In Genesis chapter thirty-seven, verse two, Joseph, at the age of seventeen, is deeply loved by his father Jacob and deeply resented by his ten older brothers. Thanks to the favoritism by Joseph’s dad, he receives a princely robe, which later he reports dreams that predict his family one day bow before him. On the other hand, Joseph shows insensitivity and immaturity that led the brothers to sell him to slave traders. The brothers later convince their father, Jacob, that a wild animal attacks his youngest son and kills him. The story of Joseph reveals how Jacob’s descendants became a nation that lived in Egypt.
Joseph went to Egypt about two hundred years after the call of Abraham back in Genesis chapter twelve, verses one to three. Joseph faced three great tests in Egypt: the first test of personal purity. A trial that comes to young people away from home. The second test is the opportunity for revenge that often comes to people who experience mistreatment. The third one is a test of facing death. In each case, Joseph overcame the trial through his trust in God and His promises.
Joseph’s master, Potiphar, soon sees that Joseph is successful in all he does. He is a hard worker and man of integrity and blessed by God. Before long, Potiphar installs Joseph as the head of his entire household. As a result, everything Joseph is responsible for, he thrives. Potiphar’s household grows in wealth and well-being, and Joseph’s God gets the credit. The results are about the best outcome Joseph could have hoped for in Egypt.
During all the success Joseph receives, a complication arises. Joseph has good looks: he is attractive, and Potiphar’s wife notices him and decides she will seduce him. Or, moderately, she will try. One day she commands him, “lie with me.” Joseph knows he is in a terrible position. Yet he knows sleeping with her is a betrayal of his trust in Potiphar. Joseph refuses his master’s wife, explaining to her to forsake Potiphar is wrong. More importantly, he will not sin against his God.
Potiphar’s wife will not take no for an answer. She continues to attempt to seduce and coerce Joseph into bed with her. He continues to refuse. One day, when no other men are in the household, she grabs him by the cloak and demands that he sleep with her. Whether this is a trap or coincidence, the moment seems compromising. Instead of arguing, Joseph twists out of his cloak and escapes outside to safety. It’s the only way he can avoid both the temptation and the appearance of immorality. He runs away rather than being accused of something improper.
Left holding Joseph’s cloak, Potiphar’s wife is furious. Her lust converts into rage and a quest for revenge. She calls the other male servants for assistance and tells them Joseph attempted to rape her, running away when she screamed. The lie fits. They likely saw Joseph running from the house without his cloak. Her clever lies play on the other servant’s resentment of Joseph’s success and his race.
Potiphar, as his wife hoped, is enraged by her story. In his anger, he has Joseph thrown into the jail for the king’s prisoners. Potiphar likely had the right to kill Joseph outright, and the charge is serious. It’s possible that Joseph’s reputation for honesty, and a potentially unfaithful history with Potiphar’s wife, softened his reaction just enough to keep him from having Joseph killed.
It would be natural to expect Joseph to think he had lost God’s blessing. However, Scripture assures us that the Lord was still with Joseph. Even more, God showed Joseph His steadfast love. Though Joseph languished in an Egyptian prison, he’s not alone. As evidence of this fact, God causes the king’s jailer to be impressed with Joseph’s work ethic, integrity, and success. Soon, Joseph is in charge of nearly all the duties. However, as much as he had been in Potiphar’s house, everything Joseph does continues to succeed because of the Lord’s blessing. Soon, this combination of divine sanctification, work ethic, and success will bring the attention of Pharaoh himself.