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The Bible shows us the ugliness of sin so we can see it for what it is, and do all in our power to keep ourselves from it. Here is how Potiphar’s wife advanced her deception…
Discord and slander
“She called to the men of her household and said to them, ‘See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us’” (Gen. 39:14). Potiphar’s wife did not speak to her husband first, but to the servants, sowing seeds of discord, fostering disaffection, and creating a climate of distrust.
She played the race card by pointing out that Joseph was a Hebrew. What does race have to do with it? She injected a “them and us” mentality. Then she undermined her own husband by blaming him for bringing the Hebrew into their home. She turned the minds of the servants against their employer.
Deceit and gossip
“And she told him the same story” (39:17). She first told the lie to the servants, hoping the whole household would gossip about it before Potiphar came home. She presented Joseph as a villain and herself as a woman of virtue. She covered Joseph in the shame of false accusation, and she placed on herself the cloak of pretended innocence.
She repeated the lie when Potiphar returned. The Bible tells us Satan is the Father of lies, and that lies are his ‘native language’ (John 8:44, NIV). Every lie carries the echo of Satan’s voice. That’s true when we accuse another person of something that may not be true. And it is true when we pretend to virtue that we do not possess.
Blame
“The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me” (Gen. 39:17). You see what she was saying. “Potiphar, this is all your fault! Now, what are you going to do about it?” Liars don’t take responsibility for their actions.
Where do you see traces of discord, slander, deceit, gossip, or blame in your own words?
