EXPOSITION:
Joseph was elevated to be next in command to his master in his house. He was put in charge of everything that was in his master’s house though he was a servant. He executed his duties well but this “new level” attracted a “new devil.” Potiphar’s wife was forcing him to have sex with her but Joseph considered that as being a sin against God and wickedness against his master. In his reply in verse 8, we can infer that either Potiphar made it clear to Joseph that he could have access to everything in the house except one woman who was his wife or Joseph having been brought up well knew that sleeping with somebody’s wife was sin against God. In either ways it is clear that Joseph knew his limits. In other words he knew the likes and dislikes of his master. He would not go beyond his limits to abuse his privileges out of pride. He was content with the things he had access to and the things he was restricted from and that made him a successful worker.
LESSON/LIFE APPLICATION:
One of the major temptations of every worker is having the opportunity to take advantage of the system. It is likely that nobody will get to know if you did but we should always remember that we are Christians first before we became workers in a company. Therefore, we should limit ourselves from acts that will not bring glory to God. We should also be careful of deeds that will turn out to be a stabbing in the back of authorities who have put us in positions of trust in our respective institutions. As much as possible we should be content with the privileges given us in our institutions and respect the limitations that our superiors and our faith place on us.