YEA Lesson Library
Determined Woman
About This Lesson
Using Joseph’s faith in God and adherence to God’s ways as an example, this lesson teaches the student to get away from temptation, keep himself pure, and to trust God always for the outcome.
WARNING: Discussion about sex outside of marriage.
Scriptures
Genesis 39:1-23
Proverbs 5:18-19
Proverbs 6:27-29
Proverbs 7:24-25
Titus 2:11-14
Words to Know
COYNESS - Affecting innocence or shyness, especially in a playful or coquettish manner.
The Lesson
Have you known people whose lives have seemed like everything they touched turned to gold? Maybe they got promoted on their job every time they turned around. Perhaps they made it rich by selecting, buying, and selling stocks that tripled in value. Or maybe their grandpa had reserved mineral rights on some property he had. You're the only heir, and 16 wells gushed with oil. That could be worth a pretty penny considering the price of oil today.
Joseph's luck hadn't exactly run this way, but God had blessed him abundantly and made him Potiphar's top man. Your Bible says, "everything he did succeeded." Potiphar noticed this and
realized that God was with Joseph in a very special way.
Soon Joseph was promoted again to be the administrator in charge of Potiphar's household. Potiphar didn't have to worry about a thing. Even though Joseph was a prisoner, he was a very handsome man who was honest and loyal.
Have you ever had an uneasy feeling when things are going so well for you that something bad is about to happen? Joseph may not have had this feeling, but a Determined Woman was lurking
right around the corner. And she was Potiphar's wife. She didn't miss noticing that Joseph was very handsome. She seized every opportunity to give those come-hither looks. But she didn't stop there. She suggested that he come and sleep with her.
Being the honorable, God-fearing man that Joseph was, he refused. “Look," he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in the entire household; he himself has no more authority here than I have! He has held back nothing from me except you yourself because you are his wife. How can I do such a wicked thing as this? It would be a great sin against God.”
Like most morally-loose women, Potiphar’s wife did not give up easily. She was determined to get Joseph in bed. Then one day Joseph was working in the house and no one else was there. This Determined Woman looked upon this as the perfect time. So she nabbed this opportunity, grabbed Joseph, and demanded that he sleep with her. This was an invitation that not many men would have resisted. But Joseph had no doubt that the consequences would outweigh the pleasures of the moment. So he tore himself away from her.
Unfortunately Joseph's jacket slipped off as he fled. This deceitful woman started screaming, "That Hebrew slave you've had around here tried to rape me, and I was only saved by my screams. He fled, leaving his jacket behind!"
Much to Joseph's misfortune, Potiphar believed his wife's story. Now the tables were turned, and Joseph was back in prison, kept in chains. God hadn't left Joseph. He knew exactly where he was and what kinds of problems he was having. He was kind to Joseph and granted him favor with the chief jailor. Before long, the jailor handed over the entire prison to him. Joseph must have been some sort of a young man to now be in charge of the entire prison. Joseph ran the prison smoothly and God was with him each step of the way.
What lessons can you learn from this young man, Joseph? He left us with the perfect pattern to follow when someone tries to tempt you to commit adultery or fornication. First say "no!" and stick to your guns. Next get out of there as fast as you can even if you have to leave some of your clothing or valuables behind. Do not linger. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Just run for your life. What it may cost you won't come close to the penalty you'll pay if you give in and have sex outside of marriage. The consequences have unlimited possibilities, and none of them are good.
Joseph understood well the principles King Solomon laid out years after that in Proverbs 6:25-28: "Don't lust for their beauty. Don't let their coyness seduce you. For a prostitute will bring a man to poverty, and an adulteress may cost him his very life. Can a man hold fire against his chest and not be burned? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? So it is with the man who commits adultery with another's wife. He shall not go unpunished for this sin" (TLB).
Another thing you can learn is that God blesses those who have the kind of faith Joseph had to obey Him under such temptation. What seemed to be a set back, by being thrown into prison, didn't last long. God was with him each step of the way, and soon Joseph was granted even more authority than before. If you will obey Him He'll be with you too.
Student Prayer
Awesome God,
We've learned about so many ways that you blessed and took care of Joseph because He loved and obeyed you. Thank you for
such outstanding examples for me to follow. Help me to always keep myself pure and trust you completely for the outcome. You will take care of me.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: Genesis 39:1-6
Monday: Genesis 39:7-10
Tuesday: Genesis 39:11-14
Wednesday: Titus 2:11-14
Thursday: Proverbs 5:18-19
Friday: Proverbs 6:27-29
Saturday: Proverbs 7:24-25
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Commit to memory the pattern Joseph gave when Potiphar's wife came on to him.
2. Tell the story of what got Joseph thrown in prison and explain how it was the lesser of the two evils.
Topics & Themes
Adultery
Authority
Adversity
Consequences of Sin
Follow God
God’s Presence
Joseph
Potiphar’s Wife
Prison
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, CD or cassette tape of music, music player, laminated cards with Joseph's pattern on it, pencils and paper.
How to Teach This Lesson
Before class do the following things: (On card stock the size of business cards, write the steps that Joseph followed and left for us to follow as well. Have the cards laminated.) Attach a map to the wall. Write the following statements on different pieces of paper and, depending on the size of your class, let the students draw one or more as they enter the classroom:
1) What are the pros and cons of school-based sex education?
2) How do you think standards for males and females differ in regards to sex? Should permissive boys also be called sluts?
3) Do teens really make up their own minds about what sexual behavior is right or wrong, or does their reference group or group they run with have the determining factor?
4) Compare sexual standards that most teens act on with the actions Joseph took when Potiphar's wife came on to him.
Open the class with prayer. Then ask your class: How many of you have ever felt that your dad would rather get lost than to look at a map to see where he should be going? Why do you think a person is reluctant to drag out a map to see the route he should take? What relationship can you draw between this and people experimenting with life and never checking out the instruction book? How is this like creating your own do-it-yourself manual as a guide to morals, how to live your life, and what will bring happiness or pain?
Now divide the class into groups of threes or fours, depending on the size. Explain they are to go into different areas of the room to brainstorm the questions they drew when they came into the classroom and come up with a consensus to bring back to the class.
Call on the groups to explain their answers or consensus in the order of the questions.
Group -1 What are the pros and cons of school-based sex education? Solicit input from those who were not in this particular group. Ask: What do you think a home schooled student may be missing by not having a public school sex class? Do you feel he's better off from not attending one of these classes or really missing some beneficial teachings? What?
Group 2 - How do you think standards for males and females differ in regards to sex? Should permissive boys also be called sluts? Can you think of any different standards in the Bible for men and for women? Allow participation from all groups.
Group 3 - Do teens really make up their own minds about what sexual behavior is right or wrong? If not, how are their reference group, or group they run with, the determining factor?
Group 4 - Compare sexual standards that most teens act on with the actions Joseph took when Potiphar's wife came on to him. Who can give us the pattern to follow that Joseph laid out for anyone who may have someone trying to tempt them to have sex? How was Joseph being thrown into prison a lesser evil than committing adultery with Potiphar's wife?
Now give each student one of the laminated cards you made with Joseph's pattern to follow when tempted. Explain that the girls should keep this in their purse and the boys should keep it in their wallet to review often, especially before they are likely to be in a situation that could lead to temptation. Ask: What will you do when a boy or girl comes on to you?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Go over the students’ activity with the class.
Song
"Be Not Afraid" is on page 86 of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Ask the class to form a circle and join hands. Go around the circle and have the students give one thing Joseph did when Potiphar's wife came on to him that prevented him from committing fornication and reaping a worse consequence. Don't worry that the statements will be repetitious. This needs to be stamped firmly onto their minds. Lead in prayer.
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