When Tempted to Sin - Genesis 39

The Bible tells us that “Anyone who says that he has no sin is a liar and there is no truth in him.” Vandiverism tells us that “Anyone who has reached adulthood and says that he has never been tempted is a liar and the truth is not in him.” Therefore the question is what you will do when you are tempted? And it is not if you are tempted. No man has ever lived without confronting devastating temptations. There is only one way that any person can survive those that are deadly and that is by having a working knowledge of God’s word; he must utilize the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit. There has only been one perfect man on this earth, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and even He faced temptation from the Devil in person [Matt. 4: 1-11]. Satan is no respecter of man.

The inspired word of God tells us that Christian people will practice and prove their faith by always resisting temptation to do wrong—regardless of the cost. It is not our place to judge people but the word also tells us that “by their works ye shall know them.” As we study this chapter in Genesis it is made plain that there have always been women who would flaunt their beauty with the specific intention of enticing the man that they desire. Common sense tells us that because of the way most women were treated in Bible times, they probably had more reason to tempt men than do the more honored women of today.

We know from the circumstances that existed in Sodom and Gomorrah that sexual perversion has always existed and that it was widely and openly practiced in these cities. We also know that it is an abomination in God’s sight. The circumstances today bother me more because of the use of movies, television, and the internet to openly advertise pornography in ways that make it accessible to all ages, in fact they zero in on young children and young adults. You may not agree with me, which is Ok. But it seems to me that because of the use of all the new inventions used in advertising…and the availability automobiles and planes helping people to be highly mobile the blight on America even exceeds that in Sodom.

Believers as well as non-believers face temptations of all kinds and at all times. There are many other things out there that tempt men—sex may be the worst, but it is not the most. In the corporate world today, doing wrong is simply considered the everyday cost of doing business. Price fixing, the hiding of losses from stock holders, fine print in policies and contracts, kiting money, withholding needful information, fixing elections and the list is endless. In our society, many of the participants think that the only sin is getting caught breaking the law.

Many people [especially non Bible readers] do not know temptation when they face it. If they do not know what God thinks, they do not know what to resist and for sure do not understand how God helps us to resist. Then there are those that know enough about the scripture to understand that something is scripturally condemned, but it appears to them that God is withholding something that is good that is needed and desired. Some simply think that anything that is obviously needed and desired can not be wrong. I can think of no better way to prove what I am saying than to ask you to go to Genesis 3: 1-7 and read about Adam and Eve in the Garden. The book does not indicate that Eve was evil or corrupt, no; she simply was deceived by Satan. There was nothing wrong with the fruit; God simply forbid her to eat it and she broke his command. If we yield to temptation…we will pay the price…they did [see 3: 18-19 and Romans 6:23]. One thing the deceived will learn is that there really is a big difference between something that is truly needed and something that is only desired. Need and desire have different meanings.

God made man as a unique being. Man’s needs such as for food and water are made known to him by a God given physical discomfort signal. If the need for water and food is not met, discomfort becomes pain, and if still not met, can cause physical death. Mans desires such as for alcohol or sex are made known to him by an inward stimulus that generates in his mind and heart. He may become uncomfortable from abstention, but it is not fatal. It is just the reverse…it becomes fatal spiritually when it is obtained.

I can hear many saying right now…man this could never happen to me. Don’t bet.
As a last reminder, and a perfect example of the discussion in today’s lesson we will look for a moment at a Godly man who, when tempted, he went with his desire and not his need. Who? King David intentionally looked and saw what he wanted. His desire overruled his knowledge of right and wrong. No man has ever paid a greater price for one sin that led to many, even murder. How could David, the man that won God’s own heart, make this great mistake?

Have you read the lesson text, chapter 39? There is an excellent four point sermon found in this chapter.

• The conditions that led to temptation 1-6.
• His Christian like reasons for refusal to submit to temptation 6-9
• Determination to resist the evil of temptation 10-18
• The cost paid rather than be unfaithful

REVIEW: Joseph was seventeen when sold and must have been about eighteen or nineteen years old when the slave trading Ishmaelites who bought him from his brothers sold him to Potiphar in Egypt. There were two main gods worshipped by the Egyptians. Amon was the original god of Thebes and Re or Ra was the sun god. Later they united their gods for political reasons and called him Amon-Re. Pharaoh and his subjects worshiped Amon-re, and many other minor gods—Pharaoh considered himself a god and demanded that people worship him.

Egypt had fertile lands for feed and pasture all along the Nile valley, and depended upon agriculture for their livelihood. The flooding of the Nile furnished the water used for irrigation even in Bible times. Therefore, much of the time their crops along the Nile were plush while other areas without irrigation were without food. Pharaoh maintained a huge army to protect invaders from moving in on their limited good lands along the river.

The date of Joseph’s arrival in Egypt is not known for sure. Josephus indicates that it was during the period of the Hykos rulers who were originally from the Canaan area who conquered Egypt and ruled there for about 150 years. If they were the Canaanites, it explains why they accepted Joseph so well. You will remember the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would bless them and their families, and that anyone that blessed them would also be blessed. You should also be aware that the king or president of Egypt was called a Pharaoh and there are more than one Pharaoh discussed in the Bible.

The people in the land were either very rich or very poor. Potiphar was one of the very rich who lived in a huge castle furnished with hand made expensive furniture, who enjoyed parties, huge portions of the finest fruits and foods and the wine flowed red. Joseph’s arrival at his castle brought God’s blessings. Every thing Potiphar touched turned to gold and the country began to prosper. Joseph was so efficient that he soon gained the favor of everyone he knew and worked with in the kingdom. He advanced in popularity and was soon placed in charge of the Potiphar mansion. Again his age by this time is not known for sure; because some years may have passed before he got into trouble…he must have been somewhere around twenty or twenty-one, handsome, well built, strong, and a very eligible bachelor.

There are no gruesome details written about any kind or mistreatment or neglect of the wife of Potiphar. It may have been that he was too old or to busy as captain of the guard and did not give her the time she expected. One writer in one of my commentaries indicated that she fell in love with Joseph, but I do not believe this to be true. If she had loved him, she would never have lied about him and caused him to be cast in prison. We do not intentionally hurt or try to destroy those that we love. The Bible simply says that she “Took notice of Joseph” and I believe that this was simple lust, the same as men have for beautiful women. She invited him to share her bedroom; and when he ignored her, she continued the pursuit.

Joseph then explained to her that it was sinful and wrong. Her husband trusted him and he did not want to betray that trust. Oh, the scorn of a woman! She became angry and accused him of rape, for which Joseph was sentenced to prison. Go back to the eleventh verse and read about her devious way of entrapment. She must have actually tried to undress Joseph. He ran from her probably not even aware that she had his coat in her hand. Adding to the sin of lust, she lied saying that he had tried to molest her. This proves to me that she was not truly in love with Joseph. Nothing is stronger than a woman’s love for her man. Neither is anything more damaging to a man than the scorn of an angry woman.

When Potiphar returned to the castle his wife told him that Joseph had tried to make sport of her, and no one can actually blame him for his anger that overwhelmed him, most men would have believed their wife in such a circumstance. Potiphar, probably with guards at his side, personally cast Joseph in to the prison where other prisoners of the king were confined.

While in prison, the prison guard began to sense his powers and worth. God began to bless the prison guard and he gave Joseph credit for the improvements and placed Joseph in charge of the jail. Why? The prison and its keepers were being blessed because God had promised to bless those that blessed Joseph. Allow me to share a thought that has just now come to mind. I have questioned the sincerity of some of the well known TV evangelist that constantly encourage the wealthy to contribute thousands, and also seem to try to make the poor feel uncomfortable if they do not give a portion of what they do have. If the evangelists are truly chosen of God to be his servant on this earth…why would he not prosper them? And if this be true…wouldn’t God also prosper those that supported his servants? My better judgment warns me that I should be very careful when I try to judge men about their ulterior motives. If I have sinned in this area, may God forgive me. It might be well if our class would reconsider this matter within a forgiving spirit.

NOTE: My hip replacement is scheduled for 6:00 AM, April 15, Please pray for the medical staff.