Bible Reading:Genesis 39:1-2, 6-7, 10-17, 19-21
The Ishmaelites had taken Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, one of the king's officers, who was the captain of the palace guard. The Lord was with Joseph and made him successful.
Joseph was well-built and good-looking, and after a while his master's wife began to desire Joseph and asked him to go to bed with her. Although she asked Joseph day after day, he would not go to bed with her. But one day when Joseph went into the house to do his work, none of the house servants was there. She caught him by his robe and said, "Come to bed with me." But he escaped and ran outside, leaving his robe in her hand. When she saw that he had left his robe and had run out of the house, she called to her house servants and said, "Look at this! This Hebrew that my husband brought to the house is insulting us. He came into my room and tried to rape me, but I screamed as loud as I could. When he heard me scream, he ran outside, leaving his robe beside me."
She kept his robe with her until Joseph's master came home. Then she told him the same story. Joseph's master was furious and had Joseph arrested and put in the prison where the king's prisoners were kept, and there he stayed.
But the Lord was with Joseph and blessed him.
A Reflection
Being a Christian doesn’t give you immunity from temptation, indeed developing a greater awareness of right and wrong can make you more prone to temptation.
Although Joseph had grown up in a fairly dysfunctional family, it seems that he had also grown up with his great grandfather Abraham’s awareness of God and, through that, an awareness of what is right and wrong.
Temptation comes to all of us in many different ways and it often seems that the tempter tailor makes his temptations to fit the individual. Joseph, a well-built young man in the prime of life is tempted with illicit sex by his bosses frustrated wife.
With a desire to honour both God and also Potiphar, who has entrusted him with his household, Joseph resists the temptations day after day until eventually he does the only thing he can and runs away from the situation. Unfortunately, he leaves behind his robe and a spurned would-be lover.
Are there areas in your life where you are particularly prone to temptation? Have you found a way of dealing with the temptation. Can you manage to say ‘No’ each time it arises, or do you need to find a way to, metaphorically, run away?
False accusations or injustices can be really difficult to deal with, especially if, like with Joseph, they result in serious hardship. If you have suffered either, can you bring the situation to God and ask him to help you find a way through?
Do you know anyone who is struggling with false accusations or unsubstantiated claims? Can you pray for them, that God will help them too to find a way through?
A Prayer:
Father in Heaven,
When I am tempted to sin, show me the way out.
Forgive me my sins and deliver me from evil.
Amen
What a friend we have in Jesus
Comments