Introduction: I don’t know how many of you have felt like the king of the world one minute and then as far down in the dumps as you could be the next, but it's not an uncommon theme, both in the Bible and in real life. Joseph was the favoured son of his father but then was thrown into a pit by his brothers.
Then he was taken out of the pit and sold to Arabs who took him to another country where he was sold again. No sooner is he sold in Egypt, than he was exalted to the chief position in his house. But once again, that will come to a screeching halt.
While we look at the details of these stories, do not hesitate to relate them to your own life. It's a truth that we can’t know what’s good without what’s bad, we can’t truly know what’s sweet without comparing it to what’s bitter. Unless we get sick, we can’t appreciate what it means to be healthy
Oh God, contrast is what makes the sweet even sweeter
Contrast helps me to know how good feeling good really can be
And knowing the brightness is one hundred per cent neater
Having walked before in darkness; now in your light eternally
We can have general ideas about things, but contrast is what helps us to understand things more completely. Joseph’s life is one of peaks and valleys, but so are ours. Through the good and the bad, the Lord was with Joseph. He was a son of the line of promise and God was faithful to be with him in every situation.
If He was with Joseph, who lived before Jesus, how much more sure can we be that He is with us now that we have the full measure of God’s love poured out in us through His Son? This is why Paul confidently tells us again and again about the sure hope and promises that we have in Christ.
Don’t lose sight of this. Joseph was never abandoned, and the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you either.
Text Verse: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8, 9
When Joseph was rejected by his family, sold into bondage, or thrown into prison, he must have wondered about the love of God and the promises passed on to him by his father about the God of Abraham. And yet, he is a model example of one who continues to act with integrity in every situation he faces.
Paul was the same way. He trusted Jesus with every fibre of his being and even in the most difficult of circumstances. He understood that the Lord’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are infinitely above ours.
If you understand this, then no matter how bad things get, you can know that God is right there with you, and direct you through those things to a great finish line. It is His word that allows us to have this confidence. Therefore, let’s open it again today and see a wonderful example of it in Joseph’s trials. And so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.
I. Accusing the Overseer
Let me give a quick review of what happened in the previous verses. Joseph was sold by his brothers and taken down to Egypt where he was bought by Potiphar, the chief of the executioners. Because of his faithful service, he was eventually elevated to the overseer of Potiphar’s entire house.
In turn, Potiphar’s house was more than abundantly blessed. Everything from the house to the field prospered. Eventually though, because of his ravishingly good looks, Potiphar’s wife cast longing eyes on him. She continuously nagged him to lie with her, but he resisted. Now we start up with verse 11…
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,
“About this time” takes us right back to verse 8 of the chapter which said, “And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.'”
Potiphar’s wife had longing eyes for Joseph and the burning didn’t end when he shunned her the first time. Instead, her passions went right on. She had been rejected by a handsome slave and this probably only made her want him more. In his usual order of duty, we’re told that Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside.
According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, this was because it was a time of a festival. He tells us that it would be usual for the women to attend these things, but instead, she told her husband that she was sick and would stay home.
That would explain why there was no one else around and even Joseph probably didn’t know she was home. In verse ten, it implied that he tried to avoid such entanglements. There it said, “day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.”
12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.”
In verse eight, she said these same words, shibah time. Since verse eight, no other words from her are recorded. And so here we see the Bible do what it does quite a few other times. It is showing the depth of the intent of a statement by a person by exactly repeating it without any intermediary words from them.
This repetition by Potiphar’s wife is intended to show us the perverse nature of the woman and her determined purpose of pursuing this course until she wears Joseph out. Such repetitions are used in films and TV shows nowadays.
One person will be introduced from time to time and they say the same thing every time they’re seen. If you wondered where the idea came from, the Bible is a top candidate as a guess. Even if that’s not where Hollywood got the idea, it shows the Bible’s depth of the understanding of humanity by recording things like this.
If God is the Creator, and He is, and this is His word, and it is, then it will give us insights into the nature of man in a timeless way. Little insights like these are amazing in their literary and anthropological value.
After having read the Bible through for the 20th time or so, I started making each new time interesting by looking for something different. On one of those times, I searched for every such repetition in the Bible. I found about a hundred or so of them and then catalogued them in order and then in a few different ways.
If you take time to do things like this, you’ll find it simply wonderful tucked away. These are fantastic little treasures that may have never been seen or thought about before. So use your imagination when you study the Bible. It’s an infinite resource of wisdom and beauty for us to peruse.
Yes, Lord, Charlie is right about this one, for sure
Searching Your word will only help as I grow day by day
So give me a hunger to pursue You more and more
And in the study of Your word, my hunger I will allay
12 (can't) But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
In the Middle East, even today in some cultures, but throughout the whole area at this time, the people wore garments that were loose around the body. It is hot and having something like this would have been cool and yet fashionable. Slave garments would probably have been of different material, style, and/or colour to identify them, but they would follow the general motif of the day.
In Joseph’s case, she got hold of it, probably hoping to pull him closer. A touch will excite more than just words and maybe she was hoping this would do the trick. Instead, away he runs with either very little or nothing at all, to cover him.
The same thing happened at the Garden of Gethsemane as one of Jesus’ disciples fled from the guards who arrested Him –
“Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.” Mark 14:51, 52
Because Mark is the only one who recorded this in the gospels, it’s believed that he was writing about himself. Both Matthew and John do the same thing as they speak about themselves in the third person in their gospels.
The contrast is notable though. Joseph fled for the honour of what is right; Mark fled in the disgrace of doing what was wrong. One fled to God in righteousness; the other fled from God in cowardice. One will be punished for doing the right thing; the other will be forgiven for doing the wrong thing.
Such is the marvellous tapestry of God’s word as it unfolds before us. And such are the lessons we can learn for ourselves. We very well may be punished or harmed for pursuing righteousness, but God is watching and recording our actions for future rewards.
Likewise, we may take the wrong course and run from what we know is right, and God is there watching and recording to demonstrate His great mercy on us – the objects of His affection. Never underestimate the grandeur of the ability of God to use your rights as well as your wrongs in amazing ways.
13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,
With all of the intrigue the world has seen, Joseph’s actions are all the more surprising. How many times have lovers planned ways of overthrowing homes, spouses, and even empires? If he wanted this woman, he could have turned the situation into a cunning plot that may bring him to freedom and even wealth. Instead, Joseph turns and runs.
In the Morning Bride by William Congreve, the actress Zara says this in Act III, “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” I wonder if Congreve was thinking of this verse after reading the account of Potiphar’s wife?
The woman is scorned by a slave more righteous than she, and so with his garment in her hand, she can now take out her fury in place of the passion she has lost…
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 into me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
The term “Hebrew” hasn’t been used since Genesis 14:13 when it was first introduced into the pages of the Bible. In other words, this is only the second time it’s been used thus far in Scripture. If Israel is the national identity of the people, the term Hebrew is somewhat synonymous with Israel and yet something deeper. It is the calling of that national group.
Our national identity is American, but we as a people, first and foremost, should be “Christians.” This is the force and effect of the term Hebrew. When Jonah was asked who he was, his answer was, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
He was identifying Himself with the collective group of people who were spiritually tied to the Lord, Jehovah. To Jonah, this identified the “why” of the circumstances which had occurred that had led to the question in the first place.
The term Hebrew is derived from Abraham’s great-great-great-great-grandfather Eber. Eber means “he who crossed over” and it signifies that he and his family are the ones who crossed over the Euphrates and away from Babel, the land of apostasy from all truth. This was more than just a physical crossing of a river, but a spiritual crossing over, hence the title being used first of Abraham.
Potiphar’s wife is probably calling him a “Hebrew” as a way of shaming him. In essence, she might be saying, “This guy calls himself a Hebrew. If that is a Hebrew, then what a bad thing being a Hebrew must be.” Joseph had done nothing wrong and yet he was being maligned by the use of his identity.
This is the same intent concerning the use of the word “Christian” in 1 Peter 4:16 – “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” It is the biblical model that suffering for what is right is commendable.
Lord, the thought of suffering doesn’t make me tickle with joy
But to suffer for your name is the highest honour of all
And so give me the determination to a humble attitude employ
When suffering comes; yes Lord, on the day of such a call
Something important happens here for us to see. Whether you noticed it or not, Potiphar’s wife has indicted her husband in this verse. “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us…” The accusation of Joseph’s actions falls on the one who appointed Joseph. This is the same thing that is seen in Jesus.
Paul, citing the 69th Psalm, shows the same attitude towards Christ as we see in this verse about Joseph and Potiphar – “For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.'” (15:3)
Joseph sets the example and the ultimate realization of it is found in the cross of Christ. Joseph was stripped of his garments and suffered shame in the process. Jesus was likewise stripped of His garments and bore the reproach of many who surrounded him. However, the accusation of Christ is an accusation against God.
The question we should then ask is, “Should we if we are wrongly accused of our faith as Christians, feel that we are above these things?” No! Rather, we should feel honoured if we suffer for having done right and maintained our integrity. In the case of Joseph, the very thing that he had run from is what he is accused of. And in the process, Potiphar shares in the blame.
“He came into me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.” All wrongs will be made right. Someday, Potiphar’s wife will stand in the presence of the Lord and receive her fair sentence as will we all. As Jesus said in Matthew 12 –
“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.”
Those who wrongly accuse us may have the temporary victory, but in the end, it is the faithful follower of Christ, who runs to God and away from sin, that will be exalted. Don’t forget this when it’s time to speak up, especially about moral issues which are so quickly degrading our society. God does have your back.
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.”
How would a lady explain having a man’s garments in her hand? A loud yell would do it. Verse 11 said that none of the men of the house was inside. The only way to feign innocence would be to claim she yelled for everyone to hear her, when in fact she knew that no one could.
But the story will work because it plausibly explains why she would have the garment when Joseph was stronger than she was.
II. The Oldest Trick – Passing the Buck
16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.
Potiphar’s wife is using Jacob’s garment to accuse him. This is a parallel to what happened to Jesus. In Luke 23:11, it says, “Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.”
Later in John 19, we read this –
“So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. 4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
The robe of Jesus, first placed on Him by Herod and which was then taken off to scourge Him before being put back on Him, was used as an accusation against Him. In essence, it was to imply that he was a usurper of the ruler – who to Israel was God alone. By wearing a king’s garments, it implied that He was a King.
This is exactly what Potiphar’s wife is accusing Joseph of. By trying to sleep with her, he would usurp Potiphar’s authority because she was the one thing that was withheld from Joseph. Time and again, every detail is pointing to Jesus.
The meticulous work of God in using real details of real lives is simply amazing. In the case of Joseph, it’s even more so. Not only is he recorded to show us what would come in Christ, but also how God would deliver Israel in the future. But that deliverance of Israel is given to us to again show the work of Christ!
God is building upon each story in such an intricately marvellous way and every detail is about His entrance into the stream of humanity in the Person of Jesus. And yet, people pray to Mary, confess to popes and priests, and miss the mark of God’s astonishing love which is found in nail-scarred hands longingly held out to us.
17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came into me to mock me;
The accusation she said to those around her, she now states directly to Potiphar – “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us…” This is exactly what Adam did to the Lord when he was confronted with his sin. In Genesis 3, we see the first example ever of passing the buck from one’s guilt to someone else –
“And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
Potiphar’s wife, just like Adam, places the blame for her sin on him. And in turn, Joseph is the recipient of her deserved punishment. Fortunately for us, we too have a recipient for ours. Jesus will bear our guilt, just as Joseph will be forced to bear the guilt of this woman.
18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”
There is truth mixed with lies in this verse; statements that will convict an innocent man. The same happened with Jesus. He stood in front of several councils before His crucifixion and people came with testimony that was only partially true or which was misconstrued.
He had done no wrong, but He was tried and found guilty. The pattern is first seen in Joseph and ultimately realized in who he is picturing. Joseph is the falsely accused overseer of Potiphar’s house; Jesus is the falsely accused Overseer of God’s house.
And so here we have an amazing picture of man’s fall and redemption. Adam was found naked after disobeying God; Joseph was stripped of his garment; Jesus was stripped of His garment.
Adam blames God by saying He gave her the woman. Potiphar’s wife blames Potiphar, picturing God by saying he brought the Hebrew into them. And, the chief priests, scribes, and elders blame God as is noted in Matthew 27-
“He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” Matthew 27:42, 43
After Adam’s transgression, God covered him with the skins of an animal. After Joseph is cast into the pit, he will be brought out and clothed in garments of fine linen. And when Jesus was brought out of the tomb, he received His heavenly garments.
But even more, He now grants us the same white garments of righteousness, lost by Adam at the fall. In Christ, the circle is complete in returning man to a state of undefiled righteousness in the presence of God – pictured here as the events of Joseph’s life continue to unfold.
The call rings out “not guilty,” though I have sinned so many times
And I look and see a Man hanging bloody on a tree
My guilt was transferred to His cross thus excusing all my crimes
What kind of love has been poured out on undeserving me?
III. The King’s Prisoner
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.
Potiphar’s anger is aroused at what happened, but it doesn’t say at who. We infer that it is Joseph, but it’s not specific. It could have said, “His anger was aroused at Joseph” as the Bible often does. An example of this is when Moses is alone with the Lord.
“So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: ‘Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well.'” Exodus 4:14
I believe that Joseph’s name is omitted because it pictures Christ. God’s anger was aroused at the sin that had occurred, but it was aroused uniquely in Christ. He became the Substitute for our sin. What we’ve done wrong was judged in Him. This is why Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, said this –
“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:42
The cup of God’s wrath was handed to Jesus, and He drank it down in our place despite being innocent of any wrongdoing. Potiphar’s anger was aroused as well and he took it out on an innocent man. Looking at the next verse, we can see this more clearly…
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.
Joseph was Potiphar’s property, and Potiphar is the captain of the executioners. If he believed that Joseph was truly guilty, he would certainly have had him executed. But because of the accusations of his wife, which couldn’t be substantiated, he took a course of action that shows us the substitutionary work of Jesus.
He sent Joseph to the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. In Hebrew, it is best ha Zohar, the Round House. It is a very unusual term that is only used eight times in the Bible and all eight are in this particular story and nowhere else.
The Jewish writer Mercer observes, “that it was made underground, and at the top of it was a hole which let in light, and at which they went into it.” It is a convincing description of what we would think of as the tomb of Jesus; a round area cut out of stone with an entrance that could be covered.
Joseph has taken the blame for what she did even though Potipher surely knew he was innocent. Jesus took the blame for what we have done, even though He is innocent. Every sin will be punished. It will either be in us or a Substitute. What this account seems to show is that precept. Even down the location – a round hole dug out of rock.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
If the sentence of Joseph pictures the sentencing of Jesus, then the Lord’s presence with Joseph in that sentence is to be seen in the same way towards Jesus. In death, the Lord was with Him.
Joseph was never abandoned by the Lord, even though he suffered for a crime he didn’t commit. And Jesus was not left abandoned when He suffered for our crimes. The favour of the Lord was with Him and it remained with Him. Thus the words of the psalm are true, “His mercy endures forever.”
In Psalm 16:10, it says, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Jesus was raised from the tomb to become the ruler of all of God’s kingdom. Joseph will be in prison, but he won’t be abandoned. Instead, he will be brought out and made ruler over all of Pharaoh’s kingdom.
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.
Again, we’re being asked to view this from a prophetic perspective. There is no doubt about it. If all of the other aspects of what has happened have pointed to Jesus, then we can surely see the same in this verse as well. It is Jesus who has been given authority over all those who are in the prison of the tomb.
He has complete authority over all the souls of men in the grave. We take passages like this, and we make sermons about how to live nobly in difficult circumstances, which by the way is true, but we miss what God is trying to show us. The details of Joseph’s life were selected to show us the magnificence of the work of Jesus.
There isn’t a verse yet which hasn’t brought me closer to understanding Him and His glory. If we get this right, and if we can focus on that, then all of the “living right” concepts will follow and the right living applications will be much more pronounced in each of us.
Jesus prevailed so that we can prevail. The Lord was with Joseph to show that the Lord was with Jesus. If we are in Christ, then the Lord is with us. Even in death, we can have the absolute assurance that He is the Overseer of our lives and our souls. Who wouldn’t live right with that kind of knowledge!
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.
Having taken everything that we have seen in this section and viewed it from the lens of the work of Christ, we can take this last verse and see it completely realized in Him. Christ was in the grave, the prison of Joseph if you will.
The Lord was with Him and whatever He did, the Lord made it prosper. Think on that as I read you this familiar passage from Isaiah which almost mirrors what we’ve seen in these last verses from Genesis 39 –
And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge, My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Hallelujah for the work of the Lord and for the beautiful pictures of that work which have been given to show us of His coming. Matthew Henry, who I don’t quote very often, stated this thought about today’s passage quite eloquently. Listen to what he says concerning the life of Joseph and how he pictures Jesus –
“Let us not forget, through Joseph, to look unto Jesus, who suffered being tempted, yet without sin; who was slandered, and persecuted, and imprisoned, but without cause; who by the cross ascended to the throne. May we be enabled to follow the same path in submitting and in suffering, to the same place of glory.”
All of these many stories, pictures, and patterns are wonderful to see and they tell us the truth and soundness of our faith, but without that faith, they are just interesting stories that seem to have no final goal or purpose. In God’s redemptive plan though, they come into focus.
First in the preparation, care, and redemption of the Jewish people, but even that only points to the greater work of Christ. If the redemption of Israel were the end of the story, it would be a sad tale for the rest of the world, but through them, God did something even more marvellous. He sent His Son, Jesus, to provide redemption to all mankind.
If you’ve never understood this beautiful work and how important it is to you, then give me a moment to share the love of God, which is found in Jesus Christ, with you. You too can be freed from the prison which holds all humans captive. And all because of Him…
Closing Verse: These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren. Proverbs 6
Next Week Genesis 40:1-23 (The Spirits in Prison) (99th Genesis Sermon)
The Lord has you exactly where He wants you and He has a good plan and purpose for you. Call on Him and let Him do marvellous things for you and through you.
The Overseer in Prison
But it happened about this point
When Joseph went into the house where Potiphar did abide
To do his work in that lavish joint
And none of the men of the house was inside
That she caught him by his garment as she planned
Saying, “Lie with me.” But he denied
He left his garment in her hand
And fled and ran outside
And so it was when she looked
That he had left his garment in her hand
And fled outside, yes he booked
His 50-yard dash was quite grand
That she called to the men of her house
And spoke to them, as she said
“See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us
He came into me to lie with me… to take me to bed
And I cried out with a loud voice
I had to you see, I just had no choice
And it happened, when he heard
That I lifted my voice and cried out
That his garment to me was transferred
And he fled and went outside, scared no doubt
So she kept his garment with her
Until his master came home
Then she spoke to him with words like these
Saying, “Something has happened, Sweetie, while I was here alone
The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us
Came into me to mock me, let me tell you about the fuss
So it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out
That he left his garment with me
And fled outside, scared no doubt
I’m telling the truth sweetie-pie. You do believe me?
So it was when his master heard the words of the deceitful planner
The words which his wife spoke to him
Saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,”
That his anger was aroused, things were looking grim
Then Joseph’s master took him in kind
And put him into the prison
A place where the king’s prisoners were confined
And he was thereafter his mater’s anger had arisen
But the Lord was with Joseph alright
And showed him mercy you know
And He gave him favour in the sight
Of the keeper of the prison, yes this is so
And the keeper of the prison
Committed to Joseph’s hand
All the prisoners who were there
Joseph’s skills were noted as quite grand
Whatever they did there it was his doing
Because Joseph was honourable in all he was pursuing
The keeper of the prison did not look
Into anything that was under his authority
Because the Lord was with him in that darkened nook
He found favour in the Lord’s eyes, you see
And whatever he did, the Lord made it thrive
And so this is how, in prison, Joseph did survive
We, like Potiphar’s wife, are guilty too
But Jesus took our place
And now through Him, we can have life anew
Our condemned state, God will with eternal life replace
Let us never forget that high, high price
That was paid for us at Calvary
Where for our sins His shed blood did suffice
The payment made to set us free
Thank You, O God, for our Lord Jesus
And the marvellous work He accomplished for us
Hallelujah and Amen…
