And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house,
When Potiphar's wife looked down at the clothing still in her hand, the story turned. Joseph had just done the right thing in the only way left to him — he ran. The proof of his innocence then became the evidence that destroyed him.
What she did with the garment
The moment she sees the garment, she starts building a case.
L. M. GrantShe 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.
Running, not arguing
Joseph did not stay to argue, and he did not trust himself to hold the line by willpower. Losing the garment was the price of getting out.
Frank WallaceHe 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.
One writer turns Joseph's escape into a rule for anyone facing the same pull.
Numerical Bible NotesOur 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.
What held him day after day
This was not one sudden crisis. The pressure came back again and again, and one question held him.
F. B. HoleHere 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."
From desire to hatred
What she does next is the same appetite, now aimed at ruining him. Notice also what Joseph never does: he never clears himself by exposing her.
William KellyClearly 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.
The pattern reaches past one household, and past one day.
The Bible TreasuryOne 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.
Innocence that stays unproved
Joseph never got a public hearing. The charge stood on the record, and he let it.
L. M. GrantNothing 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.
One writer reads that undefended suffering as a preview of Someone greater.
William KellyHere 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.
Summary
- Flee. Joseph did not negotiate, explain, or test his own strength. Escape was possible, so he took it and left the garment behind.
- Fear. One question carried him through daily pressure: how can I sin against God? The sin would have wronged others too, but God was the restraint.
- Framed. Refused desire turned into hatred, and the proof of his purity became the evidence for the lie. The world tempts first and accuses second.
- Filed away. He never exposed her, and the record never cleared him. He left his good name with God, who cares for His servant's reputation.
- Foreshadow. Joseph suffered though innocent and took it patiently. So he is a foreshadow of Christ, who suffered unjustly and in grace.