What Does Joseph Fleeing Teach Us about Temptation?

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When my husband and I first went to marriage counseling over twenty-five years ago, we were excited about what marriage would bring. We often fantasized about a time when we'd be constantly emotionally close, always on the same page, and champion each other through thick and thin.

But then life happened. We let each other down, contributing to the cracks in the foundation of our marriage. A level of distrust soon began to form, and this trust, paired with the lack of emotional needs being met, made us vulnerable to the devil’s schemes.

We both found that temptation was knocking on our door. Although we, like Joseph, can overcome temptation, we learned an important lesson: temptation is a natural part of any marriage. If handled appropriately, our marriage could withstand whatever temptation came our way.

Everyone deals with temptation in different ways. Even the strongest Christian marriage may deal with temptation in various forms. Whether it's eating unhealthy foods, drinking alcohol, or lusting after another person, temptation is a natural part of life.

Even Jesus was tempted. Satan used Jesus’ vulnerability and leveraged it to meet Jesus’ temporal needs in exchange for stealing Jesus’ glory and worship. But just as we will learn like Joseph in the Bible, everyone deals with temptation; it's what we do with it that counts.

Joseph Fled Temptation

Joseph in the Old Testament also dealt with temptation. While serving King Potipher, he was in contact with Potiphar’s wife. His wife dealt with temptation, and she was attracted to Joseph's strong build and handsome physique: “Now Joseph was well-built and attractive, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, 'Come to bed with me!’” (Genesis 39:6-7).

Although the Bible does not state this, Joseph may have dealt with temptation as well, as he knew about Potiphar's wife’s desire to sleep with him. But out of honor to God and loyalty to the king, he refused. When Potiphar's wife begged him, he refused. When she wouldn’t take no for an answer, he fled the situation, leaving his coat behind, which then led to the wife’s false accusations about his desire to rape her.

Joseph showed integrity in a situation where many men would have caved. Joseph demonstrates that even when we do the right thing in a wrong situation, it may cost us our integrity, our reputation, and sometimes our comfort.

Here are some things we can learn about how Joseph dealt with temptation:

Morality Matters

“’With me in charge,’ he told her, ‘My master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’” (Genesis 39:8-9).

Joseph’s strong sense of what's right and what's wrong serves him well here. He clearly states that sleeping with her would be a wicked thing and not only would ruin his relationship with his master but also be a sin against the Lord. To flee temptation, we must have clear lines between what is right and what is wrong. The book of Matthew tells us that if we even look at another woman, we're committing adultery in our hearts. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (5:28).

A person who wants to flee temptation must have a high moral compass. They must allow morality and God's word to direct their paths. It is so easy to get off course when dealing with temptation, because it can come so subtly that we fall into its trap before we realize it has ensnared us. Trust your instincts, and if you get the sense that something may cause you to fall into sin, it more than likely will.

God’s Presence Is Enough

It is interesting to note that several times throughout Joseph's account, it states that “God was with him.” In fact, at the beginning of this chapter, it tells us that because God was with him, Joseph was successful in everything he did: “the Lord was with Joseph and made him successful. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master, who saw that the Lord was with Joseph and had made him successful in everything he did” Genesis 39:2-3.

Because Joseph knew God was with him, he didn't want to lose God's favor. Therefore, he fled because he knew God would not allow him to prosper in the future.

If we believed that God was present with us all the time and caused success in every area of our lives, would we commit the sinful acts we do? Perhaps if we lived knowing that God's presence was what brought us success, it might help us avoid the temptation to think that committing even the smallest act of sin won't matter. Temptation, in the form of thoughts and feelings, can completely derail our behavior if we're not careful. Fleeing from temptation means not allowing our thoughts and feelings to dictate our behaviors.

Accountability Is Key

Joseph tells his wife plainly that she is off-limits to him. He knows that if he commits that act, Potiphar could throw him in jail or kill him for his actions. Knowing that someone else’s reactions to our sinful behavior will cause us to lose in life might be enough for us to flee temptation.

Temptation deceives us because it happens when we're alone. When we don't have accountability partners to help us in times of difficulty or struggle, that is when temptation can do the most damage. Everyone should have an accountability partner they can turn to when a fleeting thought or feeling does not align with the word of God.

Christians can learn from Alcoholics Anonymous and accountability. This is because they do accountability so well. Each person who agrees to follow the 12 steps agrees to attend weekly meetings where, in community, they confess their temptations and have an accountability partner they can call at any time when they're feeling tempted to take a drink.

This is the way Christians should deal with sin. They should believe that sin is so severe that one sinful act could change their life forever. However, when we treat sin as “no big deal” and easily whisk it away through willpower, we give Satan a stronghold in our lives.

Joseph's reliance on his master, who had the power to bring about undesirable consequences if he committed this sinful act, was enough for Joseph to flee the situation. How quickly would we flee from our sin if we knew someone who discovered that sin could heap undesirable outcomes on our lives?

Just as Jesus and Joseph do, everyone faces temptation. It is not a sin to be or feel tempted to do something sinful; it is how we react to it that counts. But Joseph and Jesus both demonstrate that we can flee temptation by holding onto God’s word, allowing people to keep us accountable, having a good moral compass that guides and directs us, and keeping in step with God, who is always present with us.

When we believe these ideas, we can flee temptation more readily because we are no longer tethered to our fleshly desires but are anchored in God’s presence, solidifying our identity in him and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our steps.

The next time you are tempted, don’t run to a coping mechanism to numb your feelings. Instead, call an accountability partner to help you come out from under the weight of temptation in your life. This is the best indicator of success in fleeing temptation.

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Michelle S. Lazurek is a multi-genre award-winning author, speaker, pastor's wife, and mother. She is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services and host of The Spritual Reset Podcast. Her new children’s book Hall of Faith encourages kids to understand God can be trusted. When not working, she enjoys sipping a Starbucks latte, collecting 80s memorabilia, and spending time with her family and her crazy dog. For more info, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.