COME AS A CHILD LESSON 92 JOSEPH ENCOUNTERS MORE TROUBLE

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Back in Egypt, young Joseph was beginning his life as a slave in the house of Potipher.

 

Potipher was one of Pharaoh’s top officials.  Potipher’s Captain of The Guard had purchased Joseph from the Ishmaelites.

 

In his life as a slave, everything that Joseph touched seemed to go well.  This was soon observed by Potipher.  Joseph knew this blessings happened to him because he worshiped The One God of Heaven and Earth.  Joseph knew God was looking down on him and showing him favor in his circumstances.  Potipher just knew Joseph was a perfect servant.  He listened well.  He followed instructions well.  He did his job thoroughly.  He could be counted upon.  Potipher eventually trained Joseph to be his personal assistant.  He trusted Joseph with all that he owned and he noticed more and more that the hand of God was upon Joseph. 

Eventually Potipher put his whole house under the good leadership of Joseph.  Because Joseph was living in the household of Potipher, God blessed Potipher’s home.  His house was blessed and his fields were blessed because of the presence of Joseph, who worshiped God.  With Joseph in charge Potipher had no concerns but to eat, drink and be merry.

Joseph grew into a handsome young man.  Every woman noticed him.  Eventually, so did Potipher’s wife.  She tried to seduce Joseph and entice him to have an affair with her.  Joseph did not respond, yet she did not give up.  Finally Joseph had a conversation with her and explained that Potipher had trusted him with his whole household and God had blessed Potipher because of Joseph.  Because of this loyalty and honesty between them, if Potipher was blessed, Joseph was blessed.  Joseph explained that the only thing God had not given to him that he had given to Potipher was her.  She was Potipher’s wife, and it would be a sin against the God who was blessing them so for him to take her.  She did not seem to follow the conversation.  Joseph began to avoid her in his days.  She continued to speak with him every chance she got.  She tried very hard to wear him down, but Joseph did not encourage her or go to bed with her. 

One day Joseph came to work and no one was in the house but Joseph and Potipher’s wife.  She grabbed him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me.”  Joseph ran out of the house.  She had hold of his cloak, so he slipped out of it, pulled free, and left her standing there holding his cloak in her hands.  

Now we have learned earlier that a man’s “cloak” was usually an outer garment that symbolized who he was.  It usually had something on it that spoke of him as an individual.  It was worn as a decorative outer garment, much like liturgical priests wear over robes to liturgical services today.  It is more the size of a large scarf than a coat and it is worn on the top of the main outer shirt or garment.  

Perhaps this “cloak” could have been what Joseph had used to replace the “coat of many colors” that his father had given to him as a boy.  The coat of many colors was probably a cloak also. 

Perhaps Joseph had fashioned his new cloak in the same way as the old one that he loved so much, which his jealous brother’s had taken to his father stained with blood on it.  The blood had probably covered all the special designs and symbols that Jacob had fashioned for Joseph. 

The cloak was easy to pull off, since it was an “outer garment” used only for decoration and not worn as a full garment or a coat, but only for decorating the plain garment it topped.  The cloak was something that Hebrew men received when they became of age and wore throughout their lifetime.  It was individualized over the years to be symbolic of the events and decisions of a man’s life.  Significant things about the man were added over time, such as symbols for each child, or symbols for battles fought, or symbols for the land they owned, or things that pertained to their household; whatever was significant to the man.   Remember how Tamar had the cloak of Jacob?  It was positive proof of the fact that she had been with Jacob and no other man.  What was Potipher’s wife trying to pull with removing the cloak?  It could belong to no one else but Joseph.  The cloak clearly identified him. 

Joseph made the strong decision not to sin against God, even at the risk of losing something special that belonged to only him, something that symbolized his heritage and his life as a man; something that he had made to replace the special cloak which had been ripped away from him when he was sold into slavery.   Once again, out of evil and wrong motives, the identity of Joseph and everything he stood for was being ripped away from him and he was again totally innocent in the process. 

So Potipher’s wife was VERY mad and angry with Joseph for refusing her advances.  She was humiliated and probably very worried of what Joseph would say to her husband later. Most likely she was a very spoiled woman, used to always having her way.  She probably did not know the proper way to handle rejection.  She fumed around trying to decide what to do, now that she was in this strange predicament that she was not at all used to encountering.   

She devised a quick scheme, messed up her hair and her clothes and the room and called loudly to her servants for help.  They came running in from outside.  Some of them had probably seen Joseph leaving in a hurry and wondered what his haste was all about.  Some of them had probably seen the perplexed expression on his face.

When the servants entered the room where Potipher’s wife was screaming she was standing there crying and upset holding Joseph’s cloak.  She indicated to them, both through words and actions, that he had tried to rape her and she had resisted.  She explained that he left so fast when she screamed for help that he left his cloak behind.  The cloak made it clear that she was talking about Joseph.  After all, they had seen him running out of the house with that strange look on his face!  Poor Mrs. Potipher!  I wonder how many of the servants got a little raise in wages that week?

Later when Potipher came home, the story was repeated to him. All the witnesses were there. There was the cloak.  There were the faces of the servants who testified to her scream.  There was a sobbing, but unharmed wife clinging to Potipher for dear life.  Not wanting to hurt him, Joseph had never spoken to Potipher about his wife. 

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Joseph!

Potipher, in his great anger, put Joseph in prison.  He must have been very hurt and confused that his faithful and loyal assistant had turned on him.  He probably blamed it all on his wife’s irresistible beauty and charm.  He must have comforted himself by saying to himself that at least her honor and dignity had been salvaged and she had not been hurt.  He must have been very proud of her bravery and willingness to resist such a handsome man as Joseph in order to stay true to him.  Oh bother! 

Too bad for Potipher and his household that the favor shown to Joseph by God in Potipher’s house followed Joseph to prison. 

While Joseph was in prison the warden found him to be a worthy and honorable man.  He discovered he could trust Joseph with anything.  He saw that Joseph listened well and respected others.  Joseph paid attention to detail and he followed instructions well.  He saw that Joseph was wise, much wiser than all the other prisoners.  Eventually, the warden put Joseph in charge of one thing after another, each time Joseph proved true.  Finally the warden put Joseph in charge of all the prison and all the prisoners.  The warden knew he did not have to worry about anything as long as Joseph was in charge.

No matter where Joseph went, or what circumstances he was in, The LORD was with him and gave him success.