VAYESHEV

“But she kept pressing him, day after day. Nevertheless, he didn’t listen to her; he refused to sleep with her or even be with her”
Genesis 39:10

The account of Joseph begins with the giving of a coat, the jealousy of brothers, and the eventual selling of him to a caravan of Ishmaelites. The account continues in Genesis 39, where we find in verse 2 and following that the LORD blessed Joseph. So blessed was he that “…[Potifar] left all his possessions in Yosef’s care; and because he had him, he paid no attention to his affairs, except for the food he ate” (Gen 39:6a). While Potiphar was not paying attention, knowing he could trust Joseph, Potiphar’s wife was paying attention, and not in the right way. Potifar’s wife saw him as a well built desire, and a possession to be had. When Potifar’s wife confronted him and gave her offer of a one night fling, he refused (Gen 39:7-8). She, however, was resilient. Day after day she kept coming to Joseph with her offer, and day after day he kept saying no. The desire and lust for what she could not have continued to grow toward Joseph. But it was this lust that continued also to feed. “But she kept pressing him, day after day. Nevertheless, he didn’t listen to her; he refused to sleep with her or even be with her” (Gen 39:10).
What Potifar’s wife most wanted to hear was “Yes”, but what she kept hearing from Joseph was “No”. Seeing she was constantly being denied, she tried another more forceful approach. With the house fully empty, she waited for Joseph. Catching him in her trap, and catching him by the cloak, she offered again, “Come to bed with me.” No matter how many times she approached him, his answer was always the same. Leaving his cloak behind, he left her once again.
Think about it this way. A leech makes a special type of saliva which allows them to drink quickly and painlessly. As they spread this saliva over the area where they will feast, they also spread an anesthetic which stops any pain. This anesthetic then keeps the host from feeling the bite. It is common for leeches to be connected to a person for hours before they are ever noticed or realized. But a second agent is also found in the saliva, one called anticoagulant. This agent prevents the blood from clotting, which in turn becomes like a flowing waterfall of blood for the leech to drink freely from. Once filled, the leech will drop off and be filled for months.
When I think of this portion of Joseph’s life where daily he was hounded by Potiphar’s wife, I think of how she was in essence, a leech. She came to him with her saliva of anesthesia working to convince him that no one would ever know. She also came to him with her anticoagulant in the offering more and more and more, just like the waterfall of blood. But Joseph came with one item she was not expecting. He came with God on His side. In one of her attempts prior, Joseph had even replied to her advance saying, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against Adonai?” (Gen 39:9)
On this final advance made on Joseph by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph stood his ground, said “No!,” and ran out. He didn’t care about his cloak, he only cared about getting out. When Potiphar returned home, she lied to her husband and Joseph was placed in prison. But even with all that had happened already, from the bitterness of his brothers, to his being sold into slavery, to now being placed in prison for additional lies against him, Joseph saw God’s hand.
I question of us, do we have this same passion to obey? Do we have the urgency to get out? Are we too concerned with our coat instead of being concerned with getting out? Joseph could have had one night of fun, but what more would that have cost him? What is it costing us?