GENESIS 39:1-10 – Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.”

THEME OF THE DAY:  DEFEATING SIN.  He likely would have gotten away with the sinful pleasure.  I mean think about it.  Joseph is all alone behind closed doors with likely a rather beautiful woman who kept urging him to commit adultery with the promise, “No one will ever know.”  Remember, she was Potiphar’s wife, so servants were at her beck and call.  They would be sworn to secrecy under the penalty of severe consequences, maybe even death, if anything leaked from the palace.  And I don’t think it is a small stretch to think this was the first time she sought to be unfaithful to her husband.  But let’s stop thinking about the adulteress and consider Joseph.

First, he is a young and handsome man which means just that; he is a young and handsome man with all the passions associated with his gender and age.  Refusing her would have been an extremely difficult war in his heart.  Sadly, many a young and handsome man, and others not so young have surrendered to the passions of the flesh destroying reputations, family relationships, and testimonies for the Lord. Take time and read the strong warnings of King Solomon to his son about the seduction, ease, and devastation of adultery (Proverbs 7). And for today in our world?  We don’t have to go to a palace.  Just a click away from enslavement to sexual sin.  But there is something else about Joseph and it is a big something else.  He shows us how to defeat all sin.

Joseph fought off the continual advances of Potiphar’s wife and subdued the passions of his flesh by understanding two things; to commit adultery with her was sin against his God, and he knew there was no escape from the presence of God – How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?  But here is the important application.  Joseph didn’t refrain from sin because of the consequences and being afraid what God might do.  No, he refrained from the sin because of the consequences and his love for God.  He knew the sin of adultery was not only breaking the law of his God, but also His heart.  And friends, that is the pattern to defeat all sin.  See the temptation, and no matter how good and pleasurable the sin might be, it is only for a season, and it is an act against the love of God.  That motive will defeat all sin. All the time for the greatest of these is love.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to see that sin is foremost against You and as Your children, it is sin against Your love.”

QUOTE: “If we see sin as we should, we would sin less, not be sinless, but sin less as we aware of its hurt against God.”

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

Pastor Jim