Joseph’s Clarity of Vision
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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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