By the time Mr. Potiphar and Doc made their rounds, Mrs. Potiphar was sitting serenely at her patio table having bathed in both soap and water, and in her new-found delight. She sipped at her morning Egyptian coffee. Both men were stunned at her remarkable transformation.
From my secluded vantage nook I watched Mr. Potiphar's expression change and develop from one of worried concern to surprise and wonder to savoring her every feature with relief and upsurging hormones. But he controlled himself giving her but a peck on the cheek and a few whispered words nuzzled into her ear. He seated himself opposite her gazing in sustained adoration.
Mr. All-Business Doc, of course, quizzed her medically and finding her magically of "sound mind" and body, made himself scarce.
Now was a grand time for me to exit too. I decided, that for once, it was not a good time to eavesdrop. I left, shooing the other handmaids along ahead of me as if they were a bunch of cackling hens. They had hovered about the entrance making inquisitive gestures at each other feeling something monumental had occurred and wanting "to know".
Whatever then transpired in that married tete-a-tete it certainly did miracles to strengthen Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar's marriage. And then Mrs. P became so good and kind to us all and did many good deeds for those much less fortunate than herself as an outpouring of her love and gratitude for God.
She became a real woman of worth. Truly noble, worshiping and praising that God of Joseph whom she had ever after made, "The God of Mrs. Potiphar".
And now YOU know...
The End.
~ERC~
"Girl, come here!" commanded Mrs. Potiphar. "Help me prepare my evening ablutions before I retire for the night."
Calmly double-stepping into her boudoir, I pushed aside her dangly-bead curtain still half absorbed in my own thoughts and therefore unprepared for her agonizing shriek! Jolted to my senses, I rushed to her side in time to catch her as she fell backward in a faint.
Clutching her, ahem, my letter, to her bosom she muttered incoherently; her eyelids fluttering to beat the band. "Call the doctor!" I shouted urgently to the underling slaves at my disposal. They scurried away at my bidding giving me the chance to discreetly tuck "the letter" away.
Mr. Potiphar, startled by the alarming hullabaloo, galloped in at horse-race speed with the doctor bringing up a close second. Potiphar fumed, fussed and fidgeted wanting to know "the meaning of this commotion".
Innocently, I declared, "My mistress called me in to help her prepare for the night. I was on my way in when she inexplicably shrieked. I'm not sure what the problem is. She collapsed in my arms and there she lays. Whatever will we do, my master?!"
Doctor busied himself taking temp, pulse, BP--doctor stuff, you know. He made up a sedative, injecting some and leaving some tablets to be given orally as needed. "Just let her rest now," said he. "Perhaps come morning we'll get the 'what for' of the matter. If you ask me, Mr. Potiphar, there's been something eating at her for some time. Something must have sparked it off. If we don't get to the bottom of it, well, the news may not be good."
I thought my gasp must have been rather audible but neither man flinched. Safe, for now. I must stay very close to my mistress. Be by her side the moment she awakes. Circumventing the doctor's inquisition is imperative now.
Things were spinning. May the God of Joseph be of help now!
Despite nodding off a few times myself, I still sensed when mistress stirred in the early hours of dawn. She searched about for her letter and I placed it prudently into her hand.
She saw me then. "Oh maid, what am I to do? I don't want anyone to know about this. I trust you and you alone. Is anyone else about?"
I reassured her of our solitude and asked what had alarmed her; telling her I knew she was very troubled lately and have been concerned for her welfare.
"The letter! From whom could it be!? Not HIM, I hope! Oh maid, I'm so scared!"
"What does it say?" I asked, already knowing the answer. terrified!"
"That I must repent!" "That I must forgive myself!" "Who knows my secret sin?"
In as steady a voice as I could muster, I told her, "My mistress, please, for your own good, do what the letter asks, now! The doctor and Mr. Potiphar are coming soon. They want to get to the bottom of your troubles. You cannot avoid the confrontation. They too are concerned for your welfare."
"Please let me help you here and now. We can call on the God we've heard of who created us, for help."
"He is perceived to be a good god. Caring about people and makes them noble and good. (Ha! I didn't dare to say "the God of Joseph" to her.")
"Don't worry about whom the letter is from. Please, just do as it asks! Try this god who's rumored to be so good."
"Do you think He'll actually help??!" she quivered.
"My lady, do try, there's nothing to lose," I ventured.
"Well, what should I say? Do I make sacrifices and offerings? What does He want of me?" she queried aloud, half forgetting I was there.
"I'm not sure but the people who believe in this 'god' seem only to talk simply to Him as if He is right with them in the room. Why not just tell Him what you've got on your conscience and as the letter says, tell him you repent and are sorry for what you did. Ask Him to forgive you and then tell Him you forgive yourself."
I answered in such boldness yet with my heart pounding in fear I'd overstepped the line. But she was so beside herself and actually thinking with unselfish intensity for once, that she was oblivious to what normally would've been considered impertinence. "Phew!" You won't believe what she did next!
She bolted out of bed, actually prostrating herself on the floor, and uttered her story with such pathos; it all tumbled out in one, big truthful lament. Tears were streaming down her contrite face.
I was speechless but rushed to the door to insure her privacy--even from her husband. Well, and um, from myself, too.
At last she quieted down and she softly bid me come. Joy blossomed upon her countenance, and despite the tear-stained cheeks, made her more radiant in beauty than she ever had been.
"It worked!" she exclaimed. "This god is real!" She could barely contain herself.
I was fearful the doc would give her another 'calm-her-down-shot' thinking she'd gone off the other end of the spectrum.
But....she was praising the God of Joseph and I was right glad for her. It made me want to praise Him too!
~ERC~
Part 3 to follow...
Click link to
Part 3
Preface
Have you ever wondered what happened to that conniving, low-down Potiphar's wife? Young Joseph the slave got on her wrong side. (See Genesis 39 for details). In their book Women of the Bible, Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda wonder too, and suggest readers put in their own two cents worth...I've chosen a perspective from Mrs. Potiphar's slave girl...Here goes...
Chapter One
I can't help but to feel sorry for her, cowering each time she sees Joseph, or should I say, Zaphenath-Paneah, whirl by in his chariot; dust swirling in his wake. She's a nervous wreck but the whispering gossipers don't know why.
Being her humble servant girl, I do know! I've overheard her side of the story. She said Joseph supposedly tried to rape her. I overheard Joseph's side too, what he told Potiphar. I believe Joseph's is the true story. But, hey, I can't say anything to anyone if I want to keep my life. I will make an exception today though but don't tell anyone I told you.
Mrs. Potiphar is forever slyly, or not so slyly, trying to get male attention and because of her unique beauty its not so difficult. She works and works her charms. No kidding--I've seen her do it often.
She was so accustomed to getting what she wanted--so I've heard--when she was growing up and Mr. Potiphar indulges her atrociously, keeping up with the tradition. He does guard her jealously from other men but she manages to be so coy behind his back.
As you can imagine, when Joseph refused her seductive advances and beat a hasty retreat, she was absolutely livid. To save her own skin she falsely accused poor Joseph. After all, who will put much credit in what a slave says? Mr. Potiphar--even though he usually has a level and shrewd head--chose to protect his wife and thus himself from ridicule.
Now that Joseph is such a powerful man, not to mention, more handsome and fearsome than ever, I think my mistress is petrified he'll expose the truth. Personally, I don't think such a man of importance, and of, what shall I say, integrity and righteousness, will bother with her much.
She nearly swooned on me the other day when HE passed by and I asked her what was wrong. She just looked more frantic and covered her mouth to stifle the sobs.
So what is to become of Mrs. Potiphar? How can I put her mind at rest? She doesn't know I know her secret. She's on the brink of a mental breakdown. In a way it serves her right. But how does one overcome the guilt of one's wrong acts and lies?
Joseph seems to be such a good man that I think he'd forgive her if asked but that's nigh impossible to arrange. Hmmmm. Maybe I should just point blank tell her that whatever it is with her and "that man" (oh, yes, my mistress I do notice your violent reactions to him whenever he passes), that she should try to forget him and forgive herself whatever the connection is with him. (I daresn't tell her I "know"!)
Maybe, I'll just write her a letter--that's my secret, she doesn't know I can read and write--so many secrets in this intrigue. A secret letter. Yes. Tell her to repent and then forgive herself.
The doctor also says that it would help her get better...hmmm. That doc is good, he can read between the lines. He realizes her trouble has to do with, well, something wrong in the past that's come back to haunt. (Yes, I was eavesdropping, again.)
Write, write, write; scribble, scribble, scribble...now leave the missive unobtrusively...here's hoping the antidote will work...
~ERC~
Click links below for continuing story...
Part 2
Part 3
One sleepless, wakeful night I decided to commune with God; we had quite the time together. About 5 a.m. I got up and decided to try to write down the accumulation of all those words (with a bit of add in to make more sense when wider awake)...
"In the image of God we were made long ago...
That you love one another as I have loved you."
So went the song that kept circulating through my mind.
The Image.
When we look into a mirror we see only an image of ourselves--not the real us. We, Christians, are like that mirror. We are the mirror, so to speak, that God looks into. How do we reflect Him? Is the mirror dull, dirty, spotted; or is it sparkling clear?
Let us let God's glory shine out of us.
Sanctify ourselves. His Word asks us to "Be holy, for I am Holy..." (1 Peter 1:15,16)
Communion. God yearns for us to talk to Him; to commune with Him, to have intimacy with Him. He has made us worthy through Jesus' death and resurrection and His redeeming work in us. This He initiated in us at our time of salvation.
Sanctification and communion. What are they about?
Sanctification: a big word signifying that process for becoming more Christlike. It's the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Again God says to us "Be holy, because I am" and as 2 Corinthians 7:1 tells us, "...let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." We are to aim for that perfection.
God knows we are human but still asks us to aim for that perfection and holiness to be "like Him". (2 Corinthians 13:11). Like Father, like son or daughter.
When we reflect God we will love others as He loved us. How has He loved us? By sending His Son to redeem us. He held out His hands to us and is still holding them out to us still yearning for us, reaching for us, inviting us to commune.
God visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden wanting to commune with them.
He enjoyed it.
Imagine yourself there. Nothing to mar that peaceful, wonderful time; that appointment with God in the beautiful Garden of Eden.
We are not told how many days, months, or years until The Fall happened. No doubt enough time had elapsed that the time spent with God in "the cool of the day" was an established routine so that Adam and Eve's day was not complete without it. Communion with God their Creator was essential.
Satan had to stick his oar in and ruin that paradise communion. He's like that. Still is today; come to steal, kill and destroy. He will find all ways and means to stop and break that communion; that intimacy we may have with God. His ways include any number of distractions and evils: adultery, incest, drinking, drugs, gambling; anything, even good things that we could put priority to, that would mar that relationship between God and ourselves.
Many people are hurting because their earthly father betrayed their trust in one way or another. Therefore, the idea of God as their Father is not easy to come to grips with.
Hurting person...talk to Jesus instead if that is easier for you than to God. It was like that for one person I know, whom I'll call Katie, until she fell in love with God.
She yearned for her father's affection. She craved to be vindicated as a woman, a girl, a female but because of the way her Dad treated her Mom, she never seemed to be able to attain that significance. The father would tell stories to others in her Mom's hearing that were hurtful to her Mom. It made people laugh but the Mom was put in a bad light.
Katie came to despise her Mom because those stories made her out to be a stupid woman. She also came to hate men. Those stories were an affront to her as a female resulting in much unhappiness with her own gender. Resentment towards anything too female caused the dislike of women in general and of being a woman in particular.
Paradoxically resentment flared towards her Dad and men. Regardless of that Katie would still attempt to gain her Dad's appropriate affection and attention and did succeed in a limited way. But at the core, to be accepted, treasured and cherished for who she was as a person and more significantly, as a woman, was still elusive.
Grappling with that got carried over into her eventual marriage where she desperately demanded the same of her husband. Little success there. These issues dulled and cracked the mirror that was Katie, restricting God's glory and image from illuminating forth.
Don't despair. Katie did eventually grasp that God is always there, ready to accept us and love us for who we are. His yearning arms are outstretched in love to us. He can and will wrap us in His love and affection. He treasures us. He loved us ever so long before we thought of loving Him. (1 John 4:9-19)
If we are to love one another as He loved us, we must see how He showed us His love. Over the thousands of years of time, He has continually reached out to mankind.
He and Abraham were friends. Abraham could talk to Him frankly which is especially noted in His prayer to save as many righteous persons in Sodom and Gomorrah as possible.
God didn't mind that frank talk; it was communion. What is communion?
This does not refer to the breaking of bread and drinking of wine in remembrance of Jesus death and resurrection. According to the New Collins International Dictionary, communion is "an exchange of thoughts, emotion, etc". Think of that ladies!! God cares about our emotions; He wants to hear about them. It is also a "sharing in common anticipation and an exchange of strong feeling akin to being 'in-tune' with someone else". Men, you too are allowed to have emotions and to express the depths of your soul with God. He cares.
Just think of that. God wants and encourages communion with His people. He yearns for this with us; an intense, wanting desire to commune with us, His creatures. Abraham was in his right.
Hannah...ladies...out of her desperation, poured out her heart's pain and yearning for a child. God heard her, understood her, and granted her request.
David, after he had sinned (Psalm 51) repented, confessed and was scared to death that God would break communion with him. He besought God NOT to take the Holy Spirit away from him. God showed His mercy and granted David his desire.
Think of all God's dealings with the Israelites time and time again. Even though they sinned often, God still reached out to them--wanting, longing to reconnect if they so wished.
Saul, the persecutor in the New Testament, got 'arrested' by God. He literally got stopped in his tracks (Acts 9:1-6). Saul didn't go to God, God went to Saul. Saul could relate to God but not to Jesus. It will be that way for some people. God introduced Saul to Jesus.
We know what wondrous results that brought; salvation for Saul who would now be known as Paul. God and Paul then had great communion even as Paul began the process of sanctification. He then began to reflect, more and more, the image of God in a clearer and cleaner way.
Communion and sanctification go hand and glove in mirroring the image of God in our lives too. May the glory of God shine forth from us in ever increasing measure.
Great and mighty things were revealed to Daniel because of his intimacy and multiple daily times of communion with God. He knew God's heart well. That wasn't always appreciated by his colleagues but the kings saw and respected Daniel. Even the colleagues, though, knew that image of God that was stamped upon Daniel.
Let us encourage one another to reach up to our Heavenly Father. Grasp His outstretched arms. Commune with Him in sincerity. Let there be that pivotal moment when we fall in love with God. He'll reciprocate.
Commune with Him. He is waiting to hear from you. Imagine yourself sitting in the Garden of Eden with all its beautiful greenery and foliage, quiet waters; tame animals brushing up against you, and you sitting in a soft patch of grass near the river bank in the "cool of the day". You are waiting expectantly for God to appear to share His desires with you.
You can count on Him coming because He always comes every day at that time. You are eager and early for that appointment. Here He comes let Him wrap His loving, tender arms about you. He is cherishing His treasure: His daughter, His son, you, in appropriate ways as a mother her child, and conversing with you.
Be still now.
Know He is God.
Know He is your Champion.
Know He wants only good for you.
To hear your voice. To talk with you.
Open God's Word. Read a portion.
Meditate on it. Commune.
This does not mean all your troubles will vanish. Just give you the way through them. The strength and help to overcome in the knowledge that He loves you and cares about you and your everyday life.
In this knowledge may His image shine ever brighter in you and reflect to others so that God will get the glory, honor and respect due to Him in our lives. So that others will know that you are His disciple known and loved by God. And you can show others of God's disciples that love even radiating out to non-believers; that all men will know.
When we can reach out to others as God has reached out to us--even to those we deem unlovable; to those who irritate us, etc, to those we find difficult to love, even when we reach out to them, the image of God gets brighter. The glory of God shines out as it did in Moses' face after he had seen God's glory up there on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:29-35).
May we all genuinely beam with God's sparkling clear radiance.
Amen.
The End.
~ERC 2015~
Calling all Salt Shakers!
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13
Further to the idea of "living in the white" (see Part 1 and 2) and being able to be distinguished as a Christian, in favor with God and man; able to transform not only ourselves but our sphere of life, we need to have 'salt' in ourselves. We need to be a 'salt shaker'. Shake that 'salt' around.
How do we do that!? Know God's Word well; not bashing others over the head with it but by living according to His standards and principles. Is this possible? "...Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37). As Christians we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. He is our power source for living "like Christ" and being the salt of the earth. Salt-shaker-living is therefore possible.
For example: You have a tiff with a colleague. You apologize where the norm would be to hold a grudge, seek revenge, or spread vindictive gossip about him or her behind their back. The apology, whether accepted or not, will likely still have long-term positive impact which may show itself at a later date. Apologizing or forgiving someone is not easy but with God's supernatural grace and power it can be accomplished. This is shaking 'salt' around.
As we live day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year in such fashion: living in the white; allowing God to perfect us; and 'shaking our salt', slowly but surely we are transformed and able to help others transform around us by God's infinite, loving grace. Let us so live. Live to create that beauty we have in Christ and sail on for Him.
~ERC 2015~
Are you a melting pot or a tossed salad? Are you just a "good-living person" like most others or can people tell you actually belong to Christ?
It has been said that the USA was a "melting pot" of peoples. The people who had immigrated from so many different places forged the new nation together, relinquishing their distinguishing cultures for the new and the good of their adoptive country. Generally, and eventually, you couldn't tell one from the other. They had blended, or "melted" together to become "American".
Nowadays folks like to go back to their roots reviving and maintaining culture and traditions which in and of itself is fine. They are becoming/have become more of a "tossed salad"; able to differentiate the "ingredients". This redefining may possibly be at the expense of "one nation, under God, indivisible".
This analogy is good in a sense in that it can show us consequences of compromises in our Christian life; we will "melt in" to the general status quo of society at large. However, when we stand up fully, with courage for God's principles and standards, we can be recognized as God's children. Tweak yourself away from the gray; live in the white. Make a difference. Transform yourself with the Holy Spirit's help, for God. Let the world know, that 'yes', you do belong to the God of the universe and love Him enough to live by His status quo.
~ERC 2015~
