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Purity in a Putrid World
Genesis 39:1-20
Sermon 05
October 18, 2009
Recently David Letterman admitted to several sexual relationships with members of his staff. He was forced to go public when a CBS producer tried to blackmail him. Letterman tried to mix humor with his confession but there's nothing funny about extramarital sex. Ours is a world immersed in sensuality. Turn on your TV; stroll through a mall, scan the recent release section at the video store – America is obsessed with sex. There’s not a single person who has walked this earth, including the Lord Jesus Christ, who has not faced temptation. And there’s not a single person who has ever lived, except Jesus Christ, who has not yielded to it at one time or another…and suffered the consequences. Temptation is an inevitable part of our fallen world. We just cannot escape it!
Temptation wears many faces. There is, for example, material temptation, which is the lust for things. It might be as big as a house or as small as a ring. It might be as bright and dazzling as a brand new car or as dull and dusty as an antique roll-top desk. Yet, who hasn’t felt the burning passion of lust for things? And who hasn’t at times yielded to it unwisely?
Then, there is what we call personal temptation, which is the lust for fame, authority, power, for control over others. It might be as simple as lust for a title like “CEO” or “president” or “doctor” or “professor” or “reverend.” There is nothing wrong with those titles or those positions, until lust comes and says, “You deserve that, for what it will mean to you.”
Finally, there is sensual temptation, which is lust for another person—or in reality, lust for their body. I’m referring here to that hedonistic desire to have and to enjoy that which is not one’s own, either legally or morally. Because Joseph engaged in a battle with this third category, our focus today is on this one, Genesis 39:1-20 (p. 30).
The account of Joseph and the lustful advances of Potiphar’s wife sound like they were taken from last night’s prime time television drama or this week’s hit movie. But there is a striking difference between this story and sorry sagas of many modern-day celebrities and leaders—namely the way that it ends. Joseph dealt with the advances of Mrs. Potitphar the same way that he had dealt with the temptations of bitterness or self-pity. He faced it head-on and emerged victorious by God’s power. That’s what's unusual.
It's of little value, however, for us to moan and groan about the awful moral deterioration in the secular culture while ignoring the slide in moral standards in the church. Peter wrote, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). If you think immorality isn't a problem in the church today, you’ve got your head in the sand. In my years as a pastor, I have done more counseling in regard to sexual sin than for heresy, grief, conflict, and depression combined.
The first thing that I want to make clear is that this sermon is for all of us. It's obviously relevant for those who have sinned in this manner or those who are undergoing severe temptation right now. It’s relevant for the elderly. Statistics indicate that sex outside of marriage is growing at a faster rate among those over 65, particularly among the widowed, than in any other segment of society, in part because of attempts to beat the Social Security system. It's terribly relevant for career singles and teens, who find themselves in a far more sex-saturated atmosphere than many of us experienced growing up.
Our topic is even relevant for those who have not sinned sexually and are self-righteous enough to think it could never happen to them. 1 Corinthians 10:12 warns us, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” So please don't tune me out, even though this isn’t the most pleasant topic for a Sunday morning worship service. If by addressing this subject today we can prevent even one person from going down the tubes, or one marriage from crashing on the rocks, it will have been worthwhile.
Joseph is a success story! It’s the story of victory over sexual temptation. Heaven knows that we need to hear one. When we hear of the immorality of a David Letterman where the audience laughs at his revelations, watch a President wiggle like a worm on the hook as he admits adultery, or the fall of another nationally known pastor…or just a Christian we respected who has committed adultery or worse, we begin to wonder, is it possible to be morally pure in our polluted world? Is there such a thing as Purity in a Putrid World? Thankfully, the story of Joseph in Genesis 39 says, "Yes!"
If Joseph, a young man reared in a morally corrupt society, who had no Bible, no church, and not much parental training, alone in a foreign culture, could resist the repeated, direct propositions of his master's wife, then we can resist sexual temptation. We CAN be morally pure in a polluted world. But it's not going to happen accidentally. This morning I want to share Four Principles right out of our text that will help each of us gain and maintain moral purity in this polluted world. If you’re taking notes…
1. Winning over temptation means that we must be aware of when we are vulnerable. Back in 1911, a stuntman named Bobby Leach went over Niagara Falls in a specially designed steel drum—and lived to tell about it. Although he suffered minor injuries, he survived because he recognized the tremendous dangers involved in the feat and he’d done everything he could to protect himself from harm. Years later, while walking down a street in New Zealand, Bobby Leach slipped on an orange peel, fell, and badly fractured his leg. He was taken to a hospital where he died of complications from that fall. Bobby Leach received a greater injury walking down the street than he sustained in going over Niagara Falls. He was not prepared for danger in what he assumed to be a safe situation.
Some of the great temptations that roar around us like the rushing waters of Niagara will leave us unharmed, while a small, seemingly insignificant incident may cause our downfall. Why? We simply become careless and do not recognize the potential danger. We mistakenly think we are secure. We must always be on guard against temptation. A victorious Christian is an alert Christian who watches out even for those little “orange peels.”
The stage is set in vss. 1-6. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard. He’s Pharaoh’s security chief, also responsible for executing anyone Pharaoh didn't want around. You didn’t want to be on his bad side! Because the Lord is with Joseph, he does well under Potiphar. But there’s no mention of the struggles this 17-year-old boy must have gone through in Egypt. He was torn from his father, taken to a strange country and culture where he can’t understand the language, and sold as a piece of property to this powerful man. Yet with God's strength, he adjusts to the situation. By the time he’s in his mid-twenties, Joseph had been put in charge of all that Potiphar owned. Potiphar trusted Joseph so much that he didn't even check up on him. And, as the NIV translates, "Joseph was well-built and handsome." That sets the stage for the temptation that follows. Satan hits us with temptation when we’re most vulnerable. Joseph's situation reveals Four Situations when we’re vulnerable:
a) You are vulnerable when you are in a new situation and when you have little accountability. Toby Keith had a hit song called, “What happens down in Mexico, Stays in Mexico.” It’s about a husband and father committing adultery while away from his family in Mexico. Toby Keith paints it as something fun and exciting…and it will never be found out. He’s wrong!
Augustine, preached against the dangers of what he called privatio, best translated as "privacy." He knew that people acting in isolation and anonymity, free of accountability, are more likely to give in to their worst impulses. While we appreciate our privacy, we must guard against privatio, that isolation and anonymity that breaks down normal inhibitions. We must be careful to nurture those forms of social interaction that increase rather than decrease our sense of accountability to one another.
Joseph is single. He’s in his twenties with the normal sex drives of any young man. He’s a farm boy in a sophisticated urban culture, working in a home frequented by the rich and famous. He had no friends who shared his belief in God. As far as he knew, this tempting situation was private and would never be known to anyone else. He was vulnerable!
If you travel alone and you’re by yourself in a different city, and no one would know if you gave in to sexual temptation, be on guard! Satan will hit you. You may think no one will ever find out, but the Bible warns, “be sure that your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Sin is never private.
Too many parents have more confidence in their son or daughter’s ability to overcome depravity than I have in mine. While we cannot protect our adult children from everything, many parents need to be more diligent that their children have a safer exit strategy from the safety nest of the home. Too many parents make their decisions based primarily on finances rather than a long term outcome. Jane and I have some friends who required their children to attend a Christian college at least for their freshman year. Those first weeks and months of independence are so critical. Many a Christian young person is thrown on to a pagan college campus with little preparation for the spiritual assault that they’re going to face. That’s why we’ve sent our threesome, at least for their freshman year, to a Christian college – one that was more than just Christian in name only.
That does not guarantee that your child won’t get involved in serious sin but it does help protect them during that critical juncture in their lives. At the very minimum, wherever you send them, particularly if you are helping pay the bills – hold them accountable. Require them to join a Christian campus ministry, if they want your financial assistance. Require them to go to a church that has a college ministry. Let them know that you’ll be holding them accountable, and then periodically follow up with tough questions about their behavior. Joseph was vulnerable because he was in a new situation with zero accountability.
b) You’re vulnerable when you’re successful and/or good looking. Success always opens up new temptations. We read “after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph.” Joseph’s success was on her radar and she looks with desire at Joseph. It wasn't just his good looks, but also his success that attracted her.
Joseph has the two traits we prize in America: beauty and success. He’s a hunk, smart, talented and he’s successful. Remember, his mother, Rachel, was a stunning beauty too. Somehow I think that Mrs. Potiphar was a beauty too. This temptation had the real power of enticement.
When I was in college, one of my best friends was tall, dark, handsome and very talented. As a result, he continually fought against sexual temptation. Thomas Carlisle wisely noted that “Adversity is hard on a man; but for every one who can handle prosperity, there are a hundred who can handle adversity.” Turning down such a powerful woman was also dangerous. Joseph could have easily rationalized that sleeping with her was necessary for his survival in Potiphar’s house.
If you’re good-looking, be on guard! Be careful not to dress seductively (that applies to men as well as women). Pride is always at the root of sexual sin. We’re flattered that others find us attractive or we flaunt our looks to feed our pride. Remember, God gave us our bodies so that we can glorify Him (1 Cor. 6:18), not use them for our selfish gratification.
Joseph though doesn’t let his success or good looks cause him to fall.
c) You’re vulnerable when you’re alone with someone emotionally needy. In 1 Corinthians 7:5 Paul warns spouses to be very careful about ceasing to have sexual intimacy. The King James used a word you don’t hear very often, “defraud.” We are not to defraud our spouse. The NIV says, “Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
While there is no excuse for Mrs. Potiphar, we do know that her husband was a busy man who didn’t know what was going on in his own house. It’s possible that she goes on the prowl because her husband is not meeting her legitimate sexual needs. In verses 14 and 17 her bitterness bleeds through when she blames her husband for her problem with Joseph. Perhaps this was a neglected wife who longed for attention and intimacy. She mistakenly thought she would get it through sex outside of marriage
God designed marriage to be a safe and righteous place for sexual intimacy. When a couple is not having regular sexual relations, they’re placing themselves in a very morally dangerous position. And when one spouse turns down or avoids sexual intimacy, Scripture says that is a sin and you are “defrauding” your spouse.
Egyptologists and archaeologists have verified too that ancient Egyptian women were among the first to consider themselves fully liberated. That would probably explain her bold and shameless proposition.
Please make a mental note that any time someone of the opposite sex begins sharing their marriage frustrations with you and telling you how kind and sensitive you are, look out! You’re letting down barriers that God has designed for your protection and are setting yourself up for a fall. You’re making yourself vulnerable to sexual temptation…and there are a lot of needy people out there.
d) You’re vulnerable when you’re emotionally needy. Joseph is alone, totally abandoned by his family. He has no church, no support system, no spiritual friends that are on his page. Add to that he’s at his peak sexually – and he’s a virgin. Tragically, that’s a word we can’t use to describe very many single adults today. As hard as this is to believe, it was even worse in ancient Egypt. What a sad indication of how morally deranged our society is when a “virgin” is considered an oddity!
Think too of how Joseph has been treated, couldn’t he have easily succumbed to bitterness and anger? A lot of sex is payback sex. Remember, too, Potiphar is not his friend but his master. In Potiphar’s eyes he’s a commodity, not a person. Plus, to turn her down made him an oddity in that culture. If anyone else knew that he was turning down this chance with the boss’ wife, they’d have thought he was nuts. It would have been a big ego boost too. He could even have rationalized that God wanted him to do this, after all why had he been given this opportunity if it wasn’t God’s will? Turning her down could put him in danger, as it ultimately did.
Each year millions of deer die after being struck by motorists. The peak season for road kills is in late fall. Why? Bucks are in rut in November. They're out of their minds with their passions but deer aren't the only ones destroyed by preoccupation with sex. Humans are as well. Calvin Miller says, “Unbridled lust is a cannibal committing suicide by nibbling on himself.” A faith relationship with God empowers us to resist this kind of enticement. Thomas Brooks writes, "Saving grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts as a slave is willing to leave his galley, or a prisoner his dungeon, or a thief his bolts, or a beggar his rags.” Joseph was at a weak point in his life but he did not give into his passions or lust.
Sexual temptation is never just physical. There's always the good feeling that comes from being desired and cared for by someone else. God designed marriage and sex within marriage to meet legitimate needs. If we try to meet our needs through sex outside of marriage, we'll have immediate pleasure but long term pain. We end up enslaved to sin.
If you're married, prevent temptation by cultivating and maintaining a close companionship with your mate. Don't let emotional drift set in. If you're single, pray for a spouse or ask God to give you contentment where you’re at! And use lonely times to deepen your intimacy with the Lord, while maintaining your commitment to moral purity. The first step to moral purity is to be aware of situations where you're vulnerable.
2. Winning over temptation means that we are aware of temptation’s strategy. The Battle of Antietam in 1862 lasted for 12 hours and ranks as the bloodiest day of the Civil War, with 10,000 Confederate casualties and even more on the Union side. "At last the sun went down and the battle ended," wrote one historian, "smoke heavy in the air, the twilight quivering with the anguished cries of thousands of wounded men." Though militarily a draw, the mediocre Union General George McClellan was able to end the brilliant Robert E. Lee’s thrust into Maryland, forcing him to retreat across the Potomac. So how did he do it? Two Union soldiers had found a copy of Lee’s battle plans and delivered them to McClellan before the engagement.
In some respects, we’re no match for our adversary, Satan, whose wiles we’re told to be wary of. But we can know his battle plan. 2 Cor.2:11 says, “For we are not unaware of his schemes.” Just as with General McClellan, our enemy’s plans have fallen into our hands. We know his usual strategies, to entice us with lies, lust, greed, and the like. With such knowledge, given us by God’s Word and with God’s Spirit within us, we too can resist the enemy’s advances. Mark it down! To be tempted as Joseph was is not the same as sinning. Satan loves to make us feel guilty that we are even tempted, and thus cause us to sin.
So how did Mrs. Potiphar bait the trap for Joseph. First, the stage is set: A needy woman and a vulnerable man who is also a servant of God. Satan won't leave that situation alone. Next, there is flattery and surprise, the direct approach: “Come to bed with me!” Probably she’d dropped hints before, but now it hits him head on. Joseph must have felt strangely complimented, “This important, sophisticated woman desires me?" But Joseph said no and the problem went away. Right? Right on the first count, wrong on the second. The next stage was her persistence, “though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her” (39:10). She tried to get him to reconsider, to wear him down by sheer repetition of the idea, the way TV advertisers do. That's how Delilah caused Samson's downfall. The last step was her sudden ambush, where Joseph had a split second to give in or flee. She waited until he was alone in the house with her. Concentrating on his work, Joseph probably didn't realize that the two of them were alone or he’d have taken more precautions, but she knew. She grabbed him by the coat and again said, “Come to bed with me!” Joseph left his coat in her hand and flees!
That's how temptation often works: You're vulnerable; there's a surprise opportunity which flatters you; if you resist that, there will be other opportunities, pressure to get you to reconsider; then, there will be the sudden ambush, where you hardly have time to think. You must act immediately, and your decision in that instant determines everything. And because of that, the third step toward moral purity is the most important…
3. Winning over temptation means that you must have a Biblical strategy. That’s what Joseph had. He was able to resist temptation due to Four Godly Perspectives, vss. 9-12.
a) Joseph has a proper view of sin. He asks Potiphar's wife, “How then could I do such a wicked thing?” (vs. 9). He calls it what it is. Sin is still sin, even when it's dressed up in all its finery. People are selling rat poison today and calling it food, and we're too dumb to see it.
One of the ways Satan gets us is by swapping the labels on sin, so it doesn't sound quite so bad. How often in the media do you hear about an adulterer committing a great evil? No, it's called an affair or a fling. It sounds fun! Satan minimizes the consequences by calling sin something interesting. When you're tempted, focus on the evil of the sin, not on its pleasure. All sin has its attractive side or we wouldn't give it a second thought. Adultery has a certain thrill, but it also wreaks destruction and tears apart families, not to mention the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, which can be fatal. It can nullify years of purity. When Eve was tempted, she focused on the attractiveness of the fruit and she fell. Joseph focused on the evil of adultery and stood firm. He has a proper view of sin.
b) Joseph has a proper view of God. Joseph says to Potiphar’s wife, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Contemporary Christians often give little thought to the notion of fearing God. We want our God to be warm and fuzzy, and our message to be attractive, positive and upbeat. No matter what contemporary culture says, sexual sin is not just between consenting adults. It’s an act of disobedience against God. That’s why we don’t engage in sexual sin.
One writer has told the story of Joseph's temptation, and in one particularly profound scene he shows Potiphar's wife preparing her bedroom and herself for the seduction. In the process she places a robe over the head of her Egyptian god and says to Joseph, "He will not see." "But," says Joseph, "my God always sees." She wouldn’t think of committing this act in front of her husband, but she has no fear of her gods (so long as their heads are covered). But Joseph fears God. I can’t help but think of something Jesus said in Luke 8:17, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Joseph believed that.
c) Joseph has a proper view of others, vss. 8 and 9. Joseph goes on to protest to Potiphar's wife, “With me in charge…my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.”
Joseph knows the meaning of loyalty. Someone has said that adultery is of the devil, if for no other reason, because it is the betrayal of an oath and the breach of a trust. Joseph is struck by the terrible act of treachery and betrayal that yielding would involve.
d) Joseph has a proper view of himself. He knows his limitations. Vss. 11-12, “One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 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.” His choice to flee rather than fight is validated in the New Testament, “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). Paul told his young protege Timothy, “Flee the evil desires of youth” (2 Tim. 2:22).
Joseph no doubt knows the possible consequences of leaving his coat behind (he could be framed and was). But he also knows the dangers of going back to get it. He values a good coat less than a good conscience. He values everything less than a good conscience.
Steve Zeisler perceptively writes, “We sometimes hear that temptation to sexual sin is too powerful to say ‘no’ to, but that is not true. If we cannot say ‘no,’ it is because we have said ‘yes’ too many times earlier in the process. We must therefore choose to say ‘no at the beginning, before it is too late to say ‘no’.” No one else was going to get Joseph out of this situation. He must rescue himself. Sometimes the only way to win over temptation is to flee for your life. That may mean moving to a different neighborhood or getting another job, but it is better run than to surrender and experience ruin.
4. Winning over temptation means that we must be willing to pay the price for our convictions, vss. 13-20. This is one of those scenes in the Bible, where if we had been Joseph, we’d have screamed at the top of our lungs: “That’s not fair!” Many times things happen in this world aren’t fair and we’re not the first ones to struggle with this. If you’re struggling with the unfairness of life, let me encourage you to read Psalm 73. Often, we find that we can relate to Saint Teresa who once said, “Lord, You would have more friends if You treated the ones You had a little better.”
I wish I could tell you that Joseph's stand enables him to live happily ever after. But it doesn’t quite work out that way. You've heard it said that "Heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned!" This passage is a case in point. Joseph pays a heavy price for refusing to yield. Potiphar's wife was humiliated by his refusal and her humiliation quickly turns to rage. She frames Joseph and he spent the next few years in prison.
There’s good reason to think that Potiphar didn't believe her story. If he did, he’d have executed Joseph that day. The text says that his anger burned (vs. 19), but not that it burned against Joseph. He could see his wife's flirtatious ways. He knew Joseph's integrity. But he had to do something to get her off his back and save face. He would lose a servant who had brought him great prosperity, but he couldn't let it slide. If he believed Joseph over his wife she’d have made life difficult for him. Potiphar couldn't have missed the way she blamed him, “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me” (v. 17). She was blaming both Joseph and her husband.
Because our world is so polluted, you can expect to pay a price when you take a stand for purity. People will slander you. They'll blame you for their sin. You might lose your job. Joseph had plenty of time sitting in prison to replay this scene and think about what he would do if he had the chance again. Satan always comes to you after you've done the right thing and suffered for it and whispers, "See how your God takes care of you. Next time just give in and all this won't happen."
But Joseph still had the presence and blessing of God, even in prison (39:21-23). It wasn't worth trading that, even with prison, for the fleeting pleasure he would have enjoyed with Potiphar’s wife. Prison of any kind is an awful price to pay for purity, but it’s not too high. As the Psalmist writes, “I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
Conclusion: An old minister was asked by a young man, "When will I cease to be bothered by sins of the flesh?" The pastor replied, "I wouldn't trust myself, my son, until I was dead three days."
The battle for moral purity in a polluted world is a lifelong war. But it’s winnable if you'll be aware of situations where you are vulnerable and be on guard; be aware of how temptation works; make a commitment to purity and develop a strategy before temptation hits; and, be willing to pay the price that purity in a polluted world has cost every disciple of Jesus Christ.
Some of you this morning may be defiled and ensnared by sexual sin. The first step out is confession and repentance. You don’t need to join a 12 Step group for sexual addicts, but you do need the godly biblical counsel of a mature Christian brother or sister. Christ will deliver you and give you victory if you turn to Him. No sin is beyond His grace. To every sinner who comes to Him, He says, “Then neither do I condemn you…Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). Let's commit ourselves to be men and women who are pure in both thought and deed!
All of us struggle with sexual temptation. We must, like Joseph, determine to stay as far away from the temptation as we can manage. That’s the exact opposite of the way this world looks at things. To this world, heroes are those who are sexually liberated. If you read popular books, or watch TV or movies, you’ll find that the heroes in stories are almost always sleeping around. God wants us as His people to live out Purity in a Putrid World. He’s provided the way of escape. He gives us His limitless grace. The reason that we do not commit sexual sin and what we need to teach our children is not some fear of STDs or AIDS or pregnancy, but because it’s sin and a holy God sees it. We have been redeemed to be holy! We have been saved out of a life of sin!!
You and I can experience Purity in a Putrid World, but we must choose, by God’s grace, to abstain from sexual sin in all of its forms.
