https://shillerinspires.com/the-road-not-taken-how-josephs-choices-impacted-his-journey/
Joseph stepped into a supernatural shift at Potiphar’s house. Joseph experienced his life beginning to spring up. Finally, He knew his life had taken a different direction. The rate of his furtherance in this season of his life was phenomenal. Though the Bible doesn’t say how long Joseph did take to be an overseer over Potiphar’s house, it conveys one thing strongly that the Lord was with Joseph and He blessed his works of his hands and his master understood Joseph had a refined character and succeeded in everything his hands fell.
Joseph found favor in Potiphar’s sight, and the master handed over everything he had in his servant’s hand. There was no one greater in Potiphar’s house than Joseph (Gen 39:9). When Joseph became superior in Potiphar’s house, since he was a successful man and handsome, Potiphar’s wife, Zelikah lusted after Joseph (Gen 39:7). Zelikah started chasing down Joseph asking him to lie with her though Joseph refused many times (Gen 39:10). It became an ongoing scene between Joseph and his master’s wife. It happened one day that Joseph had to go to Potiphar’s house for his work and no one was there except Zelikah, and it seemed she was eagerly waiting for an opportunity like this. She grabbed Joseph by his garment to lie with her. Joseph swiftly left his garment in her hand and fled the scene. In her embarrassment, Zelikah kept Joseph’s garment by her side as evidence against him. She villainized Joseph in her altered story and slandered Joseph to her servants and later to her husband. Subsequently, Joseph was cast into the dungeon.
Could Joseph have been possibly avoided this incident?
The answer would be yes. Joseph took this matter lightly, in other words carelessly. Zelikah’s demand wasn’t a one-time event. She was behind Joseph for her desire to be fulfilled day by day (Gen 39:10). Certainly, Joseph showed strength of his character every time she approached him by not listening to her or ignoring her. However, Joseph didn’t act prudently. He should have been more cautious now than before because her demand recurred every single day. One side to his response to this incident might be Joseph had feared that even if Joseph would have told his master about his wife, he might not believe Joseph or even if his master was convinced, his wife could easily manipulate and twist the matter against him in no time.
Anyways, if Joseph had taken these following two steps, he could have avoided getting himself into trouble.
- Protecting oneself from being in a wrong place at the wrong time
But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside.
Genesis 39:11
Joseph was in a wrong place at the wrong time by a wrong person. What wrong place means is even though Joseph had complete access to Potiphar’s house, it becomes a wrong place if there is a tiny point of opportunity for sin. Joseph knows Zelikah is there in the house. In addition to this, there were no male servants around in the house. Even if Joseph went into the house for work-related purposes, he should have acted circumspectly, having someone with him knowing that there is an opportunity to fall into the trap of sin if the tempter is there in the house. Because Joseph knew what was going on behind the scenes with his master’s wife. It reminds me of what Yahweh said to Cain,
