Lesson 15: Examples of Forgiving-Joseph (part 1)

Read Genesis 37 to read the story of why Joseph’s brothers hated him, and what they did to him as a result. He was about 17 years old when he was torn from his family and sold as a slave.

Genesis 39:1-10
1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.
3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field.
6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.
7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge.
9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.


Joseph had worked for Potiphar about 10 years when Potiphar’s wife decided she wanted to have sex with him, but Joseph refused. As we know from the story in Genesis 39, Joseph refused her demands several times before she finally accused him of trying to rape her and he was sent to prison.

Genesis 39:20-23
20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.
23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.

While the details after Joseph went to prison are not given in the Bible, we know that Joseph forgave this woman because he would have become an angry young man in prison if he had not done so. It is impossible for us to live at peace when we are angry and bitter over something that has been done to us unjustly.

Prayer today: Lord Jesus, help me to forgive even when I am falsely accused of wrong.