Sunday, August 21, 2011

Two Young Men

This weekend I’ve been working on our next study guide that will be based on Ephesians 6:10-20.  In the process I found an interesting comparison between two young men.

Genesis 39 tells the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery.  He ended up a slave in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh.  His master’s wife pursued him on a daily basis, but Joseph rejected her advances.

Proverbs 7 tells a story of a “young man lacking sense.”  He too, like Joseph, was pursued by a married woman.  She is described as being “dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.”  After listening to her passionate pleas, he followed her home and surrendered to her seduction. 

In comparing the two tales, you have to wonder what made the difference.  Joseph had every reason to reject God after being kidnapped by his brothers and sold as a slave to a foreign country.  And yet, he stayed faithful to God.

In the study guide, we will look at both of these stories and evaluate them based on the Full Armor of God.  How did Joseph stand firm while the young man lacking sense sinned with the wayward wife?  I believe one major difference is that Joseph was wearing the Breastplate of Righteousness.  That is the piece of armor which protects our heart.

Hopefully, we’ll have this new study complete and read for publication by the end of September.  It’s going to be a very interesting study!