This Can Be Your Story - Part 10

We are introduced to Joseph when he is seventeen years old in Genesis 37 as a God fearing person. He was born in a good family. His father Jacob was a devoted man of God, whom God through various corrections made him Israel. Though it was in this context that Joseph grew up, his 11 brothers were not God fearing and treated him cruelly. They sold him and he ended up as a slave in an enemy country in Potiphar’s house. The dreams God had given him as a child seemed very distant. We know the end of the story that God is faithful to fulfil the dreams whatever be the trials you go through. In our story too, though we do not know the end now, we must know that our God is faithful to fulfil His dreams for us. 

God was with Joseph even when he was a slave. Joseph was being trained for what God had planned for him. The depth of your past decides the height of your future. The failures, mistakes etc. of our past etc. will be a training for a great future. 

Genesis 39:6-7 
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

Though a slave, Joseph’s presence had made Potiphar’s life peaceful and successful. It was when Joseph was in charge of his master’s household, that temptations came chasing him. This happens even now and has become a modern lifestyle. 

Joseph was a man of integrity and had earlier reported his brothers’ misdeeds to his father. Now this happened to him when he was experiencing success because of God’s presence in his life. How did Joseph respond?

Genesis 39:8 
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 refused to sin and this is a model lesson for all of us. Joseph was different. We see many biblical characters like David, Samson, Judah etc. who failed this test. We must be different from the world. Even if Joseph had consented, no one would have known. But Joseph had the fear of the Lord and this kept him from sinning. The fear of the Lord is a healthy fear. He honoured and respected God. 

Genesis 39:10 
And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

Joseph did not obey his master’s wife as it was equivalent to sinning against God. It was not a one time temptation. She kept on and on. 
We must face many kinds of tests and temptations before we are promoted. 

James 1:13
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone

 God never tempts us but He tests our faith, faithfulness etc. 

Joseph had no family, friends, Bible, fellowship, anointing etc. to help build his faith life but the one thing that saved him from being tempted was ‘the fear of the Lord’. 

Genesis 39:11-15 
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

Joseph ran out of the situation of temptation. The solution to overcome this kind of sexual temptation is to flee the scene and protect oneself from sinning. A person who sins sexually will also suffer a curse financially also.

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