A Picture of Integrity

Genesis 39

©Copyright September 29, 2019 by Rev Bruce Goettsche

The word "integrity" comes from the verb "to integrate." It means to be so united that you become a complete or perfect whole. (Colson How Now Shall We Live p. 379) Integrity is when your Bible, your Beliefs, and your Behavior are all consistent with each other . . . all the time.

Someone has said, "The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out."

John Maxwell has written,

A person with integrity does not have divided loyalties (that's duplicity), nor is he or she merely pretending (that's hypocrisy). People with integrity are "whole" people; they can be identified by their singlemindedness. People of integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Their lives are open books. . . Integrity is not what we do so much as who we are. (Developing the Leader Within p. 36)

When there is an erosion of integrity people move from asking, “What is the right thing to do?” to “What are we legally required to do?” to “What can we get away with?” (Maxwell 45)

We seem to be surrounded by examples of a lack of integrity,

Lawmakers who take expensive vacations on the taxpayer's dollar

Pastors who present themselves as godly men who are discovered to have a whole different part of their life that was hidden away.

Financier's and Investment counselors who present you with "sure-fire investment winner" but are actually robbing you blind.

People who call on the phone wanting to lower your interest rate on your credit card, or warn you of a computer virus they can fix for you over the phone (while they steal your personal information and plant a bug to take down a system.)

Integrity is so uncommon we have become cynical. We don't trust anyone. We have an integrity crisis.

This morning we are going to look at a shining example of integrity. We are going to look at the behavior of Joseph as he lives as a slave and then as he is treated like a criminal. The integrity of Joseph's life makes him one of the great examples in the Bible. There is much to learn from Joseph.

Joseph was hated by his brothers. When Joseph came out to check on his brothers, they jumped him, took the coat given to him by his father, and then threw him in a pit. When Midianite traders came by, they sold him to them. When the Midianites came to Egypt, they sold him yet again to a guy named Potiphar. We are told he was an officer of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. He was the captain of the Palace guard.

There is some debate over what position Potiphar actually held. Some suggest he was the captain of the Pharaoh’s bodyguard (think of the head of the President’s detail of the Secret Service). Other's think he was the warden over the Pharaoh’s prisons. Still others think he was in charge of the palace affairs; perhaps like the head butler at the White House. All we really need to know is he was a high ranking official in the government. This is where we pick things up in Genesis 39.

2The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. 5From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. 6So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! (Genesis 39:2-6)

Integrity Does Not Change with Circumstances

Stop for a minute and put yourself in the sandals of Joseph. You have been rejected by your brothers who seriously thought about killing you or leaving you to die. You were sold into slavery and then sold again. Now you are living far from home. You have gone from being the favored son to a common servant. What is your mental state?

I suspect, at best, you would be depressed, discouraged, and maybe even terrified. You might even think about ending your life. But that was not Joseph.

Joseph appears to have worked for Potiphar the same way he worked for his dad. He gave his best. As a result of Joseph's good work, He quickly moved up the ranks. Finally, he was put in charge of Potiphar's entire household. Under his leadership, Potiphar prospered greatly.

We will see in a minute that this good fortune did not last. Joseph ended up in jail. And even in prison, this is what we read,

the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. 22Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23The warden had no more worries because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. (39:21-23)

Joseph was the same no matter where he was. It didn't matter if times were good or times were bad . . . Joseph continued to do his best in whatever circumstance he found himself. Why? There is only one reason that made sense: Joseph really did believe God's promise. He believed somehow, and some way, God was leading him for His purpose and glory.

Paul said

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

In Roman 13 we are told to serve the governing authorities as a way of honoring the Lord who established authority. In other words, we are to honor our leaders because they are our leaders (whether we like them or not).

Joseph didn't have the New Testament, but he did seem to understand the principle: we are to live every day in every way, giving our every task, as an offering to the Lord. A person of integrity does not change the way he/she does things based on who they are around. This is why it is wrong to say, "That's Christianity . . . this is business." No . . . we are to serve the Lord in everything we do. Or to state it another way, it is all Christianity.

Integrity Does Not Compromise with Values

The second characteristic of Integrity: it does not compromise its values. In other words, you don't change what is important to you based on circumstances. Integrity is loyal to core values. Christian integrity is being loyal to Christ and His Word no matter what the circumstance. It doesn't matter if you are out with friends or standing before someone demanding you recant your faith or die. Our faith in Christ is the same . . . NO MATTER WHAT!

We see this illustrated in verses 8-12

8But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

10She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. 11One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. 12She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house. (Genesis 39:8-12)

Potiphar's wife was attracted to Joseph. In fact, she threw herself at Joseph. Joseph was certainly lonely and presumably had not had any female companionship for a long time, if ever. To have a woman throw herself at you was tempting. Mrs. Potiphar even arranged for the house to be empty! This is the kind of thing that has ensnared many people over the course of time. There is a belief you can “get away with it” and no one will know.

Here's the thing, it didn't matter whether or not Joseph could "get away with it." What mattered was the fact that God is ALWAYS present. He will ALWAYS know. That is the guiding principle of Joseph's life.

Joseph had some core principles.

Do what God says is right . . . committing adultery is never right.

Be loyal to those in authority over you. Potiphar had been kind of Joseph he was not going to repay that kindness with such a violation.

It is better to be faithful and get in trouble than to be unfaithful.

Later, Solomon codified these principles in Proverbs 6:32-35,

But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,

for he destroys himself.

33He will be wounded and disgraced.

His shame will never be erased.

34For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,

and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

35He will accept no compensation,

nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

Once again, Joseph did not refuse Mrs. Potiphar because he knew the wrath of a spouse . . . He runs because He respects the character and judgment of God.

To his credit, Joseph did not play with temptation . . . he ran from it. He didn't try to witness to her; to let her down easy; or try to help her with her troubled marriage. He ran. The best way to deal with temptation is to do so decisively. When you dance with temptation, when you give it a chance to make an argument, you are stepping into the Devil’s quicksand. Do not play with the Devil! He is good in his destructive practices. The best course in the midst of temptation is to remove yourself from the situation.

Integrity is Not Always Appreciated or Rewarded

13When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, 14she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. 15When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”

16She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. 17Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. 18“But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”

19Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. 20So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.

Joseph did the right thing. Doing the right thing matters to God, but it often doesn't matter much to others. In fact, when one person does the right thing, the result is often that the wrong others do stand out in stark contrast. People don't like that. It is kind of like how a school class may dislike the really good student because they "mess up the curve." Sometimes doing the right thing will get you in trouble.

A hospital employee who refuses to do an immoral or ethically questionable act could be fired.

An employee who refuses to fudge the numbers on a contract could be let go.

Someone who tells the truth about a crime they witnessed could be treated harshly by those who are involved wrong-doing.

Someone who exposes an inappropriate act may be hated by those who don’t want to believe it is true.

There is an interesting question in this text. In Egypt, attempted rape was a capital offense. It was an even worse crime when it was committed by a slave against a government official. So, why was Joseph only sent to prison and not executed? Some suggest it is likely Potiphar's wife had been unfaithful before, so her integrity was in question. Perhaps Potiphar was most upset because he had to send Joseph to prison even though he brought genuine blessing to the household. But, this is pure speculation.

Joseph was sent to prison he quickly rose through the ranks and was put in charge in the prison.

Integrity is a Blessing from God

We continue to read about the blessing of Joseph. Yet, Joseph had no family, was a slave, and now an inmate. How do you call such a person blessed? The problem is we have defined blessing as ease and material abundance. True blessing is being content in your faithfulness to the Lord regardless of the circumstance.

Joseph was blessed and those who were with Joseph were blessed because of him. But don't miss this important truth: we cannot be people of true integrity without the Lord. He gives us the strength to develop this trait. If you want to live with integrity it will mean standing as close to the Lord as possible.

This is a spiritual, a supernatural battle, we are fighting. In order to stand in the temptations of the world, we must draw on His strength rather than our own. This is not something passive. In other words, we don't just sit back and wait for God to bail us out. We rely on His strength and also His wisdom. We do what He tells us to do and trust He will bring us through the crisis as He sees fit.

The Lord will strengthen and bless the person who is willing to trust Him. That does not mean circumstances will always be pleasant. It means we know that God is working in the circumstances of our lives to bring us to where we need to be to serve Him effectively. So, making decisions solely on the basis of what will be easiest is not a wise way to live. It is always a question of "What is the best thing to do?"

Conclusions

The Great Wall of China was built to defend against the barbarians to the north. It is a massive wall they believed was so high you could never climb over it and so thick you could not knock it down. Yet during the first 100 years after the wall was built, China was invaded 3 times! The enemy did not climb over the wall or break it down. Instead, they bribed a gatekeeper and walked right through the gates! The Chinese people built a great wall but did not instill integrity in those who guarded the wall!

Perhaps we are living at a time when we are doing much the same thing. We build a powerful military, we clamor about freedoms, we increasingly believe in the power of the government to solve problems, yet, without integrity each of these things is vulnerable to corruption.

Perhaps the same is true of Christianity. We preach we are new creatures in Christ yet act like the world.

We summon people to follow Christ in holiness but divorce, abuse, immorality, and addiction are just as prevalent in the church as in the world.

We talk about being all one body, yet in our zest to build the biggest churches we don't hesitate to recruit members from other churches. Often by slandering our so-called brothers and sister.

We proclaim love yet we vilify those with whom we disagree and burn with a desire for revenge toward those have hurt us.

We call the Bible the "Word of God" yet feel quite free to ignore its commands when they become inconvenient to our lifestyle.

God calls us back to live lives of integrity. He wants us to be people who are truth-tellers and who live lives consistent with the truth we proclaim. He wants us to not only preach and proclaim love, He wants us to actually love. He wants us to be followers of Jesus when it is popular and when it is not; whether it brings us an advantage or puts us at a disadvantage. He wants us to see and treat each other the way He does, whether or not they do the same.

It shouldn’t be, but it is true: a person of integrity will stand out in our world. With some people this will make you a target; but for others, this will make you a person that others turn to in tough times, and a person others will trust to tell them the truth about God’s love and grace. And because of this, we should pursue integrity with all the energy we have.

A Picture of Integrity - Genesis 39