I’ve been reading Genesis, and I’m fascinated with Joseph, yet again.
We often cite Joseph as a biblical character who exemplified faithfulness, integrity, and honor despite the grave injustices inflicted upon him. He never lashed out or sought revenge against his many betrayers.
Joseph patiently endured great suffering and loss and, in the end, declared a shining, supernatural perspective on all that had transpired in his eventful life.
Joseph was the youngest and favorite son of Jacob before his brother Benjamin was born. They were a family of herdsmen. Though highly favored and prosperous as beneficiaries of Abraham’s covenant with God, they were not of a scholarly or religious caste.
Joseph was only seventeen when his father sent him to check on his brothers, and out of jealousy, they captured him and sold him to Midianite merchants. The sons of Jacob told their bereaved father that Joseph had been mauled by a wild animal.
There began Joseph’s long sojourn in Egypt, where he first managed the home of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s captains. He must have stood out as someone who could be trusted with a relatively high-level assignment. The text reads,
“The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered…and the LORD gave him success in everything he did…and the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph” (Gen 39:2-5).
When Joseph was unjustly accused of sexual assault by Potiphar’s wife (who, by the way, had attempted to rape him) and imprisoned, even behind bars “the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor.” He was given responsibility for running the entire prison…as one of the prisoners!
This is not a normal way to run a prison. But Joseph’s integrity and leadership skills were conspicuous from the start.
Joseph’s release from prison was founded upon his ability to interpret dreams by the power of God. Pharaoh needed a particular enablement, and Joseph had demonstrated that he was the man for the job. His accurate interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams and his proposal for guiding the nation through seven years of famine led to his promotion to become Pharaoh’s second-in-command.
Why? What qualified Joseph to work for Potiphar, serve as a prison administrator, or lead an entire nation? He didn’t have degrees, or management experience, or a special pedigree. Yet Pharaoh declared there was no one “so discerning and wise” as Joseph, no one like him, “in whom is the spirit of God” (Gen 41:38-39).
Ah, there it is. Joseph may have had a lot of smarts genetically. And he certainly wasn’t afraid to dream. His childhood dreams revealed that he would be a leader among men. They indicated that he would even have seniority over his parents and older brothers. He believed it, and his brothers hated him for it.
But natural talent and worldly ambition probably would not have sustained him through his troubles. It was the spirit of God that gave him his extraordinary intelligence, resilience, and favor.
The Origins of True Wisdom
The apostle Paul begins his first epistle to the Corinthians with a lengthy discourse on the wisdom and power of God, contrasting them with man’s words and “the wisdom of this world.” He uses the word wisdom 16 times in just the first three chapters.
Paul argues that the wisdom of God is unavailable to those who deny God, but it comes liberally to those who have his Spirit dwelling within them. The world’s educational system can’t provide this kind of wisdom. In fact, what the world calls wisdom is often contrary to God’s, and therefore shown to be foolish in the end.
Four times, once in Psalms, and thrice in Proverbs, the Scripture plainly state that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 111:10, Prov. 1:7,4:7,9:10). Following this logic leads to the conclusion that those who have no fear of God have no access to his exalted wisdom.
Paul understood this when he made this stunning statement:
“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor 1:26-31)
Joseph was in this number before being sold and shipped off to Egypt. He was a herdsman, the youngest in his family at the time, way at the back of the pack by all cultural measures. But God had a big plan for Joseph, and these factors would not thwart God’s purposes.
Everywhere Joseph went, he stood out. He relied on God for the insight to interpret dreams that other “wise men” were incapable of interpreting. This led to a food storage plan that would keep people from many nations alive during seven years of famine.
Finding Perspective
One of the best statements in all the Scripture for encouraging us when we don’t understand why we are subjected to hardships, trials, grief, and deprivation of many kinds is found in Joseph’s story when he finally revealed his identity to his gobsmacked brothers.
“God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Gen. 45:7-8).
What a perspective Joseph had on his role in God’s story!
He tells his brothers not to keep torturing themselves with regrets about their treachery toward him. It all had happened to fulfill the plan and purpose of God to protect the Christ line by providing for his covenant people. Joseph carried the spirit of wisdom, understanding the perfection of God’s sovereignty and grace.
Like Joseph, when we display wisdom, and when we get something right, we should give credit to our God. As Paul reminds us, we can’t boast in our wisdom. But the more we walk in his infinite wisdom, the smarter and wiser we become, and the more we can be trusted to manage important matters in his kingdom.
Thank you, God, for imparting your wisdom to Joseph, and thank you, Joseph, for sharing it with us through your extraordinary story.
