Genesis

TRIALS may be viewed from two standpoints, and it will make all the difference to our spiritual life and peace which of these two points of view we take. From the human side Joseph’s suffering was due to injustice on the part of Potiphar, and ingratitude on the part of the butler. From the Divine side these years were permitted for the purpose of training and preparing Joseph for the great work that lay before him. If we look only at the human side of trial we shall become discouraged, and it may be irritated and angered, but as we turn to look at it from the Divine side we shall see God in everything and all things working together for our good. How truly all this was realized in Joseph’s case we are now to see.

The essentially Egyptian character of this section, and indeed of the entire narrative of Joseph, is worthy of constant notice, for it provides us with one of the watermarks of the Pentateuch, enabling us to perceive its historical character and its truthfulness to life. It is not too much to say that at no period after the time of Moses could anything so true to Egyptian life have been written out of Egypt by a member of the community of Israel.

Pharaoh dreamed, and his dream was associated with the River Nile, on which throughout the centuries the land of Egypt has depended for its very life. The dream was twofold: first that of the fat and lean kine, and then that of the full and thin ears of corn. In each case the dream was associated with the needs and conditions of the country.

The mighty monarch soon realized his limitations, for he was utterly unable to interpret his dreams. Like all Egyptians, he was profoundly impressed with the thought that the dreams had great significance, and his spirit was troubled. He thereupon summoned to his presence all the magicians of Egypt and all his wise men, but there was none that could interpret. In ancient days when so many natural phenomena were unknown and their true meaning not understood, there was great and constant opportunity for cleverness on the part of able and not too scrupulous men. The result was that a class sprang up which undertook to satisfy the cravings of men for knowledge; and, while there was doubtless not a little of perfectly legitimate information afforded by these magicians, in the course of time they became associated with chicanery and deceit. Here was an opportunity for them to reveal their knowledge, and inasmuch as the coloring of the dreams was essentially Egyptian it might have been thought that they would have had no real difficulty in giving some plausible interpretation; but their failure was complete, and Pharaoh was still without the relief he so earnestly desired.

The law of mental association was, however, at work in the mind of one of the monarch’s attendants, and suddenly he remembered the days that were past and his own experiences in the prison. He thereupon confessed his faults and reminded Pharaoh of what had happened two years before, and then told him of the young Hebrew who had interpreted his dream which had so literally and wonderfully come to pass. How simple and yet how truly remarkable is this link in the chain of circumstances by means of which God fulfilled His purposes for Joseph! On how little does very much often depend!

The Call did not take long for Pharaoh to summon the prisoner Hebrew prisoner into his presence. Joseph was brought hastily out of the prison and quickly stood before Pharaoh. What a picture it must have been the mighty monarch and the unknown slave! It is evident that Pharaoh considered Joseph was of the same class to which his own wise men and magicians belonged; and inasmuch as such knowledge of dreams was regarded as obtainable by human powers, it seems pretty certain that Pharaoh regarded Joseph as one who was an adept in the work which his own wise men had failed to do. But the very first words of Joseph showed Pharaoh the true state of the case. It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace (Gen 41:16). Mark the self-forgetfulness of these words: "Not in me: God." Utterly regardless of himself or his own fate, he had one thought only the glory of God. Had he been a time-server or a place-seeker, or even concerned for his own personal safety, he might have fenced with the question and brought about his own deliverance. Had he been a proud man and eaten up with vanity, he might have shown eagerness to obtain personal credit. All these things were utterly alien from his mind. The supreme and overmastering thought in Joseph’s life was God. His spiritual vitality was inwrought and deep-seated, and nothing could shake his integrity and fearlessness, as he faced the great monarch and witnessed to his God.

Pharaoh thereupon told his two dreams of the kine and ears of corn, and at once the interpretation was given. The two dreams referred to one subject, the double dream merely indicating the certainty of the occurrence (Gen 41:32). Seven years of plenty were to be succeeded by seven years of famine, and Joseph thereupon urged Pharaoh to appoint a man who would take action to prevent the famine from causing suffering. He advised precaution being taken during the seven years of plenty: all the food of these good years that could be kept was to be stored up against the seven years of famine.

This in substance was the interpretation and the advice based upon it. Not a word was uttered about himself, nor does there seem any hint that he considered himself to be the man whom Pharaoh should appoint. Joseph does not seem to have cared about himself at all. The frankness Traits of with which he told the King the dream, the quiet Character, dignity with which he gave his counsel, the perfect balance with which he stood before Pharaoh and his Court, are striking features of this splendid character. Six traits stand out which constitute him one of the models for all time: integrity, conscientiousness, diligence, nobility, courage, humility. He is one of the all-round, symmetrical characters of the Bible, always ready, ever conscientious, never sacrificing principle, faithful and fearless at every crisis.

The Pharaoh and his servants quickly saw the real Reward of value of this advice and at once accepted it. Still more, the King went much further and said that Joseph should be the one to accomplish this task. Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? Pharaoh was so deeply impressed with Joseph’s wisdom that he recognized his possession of Divine powers. Whatever precisely the King understood by the Spirit of God, it is evident he realized that Joseph was possessed of superhuman ability. The relation of the Spirit of God to certain men whose lives are recorded in the Old Testament is worthy of careful study.

Joseph, Joshua, and Daniel in particular are referred to as men in whom the Spirit of God dwelt (Gen 41:38; Num 27:18; Dan 5:11).

And it is particularly important to observe the connection between the Spirit of God and the gifts for practical life that are exemplified in Joseph. Thus he possessed the spirit of observation. He had not lived for thirteen years in Egypt without knowing something of its needs, and it was the spirit of wisdom that enabled him to see how those needs were to be supplied. Just as sin dulls the mental and moral faculties, so the Spirit of God cleanses and refines them. A life of faithful obedience always guarantees true insight. There is no necessary contradiction between Christianity and genuine business powers. To be clear-headed does not mean to be soft-hearted. Christianity gives clearness, far-sightedness, mental perception and balance. It is perfectly true that the Gospel cannot, or at any rate does not, make an intellectual man out of one who does not possess any powers at all; it does not give faculties to those who do not possess them; but it certainly increases the capacity and refines the faculty. It does not diminish, but on the contrary increases mental life and genuine manhood.

The gifts possessed by Joseph were not only intellectual but moral. What marvellous self-possession was his! Such a change from the prison to the Court would have killed a small nature; but Joseph’s head was not turned, because of his moral rectitude. We also observe what remarkable decision of character he showed. There was no hesitation he knew what to advise, and stated his policy with absolute clearness and frankness. Not only so, but he proved once again that he possessed the gift of management. He had been faithful in that which was little, and had thereby qualified himself to be faithful in much.

Best of all, he had spiritual gifts. What endurance was his as he had learned to obey during those thirteen years of testing! How disinterested and unselfish he was, having no personal ends to gratify, no thought of bargaining before giving his interpretation!

And thus his religion was supremely practical, and was not a hindrance to him, but a help. The Holy Spirit of God had taken full possession of every faculty of his nature, and intellectually, morally, and spiritually had been training and preparing him for this eventful moment.

The chapter speaks of life in various aspects, and carries its own messages for everyone of us.

God has some sphere for every one of us to fill. "To every man his work," and Joseph at last found his proper place. What a dignity it gives to life to realize that God has something for each one of us to do!

The most unlikely circumstances are part of our education. Joseph had spent thirteen years in Egypt, and most of those years had been spent under a cloud. What was there to show as the result of all this time? Apparently nothing, and yet really everything. All his experiences had been tending in the direction of training. Some dreams take a long time to fulfill.

We cannot help wondering whether Joseph ever showed any impatience with his lot. At any rate, nothing is recorded. In spite of much to try him, much that pressed upon him again and again, he held fast his integrity. Loyalty to his master, faithfulness to his God, heartiness in his work, constituted for Joseph his duty. So it must be always. It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful.

The secret of Joseph’s loyalty was the consciousness that God was with him and was working on his behalf. He little knew how God could accomplish His will and bring about the fulfilment of the dreams; but God has marvellous facilities, and many ways of working. A monarch’s dream, a butler’s recollection, and everything else is brought about. How true it is that God worketh for him that waiteth! (Isa 64:4, R.V.)

Joseph exemplified this in his constant living for others. Whether it was for Potiphar, or the jailer, or the prisoners, or Pharaoh, he laid himself out to serve others. This is the real meaning of altruism, and in it is the greatest glory of life. True influence over our fellows always comes sooner or later to the genuinely sincere man, who is devoid of all merely personal ambitions, the man who has no axes to grind. There are men to-day full of shrewdness and possessing great abilities who are nevertheless not trusted and loved, but either feared or suspected or at most admired at a distance! There are others who are without great intellectual powers, but who are absolutely genuine, truly sincere, and without any arriere pensee, and men trust them, love them, and find themselves helped by their sympathy, sweetness, and strength.

The message for us all is to live close to God, to be ever on the watch for God’s will, to find our happiness in carrying out that will, to say from the heart, "I delight to do Thy will" and then to go forth spending and being spent in the service of others. When this spirit actuates us, all difficulties, trials, and hardships will be found only the means of training, testing, and preparing us for living to the glory of God in the service of our fellows.