In many ways Joseph's life is a model for how the Lord moves a person from where they are to the place of their dream (calling) being fulfilled. We have noted what happens when dreamers begin to walk in their dreams. I want to show, now, the pathway to the dream fulfilled. Today I want to focus on the issue of Joseph's integrity.
We have signs of the kind of man Jospeh became when we are told, numerous times that he found success in whatever he did because the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:2-3, 23) and that wherever he went he found favor (Genesis 39:3, 21). Moses tells us this so that we do not miss the reality that what is about to happen with and to Jospeh was not only part of the plan of God but was to show something of the man's love and loyalty to God in the midst of thirteen years of struggle. We see this in the scene between he and Potiphar's wife.
There is much here to be discerned but let me highlight three angles to show the manifold dimensions of Joseph's integrity. This is a crucial reality of the text that, if missed, we miss the significance of the man Joseph and how this connects to the dream being fulfilled. Let me show you a couple of truths about integrity from this passage
Truth 1: People With Strong Integrity Always Draw Relational Boundaries
Potiphar's wife tells Jospeh "Lie with me" (Genesis 39:7). His response is very instructive but its significance can be, and is often missed. I had never made this connection until several days ago. The text tells us his response: "But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge" (Genesis 39:8). Verse
Notice that the text calls her "his master's wife." We are being told how Joseph saw her. The text could have, but did not say, "But he refused and said to her." It could have said this because Potiphar's wife is the only woman mentioned in the text. Instead she is called his mater's wife. Joseph would go on to make this boundary clear in verse 9 saying, "He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife....” (Genesis 39:9) I believe this is the case to show us that Joseph always saw her for who she was and nothing more or less. She was not reduced to being just a woman. She would aways and only be seen by Jospeh as his master's wife. He would not allow the boundaries to be blurred because blurred boundaries blur morality.
When we allow relationships to become what they are not we lose the distinction necessary in that relationship. A co-worker is just that, a co-worker. A brother or sister in Christ is only a brother or sister unless, of course, you marry them. When distinction is lost this is the first step in compromising integrity. Jospeh only saw her as his master's wife.
Truth 2: People With Strong Integrity Always See the Invisible As Present
As Potiphar's wife sought to seduce him it appeared as if there were only two people in the room - her and Joseph. The truth is that there were actually four people present: Joseph and his master's wife, and then there was Potiphar, and God. Joseph's refusal to sleep with his master's wife was out of loyalty to Potiphar, "... Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge" (Genesis 39:8). This loyalty to Potiphar flowed out of Jospeh's loyalty to God "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God" (Genesis 39:9).
People who have integrity are those who live with the bent of showing honor to those for whom honor is due. They will not, at least easily, be seduced into acting on impulse or desire when such acting infringes upon the dignity of themselves and others. Jospeh would not disrespect the man who had given him such honor by acting as if this honor came with whatever he wanted. She, only, was the prohibition. Everything else was under his control except her. Perhaps Potiphar knew wife would be inclined towards Joseph. Either way, she was off limits and Jospeh would honor Potiphar. What is important to understand is that Joseph was also showing honor to his master's wife by refusing her.
In the end, this honor to Potiphar came out of honor to the One who, both, Created Potiphar and called Jospeh with a dream. Jospeh's love and honor for the Lord filled him with the heart to show honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7) and to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's" (Mark 12:17). People with integrity never lose sight of the lives that will be impacted by their decisions because they know that there are always multiple people involved in every choice.