Running From Temptation

Temptation

Read the following from Genesis 39:1-23

"1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; 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.

13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. 20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did."

Joseph Had done very well in the eyes of the Lord and would not give in to temptaion even when it was from the women of married to his master. For the very reason that he would not do wrong to his master, but more so that he would not do wrong in God's eyes because it was sin in his eyes.
This however in the end would cause him trouble and send him to jail. But God would never leave him because he was in God's favor. He would be in favor of the warden and eventually work his way up to the pharaoh because he always chose to do what God asked of him.

The point of this lesson is that God only lets us go through what we can handle. in a similar experience in "2 Samuel" David would be tempted because of the beauty of Bathsheba. However unlike Joseph, David would fail and commit Adultery by sleeping with her.
David then had to hide it when she became pregnant. He tried to have Uriah come back and sleep with her, but he was to concerned with his comrades, Even having him drunk wouldnt work. Eventially he would have him killed and then marry Bathsheba. This would cause him to lose his son. But God would not leave him because he sent Nathen to tell him of his wrong doing and what is to come. David repent and was spared but God still judged him but instead of having him killed, his baby son would die.

Even a Godly Man can fail. We must always think of god When temptation comes to even think of having a chance to escaping it. God Always gives us opportunities to be righteous and to become stronger.

Prayer from Psalms51:1-2,10:
Be gracious to me, God
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.
Wash away my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
God, create a clean Heart for me
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.




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