Guilty, By False Accusation
Genesis 39:19
“And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.”
We often hear in the news of someone who was found not guilty of a crime after spending several years in prison. Sadly, someone in the past didn’t do their homework on the investigation, and an innocent person paid for a crime they never committed. Every time I hear this, I am saddened for that person who had several years of their life taken away because of a poor investigation.
Joseph can certainly understand the feeling of being falsely accused. In the verse above, you see that Joseph was found guilty of something he never did. Potiphar believed that Joseph was guilty because his wife told him a lie. To some extent I can’t blame Potiphar for believing his wife, but he should have done an investigation before having a man thrown in prison. Imagine how Potiphar felt when several years later he saw that Joseph was promoted to second in command in Egypt. All this happened because Potiphar believed the report from someone he loved as truth without doing his homework to find out if it was true.
This story happens often in society. Parents believe a report from their children without doing any research to see if their children are telling the truth. A child comes home from school and tells their parents a false story of how they were treated by other children or even the teacher. Going off the story of their child, those parents go in and make fools of themselves because they didn’t hear the whole story.
Moreover, I have watched people believe false reports about others without doing their own research to see if the accusation is true. Someone they loved told them something, and because they have loved and trusted that person for many years, they take it as truth without doing their own research. Many people have fallen on the wrong side of a situation because they believed the report of someone close to them without doing their own research.
Let me give you a friendly warning to do your own research before you believe an accusation. Just because someone you love and trust tells you a story does not make it true. You must remember that there are always two sides to every story. If you don’t do your research, you could find yourself on the wrong side because of your lack of researching it yourself.
Furthermore, everyone is capable of lying. I know you may not want to believe someone whom you love would lie to you, but it wouldn’t be the first time. Most people have their own agenda. Often, when someone does something that will hurt their agenda, then they can quickly get in the flesh and falsely accuse someone to keep their agenda going.
Let me encourage you to do your own research when you hear accusations. Don’t believe someone is guilty just because a close friend or family member told you they are. You can find yourself charging someone as being guilty who is truly innocent if you don’t do your own research. Always move slowly on accusations, and do your own research before you make your guilty decision. This will keep you from much embarrassment and regret.