If you’re not familiar with the story of Joseph, this is the background. Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel; however, he loved Rachel more. She was the woman he originally wanted to marry before being deceived into marrying the older sister by his father in-law (Genesis 29:14-30). And she didn’t have children until later in life.

In total, Jacob had 12 sons, and Joseph was the second last child and also the first child of Rachel. Joseph was the favourite child because ‘he was born in his [Jacob] old age’ (Genesis 37:3). For this reason, Joseph was given a coat, which the bible described as a ‘coat of many colours’.

Joseph also received dreams from God concerning who he was going to become (Genesis 39:5-11). His brothers were jealous of him and conspired to get rid of him. Initially, they wanted to kill him, but one of his brothers suggested that it would be better to sell him off as slave to the Ishmaelites who happened to be nearby (Genesis 37: 19-26).

Along the way, Joseph was bought as a slave by Potipher, a man of great influence. He observed that his household was prospering because Joseph had favour with God (Genesis 39:2-3), because of this he was placed in charge of his household.

In this blog, I share three things that we can learn from Joseph when he faced temptation in Potiphar’s house. 

1. Fear of the Lord

The bible described Joseph as ‘handsome and well-built’ and Potiphar’s wife notices this (Genesis 39:6). It tells us that Potipher’s wife wanted Joseph, and she made her intentions clear, saying “Lie with me!” (Genesis 39:7). She wanted to be intimate with Joseph despite being a married woman. But Joseph’s reply to her request was this,

Genesis 39:8-9 (ESV)
But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “My master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. ⁹ No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

Joseph understood that God had favoured him and put him in a position of authority, not to abuse his power but to be an example, a witness among the Egyptians. He understood what was entrusted to him and knew that for him to be given such a responsibility, he was regarded as someone trustworthy.

Joseph wasn’t just a man who was morally upright or valued integrity. Joseph feared the Lord. This shouldn’t be confused with having a phobia where you’re afraid of something.  The word fear means to revere, which means to have a deep respect. Joseph honoured God and wanted to do what pleased the Lord.

It’s the fear of the Lord that keeps us from participating in evil or giving into temptations. If we fear the Lord, whether we’re in public or behind closed doors, we will desire to obey God as much as possible. The bible encourages us to live in such a way that we are conscious of God’s presence, even amongst unbelievers. Even if others aren’t watching, God is watching.

This shouldn’t be viewed as something creepy but rather, it should remind us that we are to represent God everywhere we go. Whether we hear it enough in sermons at church, a day will come when we answer to God and give an account for every word and deed (Matthew 12:36-37; Romans 2:12-16; Hebrews 4:13).

It’s clear that Joseph feared God because he said, ‘How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” but Potipher’s wife did not.

Genesis 39:11-12a
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside.

Potipher’s wife waited until it was just her and Joseph, thinking that it would be the right environment for them to engage in sexual immorality. Potiphar’s wife wanted to make sure that no one was around before she made any advances. This shows us that she knew what she was doing was wrong.

This is something to think about. If you have to wait until nobody is looking or present in the room, for you to do what you know you shouldn’t be doing, it means you fear men more than you fear of the Lord.

If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense for us to be so comfortable to sin in the presence of the One who is omniscient (all-knowing) but be uncomfortable to do the very same action in presence of men and women who only see in part (what we want them to see). You may be able to hide it from others, but you can’t hide it from God.

When the fear of the Lord is absent in our lives, it’s very easy for us to commit sin without being convicted by the Holy Spirit. This is because our hearts have become hardened over time, which is often the result of continual disobedience.

This isn’t to bring condemnation. If you recognize that the fear of the Lord is missing. Ask the Lord in prayer to increase the fear of the Lord in you.

2. Firm boundaries

Although the bible never described Potiphar’s wife, I’d imagine that she would be beautiful. I’d like to think that Joseph wasn’t the first servant that she would have tried to lure into bed (just speculating). However, what she wasn’t expecting was that Joseph would be firm on his convictions.

Genesis 39:10 (NLT)
She kept putting pressure on Joseph, day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.

It wasn’t enough for Joseph to tell Potiphar’s wife that he wasn’t interested. He kept his distance. Joseph made sure that he wasn’t anywhere near her. Yes, he made his convictions known, but he also had boundaries.

If you have a revelation of what God’s word says, and you’ve made up your mind that you want to obey Him, your actions have to match what you say and believe. Words are not enough; we have to walk the walk.

Potiphar’s wife put pressure on Joseph with the intention that he would become weary and give in. In the same way, Delilah put pressure on Samson to reveal the source of his strength (Judges 16:16). Joseph was able to see that Potipher’s wife was ungodly. Samson, on the other hand, wasn’t able to see Delilah for who she was because he was already sleeping with her.

Maybe as you’re reading this, someone or a few people come to mind who are similar to Potipher’s wife and are trying to convince you that it’s okay to sin a little, you can repent later or that it’s only once. It may not be sexual; it could be the temptation to bear false witness, steal, deny Christ or whatever the Holy Spirit convicts you of, please do not give in.

The very people who you’re trying to impress, mocking you for following Jesus or are mocking you for following Jesus, will be the same people who will turn their back on you and say, “I thought you were a Christian?”.

If you’re experiencing peer pressure or feel the need to sacrifice your relationship with God to keep him/her/them satisfied, maybe now is the time to evaluate your friendships or relationship. Godly relationships should encourage you to grow closer to God and bear fruit.

3. Flee

Genesis 39:12 (ESV)
she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.

Potipher’s wife was stubborn, and she would pursue Joseph every day to lie down with her. Until one day, when she thought she had an opportunity, when nobody was watching – she caught Joseph’s garment.

Joseph didn’t tell her to leave him alone, he was past that at this point. He had already made his stance clear that it was never going to happen. So rather than fight the woman, Joseph fled.  

In some situations, we may have to stand and fight. When it comes to the enemy, we are told to submit to God first, then we are able to resist the devil, and he will flee (James 4:7). In other situations, we are to flee from the appearances of evil, or any situation that could ruin our testimony.

Joseph could have tried to prove to himself that he was strong enough or that he’s a “big boy” and can withstand Potipher’s wife, but he didn’t. He fled because it was the only way to remove himself from a compromising situation.

Proverbs 3:7 (ESV)
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Proverb warns us not be wise in our own eyes. This scripture is addressing the pride that we can fall into when we think we know best. Pride always comes before a downfall (Proverbs 16:18). If we truly fear the Lord, we will not try to see how far is too far or try to prove to ourselves and to others, that we are spiritually strong or mature, when it’s clear that we should flee.

Nobody should put so much confidence in their flesh because the flesh will always fail us. We are to place our confidence in Christ. We only overcame because of what he did for us on the cross. If it wasn’t for God’s mercy, we would still be in bondage. So why would you deliberately put yourself in a tempting situation, if it took the grace of God to deliver you, in the first place?

Joseph knew the call of God upon his life and was very much aware that if he entertained the flesh, it would lead to destruction. With the vision that God has given you, is it worth sacrificing for temporary pleasure?

Joseph fleeing shouldn’t be seen as a sign of weakness. If anything, it takes a lot of humility to be able to recognize that you are not as strong as you think you are. Fleeing looks different for everyone; it can be just as simple as walking away from a conversation or environment.

During trials and especially temptations, we should be clinging to God more than ever. God is faithful and will always provide the way out (1 Corinthians 10:13), but it’s up to us to be willing to obey. The fear and wisdom of the Lord is needed.

Please seek accountability and godly counsel from mature Christians if you find yourself in a complicated situation.

God bless,
Susan.

Sidenote: If you would like to read similar blogs to this. There is the Mission of Moses and Ezekiel’s Prophetic call.