Genesis 39:6-9
6 So [Potiphar] 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. 7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 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. 9 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?”
Here we have a classic case of sexual temptation, and it is useful to examine how Joseph was able to resist it. Potiphar's wife makes a pass at Joseph. With all the terrible, unjust things that happened to Joseph, it could have easily seemed okay to take a little pleasure for himself, to try and control what is happening in his life, or to rationalize why he was entitled to a little pleasure. Yet he refuses. His answer in verses 8-9 shows that Joseph is concerned about how this would affect Potiphar. So he immediately sees the bigger picture, and the potential consequences of his sin. Too often we focus only on the pleasure of the sin and ignore the consequences until it is too late. One consequence would be to break the trust that Potiphar has put in him, and Joseph rightly realizes that integrity is important and not easily regained.
Lord, I confess to often only focusing on my own selfish pleasure. Help me to see the big picture of what You are doing, and remind me of the consequences of my actions.
6 So [Potiphar] 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. 7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 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. 9 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?”
Here we have a classic case of sexual temptation, and it is useful to examine how Joseph was able to resist it. Potiphar's wife makes a pass at Joseph. With all the terrible, unjust things that happened to Joseph, it could have easily seemed okay to take a little pleasure for himself, to try and control what is happening in his life, or to rationalize why he was entitled to a little pleasure. Yet he refuses. His answer in verses 8-9 shows that Joseph is concerned about how this would affect Potiphar. So he immediately sees the bigger picture, and the potential consequences of his sin. Too often we focus only on the pleasure of the sin and ignore the consequences until it is too late. One consequence would be to break the trust that Potiphar has put in him, and Joseph rightly realizes that integrity is important and not easily regained.
Lord, I confess to often only focusing on my own selfish pleasure. Help me to see the big picture of what You are doing, and remind me of the consequences of my actions.