01(Gen 39) What to do When No One is Looking

The need for secret shoppers to catch cashiers that cheat.

Make no mistake about it, friends. Though it may seem that an old-fashioned value like integrity just isn’t in style anymore, nothing could be further from the truth. Integrity is vitally important. It’s indispensable. Every person who hopes to experience lasting success in any area of life - in a job, a friendship, a marriage - must pass the test of integrity.

Integrity is honesty, sincerity, and uprightness; adherence to a code or standard of values; moral or ethical strength. The best way to define integrity is perhaps in terms of a question: “Can I be trusted when no one is looking?”

Can I be trusted to not steal from my employer when I’m alone in the store? Can I be trusted to honor my marriage vows when I’m by myself on a business trip?  Can I hear the deep dark secret of a friend and be trusted to not blab it to the world behind their back? Can I be trusted to keep my eyes on my own test paper when the teacher leaves the room? Can I be trusted to turn in expense reports that aren’t padded with make-believe expenditures? Can I be trusted to be where I’ve told my parents I would be? Can I be trusted to surf past the sexual immorality on the internet or cable when no one else is around?  Can I be trusted when no one is looking?

Notice that the issue is not “do others trust me?” That’s a measure of image, not integrity. The issue is ... “do I really deserve their trust?” That’s the true measure of integrity.

 (Genesis 39:1) Talk about bad breaks. It’s one thing to be sold into slavery, but to wind up as the property of the toughest guy in all of Egypt is tough.  But look what happened ...

(Genesis 39:2-6) In spite of the situation, God was honoring his promise to Joseph.  Soon he was put in charge of the administration of Potiphar’s household, and all of his business affairs. At once the Lord began blessing Potiphar for Joseph’s sake. All of his household affairs began to run smoothly, his crops flourished and his flocks multiplied.

Now, get the picture here. Joseph, a slave, a foreigner has total control over the estate and affairs of the highest-ranking official in Egypt other than the Pharaoh himself. That’s pretty incredible, don’t you think? That kind of thing doesn’t happen unless people trust you. And obviously, Potiphar trusted Joseph.

But, as we’ve seen, the test of integrity -is not “do others trust you?” It’s “can you be trusted when no one is looking?” And Joseph was about to face that test.

I.    Challenges to Integrity (Genesis 39:6b-7).

I don’t know what went through Joseph’s mind at that point. I know what would have gone through mine - thoughts that challenge integrity.

1.     “No one will know.”

a.     “I can cheat on the test & not get caught; pocket the money &no one will miss it.”

b.     For Joseph, as manager of the estate, it would have been easy to take advantage of the situation. He could arrange the work schedules of the other slaves and servants. He could maintain that outward image of “honorable, hard-working, trustworthy Joseph” while living a secret life of adultery.  “No one will know.”

2.     The second is the thought “Just this once.”

a.     “I’m not going to make a lifestyle of this. I’m just going to try it once out of curiosity. I’m not going to become a pornography addict. I’m just going to watch one movie that my wife doesn’t know about. I’m not going to have an affair with the boss’s wife. It’s one roll in the hay while he’s away on business.”

b.     It would have been easy for Joseph to rationalize - “just this once.”

3.     “I’m only taking what I deserve.”

a.     “Sure, it’s wrong to steal from my employer. But isn’t it just as wrong for them to pay me less than I’m worth? In a way, they’re stealing from me. I’m just taking what they owe me.”

b.     Who could blame Joseph for thinking “You know, I deserve this. I used to be part of a family, but my brothers betrayed me. God told me I’d be a success, but look at me - I’m a slave. Sleeping with my master’s wife - boy, wouldn’t that be rich?”

But the Bible says that, in spite of these challenges to his integrity ...  Joseph refused.

II.  What People of Integrity Know (that others don’t) (Genesis 39:8-9).

Joseph understood some things that are crystal clear to people of integrity.

1.     First of all, Joseph knew that God sees, even if no one else does.

A burglar broke into a house late one night and, as he began to look around, he heard a strange voice say, “Jesus is watching you.” He froze in his tracks and said, “Who said that?”

No reply. “Must be my conscience” he thought to himself sarcastically. He took a step and he heard it again, “Jesus is watching you.”

“Who said that?” he asked again.

“Joshua,” came the reply. The burglar turned his flashlight toward the voice and saw ... a parrot sitting in its cage!

Greatly relieved, he laughed and said, “Who would name a parrot Joshua?”

The parrot said, “Same person who named our pit bull Jesus.”

Psalm 69:5 O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You.

2.     People of integrity know that integrity is destroyed one decision at a time.

a.     “Just this once” almost always leads to “just this once more.” Cheating on a test just once makes it that much easier to cheat again. Little by little, it is destroyed.

Proverbs 4:25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.

Proverbs 4:27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

b.     In other words, don’t tolerate any deviation where your integrity is concerned.  One small step off of the path can lead to another and another and eventually to destruction.

3.     Finally, people of integrity know that, sometimes, integrity demands a high price.

a.     Telling your friends “sorry, I’m not going to be involved in that kind of activity behind my parents back” might cost you an invitation to the next party.  It might even cost you their friendship. That’s the price of integrity.

b.     Admitting the truth about an error you made at work instead of covering it up or blaming it on someone else might tarnish your reputation. It could even cost you dollars at the next performance review. That’s the price of integrity.  Integrity is not cheap. Look at what it cost Joseph. According to the Bible, even though Joseph refused her initial invitation, Potiphar’s wife kept tempting him day after day. And day after day he kept saying “no.”

(Genesis 39:11-12) And then, apparently, a thought came to her. “If he won’t play my game, he won’t play any game. Looks to me like I hold in my hands evidence of an attempted rape.”

(Genesis 39:14-15)  Well, when her husband heard his wife’s story, he threw Joseph into prison, where the king’s prisoners were kept in chains. (Genesis 39:19,20a) Sometimes, integrity demands a high price. For Joseph...

III. The Payoff of Integrity

It’s enough to make you wonder if it’s really worth it! I’m sure that thought crossed Joseph’s mind as he sat in prison. “Maybe I should have just gone along with her.”

And that gets to the heart of the matter. What is the payoff of integrity?

1.     The first benefit is the peace and joy that comes from a clear conscience.

a.     People who have a clear conscience sleep well at night. They’re not worried about skeletons in the closet that might be discovered. “Have I covered my tracks?”

b.     Sure, they may be lower on the popularity scale, they may be a few dollars poorer, they may even be taken advantage of, but they can look themselves in the mirror and say, “I can be trusted when no one is looking.” And that brings great joy.

2.     The second benefit is an increase in spiritual vitality - closeness to God and an increasing awareness of His presence.

a.     Listen to this incredible passage of scripture: (Psalm 15)

b.     In other words, a person who can be trusted when no one is looking.

3.     Finally, integrity opens the door to God’s blessing. It leads to the path of success.

a.     Some of you are thinking “it doesn’t appear to have worked that way for Joseph!”

b.     But it did. (Genesis 39:22-23) God says again and again throughout the Bible that He will bless men and women of integrity. That doesn’t mean that your life becomes a cakewalk. In fact, you might still be in the jailhouse, figuratively speaking, but God “gives you success” in spite of the situation, as he did Joseph.

Increasing Your Personal Integrity

Now, I know some of you are thinking, “I can live without those things. It doesn’t seem to me that the payoff is worth the price.” Have it your way.

But I predict that one day it will be worth it.  I say that because there are people sitting here who used to think that way. But now they’re thinking, “I’d give anything to have a clear conscience. I’d give anything to have no secrets from my husband or wife, to end the lies to my parents, for no more cover-ups at work. I’d give anything to be the kind of person that God blesses. I’d give anything to be a person of integrity.”

If that’s where you are, let me define exactly what it takes to become that kind of person.

1.     Take a ruthless inventory of your life. Ask yourself, “can I be trusted when no one else is looking?”

2.     Confess to God (and others if necessary) Ask Him for his strength, because you can’t do it on your own power.

3.     And then, pay attention to the little things. - Luke 16:10

4.     Finally, find someone to whom you can be accountable. Give someone permission to ask you the hard questions about what’s behind the image you project.