Joseph’s Clarity of Vision

 

Joseph’s Clarity of Vision A pale-skinned woman sits in a pool of light against a deeply shadowed background in the bottom half of this vertical painting. She sits in the center of the composition, in a heavy wooden armchair next to a bed, which is flanked by two men. The woman wears a rose-pink, fur-trimmed robe draped over a white chemise. A pearl necklace and gold bracelets gleam at her throat and wrists, and her chestnut-brown hair is partially pulled up while curls fall to her shoulders. She looks to her left, our right, at a shadowy bearded man. He wears a turban wrapped in a gold chain, a cloak patterned with shades of bronze, olive green, and rust red, and a sword hangs from his belt. He stands facing our left, stooping slightly to rest his right arm, farther from us, on her chair, and his hand brushes her shoulder. The woman's mouth is open and brow furrowed as she points to the bed with her right hand, to our left. Her other hand holds up the loose neckline of her chemise to cover her chest. The bed is angled slightly away from us, to our left. It is covered with white linens and a mustard-yellow coverlet. A burgundy-red cloth or garment is draped over a bedpost at the foot of the bed. A younger man stands on the far side of the bed with his body angled to our right. He wears an olive-green tunic. A broad, scarlet-red sash is tied around his waist, and a bunch of keys hangs from it. Shoulder-length, light brown hair frames his face. His head tilts slightly to our right, and his hands are clasped at the waist, holding what looks like a black cap. A faint light behind him creates a soft halo around his body. The top half of the painting is swallowed in deep shadow. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower right, “Rembrandt. f. 1655.”

Joseph Accused by Potiphar's Wife, 1655
Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Many times, we find ourselves in situations where the right thing seems all too clear, only to find out later that what we thought was right turned out to be wrong.

We live in a world that is continually telling us that was is good is actually evil and what is evil is actually good. If we are not careful to develop and practice godly discernment, we will end up on the path of destruction.

Samson was a good(bad) example of a man who lacked discernment and as a result ended up destroying himself, we looked at his story in the previous post. He could not see beyond Delilah's beauty and charm to see the evil that lurked just below the surface.

Diametrically opposite him we find Joseph.

Joseph, even as a young man, demonstrated uncanny discernment. He had a clear sense of purpose and direction that he derived from his connection with God. He knew what the right thing was, and he did it. Most characters in the Bible we find stumbling into sin at some point, but not so with Joseph. He lived a life above reproach.

Joseph was sold into slavery as a teenager by his brothers (and we think we have it bad...) and was purchased by a prominent Egyptian named Potiphar. In spite of his unfair and unjust treatment, Joseph was diligent and skillful in the service of Potiphar. Soon enough, Joseph became his chief steward, he had the run of the house and managed all of Potiphar's affairs. The Bible tells us that aside from what he ate, Potiphar had no idea what was happening in his household because Joseph took care of everything. He had earned a very high level of trust.

The problem came with Potiphar's wife. Here is how the Bible tells it:

Genesis 39:7-9

"And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"

She was certainly not shy.

Imagine if Samson were in this situation, I doubt he would have hesitated.

But Joseph was different, he practiced discernment. He maintained a proper perspective. God had given him a vision for his life, a sense of purpose and direction and he never lost sight of that. He recognized that if he sinned with this woman, it would derail God's plans for his life.

It would have been easy for Joseph to excuse fooling around with Potiphar's wife, "I've been taken out of my homeland."  "Nobody will find out."  "God has abandoned me and left me to be sold into slavery, he doesn't care about me anymore. Those dreams must have just been some delusion."

But that is not what Joseph did. His life had gone off track from the plans that God had given him years ago, but he still had faith that God was working. It was a dark night for him, but he knew that the sun was still shining somewhere. He had trouble seeing God, but he knew he was still at work.

Joseph's boss had put everything in the household under his command, except his wife. This was one thing he could not touch. Potiphar probably never explicitly told him this, but no doubt it was understood. Joseph recognized that God had placed him under Potiphar's authority, and he wanted to respect that. There was no resentment or desire for vengeance in him. He had no inclination to get back at Potiphar. 

But far greater than sinning against his earthly master, Joseph did not want to sin against God. He had a clear understanding that immorality, and especially adultery, was condemned by God. For Joseph, God was preeminent, and he did not want to do anything that would displease him or diminish his glory.

God was in the driver's seat of his life, not his own selfish desires. He was living first and foremost for God's glory and not his own. Discernment begins with this understanding, that in all things God must be in first place.

This world tempts us and tells us to live for our own pleasure and fulfillment, couching it in phrases like, "self-actualization,” “living your best life," and so on. It seems most people are living only for their own pleasure and satisfaction and have little concern for what God's plans and desires are for their life.

Samson had lost sight of the purpose and meaning, the calling that God had given him. He was blinded by the pleasure he felt with Delilah. He became focused on immediate gratification and that ended up destroying him.

God had given Joseph a dream, a calling, and while he was put through trials and tribulations, he never lost sight of that greater purpose. He knew who God was and who he was called to be, and the sins and pleasures of this world could not pull him away. He loved God more than anything, and no woman or material temptation could lure him away.

Later Joseph would become the prime minister of Egypt, but even while he served and built that earthly kingdom, he recognized that it was part of God's larger, eternal plan for him and all of humanity. From the prison to the palace Joseph always kept his focus on God's purposes and plans.

Spiritual discernment is recognizing the calling that God has placed on us. He is calling us to rise above the mundane troubles and temptations of this world and live for his Kingdom and eternal glory. Discernment is recognizing what is truly valuable. We are not lured away by the trifling baubles of this world because we know there are eternal riches awaiting us. We care little for this world because we care only for our eternal God.

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