Joseph’s story, although thousands of years old, could be a headline in today’s news: Powerful government official accused of sexual assault.
When Pharaoh ruled Egypt, laws didn’t defend the innocent until proven guilty. (In fact, countries whose laws do defend the innocent aren’t plentiful, even today.) So, no surprise about the instant condemnation that swiftly followed when Potiphar’s wife held up Joseph’s garment and screamed, “Guilty!” That innocent man landed in prison for years due to her lie of revenge, all because he refused her advances of seduction.
However, God was weaving a plan for Joseph’s life, and this unjust accusation was only one of many threads. Not only did God intend to deliver Joseph from prison and reunite him with his family, but He also planned to use him to deliver the nations from a coming famine.
How did God work this out?
Although doomed to serve out an unjust sentence, Joseph found favor with the keeper of the prison and immediately was given charge of all the prisoners. After a passage of time, Joseph met Pharaoh’s baker and butler, who had both been thrown into jail for insulting their master.
One night they each had a troubling dream and asked Joseph to interpret its meaning. Three days later the baker was hanged, but the butler was reinstated into Pharaoh’s service, just as Joseph had prophesied. As the butler was released, Joseph pleaded with him to ask Pharaoh to free him from his own unjust prison sentence.
Time passed. The butler forgot all about Joseph until two years later when Pharaoh dreamed two strange dreams on the same night. As no one in Egypt had the wisdom to interpret it, the butler finally remembered Joseph and advised his master. Immediately Joseph shaved, donned clean clothes, and came into Pharaoh’s presence.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.’ So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace’ ~ Genesis 41:15-16 NKJV.
After hearing the dreams, Joseph declared that both had the same meaning and gave the following interpretation:
God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land so the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass ~ Genesis 41: 28-32 NKJV.
Not only did God give wisdom to Joseph to correctly interpret those dreams, but He also gave him a plan for how to avert the coming disaster. When Pharaoh recognized that Joseph was discerning and wise, he set him over the land of Egypt as the second-in-command. Joseph saved one-fifth of all the bountiful Egyptian grain for seven years to offset the future years of famine.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. After his brothers happened to come to Egypt from Canaan to buy grain, God brought Joseph’s dreams to pass when his brothers bowed before him—the very dreams from his youth that had turned his jealous brothers against him.
Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, ‘Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.’
And his brothers said to him, ‘Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me’ ~ Genesis 37:5-9 NKJV.
Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth…Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them… ~ Genesis 42: 6, 9a NKJV.
The Takeaway
Joseph had a blessed ending in spite of his trial of unjust accusation. In addition to saving Egypt from starvation, he lived as an Egyptian ruler with a wife and children. His brothers and father moved to Goshen where Pharaoh gave them land for herding sheep.
God blessed Joseph and his family with rich abundance. But doesn’t it also make you wonder whatever happened to Potiphar’s wife? We’ll never know.
If we’re ever falsely accused, let’s remember Joseph’s story and be encouraged. God is always working to deliver us from our enemies and their lies. Let’s live by our faith and in obedience to God. At the perfect time, Almighty God will deliver us from our situation of suffering and promote us to live a blessed and peaceful life.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever ~ Psalm 23: 5-6.
Have you experienced God’s blessings through an unjust accusation?
