Warnings to Men and Women

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is full of intrigue and God’s blessing. He was a victim of jealousy by his own brothers, was sold into slavery by them, rose to prominence in Egypt, put to the test by an unfaithful wife of his master, thrown in prison, and eventually became the second highest ruler of Egypt! You and I may think that we have our ups and downs in life. He certainly had a roller coaster of experiences. There are lessons and warnings to both men and women in the story of Joseph; particularly in Exodus 39. Let us outline what we can learn about this man from thousands of years ago.

1. At no time did he question or challenge God during the horrible experiences that he had.
2. He demonstrated his natural talents whenever the opportunity was available to him.
3. Joseph maintained an allegiance to God regardless of the time and circumstances.
4. He held no grudges against his brothers for their mistreatment of him.
5. He could see that God had his hand in all the mistreatment that he experienced.
6. In particular, there were warnings about temptations that any of us today could face. To the men-maintain your faith to God regardless of what temptations you may face. It is always easy to succumb to the wiles of a woman. In fact, in many places in Scripture this type of woman is called strange. Sampson is a good example of a man who played with fire at the hands of a woman and ultimately lost his life. In chapter 39 we see the vengeance of a shunned woman. There are some people who want their way in life regardless of what sin it is. To the women-you also will continually face temptation. Without realizing it, you could become that strange woman who is operating outside of God’s laws. You cannot only hurt your own spiritual condition which you can while you do harm to the man who is a target of your intentions. God set up his commandments to guide us so that we may not bring upon ourselves the consequences of sin. He warns us particularly. It is up to us to heed those warnings immediately when they are presented. Notice in verse nine Joseph saw the invitation of the woman who tried to seduce him as a sin against God. He called it great wickedness. Our focus in life must always be on God and our faithfulness to him. Compromise is a hole dug too deeply in the road of life. Opportunities are always available for sin. However, opportunities are always available to stay away from sin to bring honor to ourselves and glory to God. The story of Joseph is not merely about a carnal life. It is about how we see and appreciate our relationship with God. Resisting temptation is not easy. Overcoming temptation is honorable. It affects how we think of ourselves; how others think of ourselves also. If we allow God to use the bad things in our life by his goodwill, those bad things will become a ladder to glorious blessings.