“No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her. (Genesis 39:9-10)
In our lives, temptation to sin looms at every point in our lives. Sometimes it is easier to not give in to temptation when we are in the public eye. Sometimes it is easier to let our guard down and to give in to temptation when we know that others won’t see what we are doing. How can we overcome the temptation to sin that Satan throws at us constantly? We need to stay close to Jesus and to be filled with more of Him in our lives.
In today’s reading of Genesis 39, Joseph had the daily temptation of Potiphar’s wife trying to lure and seduce him to go to bed with her. How was Joseph able to show extraordinary faithfulness towards God, Potiphar, and to himself by not giving into this temptation for possibly 11 years? Joseph displayed some characteristics that we would be wise to heed also.
The first characteristic Joseph displayed was he remembered his responsibilities. He remembered how much he had to lose if he gave in to temptation. Second, Joseph remembered who she was, another man’s wife. She didn’t belong to Joseph, she was married to Potiphar. Third, Joseph remembered that giving in to temptation would be committing a wicked sin. We try to call sin other names, hoping that it lessens the impact on us when we sin. Pride is self-esteem. Gluttony is the good life. Hostility and temper is self-expression. Adultery is a cry for help in a bad marriage. Fourth, Joseph remembered that this would be a sin against God. The proposition in front of Joseph was probably risk-free with little chance of getting caught. Yet, Joseph had more concern that giving in to temptation would mean that God would know that he sinned.
When Joseph considered and remembered all these things, then he was able to refuse the daily proposition. Let us remember that Jesus faced every temptation that we face, yet He was without sin. Let us look today to Jesus for the strength to resist temptation!