that on a certain day he went into the house to do his business, and there was none of the men of the house there in the house.
Joseph had risen from slave to steward in an Egyptian officer's house. On this ordinary day he went in to work and found himself alone with the woman who kept pressing him to sin.
Joseph's trouble grew out of his success. When hardship failed to break him, the attack simply changed shape.
We should not expect the devil to leave alone a life that is beautiful in the sight of God and man. Devotion to the Lord exposes Joseph to the hatred of the devil. The devil had completely failed to overcome Joseph by the world's disapproval and by hard circumstances. So he changes his tactics and tries to overcome Joseph by the pleasures of sin. In Potiphar's wife he has a ready tool to tempt Joseph, and the circumstances favour her evil plans. As it turned out, the temptation only served to bring out the moral excellence of Joseph.
He was not loitering where he had no business; his work took him there. And going to Potiphar would have solved nothing.
When Potiphar's wife kept urging Joseph to commit adultery with her, what could he do but firmly refuse? If he reported it to Potiphar, she would accuse him of lying, and probably say that Joseph had tried to seduce her. Finally the day came when no one else was present. Joseph had to go into the house to take care of his work. She caught him by his garment and demanded again that he commit adultery with her.
Nobody was there to see, and nobody was there to advise him. What held him back came from somewhere else.
Joseph had no father near to counsel him when the temptation arose, and it came again and again through his master's wife. But he utterly refused her shameless flattery, as one who sees the Unseen. The ten commandments had not yet been spoken; but he feared God, and he was jealous for his master's honour.
Joseph did not argue or test his own strength; he ran. One writer makes that the rule for everyone.
Our prayer can never be, "Lead us into temptation," and therefore we are never to act as if this were our prayer. In every case where escape is possible without disloyalty, we are to flee rather than face it. "Flee youthful passions." "Abstain from the passions of the flesh." Flee, as Joseph fled; and there was, perhaps, no bolder man.
The sin would have wronged three people, yet a fourth name held Joseph back.
Here the testing met him day after day. Nothing preserved him but his fear of God, and his sense of the great wickedness of the seduction placed before him. Whether young or old, as we pass through this defiling world, we do well to keep this question in our hearts: "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Had he complied, he would have sinned against the woman, against Potiphar, and against himself. But the controlling and saving thought was "against God."
Refusal did not end the attack; it changed its form. The same woman who wanted him now wanted him destroyed.
Having failed as the tempter, the devil now becomes the persecutor. The woman who had earlier cast her evil eyes on Joseph now bears false witness against him with a lying tongue. As an old writer said, "Those who have broken the bonds of modesty will never be held by the bonds of truth." … In the end Joseph escapes from a bad woman and keeps a good conscience. But keeping a good conscience may cost much. Joseph has to exchange the comfort of Potiphar's house for the hardships of Pharaoh's prison.
Joseph suffered though he had done right. One writer sees a likeness to Christ here, but marks its limit.
Here we see the holy young man resisting the tempter, enduring grief, suffering wrongfully. And this is grace in the day of trial. … Joseph could be no real picture of the atonement; but of Christ's suffering unjustly and in grace he was a blessed foreshadow.
- Alone in blessing. Prosperity and trust did not shield Joseph; they drew the attack.
- Alone on duty. His work took him into that house. Doing your duty can walk you straight into the test.
- Alone with God. No father was there to counsel him, so he acted as one who sees the Unseen.
- Alone, so he ran. Where escape is possible without disloyalty, run — as Joseph ran. What held him was the thought of sinning "against God."
- Alone, and accused. The tempter turned persecutor. Joseph kept a good conscience and lost his comfort — suffering wrongly, as Christ later would.
Then she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me! But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran out.
Joseph had two options: stay and argue, or get out and lose his coat. He ran, and the coat left in her hand became the evidence that sent him to prison.
Joseph did not stand his ground and debate. One writer makes Joseph's escape a pattern for us all. Running was not cowardice in him:
God's way for us always makes us realize our own weakness. Our prayer can never be, "Lead us into temptation," and therefore we are never to act as if this were our prayer. Whenever we can escape without being disloyal, we should run rather than stand and face it. "Flee also youthful lusts." "Abstain (hold off) from fleshly lusts." Flee, as Joseph fled; and there was, perhaps, no bolder man.
So why not stay and argue instead? Eve tried that:
If you do not want temptation to defeat you, do not argue with Satan. When Eve began to argue her case with the serpent, the serpent was too clever for her. The devil used his reasoning to argue her right out of Paradise. If you sit down to talk terms with him, you give him half the victory.
Hardship had not broken Joseph, so the pressure came in a new form. What held him was the habit of living before God:
The devil has completely failed to break Joseph through the world's hostility and hard circumstances, so he changes tactics and tries to defeat him with the pleasures of sin. Joseph escapes the trap by holding on to his faithfulness to his master and his fear of God. "Behold," says Joseph, "my master … has put everything he has into my hands … how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (vv. 8, 9). Here is the secret of Joseph's consistent life before his master. He served people faithfully because he lived every day in God's presence. And because he walked in the fear of God, God kept him in the hour of temptation. It is good for each of us if fierce temptation finds us walking so close to God that we ask at once, "Can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" To ask that question is to escape the snare. The only thing we really need to fear is fearing anything, or anyone, more than God.
Verse 12 is the peak of a long campaign, and the moment he escaped it, the attack changed shape:
The temptation came "day by day" (v. 10), and the attacks grew more persistent, until Joseph "flees" from the temptation and the devil's plan fails. But having failed as the tempter, he now becomes the persecutor (vv. 13-18). The woman who once looked at Joseph with evil desire now gives lying testimony against him. As an older writer said, "Those who have broken the bonds of modesty will never be held by the bonds of truth. It is nothing new for the worst of criminals to accuse the best of men of the worst crimes." So Joseph escapes a wicked woman and keeps a good conscience. But to retain a good conscience may cost much. Joseph has to exchange the comfort of Potiphar's house for the hardships of Pharaoh's prison.
She turned the very thing he gave up to stay clean into proof of his guilt:
She then saw an opportunity of getting revenge on Joseph because he would not join her in evil. She called out for other men, no doubt servants of the household, and told them Joseph had come in to rape her. She said she cried out, and he left without his garment. So from the moment it happened, she had testimony against Joseph that looked convincing.
The same pattern still shows up wherever someone will not bend:
This is just how the world works. People will first do all they can to lure a Christian away from faithfulness to Christ. If he resists and stands firm, they turn around and start to persecute him and spread lies about him.
There is a limit to how far the comparison runs:
So here we see the holy young man resisting the tempter, bearing grief, suffering though he had done no wrong. And this is grace in the day of trial. … Joseph could be no real picture of the atonement. But of Christ suffering unjustly and in grace he was a wonderful foreshadowing.
- Fear — Joseph ran because he already lived in God's presence. God keeps the man who walks in His fear when the hour of temptation comes.
- Flight — if you can escape without being disloyal, run. Argue with the tempter and you have already handed him half the victory.
- Persistence — the pressure came day by day. When tempting failed, the tempter turned persecutor.
- Cost — Joseph kept a clear conscience and lost his comfort. The garment he dropped became the false evidence that sent him to prison.
- Christ — Joseph is no picture of the atonement. But in suffering unjustly and in grace he foreshadows Christ.