which is "amar" in
Hebrew, means to talk or speak (in this case) repeatedly. This
continued day after day.
Here, while not being
critical, I want to say something. If this continued for long,
which it apparently did, Joseph may have been more tempted than
we have thought!
He could have just refused to
go to work any more!
He could have risked the whole
situation and reported this developing scenario to Potiphar
himself.
What could have happened?
Jail?
It happened anyway.
He could have eaten garlic and
onions (favorites in Egypt) each night, a lot of them!
Anyway, he didn't ... and time
marched forward.
Now don't get upset. Yes,
Joseph is a beautiful type of Christ. But he is human too! He
was not perfect! If nothing else we know he married a Gentile
bride. He was tempted. He had an old sin nature as does every
human who ever lived. Only Jesus was sinless, having no such
sinful nature!
"Lie with me!"
Those are her words?
Whatever happened to modesty?
Or to reserve and caution?
Letting the man be the
initiator?
What she a feminist?
Let's examine the verb "lie."
In Hebrew "shakab" means to rest or recline on the bed. It can
simply mean to go to sleep. In fact, 48 times it is "sleep" in
the King James Bible. But more often it means "to have sexual
relations" with someone.
Now an atheistic psychologist
would take this Text and ruin it! He would say that the woman
was unfulfilled. That her husband was to blame. That her
hormones were out of balance. That she was born with strong
urges in this physical area. That she had a bad childhood. That
her Father didn't love her. Or he'd come up with something else
... to remove her guilt!
But God says:
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
Exodus 20:14
She is proposing sin!
On the remote possibility that
"lie" here means to recline on the bed, that's still a pretty
stupid idea!
Rare is the MAN who could do
that with a lovely woman and stay pure!
In fact, I suspect such
afternoon "napping" would be a sin too!
Jesus said:
"That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust
after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart." Matthew 5:28
Compromise is not the answer!
Wonder what happens next?
More tomorrow, Lord willing,
when we study verse eight.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3,
VERSE 8:
When tempted to sin with
Potiphar's wife, Joseph refused!
That's what the Bible says!
David with Bathsheba said
"yes!"
Joseph with this woman said
"no!"
"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." Genesis 39:8
The verb used here, "maen,"
just means to reject something. It is the first word in the
Hebrew sentence that gives us verse eight. That means it holds
great priority and importance in the thought being advanced. God
wants us to understand that Joseph did not commit this sin!
Also "maen" is an intensive
verb, being in the Piel stem. Joseph REALLY said no
emphatically! No doubt about his refusal!
He "said" ("amar" in Hebrew)
certain things to the woman in rejecting her brazen advances.
This verb is framed to show that the action being depicted is
on-going and durative. He kept on saying no! Again and
again apparently! Until one day he finally had to vacate the
premises! He ran out the door!
To "wot" in Hebrew is spelled
"yada" and just means "to know" something.
The first reason Joseph used
to repel her wicked desires was to mention others!
Particularly her husband!
"Behold, my
master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath
committed all that he hath to my hand."
If David had only thought so
kindly about Uriah!
That's a good idea!
When a man is tempted in this
area of life, it might be a good defense to start calling out
loud the names of his wife and children and pastor and Christian
friends and others who might hold him to accountability!
To commit such sexual sins, or
any other kind for that matter, one had to "block out" certain
thoughts or people or even the consciousness of the Lord
Himself!
It's good here to remember
that we have responsibilities to others!
Paul, in Romans 14:7, said
"For none of us liveth to himself, and no
man dieth to himself."
Joseph is in charge of his
lord's house! He is Potiphar's steward! He will not take that
job lightly!
Dad, you are in charge of your
house too!
Don't sin against your family!
Jesus said something in John
17 that applies here.
Speaking of His followers, His
disciples, he prayed: "And for their sakes
I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through
the truth." John 17:19
Jesus kept Himself pure for
the sakes of his own little spiritual children!
Men, we should too!
The verb "commit" translates "nathan,"
to give!
Potiphar had given Joseph so
much!
He would NOT in turn steal
from His master!
How about us?
Responsibility had been placed
in Joseph's "hand!" That noun is spelled "yad" in Hebrew.
He would not then handle
sinful things with his hands, sensual things!
He wants clean hands!
"Who
shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in
his holy place? He that hath clean hands ... and a pure
heart." Psalm 24:3-4
This verse is just filled with
armament to use in the fight against temptation, especially the
kind Joseph faced here!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
P. S. --- "Yad," the noun for
hand, also gives us "yadah" or Judah, which means "praise!" I
suspect dirty hands, sexually defiled hands, will rob a man (or
woman) of his (or her) praise too! Praise to God! The pleasure
is just NOT worth the price!
LESSON 4,
VERSE 9:
The godly Patriarch Joseph
loved the Lord. He also lived a godly life. Once, when being
tempted by a seductress, his supervisor's wife, he valiantly
refused!
Here's one of the Bible verses
that records his response: " 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?" Genesis 39:9
Notice three things.
Joseph kept himself mindful
of his position! "There is none greater in
this house than I." He was the steward of the whole
compound! He was trusted by Potiphar! He handled all the cash,
ordered all the supplies and oversaw all the other employees! He
would NOT jeopardize his prestigious standing!
It would have been good if
more ex-preachers had pursued that line of thought! They
discarded their whole ministry for an hour of "fun." And a large
number of "husbands" have done the same, crushing the love and
emotions of the "wife of their youth!" And how many "Daddys"
have ruined their children's lives by an ungodly fling of
passion?
Then Joseph remembered all
the other blessing, the perks, the fringe benefits God had
placed in his life!
"Neither hath he kept back any
thing from me." These things, while
perhaps not all that important individually, were indeed a
substantive part of a slave's life, one in a foreign country!
Joseph was just not willing to sacrifice his whole world-view
and lifestyle for a moment of sin!
Next he respected the
boundaries of marriage! "Thou art his
wife!" If a person has morally and spiritually sunk so
low that he will ignore the seventh commandment, the "do not
commit adultery" one, anything is possible. But if, in the
moment of temptation, he will remember God's sanction upon
marriage ... his sin might be avoided! Look!
"But
whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he
that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and
dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped
away." Proverbs 6:32-33
Also Joseph evaluated or
"weighed" the degree of sin to which he was being tempted!
Adultery for her! Fornication for him! Then the man said:
"How then can I do this great wickedness?"
While any sin should be avoided, no matter how so-called large
or small, adultery is a giant! There is ample evidence that a
person never fully gets over it! The noun for wickedness here is
"ra" in Hebrew and indicates a serious spreading deadly
spiritual malady! A moral cancer! Plus the adjective "great" ("gadol")
means large in magnitude and extent!
But ... most importantly of
all, Joseph fled from this sin because if offended Almighty God!
Yes, this wicked deed would
have hurt Potiphar, the very seductress herself, Joseph too, and
maybe even the whole Jewish nation when the famine came ... but
most of all ... God would have been belittled!
Even David finally realized
this! Speaking to God he lamented over his adultery:
"Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou
judgest." Psalm 51:4
God is grieved at sin!
Today's verse alone ought to
wipe out adultery in the Christian faith from this time forward!
What mental and moral armament the Holy Spirit has just given
us!
No wonder Paul, speaking of
the Old Testament Scriptures said: "Now
all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come." 1st Corinthians 10:11
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5,
VERSE 10:
There are some little "hints"
in this tenth verse that help in interpreting the whole event.
"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." Genesis 39:10
The expression "day by day" is
adverbial in nature, revealing to us how often these advances
came!
A pattern had developed!
Sexual indiscretions and sins
and trespasses become habitual! They are addictive!
Joseph had better hope that
the words to a hymn not yet written are true. "Yield not to
temptation, for yielding is sin ... Each victory will help you
some other to win." I personally don't know if Scripture
supports that theory or not! It looks to me like the best idea
is to escape such temptation the first time it comes if
possible! Not to allow it day by day.
Notice that the little beauty
queen "spake" to Joseph each day. This verb, "dabar," does not
necessarily emphasize what she said, but how she said it! Vine's
Hebrew Dictionary suggests it focuses on the time and
circumstances of what is said! Like Proverbs 7:16-20 where the
immoral woman says to her victim: "I have
decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works,
with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until
the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman
is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken
a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day
appointed."
Such invitations are deadly!
They must be avoided!
Then observe that she proposed
two courses of action.
One, she wished him
"to lie by her."
Just that!
Joseph, let's take a nap
together!
Just to rest a bit!
That would have been a
compromising situation!
Again Proverbs asks:
"Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be
burned?" Proverbs 6:27
The answer is "no!"
Sounds like Pharaoh, doesn't
it?
Go, but say nearby! Exodus
8:25
Go, but don't take the family!
Exodus 8:25
Go, but leave the livestock!
Exodus 10:24
Yet Moses said, "Not one hoof
would be left behind." Exodus 10:26
Then Joseph's temptress
brazenly proposed that He: "be with her."
This is a Hebrew euphemism for
having a sexual relationship, the act itself.
How bold sin can be!
Think of the devil actually
saying to Jesus: "Again, the devil taketh
him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto
him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down
and worship me." Matthew 4:8-9
These are powerful
allurements, some which few men could reject!
But, praise God, Joseph did!
"He hearkened
not unto her." Genesis 39:10
The verb for hearken is "shama"
and means to hear, to listen or to obey!
The time action in this Qal
perfect 3rd person singular form shows us that Joseph made up
his mind and never changed it!
He listened not to her ... and
that was it!
He was resolved!
He, like Daniel,
"purposed in his heart that he would not
defile himself!" Daniel 1:8
What strength and moral
character and holiness of life he possessed!
Once Jesus said of the devil:
"For the prince of this world cometh, and
hath nothing in me." John 14:30
There was just nothing in
Jesus that Satan could reach or hold or mislead! Jesus was
sinless, both intrinsically and extrinsically! He was
impeccable!
But while Joseph was certainly
capable of sin ... he did not do so here!
Look!
Observe!
Here is the very opposite of
today's entertainment media and literature and culture ... a man
who rejected sexual overtures!
From an apparently attractive
and willing woman!
His GOD meant more to him than
anything or anyone!
And His God requires moral
purity!
Let us thank God today that
alongside the David and Bathsheba story, sordid and dark ...
Scripture places the Joseph and Potiphar's wife story, brilliant
and holy!
There is victory in the Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6,
VERSE 11:
The narrative continues.
"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." Genesis 39:11
Joseph faithfully goes to
"work" every day. The noun "time" is based upon the Hebrew word
"yom," usually translated "day." It's "day" 2,008 times in the
King James Bible and "time" in only 64 verses. "Yom" comes from
the root verb that means "to be hot!" Every day brought another
sunrise and much "heat" in Israel!
The verb "went" (just "bo" in
Hebrew) means to come and to go, access and egress. Regular
on-the-job activities are here being described.
The way Joseph approached his
work is interesting too! The verb "to do" his business is "asah"
and means to fashion (as if an artist), to make (as a
manufacturer), to produce, to prepare or to do! Joseph's job was
a gift from God and he planned to do his best, his creative
best, with his responsibilities! No loafer was he! The verb is
also in the Piel stem, indicating aggressive intensive fervent
activity!
Even the noun "business" ("melakah")
is rendered as "workmanship" 5 times in the Scriptures!
But ... on this day, no men
were present in the house!
What a lesson this presents.
One way to avoid sensual temptation with a woman is to keep a
crowd around you! Stay busy with others! Too many preachers void
this rule and counsel with women alone! That's pretty stupid
behavior!
This sly woman may have given
all the men the day off! It is possible! Seductresses know how
to scheme!
Maybe it was just one of those
unusual days, an Egyptian holiday or something!
Joseph, had He been as wise as
our Lord, would have avoided that situation like the plague! But
of course, He is not just like our Lord. Jesus is God!
The absence of every man on
the payroll also might have been a temporary situation. A man or
two perhaps would have returned in a hour so so. But it does not
take too long to ruin a life! To surrender one's moral and
purity! "Windows of opportunity" can be rather small sometimes!
Therefore we may draw this
conclusion: if the opportunity to sin can be brief and fleeting
... the strength to say "no" surely could also be summoned for
that quick amount of time!
Yes, verse 11 is short, but
filled with meaning!
Beware, brethren!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7,
VERSE 12:
The end of this temptation
narrative relates one of the highest pinnacles of Old Testament
godly living!
We are assuredly told:
"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." Genesis 39:12
The temptress has forsaken her
quiet and subtle ways! She now brazenly pursues her target!
The verb "caught" is spelled "taphas"
and means "to lay hold of, to seize, to grasp, to capture, or
even to arrest!"
It is used 65 times in the
Bible.
It is also the first main word
(excluding a one letter conjunction) in the Hebrew sentence,
indicating priority and emphasis!
It expresses incomplete action
too! She grabbed and kept on grabbing Joseph's clothing!
I will now give you a few
Bible instances of "taphas," underlining the words it supports.
Here's the first time it
appears in Scripture. "And his brother's
name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as
handle the harp and organ." Genesis 4:21
Moses breaking the Tablets of
Stone: "And I took the two tables,
and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your
eyes." Deuteronomy 9:17
It is twice used here:
"And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal;
let not one of them escape. And they took them: and
Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them
there." 1st Kings 18:40
"Now it
came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that
Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced
cities of Judah, and took them." Isaiah 36:1
Listen to how sinful things
had become in Jeremiah's day! "The priests
said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle
the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me,
and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things
that do not profit." Jeremiah 2:8
You get the idea I'm sure.
The noun for garment
translates "beged" and can mean anything from an outer coat to
the whole wardrobe!
Additionally, her words "Lie
with me" are framed as a command! An imperative, "shakab," to
lay down with someone either to seep or rest or to be involved
sexually. It's not difficult to discern the meaning here.
But, thank God, Joseph "left"
the scene, running right out of his garment! The verb "left, "in
Hebrew "azab," means to depart, to abandon, to forsake, to
desert or just to let loose." It also implies incomplete action!
The longer that old gal
grabbed ... the more Joseph headed for the door!
Her hands were filled, all
right!
With Joseph's clothes!
Empty clothes I might add!
I can think of another time
all the devil had remaining was some empty clothes, at Christ's
vacant Tomb!
But that's not all!
Joseph fled!
He must have known that some
day the Holy Spirit would have Paul write these words:
"Flee also youthful lusts." 2nd
Timothy 2:22
Or "Flee
fornication." 1st Corinthians 6:18
The verb "fled" is "nus" and
means to take flight, to escape, to disappear! There's no
telling how long and how far Joseph ran before ever looking
back!
Then, as if further emphasis
were needed, "Got him out" is a powerfully constructed clause
with double wording!
"Got out" translates "yatzsah,"
which means to exit!
But then the nearly redundant
word "out" appears! It, "chutzs," means outside in a separate
place! It's root verb is "to sever" one from another!
Joseph demonstrated moral
purity here in one of the Bible's clearest examples of such
holiness!
Victory!
Oh, yes!
Joseph was falsely accused and
lies were told about him and his character! But they were lies!
He was removed from his job
... only to get a better one later!
He was imprisoned ... but that
resulted in his saving a nation from famine!
He suffered for doing right
... and God blessed Him immeasurably!
And That is the Same God Who
is still on the Throne today!
David struck out when his
moral test came!
Joseph hit a home run!
Thank God for this example!
When I was in teh first grade,
we learned to read by meeting a little boy named Dick, his
sister Jane, their dog Spot and cat Puff.
I can remember to this day the
lesson we had when we learned to recognize these words: "Run!"
"Run, Dick, run!"
"Run, Jane, run!"
"Run, Spot, run!"
And run, Puff, run!"
"Run, run, run!"
I sure hope I have this word
in my memory by now! How to read it and how to practice it when
sensual temptations come!
Run, Preacher, run!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
CONCLUSION ...
SOME ADDITIONAL "GLEANINGS" FROM OUR TEXT:
I did not use these thoughts
in the Lessons we've just studied. However, they may be of help
to some preacher or teacher at some future point in time.
I have recorded these notes
from various sources as I did research on this Passage of
Scripture.
Potiphar's wife's eyes got her
into moral trouble. She "cast them" on Joseph, a handsome young
man! Remember, Eve also "saw!" As did Lot and Achan and David!
To see God's view of adultery,
read Genesis 20 and its account of Abimelech and Sarah. This
particular sin could have carried the death sentence!
"But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him,
Behold, thou art but a
dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she
is a man's wife." Adultery is serious in God's View!
Then ... this wickedness is somehow particularly directed
against the Lord! "And God said unto him
in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of
thy heart; for I also
withheld thee from
sinning against me:
therefore suffered I thee not to touch her." Did you see
that? "Sinning against God!" Furthermore, God can help a man
overcome such sin! The verb "withheld" translates "chasak" and
means to keep back, refrain or hinder!
Genesis 38 records the
immorality of Judah! Then Genesis 39 records the purity of
Joseph!
Now explain this!
"He sent a man before them, even
Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt
with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word
came: the word of the
LORD tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even
the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord
of his house, and ruler of all his substance." (Psalm
105:17-21) In some marvelous way God was in control of it all,
even Joseph's temptation! Jesus also used the Word of the Lord
to defeat the enemy! That verb "tried" ("tzsaraph") means to
refine or purify like a goldsmith or silversmith burns away the
dross from his metals!
Joseph apparently inherited
his Mother Rachel's good looks!
Joseph asked his temptress:
"How then can I do this wickedness?" Notice that he did not say
he would not do it! He said "I cannot do it!"
Adam, in Genesis 3:12, used
the weakest of all excuses for his sin:
"And the man said, The
woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me
of the tree, and I did eat." He blamed Eve! Joseph rose
far above that! He would let no woman tempt him to sin, nor
would he yield to her! Hence, he would never have to blame her
either!
"My son,
if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." Proverbs 1:10
Joseph was 17 years old just
before being sold to the Ishmaelites. And he was 30 years old
when he stood before Pharaoh, after his imprisonment. Therefore
we can safely conclude that he was a young man when he was
tempted. Likely around 25-27 years of age!
He remained pure even away
from the presence of his Father Jacob and Grandfather Isaac. His
holiness was not a mater of latitude and longitude!
Keep in mind Joseph's earlier
dreams about leadership over his brothers, dreams about the
stars and the sheaves! Such hope could have placed lofty goals
in his mind and heart, goals he was not willing to compromise!
There was no "YES" in the "NO"
Joseph uttered!
After great spiritual
victories ... may come great trials of faith also! They
certainly did in Joseph's case!
To Joseph sin existed in
levels of intensity or degrees of depravity! This thing with
Potiphar's wife was indeed a "great" wickedness! He asked her:
"How then can I do this great wickedness,
and sin against God?" Genesis 39:9
Thank God for Joseph's life!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
BY NOW WE
SHOULD HAVE LEARNED SOME VITAL STEPS ON "HOW TO CONQUER
TEMPTATION." THIS HAS BEEN A BIBLE COURSE ESSENTIALLY TAUGHT BY
JOSEPH, THE SON OF JACOB.
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