Joseph’s saga continues. In today’s verses, Potiphar comes home and his wife tells him the same story she told the male servants about Joseph’s alleged attack.
Here are the verses. See if you notice anything odd about her behavior.
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Genesis 39:16-19 / Amplified Bible
16 And she laid up his garment by her until his master came home.
17 Then she told him the same story, saying, The Hebrew servant whom you brought among us came to me to mock and insult me.
18 And when I screamed and cried, he left his garment with me and fled out [of the house].
19 And when [Joseph’s] master heard the words of his wife, saying to him, This is the way your servant treated me, his wrath was kindled.
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I don’t know about you, but if someone assaulted me, I think the last thing I would be doing all day would be clinging to the jacket they left behind. Potiphar’s wife is acting more like a rejected lover in mourning than someone who’s been attacked. Oh, wait. She was rejected. She wasn’t attacked.
The truths I found were a continuation of last week’s “how to sell a lie” seminar.
1. To sell a lie, take the evidence of innocence and twist it so it appears to be evidence of guilt.
2. Just repeat the same rehearsed lines over and over to garner more support and argue your case.
My Commentary:
I’ve been hearing a lot lately about how to discern the truth about a person . . . who they really are, what they’re really like, what you can expect from them in the future. It’s interesting because I’ve been hearing this from a variety of sources for a variety of situations. It works in the relationship realm, the business world, and even in the church.
It’s a simple formula, if you want to call it that. It’s not really hard to do, but it does take some time. The only problem I see with it is that you have to actually WANT to know the truth. I think that’s the kicker. Because once you know the truth, then you have a decision to make.
Dr. Phil’s been talking about it. I’ve heard sermons on the subject. And I’ve read countless business articles discussing it. They all say the same thing . . . .
Don’t just listen to what people say. Watch what they do.
Isn’t that simple? And it’s so true.
People SAY a lot of things.
We say we’re going to accomplish certain things. But a lot of them don’t get done. We say we’re going to change in certain ways. But how much change actually takes place? We say we’re going to work at something and get certain results, but our timeline for getting it done moves further and further away. We say we’re a certain type of person, but our actions say just the opposite.
Whether it’s trying to figure out someone you’re in a relationship with or are contemplating one with. Or whether you need to know the ethics of a potential business associate. Or if you have some questions about a spiritual leader you’ve been listening to who sounds really good.
Watch. What. They. Do.
This doesn’t mean their words are meaningless. It just means their words are meaningless . . . if there’s no follow-through.
People can talk a good game. But if they continually “do” something that doesn’t fit with what they “say,” or “say” things that don’t fit with what they “do,” then you may want to rethink how close a relationship you want with them.
Potiphar’s wife was clinging to the robe of the man she was accusing of attempted rape. Her actions didn’t match her words.
How well do ours match?