INTRODUCTION:

1. It has been pointed out that, “Each scene in the record of Joseph’s life reveals some distinctive trait of character elicited by means of a crisis” (W.H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis).
2. In Genesis 37, Joseph was wronged by his cruel brothers.
3. Genesis 38 is parenthetical and deals with the shameful sins of Judah and his sons and daughter-in-law Tamar.
4. When Genesis 39 begins, Joseph has been brought down into Egypt; and sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, who bought him from the Ishmeelites (39:1).
5. The key words in Genesis 39 are: “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man” (39:2; cf. vss. 3, 21, 23).

1. JOSEPH WAS TRUSTED BY POTIPHAR
2. JOSEPH WAS TEMPTED BY POTIPHAR’S WIFE
3. JOSEPH WAS TRADUCED BY POTIPHAR’S WIFE

I. JOSEPH WAS TRUSTED BY POTIPHAR

1. Joseph was only 17 years of age, but because of his simple trust in God, he performed his duties as a slave to the utmost of his powers and abilities.
2. Instead of complaining that God was unjust and that life was unfair, or that his brothers were heartless, etc., Joseph put all his strength into the work that he had to do.
3. “The LORD was with Joseph,” and his master Potiphar “saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand” (39:2, 3).
4. Joseph was filled with the Holy Spirit, and later on we see that Pharaoh recognized this (cf. 41:38).
5. At last year’s missions conference, Bro. Mercado preached a message entitled, “The Marks of a Spirit-Filled Life,” and he used Joseph as an example of a Spirit-filled man.
6. Some of the marks he referred to were Joseph’s sweet spirit despite adversity; his humble spirit (cf. 41:16); and his sensitivity to sin. This morning we will focus on Joseph’s sensitivity to sin (39:7, 8).
7. Joseph was indwelt by the Holy Spirit; therefore, it was God's power that gave him the ability he needed to be an excellent servant in Potiphar’s house.
8. Instead of pouting or complaining, Joseph faithfully served as a slave. Joseph understood that he was not just serving Potiphar; he was serving God.
9. Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”
10. The secret of Joseph’s power was the consciousness of the presence of God – “And the LORD was with Joseph…” (39:2).
11. Later on when Joseph was reunited with his brothers, he told them, “So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God…But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (45:8; 50:20).
12. “He was a prosperous man” (39:2; cf. verses 3, 23).
13. Noah Webster’s 1812 Dictionary defines “prosper” as, “to be successful; to succeed,” and then Webster refers to Genesis 39:3, “The Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”
14. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” This describes Joseph.
15. This quickly became very obvious to Potiphar (39:3-5).
16. Potiphar was a worldly Egyptian but he recognized that Joseph’s powers came from a Divine source. Like Daniel in pagan Babylon, Joseph’s godly character greatly impressed those around him, and they were able to see God’s hand at work.
17. Therefore, Joseph “found grace” in his master’s sight, and Potiphar made him overseer over his entire house and over all his possessions (39:4-6).
18. First Samuel 2:30 says, “Them that honour Me I will honour.” (cf. 39:5b).
19. So thoroughly did Potiphar trust Joseph that “he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat” (39:6).
20. Potiphar had absolute confidence in Joseph’s trustworthiness and his capability. There was only one limitation – “the bread which he did eat” (39:6).
21. This was because of Egyptian teachings regarding defilement. Genesis 43:32 says, “the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.”

II. JOSEPH WAS TEMPTED BY POTIPHAR’S WIFE

1. Up until this point, everything seemed to be going very well with Joseph. Potiphar liked him and trusted him, and the LORD blessed Potiphar's house for Joseph's sake (39:5). But the devil was at work.
2. Genesis 39:6b says, “And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.”
3. In other words, Joseph was very handsome.
4. And his good looks were noticed by Potiphar’s wife (39:7). Egyptian women were known for their unchastity and their lasciviousness. Potiphar’s wife was a precursor to the infamous Cleopatra.
5. But Joseph refused her enticements (39:8), and this incident is another link in the chain of events that God in His providence used to bring Joseph all the way from his home in Canaan to becoming second-in-command to Pharaoh in Egypt.
6. Joseph inherited his mother’s beauty (cf. Genesis 29:17 with 39:6).
7. Genesis 29:17 says, “Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.”
8. Genesis 39:6 says, “Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.”
9. The same Hebrew word translated “beautiful” in reference to Rachel is translated “goodly” in reference to Joseph.
10. Joseph’s good looks were a strong attraction to Potiphar’s worldly wife. She considered Joseph her property, and therefore she thought she could do with him as she liked.
11. Temptation comes from the world, the flesh, and the devil, and Joseph was faced with all three – a worldly, sensual, and devilish temptress!
12. Temptation is of the great tests of life and character. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation.”
13. Temptation transforms innocence into virtue. Sin lies not in being tempted, but in yielding to it.
14. Theodore Epp said, “This incident shows us, however, that even a believer is not able to build a wall around him high enough to keep out temptation. It is not sin to be tempted; it only becomes sin when one yields to the temptation. Joseph was at the time of life when his reaction to temptation would have lasting effects. If he had yielded to the temptation of Potiphar's wife, who can imagine the different course that history might have taken.”
15. If Joseph would have yielded to Potiphar’s wife, the last eleven chapters of the book of Genesis would have turned out much, much differently.
16. If Joseph would have yielded to Potiphar’s wife, Genesis 39 would be very similar to Genesis 38. Joseph would have turned out as worldly and carnal as his brother Judah – an unhappy castaway, disqualified for the Lord’s service.
17. Hollywood glamorizes immorality, but the Bible condemns it. Proverbs 5:3-5 says, “For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.” A very serious warning!
18. Romans 8:13 says, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
19. Yielding to temptation may only take a few minutes, but it often leads to a life time of grief.
20. What a person accepts or rejects, particularly in the realm of sexual temptation, will affect the rest of his life.
21. The way in which Joseph refused to yield to temptation is very important – “He refused” (39:8).
22. Joseph met the temptation by a definite act and attitude of will. There was no dilly dallying, no hesitation, but a quick and definite refusal.
23. The hymn, “Yield Not to Temptation,” was written by Horatio Palmer shortly after the Civil War.

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.

Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

24. In his book on hymn stories, Ira Sankey said that when two preacher friends were preaching in New Zealand in the 1870’s, many young men found strength for life's temptations in the first lines of this hymn, which was sung at every meeting for months.
25. Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
    Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
    Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
    Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.
26. Joseph refused to yield to Potiphar’s wife because of his duty to Potiphar, the man who had trusted and honored him (39:8, 9).
27. Joseph told the temptress that his master Potiphar had kept back nothing from him but his wife. She was the one and only exception to Joseph’s full control of Potiphar’s house (39:8, 9).
28. Since Potiphar trusted Joseph, Joseph had to be faithful to his master Potiphar. He could not betray that trust.
29. But above and beyond his loyalty and fidelity to Potiphar, was Joseph’s loyalty and fidelity to God. Joseph’s faithfulness to God was first and foremost. To Joseph, God was first. To Joseph, God was everything.
30. Therefore, Joseph could not, and would not, commit this great wickedness and “sin against God.”
31. But Potiphar’s wife would not give up easily. She turned up the heat, and continued day by day with her enticements – “she spake to Joseph day by day” (39:10). She put the pressure on, hoping Joseph would yield.
32. The temptation went on for quite a while, until finally the woman’s lustful passion overreached itself. Genesis 39:11 says there was no one else in the house but the two of them. She grabbed Joseph by his garment and said, “Lie with me” (39:12).
33. But in her attempt to force Joseph to yield to her enticements, she was defeated. Joseph “left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out” (39:12). Joseph lost his garment but he kept his purity.
34. Flight is the only safety from certain forms of temptation. Safety is found in putting distance between us and our temptation.
35. This is why the apostle Paul solemnly charged young Timothy, "Flee also youthful lusts…” (II Timothy 2:22).

III. JOSEPH WAS TRADUCED BY POTIPHAR’S WIFE

1. I could say, “Joseph was slandered or framed by Potiphar’s wife,” but I believe that alliteration is a good memory device.
2. Joseph was trusted by Potiphar.
3. Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife.
4. Joseph was traduced (lied about) by Potiphar’s wife.
5. It did not take long for Potiphar’s hot passion to change from love to hate. Lust (“inordinate affection” – Col. 3:5) blinds people.
6. After Amnon raped Tamar, the Bible says, “Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her” (II Samuel 13:15).
7. And so the hatred with which Potiphar’s wife hated Joseph was greater than the love with which she had loved him (39:14).
8. There is an old saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” and her fury was hellish.
9. Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of attempting to seduce her, and she used his garment as proof of his guilt (39:13-16).
10. First she told her lie to the servants, and then to her husband when he arrived (39:14-18).
11. She was a very wicked woman, and while the Bible doesn’t clearly say this, it appears that Potiphar knew it, and this was why he had Joseph put in prison instead of having him killed.
12. “Captain of the guard” (39:1) means he was in charge of the executioners. Normally, a slave would be executed for a serious crime like attempted rape.
13. When Potiphar’s wife told her story to her husband, it is very possible that he may have suspected she was lying.
14. If his wife had been a virtuous woman, he probably would have had Joseph executed. Genesis 39:19 says, “his wrath was kindled,” but I cannot help but wonder if his wrath was kindled against his wife!
15. But for appearance sake Potiphar had to do something. He probably did not believe her story, and so he put Joseph in prison rather than kill him (39:20).
16. W.H. Griffith Thomas said, “The simplicity, dignity and reserve of the narrative; the vividness of the portrayal of the parts played – by Potiphar, his wife, and Joseph – and the unmistakable force of the presentation of truth and righteousness, command our interest and elicit our admiration. It is the typical story for young manhood, conveying its own clear and blessed message. Young men need not sin, can be pure, shall be victorious, if only they will face their foe in the spirit and power of Joseph. Jehovah is the same today, and His covenant of grace is “ordered in all things and sure” (Genesis).
17. Potiphar’s wife wasn’t able to seduce Joseph, but she did succeed in having him put into prison.
18. The poet wrote: “Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne…” (James Russell Lowell, “The Present Crisis”).
19. But he added, “Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.”
20. Evil may have its temporary victories, but they are only temporary. Good and right and truth must prevail, and the servants of God must continue to trust Him and serve Him. God never forgot about Joseph.
21. Another poet said,

Let those who have failed take courage,
Though the enemy seemed to have won,
Though his ranks are strong, if he be in the wrong,
The battle is not yet done;
For, sure as the morning follows
The darkest hour of the night,
“No question is ever settled
Until it is settled right.” — Ella Wheeler Wilcox

22. It is often a great mystery that evil forces are allowed to succeed in a world that is controlled by a righteous and almighty God. Joseph was godly but was cast into prison.
23. Potiphar’s wife was wicked but she apparently got away with her lies. But God always has the last word.
24. Joseph was put into prison, but verse 21 says, “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”
25. From a human perspective, Joseph's situation seemed hopeless, but God never left him for a moment.
26. In duty Joseph was loyal, in temptation he was strong, and in prison he was faithful “because the LORD was with him” (39:23).
27. Joseph worked as diligently for the prison warden as he did for Potiphar. He worked to the utmost of his ability, and it was not long before he was in the same exact relation to the keeper of the prison as he had been to Potiphar (39:21-23).
28. Joseph was soon in charge of all of the prisoners. “And whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it” (39:22). What a testimony to God’s faithfulness!
29. And what a testimony to Joseph’s character! He won his way into the confidence of the prison keeper, not by flattery, or by scheming or conniving but by hard work.
30. W.H. Griffith Thomas said, “The spiritual vitality of the man is simply astonishing, and again illustrates with magnificent force the truth that God blesses and honors those who are true to Him” (Genesis).

CONCLUSION:

1. In his book about Joseph, Leslie Flynn writes, “Mrs. Potiphar seemed to get away with her immorality and slander. But she was in for a shock. The day would soon come when Joseph would be elevated to a position of second-in-command of all Egypt. She would then tremble at the possibility of his revenge. But regardless of Joseph, who likely never sought retaliation, she will still have to face a holy God at the day of judgment” (Joseph: God’s Man in Egypt).
2. What about you? Have you given any thought to the day of judgment?
3. Some day each one of us will have to stand before God.
4. In Revelation chapter 20, the apostle John said he saw all the unsaved, “small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books” (Rev. 20:12).
5. And all lost sinners were cast into the lake of fire.
6. Hell isn’t just a place for immoral women like Potiphar’s wife.
7. Revelation 20:15 says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Make sure your name is recorded in the Lamb’s book of life!