Welcome back!! I’m always so honored that you would take time out to hangout here and read the words God has placed on my heart to share with you. If you missed last week I was talking about Tamar. She was Leah’s daughter-in-law. Feel free to go back and catch up.

But before you continue to today’s woman of the bible, I recommend that you type in your email address in that space on the right so that you can receive the next newsletter. My friend says it’s like reading a page out of my diary.

Keeping that in mind, when I read this story I immediately feel like I could be Potiphar’s wife! I also feel like I’ve already been Potiphar’s wife.

Let’s talk about Potiphar for 2.5 seconds. Right off the bat in Genesis 39:1 we learn that Potiphar is an Egyptian official who works directly for pharaoh. His official title was, Potiphar the Captain of the Guard. So we know that this is a man of power. He is a wealthy man in the most powerful country of that time. We also learn that he is a very smart man. Why do I say this? Well, in verses 2 – 6 we see Potiphar recognize that Joseph wasn’t like all the other slaves. Potiphar didn’t worship the God of Israel but he noticed that this God blessed Joseph, He blessed Joseph so much that anything Joseph touched prospered. So Potiphar being the intelligent man that he was placed all of his businesses in Joseph’s hands because then it would also prosper. However this is also where we see what Potiphar’s vice is. Verse 6 “… he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” Hmmm…. our smarty pants, super high ranking official Potiphar was also a gluten.

Keep verse 6 in mind as I go back to Potiphar’s wife.
Now that we know a little bit more about Potiphar we can draw some conclusions about Mrs. Potiphar.
1. She was married to a rich man = she was rich.
2. She didn’t work so she was home all the time.
3. Her husband bought a slave, gave him all his work to manage, and just ate all day.
4. She was probably super bored and lonely.
5. She is the original desperate house wife!

Now you and I know that sometimes when people are bored they end up doing some pretty dumb things. And I don’t want to make any generalization but sometimes when someone has everything they could possibly need or want they end up thinking they can always get whatever they want and no one will ever say no. Which ends up being the case with Mrs. Potiphar.She was bored and spoiled and when she wanted something she went after it until she got it. The problem is that not everything we want is good for us. And just because we want to do something doesn’t mean it’s okay to do it.

At the end of verse 6 going into verse 7 there is an important detail to this story, “Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.”

Mmmmhhhmmmm.
My boy Joey was a holy hottie. He had God’s favor all up on him and he wasn’t painful to look at.I think you might know where this story is headed now.
Mrs. Potiphar noticed Joseph and was like, “How you doin?”

Now why is this wrong?!? MRS. Potiphar!!!! She was obviously married and not just to a random person. She was married to Joseph’s boss.As we continue reading chapter 39 we watch as Potiphar’s wife goes from being a rich, bored housewife to a vengeful angry desperate housewife.
She starts by noticing Joseph’s good looks. She gets bold (in a negative way) and straight out throws an indecent proposal his way, verse 7 “Come to bed with me!”
Actually I take it back, after rereading that verse again for I dunno how many times… I realize that she wasn’t asking him or proposing it as if he had an option. Mrs. Potiphar was commanding Joseph to go to bed with her as if it was part of his job description. I know this isn’t about Joseph but his responses are so on point. He obviously says “No!” Verse 10 reveals that she was not prepared to handle the word “NO!” “she spoke to Joseph day after day…” She was determined to get Joseph into her bed one way or another. Finally her desperation got the best of her. Verse 11 says that one day Joseph went to work and none of the servants were in the house. Meaning it was just him and the desperate housewife. Honestly, I think she probably gave everyone some distracting out of the house task to get rid of them and create this opportunity. In verse 12 she caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” Joseph was no fool. He literally RAN for his life. He ran so fast that Mrs. Potiphar was left with his coat in her hand. She was livid. Remember she wasn’t used to being denied what she wanted. Our desperate housewife sot out to get even with Joseph for the humiliation. She took his coat to her husband and cried, “RAPE!” You and I both know that she was lying but her husband believed her. She didn’t get what she wanted out of Joseph so she had him thrown into jail for having integrity.

Potiphar’s wife is often referred to as one of the Bad Girls of the Bible  . I think she was simply bored, neglected and spoiled.

So what’s the takeaway? How have I been Mrs. Potiphar before?
Maybe you’ll be able to relate.

Have you ever wanted something so bad that it makes you mad when you can’t have it?
Have you ever been angry with God because you pray and pray and keep praying for something in particular and God just keeps on saying…. “Ummm, NO!”?
Have you ever been angry with someone for not doing what you want them to do and look for a way to get even?
Or, have you ever chased after what you wanted even though the door kept shutting in your face? And the more often that door was slammed the harder you chased?!
On another note….
Have you ever been so bored that you start lusting after something you normally would stay far, far away from?

Oh lust.

Most people think that lust is just about sex and sexual desires. But the truth is that lust can translate to anything. You can lust after money, fame, popularity, nicer shoes, a bigger house, a fancier car, a certain type of relationship, a particular job, and the list goes on and on. The problem with lust is that whatever you are lusting after can become an idol in your heart. You want it so bad you start wanting it more than you want Jesus. Yea, I said it. Lust will lead to idolatry. Which is why I pray almost on a daily basis for God to remove the lust from my heart. I know what it is to place something/someone on a higher pedestal than God and it has never ended well.

Potiphar’s wife was definitely dealing with lust. She was lonely, bored, had too much power and wanted someone to follow her orders and obey her every command. She wasn’t a believer so she didn’t know it, but I truly believe that was her conflict. She was idolizing her power and when her power wasn’t enough she went from desperate to MAD.

I can go on and on so I’m going to leave you with one thought.

1. Run away from lust!
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

My Prayer for You:
Dear Jesus, I ask you to please grab hold of each and every single heart that encounters this blog post. I ask you to search those hearts. Reveal any lust in them and please remove that lust. I ask you to not just remove it but replace it with purity and righteousness. Lord Jesus, I thank you for this story in your word. I pray that your scripture may not return to you empty but that it may penetrate and change someone’s heart today. Thank you for each and every reader. Please bless them beyond their imagination. Pour down upon them supernatural favor and blessings that spill over. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Memory Verse: 2 Timothy 2:22
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

Thank you so much for stopping by. If you enjoyed it or if God spoke to you through it go ahead and click that like button. Or click that share button if maybe you know someone who needs to read these words. Don’t forget to subscribe for the next newsletter which will be sent out on Sept. 1st.
Until next week!
Keep Shining! Nat