Our Savior Lutheran Church

Last Week

In the last study we saw the selfish cruelty of Joseph’s brothers. They first plotted to kill him and finally settled for selling him into slavery and deceiving their father into thinking Joseph had been savaged by a wild beast. In this lesson we find Joseph the slave risen to prominence and the object of a determined seductress.

To Get Us Started

Sexual temptation becomes such a serious matter for adult men that it’s hard to remember that we were once boys who couldn’t stand icky girls.

1. Which of these titles best captures your childhood attitude toward girls?

a. Home Alone

b. Coyote Ugly

c. American Beauty

d. The Perfect Storm

e. Miss Congeniality

f. Mission Impossible

g. Other _____________________

2. What was your first serious crush on a girl? How did it affect your attitudes toward girls in general?

The Word

When Joseph first arrived in Egypt, he attracted the attention of one of the wealthiest men in that ancient civilization. One of hundreds, if not thousands, of slaves on a vast estate, Joseph should have disappeared into nameless, faceless anonymity. Potiphar could have employed him as a field hand or a menial servant in his house, but something about Joseph caused the Egyptian bigwig to keep the young Hebrew near him as a personal attendant.

Genesis 39:1-20

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

[2] The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. [3] When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, [4] Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. [5] From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. [6] So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, [7] and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"

[8] 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. [9] 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?" [10] And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

[11] One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. [12] 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.

[13] When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, [14] 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. [15] When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

[16] She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. [17] Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. [18] But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

[19] When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. [20] Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

Observations

In view of what’s happening to the values in our own society, this segment of Joseph’s life is probably one of the most relevant to our lives today – particularly as men. Joseph handled intense sexual temptation and chose to follow God’s will rather than to violate his moral codes. However, his choice cost him dearly. He went from having one of the highest and most respected servant roles in Egypt to being sentenced to years in prison.

Observation 1

When we are most successful, we are often the most vulnerable to sexual temptation.

How true in Joseph’s case! His success resulted from God’s blessing, but it did not insulate him from Satan. No mater what our success, we must be on guard in a particular way, for this is often when the enemy will strike. If Satan can catch us with our guard down, he may at that moment deliver a devastating blow. Before we know what has happened, we may find ourselves in a compromising situation, particularly if we yield in some way. The apostle Paul stated it very directly to the Corinthians: “Therefore, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Observation 2

To resist temptation, we must have firm moral and ethical convictions based on a Biblical value system.

Again Joseph beautifully illustrates this. He was determined not to violate the trust Potiphar placed in him nor to “sin against God.” The order here is very important. It moves from the human to the divine. Many people trust us not to yield to temptation – our children, our marital partners, our fellow Christians, and last but not least, many of our non-Christian friends and associates. Having firm convictions and desires not to violate their trust is a great source of strength. This is why having an accountability partner is so important.

The most important motivation for not yielding to temptation should be our relationship with God. Furthermore, the strongest deterrent is the knowledge of His love and grace toward us – not our fear of what He might do or allow to happen to us if we sin. Certainly fear of God’s discipline should be a factor, but our primary motivation is gratitude to God for all He’s done for us.

Observation 3

To resist temptation, we must avoid verbal and visual stimuli.

We can easily miss a phrase in the Joseph story, and yet it is a key in overcoming temptation. Not only did Joseph consistently refuse the invitation from Potiphar’s wife, but he eventually refused to “even be with her” (Genesis 39:10).

Many temptations are generated by verbal and visual stimuli. We can never avoid them all. To do so we would have to leave this world. But we do have certain controls over our environment. For example, what we subject ourselves to, particularly in the world of entertainment, does affect our thoughts, our desires, and our behavior.

Much of what is happening today is flagrant. We can recognize it and avoid it. But we must also avoid subtle messages. Many movies and television programs assume that romantic encounters will, under normal circumstances, culminate in sexual intercourse. We can be so moved by sympathetic characters in a good story that we celebrate sex between unmarried characters, even when God says such behavior is wrong!

This is subtle – and powerful! I’m not suggesting avoiding all movies and television. But we’d better discern the subtle messages. They’re sometimes more powerful than flagrant violence and sex.

Observation 4

Some people yield to sexual temptation, not because of uncontrollable lust, but because of a fear of rejection and a loss of position.

Joseph’s temptation was sexual. But it was more. He would naturally fear rejection and loss of position. He had to know in his heart that he was in danger of losing everything he had gained. A single temptation may have several facets – touching other areas of our lives.

Such sexual temptations also involve material things or status, which may be legitimate in themselves. Conversely, a temptation for material things can also be intricately related with sexual temptation.

The apostle John summarized it most clearly when he wrote, “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. Because everything that belongs to this world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle – is not form the Father, but is form the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will will remain forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

Observation 5

When we resist temptation, we may pay a price with people, but ultimately never with God.

Joseph did pay a price – a painful price. But eventually God honored him for his righteous stand. God will do the same for us. People may reject us, scoff at us, and even tell lies about us, trying to make us look bad. But God will never forget!

We must remember, also, that Joseph’s experience was both a temptation and a trial. This is difficult to comprehend, for God does not tempt – Satan does (James 1:13). But God does allow trials – often that we might grow spiritually (1 Peter 1:7). He is often preparing us for greater responsibility in His kingdom. And to complicate matters in our own minds, God can actually take evil (which is cause by Satan) and can make it work for good (Romans 8:28). Eventually Joseph would learn this in his future experiences.

To Discuss

1. How did the aggressive sexual temptation Joseph experienced parallel the temptations facing men in our contemporary sex-saturated culture? In what ways was it different?

2. What’s the typical response the world expects men to have to the kind of temptation Joseph experienced? What might the world say about Joseph’s response?

3. From Genesis 39:2-6, how would you describe Joseph’s rise through the ranks in Potiphar’s household?

4. What reasons did Joseph give for refusing “Mrs. Potiphar’s” advances (vv. 8-9)?

5. Potiphar regarded Joseph as his favorite slave, almost as a “good luck charm” (vv. 13-18). How did Potiphar’s wife put him in an awkward position concerning Joseph?

6. Why do you imagine Potiphar imprisoned Joseph with VIP prisoners instead of having him executed? What does this suggest about Potiphar’s views on Joseph? On his wife?

7. If Joseph had chosen to, how could he have rationalized having sex with Mrs. Potiphar?

8. Using Joseph’s answer as a model, why should you refuse to give in to sexual temptation?

9. Joseph’s temptation cam in three forms: first, a simple appeal to sin; second, a repeated, nagging invitation to sin; and third, a sudden intense assault by evil. How have you seen sexual temptation operate in these ways?

10. Joseph did the right thing but suffered punishment anyway. What Scripture verses and spiritual observations can comfort you when you suffer for doing the right thing?

Sexual temptation is something all men experience, but it’s hard to talk freely about. Depending on the closeness of the relationships in your group, pray for one another generally or specifically about this area.

11. Pray for the integrity of one another’s marriage relationships or celibacy.

12. Ask God to help each man in your group develop a biblical rationale for purity before serious sexual temptation becomes an issue.

13. Pray that the men in your group will be spiritually strong to resist the sexual temptations they face.

Next Week

Joseph had dreamed of prominence above all those around him. Instead, he experienced rejection by his brothers. Then he was enslaved by the Egyptians. Next week we see Joseph’s descent continue – all in sharp contrast to his dreams. He’s imprisoned and forgotten. How would Joseph act when his dreams were dashed again and again?