The Sexual Harassment of Joseph
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, March 12, 2025
Sexual harassment is a hot-button issue in today’s culture.
In a society where rape, pornography, lust, trafficking, and deviant sex are prevalent,
it’s easy to see why. However, the state of things sometimes swings the
pendulum so far in the other direction that even looking at someone the wrong
way can get you in trouble. Trying to help someone who asks can get you in
trouble, and simply being nice can also lead to trouble!
Yes, that is the culture we live in. I recall my first day of college on a secular campus. I opened the door for a lady who was walking behind me. I didn’t realize the mistake I had just made!
She proceeded to yell at me at the top of her lungs, calling me a male chauvinistic for opening the door for her. She insisted that she was perfectly capable of doing it herself and demanded, how dare I?
She then walked off, leaving me in disbelief! I was raised to look after women, help them, treat them with the utmost respect, and be caring. Opening the door for someone was second nature to me—for both men and women. This brings me to Joseph.
Joseph
When we read the account of Joseph, we are often in awe of God’s plan to take Joseph and redeem him to a position where he could save both Egyptians and Israelites. We know of his suffering and hardship at the hands of his brothers—who sold him into slavery to their cousins, the Midianites and Ishmaelites (also descendants of Abraham). His cousins then sold him into slavery in Egypt—to the captain of the guard!
In modern terms, that would be like selling him to the Attorney General of the United States! Potiphar was powerful—very powerful. The Egyptian jail was in his own house (or mansion, if you will). The history of Joseph, as it unfolded, is rather amazing. We often ponder how Joseph felt as he was lowered into the pit and sold into slavery—the betrayal by family members is difficult to comprehend from a human perspective.
Things became even worse for him in Egypt. As a slave, he
initially did well, and God blessed the work of his hands. But then Potiphar’s
wife made advances toward him. The Bible says she “cast her eyes on Joseph”
(Genesis 39:7). This is a bad thing when a woman looks at a man with such
intent.
I want you to understand that Joseph was now in a no-win
situation. No matter what he said or did, he would lose. She then asked him to
lie with her sexually, but he refused, stating logically and ethically why he
would not do such a thing.
Notice what Potiphar’s wife did after this—she kept talking
to him, confiding in him, and attempting to entice him. Yet, he still refused
to cross that line. Finally Potiphar’s wife found Joseph alone in the house without
other servants present. She tried again but he said no and she took hold of his
garment and it came off. Nevertheless, Joseph fled.
Pause for a moment—Joseph was a slave to Potiphar and his
wife, and he was in a no-win situation from the moment she developed a crush on
him. Just as we see in society today, when a woman has a crush and it doesn’t
work out, she can easily destroy a man with a few misleading statements or
false allegations.
Potiphar’s wife falsely alleged that Joseph was attempting
to take her sexually and that she resisted him. Her evidence of Joseph’s
garment was taken out of context as evidence of her claims.
It was over for Joseph. The anguish was immense. Keep in
mind that Joseph was put in prison—in the very house he had been overseeing. No
doubt, everyone in the household saw him locked away in the dungeon and assumed
he was a sexual predator. For years, he was viewed this way and may have even
been taunted—by Potiphar’s wife’s friends, colleagues, and other servants as
she spread her “story”.
Joseph was trying to be a good servant and treat Potiphar’s
wife with honor and dignity. But that didn’t matter—he was labeled and accused
of being a sexual miscreant. He felt the wrath of Potiphar, whose anger was
kindled when he heard his wife’s allegations. Potiphar immediately imprisoned
Joseph without an opportunity to respond for Joseph or asking the servants, who
surely witnessed her previous advances, for their version of the accounts. It
was a one-sided judgment.
Notice what happened, though. Potiphar’s wife was sexually
harassing Joseph, trying to entice him into a sexual relationship. Because he
never succumbed to her, she accused him of sexual crimes. From that moment
forward, Joseph was subjected to further harassment—through imprisonment and
the subsequent perceptions and actions of those around him.
He was likely mocked, degraded, and hated. He lost his job
and the reputation he had built during his time of servitude with Potiphar—all
because of a false sexual allegation and the injustice toward him. Do you
realize that falsely accusing someone of being a sexual predator or miscreant
is a form of sexual harassment?
The Outcome
In Joseph’s day, just as in ours, allegations were thrown
around that could destroy lives. In Joseph’s case, the irony is that Potiphar and his wife—if they were still alive during the famine—ultimately sold
themselves to Pharaoh through Joseph, who was now in charge of them. We know
the outcome, but the anguish and suffering that Joseph endured are beyond
reckoning.
This should be a lesson for us today. Just as Joseph was
forced to endure, God finally elevated him. Even when people attack, it is good
to remain steadfastly kind and do good—just like Joseph did and wait patiently
for the Lord to act.
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