Genesis 39:7–14

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 failed completely to overcome Joseph by the frowns of the world and the trials of 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.

Joseph is a prosperous man in the captain's house. But he is soon driven out of it. The enemy of souls prepares a snare for him, and Joseph has the integrity and dignity to flee from it. The snare only appealed to what was corrupt in his nature. It offered no relief from his condition as a slave. We may see Potiphar's wife as a picture of the world; she stands for its attractions. When she fails to attract this prosperous servant of God, she becomes his fiercest and most ruthless enemy. Evil company too often comes with prosperity. But for a God-fearing soul, prosperity held with evil company cannot last.

Many critics claim "that Joseph could never have seen his master's wife, for the women were secluded and had separate apartments." But monuments and Egyptian paintings show that the women were not shut away. They mixed freely with the men. In the hieroglyphics the word for woman is neb-t-en pa, which means "mistress of the house." Someone also found an ancient papyrus containing "the romance of the two brothers." It has an episode much like the one in our chapter. It fully confirms that the temptation of Joseph is not a myth.

How good it is to notice that Joseph, faced with the most terrible temptation, resists and escapes. What is the secret of his being kept? He says, "How can I sin against God?" His eye is upon God. He lives before God. Happy man! Before God he knows what is right and wrong. He knows that every sin, whether "against his own body" or not, is a sin against God.

His way for us is always one that makes us realize our weakness. Our prayer can never be, "Lead us into temptation," and so 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 perhaps no man was bolder.

Here we see the holy young man resisting the tempter. He endures grief and suffers though he has done nothing wrong. And this is grace in the day of trial. For what glory is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you take it patiently? But if when you do good and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is grace with God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps. Joseph could be no real picture of the atonement. But of Christ suffering unjustly and in grace he was a blessed foreshadow.

Potiphar's wife was Satan's tool in this wicked attack. She tried many times to seduce Joseph into adultery with her (vv. 7-14), but he refused every time. He told her that his master had trusted him with great responsibility in his house. He was not going to prove false to that trust by violating the marriage between his master and his wife.

In the Egyptian's house he saw a new field of duty. He looked to Jehovah, so that by serving Him he might best serve his master… He had been saved from a cruel death that seemed very near. So he humbled himself under God's hand, and set himself to do carefully and honestly whatever lay before him each day, to please the Master above. That is why he prospered and became master of the situation. Potiphar had never had such a slave, and neither had anyone else. There was no self-seeking in him, and no work done only when the master was watching.

Devotion to the Lord exposes Joseph to the hatred of the devil. The devil has completely failed to overcome Joseph by the world's frowns and by hard circumstances. So he changes his tactics and tries to overcome Joseph by the pleasures of sin… Joseph escapes the trap by holding to his faithfulness to his master and his fear of God… Here is the secret of Joseph's steady life before his master. He served faithfully in front of people because he walked always in the presence of God. And because he walked in the fear of God, he was kept safe in the hour of temptation.

Then came a time of fierce and long testing… Here the testing met him day after day. Nothing kept him safe but his fear of God and his recognition of the great wickedness of what she offered him. Whether young or old, as we pass through this defiling world, we do well to keep this question always in our hearts: "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" If he had given in, he would have sinned against the woman, against Potiphar and against himself. But the thought that controlled and saved him was "against God."

The blessed Book is full of passages that show, in every possible way, how immensely important the fear of God is… The man who walks day by day in the fear of God is kept from every form of moral corruption. A living sense of God's presence must be a real shelter from every temptation. How often we find that the presence of a very holy and spiritual person acts as a healthy check on silliness and folly! If another human being has that much moral influence, how much more powerful would the felt presence of God be!

The temptation came "day by day" (v. 10), and the attacks grew more persistent, until Joseph "flees" from the temptation and the devil is beaten. Having failed as the tempter, he now becomes the persecutor (vv. 13-18). The woman who once looked at Joseph with evil desire now lies about him. As one writer said, "Those who have broken the bonds of modesty will never be held by the bonds of truth. It is no new thing for the best of men to be falsely accused of the worst crimes by people who are themselves the worst of criminals." So Joseph escapes from a bad woman and keeps a good conscience. But keeping a good conscience can cost a lot.

She tried many times to get Joseph to commit adultery with her (vv. 7-14). He refused every time. He told her that his master had trusted him with great responsibility in his house. He was not going to betray that trust by breaking the marriage between his master and his wife. Doing that, he tells her, would be great wickedness and a sin against the Lord.

Young or old, as we pass through this world that stains us, we do well to keep this question always in our hearts: "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" If he had given in, he would have sinned against the woman, against Potiphar and against himself. But the thought that controlled him and saved him was "against God."

What was the secret that kept him? He says, "How can I … sin against God?" His eye is on God. He lives before God. Happy man! Before God he has a sense of what is right and what is wrong. He knows that every sin, whether it is "against his own body" (see 1 Cor. 6:18) or not, is a sin against God. His reply showed a godly state of mind and a tender conscience.

Here is the secret of Joseph's steady life in front of his master. He served man faithfully because he walked always in the presence of God. Walking in the fear of God kept him in the hour of temptation. It is good for each one of us if the moment of 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 trap. The only thing we really have to be afraid of is fearing anything, or anyone, more than God.

Whenever we can escape without being disloyal, we are to run from temptation rather than face it. Scripture says, "Flee youthful passions," and "abstain from the passions of the flesh" — hold off from them. Flee, as Joseph fled; and there was perhaps no bolder man.

The temptation came "day after day" (v. 10), and the attacks grew more persistent, until Joseph fled from it and the devil failed. Having failed as the tempter, he now becomes the persecutor (vv. 13-18)… So Joseph escapes from a bad woman and keeps a good conscience. But keeping a good conscience can cost a lot. Joseph has to trade the comfort of Potiphar's house for the hardship of Pharaoh's prison.

Many people think Joseph was a good young man, but a rather soft one. Read his history carefully and you trace a character that is strong, wise, noble, generous and manly. Wherever he was, God was in all his thoughts. When he was tempted, he said, "How can I … sin against God?" When he stands before Pharaoh, his first words are, "God will give …" When he tells his brothers who he is, he says, "Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves … for God sent me before you." … He did not complain under that great disaster. He looks around to see what he can do to help others, even his jailers.

The devil, however, is not content with isolated attacks upon the children of God. He will wage a continual warfare. It was so with Joseph. The temptation came "day after day" (v. 10), and the attacks grew more persistent until Joseph flees from it. That foils the devil. But having failed as the tempter, he now becomes the persecutor (vv. 13-18).

Then came a time of fierce and prolonged testing, and we see how great is the contrast with Judah's action in the previous chapter. There Judah sinned at once, and hardly saw it as sin. Here the testing met him day after day. Two things held him: his fear of God, and his sense of the great wickedness of the seduction put before him... If he had given in, he would have sinned against the woman, against Potiphar and against himself. But the thought that controlled and saved him was "against God."

The wife of Potiphar spoke to Joseph day by day, seducing him. Evil comes to us day by day in this seductive way. That is why we must keep numbering our own days before God... Each day he lives, he is living before God. Joseph is numbering his days according to God. He lives out God's Commandments before they are given — "You shall not commit adultery" — and counts his days by that.

His way for us is always one that makes us feel 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. In all cases where escape is possible without disloyalty, we are to flee rather than face it. "So flee youthful passions." "Abstain (hold off) from the passions of the flesh." Flee, as Joseph fled — and there was, perhaps, no bolder man.

The adversary of souls then prepared a snare for him, and he had the integrity and dignity to flee from it. It only appealed to the depravity of his nature, and offered no relief to his condition as a slave. We may regard Potiphar's wife as a picture of the world; she stands for its attractions. She fails to win the prosperous servant of God, and so she becomes his fiercest and most unscrupulous foe.

So here we have 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... "But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps"... Joseph could be no real picture of the atonement. But of Christ suffering unjustly and in grace, he was a blessed foreshadow.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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. She 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 witness against Joseph that seemed conclusive.

He did not stop to say, "I am Joseph, I am a man of God, I can withstand this sort of thing." He knew well the power of nature. He knew well the power of evil. So he fled, leaving his garment in the hand of the evil woman.

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 (hold off) from the passions of the flesh." Flee, as Joseph fled. There was, perhaps, no bolder man.

Here the testing met him day after day. Only his fear of God preserved him, and his recognition of the great wickedness of the seduction placed before him. Whether young or old, we do well to keep this question in our hearts as we pass through this defiling world: "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Had he given in, he would have sinned against the woman, against Potiphar and against himself. But the controlling and saving thought was "against God."

Clearly this young man did more than resist her demands. He was also careful not to wound his master by proving the wife's guilty passion, and her still guiltier revenge on a blameless man. For lust, whether gratified or not, soon turns to hatred.

One event here shows the power of godliness. It also tells what the faithful may expect from this world: slander, false accusation, and prison. This was the first effect of faithfulness… In Potiphar's wife we see the world in a familiar character. Its prince is first the tempter, then the accuser of the saints. Joseph has to wait more than two full years before God appears for him. Faith and patience must have their perfect work.

Nothing was said about why he was put in prison. So far as the record goes, no one ever cleared him of the false charge brought against him. He evidently left this in the hand of God, who knows how to care for His servant's reputation.

Here then we have the holy youth resisting the tempter, enduring grief, and suffering when he had done no wrong… Joseph could be no true picture of the atonement. But of Christ's suffering unjustly and in grace, he was a blessed foreshadow.

The temptation came "day after day" (v. 10), and the attacks grew more persistent. Then Joseph "flees" from the temptation, and the devil is foiled. But having failed as the tempter, he now becomes the persecutor (vv. 13-18). The woman who once cast her evil eyes on Joseph now bears 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. It is nothing new for the worst of criminals to accuse the best of men falsely of the worst crimes." As a result, Joseph escapes from a bad woman and keeps a good conscience. But keeping a good conscience can cost much.

We may regard Potiphar's wife as a type of the world, whose attractions she symbolises; and, failing to attract the prosperous servant of God, she becomes his fiercest and most unscrupulous foe. Evil company too often comes with prosperity. But for the God-fearing soul, prosperity tied to evil company cannot last. If he stays faithful, the evil company will destroy the prosperity.

She then saw an opportunity of getting revenge on Joseph because he would not join her in evil. She called out to other men, no doubt servants of the household. She 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 witnesses against Joseph who seemed to prove her case.

On the one hand stood the proved, unquestionable trustworthiness of his slave. On the other stood his wife. A woman capable of such an approach must have shown her evil character in many other ways long before, if not in this one. So her word was already doubtful. Still, she was his wife. Her fraud was bold, shameless, and malicious. Yet we hear of no effort on Joseph's part to clear himself by exposing her wickedness. A simple denial of her charge would not stand against a husband's natural anger. Potiphar had no wish to look closely at the terrible alternative.

The wicked woman's husband evidently did not really believe his wife's foul lie. It was perhaps only to keep up appearances that he made a show of punishing Joseph. If he really believed her story, it is hard to see why he did not have this Hebrew slave put to death at once. He probably knew her character well.

So here we see the holy young man resisting the tempter, bearing grief, and suffering wrongfully. And this is grace in the day of trial… Joseph could be no real type of the atonement. But of Christ suffering unjustly and in grace he was a blessed foreshadow.

In all this Joseph is only a type of One whose sufferings were far deeper, just as His glory is far greater… He, too, suffered under the false accusations of the wicked. Again He can say, "They laid to My charge things that I knew not" (Ps. 35:11). He, too, was led to prison and to death.