THE STORY OF JOSEPH. EPISODE 3. GENESIS CHAPTER 39: PURITY OVER PLEASURE

 

Chapter 39: Purity Over Pleasure

We skip chapter 38 because it is not primarily about Joseph although it still regards Jacob’s lineage. We shall however refer and illustrate from it as we study the story in chapter 39.

In chapter 39 we have:

• Ø  Joseph in Potiphar’s house, his duties and conduct and success
• Ø  The sexual temptation by Potiphar’s wife
• Ø  Joseph’s character and response against the temptation
• Ø  Potiphar’s wife reaction towards rejection by Joseph
• Ø  Joseph’s imprisonment on false accusations
• Ø  Joseph receiving God’s favor in prison and is given stewardship even there

The first couple of verses in this chapter tell of the great success that Joseph had at his new place of service. Between verses one and six the words “success/succeed” and “blessed/blessing” are repeated twice. It is also emphasized in great detail how Joseph was put in charge of the affairs of the house of Potiphar. But what is also made clear is that the LORD was with Joseph all this time and that he is the one who gave him favor in the eyes of his master and also gave him all this success. We could rightly say that it is the LORD who sent Joseph down to Egypt on assignment and therefore He is with him there.

Whenever the LORD sends a person on an assignment, His presence always goes with him. Starting with Moses, we see part of  the conversation between God and Moses in Exodus 3:11-12: But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” ¹² He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (ESV). To Joshua, after the death of Moses,  the LORD said, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.(Joshua 1:5, ESV). Fast forward in the New Testament, during what is commonly known as “the great commission,” Jesus said to his apostles: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV). This is such a great encouragement for us whenever we are on God’s assignment or about the Father’s business, that we have Emmanuel, God with us.

Joseph is such  a faithful and trustworthy steward that Potiphar puts him in charge of everything he had and did not concern himself over anything anymore. What young people should understand here is that, in a world that is  extremely competitive today, what we have is not a shortage of jobs but rather a shortage of faithful and trustworthy workers. Another lesson to be learnt here is that whatever positions of authority that God has placed us in we are simply stewards, just like Joseph. We are not the ultimate authority, but rather God is. For instance, if  one is self-employed running a business that has multiple employees, such a person should know that he/she is simply a steward and that the ultimate business owner is God. Such a person must treat the employees with justice, kindness and empathy lest the ultimate master takes it all away or even takes the person away like in the parable of the rich fool that Jesus told in Luke 12:13-21.

Potiphar’s wife, whose name we are not given, is however up to no good. She notes how hard working and handsome Joseph is and therefore asks him to sleep with her. In today’s language she wants to make Joseph her “Ben 10”. It does not come out clearly whether this “ask” was a command or not, but  either way, this is a classic example of sexual harassment at the place of work. The NLT version of the bible uses the word “demanded” which might suggest that she used her position of authority to try and force Joseph into it. But whether it was a command or request, the bottom line is that Joseph refused to give in. The bible says that she kept pestering him day after day which is a picture of how unrelenting sin is. But Joseph refused every moment and in fact avoided her as much as possible.

There is a lot that we could unpack from this whole discourse especially concerning how to deal with the sexual sin. It is important to reiterate what we said in our introduction part of this story that it is not likely that Joseph never sinned at all, but rather his sins are not recorded in this whole story. In this chapter however, we have a clear instance of Joseph overcoming the temptation to commit the sexual sin, which again is the only sin that is directly  demonstrated as having been overcome by Joseph in this story.

The Bible has a special place for sexual sin. In fact, in our story, Joseph in his refusal to give in to the sexual temptation calls it “great wickedness”(verse 9, ESV). Note here, all sin is against God’s law and the wages of it, the Bible says is death. The eternal consequence of sin is death. Yet, the earthly repercussion of every sin is not the same. Sexual sin has felled countless heroes in the past and present and will continue to do so if not dealt with. I mean think of some of Bible’s heroes like Samson, his appetite for sexual pleasure was his downfall. You can think of modern renown men of God who have fallen in a similar manner, from Ravi Zacharias to Robert Morris. And I mention these with a lot reservations and self-reflection, because the bible calls on anyone who thinks that he/she is standing to watch lest he falls. This should dissuade those who try and argue that all sins are the same and we are going to discuss in detail here why the sexual sin is treated in a special way in the bible.

Let’s consider the teachings of the apostle Paul on this topic as recorded in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. In this text, Paul is understood to have also been trying to refute a common heresy (false doctrine) among the Greeks: the heresy of Gnosticism. The heresy of Gnosticism simply insisted that the body/flesh is all bad and evil and therefore unimportant and that only the spirit is good and holy. This meant that the adherents of this heresy (Gnostics) had little or no care of what becomes of, or is to be done with the body. The Apostle Paul in this passage that we are about to study demonstrates that this view by the Gnostics could not be further from the truth of Christianity. In studying this passage therefore, we want to demonstrate that sexual sin is put in a special category because it hurts a very important part of the Christian, the body. 

It is important to first stop here and read the entire text, if possible, in two different versions of the bible, say ESV and NLT. Having done that let’s dissect the text together.

In verses 12 and 13 Paul begins with refuting two common claims of that day. One of them is that all things are lawful or permissible. Contrary to the common interpretation of this statement Paul is not saying that all things are permissible to him, no. He is actually quoting that from somewhere, that is why that part is in quotes in most Bible versions. It means it is not a statement of Paul himself but he is rather quoting it in order to refute it. And he refutes it twice. He says that even if all things were lawful/permissible to someone, still not all things are helpful. Again, he says that even if everything was lawful, he would not allow himself to be a slave to or to be dominated by anything. Sexual immorality is both unhelpful and enslaving or dominating. My usual advice, especially to young people, is to not try any form of sexual indulgence because of its enslaving nature. And for clarity what I understand to be the biblical definition of sexual immorality is anything that brings sexual pleasure outside of the confines of marriage. That would include, pornography, masturbation(in all its forms), or even pre-marital sex(fornication) or, extra-marital sex (adultery) for the married adults.

Another thing that Paul refutes is the notion that just as food is for the stomach and vice versa, even sexual indulgence is for the body and vice versa. Paul teaches that kind of argument is flawed because for the case of food and stomach, God will eventually destroy both. But for sexual immorality, the body is not for such, he says the body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body. He explains this by noting that just as the body of Christ was raised from the dead by God’s power, in the same way shall our bodies be raised from the dead. This means that God places a lot of value in our bodies.

Paul demonstrates further why our bodies are important to our Christian living. One, he says that our bodies are members of Christ and that joining our bodies with that of a prostitute in the sexual act is making the members of Christ to be members of a prostitute, and to this he says, God forbid! He also makes it clear that when one sleeps with another person, they become one flesh. Paul here, does not talk about “soul ties” as most people insist on while talking with regard to the consequences of sexual immorality. Paul rather talks of a union of the flesh which is explained here as being a big deal.

 I think people who insist on the so called “soul ties” concept as why people should desist from sexual sin miss the point by ignoring what Paul is teaching in this passage. Paul is hereby emphasizing how important the purity of the body to the Christian. Such people therefore over-emphasize the issue of the soul and spirit while disregarding the equally important component of the body. This makes them fall into the same doctrinal error of the Gnosticism heresy.

In fact, the Bible does not use this term “soul ties” in any way, shape or form with relation to sexual immorality. Actually, the one place the bible talks about souls being “knit” together is in the story about David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18:1. What is immediately clear in this passage is that it has nothing to do with sexual relations, which begs the question, why do people associate the term “soul tie” with sexual relations.

In fact, there is something to be noted about the language used in this passage here and the language used in the passage in 1 Corinthians, depending on which version of scripture one uses. The ESV says in 1 Samuel 18:1, As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. The NIV says, After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. I would like to adopt the phrasing in NIV there and read it together with  our other text in 1 Corinthians 6:17. In ESV it says,  But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.  In NIV it says, But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

A simple look at these passages clearly shows that what is referred to as a “knitting of the souls” in the OT passage can also be correctly translated as being “one spirit with” another depending on the version of the bible chosen. And this being “one spirit with” another is also the same thing that Paul explains as the direct result of being joined/united with Christ Jesus. This means that what is commonly referred as a “soul tie” is, in proper biblical context, the state of being one spirit with or being one in the spirit with another person. The challenge is that in both instances where the phrases are used, they have no sexual connotations and are used to describe something that is holy and godly. It therefore becomes a problem when the phrases are used a lot of times by well-meaning pastors, to describe something that has to do with sexual relations and which is evil and satanic. I propose here that there are more proper ways in which as, especially youth pastors, can truthfully and effectively minister to and edify the young people on the sticky issue of sexual immorality in a biblical manner, that is, in a way that observes fidelity to scripture. This is what I am trying to achieve in this section of our study on the story of Joseph.  

What then is the conclusion on this matter by Paul here? The apostle Paul makes it extremely clear what his point is: that we ought, by all means possible, to flee from sexual immorality (verse 18a). For those who might be asking themselves on how to deal with the sexual sin, wondering if there is some sort of a magic bullet in slaying this dragon, the answer is hereby given: FLEE, RUN AWAY FROM IT! Just like Joseph did in our main passage of study in Genesis 39. It is important to note that while the bible calls on us to resist the devil and promises that if we do so he will in turn flee from us (James 4:7b), when it comes to sexual immorality, we cannot pretend to push back; we have only one option: to flee. Like we see in the story of Joseph, no matter how well he reasoned it out with Potiphar’s wife, the seductress, it never worked, the only thing that worked is fleeing. Even so for us, we ought not to try and rationalize it, oh it’s just a movie, it’s just a kiss or cuddle, or just a stage in life, or just a text, and such other excuses.

The apostle Paul concludes this discourse by making a case why sexual sin is in a category of its own and why it must be dealt with decisively. He explains in the same verse 18 that unlike all other sins, the sexual sin is against oneself, against one’s own body. Paul then argues why that is a very terrible thing in verses 19 and 20. One, he says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit within us. This means that when we defile our bodies with sexual sin, we defile the very dwelling of God’s Holy Spirit in us. That in itself is enough reason to choose sexual purity. Again, God is Holy and cannot co-exist with sin, and therefore when we defile this temple, the Holy Spirit may depart from us. And who knows what will happen to us as believers if the Holy Spirit departs from us? This could open the door for evil spirits to torment us like it happened to King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). Another consequence of the Holy Spirit departing from us is living lives that are devoid of the fruit of the Holy Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23.

A second reason that Paul gives as to why we must flee from the sexual sin that defiles our bodies is that we are not our own, but rather we’re bought at a price! And we know that the price it cost for us to be of Christ is His own blood, His very life. (1 peter 1:18-19). Paul finally exhorts the believer to therefore, in light of all this, glorify God in his/her body rather than use it for sexual immorality. Paul here makes it clear that our bodies are not merely evil and unholy compartments where the soul/spirit is trapped as Gnosticism heresy wrongly claims, but a vessel that ought to be holy and set apart for God’s glory. To the church in Rome, Paul wrote  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1, NKJV)

Back to our story now, Joseph is the great example especially to young people that want to live lives that embrace sexual purity. In this story it can be clearly demonstrated how all the odds were against Joseph in his fight against the temptations of sexual sin. We can probably start by talking about how his family lineage was spotted with this particular sin. From his first-born brother Reuben, who did the unthinkable by sleeping with his father’s concubine, Bilhah (Genesis 35:22). In this he committed both adultery and incest. To his brother Judah who slept with his daughter-in-law thinking she was a prostitute(Genesis chapter 38), not forgetting his nephew Onan(son of Judah) who God killed for engaging in the sexual activity for the sake of pleasure only, against the wishes of his father who had asked him to perpetuate his bothers lineage. (Genesis 38). Joseph could have argued that sexual immorality “runs in the family.” Instead, he chose a different path for himself, he decided that the cycle must stop with him!

It is however interesting to see what will become of the two brothers, Rueben the first born of Jacob and Joseph the second-last born, in the distant future. In chapter 49 and beyond the destiny of these two brothers and their posterity is as different as night and day. I take a long quote here from a resourceful biblical site.

“Each of the twelve sons of Israel / Jacob received a blessing from his father just before Jacob’s death… and the blessing contained prophetic information about the future of each tribe. In the case of the tribe of Reuben, Jacob prophesied, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it” (Genesis 49:3–4)…..Although that sin was committed forty years prior, there was left an indelible spot on Reuben’s character and that of his posterity. By committing this uncleanness with his father’s concubine, there would be reproach upon his tribe and the family, to whom he ought to have been an example and a blessing. He forfeited the prerogatives of the birthright, and his dying father demoted him, although he did not disown or disinherit him. He would still have all the privileges of a son, but not of the firstborn.

Jacob’s sad prophecy for Reuben certainly came true. No judge, prophet, ruler, or prince came from that tribe, nor any person of renown except Dathan and Abiram, who were noted for their rebellion against Moses. Reuben’s tribe chose a settlement on the other side of the Jordan, a further indication of the loss of godly influence on his brothers to which his birthright entitled him. Although Reuben was the firstborn, the kingdom was given to Judah and the priesthood to Levi, leaving Reuben’s tribe to be small and non-influential.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/tribe-of-Reuben.html)

Contrast this with what Jacob says to and about Joseph in the same chapter 49:22-26. You see if Joseph had given in to the demands of Potiphar’s wife, he would not have possibly gone to the prison and consequently stood and served pharaoh as the prime minister in Egypt. The difference between these two brothers ends up being their different attitude towards sexual sin. One excels and has great destiny, inheritance and posterity despite being second last born while the other loses excellence or influence and suffers a gloomy, insignificant and non-influential future despite being the first born. It is clearly not a stretch to conclude here therefore that sexual sin erodes one’s excellence and steals one destiny and inheritance. This is a yet another solid biblical counsel to give our young people about sexual immorality rather than overly complex human theories such as “soul ties.”

We can also cite the fact that Joseph was a mere servant in the house of Potiphar, in a foreign land, and could have given in to sin for the simple reason that he was a slave and therefore did not have much of a choice. He put his job on the line and actually lost it as a result of his defiance to sinful orders by his lady boss. It actually got him in prison. Young people today have all sorts of excuses as to why they are caught up in the sexual sin. Some claim that everybody is doing it, they say even pastors have been caught up in such scandals. Others say it runs in their family bloodline and all sorts of reasons.

Joseph did not reason that way. In fact, his reasoning was simple yet profound. he asked “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? (Verse 9b, ESV). After reading how Joseph explained himself to Potiphar’s wife from verse 8 and 9, you would think Joseph would ask “how then can I betray my master Potiphar like that?” But no, Joseph’s concern is not Potiphar, his fear is not earthly man, but the heavenly father, that is his major concern. In fact, we could argue that there is actually a chance that Potiphar would never know in the end but Joseph couldn’t care less. He knows God in heaven will see it all and that he was ultimately answerable to Him. In chapter 38 we see that Joseph never feared what his brothers would think of his dreams; whether they would be jealous and kill him for it, he kept sharing the dreams as they came. In this chapter we see that he doesn’t fear his master or mistress but God alone. Jesus says in Matthew 10:28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.(NLT)

 And that is a great deterrence to sin, that God sees it even if there is no one else around like it was on that fateful day. The bible says: For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. (Proverbs 5:21, NLT). It also says, And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13, NKJV). David had the same attitude. When he committed the heinous act of adultery and murder. When confronted by prophet Nathan, he prays to God: Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:4, ESV) Understanding the nature and will of our God is key to walking blamelessly before him. The psalmist says, How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9, ESV)

The word of God(the Bible) has sufficient wisdom to help a young person and indeed people of all ages navigate circumstances such as the one Joseph was faced with here. The book of Proverbs is particularly clear in its warnings against the seductress woman like Potiphar’s wife. One of the passages would be Proverbs 7:10-27. This particular passage seems so close to the story of Joseph and would be worth a read. In fact, I recommend that every young person reads the book of Proverbs at least thrice in a year, if possible, a chapter every day as they are only 31 of them.

Joseph’s refusal to play along lands him in prison under false accusation. Potiphar’s wife is the epitome of the devil himself. First, she waits for the opportune moment to strike; when no one else is in the chambers. The bible warns us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil moves around like a roaring lion, seeking for the opportune moment to devour his prey. Again, He comes to steal, kill and destroy. If he fails in one, he tries the other two. She can’t steal Joseph’s chastity, so she tries to get him hanged as a rape convict or at least destroy his reputation and life. Joseph, in running for his dear life, leaves behind his garment. Matthew Henry notes, “It is better to lose a good coat than a good conscience.” She uses this coat as evidence against Joseph before his master in one of the vilest acts of hatred. The young man he ‘loved’, actually lusted after, now she hates with indescribable hatred. You see, that is the difference between love and lust. Love lasts, lust does not last.

This sudden turn of events is not really the ideal kind of a story for any person trying to live their life for Christ, but more often than not this is usually the case. By refusing to conform to the patterns of this world, a believer will, in many cases find himself in trouble; financially, socially and in many other areas of life. Joseph might be having a hard time trying to figure out why God could allow him to go through such hard trials after all his good deeds. But we know that God is not done with him as yet. The best is still to come and his reward will be great in the days to come.

We actually begin to see what becomes of Joseph even in the most unfavorable environment: the prison. The Bible says that even there, the LORD was with Joseph giving favor in the eyes of the prison-keeper who in turn put him in charge of all things under his line of duty. You see Joseph is blessed wherever he goes, and here the Bible says that God gave him success in whatever he did. This is what will happen to any man who will walk in the fear of God and in self-control. For every person who will exercise self-control, God will ensure that such a person will always be in-charge, and with Joseph the best is yet to come.

We can pray for and depend on God’s grace to carry us and keep from the great wickedness of sexual sin. Paul writes to his kingdom son Titus about this grace: For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14)

Amen.