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Murder in the Church, Part 16
Overcoming Potiphar's Wife
(Genesis 39:16, 21)

And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

><> INTRODUCTION

Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? You know. Someone gets close, becomes aware of the thoughts of your heart, calling, tendencies, patterns, likes, dislikes, etc. and then erects a brick wall for you to slam into? All of our lives most if not all of us have talked used the cliche "back stabber". Everyone gets stabbed in the back at one time or another. As Christians, being "stabbed in the back" is one thing, but the operative question is "Were you stabbed in the back for Christ's sake?" This is what we're going to discuss today -- perils among false brethren and the factors that must be embraced to overcome the "stabs" and the "wounds" -- just from a different angle. We're going to go "around the block" to make a point, but since the Lord is inspiring us to do so, there must be a reason. We'll trust Him and be obedient.

><> OVERCOMING POTIPHAR'S WIFE

By now, someone is looking at the title of today's message and wondering how in the world the title and the opening paragraph correlate. Consider, if you will, the Biblical accounts of the life of Joseph. We're going to review a section of Joseph's life and extract an element from one of his adventures. It is that element that becomes the basis for our edification today.

Dwelving into the life of Joseph, we enter at Genesis 37. Verses 1 through 5 read as follows:

And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

Let's extract some of the key points for focus' sake:

Because we're not talking about Joseph's brothers today or about overcoming his brothers, let's jump forward to another section of scripture and extract a few more key points. This will ensure that we're all on the same page. In the next few verses, we find that Joseph had a dream and shared it with his brothers and his father. The response was not favorable. Genesis 37:10-11 says "And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying." Consider these key points:

Later, Joseph's brothers leave to tend to the sheep. Apparently, that wasn't the only thing they were tending to. Verse 18 lets us know that they were planning to kill him. Eventually, they come up with a plan. They throw him in a pit, take his coat, cover it with blood, sell him to Midianite merchants and give the father a report, falsifying his death. They figured that they got rid of their brother. Their brother, however, was sold into the hand of Potiphar -- a captain of Pharoah's guard in Egypt. All of the brothers, however, were not supportive of killing Joseph. Reuben later returns to discover that Joseph is gone and the plot thickens.

We won't cover many more of the details from Joseph's life. Just needed to ensure that we all learn/recall some of Joseph's history. Most of us either have never read this account or read it so long ago that we've forgotten it and God wants to minister to us from it. Most, if not all, of us know about God being with Joseph through all of his ordeals. We know how Joseph's being sold to the merchants and eventual "landing" in Egypt actually saved his brethen -- hence, the nation of Israel. We know that it was also through this event that the stage was set for the works of the Lord through Moses hundreds of years later. What we need to focus on at this point is a particular instance that took place in the house between Joseph and Potiphar's wife.

Joseph was a servant in Potiphar's house. As a matter of fact, Potiphar recognized that God was with Joseph and made him the overseer in his house. He was faithful and astute in all of his dealings. Potiphar's wife, however, felt that Joseph was astute in other areas as well -- unlawful areas (get my drift?). Genesis 39:6 says that Joseph was "goodly and well-favoured" (i.e., attractive). Potiphar's wife began to solicit Joseph's attention -- sexually. Genesis 39:7 says, "And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me." Thank God that Joseph refused. Joseph maintained his physical, sexual and spiritual integrity -- even in the midst of a strange land -- and told Potiphar's wife why he would not.

Genesis 39:10 lets us know that this was not the end of the story. She continued to pursue Joseph and Joseph continued to say no. This strategy (on her part) is what is referred to as seduction -- continuously presenting a matter to someone in hopes that they'll change their stance and give in. A day came, however, that Potiphar's wife had a "perfect" setting for her evil. She caught Joseph in the house alone. She grabbed him by the garment in an attempt to force the issue. Joseph fled, leaving his garment in her hand (i.e., Flee fornication -- 1 Corinthians 6:18).

It is here where we get the gist for today's message. Yes, it was a long trip, but it'll be worth it. Genesis 39:13-15 says:

"And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out."
We said everything today to illustrate the "type" -- the similitude or parabolic image presented by Potiphar's wife. She was a wicked and evil woman. She was a slave to her passion, just like any unregenerate person. She was lying, conniving and malicious. She was determined to have things her way or make someone suffer if she couldn't.

The focal point of today's message revolves around the garment left in her hand. Consider her wickedness. Consider her goals. Consider her plot. Now, consider the means by which she attempts to validate her accusation. Remember the questions at the beginning of the message? The garment signified proximity. In other words, the only way you could get a garment -- a garment that everyone knew Joseph was wearing -- was to be CLOSE ENOUGH to him to get it. Ahhhhhhh!!! Now it's starting to click for everyone. You see, Potiphar's wife, out of her wickedness, attempted to destroy/punish Joseph and used an "assumed closeness" to validate her story. I'm going to borrow this issue of closeness and use it to make today's point.

We've presented parabolically. Now, let's speak some "English". As a Christian, we know (or should know) that those that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. We've read Matthew 5:10-11 which says, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." What usually surprises us and breaks our hearts, these days, is the direction from which these acts come. No matter how often it happens, nobody really expects it to come from within the ranks of those who name the name of Christ. Nobody expects such acts to come from someone that we interact with on a regular basis, especially someone from whom such behavior is not expected. Paul refers to this as "perils among false brethren" (2 Corinthians 11:26).

Is dealing with false brethren really an issue? Absolutely! Galatians 2:4 talks about false brethren who come in just to see what's going on, but they actually have a hidden agenda (yet all that is hidden is manifest unto the Lord). Proverbs 23:1-7, usually presented to motivate people to support false doctrines of self-esteem (i.e., as a man thinketh in his heart...) is actually a warning against false brethren. Psalm 55:12-14 talks about David's betrayal by a close friend, the pain associated with it and the reward that will be reaped by the perpetrator.

As we begin to close -- I know. Potiphar's wife is not the standard type of a Christian. Could we have presented this another way? Yes, but that's not what I was led to do. Does she really need to be a Christian in order to illustrate the principles we're discussing here? No. That garment -- supposed evidence of her being close to Joseph -- was the item that everything hinged on. She wouldn't let it go. Today, we're encouraging those that are fighting the good fight of faith and suffering at the hands of people who feign closeness -- pretending to love you, pretending to be concerned, pretending to be on the Lord's side, pretending to be supportive and yet all the while, being nothing more than the pawn of the enemy -- nothing more than vipers -- citing their supposed and assumed closeness as validity and justification for the words from their murderous tongues . . . when they attempt to slander (destroy) your character.

Want some "Potiphar's Wife" examples? Here goes:

The devil's weapon and tool in such cases is "perceived closeness" because of some semblance of evidence. In Joseph's case, it was the coat that ended up in Mrs. Potiphar's possession. NOTE: Perceived closeness is just that . . . perceived. It doesn't mean that someone knows what they're talking about OR that they're telling the truth. Also, while we're spending time encouraging those who might be the victim of "Potiphar's wife", we are also encouraging the Remnant Online Community NOT TO BE A POTIPHAR'S WIFE!!! Remember Proverbs 6:19? It warns of two related sins that God considers to be abominable -- a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Potiphar's wife was guilty of both.

After all of this, what is the conclusion of the matter? To overcome "Potiphar's wife", we must follow the example of Joseph. First, God made it clear that her actions DID NOT change HIS heart. The Bible says that God remained with Joseph. That's the key. Why did God remain with Joseph? Because he held fast his integrity. Joseph was cast into prison after the accusations, but continued to be faithful and pure before the Lord. Hence, he remained blessed. He ended up being "the man", even in prison. Eventually, he was exalted to a level of authority and blessedness that was much higher than the honor in Potiphar's house. He rose above the accusation of Potiphar's wife. He rose above her intentions, lies and influence. IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?!?!?

Are you in "prison" (e.g., hardship, pain, frustration, persecution) because of a "Potiphar's wife" (an agent of Satan)? Fret not thyself because of evil doers. Revelation 2:10 says, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." James 1:12 lets us know that the crown of life is reserved for those that endure temptation. Don't give in to bitterness. Don't give in to envy. Don't succumb to unforgiveness. Joseph endured all and came out "smelling like a rose". We can too!

Let's be determined to "overcome Potiphar's wife". God knows, understands and is there to help us. Let's trust Him and be faithful. The crown of life is ours for the taking!!!

CLOSING NOTE: For those who might be unaware, this is a critically serious problem in the church. Second Timothy 3:1-5 warns (verse 4 specifically) that people would be TRAITORS in the last days. There have always been traitors in the world. Traitors in the church is another issue and that's what Paul is talking about. The word "traitor" means "to give one into the enemy's hands". The only person referred to as a traitor in the Bible was Judas Iscariot (Luke 6:16) and we all know what he did.

Here's an acid test/question for you. Have you delivered anyone into Satan's hands??? Folks, don't let the enemy trick you into being a traitor. Make sure that you embrace the brethren. Make sure, especially, that you embrace and honor those that are set for the defense of the gospel. To violate this call to honor ... makes you a traitor.

I've dealt with more than my share of traitors in the church and I've "lived" to let you know that YOU CAN OVERCOME POTIPHAR'S WIFE!!!

Until next week, keep the word and be blessed!

Cry Aloud : Volume 6, Issue 12 -- Overcoming Potiphar's Wife
Original version appeared as Volume 4, Issue 18
Copyright © 2000, 2002, CyberSaint/Scenario Ministries International
An outreach ministry of Remnant Christian Assembly, Inc. All rights reserved.
Feel free to reproduce for noncommercial purposes.

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