Joseph and Potiphar

“Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” Genesis 39:4
Joseph is one of the most exemplary characters of the Old Testament. Here we see him, still a young man (probably about seventeen, see Gen. 37:2), having been sold by his brothers as a slave and taken to Egypt. But God was with him the whole way, and he found favour in Potiphar’s house.
What we learn about Joseph from this episode is that he was trustworthy, and had integrity. It was not long before Potiphar’s wife started showing an interest in him (Gen. 39:7). But despite this constant temptation, he resisted. He had already made up his mind about it: to do what she was asking was a wicked thing and a sin against God (Gen. 39:9). Joseph did what all of us should do in such a situation: he removed himself from it (Gen. 39:10).
When Potiphar’s wife saw that she could not tempt him, she accused him falsely to anyone and everyone (Gen. 39:13-18). We read that Potiphar was angry and had Joseph put in the prison, and get the impression that he believed his wife, that Joseph had tried to take advantage of her. But if this were really the case, he would not have put him in the prison but would have had him executed. It is more likely that Potiphar was angry with the situation, and how he had to do something to Joseph in order to save face, but that would mean losing the best attendant he had ever had.
Joseph was a pawn in this drama, but God was with him the whole way. He submitted to becoming a servant, and he did not defend himself when he was falsely accused, instead, letting God take care of things on his behalf. Jesus did the same thing... and we should, too.