Let the Garment Go (Radio / Podcast)

she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
(Genesis 39:12 – ESV)

Sometimes we will never be validated, justified, or recognized as being right by anyone but God. The scriptures depict many righteous men and women being falsely accused. Sometimes they are vindicated, and sometimes, from an earthly perspective, they are not.

Consider Joseph. Potiphar’s wife had accused him, but he was an innocent man. Yet, she had his garment, and he had probably been seen running away. She was royalty, he was a slave – it would be her word against his. So there was a claim by a more credible person of reputation, there was the physical evidence, and perhaps other personal witnesses to his fleeing the scene of the supposed crime. By all appearances, it would seem Joseph was guilty.

We always talk of how Joseph was vindicated, how he rose to fame and power, how he got out of the pit, out of the prison, and into Pharaoh’s highest courts. He was vindicated before his father and his brothers. However, we may have forgotten that Potiphar never saw him as right. There may be people who you will never look right to, no matter what you do with your life. Sometimes, you might have to let the garment go.

People saw him run away and saw she had the garment. You may say, “Well Joseph got out of that prison”. Yes but it was from the hand of Pharaoh, not Potiphar. It was likely that Potiphar held the charge against Joseph his whole life, but Joseph had to let the garment go and let God take care of it. He went to prison just like he went into the pit, an innocent man. God got him out, yet he wasn’t vindicated in the way he might have wanted to be had he wanted to hold onto the garment. God may not redress the matter now but He will judge the matter and deal with it righteously in the final analysis.

There are some things we cannot control. In the Christian life we may have to let go of friends, family, fame or fortune, if it will ensnare us in sin. Are you holding onto your self respect and worried over the views of others when you are accused wrongly for the sake of Christ? Do you feel that you must be justified and that the garment justifies you and your case? Are you concerned that God might allow you to look bad and get fired or lose your reputation?

This is not a license to not care about what others think at all. Yes, we are indeed to avoid all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), but sometimes it is out of our control, and God is proving whether we will flee from sin or try and hold onto the garment of our own self vindication. Sometimes, it is best just to let the garment go.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©