Today, we look at the intriguing story of Joseph and the adulterous advances of Potiphar’s wife. Like so many others, this story reminds us that God’s servants lived in the “real world” and faced the same kinds of challenges and temptations common to us. This incident in Joseph’s life reminds us that wisdom is not reserved for the elderly, but can be demonstrated by young people facing life-changing temptations. We can learn much from Joseph.
What have we learned about Joseph? You can review last week’s blog, “Joseph and Potiphar” https://www.cosdavis.com/joseph-and-potiphar/ for details regarding Joseph’s age and how long he served in Potiphar’s household.
Joseph served Potiphar from age seventeen until he was twenty-eight, doing manual labor until he was made manager over all that Potiphar possessed. The hard work “muscled him up,” making him a strikingly handsome young man when he became Potiphar’s manager.
Perhaps he was in his mid-twenties when Potiphar recognized his potential and promoted him. Whatever the case, Genesis 39:6 describes him as “Well-built and handsome.” This is not the same seventeen-year-old Joseph that Potiphar bought a few years ago. The hard work had strengthened and toned his body into a striking figure of a man.
Enter, Potiphar’s wife. She is introduced into the drama in Genesis 37:7, “After a while his master’s wife took notice of him.” I think it is likely that most women would “take notice of him.” The problem came when she allowed the attraction to lead to sexual desire. She didn’t just look. She looked lustfully at him, and that desire built until she took the next step: “Come to bed with me.” Genesis 39:7
Recognizing the physical handsomeness or beauty of another person is not a sin. The sin of adultery or fornication takes place when we allow ourselves to think about that person as a potential sex object, someone to be used to gratify our sexual desire.
Sexual desire is to be dealt with in the context of a committed marriage. Jesus speaks of adultery as an attitude, even if no physical act has happened. Notice what he says in Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘ You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” We can safely deduce this applies to how a woman looks at a man, also.
We don’t know her name. Think about this. How would you like to be known only as someone who had an eye for an attractive person and whose main ambition was to commit adultery?
My attempts to learn more about her have led me to discover that some fictitious books have been written about her. Louis Ginsburg, in Legends of the Jews, is reported to have credible evidence that her name was Zuleika and that she invited her aristocratic friends to come and see her handsome Hebrew slave.
Possibly, she was much younger than Potiphar, spoiled, bored, and neglected by her busy husband; we are left to guess about this. Why did she do what she did? Sexual desire was involved, but things like privilege, pride, or an attempt to provoke her husband’s jealousy or to punish his neglect could also be involved. Of one thing we can be certain, she was not the subject of what is written in Proverbs 31:10-12. “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, but not harm, all the days of her life.”
The basics of this story are summarized in Genesis 39:8-20. While “Zuleika” is a necessary part of this story, the emphasis is on Joseph and the integrity he demonstrates in her persistent attempts to engage in her immoral scheme.
What can we learn from how Joseph handled this situation?
First, he prioritized his relationship with God above sexual gratification. Zuleika was likely an attractive and needy woman. Joseph had sexual desires also, and he had eyes and could see. But he never allowed himself to consider her propositions as a possibility. Why? Because of his loyalty to God, she was “off limits” to him.
Second, he chose long-term gain over short-term pleasure. He had the maturity to understand that quick fixes and immediate gratification of physical and emotional needs lead to disappointment and regret. The immoral act she suggested was disrespectful to her husband and God’s law. Joseph’s response to her offer, “Come to bed with me,” emphasizes the moral dilemma she wants him to ignore: “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?” Genesis 39:9.
Third, realizing the danger of the situation, he does all he can to avoid being with her alone. Genesis 39:10 tells us she did not respect his “no” and continued pursuing him. However, one day, when no servants were in the house, he went in to take care of some duties, and she took hold of his cloak. He pulled away and ran outside, leaving her clutching his cloak.
The lesson? Be aware of compromising situations and do everything you can to avoid them. Don’t be a fool. People who will use you are not thinking about what is good for you. Think for yourself.
Well, you know the rest of what happened in this story. But in God’s “book,” it’s not the end; what seems tragic is only a minor chapter leading to another chapter of how God works in everything for good to those called for His purpose. Romans 8:28.