And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
Joseph now runs his master's whole Egyptian household. Everything Potiphar owns is in his hands. At that very moment, his master's wife looks at him and speaks. The scene raises a question many readers feel at once: why is a season of blessing so often the moment of greatest danger?
A Change of Tactics
The attack does not come out of nowhere. Joseph had already come through years of hardship without breaking. The attack now comes from a new direction.
Hamilton SmithWe 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.
Prosperity and Its Company
The trap is set inside comfort, not hardship. One writer asks what Potiphar's wife stands for.
The Bible TreasuryJoseph 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.
Could It Have Happened?
Some critics call the scene impossible. They say an Egyptian wife would never have met a household slave. Egypt's own remains answer them.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinMany 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.
What Kept Him
Two verses later Joseph answers, and his answer reaches past his master to God. Where did that instinct come from?
W. T. P. WolstonHow 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.
Escape, Not a Contest
Joseph's answer is to get out of the room. Is running away weakness?
Numerical Bible NotesHis 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.
Suffering for Doing Right
Saying no costs Joseph everything he has just gained. What does God make of suffering that is not deserved?
William KellyHere 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.
Summary
- Blessing invites attack. Hardship did not break Joseph, so the enemy tried pleasure instead — just when life got good.
- Comfort carries company. Bad company often comes with success. For a God-fearing soul, the two cannot last together.
- The record stands. Critics said an Egyptian wife could never have met a household slave. Egypt's own monuments and papyri say otherwise.
- Sin's real address is God. Joseph already lived before God, so he saw the offer at once as sin against Him.
- Flee, don't fence. Where escape is possible without disloyalty, run, as Joseph ran. He was no coward. It cost him everything, and it made him a picture of Christ suffering unjustly.