Joseph is described in Gen. 39:6 as "well–built and handsome." In ancient Egypt, such physical refinement was particularly prized. Because of his looks and high position in Potiphar's house (v. 1), Joseph could have had almost anything he wanted, including his boss's wife. She certainly wanted him (v. 7).
Adulterous interludes with this beckoning temptress would have been easy enough for young, privileged, unmarried Joseph to arrange. But loyalty to Potiphar, originating from a higher loyalty to God, kept Joseph out of her bed (vv. 8–9).
Like Potiphar's wife, temptation can seem aggressive, persistent, and relentless in its pleading. Solomon asks,
Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? —Prov. 5:20
Wisdom poses such questions, because wisdom weighs the cost of moral choices: "Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel" (Prov. 20:17). In other words, immoral pleasure often is pleasurable, but the pain of immoral choices eventually catches up. You can break your teeth trying to consume what never should have been tasted.
Even though Joseph did the right thing, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." What she could not have, Potiphar's vengeful wife sought to destroy. She used the cloak Joseph left behind while fleeing her unwanted grasp as false evidence against him. Joseph was sent to prison for 14 undeserved years! Yet time and again Joseph saw God bring good out of the evil others intended toward him, so much so that it became the signature statement of his life (Gen. 50:20).
Joseph's experience shows how doing the right thing can be costly. But wisdom says doing the wrong thing will eventually prove more costly and ultimately empty (Prov. 5:11–14). Had Joseph shucked moral wisdom and succumbed to the enticements of this would–be adulteress, he would have left the empty husk of a dishonorable legacy.
About the author:
Cole Huffman is a pastor in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is author of each of the “Wisdom in Action” profiles throughout this special section.
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