Genesis 39: Joseph Is Too Hot For His Own Good

My Summary
After Joseph's brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites, the Ishmaelites sold him to Potiphar. Potiphar was one of Pharoah's ministers. Potiphar made Joseph one of his household servants. Since the blessing of God was on Joseph, everything Joseph did was blessed and all of Potiphar's household was blessed. Potiphar recognized the blessing on Joseph and put him in charge of everything. Potiphar's wife thought Joseph was hot stuff so she asked him repeatedly to sleep with her. Joseph refused every time. Finally she had him in the house with her by themselves, so she grabbed his cloak to try to seduce him. Joseph refused and ran away leaving his cloak with her. She told Potiphar he had tried to rape her. Potiphar puts Joseph in the royal prison where the blessing of God on Joseph continues. The jailer recognizes the blessing and puts Joseph in charge of all the prisoners.

Random Historical Things
1. Older translations list Potiphar as a eunuch, however since he had a wife he obviously was not. The word translated eunuch can also just mean "minister" or "officer"

2. The phrase "Joseph was well built and handsome" goes to great lengths in the Hebrew to emphasize how good looking he was

3. The "cloak" that Potiphar's wife grabbed from Joseph could refer to either a shirt-like cloak or his pants. Either was he would have been running away half naked! This is the 2nd time a cloak has been used to lie about Joseph (his brother showed his bloody coat to his father)

4. It is probable the Potiphar had some doubt about Joseph's guilt, otherwise he would have put him to death. Egyptian law dictated death as a penalty for adultry with free citizens, obviously it would have been just as bad (if not worse) for a slave. Potiphar may have doubted his wife's word over Joseph's word, but of course he had to side with his wife!

And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...

1. We see God's providence/blessing! God promised the patriarchs that He would be with them and bless them and that all the world would be blessed through them. He fufills that promise to them no matter what. Abraham lies about Sarah being his wife and ends up with a bunch of riches (Genesis 12). Jacob deceives his father and brother and runs to Laban and God still blesses him and protects him. Here, Joseph has been sold as a slave, but God is still with him. God even blesses those who treat Joseph well (Potiphar and the jailer) like He promised He would (Gen. 12:3). God has chosen these people to bring salvation to the nations through Jesus, and He is going to be with His chosen people no matter what. Even if we sin or have bad things happen to us, God is still going to continue using us, blessing us and sanctifying us. It does not mean we won't pay for our sin (Jacob deceived his father to steal the blessing/ Jacob's sons later deceive him to make him think Joseph is dead), but God remains faithful! God's work in our lives continue regardless of circumstances! Rest on the sovereignty and faithfulness of God when things go wrong, whether they were your fault or not!

2. On a moral note, it is interesting to notice the language of verses 8-10. Obviously there is a lesson about resisting tempation, especially sexual temptation. Notice that the wife only says a few words, "Sleep with me!." Joseph responds with a speech and a list of reasons why he shouldn't. He was prepared to resist! He did not just say no, he tried to show her how it was wrong. The other thing to notice is that he would not "go to bed with her or even be with her (Vs. 10)." The Hebrew gives the sense that not only would he not sleep with he, he would not even recline in a comfortable position with her. Literally "lay on the bed and hang out." Not only should we attempt to remain pure, but we should not even put ourselves in compromising situations!

Ok so this is my first post! I hope you enjoyed it. Any questions or comments would be welcome!