"God Has a Wonderful Plan" Genesis 39:1-23 Pastor Allan Wooters, D.Min.
In his book, The Happy Christian, David Murray lists ten elements that come into play that contribute to our happiness. David lists things like learning to focus our thoughts on happy facts meaning as the apostle Paul said, “whatever is right, pure, lovely, or excellent” we think on things like these. Murray adds items like avoiding heavy doses of negative media or focusing too much on the future. He adds encouraging things like making a positive contribution to our world and more. But there is one factor concerning happiness that should be added to Murray’s list. It is how to deal with temptation. To give into temptation is to guarantee that guilt, sadness, and pain will mark our life rather than happiness. Scripture has much to say about temptation, but few places are as powerfully focused as the account of Joseph here in Genesis 39. God put this here to help us. Paul wrote in Romans 15:4, “Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” So, how do we meet and defeat temptation? First, we must understand its nature.
We Must Understand the Nature of Temptation
In vs.1 – 6a, we read of the blessings enjoyed by many due to Joseph’s faith. Verse 1 introduces Potiphar to us. He was a powerful, highly trusted leader in Pharaoh’s court and Joseph’s master. I don’t know the kind of deal Potiphar struck in buying Joseph as a slave, but he made the deal of a lifetime. The Bible notes that “The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man.” In fact, Joseph was so successful that Potiphar made him “his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house.” But there’s more. We read later that “the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus, the LORD’S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field” (v.5). Joseph had the Midas touch. Everything he did succeeded. Things couldn’t have been better. But then, things go south quickly.
“Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance” (v.6b). The only other person who is described in a similar way in all the Bible is Rachel, Joseph’s mother. Joseph was successful, had a large degree of power, the looks of a supermodel, and suddenly he had the attention of a certain female who happened to be Potiphar’s wife. “It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said ‘Lie with me’” (v.7). The Hebrew language has a wonderful way of putting it. It literally says that she “lifted up her eyes” at Joseph. One translation says she “made eyes” at him. Then at the right time she says, “Lie with me!” It was a command! She had the power. He was a mere slave. Can anyone say, “sexual harassment”?
Right here we are given an understanding of the nature of temptation. First, temptation doesn’t come as something hateful or evil, rather as alluring, exciting, and filled with promises of pleasure. If temptation didn’t promise happiness, pleasure, self-esteem and more we would not be moved to give in at all.
Second, temptation is never merely external, it is internal. Yes, the woman tempts Joseph, but he knows the real battle is within. Notice how he responds in v.9: “How can I do this great evil…?” He saw the battle was on the inside. In the book of James we read, “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (1:14). Adam tried to get around this after he gave in to temptation telling God, “The woman You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12). We can say, “The devil made me do it!” all we want but the fact is we give into temptation because we want to. It’s like someone said, “I really don’t have to pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation,” because I can find it all by myself!”
Third, temptation can only be defeated for a season. Notice the text says, “she spoke to Joseph day after day…” (v.10). Every day, the minute Potiphar left the house, she was tempting Joseph. Temptation is like that. It was for Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, following the account of Jesus’ successful defeat of three demonic temptations, Luke says, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” Temptation is like throwing a boomerang, it always comes back. Oh, it may not be the exact same temptation. You can get to the place where a particular temptation loses its power on you, but another will step up to take its place.
Given these three facts about temptation, no wonder we can fall into it so easily. But the situation isn’t hopeless. Joseph defeated the ongoing temptation and so can we. The question is, how? And here’s one answer: we must fight temptation.
We Must Fight Temptation
British playwright Oscar Wilde once remarked, “I can resist anything except temptation.” His own life proved the truth of those words. When we hear them, we chuckle because we all know, in various ways, how true they are. On the other side we have C. S. Lewis who observed that “no man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good.” The first quote proves the second. It is precisely because we can’t resist temptation that we learn how bad we really are—and how greatly we stand in need of God’s grace.
But here’s the good news. God will give us strength to resist temptation, but we still must fight. Jesus had to battle His temptations in the wilderness. Paul told young Timothy to “flee” the temptation of greed (1 Tim. 6:11). We can’t think that we can simply pray and that somehow God will put up a shield for us against temptation. We must put in some effort. This effort largely involves our thinking.
When the temptation came, Joseph’s first response was to recognize this accountability to Potiphar, vs.8 – 9a. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt Potiphar or he feared him. Regardless, his relationship with his master was one element in overcoming the temptation. So, for us, who would we harm by giving into temptation? It can help us resist.
Also, Joseph accurately labeled the temptation. In v.9 he calls it a “great evil and sin against God.” No sugar-coating. No downplaying it. No, “Hey, who will know?” sort of reasoning. He put a correct label on it. The temptation was not to just “let go and have some fun,” it was “evil” and “a sin against God.”
Finally, Joseph ran from the source of his temptation, v.10. As Kenny Rogers sang, You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, Know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away, And know when to run. And in the end, Joseph literally ran (vs.11 – 12).
Given this, you would think things would finally simmer down. But no! In the rest of the chapter we discover that it is literally true that “Hell has no furry like a woman scorned.” Potiphar’s wife turns not to further thoughts of lust but revenge. She concocts a story that accuses Joseph of attempted rape. Every word is a lie, but Joseph ends up in prison, punished for a crime he didn’t commit. Talk about no good deed going unpunished!
This is a hard fact to accept concerning the outcome of some temptations. We are raised to think that if we do the right thing, good things will be ours. Sometimes that is the case but not always. Not in Joseph’s case. But why? Why would God allow us to defeat some temptation and then permit us to suffer for it? The short answer is that He uses such times to continue to build a godly character in us, to strengthen our trust in Him, and prepare us for the future. In sports, a coach might respond to a great win by her team by making the next practice especially hard! She is just being mean or hardnosed? No! She is trying to help the team be even better. God will do that with us and in the end, we will praise Him for it. There is always a reward for defeating any temptation, it just may not come immediately. But given all this there is yet one other factor about God’s plan concerning temptation. It is that He will never leave us alone in our temptation.
God Will Never Leave Us Alone in Our Temptation
This theme flows through this entire chapter. Five times in the opening five verses we’re told that God was with Joseph. After he was imprisoned, we read, “But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer” (v.22). Not once are we told that God spoke to Joseph. The Lord didn’t give Joseph visions, feelings of God being close. In other words, Joseph went through his temptations by faith. God didn’t appear to him and explain why he let him be in jail, but we see it. We know later that if Joseph hadn’t been in that jail then he would not have met two of Pharaoh’s servants. One of those servants was instrumental in getting Joseph before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. That opportunity led to Joseph being exalted to second in command in Egypt and used by God to save Joseph’s own family and countless other lives from a horrific famine. You see, God always has a reason or multiple reasons for what He does or doesn’t do in the moment. And it takes trusting God to triumph.
How we need to take these insights on temptation to heart. We need this because giving into temptation will cost us. One man shared his experience.
While my wife and I were shopping at a mall kiosk, a shapely young woman in a short, form-fitting dress strolled by. My eyes followed her. Without looking up from the item she was examining, my wife asked, "Was it worth the trouble you're in?"
Listen. We can do this. We can defeat temptation not because we are so strong but because God will give us what we need to win. First Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
This is the promise! This is our strength. This is God’s plan concerning temptation; that we trust Him, fight the good fight, and keep trusting Him. As a Christian, you have all of this for your protection against sin. If you’re not a Christian, you will keep giving in and keep reaping the pain of sin. Christ is the answer for you. He will accept you. He will forgive you for all the times you have given into temptation and set your life to gain the greatest of all blessing namely, eternal life.
For Further Reading
The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges
Overcoming Sin &Temptation, John Owen (Get the edited edition by Kelly M Kapic and Justin Taylor)