Genesis 39:11-20 (ESV)
But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
One of the worst situations to deal with in life is a false accusation. When people accuse you of something and you have no way to defend yourself. What compounds the matter is that by even defending yourself you give legitimacy to their accusation. In the above story we read about Joesph’s challenge. We don’t have a lot of the story. We don’t know if Joesph had a chance to defend himself. It probably wound not make a difference to Potiphar. His wife tried to seduction Joseph, but Joseph’s character to live holy before God was not something she could handle. That rejection caused her to make a false claim. What do we do when we are falsely accused? There is much in this story to give us in regard to that question. We do see that God was with Joseph in this situation. Later we will realize why God allowed it, however. In the account of this struggle for Joseph, we read he was placed in the “place where the king’s prisoners were confined.” This is significant because this is where God would later send the baker and the cupbearer of the king. This would be the connection God would use to get Joseph before Pharaoh. God used the evilness of Potiphar’s wife to arrange for His servant Joesph to be placed in a Prisiazny to meet someone God needed Joseph to meet. Could God have accomplished this another way? Of course. But, like Daniel, Mordecai, and other servants of God, God sometimes chooses prisons, lion’s dens and the facing of the gallows to put us in the place of His design. Daniel was falsely accused of not be loyal to the king. Mordecai was accused of leading a rebellion against the king. Later, the Apostle Paul would be falsely accused of stirring up an uprising against Rome and be lead in shackles and chains to Rome to see appear before Caesar ... the very place God wanted him to preach the Gospel. As believers we need to start accepting that God moves us where He wants us and where He needs us to be by whatever circumstances He wants to use to get us to that spot for His glory. To better glorify Him in all things we need to accept that God will use the wicked accusations of the world, for His glory and His purpose. We may not like the process, but in each of these men of God the outcome was glorious for God. Think of those in the Bible who had false accusations made against them:
1. Joseph - Genesis 39
2. Daniel - Daniel 6
3. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - Daniele 3
4. Mordecai - Esther 3
5. Paul - Acts 22-28
6. Jeremiah - Jeremiah 26, 37-38, 43
7. Elijah - 1 Kings 18
8. Amos - Amos 7
9. Nehemiah - Nehemiah 6-8
10. Job - Job 1:9,10 & 2:4,5
11. Jesus - Gospels
12. Stephen - Acts 6-7
Matthew 5:11-12 (ESV)
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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