A Year 4 Transformation: Day 217-Extreme Measures of Resistance

Passage of the Day:

So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; 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, Genesis 39:6-12.

Reflection:

Joseph is one of the most interesting characters in the Old Testament. After being spoiled as a child, Jospeh encounters a series of trials that would have broken most individuals. Despite being double crossed by his brothers and sold into slavery, Joseph worked his butt off to eventually become the caretaker of Potiphar’s estate. Rather than becoming full of himself, Joseph remained loyal to his earthly master. Despite daily attempts from Potiphar’s wife to lure him into temptation, Joseph displayed extreme measures of resistance that few Christians ever display or practice. When Joseph started to lose control, he simply fled from this tempting situation.

Prayerful Action:

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.

Setting Clear Boundaries to Live By:

While Moses doesn’t highlight this in Genesis 39, Joseph appears to always make sure that someone else was in Potiphar’s house with him at all times. Apparently, one of the servants or workers was normally inside of Potiphar’s home while Joseph was overseeing his estate. On this particular day, either the workers left early for the day or went outside to help the landscaping crew. Subsequently, the initial boundary established by Joseph was broken, opening the door for Potiphar’s wife to make a pass at him. In a letter to the Church at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul urges Christians to always look for the way out of temptation. From Joseph’s perspective, running out of the house seemed like the only option to avoid giving into temptation.

Song of the Day:

There are certain songs that speak to your heart and open your mind to the reality of temptations that lurk around every corner in life. As you listen to the lyrics to slow fade, may you be moved to avoid taking a second glance so that the power of temptation over your body will be nullified.

by Jay Mankus