Genesis 39:10, commentary and pictures

Spoken to day by day, he repeatedly refused to be led into sexual sin and would neither lie with her nor even remain with her, keeping clear boundaries against improper familiarity. His refusal came from reverence, love and fear of God, regarding yielding as great sin against Him whose eye sees in secret. That steadfastness rested on settled principle and prior purpose to obey God, formed by earlier training in duty over inclination and faithfulness in every station. God was with him and guarded him, so he stood not in his own strength but in strength from heaven. Because she could not corrupt him she testified falsely against him and the innocent suffered disgrace and imprisonment for righteousness, yet God overruled the harm for good and in due time exalted and honored him, leaving his day-by-day refusal as a pattern proving that unfavorable surroundings are no excuse.

Setting in Egypt

The verse belongs to ten years in the service of Potiphar, captain of the king's guard in Egypt. There Joseph met its daily temptation as a stranger and a slave in the midst of idolatry. He was surrounded by all the pomp of royalty and the wealth and culture of the most highly civilized nation then in existence. Amid sights and sounds of vice and the allurements of heathen worship he faced temptations of no ordinary character in a corrupt heathen setting.

His position joined lowly servitude with exposure to worldly honor and high station. The daily circumstances that pressed him were tests of faithfulness meant to qualify him for greater trusts.

Meaning of Daily Refusal

As she spoke to him day by day, he repeatedly refused to be led astray into sexual sin and would not deviate from the path of righteousness to transgress God's law. He would not betray his master's trust or break God's law, choosing duty and purity over inclination and pleasure even under persistent pressure from one influential over him. His reverence and fear of God, commitment to righteousness, firm principles and uprightness formed by early training and trust in God kept him steadfast, and trust in God and His grace could defend a person even amid corrupting influences. His integrity and virtue could not be corrupted, yet his refusal brought hatred and a false accusation so that he suffered disgrace and imprisonment despite innocence and complete triumph in the test, though Providence could overrule the harm toward good and raise him in due time.

He hearkened not unto her in the double sense that he would neither lie by her nor be with her, refusing even to remain with her. That keeping of clear boundaries teaches not to encourage improper familiarity, but to govern appetite and passion rather than be ruled by them, turning away from temptation at its first step to keep mind and body fit for duty. Victory over such sensual temptation, which can imperil a young person's whole future, depends on God's help and determined refusal, fleeing temptation to preserve moral integrity even when faithfulness brings suffering and accepting temporal loss rather than sinning. His steadfast purity came from practical religious principle, from love and fear of God whose eye sees in secret, from settled principle and determination to obey God, and from keeping the same sacred regard for God's will in every place.

He acted as one who saw and heard not the vice around him, preserving simplicity and fidelity to God and refusing to permit his thoughts to linger upon forbidden subjects. He did not tamely give himself to an evil way as though he had no free moral agency and could not break away, for that plea is a deception, but met God's demands firmly and resolutely when pressed day by day with unlawful love. He refused to cherish and strengthen evil or to love it better than truth, purity and righteousness, but studied God's word prayerfully, laid hold upon promised divine help, and wrenched himself from hurtful and dangerous association. He would not conceal his principles to gain favor, was not ashamed of the religion of his fathers, and made no effort to hide that he was a worshiper of Jehovah, because attempting to hide his faith would have left him overcome.

He confessed his faith in the Lord God of heaven by words, habits and practices, valuing the favor of God above the favor and praise of princes and determining to honor God above every human power and refuse any mandate that detracted from God's honor, as one bound by a golden chain of truth to the throne of God. Because of that faithful integrity God loved him, spread His shield over him, gave him strength from heaven to confess allegiance, and signally honored him before men. No inducements or threats could move him to leave duty for pleasure and inclination, and he held to integrity and virtue when fiercely assailed, walking in self-control, patience in adversity and unwavering fidelity.

Strength Behind Victory

Joseph's daily refusal grew out of reverence, love, and fear of God, for he regarded yielding as great sin against God whose eye sees in secret. Conscience was enlightened, will was subjected, God's word was law to him, and love of truth and righteousness with uprightness of heart and loyalty to God kept him steadfast and would not let him stain his purity or betray trust. He met the severe test with complete triumph through the same lofty, unbending principle, enduring at every point with steadfastness of purpose that pleasure, custom, contempt, and self-indulgence could not move, keeping the same regard for God's will in court as in prison and accepting temporal loss rather than sinning.

Victory came from settled principle and prior purpose to obey God, with a will firm on the side of God's will and a determination to remain undefiled. That determination enabled him to resist great and repeated temptation without letting crosses or business loss stand in the way of duty to God. This firmness had been formed by earlier training in duty over inclination, integrity, simple trust, and noble character. A pure and simple life, communion with God through His works, contemplation of the truths of faith, and faithful attention to duty in every station from lowliest to most exalted had broadened and strengthened his mind and trained every power for highest service.

He had fixed this course in the crisis of his journey from his childhood home in Canaan to bondage in Egypt, when looking for the last time on the hills that hid the tents of his kindred he remembered his father's God and the lessons of his childhood and resolved to prove true and ever to act as became a subject of the King of heaven. God was with him and guarded him, and his righteousness came from Christ, whose mind was displayed in his tenderness and virtue as he looked to the Lord as friend and protector and acted in the fear of God. God's grace shielded him amid corrupting influences and gave grace to stand in a corrupt heathen setting, not in his own strength but in God's strength, with Jesus as present help. Because of faithful integrity God loved him, spread His shield over him, gave him strength from heaven to confess allegiance, valued above the favor and praise of princes, and would in due time overrule harm toward good and exalt him.

He was preserved by a fixed principle of godliness that can stand the test in very bad circumstances because it has a living root and a well-spring of nourishment. That principle is loving truth and loving righteousness with a moral taste that is not depraved, holding a deep work of truth in the heart that keeps the soul true and steadfast even when thrown into the society of the irreligious and self-indulgent. He realized the presence and help of God at all times and lived in constant dread of incurring the displeasure of God whom he reverenced and loved, cultivated by earnest prayer. He studied God's word prayerfully and fully, laid hold upon the divine help promised, refused to cherish and strengthen evil or to love it better than truth, purity, and righteousness, did not tamely yield as though without free moral agency, and wrenched himself from hurtful and dangerous association. By adherence to principle in ordinary life his mind was accustomed to hold duty above pleasure and inclination, so that faithfulness in the least gave strength to be faithful in greater matters and kept him from wavering between right and wrong.

Suffering and Divine Vindication

Because she could not corrupt him, the tempter's hatred turned against his virtue and integrity to testify falsely against him, so though he triumphed completely in the test the innocent suffered disgrace and imprisonment for righteousness. His refusal to be led astray by any inducements or threats held him to integrity and virtue when fiercely assailed, and that very faithfulness brought the false accusation upon him.

Staying closely connected with God by preserving virtue and integrity in refusing day by day caused him to be maligned, reproached and persecuted. He stands among God's appointed witnesses who for truth's sake exposed themselves to reproach and persecution by refusing to yield. This shows that those who are true to God may often be sorely tried and afflicted and may not be prosperous in the things of this life.

Though maligned and treated as a criminal while suffering for doing right, God did not forget him. Providence overruled the harm toward good and raised him in due time. God ultimately gave him victories in his suffering for doing right, and exalted and signally honored him before men.

His integrity remained firm through both adversity and prosperity, faithful in the palace as well as in prison. He kept the same sacred regard for God's will in a prisoner's cell as when exalted to wealth and high honor next to the king and next to the throne. God leads His children through such tribulation to perfect trust and peace in Christ on the way into the kingdom of God. His course in this illustrates Christ, whose righteous, self-denying, holy life rebuked corrupt profession, who was rejected and despised and hated for faithful reproof of sin, and who though guilty of no wrong had false witnesses hired against him.

Pattern for Faithful Living

Joseph's day-by-day refusal stands on record as a pattern of self-control, patience in adversity, and unwavering fidelity for all who should afterward live. His resistance when fiercely assailed, refusing by any inducements or threats to deviate from righteousness and transgress God's law, proves that unfavorable surroundings are no excuse. A follower of Jesus can shape surroundings instead of being bent and molded by circumstances, when kept by a fixed principle of godliness with a living root and well-spring of nourishment, loving truth and righteousness with undepraved moral taste, realizing God's presence and help at all times and dreading to incur the displeasure of God.

The secret of that fidelity was carrying religion everywhere, with an eye single to the glory of God. True religion is an all-pervading, sanctifying power that gives tone to everything done and said, keeps the heart fixed on heavenly things, and faithfully discharges the duties of the place where God has put a person. By this he broke the spell of unwise association and escaped snares laid to drag men down to perdition and block the road to life, showing the same sacred regard for God's will in a prisoner's cell as when exalted to wealth and high honor next to the king.

He is an example of what every youth should be, and of what children and youth may become under God's discipline, training, and blessing. His complete triumph at every point through lofty, unbending principle, with enlightened conscience, subjected will, and love of truth and righteousness reigning in the soul, stands in bright contrast with vacillating, unsound youth who sacrifice conscience for selfish gratification. His steadfast character is therefore held up as a model for young people preparing to serve God.

He stands as a youth tried and proved who stood firm to principle, a representative man and pattern of integrity for students deciding their eternal destiny. In this probationary time, when God is testing and proving with no second probation to come, each person is responsible for the character built to stand the test of judgment. That good character is built brick by brick, growing daily in proportion to effort, obtained by diligent exercise of personal faculties, by improving every advantage of Providence, and by connecting with the Source of all wisdom, taking Joseph and Daniel as good models but Christ as the perfect pattern, aiming at no low standard and with minds not cast in an inferior mold.

His chastity in refusing day by day, that he would neither lie by her nor be with her, is the standard to be copied by those who carry God's work. Canvassers and gospel workers honor God by making of themselves all that is possible with divine aid joined to human effort. Joined with meekness and temperance, such chastity has power attending it wherever they go.

His example teaches wisdom in governing appetites and passions rather than being ruled by them. The wise turn away from temptation at its first step, guard thoughts and imaginations, keep mind and body fit for duty, draw near to God and seek His help, study His word prayerfully, lay hold on promised divine help, and wrench away from hurtful and dangerous association instead of tamely yielding as though without free moral agency. To cherish and strengthen evil or love it better than truth, purity, and righteousness is a deception to be refused.

Victory over sensual temptation, which can imperil a young person's whole future, depends on God's help and determined refusal. Fleeing temptation preserves moral integrity even when faithfulness brings suffering and temporal loss, for fidelity means accepting loss rather than sinning. No victory is so precious as victory over self.

He honored God in adversity without compromising faith, bearing faith as an honor and representing God before others as God's representative. God can keep people faithful when given a special position among those who do not share their faith. The more difficult the position the more Jesus is needed, for standing on a lofty height brings danger, so safety requires hiding in Jesus and holding Christ's hand, guarding against presumption, independence, and self-sufficiency, with a spirit that would suffer rather than sin and bear the test of character in adversity without being ruined by prosperity.

That same stern integrity and uprightness of heart, hating sin and scorning to yield to pollution that would sully purity, standing firm as a rock to duty, is to be cultivated in heart alongside cultivation of mind. So youth go forth with higher, holier motives and firmer principles, growing in grace and knowledge of the truth and making the best use of intellect. Pure, genuine religion awakens the highest, noblest thoughts and strengthens the intellect to its utmost limit rather than deadening it.