Many times I have fallen back on the life of Joseph when I was boxed in by adversity. Here was a man who stood by God's Word
almost to the letter, and the one time he blew it, it cost him two years in prison.
As you'll recall, Joseph was one of many brothers, the youngest, but his father favored him above all, apparently for
his devotion the the Lord, for it becomes apparent that he was the only one of the lot that applied principles of
doctrine to his life.
So the old man designated Joseph as the honcho in the fields, as they were wealthy in sheep and cattle. To bear witness
of his authority dad gave him the keys to the station wagon (Oops! Sorry, my mind wandered a minute there!). Dad gave
him a multi colored jacket.
The brothers, upon learning of this development, were angry and devised a plan to rid themselves of their little brother.
So the next time Joseph visited their camp they siezed him and threw him into a deep pit. Some of them had voted to kill
the kid, but cooler heads prevailed.
This is the first of many dilemmas which will overtake Joseph on the path to the fulfillment of God's plan for his life.
I have given some thought to this pit situation, and some excellent principles can be gleened from it; Note that in the
pit, which is adversity, one's objective view is reduced to the walls of the pit. We, thus, have a tendency to focus
on the problem, instead of the solution, or God's grace. In the pit, Joseph had two options, focus on the sides of the
pit, or look straight up at the heavens. This seemed to me a good analogy to our own bouts with trouble.
At the first chance, which materialized soon after they threw Joseph in the pit, they disposed of him. A band of
Midianites, those ancient wanderers of the great deserts, happened by on their way to Egypt, and the brothers sold
Joseph to them as a slave. Imagine, at this point, the drama that must have unfolded there. Surely Joseph beseeched
them to reconsider, and there must surely have been those amoung his own brothers that had affection for him. It must
have been a gripping scene, as Joseph was led away in bonds...It certainly demonstrates the power of hatred and
arrogance. Those men were willing to do his low deed for the sake of their jealeousy and anger.
The Jews were always the most advanced of other ancient cultures, for they all attended school and received a good
education. One point; It is a source of my admiration that the Jews have always been a hardy and robust race. It
seems that no matter where they go, they always find success and make a contribution to the society where they
settle.
So due to his schooling, Joesph was purchased by one Potiphar, who happened to be, what we would call, head of the
Egyptian FBI. He was a cop, a chief cop.
Potiphar had a wife who was less that virtuous, for on one ocassion, when Potiphar was at work, she summoned Joseph
and tried to seduce him. But Joseph declined, and as he turned to leave the woman siezed his garment and a struggle
ensued. Finally, Joseph only escaped by leaving the cloak behind and fleeing.
The wife, who was enraged at being scorned, made up a lie and told Potiphar that the young Jew had come into her
chambers and tried to rape her. She fought him off, and that's how she came to have his torn robe. Potiphar jumped
to a conclusion here and had Joseph sent to prison. As a lawman Potiphar should have at least heard Joseph's side,
but the Egyptian took her word for it and sent Joseph away.
Keep in mind that the whole time these events are transpiring, Joseph is keeping doctrine in his soul and falling
back on the promises of Jehovah to comfort him.
In prison Joseph met two other inmates, niether of them hardened criminals. It seems that one of them had
conspired to assasinate Pharoah, but not knowing which it was, Pharoah tossed them both in the pokey. The
three of them apparently got to be fair friends. Then one night one of them had a troubling dream, and as he
was describing the dream the next day joseph chimed in with an interpretation of it. The Lord had shown him
the riddle of the dream.
Shortly thereafter it was discovered that the chief baker had been the conspirator, and he was executed.
The other genteman, an official in Pharoah's cabinet, was set free and returned to his position in the palace.
As he was leaving Joseph buttonholed the chap and pled with him to bring the matter of his case before the
Pharoah. But theat never happened.
It was here that Joseph's faith let him down, for he failed to trust God in the matter and turned to an
aquaintance for a solution. This gaffe cost him another two years in prison. Then, at long last, the Pharoah
had a disquieting dream night after night. He called his astronomers, and astrologists, and all manner of
experts, but none could correctly interpret the dream. It was only then that the former cellmate remembered
Joseph, and he mentioned it to Pharoah, who sent immediately for the Jew.
Something I particularly liked about Joseph took place at this juncture, for as anxious as he must have been
to get out of the slammer, he did not rush straight in to speak with the Pharoah, but demanded to have a
good bath and clean clothing. There is much to be read between the lines here.
Joseph's demeanor at this point demonstrates his relaxed attitude, which certainly signifies that he is thinking
Bible doctrine, reminding himself that God is in control and he can trust the Lord's wisdom. There was no panic
here, but cool, deliberate action. Joseph knew that the Egyptian religion had stern rules of hygene and cleanliness.
His request for a bath, therefore, was not so much a desire to get clean as it was an astute measure designed to
afford him a maximum advantage. If he appeared dirty and disheveled it would be a mark against him.
Please note that this is not an "angle", nor a clever diversion on Joseph's part, but a keen insight which would
turn to his favor. God guides us many times in this manner, not with deception or guile, but rather the ability
to use a knowledge of human nature to our advantage.
Well, Joseph interpreted the dream, and in doing so delivered Egypt from a ravaging famine. God gave him the
correct recommendation to solve the problem, to wit; He suggested to the king that a portion of all wheat
crops be stored in silos and other measures be taken to prepare for the coming blight. Ofcourse, his counsel
was right on the mark, and Pharoah appointed him the Prime Minister of that great and powerful empire.
The sequel to this story is most engaging, for in it the Lord has the last laugh, and also demonstrates the
nature of His Word in the soul.
The drought did come, and Israel, and the house of Jacob, were struck hard. Many of their flocks and herds
died, and the people of the land were in danger of starvation. So Jacob, desperate, sent his sons as a delegation
to the Pharoah with a plea for help. And who do you suppose they came face to face with on that regal throne?
None other than the brother they had sold into slavery.
If there are replays available in heaven, this is one moment I want to watch, for the faces of those men must have
been something to see. You can imagine their utter shock as they were ushered into the great hall, and walked
what seemed a mile along the marble entrance to Pharoah's court. The massive doors groaned as they opened to
admit them, and they were duely impressed by the splendor of the chamber that opened to them, gleeming marble
and crimson banners, with a massive throne on the far wall...they had never seen so grand a place.
Humbled by the magnificence of their surroundings, and very much aware of their own shabby appearance, they
hurried across the vast room to stand before the Great Pharoah, himself. But as they lifted their eyes to
behold the mighty ruler their breath caught in their throats, and some of them dropped the meager gifts they
had brought, their arms hanging limp at their sides.
I can imagine the silence in that huge chamber at that moment, ususally echoing with every small sound,
there was utter silence as the sons of Jacob looked up into the eyes of their own brother. It must have
been a sweet temptation for Joseph to return the favor they had done him, have them arrested and sent
to prison, but Joseph handled the situation as only the Lord Himself would have done. He graciously
greeted them, if somewhat subdued, but he spoke their names and inquired of their father. It must have
taken the men some time to recover their speech, for in addition to surprise, they must have been
shot through with fear at what Joseph would do to them.
What followed is well known to history. The Jews migrated to Egypt and settled there, but after the
death of the Pharoah and Joseph, they were pressed into service as slaves, and thus they lived as
slaves for 300 years, until a man named Moses delivered them.
Such is the story of a great man of God from the pages of scripture. We can learn a great deal from this
man, for he demonstarted a deep and unwavering faith in Jehovah. On just one ocassion he failed, but this
story should remind us all that we can't afford to be distracted by the circumstances which are close
at hand. God has a plan for our lives, and we must trust in Him for its' fulfuillment.
