Today's Benediction comes to us from the Book of Genesis. Our nation is facing a crisis this Thursday. A good man, a righteous man, a man of impeccable character, and love for God, his family, and our country is being falsely accused. The Bible is the source of what I call the parallel process to help us with a current problem or issue from and O.T. story.
Read this portion of Scripture recorded in the Book of Genesis about Joseph, they young man whose father loved him and gave him a coat of many colors:
Genesis 39:10-23 The wife of Potiphar lied and caused him to be placed in prison, but the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside."
16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
NKJV (New King James Version)
Genesis 39:10-23 In jail, God was still with Joseph, reached out in kindness, and put him on good terms with the jailer.
10 She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.
11 On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there. 12 She grabbed him by his cloak, saying, "Sleep with me!" He left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house. 13 When she realized that he had left his coat in her hand and run outside, 14 she called to her house servants: "Look — this Hebrew shows up and before you know it he's trying to seduce us. He tried to make love to me but I yelled as loud as I could. 15 With all my yelling and screaming, he left his coat beside me here and ran outside."
16 She kept his coat right there until his master came home. 17 She told him the same story. She said, "The Hebrew slave, the one you brought to us, came after me and tried to use me for his plaything. 18 When I yelled and screamed, he left his coat with me and ran outside."
19 When his master heard his wife's story, telling him, "These are the things your slave did to me," he was furious. 20 Joseph's master took him and threw him into the jail where the king's prisoners were locked up. But there in jail 21 God was still with Joseph: He reached out in kindness to him; he put him on good terms with the head jailer. 22 The head jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners — he ended up managing the whole operation. 23 The head jailer gave Joseph free rein, never even checked on him, because God was with him; whatever he did God made sure it worked out for the best.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Read this portion of Scripture recorded in the Book of Genesis about Joseph, they young man whose father loved him and gave him a coat of many colors:
Genesis 39:10-23 The wife of Potiphar lied and caused him to be placed in prison, but the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside."
16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
NKJV (New King James Version)
Genesis 39:10-23 In jail, God was still with Joseph, reached out in kindness, and put him on good terms with the jailer.
10 She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.
11 On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there. 12 She grabbed him by his cloak, saying, "Sleep with me!" He left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house. 13 When she realized that he had left his coat in her hand and run outside, 14 she called to her house servants: "Look — this Hebrew shows up and before you know it he's trying to seduce us. He tried to make love to me but I yelled as loud as I could. 15 With all my yelling and screaming, he left his coat beside me here and ran outside."
16 She kept his coat right there until his master came home. 17 She told him the same story. She said, "The Hebrew slave, the one you brought to us, came after me and tried to use me for his plaything. 18 When I yelled and screamed, he left his coat with me and ran outside."
19 When his master heard his wife's story, telling him, "These are the things your slave did to me," he was furious. 20 Joseph's master took him and threw him into the jail where the king's prisoners were locked up. But there in jail 21 God was still with Joseph: He reached out in kindness to him; he put him on good terms with the head jailer. 22 The head jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners — he ended up managing the whole operation. 23 The head jailer gave Joseph free rein, never even checked on him, because God was with him; whatever he did God made sure it worked out for the best.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)