Day 14 - Genesis 38-40

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE

Day 14 - Genesis 38-40 (How Do You Resist a Strong Temptation?)

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“Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.  And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."  But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.  There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"  So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.”  (Genesis 39:6b-10)

If you read my last post, you would recall that Joseph was sold off by his brothers as a slave to some traders and ended up being bought by Potiphar, Pharoah’s captain of the guard.  Now, we see Joseph inside Pharoah’s house as his chief steward and as we see from our text above, Joseph is in really hot water.

I would conjecture to say that Potiphar’s wife was no ugly duckling.  It would be rare to see a top general with an ugly wife.  Chances are, Mrs. Potiphar was a hot Mama and that Joseph woulf have also been attracted to her.  If this is true, Joseph went through a very strong temptation to give in to her advances.

But Joseph was no ordinary man.  He was a God-fearing man.  Notice his response to Mrs. Potiphar: “"Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.  There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"  Joseph was not just afraid to lose his job or even his life; He was afraid to do evil and to sin against God.

Therein lies the answer to the question that is my title to this post: How do you resist a strong temptation?  The key is found in the fear of God.  Were it not for the fear of God that many have including myself, I cannot imagine the magnitude of destruction we would see in our society.  We would doubtless witness a divorce and crime rate multiple times as much as what it actually is.  Churches would be empty for loss of trust for its leaders.  I can go on and on.

I give no credit to myself for being able to resist many temptations that would have destroyed my family and reputation but I give all credit to God who alone instilled the fear of God in me and have kept me from sinning against Him and others.  To God be the glory!