Joseph the Lessons of Joseph

¶ … Joseph The Lessons of Joseph In his adult life and prophetic ministry, Joseph not only exemplified several fundamental virtues but also more directly served the will of God by extracting the Israelites from famine-struck Canaan and establishing them for a few generations among the Egyptians.

As he himself put it, while his life was punctuated with betrayals on the part of his brothers and masters, all these seeming travails were ultimately for the best: "God intended it to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20 New International Version). As favorite son of Jacob, who loved the boy and lavished favors like the famous richly ornamented robe upon him, Joseph became the focus of his brothers' resentment and was sold into slavery when their jealousy turned murderous.

However, he prospered under Potiphar, rising to become overseer of the household until his master's wife tried to seduce him and, failing in the attempt, arranged to have him placed under house arrest. Even there, he distinguished himself, "finding favor in the eyes of the warden" (Genesis 39:21) to the point to which he effectively regained the run of the establishment.

Thus, when the cupbearer and baker were interned with him in Potiphar's house, he was in position to demonstrate his talent for interpreting prophetic dreams, which brought him into Pharaoah's confidence and eventually reunited with his family. When his brothers arrived to buy grain, he initially engaged in some subterfuge, but abstained from exacting any substantial retribution on them even though his high position at court would have made it easy to do so.

On the whole, he treated his family with profound mercy for several decades and, although younger than most of his brothers, appears to have become something of a patriarchal figure. 2. Joseph's godly and faithful attitude was on display throughout his adult career. His relationship with God made him a perfect manager, famously freeing Potiphar from all concerns "except the food he ate" (Genesis 39:6).

Even in prison, this divine aura of efficiency impressed the Egyptians who could otherwise have made his life quite difficult while laying the groundwork for a larger future role as the top administrator in the kingdom. As Shallenberger sums up (2005, p. 89): Joseph led through administration. He brought order and organization to every aspect of Potiphar's household -- the finances, the workforce -- every aspect of Potiphar's world was being effectively administered.

However, while he acknowledged his relatively exalted position (Genesis 39:8-9), unlike modern managers, Joseph in Egypt showed little if any pride in the value he adds to the various organizations to which he became attached; the Scriptures repeatedly make it clear that all the efficiencies he created should be attributed directly to God.

Furthermore, despite being "well built and handsome" (Genesis 39:6), he also appeared modest or even innocent when it concereds the impact he has on women like Potiphar's wife; early Church commentators made him a model of not only humility but perfect chastity as well (Jeffrey, 1992, p. 415).

Joseph's adult humility also translated into an apparent passivity in the face of sometimes harrowing circumstances (the pit, slavery, false accusation of rape, prison, betrayal) that in turn demonstrated his enduring faith that God would not forget him or the prophetic destiny his youthful dreams promised. He accepted Potiphar's wife's accusations without any recorded attempt to counter-accuse her of being unfaithful, and even after being "forgotten" by the cupbearer for two years, he was helpful when called upon.

(a less forgiving man who becomes the second most powerful figure in Egypt would revenge himself on those who wronged him, but rather than be punished, Potiphar, his wife, and the cupbearer simply vanish from the story.) Forgiveness is central to Joseph's treatment of his treacherous brothers. By the time famine in Canaan drove Reuben and company to seek grain in Egypt, Joseph had been effectively running the kingdom for two decades, but when he finally revealed himself, he only wept and beckoned them close.

Even after Jacob's death -- some 17 years later -- he only wept when confronted with his brothers' guilt and evident fear. He also rejected even the idea of balancing past wrongs with present ones, acknowledging that, ultimately, only God can judge: Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children (Genesis 50:19-21a).

This sublime forgiveness has become a central theme in modern readings of the Joseph story; a rich tradition of sermonists (e.g., Seagren, 1993) has used it to tease out abiding lessons on how and why Christians can properly forgive. These lessons, in turn, are reflected in the structure of the story itself. Joseph forgave crimes as serious as enslavement and contemplated murder; when they were young, his brothers seemed unable to forgive relative slights. But these slights reveal Joseph's youthful frailties.

While he was not precisely unfaithful or rebellious as a boy, his errors revolved around talking too much: Not only did he "bring a bad report about" his brothers to Jacob (Genesis 37:2), but modern readers may join with the family in finding his recitation of his dreams of future mastery less than humble at best and verging on insubordinate at worst.

Still, the dreams and the destiny they revealed were not of his making, but of God's -- it was not Joseph's wish to overturn the family order and force even the sun and moon to bow down to the second youngest child. As an adult, he presented a model of faith and loyalty to God, his superiors in Egyptian society, and his aged father and kin among the Israelites.

Some might question his decision to conceal his identity from his brothers during their first adult encounter, but here, his motivations were mysterious but unlikely to have been driven by a love of duplicity for its own sake. Even here, it is likely that all.