If you eat of the tree, you wont die. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?. All rights reserved. But the Torah gives us Joseph's own explanation in his response to his master's wife: "He [Potiphar] wields no more authority in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except yourself, since you are his wife. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. Potiphar's wife has no children and does not seem to love her husband. Facts About Her: She was the wife of Potiphar who was the, "officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard" (Gen. 39:1); After Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his entire household she saw that Joseph was "a goodly person, and well favored", meaning that he was talented and good looking. She said that Joseph came in to attack her, she screamed, and he ran away. For Joseph, it was probably initially intimidating working for Potiphar. His integrity was preparing him for further exaltationto be second in command over Egypt. Obviously, Potiphars wife wasnt used to being rejected and wouldnt take no for an answer. And I certainly sought to seduce him, but he firmly refused; and if he will not do what I order him, he will surely be imprisoned and will be of those debased." If Potiphar's daughter is now marrying Joseph, Potiphar will be forced to support him. Kindle Edition. The narrator said, Soon after these things (v. 7). Asenath, her daughter (by adoption, in some accounts) became the wife of Joseph and therefore the wife of Potiphar begot grandchildren (not children) through Joseph. And Pharaohs most important official chose Joseph to be his slave. Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (Genesis 39) Related Media Lesson PPT TITLE Main Point: The Lord is with those who trust Him, even in the most difficult times. When people look at the world around them, they can tell that there is a powerful God who created everything (Romans 1:20). How is your integrity? 35-6: What the ancients believed happened after death, 35-5: Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine in a sly move to gain family power, 35-4: Unearthing God's prophetic statements to Jacob that can ONLY be understood in Hebrew, 35-3: Deborah's death symbolizes Israel's complete severance from Mesopotamia. One day, Joseph went to the house to take care of his duties. He put Joseph in charge of all of the prisoners. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. When the Persian king put Daniel in prison, he knew that Daniel was righteous and had been framed by the other administrators; however, he had to obey the law. Finally, while Joseph was imprisoned, God showed him great kindness. There is no one greater in this household than I am. Also, youll save lots of money! Satan always contradicts Gods will for our lives and tries to convince us that succumbing to temptation is better than following Gods way. So Potiphar left everything he had in Josephs care; he gave no thought to anything except the food he ate. She may have gloated over Josephs arrest and limitless prison sentence. It implies that Joseph had shown himself trustworthy, and therefore, Potiphar didnt have to worry about anything. Some members of my church might never return to church again. He did not think he deserved more than God had given him. - Genesis 39:19b-20a. Potiphars wife may have been attractive, but her interactions with Joseph were not lovely. And thus We reward the doers of good. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Pet 5:6-7). Its OK to illegally downloadThe product shouldnt cost that much anyway! Its OK to cheat on taxesThe government is taking too much money as it is! When Christians do this, they are preparing themselves to be unfaithful in other areas of their lives. What Does the Bible Tell Us about the Prophet Daniel? Grabbing hold of his garment, she made her plea one last time: "Lie down with me!" Joseph acted . Homosexuality is not an abomination like Scripture says. By His grace, God gave Joseph the power to say NO to sin (Titus 2:11-12). Kent Hughes said, The word is out God is looking for a few good cowards!7 The rest of Scripture supports this: Second Timothy 2:22 (NIV) says, Flee the evil desires of youth First Corinthians 6:18 says, Flee sexual immorality. Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International. Joseph had lost his masters respect and he was forced to become lower than a slave - he became a PRISONER. She knew that Joseph would have to come inside in order to do his work. When Joseph is taken by slave traders to Egypt, he is purchased by a high official in Pharaohs court named Potiphar. Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. Everything that Joseph did prospered. 39-3: Potiphar did NOT believe his wife's accusation about Joseph By richoka 5 Comments When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. Why did Jacob give Joseph a coat of many colors? 40-3: Two similar dreams with two totally different outcomes! But he said no. Say: Now Joseph was in a new land with different smells, different tastes, different people, a different language, and different gods. Similarly, if we are going to conquer temptation, we must intentionally and persistently avoid it as well. The transfer of Joseph from the house to the adjoining prison would be quietly managed, and then no more need be said about an ugly business. When he became successful, undoubtedly, he experienced temptations towards pride and independence from God. Gods grace gives you power when Satan tries to tempt you. Q. It says, Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, the cupbearer and the baker, so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard was probably still Potiphar. 40-1: Was Joseph really kept in a "prison"? Do you realize your trials and temptations are just ways God is preparing you for more? For this, he insists, it is true of any person's deep love for another. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, Israel, listen to me. Do you think that this situation was out of Gods control? - Genesis 39:21a NLT, Attention teacher: The proposition of Potiphars wife to Joseph is very adult in nature. And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out.' Joseph refused Potiphar's wife even after multiple advances, day after day. His entire life, he only worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So . What types of disciplines are necessary to protect someone in seasons of promotion and exaltation? The only thing Joseph is not in charge of is Potiphar's food. [citation needed], Scholars such as Meir Sternberg (1985) characterise the woman's repetitive behaviour towards Joseph as sexual assault. In Genesis she is given no name, but in later medieval Jewish sources and Islamic tradition, she is identified as Zuleikha (/zulek/ zoo-LAY-kah; Hebrew: ; Arabic: , romanized:zulay). He said, "[I seek] the refuge of Allh. So he was there in the prison. The warden did not concern himself with anything that was in Josephs care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful. Gods grace made Joseph want to obey God. His name meant devoted to the sun, which demonstrated his pagan, religious background.1 He was captain of Pharaohs bodyguard, which was a prestigious position. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?. One day he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants were there in the house. He didn't have Joseph killed. She goes by the moniker Potiphars wife, but she does not act like a godly wife, whose virtues are praised in Proverbs 31. How has God called you to at times pay a price for following God? No one in this house is in a higher position than I am. ), 36-5: The appearance of Amalek-Israel's arch enemy, 36-4: The pagan god Baal appears in Esau's genealogy, 36-3: How our culture blinds us to understanding the conflict in the Middle East, 36-2: Esau's sons LEFT the promised land while Jacob's sons ENTERED into it. David was tempted while walking on the roof of his house. Most importantly, like Joseph, we must remember that participating in sin hurts God deeply. Their jealousy grew and grew until some of them wanted to kill Joseph. Yahweh is only mentioned one other time in the rest of Genesis3, which shows how active God was in this part of Josephs life. Joseph ran awayleaving his outer garment in her hand. It is meant to mature us for our calling, as James said, and thats exactly what God was doing with Joseph. Thank God, He sees people differently from how we see people. Not only was she declaring to the other slaves that Joseph was a threat, but she catered to their ethnic pride and fear of foreigners. It is good for us to think deeply about the potential consequencesconsidering how our sins affect ourselves, friends, family, other Christians, and non-believers. Finally, in Genesis 40:4, Potiphar entrusted Pharaohs prisoners to Josephs care. Either Potiphar was singularly lenient, or, as is perhaps more probable, he did not quite believe his wife's story, and thought it best to hush up a scandal. In a story found in the Quran and Ginzbergs book, Zuleika invites her aristocratic friends over to the palace to see her handsome Hebrew slave. Let it out! For Rumi, Zuleikha's obsession with Joseph is a symptom and manifestation of the soul's great deep longing for God. He defines Gods discipline as hardship. He doesnt even qualify whether the hardship is from the devil, humans, or God himself. 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." "The captain of the guard" supposedly means that Potiphar was Pharaoh's chief executioners. The astrological calculations however were slightly off. 37-1: Why isn't Joseph considered a Patriarch? (1) When it says, he became furious (v. 19), it does not say that he became furious at Joseph. It wasnt long before sin came knocking at Josephs door. She said Yosef was doing these things to me. Are you giving thanks or becoming bitter? May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. [Joseph] said, "It was she who sought to seduce me." God used this humbling circumstance as a boot campmeant to discipline and train Joseph. Application: You must be aware of Satans traps. This is not a man; this is none but a noble angel." 1 Guzik, D. (2013). Say: The most important man in Egypt was Pharaoh. Satan has many lies for people to choose from, and he doesnt care which one they choose. Gen 50:20, Rom 8:28). Joseph was faithful to God and resisted temptation. God blessed him and Potiphar could tell a distinct difference between Joseph and all those around him. Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 464). It sounds ridiculous, but that is what many people around the world do, even today. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both in his house and in his fields. Whats the big deal?!. (Genesis 50:20). So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Related Topics: Christian Life, Temptation, Greg Brown earned his MA in religion and MA in teaching from Trinity International University, a MRE from Liberty University, and a PhD in theology from Louisiana Baptist University. He made him accountable for everything that was done there. Does that suggest anything about what was going through Potiphar's mind as he threw Joseph in "the prison where the king's prisoners were confined" (v.20)? Marriage was not about love and monogamy. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned. They not only protected Pharaoh, but when he was upset with somebody, they executed that person. These gifts of Joseph lead to his becoming governor of the land (Genesis 42:6) in Egypt and Gods leader of the Jewish people (Genesis 45:7-8). And again, Joseph is an important servant, but he isa slave without much clout. Remember that Satans lies are nothing more than stinky cheese! The typical punishment for rape/attempted rape was the death penalty. How his brothers resented the special treatment their bratty little brother received. In what ways, have you, at times, compromised out of fear of the cost? My master hasn't held anything back from me, except you. Joseph just needed to trust them. He essentially said, God is lying to you. He was loyal to the people who had been kind to him. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Genesis - NIV Application Commentary by John Walton. Application Question: In what ways does the world and Satan aim to make sin more acceptable and less heinous? He or she hurts the workplace instead of making it more productive.) It will be fun! Having Joseph around was wonderful for Potiphar. Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Although we LOVE for teachers to read from their Bibles, and for children to read along in theirs, in this case, it is best to paraphrase her words, and not read directly from the scripture. I dont see a happy, older woman. We all know how this works. Application: You are young, but some of you have already faced very difficult situations. When the mouse would come out at night looking for food, it would smell the stinky cheese. Jodi has over 20 years experience teaching children in large and small group settings. . Gods perfect plan for marriage has always been one man and one woman together for their lifetime. Even though Joseph had to suffer a cost for being holybeing put in prisonGod was with him in the prison and blessed him. Because of this, Potiphar threw Joseph into prison. In fact, its in those times that God pours out an extra measure of grace on you. He gave him favor with the prison warden. Oh, getting drunk and abusing your wife, thats not your fault! 1. p. 392, ed. Joseph refuses, using a word that suggests the decision is difficult. All rights reserved. The circumstantial evidence seems to point to the fact that Potiphar believed Joseph was righteousthough he had to punish him in some manner. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. The more we know God and his grace, the more it will help us reject godless ways and worldly desires. 1 Cor 10:13, Jam 1:3-4, Heb 12:7)? He makes his lies sound really good. Arriving in Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, captain of the king's guard, in whose service he remained for ten years. QUESTION 5: Did Potiphar truly believe his wife's accusation of Joseph? Application Question: Why is it so important to flee temptation instead of trying to faithfully endure it? From the time Potiphar appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptians household for Josephs sake. He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden. Log in. An Egyptian named Potiphar had bought him from the Ishmaelite traders who had taken him there. That would suppress who you really are! 23. 2007BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. You will be like God. Similarly, Satan says, Getting drunk will be lots of fun, and it wont hurt anybody! He says, Sex outside of marriage will only make you closer to your mate. Living with your girlfriend only makes sense.

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