Chapter 1: What lessons can we learn from Joseph's early life?
Joseph is one of the few people in the Bible with very little negative to say about him. His early life is a tragic story of betrayal and pain. Ten of his brothers were very jealous of him. This is because their father favored Joseph. Due to their jealousy, they made a plan to kill Joseph. Instead of killing Joseph, they threw him into a hole and then sold him into slavery.
His father thought he was dead. Joseph ended up working as a slave in Egypt under a man named Potiphar. He did such a great job and worked himself up the ladder. While not at home with his family in Israel, he did an excellent job in Egypt. He found favor in the eyes of those around him. But among those eyes were the eyes of an immoral woman, Potiphar's wife.
Before I read the story of Potiphar's wife and Joseph, I want to quickly read a few verses from Proverbs chapter five. And if you've never read Proverbs chapter five, it's basically a chapter of warning against a specific type of woman. The type of woman that Potiphar's wife was. Just listen to this, verse three to six.
For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil. But in the end, she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life. Her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it. And then verse 8 to 10, Keep to the path far from her.
Do not go near the door of her house, lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another. Just think of how serious and dangerous an immoral woman can be. And keep this passage in mind as we look over what happened between Joseph and Potiphar's wife.
Genesis 39 verse 6 to 10 says, 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. I want you to notice this. She cast her eyes on Joseph. Other translations will say she looked at Joseph with desire. She looked lustfully at Joseph or took notice of Joseph. This is the first lesson we should be aware of. Joseph had overcome so many different challenges.
He was betrayed and hurt by his family. He was sold as a slave into a foreign land, but he had overcome all of those obstacles and he was at a place where he found favor among people in a land that was not his home. And just when God had elevated him, the devil took notice of Joseph.
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Chapter 2: How did Joseph respond to temptation from Potiphar's wife?
Often that temptation will happen when we are in a good place. Joseph had favor in the eyes of everyone. He was an up and comer in Egypt. It's often when we are in a good place that Satan comes knocking. That's because we usually have our guard down when we're in a good place. When we're in a bad place, we often see our need for God's strength in our life.
However, in moments of success, we often rely on our own strength. That's why it's so important to continually remind ourselves of our need for Jesus. We need to constantly remind ourselves of the grace God has given us through the cross. It's only through that constant reminder that we see the continual need for God in our life and have the mindset to fight against temptation.
As you may know, Potiphar's wife ends up framing Joseph for rape because he does not sleep with her. Joseph ends up in prison. However, while in prison, Joseph earns the favor of people yet again. He works hard and earns a spot at the top of the ladder in prison. Eventually, Joseph ends up before the Pharaoh of Egypt and interprets a dream of a future seven year famine.
This interpretation ends up getting him a spot as second in command in all of Egypt. He uses this spot to save his family from famine. This includes his dad and 10 brothers who almost killed him and then sent him to slavery. He ends up saving the promise of God to bless his father Jacob and the promise of the seed of Jacob who will come and save the world. That promised child would be Jesus.
Imagine what would have happened if Joseph had given into temptation with Potiphar's wife. He may have ended up in a much worse state. He could have ended up dead if caught in the act of adultery. He would have never been blessed enough to save his family from famine. I'm unsure of what temptation you have or what temptation you're giving into.
However, I know that Satan is trying to get you to give in so he can wreck the work God is trying to do. But dear friend, there's good news. Jesus Christ offers us a chance for mercy and grace. Turn to the Lord as he delivers you from your temptation. God will see you through.
Saints, let me tell you, it's no coincidence that the loudest voices in this world are the voices that stand to discourage you from living a righteous life and to encourage you to indulge in sin. Yes, we live in a world where many different voices are deliberately trying to influence us to pick pleasure over self-control or to pick selfish gain over a life of serving.
These voices are in the media, they are in institutions, they are sold to us as entertainment even. You see the world desires to give us whatever we want, or at the very least, encourage us to go for what we want. The voices in this world will tell you to look after this flesh, but they will mention nothing about your soul.
They will tell you things like, enjoy the moment, but those voices will never utter a word about where you will spend eternity.
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