Tuesday, November 12 How could I commit this great badness and actually sin against God?​—Gen. 39:9.

[Áine]

Tuesday, November 12

How could I commit this great badness and actually sin against God?—Gen. 39:9.

 

How did Joseph know that his God would consider adultery as an act of “great badness”? The Mosaic Law, which included the clear command “You must not commit adultery,” would not be written down for another two hundred years. (Ex. 20:14) Still, Joseph knew Jehovah well enough to perceive how He would feel about immoral conduct. For example, Joseph surely knew that Jehovah designed marriage to be between one man and one woman. And he would have heard how Jehovah on two occasions intervened to protect the honor of his great-grandmother Sarah when she was in danger of being violated. (Gen. 2:24; 12:14-20; 20:2-7) As Joseph reasoned on such matters, he discerned what was right and what was wrong in God’s eyes. Because Joseph loved his God, he also loved Jehovah’s standards of righteousness, and he was determined to uphold them. w22.08 26 ¶1-2