A Desperate Housewife

A Desperate Housewife

Potiphar’s Wife

Read: Genesis 39:6-12

The television series Desperate Housewives premiered in 2004. Its official Web site describes the show as a “primetime soap” that “takes a darkly comedic look at suburbia, where the secret lives of housewives aren’t always what they seem.” According to the show, the secret life of a housewife includes promiscuous sex. Sadly, this series became an immediate hit.

Potiphar’s wife would have felt right at home on Wisteria Lane. Here was a woman with too much time on her hands. Married to a wealthy, important man with plenty of servants, she had nothing better to do than consider how to seduce the handsome new teenage slave. Mrs. Potiphar would have been better off spending her time dusting instead of lusting.

Perhaps Potiphar was so busy and preoccupied that his wife was desperate for male attention. Maybe she was having a midlife crisis and longed to feel desirable again. Perhaps she struggled with unresolved childhood issues, unfulfilled needs, or an addictive personality. Whatever her reason for trying to get Joseph to sleep with her, she had no excuse for her behavior.

As our society moves away from objective standards of right and wrong, adultery begins to seem acceptable. Magazines and tabloids chronicle the affairs of stars and other famous people, and the public devours the details. Movies and television shows often portray extramarital relationships as beautiful. They almost never show the ugly truth.

God warns against committing adultery for good reasons. Affairs break the bond of trust between husband and wife and destroy many of the marriages and families they touch. They usually leave the spouse feeling empty and unfulfilled. When we feel a strong attraction toward a male friend, neighbor, or coworker, we need to limit our interaction with him. And we need to tell God that we’re really desperate for his help.

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need.

Psalm 142:6 (NIV)