Genesis 39:9-12 There is none greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back any thing from me but you, because you are his wife… I. HERE IS A GOOD MAN SEVERELY TEMPTED. Temptation suits itself to every age, to every state of mind, to every temperament. 1. There is temptation to intellectual unbelief. 2. There is temptation to flattery. 3. There is the temptation to sensual lust. In every young man there is a sharp conflict between conscience and the animal nature. The enchantress was decked in her best. Scarcely concealed among the roses was the foul serpent. II. WE SEE A GOOD MAN INVINCIBLE. 1. The source of goodness is inexhaustible. The right principle and goodness Joseph had came from God, and God can give more. The Divine supply has never failed, just as the harvest-fields of earth have never given out. 2. A sense of God's presence unmasks sin. Sin always wears some disguise, Naked sin is so ugly and repulsive that it would never succeed without gay and plausible masking. God's presence is light, and shines through all disguise. 3. A sense of God's presence makes us valiant. It had been Joseph's habit to take God with him in every walk of life. This made him calm, contented, patient, strong. Our only safety is in God. III. WE SEE A GOOD MAN BARELY MALIGNED. The spirit of wickedness has great vitality. Like Briareus, the fabled monster of the deep, it has fifty heads and a hundred arms. Foiled in one diabolical scheme, it instantly attempts another. The passion of this gay woman was as changeful as it was base. In a moment it passes into the blackest hatred, and plots the ruin of Joseph by lying and by slander. Men would wag their heads and say, "Ah, there's something in it." He has a thousand adversaries. Only conscience and God and friendly angels are left: his good name has passed under eclipse. IV. WE SEE A GOOD MAN SACRIFICING HIMSELF FOR OTHERS. 1. Silence is dignified. Self-defence is always more or less weakness. Let men learn not to be over hasty in their judgments. Appearances often deceive; silence is hoarded strength. 2. The effect of our conduct on others ought always to be considered. Had Joseph published abroad this woman's guilt, it may have involved her in sudden death. If she had any heart left, the silence and endurance of Joseph must have touched it. 3. Self-sacrifice is a rare virtue. V. WE SEE A GOOD MAN GRIEVOUSLY OPPRESSED. (J. Dickerson Davies, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? |
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