(Genesis 39) 6b Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
I guessing 6 pack. I’m guessing good teeth. I’m guessing great hair. He was a P90X poster boy, strikingly handsome.
7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me."
The boss’ wife is looking at him lustfully. She’s infatuated. Finally, she says, “Come to bed with me. Sleep with me.” She wanted him.
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 yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"
Joseph says, “Look, my boss, your husband, trusts me. He doesn’t think twice about anything with me in charge. No one here has more authority than me. He treats me like I’m his equal. How could I betray his trust and sin against God? No. I will not sleep with you.”
But this women won’t take “no” for an answer.
10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
Potiphar’s wife piles on the pressure. She pursues Joseph day after day. But he keeps saying “no.” The text indicates that he keeps out of her way as much as possible. He’s standing his ground. He’s doing what’s right in the sight of man and God. God’s going to reward him for that, right?
11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house,
12 she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
This guy is in his 20s. His hormones are at their peak. He has every opportunity. She will help him cover it up. But Joseph is a godly young man. He runs. Out of the house. He does what the NT tells us to do when it comes to sexual temptation. II Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee youthful passions.” Joseph does just that. God’s going to reward him for that, right?
13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house,
14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house."
16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home,
This is coat number 2 that got Joseph in trouble. (Maybe he should switch to sweater vests or something!) His boss’ wife comes on to him. He runs away, leaving his coat in her hands. She’s a woman spurned. So, now she’s going to use the coat to frame Joseph. She says, "Look. This good looking guy shows up and before you know it he's trying to seduce me. I kept saying ‘no.’ Then, today, he tried to force himself on me. I screamed out and he ran. And here’s the proof. I have his coat.”
She waits with the coat until her husband comes home.
17 and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me.
This word “laugh” is a Hebrew word that means “to play with,” “to toy with,” “to mock.” She’s saying, “This foreigner, Joseph, wants to mock us, to shame us, to toy with us, to make me his plaything. But I wouldn’t play along.”
18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house."
19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, "This is the way your servant treated me," his anger was kindled.
20 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
Now, Joseph is in jail. He does the right thing and ends up in jail. What’s going to be his attitude?
“OK. Strike one. Forsaken by my brothers and sold as a slave. I bounced back from that. Now, strike two. Framed by my boss’ wife. I say “no” to what most young men dream about. I do what’s right. And I’m in jail? I had the favor of God on my life. Things are going my way. And now? Enough is enough.”
Joseph has every reason to be bitter, unforgiving, vindictive, filled up with anger, and wanting revenge. This kind of stuff could turn a person into a mean man. What happens next?
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.
23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.
There’s that word again. “Favor" is in verse 21. Just like before with Potiphar, Joseph had the favor, the acceptance, the good-will of his jailer.
Again, why did that happen? How did that happen?
Think with me: If you were in charge, would you promote a bitter, vindictive, angry, revenge-filled, always-talking-about-how-he'd-been-hurt guy? No.
So, there must have been something attractive, something winsome, something special about Joseph. This time, the jailer saw it. In spite of being falsely accused and framed, Joseph had a positive impact on the people around him. He wasn't bitter. He rose above it. And the jailer promoted Joseph.
We don’t see any evidence of a root of bitterness taking hold. As the story unfolds, we see a consistent trust in God and a perseverance to be a man of integrity and endurance despite circumstances.
Joseph is in jail physically, but not spiritually.
How about you? How do you react when you've been framed?
Maybe you’re thinking about a former associate. You trusted him. You made him an important part of your team. And then things changed. Conflicts took place. You were blamed. He not only left your organization, but took some of your clients with him. Now, you’re left picking up the pieces and wondering, “What happened?” You’ve become bitter, not trusting, wanting to hurt back. And you have forfeited the favor of God on your life.
What if you would forgive? Could you regain the favor of God? God is placing His finger on that hurt and saying you need to let it go and give it to Me.
I guessing 6 pack. I’m guessing good teeth. I’m guessing great hair. He was a P90X poster boy, strikingly handsome.
7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me."
The boss’ wife is looking at him lustfully. She’s infatuated. Finally, she says, “Come to bed with me. Sleep with me.” She wanted him.
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 yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"
Joseph says, “Look, my boss, your husband, trusts me. He doesn’t think twice about anything with me in charge. No one here has more authority than me. He treats me like I’m his equal. How could I betray his trust and sin against God? No. I will not sleep with you.”
But this women won’t take “no” for an answer.
10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
Potiphar’s wife piles on the pressure. She pursues Joseph day after day. But he keeps saying “no.” The text indicates that he keeps out of her way as much as possible. He’s standing his ground. He’s doing what’s right in the sight of man and God. God’s going to reward him for that, right?
11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house,
12 she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
This guy is in his 20s. His hormones are at their peak. He has every opportunity. She will help him cover it up. But Joseph is a godly young man. He runs. Out of the house. He does what the NT tells us to do when it comes to sexual temptation. II Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee youthful passions.” Joseph does just that. God’s going to reward him for that, right?
13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house,
14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house."
16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home,
This is coat number 2 that got Joseph in trouble. (Maybe he should switch to sweater vests or something!) His boss’ wife comes on to him. He runs away, leaving his coat in her hands. She’s a woman spurned. So, now she’s going to use the coat to frame Joseph. She says, "Look. This good looking guy shows up and before you know it he's trying to seduce me. I kept saying ‘no.’ Then, today, he tried to force himself on me. I screamed out and he ran. And here’s the proof. I have his coat.”
She waits with the coat until her husband comes home.
17 and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me.
This word “laugh” is a Hebrew word that means “to play with,” “to toy with,” “to mock.” She’s saying, “This foreigner, Joseph, wants to mock us, to shame us, to toy with us, to make me his plaything. But I wouldn’t play along.”
18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house."
19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, "This is the way your servant treated me," his anger was kindled.
20 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
Now, Joseph is in jail. He does the right thing and ends up in jail. What’s going to be his attitude?
“OK. Strike one. Forsaken by my brothers and sold as a slave. I bounced back from that. Now, strike two. Framed by my boss’ wife. I say “no” to what most young men dream about. I do what’s right. And I’m in jail? I had the favor of God on my life. Things are going my way. And now? Enough is enough.”
Joseph has every reason to be bitter, unforgiving, vindictive, filled up with anger, and wanting revenge. This kind of stuff could turn a person into a mean man. What happens next?
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.
23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.
There’s that word again. “Favor" is in verse 21. Just like before with Potiphar, Joseph had the favor, the acceptance, the good-will of his jailer.
Again, why did that happen? How did that happen?
Think with me: If you were in charge, would you promote a bitter, vindictive, angry, revenge-filled, always-talking-about-how-he'd-been-hurt guy? No.
So, there must have been something attractive, something winsome, something special about Joseph. This time, the jailer saw it. In spite of being falsely accused and framed, Joseph had a positive impact on the people around him. He wasn't bitter. He rose above it. And the jailer promoted Joseph.
We don’t see any evidence of a root of bitterness taking hold. As the story unfolds, we see a consistent trust in God and a perseverance to be a man of integrity and endurance despite circumstances.
Joseph is in jail physically, but not spiritually.
How about you? How do you react when you've been framed?
Maybe you’re thinking about a former associate. You trusted him. You made him an important part of your team. And then things changed. Conflicts took place. You were blamed. He not only left your organization, but took some of your clients with him. Now, you’re left picking up the pieces and wondering, “What happened?” You’ve become bitter, not trusting, wanting to hurt back. And you have forfeited the favor of God on your life.
What if you would forgive? Could you regain the favor of God? God is placing His finger on that hurt and saying you need to let it go and give it to Me.
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