In the latest part of the series considering the lessons of the life of Joseph, the Very Rev Colin Sinclair considers Genesis 39.

IT is hard to imagine the depth of the dislocation felt by Joseph. All that was familiar had been taken from him. The “favoured son” was now sold like the cattle in the market. What held him together was the repeated belief that “The Lord was with him” and that God is not taken by surprise.

He landed up in Potiphar’s home. It would have been easy to allow anger at his brothers’ betrayal to shape his attitude, or simply to cave into self-pity. However there is more to Joseph than being a spoilt young man. The Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, wrote: “Now, with God’s help, I will become myself.” The question is, do you know who you are? Once you know who you are, you can fit in anywhere. And, with God’s help, Joseph did precisely that. He proved to be personable, gifted and hard-working. He established trust with his employer by being consistently honest, reliable and effective. In so doing, however, he stood out and unconsciously drew attention to himself. When you add his age and appearance into the mix, then warning lights should flash and make Jospeh self-aware.

Temptation, when it came, arrived suddenly and persistently. Many of us suddenly find our imaginations go into overdrive, either when we are trying to justify some action beforehand or provide an excuse afterwards. “A perk of the job; no-one will know; I’m only human; she made me.”

“ Many of us suddenly find our imaginations go into overdrive, either when we are trying to justify some action beforehand or provide an excuse afterwards.

The list is endless. While the stimulus may come from the outside, the urge to do wrong comes from the inside. Too quickly we seek to pin the blame on anyone or anything but ourselves. The fact is that no-one makes us sin; we do that ourselves.

Joseph provides a master class in facing temptation. If before his rejection he had been naïve, then by now he has grown up. The Lord’s presence with him brought him wisdom. He was not unaware of the impact he was making on the household and so was on his guard. He knew that today’s victories often lead to tomorrow’s trials. So it proved.

Potiphar’s wife made “eyes” at him and verbalised her desire explicitly, leaving no room for misunderstanding. He looked to be an excellent choice for a casual affair. She was not put off by his refusal. Instead the forbidden fruit became more attractive until it became an obsession. For Joseph the matter was clear. He wanted to honour the trust Potiphar had shown in him. Above and beyond that he was aware of his loyalty to “the audience of one”, namely God himself. To strengthen his resolve he called out her invitation for what it was – a wicked thing and a sin against God. Sometimes we fudge issues, using slippery words rather than seeing things as they are.

Things came to a head when she made a move and grasped him. Immediately he knew he had to get away, though he was forced to leave his cloak behind. This was used later as incriminating evidence. She had been humiliated and cried “rape” against Joseph. Potiphar, whatever he really thought, had to back his wife. Joseph’s career crumbled and he ended up in prison. Doing the right things doesn’t always feel good. Yet even there the Lord was with him. Watch this space.