The Story of Joseph and His Brethren/Part 1/Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV.
JOSEPH felt the benefit of having the Lord's help. In consequence of the Lord being with him, Joseph was a prosperous man. "His master saw that the Lord was with him." How did he see this? He did not see the Lord, but he saw in Joseph's piety and virtue the evidence that he was a godly young man, and thus that God was with him. Joseph therefore found grace or favour in his master's sight, and he made him ruler over his house. Potiphar did not lose his reward, for "the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field."
Joseph was beautiful as well as good; he was a goodly person and well favoured. Beauty, which is a source of vanity and proves a snare to some, had no such effect upon Joseph; but it was the occasion of a great trial and a sad reverse of fortune to him. This is one of the first of the many instances which the present history affords of the great purity of Joseph's mind and excellence of his character. After relating how much Joseph was trusted by Potiphar, the sacred writer tells us, "it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me." Deeply sinful as this was on the part of his mistress—and it was a temptation that required strong religious principles in a young man, in Joseph's position, to resist—Joseph did resist it; and not only did he refuse compliance with the solicitations of his mistress, but he expressed the greatest abhorrence at her sinful proposal. His words on that occasion deserve to be printed in letters of gold; but, what is far more important, should be imprinted on every heart, especially on the heart of every young man. "He refused, and said unto his master's wife. How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" This was not all he said to his shameless enticer; he pointed out how very criminal it would be in him, trusted as he was, to be guilty of such a crime. "Behold," he says, "my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath into my hands; there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Here was faithfulness at once to his master and to his God. This is the perfection of religion. It is the union of love to God and love to the neighbour. Upon these two hang all the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets, as we possess them, had not yet been revealed when Joseph made this memorable answer to one who tried to allure him to sin, nor had that Gospel been given which so greatly exalts Moses' law. But God had revealed the law in Joseph's mind, and impressed it upon his heart. And this must still be done with every one before there can be true religious virtue. We have now the outward law and the Gospel; but the Spirit of the Lord must dwell in our hearts, and, through the outward revelation, control our passions and order our lives in righteousness. We have, indeed, many and great advantages over those who lived in Joseph's times. Not only have we the Gospel, but we have the example, of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and we have Him present with us always, to strengthen and lead us to do as He Himself did. If, then, Joseph was willing and able to resist a strong temptation to commit a great sin, how much more should we resist who have the sword of the Spirit of Jesus, and the shield of His faith! Such a lesson as this, by one who lived four thousand years ago, is much needed in our own times; and Christian and enlightened as these times are, we may well look back to the young Hebrew captive for one of the highest examples of religious morality—for the union, in this one instance, of piety, chastity, and conscientiousness.
But Joseph's temptation was not yet ended. His purity and constancy to principle had a further and severer trial. His mistress spoke to him, not once only, but day by day in the same manner; but Joseph hearkened not unto her. But still more severely than even this was his constancy tried. From entreaty and persuasion his master's wife proceeded to force. "While Joseph was one day engaged in his business, when there was no one in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me; and he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got him out." How strong must have been his religious principles, to resist the pleasures of sin thus thrust upon him!
Turning now to the temptress, we have exemplified, in the conduct of the wife of Potiphar, the truth that impure love is inwardly hatred. No sooner did she find that the virtue of Joseph was proof against all her wiles and violence, than her love was turned into hate. The truth is, the love of the evil is self-love. They love others for the sake of themselves, to derive some selfish gratification from their connection with them; and when their hope is disappointed, they can hate the same person that they seemed to love, and seek revenge as a mere gratification. "She laid up his garment by her, until her lord came home. And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant which thou hast brought unto me came in unto me to mock me; and it came to pass that as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out" It was natural for Potiphar to believe his wife, notwithstanding it was against so good and wise a servant as he had found in Joseph. "Joseph's master therefore took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison."
And is this the reward and end of Joseph's high integrity and spotless virtue? No, it is not the end; it is only a means to the end. We have here, indeed, a striking instance of the seeming reverse of justice that is not unfrequently found to prevail in this world; the innocent suffer and the guilty escape, and even triumph. To the righteous themselves it sometimes seems as if their virtue were an obstacle to their prosperity; as if reward were for the unprincipled and success for the plotter. So would it often be if this world were our final home. All are not destined to obtain in this life the name and place which their worth may deserve. But He who knows what is best for our eternal good, permits us as His children to suffer even for conscience' sake. In those times in which Joseph lived, the Divine Providence was often manifested as if it had its final issues in this life, because there was no clear knowledge of another life, and because prosperity in this world was the type or ensample of eternal happiness in the next. The present course and sufferings of Joseph were the means by which Providence was to work out a higher place and name than he had enjoyed in the house of Potiphar, captain of the guard.
Again abandoned and cast into the lowest depths of misery, even for his virtues' sake, Joseph is not left without succour. He, without whom a sparrow falls not to the ground, allows not this faithful one to fall without a purpose, nor to suffer without His care. "The Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison." The Lord did not appear visibly to Joseph, but He gave him miraculous aid. He made Joseph himself a medium of producing what was for his advantage, disposing the keeper of the prison, so far as he was inclined to yield to His divine influence, and to be acted upon by Joseph's conduct, to further His divine purpose. Some may suppose that these favourable results were due to Joseph's own prudent and good conduct—to his own beautiful character. So, in one sense, they were. But, in the first place, Joseph's virtues were of God; and, in the second place, God's grace acted through these virtues to make him find favour with the keeper of the prison. Here, too, his keeper saw, as Potiphar had seen, that the Lord was with him. His piety and virtue assured these Egyptian men that he walked with God, and that Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, was with him. And the keeper of the prison had such confidence in him, that he looked not to any thing that was under his hand.