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I pray that the favor of God Almighty, will forever be upon you.
In the last article we'd learned, that Potiphar had recognized the tremendous favor that Joseph had with the Lord. Potiphar also noticed, how successful Joseph was, when it came to the different tasks, that he had set out to do. And it was for these reasons, that Potiphar would eventually promote Joseph to being the overseer (or supervisor) over everything he had.
The Sacred Record also points out some other details, when it comes to Joseph.
Details that deals with him being a well-built, well-kept, handsome man.
And because of this, it wouldn't be long, before Potiphar's wife had taken notice of him.
In actuality, one could say, that the sexual attraction that Potiphar's wife had with Joseph -- could easily be seen as an obsession of some sorts?
And it was for these reasons, that Potiphar's wife would constantly make sexually advances towards Joseph: "Come to bed with me!" she would constantly say.
However that may have been... know that Joseph had great respect for
Potiphar and his household. Joseph also respected his new position, when
it came to being the overseer of his master's estate. But more
importantly, Joseph loved the Lord. And it was because of his love for
the Most High -- that Joseph refused to give ground. And this is why
he'd continued to resist Potiphar's wife -- and the reason why, he'd
refused to compromise on what he knew to be true, when it came to his
beliefs, and to the God that he was serving. Remember that Joseph held
steadfast to his responsibilities, when it came to the high position
that he'd held from within Potiphar's house.
So therefore,
Joseph continued to resist Potiphar's wife daily sexual advances towards
him. But one day, when Joseph was attending to his household duties,
oddly, he would find himself all alone with Potiphar's wife. And once
again, she wasted no time when it came to her seduction attempts. But
this time around, she was found to be extremely aggressive in her
attempts. For we find, that she'd grabbed the cloak that Joseph was
wearing, as she tried to force herself upon him. And because of this,
Joseph would flee from her grasp, but as he'd fled from her presence,
he'd left his cloak dangling in her hands.
Needless-to-say, Potiphar's wife had became angry at what Joseph had done. Now I personally believe that Potiphar's wife didn't know if Joseph was going to run and tell her husband? But it's clear, that she wanted to get ahead of this story, and it's for these reasons, she quickly set out to bear false witness against Joseph:
"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 [her husband Potiphar] came home." -- Genesis 39:14,15
Now we have reached the point from within this Sacred Account -- to where we find, that Joseph had been imprisoned for something, that he did not do. And like I stated earlier, Joseph had constantly refused the sexual advances of Potiphar's wife. And by doing so, he did not compromise himself (simply for a moment of pleasure), when it came to his beliefs and the position that he'd held, both with God and Potiphar.
However, Potiphar's wife didn't like being rejected by him, and so therefore, she lied on him and told her husband that Joseph had tried to defile her. Now the Scriptures reveals, that Potiphar wasn't too happy with the bad report that he had just received from his wife. And it was because of this bad report, Potiphar would immediately have Joseph thrown into prison.
Now keep in mind, although Joseph had been elevated to "overseer" when it came to Potiphar's household, he would still be considered a slave. So therefore, Potiphar could have had him immediately put to death, without having to think twice about it. But Potiphar didn't have Joseph put to death.
So I wonder? Could this have meant, that Potiphar didn't quite believe his wife? Understand, that Potiphar held a very high position from within Pharaoh's court... and so therefore, one could presume, that Potiphar was a very sharp and intelligent man.
Now the reason why I'm making such a statement?, deals with the possibility, that Potiphar all a long, knew about his wife's infidelity and promiscuous ways. For we must keep in mind, that she was probably much younger than him -- and it shouldn't be too far-fetched, to see how she could easily have, become bored with Potiphar.
And on top of this, Potiphar also knew that Joseph was a good man, for if he had not been... the favor of the Lord would not have been placed so profoundly on him. But on the other hand, understand that Potiphar could not have allowed a slave, to pit him against his wife -- regardless of how promiscuous and untrustworthy, he knew her character to be.
However, we also can't assume, that God had turned his back on Joseph at this point in his life. For He had already allowed Joseph to survive for this long. And on top of this, God allowed Joseph to be favored and very successful, under the harshest conditions that Joseph had ever faced. So why would the Lord allow Joseph (who did nothing wrong) to lose his new esteemed position that he had acquired from within Potiphar's household? Why would God allow Joseph to enter into another dark stressful season, when it comes to his life, behind the lies of Potiphar's deceiving wife?
Well lets look at a few things for a moment? For starters, the esteemed position that Joseph held, wasn't all that admirable to begin with -- for we must remember, that in spite of his high ranking position from within Potiphar's house, he was still considered a slave. Now when it comes to the Lord allowing Potiphar's wife to be successful, when it came to falsely accusing Joseph -- a lie that had caused him to be thrown into prison. Understand that this was all part of God's plan, to elevate Joseph to an even higher position. More on this later.
But I do want you to know, that this is one of the many reasons why I love the Sacred Record -- for if I was to make that statement to somebody in today times, who was going through a tough period in their life and I responded by saying: "It's all part of God's plan for you." Guess what? They would look at me like I was crazy, or something.
But when it comes to the Word of God -- know that we have the unique advantage of being able to keep following the recorded account, and foreshadowing examples, that God has placed before us. And because of this, we can actually see how things will eventually unfold for that person (or the individuals) that are involved in that particular record.
And like I'd stated earlier, we're also able to see how one's season of suffering, really was part of God's plan. And these are the types of subtle and invaluable benefits, that the Sacred Record continues to brings to us. And because of these types of unique advantages, know that they help to strengthen our faith, by constantly reassuring us -- that God is in control at all times, and that He's always near, regardless of how grim the situation may seem at times.
Now I want to point something out to you? For I want you to notice, that Potiphar doesn't send Joseph to just any prison, for he decides, to put Joseph in the King's Prison instead of having him killed. Now this is important, because when one takes a closer look at what just happened, one should be able to see, how God immediately shows us, that he was still with Joseph, in spite of the ordeal that Joseph was now facing:
"But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did." -- Genesis 39:20-23
Now let's think about something else for a moment... and let's look at this Scripture a little bit more closely. Being that there are some things from within it, that I find to be very interesting. Not interesting in such a way, that God did what He did -- but interesting, when it comes to where and how God did it. Now stay with me for a moment... for I want you to know, that I hold the viewpoint, that although Joseph was now in prison -- the Lord had already been elevated him, higher than he was, while he was the overseer over Potiphar's household?
Now after reading that last statement, one could easily go: "Huh!" But let's consider something else for a moment, when it comes to the prison and how big it must have been. For starters, know that this prison wasn't just any ordinary prison, for it was the "King's Prison" -- and amongst its inmates, the prison also housed ex-royal officials, that had been found guilty of some type of crime against the Egyptian royal courts.
Now let's consider something else, when it comes to this specific prison. Aside from it being the main institution, that had housed very important criminals -- it had to be, not only very large in size, but very well secured as well. Understand, that it's probable, that it was much larger than Potiphar's household -- and because of this, it would have produced far more responsibilities, and more of a mental accountability challenge for Joseph -- than Potiphar's household could have ever done.
I'm pointing this out, because we must remember, that Joseph would be eventually placed in charge of all the other prisoners that were being held in that particular prison: "So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did." -- Genesis 39:22,23
Yeah I know, for I find those, who are limited by their natural perceptions, could easily quip: "Are you kidding me... it's a prison!" Yes this is true, and it doesn't sound as nice and luxurious as Potiphar's household might have been. But Joseph's new position from within the prison, was still more commanding, and held much more responsibility on a much larger scale -- even though the outside packaging, wasn't quite as nice from whence he'd came before.
So you see, Joseph had already been elevated by the Lord as soon as he entered into the prison. And honestly, the only suffering that Joseph had to endure -- was brought upon himself, which had happened, through his very own thought process -- as he was entering into a new and dark, uncertain stage of his life.
And personally, I think that this should teach us, that we shouldn't judge the outside look of a package, that a blessing might be wrapped in -- but instead, we should learn to take a look on the inside of the package, and examine its contents and benefits that the blessing entails, before we make a decision on its overall value -- Amen?
Next we'll take a closer look, at the new path that God has placed Joseph on. I wonder, will we be able to understand God's plan, with our natural limited perceptions? Or will we have to learn how to develop a certain type of perception, that takes us beyond the boundaries of our natural understanding?
The Sons of God - The Daughters of Men
Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty
**YOUR CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES - WOULD BE HERE**
69) Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams
71) Joseph & The Pit of Darkness
72) Jacob the Father of Sorrow
73) The Importance of Judah's History
75) The Reaping Season of Judah
76) Tamar's Revenge
78) Joseph the Servant of Favor
79) Potiphar's Wife Lies on Joseph
80) <-CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE - PAGE->
82) The Dreaming Cupbearer & Baker
84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation
85) Joseph the Overseer of Egypt
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