One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house (Genesis 39:11,12 NIV).
Joseph had taken all precautions not to be in the presence of his master’s wife because she was constantly tempting him to commit sin with her. But at the same time he had to see that he was faithful to his duties that the master had entrusted to him. And one day as he went into the house to attend to his duties, the mistress caught hold of him.
The important lesson here is that temptation can attack us even in the path of duty. So we should also be on our guard when we are doing our duties faithfully. If we are on our guard the temptation that may come will not take us by surprise.
Again, in this particular situation, none of the household servants was inside the house. The Devil knows when to start his attack. Temptation often comes to us when we are alone. It often strikes us when we have no one else to depend on for help. So when you are alone, be doubly watchful and doubly depend on God.
Now Joseph when he was tempted by the lady the first time had tried to reason with her that what she said was wrong and sinful. But this time Joseph realized that she was mad with lust because she had caught him by his cloak. So he tries not to reason with her.
Any delay on the part of Joseph would have meant disaster for him. When temptation strikes with force do not try to reason. Just run away from the source of temptation. You may lose your cloak when you run, but you would gain your life!
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