Last week, we left Joseph in charge of everything his master owned. In fact:

…with Joseph in charge, [Potiphar] did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Gen. 39:6

Ole Potiphar was totally sold on Joseph—to the point of laziness! Quite a leap for Joseph, from teenage foreign slave to second in command.

Someone else has taken notice of the boy slave (now a good-looking man.)

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!” Gen. 39:6

Wow, makes you wonder if Potiphar had become too lazy even to attend to his wife. Her boldness gives us a peek into her character and now we will catch a glimpse of Joseph’s character, as well.

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. 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?” Gen. 39:8-9

We hear a hint of the old bragging nature in Joseph. Remember when he touted the dreams he had with his brothers and his father? You know—”your sheaves bowed down to my sheaves.”

Still, we have to admire this red-blooded young man denying the whims of the master’s lady. He had a moral sense of right and wrong and this, even before Moses came on the scene with the ten commandments. Notice that he saw it as, not only  an offense against his master, but also a sin against God.

However, Mrs. Potiphar did not relent.

And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her. Gen. 39:10

That, my friends, is integrity and endurance on Joseph’s part.

There’s more to this Jezebel of a woman. In her conniving way, she manages to get all the servants out of the house one morning while hubby is gone. Joseph comes in to attend to his duties.

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. Gen:39:12

A good lesson for us—when temptation comes, flee for all your worth.

So once again, our hero has remained true to his God, but not without repercussions. Mrs. “P” is ready to have the last word.

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.” Gen. 39:12-15

Quite the drama queen, huh? With the other servants to back her up, she tells her same dramatic story to Potiphar. I can’t help but wonder if he has heard his wife’s tirades before, but with all these witnesses looking on, what is he to do? Scripture tells us that he “burned with anger” and put Joseph in the king’s prison.

We aren’t told whether Joseph attempted to defend himself. We just know that the second in command of the household is now in the depths of a prison. From pit to pinnacle to prison.

We ask, “Why?” When Joseph had proven himself, worked hard, and held out with honesty and integrity, why this? It doesn’t seem fair. I can think of instances in my life and the life of others when I ask, “Why?” It is hard to understand why people, particularly those have given themselves to the Lord’s work, end up having tragic circumstances.

Next week, we will see how Joseph copes.

~ Joyce ~