The Key Question, Part 2

“‘There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?’ As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me!’ And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside.” 
Genesis 39:9-13

“So she left his garment beside her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with these words, ‘The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.’ Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, ‘This is what your slave did to me,’ his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.”  Genesis 39:16-20

Found in volume 1 of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons is the following exposition on Joseph’s fiery trial at the hands of his master’s wife:

“Like a wise warrior, he knew that in such a case fleeing was the better part of valor. You know it is opportunity that makes a man criminal - and he had abundant opportunity - but importunity will drive most men astray. To be haunted day by day by solicitations of the softest kind - to be tempted hour by hour....It needs a strength superangelic, a might more than human, a strength which only God can grant, for a young man thus to cleanse his way and take heed thereto according to God’s Word.

He (Joseph) might have reasoned within himself, ‘Should I submit and yield, there lies before me a life of ease and pleasure; I shall be exalted, I shall be rich. She shall prevail over her husband, to cover me with honors; bu should I still adhere to my integrity, I shall be cast into prison, I shall be thrown into the dungeon; there awaits me nothing but shame and disgrace.’

Other men might, but how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”