14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
Joseph, the 'slave' in this story was actually a powerful man. He was in charge of all of the properties, possessions, wealth, and the whole estate of the captain of Pharaoh's guards. Women in Egypt of the Pharaohs had a lot less power than women of today. Potiphar's wife spoke out about this powerful man in her husband's employ taking advantage of her: there was no guarantee her husband would believe her over his right hand man. She took a chance, spoke up, and Joseph lost his job and wound up in prison. There was no trial, you wouldn't want to disgrace Potiphar's wife any further. Even her identity is forever protected. Her name is never mentioned.
Recently (when this was written) in Ontario the leader of the Opposition Party was accused of similar things by two anonymous women and he lost his job and was condemned by the PM, the Premier, his own party and others in a matter of hours. He has affidavits and evidence that seems to clear his name.
I know a teacher who was exonerated of similar accusations made by students. He never taught again. He couldn't deal with the emotional toll that took.
Joseph we know was innocent but he went to jail.
There are real abuses that real people do suffer at the hands of people in authority over them. I am a part of an hierarchical organization and have certainly heard stories of abuse of power. Power, however, be it the power of a teacher, a politician, an employer or a high-ranking employee, may indeed be tenuous. No matter how secure we may feel, we are indeed vulnerable.
We can be vulnerable to well-meaning social movements that become like the French Revolution's guillotine which even took the head of the head of the revolution in the end. We can be vulnerable to circumstance or vindictive people. We can feel completely secure in our job and our life; we can feel we are completely safe and secure, in charge of all of the business operations of a powerful person or company; we can even poised to become premier of a country's largest province... and then we aren't.
It is in moments of insecurity that we turn to the Lord for security. It is when we are broken that He can make us whole. It is when we are fallen that He may lift us up. A verse that I often turn to when I am reminded of my vulnerability is from 1 Samuel 17:47 "...it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle belongs to the Lord..."
This is my encouragement today. Do not trust in your position or apparent power. Do not trick yourself into believing that you can take care of yourself. It is not true #AnythingCanHappen #theBattleBelongstotheLord. Salvation, sanctification, and security comes from Christ alone.
16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
Joseph, the 'slave' in this story was actually a powerful man. He was in charge of all of the properties, possessions, wealth, and the whole estate of the captain of Pharaoh's guards. Women in Egypt of the Pharaohs had a lot less power than women of today. Potiphar's wife spoke out about this powerful man in her husband's employ taking advantage of her: there was no guarantee her husband would believe her over his right hand man. She took a chance, spoke up, and Joseph lost his job and wound up in prison. There was no trial, you wouldn't want to disgrace Potiphar's wife any further. Even her identity is forever protected. Her name is never mentioned.
Recently (when this was written) in Ontario the leader of the Opposition Party was accused of similar things by two anonymous women and he lost his job and was condemned by the PM, the Premier, his own party and others in a matter of hours. He has affidavits and evidence that seems to clear his name.
I know a teacher who was exonerated of similar accusations made by students. He never taught again. He couldn't deal with the emotional toll that took.
Joseph we know was innocent but he went to jail.
There are real abuses that real people do suffer at the hands of people in authority over them. I am a part of an hierarchical organization and have certainly heard stories of abuse of power. Power, however, be it the power of a teacher, a politician, an employer or a high-ranking employee, may indeed be tenuous. No matter how secure we may feel, we are indeed vulnerable.
We can be vulnerable to well-meaning social movements that become like the French Revolution's guillotine which even took the head of the head of the revolution in the end. We can be vulnerable to circumstance or vindictive people. We can feel completely secure in our job and our life; we can feel we are completely safe and secure, in charge of all of the business operations of a powerful person or company; we can even poised to become premier of a country's largest province... and then we aren't.
It is in moments of insecurity that we turn to the Lord for security. It is when we are broken that He can make us whole. It is when we are fallen that He may lift us up. A verse that I often turn to when I am reminded of my vulnerability is from 1 Samuel 17:47 "...it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle belongs to the Lord..."
This is my encouragement today. Do not trust in your position or apparent power. Do not trick yourself into believing that you can take care of yourself. It is not true #AnythingCanHappen #theBattleBelongstotheLord. Salvation, sanctification, and security comes from Christ alone.
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