And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.
After Joseph refused temptation and fled, his mistress kept his garment beside her until her husband came home to use it as false proof against him in hatred of the virtue she could not corrupt. He was a youth proved in integrity who would not deviate from righteousness or transgress God's law for any inducement or threat. Though innocent and determined to preserve his virtue, he was maligned, treated as a criminal, and imprisoned with loss of liberty, name, and character for doing right. God watched over him, overruled the enemy's devices for good, and honored him as he had honored God, later advancing and exalting him. His suffering though innocent foreshadows Christ, who was hated, rejected, and condemned by false witnesses to a shameful death though guilty of no wrong because His holy life rebuked sin.
Setting and False Accusation
Genesis 39:16 belongs to Joseph's ten years of service to Potiphar, captain of the king's guard in Egypt, where amid surrounding idolatry and vice he preserved simplicity and fidelity to God as a worshiper of Jehovah. Because the Lord was with him he prospered, gained Potiphar's confidence, and was made steward with full control over all his possessions. By God's providence he had been placed among a foreign people so that he could bring them blessings through knowledge of God. There he represented the Lord without compromising his faith or his identity as a worshiper of the living God, honoring God in both prosperity and adversity.
After Joseph refused to yield and fled, Potiphar's wife kept his garment laid up by her until her husband came home. She kept it to testify falsely against him and used it as evidence for the false charge that led to his imprisonment. She acted in hatred against the virtue and integrity she could not corrupt, because the woman who would lead him astray could not prevail upon him to deviate from the path of righteousness and transgress God's law by any inducements or threats. He held to integrity and virtue, refused to be corrupted, and though innocent suffered because of his righteousness and was cast into prison because of his virtue.
He suffered calumny and wicked revenge with loss of liberty, name, and character for refusing temptation and doing right, yet he feared God and kept his integrity. He bore it meekly without murmuring, in self-control, patience, and unwavering fidelity, and his conduct displayed righteousness and a compassionate mind. God watched over him, preserved him, overruled the enemy's devices for good, and later turned the misfortune toward his advancement and exaltation. His experience in being innocent, rejected, and falsely accused foreshadows Christ, who was also innocent, rejected, and falsely accused.
Integrity and Providential Vindication
Joseph was a youth tried and proved who stood firm to principle and held to integrity and virtue as a pattern of integrity. He refused to deviate from the path of righteousness and to transgress God's law under any inducements or threats from the woman who would lead him astray. Though innocent and determined to preserve his virtue and integrity, he was maligned, persecuted, and treated as a criminal for refusing temptation and doing right. He suffered calumny and wicked revenge, with loss of liberty, name, and character, and was cast into prison because of his virtue. The garment kept by her until her husband came home became the false testimony used to accuse him.
Through the injustice and imprisonment he feared God and trusted God, keeping unwavering fidelity. He bore it meekly without murmuring, in self-control, patience, and meek endurance. His upright character was thus revealed under trial, and his conduct displayed righteousness and a compassionate mind.
God watched over him, preserved him, and brought victories for him even when circumstances appeared against him. Providence overruled the enemy's devices for good, turning the misfortune toward his advancement. As he had honored God in both prosperity and adversity, God honored him and later exalted him. Close connection with God does not bring prosperity in the things of this life but may bring sore trial and affliction. The Lord does not forget His people in the trying hour when persecuted, bound, imprisoned, sentenced to death, and enduring privation and want of food, but cannot forsake those dear to Him and keeps them from perishing; suffering while doing right did not mean God had forsaken Joseph.
Christ and Christian Example
The laying up of the garment until the master came home was the keeping of false evidence by hatred against a virtue and integrity it could not corrupt, after every inducement and threat had failed to turn Joseph aside from the path of righteousness and to transgress God's law. The innocent suffered because of his righteousness and was cast into prison because of his virtue, bearing it meekly without murmuring in self-control, patience and unwavering fidelity. This foreshadows and illustrates Christ, who came to His own and His own received Him not, but rejected and despised Him because His righteous acts and consistent, self-denying, holy life were a continual rebuke to corrupt profession and sin. He was hated because He faithfully reproved sin and corruption, though guilty of no wrong, with false witnesses hired to testify against Him that He might be condemned to a shameful death, as Joseph though innocent suffered for his righteousness and virtue.
Joseph in this false accusation stands as one of God's appointed witnesses who suffers reproach and persecution for truth's sake, maligned and persecuted because he was determined to preserve his virtue and integrity. His experience shows that followers of Christ are sorely tried and afflicted, having tribulation in the world while having peace in Christ. God leads His children through trial to perfect trust, and they enter the kingdom of God through much tribulation.
The youth tried and proved in Egypt who stood firm to principle became a representative man and a pattern of integrity worthy of imitation. His example shows that forming a character that will stand the test of the judgment is very serious business. Each person is responsible for the kind of character he builds and thereby decides his own eternal destiny, and the present probationary time is the only opportunity to stand God's test and proving with no second probation to come.
After Joseph refused temptation and fled, his mistress kept his garment beside her until her husband came home to use it as false proof against him in hatred of the virtue she could not corrupt. He was a youth proved in integrity who would not deviate from righteousness or transgress God's law for any inducement or threat. Though innocent and determined to preserve his virtue, he was maligned, treated as a criminal, and imprisoned with loss of liberty, name, and character for doing right. God watched over him, overruled the enemy's devices for good, and honored him as he had honored God, later advancing and exalting him. His suffering though innocent foreshadows Christ, who was hated, rejected, and condemned by false witnesses to a shameful death though guilty of no wrong because His holy life rebuked sin.
Setting and False Accusation
Genesis 39:16 belongs to Joseph's ten years of service to Potiphar, captain of the king's guard in Egypt, where amid surrounding idolatry and vice he preserved simplicity and fidelity to God as a worshiper of Jehovah. Because the Lord was with him he prospered, gained Potiphar's confidence, and was made steward with full control over all his possessions. By God's providence he had been placed among a foreign people so that he could bring them blessings through knowledge of God. There he represented the Lord without compromising his faith or his identity as a worshiper of the living God, honoring God in both prosperity and adversity.
After Joseph refused to yield and fled, Potiphar's wife kept his garment laid up by her until her husband came home. She kept it to testify falsely against him and used it as evidence for the false charge that led to his imprisonment. She acted in hatred against the virtue and integrity she could not corrupt, because the woman who would lead him astray could not prevail upon him to deviate from the path of righteousness and transgress God's law by any inducements or threats. He held to integrity and virtue, refused to be corrupted, and though innocent suffered because of his righteousness and was cast into prison because of his virtue.
He suffered calumny and wicked revenge with loss of liberty, name, and character for refusing temptation and doing right, yet he feared God and kept his integrity. He bore it meekly without murmuring, in self-control, patience, and unwavering fidelity, and his conduct displayed righteousness and a compassionate mind. God watched over him, preserved him, overruled the enemy's devices for good, and later turned the misfortune toward his advancement and exaltation. His experience in being innocent, rejected, and falsely accused foreshadows Christ, who was also innocent, rejected, and falsely accused.
Integrity and Providential Vindication
Joseph was a youth tried and proved who stood firm to principle and held to integrity and virtue as a pattern of integrity. He refused to deviate from the path of righteousness and to transgress God's law under any inducements or threats from the woman who would lead him astray. Though innocent and determined to preserve his virtue and integrity, he was maligned, persecuted, and treated as a criminal for refusing temptation and doing right. He suffered calumny and wicked revenge, with loss of liberty, name, and character, and was cast into prison because of his virtue. The garment kept by her until her husband came home became the false testimony used to accuse him.
Through the injustice and imprisonment he feared God and trusted God, keeping unwavering fidelity. He bore it meekly without murmuring, in self-control, patience, and meek endurance. His upright character was thus revealed under trial, and his conduct displayed righteousness and a compassionate mind.
God watched over him, preserved him, and brought victories for him even when circumstances appeared against him. Providence overruled the enemy's devices for good, turning the misfortune toward his advancement. As he had honored God in both prosperity and adversity, God honored him and later exalted him. Close connection with God does not bring prosperity in the things of this life but may bring sore trial and affliction. The Lord does not forget His people in the trying hour when persecuted, bound, imprisoned, sentenced to death, and enduring privation and want of food, but cannot forsake those dear to Him and keeps them from perishing; suffering while doing right did not mean God had forsaken Joseph.
Christ and Christian Example
The laying up of the garment until the master came home was the keeping of false evidence by hatred against a virtue and integrity it could not corrupt, after every inducement and threat had failed to turn Joseph aside from the path of righteousness and to transgress God's law. The innocent suffered because of his righteousness and was cast into prison because of his virtue, bearing it meekly without murmuring in self-control, patience and unwavering fidelity. This foreshadows and illustrates Christ, who came to His own and His own received Him not, but rejected and despised Him because His righteous acts and consistent, self-denying, holy life were a continual rebuke to corrupt profession and sin. He was hated because He faithfully reproved sin and corruption, though guilty of no wrong, with false witnesses hired to testify against Him that He might be condemned to a shameful death, as Joseph though innocent suffered for his righteousness and virtue.
Joseph in this false accusation stands as one of God's appointed witnesses who suffers reproach and persecution for truth's sake, maligned and persecuted because he was determined to preserve his virtue and integrity. His experience shows that followers of Christ are sorely tried and afflicted, having tribulation in the world while having peace in Christ. God leads His children through trial to perfect trust, and they enter the kingdom of God through much tribulation.
The youth tried and proved in Egypt who stood firm to principle became a representative man and a pattern of integrity worthy of imitation. His example shows that forming a character that will stand the test of the judgment is very serious business. Each person is responsible for the kind of character he builds and thereby decides his own eternal destiny, and the present probationary time is the only opportunity to stand God's test and proving with no second probation to come.