约瑟经历试炼和引诱
创世记三十九章
1约瑟被带下埃及去。有一个埃及人，是法老的内臣，謢卫长波提乏，从那些带下他来的以实玛利人手下买了他去。
2约瑟住在他主人埃及人的家中，耶和华与他同在，他就百事顺利。
3他主人见耶和华与他同在，又见耶和华使他手里所办的尽都顺利，
4约瑟就在主人眼前蒙恩，伺候他主人，并且主人派他管理家务，把一切所有的都交在他手里。
5自从主人派约瑟管理家务和他一切所有的，耶和华就因约瑟的缘故赐福与那埃及人的家；凡家里和田间一切所有的都蒙耶和华赐福。
6波提乏将一切所有的都交在约瑟的手中，除了自己所吃的饭，别的事一概不知。约瑟原来秀雅俊美。
7这事以后，约瑟主人的妻，以目送情给约瑟说：“你与我同寝吧！”
8约瑟不从，对他主人的妻说：“看哪！一切家务我主人都不知道，他把所有的都交在我手里。
9在这家里没有比我大的，并且他没有留下一样不交给我，只留下了你，因为你是他的妻子。我怎能作这大恶，得罪 神呢？”
10后来她天天和约瑟说，约瑟却不听从她，不与她同寝，也不和她在一处。
11有一天，约瑟进屋里去办事，家中人没有一个在那屋里，
12妇人就拉住他的衣裳说：“你与我同寝吧！”约瑟把衣裳丢在妇人手里，跑到外边去了。
13妇人看见约瑟把衣裳丢在她手里跑出去了，
14就叫了家里的人来，对他们说：“你们看！他带了一个希伯来人进入我们家里，要戏弄我们。他到我这里来，要与我同寝，我就大声喊叫。
15他听见我放声喊起来，就把衣裳丢在我这里，跑到外边去了。”
16妇人把约瑟的衣裳放在自己那里，等着他主人回家，
17就对他如此如此说：“你所带到我们这里的那希伯来仆人进来要戏弄我，
18我放声喊起来，他就把衣裳丢在我这里跑出去了。”
19约瑟的主人听见他妻子对他所说的话说：“你的仆人如此如此待我”，他就生气，
20把约瑟下在监里，就是王的囚犯被囚的地方。于是约瑟在那里坐监。
21但耶和华与约瑟同在，向他施恩，使他在司狱的眼前蒙恩。
22司狱就把监里所有的囚犯都交在约瑟的手下，他们在那里所办的事都是经他的手。
23凡在约瑟手下的事，司狱一概不察，因为耶和华与约瑟同在，耶和华使他所做的尽都顺利。
信息分享
他为何会迅速获得提升呢？请看第2和3节：「耶和华与他同在。」波提乏很快便看出，约瑟的才干和品格从神而来。而且，他进一步发现，自己能够凡事顺利，也是有约瑟作他的管家。
基督徒在其工作岗位中的表现非常重要。运用神所赐的恩赐，可以作一个优秀并值得信赖的雇员。他的优秀表现，将成为他为主所做的佳美见证。
波提乏的妻子也一直关注约瑟；她并非欣赏他的表现，而是想引诱这个俊美的少年。
她是否只引诱了他一次呢？不，第10节告诉我们，她天天引诱他。被引诱一次而坚决拒绝，跟天天被引诱却不犯罪，是极其不同的两件事。
约瑟怎样处理呢？他是一个只有二十来岁的单身男子，又是独自一人在他乡，一切客观条件都似乎纵容他犯罪：「干吧！没有人会知道的！」
但约瑟提出三个有力的理由来拒绝犯罪。第一，他的主人信任他（8节）；其次，「妳纵然感到生活沉闷，妳纵然很有吸引力，但妳已是一个已婚的妇人」（9节）；而最重要的是，约瑟说：「我不能犯这大恶，得罪我的神。」
他用行动来回答试探：跑到外边去。许多时候，当试探临到，最佳的对策就是像约瑟一样逃跑离开。
紧记保罗的教导：「你要逃避少年人的私欲。」（提后二22）
JOSEPH - TESTED AND TEMPTED
Genesis 39
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.
9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 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,
12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,
14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”
16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.
17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;
18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.
20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
Message
Why was this? Look at verses 2 and 4 -'The Lord was with him'. Potiphar quickly saw that Joseph's abilities and character were from a 'Divine source'. He also saw himself prospering because of Joseph's presence in his establishment.
The presence of a Christian in his place of employment is very strategic. As far as his gifts enable him, he ought to be the best worker and certainly the most reliable. The way in which a Christian does his work should earn for him the right to speak for Christ.
THE TEMPTATION
Mrs. Potiphar, the boss's wife had also been watching Joseph, but for very different reasons. Her eyes were filled with lust. All she saw was a fine good-looking young man whom she wanted to seduce.
Did the temptation come only once? No, v.10 says it came day after day. Being tempted once and standing firm is very different to temptation repeated day after day.
How did Joseph handle it? He was a single young man, may be just 20. He was alone in a foreign land. Everything seemed to say:
'Do it - no one will know.'
But Joseph gave three valid reasons for refusing to yield. First, his master trusted him (v.8). Secondly, 'You may be bored, you may be attractive, but you are a married woman' (v.9). Most importantly, Joseph said: 'I cannot do it. It would be a sin against my God'.
His final answer is in v.12. He ran. Sometimes the best action in the face of temptation is to do what Joseph did, leave the scene immediately.
REMEMBER PAUL'S WORDS: 'Flee, shun anything to do with lust' (2 Timothy 2:22).