Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, is one of our favorite heroes in the Old Testament. You'll enjoy reading his fascinating story in Genesis, chapters 37 – 50. As a boy, he lived in the land of Canaan with his eleven brothers … that is, until they sold him into slavery and he was hauled down to Egypt.
But even while he was a slave in Egypt, Joseph always did the right thing. (Note to self!) Even harder still, when he was thrown into prison, he still did the right thing. He refused to pity himself for how his brothers treated him, or how Potiphar’s wife accused him and landed him in prison. He refused to blame, seek revenge, hold a grudge, think ugly thoughts, or become bitter. Joseph chose to focus on God and what God would have him learn through these hard experiences.
Because Joseph prayed rather than sought revenge, God rewarded him with great wisdom. Eventually appointed as the Vizier of all Egypt – the second most powerful man besides the Pharaoh himself – Joseph was able to spare thousands of people from famine by wisely storing and distributing food throughout his 14-year plan. Keeping Egypt and surrounding countries fed through such a long drought was truly a miracle!
Think about it, though. The idea of a foreigner reaching the top of Egyptian power sounds highly unlikely, doesn’t it? But God can do anything through a person who’s willing.
Like Joseph, we may be in a powerful position someday ourselves … or maybe we won’t be … but the BEST part of Joseph’s story shows something we ALL can do, no matter what our age or position. That is, we can show self-control and forgiveness to everyone we know, even those who may have done something wrong against us or our family.
As Joseph said to his brothers, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good.” (Genesis 50:20) What a great way for Joseph to look at his circumstances!!! Thank you, God, for Joseph’s story to remind us that You have a plan for our lives, and You want to help us show self-control and forgiveness to all people – just like Joseph!
We love you,
Pappy & GiGi
P.S. Interestingly, scientific evidence shows “ice cores” found in Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania – the mountain which supplies water to the Nile River – that confirm that a drought took place around 3600 years ago. Hmmm. That’s the same time period of Joseph’s leadership in Egypt. We're not surprised, are you?!?
