In Genesis 39, we catch up with Joseph, the second youngest son of Israel. Hated by his brothers, he is sold into slavery and ends up in the house of the Egyptian captain of the guard, Potiphar. He is quickly promoted to the head of the household, in charge of everything, but Potiphar’s wife takes notice of Joseph and attempts to seduce him by no subtle means. Her repeated advances are no doubt a temptation to a young slave, alone in a foreign land, but he flees this temptation—literally.

His methods in this story are an example for us when we face temptation: 

Physical Placement

Often, when you think of temptation, there is a certain physicality that comes to mind—a certain place, item, or person. It makes sense. We live in the physical. Our bodies have physical desires, and our brains are wired by physical responses. In fact, our brain rewires itself as habits form, and Joseph uses this to his advantage: he physically avoids temptation. He doesn’t hang out around his temptress, getting comfortable with her presence. When you avoid one place, you inevitably end up somewhere else.

I would argue, even though the text doesn’t tell us much about Joseph’s relationship with God, it seems Joseph spends the majority of his time in God’s presence. He must have to have such a deep investment in pleasing him, a solid moral compass, and such favor in all he does. His time spent in the presence of God begins the process of rewiring his brain to think like God.

Wired with Words

Words have the power of life or death (Proverbs 18:21). Just like who you spend your time with, what you speak and listen to has a profound impact on how you think, how you act, who you are. When first propositioned, Joseph counters lustful words with the truth. He speaks truth into the lie, reminding both Potiphar’s wife and himself of his responsibility to his master and, ultimately, to God. Although she continues to pursue him, he doesn’t stick around to listen to her offer.

In their book, Words Can Change Your Brain, Andrew Newberg, M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman write, “...the longer you concentrate on positive words, the more you begin to affect other areas of the brain. Functions in the parietal lobe start to change, which changes your perception of yourself and the people you interact with.”

Joseph continued to rewire his brain against temptation through both the words he did and did not listen to.

Predetermined Response

When Potiphar’s wife finally makes her move, we see all this wiring exposed in Joseph’s physical response: he runs. It’s almost comical to picture, probably because it’s not how most people would react, but for Joseph, this physical response had been decided ahead of time. There was now no guesswork.

Joseph had already shown Potiphar his ability to make good choices. This is further evidence. His brain knows where he physically should and shouldn’t be and what messages it should and shouldn’t dwell on. It has been made up already, and he acts on his decision to run from temptation immediately.

I think it’s necessary to mention, Joseph’s flight from temptation isn’t immediately rewarded. In fact, there really isn’t ever a corresponding reward for his good choice. God does work everything out for Joseph’s good, but I think it’s crucial to understand that “good” is in God’s timing, not ours. Potiphar’s wife claims he tried to rape her, and he is imprisoned. Not the result you hope for when you place such effort into training yourself toward the right thing. But sometimes, the “fleeing” is simply working a muscle we will need later. It’s continuing to rewire your brain; continuing to build a habit.

The immediate reward is that God was with Joseph. I don’t know what measure of Spirit was given to him or what God said to him to give him such insight and strength to do the right thing over and over again until it was simply ingrained in him. In our post-resurrection and ascension world, though, God has made clear that he equips us with all the tools we need to resist temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). He renews our mind (Romans 12:2), giving us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and a Spirit of self-control (2 Timothy 1:7; Galatians 5:22-23). But it is up to us to utilize the gifts he has given us, to put off our old self, to dwell in places, and listen to words that draw us closer to God. The more we build the habits, becoming more like him, the harder it will be for us to break from our new identity and give in to the temptations we face.

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FINAL WORD:

Recently my wife and I went fly-fishing for the first time. Our guides told us that “to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish.” They said that to a fish, life is about the maximum gratification of appetite at the minimum expenditure of energy. To a fish, life is “see a fly, want a fly, eat a fly.” A rainbow trout never really reflects on where his life is headed. A girl carp rarely says to a boy carp, “I don’t feel you’re as committed to our relationship as I am. I wonder, do you love me for me or just for my body?” The fish are just a collection of appetites. A fish is a stomach, a mouth, and a pair of eyes.

While we were on the water, I was struck by how dumb the fish are. Hey, swallow this. It’s not the real thing; it’s just a lure. You’ll think it will feed you, but it won’t. It’ll trap you. If you were to look closely, fish, you would see the hook. You’d know once you were hooked that it’s just a matter of time before the enemy reels you in.

You’d think fish would wise up and notice the hook or see the line. You’d think fish would look around at all their fish friends who go for a lure and fly off into space and never return. But they don’t. It is ironic. We say fish swim together in a school, but they never learn.

Aren’t you glad we’re smarter?

REFLECT:

Meditate on the following questions and record responses in your journal.

1. Where do you spend your time? Are you physically positioned to avoid temptation?
2. What and/or who are you listening to? Is it wiring your brain with truth or towards temptation?
3. What are some choices you need to make ahead of time? What habits are you creating that will help you flee from temptation when you face it?