The last we left Joseph, he was sold
to an Ishmaelite trader and on his way to Egypt. Of course he had plenty of reasons
to hate and even blame God if he had wanted to. Doubtless, Joseph was naïve,
boyish and innocent. He was unsuspicious of his brothers’ intention and must
have been caught by surprise by his brothers’ hatred toward him. He was left in
a pit awaiting his execution. But God’s intervention came in the appearance of
the Ishmaelites who bought him and now he was bound for Egypt. Ever wonder what
was on his mind as he was en-route to Egypt? He must have felt truly abandoned and
had every reason to be bitter. It’s not uncommon for anyone in such a predicament
to think about revenge. But we will see that Joseph was not such a person. He
chose to abandon himself to God and trust Him instead. The common refrain found
in the account of his life so often was “…and the Lord was with him.”
Now in Egypt, he was sold to
Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard. Did Joseph remember his dream? Would
his brothers and his father indeed come and bow down to him? Now in Potiphar’s
house Joseph was an instant hit. He became a huge success. The reason was made evidently
clear in verses 2-3, “The Lord was with
Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his
master, the Egyptian. Now his
master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused
all that he did to prosper in his hand.” In these two verses we see twice, the phrase …the Lord was with him.
So the success of Joseph hanged on the fact that the Lord was with Him.
Notice the word “LORD” is translated
from the word “Yahweh,” the personal covenant name of God. It tells us that the covenant working God was
working in his life. Note also that while the covenant keeping God was working
in him, Joseph was in the most uncertain time of his life. Often in tough
situations, it’s difficult to imagine God in the midst of those trials working out
something good. As it was with Joseph so will it be for us. Joseph at this
point probably could see nothing of God in his situation. But it was precisely
at this moment that the covenant keeping God was working out the tenets of the
covenant he made with Abraham, his great grandfather. God was in the background
working out a blessing for Joseph and through him to bless the world.
Joseph’s success was phenomenal and was
quickly elevated. His work ethics did not go unnoticed. He was promoted to be
Potiphar’s personal assistant and overseer. He was a super-worker and Potiphar left
everything to Joseph’s care except his food. It’s probably because of the meal-rituals
that the Egyptians had that Joseph found himself exempted. So Joseph was given
charge of everything belonging to Potiphar, yes even his wife. She would soon become
the thorn in his flesh. So watch out
Joseph!
As it was with Joseph, hardship may
be exactly the place where God is working best in our life. The degree of our trust
in God is best seen through the ordeal of trials. What we do when we are going
through it matters. Remember, every crisis builds substance in our life. More
than that, it also reveals the substance we are made up of. We become strengthened
each time we endure a trial and come out of it intact in our trust in Him. So trust
Him!
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