| Subject: Genesis 39 vss 7-20 Post 186 |
Author:
Hillbilly
| [ Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 19:33:14 03/01/12 Thu
Genesis 39:7-20 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: 15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. 16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. 19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned." In Potiphar's wife we can see the foundation of the little witticism. This woman is about to prove this proverb is absolutely true.
In setting the stage for this incident we should remember that Joseph is a young man no older than his early twenties. He is most likely muscular and evidently good looking. She "cast her eyes upon Joseph". 1 John 2:16 is in full display here. Potiphar's wife is a woman true to the culture she is raised in and is almost certainly much older than Joseph. As she is in his presence often and her husband is away doing Pharaoh's business as captain of the guard she lets her desires and animal lust control her thoughts. Fantasizing turns to overt proposition and she says "lie with me". We find also that this was an ongoing thing and her insistence grew as "she spake to Joseph day by day" In Joseph's stedfastness to not break a trust nor sin against God we see one of his greatest attributes that was typical of Jesus. It is written in Hebrews that Jesus was tempted as ordinary men are tempted. Hebrews 4:14-15 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus was tempted as any man would be tempted and it is likely that Joseph was tempted in this matter without giving in to the baser nature of the flesh. Potiphar's wife was probably an attractive woman given Potiphar's stature and position. He probably had a wide selection of women to choose from. He was a wealthy and influential man.
Just as Jesus did not sin in matters such as this neither did Joseph. The only mistake Joseph made in this whole affair was in not making sure there were others around to witness any indiscretion. on the woman's part. After his rejection of her affections toward him she resolved to push the issue to it's climax. As a result Joseph ran and she grabbed his clothes and he wound up leaving his outer garment behind.
Joseph is now in a predicament that is not of his making nor choosing. His master's wife cries attempted rape and Joseph's master is left with whom to believe. Does he believe his wife or a slave? No contest even though Potiphar probably had an idea that his wife was capable of stepping out on him when circumstances allowed. Honor or shame also would come into play. Even if Potiphar believed Joseph he would still probably choose the course of action he chose to save face. As Jesus before Pilate Joseph was before a judge that could not afford to find him innocent.
The result is that Joseph winds up in the slammer for something he did not do. His actions were above reproof and he had honored God and his master. Still he was in prison. The ups and downs in Joseph's life are the things movies are made of.
You would think that at this point Joseph would be feeling a little hard toward God. After all, where was God when Joseph needed Him? Think of Joseph's life to this point. From a prince to a pit, then captivity. From a pit to a palace and from a palace to a prison. Joseph's life was a yo-yo and he couldn't tell at this point if the string was going to break or not.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
] |
|
Feedback: 