Lies, Lies,
Lies. . .cry out to me!
sermon by
Manfred Schreyer
>>
(Gen 39:1-18 NIV) 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."
Joseph was 30. Thirteen years had passed between his arrival in Egypt and his promotion to the second highest office in the land
Potiphar was "captain of the guard", i.e., chief, probably, of the "state police", who, while they formed part of the Egyptian army, were also largely employed in civil duties (37:36; marg., "chief of the executioner")
Potiphar’’s wife lifts her eyes unto Joseph and says to him ‘‘lie with me’’. She repeats her request day by day
There is little chance that she would have had any interest in a slave, a mere hired hand. But a man who had great leadership abilities and good looks——well, that was something else. The text indicates that it was over a period of some time that this woman came to the conclusion she must have him.
The Book of Jubilees, (1st Century B.C.E) is very close to the biblical story. It adds a detail worth mentioning. In this version, Potiphar’’s wife bolts the bedroom door before Joseph. On his flight, she gets hold of his garment, which he eventually leaves behind in her hand. On his way out however, he also breaks the lock, (BOJ, 39:10). In this text though, Potiphar’’s wife uses two mute witnesses of ‘‘violent crime’’ against Joseph: his garment left with her and the broken lock.
The temptation of Joseph is strikingly parallel to the test of Adam and Eve in the garden. Adam and Eve had free use of everything in the garden except the fruit of one tree. And both fell for the fruit.
Joseph had access to anything of Potiphar’’s except his wife. But while the forbidden fruit just hung there tempting Adam and Eve, Potiphar’’s wife actively pursued Joseph.
I want you to know that Joseph after everything that he had experienced in his youth, the punishment he had endured, the loneliness he felt to be always from his family, the memories of his brothers who sold him off could have given him enough reason to give in. "What matter?", he could have thought. "I was played a bad deck of cards in my life and I frankly deserve better." "I deserve the pleasures of life. . .not to be a foreigner, a slave." Even though he had tremendous power in Egypt, make no mistake he remained a second class person in the kingdom. He was only "allowed" because he had wisdom to offer"
In today’s society we often hear the excuses of those who commit sin: "I had a bad upbringing." "I grew up in the wrong environment. . ." "I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. . ."
There is a great difference between Potiphar’s wife and Joseph. One is that Potiphar’ s wife (never named by name) does not understand that her desire as a married woman for Joseph is a sin. It may have violated moral standards, but she did not understand that her behavior would have consequences upon her life.
Joseph understood that very well. He had given in to God’s will much earlier when he was placed in the well by his brothers, when he was sold by the Ishmaelites to the Pharaoh’s court, when he endured time in prison later on. . .he understood that all of this was not only God’s will, but that if he sought God’s will that he would be rewarded with God’s reaction.
This story is a story of sin, deceit, lust and taking experimenting within an area of life that is sacred.
But this story has also tremendous value for us today. It is the story where two world’s meet. Joseph lives in the world where TRUTH is to follow the will of God and the expectations God has for him. And the seducer lives in the world where truth is anything and knows no borders.
Even when Potiphar believes the accusation of his wife, he makes no claim of righteousness or holding up moral values, his pride is hurt and it is important to him to be the winner because he owns his wife. I find this very interesting, because even Potiphar has no idea of right or wrong. His loyalty is not to Truth but his fear of losing his possession (his wife) and to be made out an idiot in the court of the King.
In today’s world this is the story of those executives who convinced others to rob the accounts of investors, because they followed their own desires of greed. It is the story of those who have taken advantage of others, only to fulfill heir own yearning. It is the story of those who tempt others to indulge in gambling. It is the story of those who tempt society with pornography. It is the story of those who allow people in other countries to starve. It is the story of those who convince others to build weapon of mass destruction.
It is the story of two worlds: The world in which the Kingdom of God resides and the world where the world knows no God and no boundaries.
When it was all too much, Joseph had no time for prayer, no time for calling out for God. He just ran away from the sin.
When we are part of a the plot of sin, we better run. We better run far away from the place and the people who manipulate us; who are trying to work against the will of God (even after we explained to them that it is a sin. . .just like Joseph did).
If Adam would have been smart he would have refused the temptation Eve offered him.
The words of Dag Hammarskjold -- Secretary General of the UN in the mid and late 1950's throb with wisdom: " You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds."
To give the thought of temptation any room allows for the thought to grow and it makes us wonder, what if?
God does not want us to think: "What if?" Joseph never thought the "what if" question. He was determined to stand on God’s premises and defend the Truth of God so sin would not enter his life. You see, nothing in a bad thought will become good:
A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him on its back across the river. "Are you nuts?" exclaimed the turtle. "You'll sting me while I'm swimming and I'll drown." "My dear turtle," laughed the scorpion, "If I were to sting you, you would drown and I'd go down with you. Now where is the logic in that?" "You're right," cried the turtle. "Hop on." The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle, resigned, said, "Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there is no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do it?" "It has nothing to do with logic," the drowning scorpion replied. "It's just my nature."
Even when you toy with sin it will overcome you like a bad dream.
When you stand on the foundation of God’s will for creation the good for you will prevail, even though for the moment it seems helpless.
May we be reminded that we are to be like Joseph, that we will allow no scorpion to ride on our back to cross the river of life.
May we be reminded that we, as the ones who gave our lives to Christ, are asked by our God to set examples for others.
May we be reminded, that we should run from evil, temptation and other sin and proclaim in our running the Truth to those who are around us.
In the end Potiphar’s wife even lied to her husband, because she did not get what she wanted. She betrayed Joseph, she betrayed her husband. . .you see the dark one enters world remains dark and those who wonder in this musty dark shallow world of deceit and lies are not able to find their way out. (Except when they ask God to bring light into their dark world) Her lies cried out to God as our lies of denial of the Truth cry out to the same God. In order to understand Truth we must understand the law of God. We must accept the will of God for us and through the law we are then made aware of who God is and what His will is for us.
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