Sometimes confronting people does not seem to make a difference, because they are not looking for course correction. The scripture calls these individuals fools. Joseph showed wisdom in dealing with a fool while serving at Potiphar’s house.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
and it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”
So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” Genesis 39:6b-19
Potiphar’s wife had her eyes on Joseph who was handsome and single. Her lust for sleeping with Joseph had been going on for some time. Joseph had confronted the issue and had spoken directly to her that adultery was not an option for him and that he was not going to sin against God and his boss. He had done what he could to set boundaries and not respond to this woman’s temptations. However, there came a time that the Potiphar’s wife took it to another level, and Joseph had to do something.
The understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly. Proverbs 16:22
Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit. Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor. Proverbs 14:7-9
Joseph had the discernment to know that this issue was not going to be resolved by having another conversation or confronting this woman. This time when Potiphar’s wife made her advances, he had to flee. That probably meant that he was disobeying the orders, and he took off before he was given permission to be discharged from her presence. Joseph understood that this woman was not looking for course correction, so the best thing to do was to get away from her even if it meant getting into trouble for it. The passage in Proverbs 6:23-29 speaks exactly on this issue that Joseph had to deal with.
The scripture gives us clear instructions that foolish people are not looking for knowledge, understanding, or correction. Given enough time, we find out that some people are not interested in maturity or growth. There comes a time that a decision needs to be made about the relationship with the person and whether we should remain or flee.
God used the unjust circumstances in Joseph’s life to fulfill His purpose for the Israelites. While he was unjustly accused and put in prison, this is where he became known by Pharaoh’s people. God’s favor carried him through and allowed him to be seen for who he was. Had he given in to the foolishness of Potiphar’s wife, the story could have ended very differently.
We also need to discern who we are dealing with and not get trapped by foolish people. Over time, we can discern those who have no desire to mature and live a Godly life. That is when we may need to confront the person, but if they are not willing to change, then we certainly do not want to align ourselves with their lifestyle or decisions.