Dealing with temptation
“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)
Joseph brothers hated him and as a result he was sold to Midianite traders who took him to Egypt. It is difficult to understand the trauma and distress Joseph endured as he took that journey. The son with the coat of many colours became a slave in Potiphar’s house. At the time, Joseph had no understanding of the remarkable way God was going to use his life. Later, he was honoured by Pharaoh and set over all the land of Egypt. His pain was still evident when he married Asenath and called his first son Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” But in all his sufferings Joseph never lost his faith in God. The reality of that faith is seen in another testing time in his life. God prospered Joseph as a slave. Through his daily faith, industry and attractiveness as a person, he became Potiphar’s trusted servant and controlled all that he had. Joseph is an encouragement to us: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).
Joseph’s remarkable faith was tested through suffering and through temptation. The latter came in the form of Potiphar’s wife, who became obsessed with Joseph. God never allows our faith to be tested in order to destroy it. On the contrary, it is tested to prove its strength and genuineness: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love” (1 Peter 1:6-8).
We often think of Joseph’s temptation only in terms of how he eventually ran away from the advances of Potiphar’s wife. But that was Joseph’s last course of action, not his first. When he was approached by Potiphar’s wife, he doesn’t run away, but confronts the situation. He is not diminished by his position as a slave or fearful of her power. He had a clear understanding of the consequences of giving way to such a temptation. He explains that he was in a place of trust. To commit adultery with her was wrong and a betrayal of Potiphar’s confidence in him. But above all, it was a sin against God. We need the same clarity of thinking when tempted, and to understand the dishonour it brings to our faith in God and the harm it inflicts on ourselves and others.
The temptation persisted, but Joseph stood his ground and avoided the woman’s company. Finally, he removed himself from the place of temptation. It was only when he was trapped by circumstances that Joseph’s only course of action was to remove himself from harm. Joseph may have been a slave, but by God’s grace, he mastered temptation and refused to give way to sin. He rejected temptation for what it is and protected himself and others. In this he was repeatedly resolute. The word of God was hidden in Joseph’s heart, and his obedience kept him safe and was used by God to bring him into the most remarkable blessing. May we learn from his example.
