‘Joseph left his coat in her hand and ran.’ Genesis 39:12 NCV
The second coat Joseph wore was: the coat of temptation. The Bible says that when Joseph ‘was in the house going about his work… she came and grabbed him by the sleeve, demanding, “Sleep with me.” He tore himself away, but as he did, his jacket slipped off and she was left holding it as he fled.’ (Genesis 39:11–12 TLB) Joseph was young, handsome, lonely, far from home, and facing repeated temptation at the hands of his boss’ wife. Yet he resisted her advances and said, ‘How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ (Genesis 39:9 NKJV) His first concern was not that he couldn’t get away with it, but that he couldn’t live with himself if he said yes. Remembering how God had loved, preserved, and blessed him put the brakes on any carnal inclinations and impulses he may have had.
Not so with David. After his affair with Bathsheba, he wrote these words in his penitential prayer: ‘Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight.’ (Psalm 51:4 NKJV) Who are you sinning against? God. Who is observing what you’re doing? God: the One who demonstrated the extent of His love for you at Calvary. Did God forgive David? Yes, and He will forgive you too. But David’s story proves that sometimes we have to live with the consequences of our deeds, and they can devastate not only us but those who look to us for guidance. Paul, the greatest of the apostles, acknowledged this truth: ‘I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.’ (1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV)
SoulFood: Acts 9:1–19, 2 Cor 11:21–33, 2 Cor 12:7–10, Acts 16:16–40
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2023
