Sunday, February 19, 2012

Chapter 3 - Joseph: From Slave to Deputy Pharoah


Introduction to the Reading:  What is the worst job you've ever had? Many of you have seen the TV show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. I haven't worked in sewers or cleaned up manure, but I have worked in 100 degree weather picking up large stones in a field and cutting down weeds. The thing is, although it was tough work, I didn't mind it.

Usually it's not the nature of the work that makes us dislike it, but rather the situation that put us there. or the boss for whom we are working. Tough work doesn't bother me. It's when I don't want to work, then even the easiest task can be a burden.

Today we meet Joseph, a model for us of serving where God has called you. Joseph's story is one that is probably familiar to you, whether you heard it as a kid or saw it on Broadway's Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. It's a fascinating story filled with ups and downs, moral dilemmas, and a happy ending. It makes for a great story! But as you read today, think of how you would tell the story to your children. In particular, pay attention to the moral lessons you would point out to them. In fact, list them on a piece of paper as you read. Notice how Joseph serves as a role model - not only for your kids - but for you. Notice how Joseph can be a reminder for you of how to serve when you find yourself in a job, a place, a situation that you wouldn't have chosen on your own, and think how the Lord could bless you and work through you even there!

Before You Read - Background of the Book of Genesis: As I mentioned the last two weeks, Moses is telling the Isrealites about their history. In fact, most likely he is writing down these events while they are wandering in the desert (as we will hear about the next few weeks). They must have thought, "Why did God bring us out here in the desert?"Moses explains to them how God had used the land of Egypt to rescue their forefathers from famine and as a land in which a family could grow into a nation. The story of Joseph also was a lesson for the Isrealites wandering in the desert that even in strange places - places that they might not have wanted to be - the Lord was looking out for them as well!

Time to Slow it Down - Pages 31 & 32
As you read, how does Joseph serve as a role model in each of the following verses:
  • His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did.
  • Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph's care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
  • "How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"
  • He refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
  • The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
When You're Done Reading - Thoughts to Ponder: It seems that Joseph had everything he could have asked for in his old age: he had served as the second in command of all of Egypt, his family was re-united and living in a prosperous and well-to-do community in the land, and he lived to see the third generation of his son Ephraim's children.

Yet something was missing. He wasn't home yet. Notice that his last wishes are to be buried in the land that had been promised to his great-grandfather Abraham. Joseph realized that Egypt wasn't his homeland. It was just part of God's bigger plan. The Lord had found a way to turn a disaster into a rescue for the family of Jacob (Aka. Israel). In addition, in Egypt Jacob's family would grow into a great nation. But the promise of a land to call their own still hadn't been fulfilled. And the nation through whom our Savior would come was just in it's infancy. 

Maybe you love your job. Maybe you have the perfect home in a well-to-do community. Maybe things are going well, as they were for Joseph in his old age. Or maybe not. Whether or not life is everything you hoped for or whether it's more of a dirty job, we aren't home yet. Where is your true home? Where are you in that journey home?

Hymn of the Day:
1 All depends on our possessing
God's abundant grace and blessing,
Though all earthly wealth depart.
He who trusts with faith unshaken
By their God are not forsaken
And will keep a dauntless heart.
3 Many spend their lives in fretting
Over trifles and in getting
Things that have no solid ground.
I shall strive to win a treasure
That will bring me lasting pleasure
And that now is seldom found..
5 Well He knows what best to grant me;
All the longing hopes that haunt me,
Joy and sorrow, have their day.
I shall doubt His wisdom never;
As God wills, so be it ever;
I commit to Him my way.
6 If my days on earth He lengthen,
God my weary soul will stengthen;
All my trust in Him I place.
Earthly wealth is not abiding,
Like a stream away is gliding;
Safe I anchor in His grace.
Making it My Own: The life of Joseph teaches us an important lesson about contentment. We also see some prime examples of the opposite. Joseph's brothers were jealous of him. They wanted the favor he received. They wanted the special gifts he got from his father. Potiphar's wife wanted something she couldn't have: Joseph. 
How often don't we want things that the Lord hasn't given to us. Society tells us we deserve stuff. Everyone has the latest phone. I deserve one. Everyone is getting a new car. I should have one. But it's not just stuff. Why did my co-worker get the job promotion I deserve? Why did my friend make the team and I didn't? Why are my friends healthy, and I'm stuck with this illness?
In stark contrast, we find Joseph. While a slave, he works hard. While in prison, he's respected. While a foreigner, he's placed over all the land of Egypt. Did he aspire to these positions? No. But whatever the position he was in, he worked as if God himself was his boss. He realized in whatever place he lived, he was really serving the Lord. Joseph served the Lord, and let the Lord take care of the rest.
Sometimes we don't always see how God is working. It may be a bit of a silly example, but I remember once when my motorcycle broke down. I had to be towed and I spent a few hundred dollars getting it fixed. Interestingly enough, that weekend a storm came through. Trees were knocked over and limbs were down. When I drove in the parking lot with my car, there was a large tree limb laying right where I normally parked my motorcycle. I don't know if the Lord caused my motorcycle to break down so that it wouldn't be destroyed in the storm, but it made me think of how many times we don't know how the Lord is using what we perceive as troubles for our good.
Joseph, knowing that the Lord was working through all his hardships, was content. Luther, in explaining the 9th and 10th Commandments, teaches us what our lives look like when we are content. 
The Ninth Commandment.
Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, and obtain it by a show of  right, etc., but help and be of service to him in keeping it.
The Tenth Commandment.
Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we may not estrange, force, or entice away our neighbor's wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to stay and [diligently] do their duty.


Notice that not coveting also involves the opposite as well. Joseph didn't covet Potiphar's belongings and justify himself by saying, "I was wrongfully made a slave. It's only right that some of this should be mine!" Instead, he helped Potiphar gain more wealth! Joseph not only didn't give in to Potiphar's wife's wishes, he kept away from her. He fled the temptation. 


Where did Joseph find contentment? In knowing that the Lord had him just where he wanted him. Yes, that included when Joseph was in the pit. Yes, that included when he was a slave. Yes, that included when he was in prison. Joseph later tells his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

For those who like more:

  • More scripture: 1 Timothy 6
    • v. 1 - What reason does Paul give for serving faithfully even under unbelieving bosses?
    • v. 5 - Are there physical blessings that come with living a godly life?
    • v. 10 - Paul doesn't say money is the root of evil. What is the root of all kinds of evil?
    • v. 17 - Instead of thinking about we don't have and others do, what should we think about?
    • v. 18 Instead of thinking about ways of getting, what are some things we should be giving?
    • v. 20-21 What is one possession we should guard closely?
  • More Scripture: Ephesians 6:5-9
    • When we work, who are we really working for? Who is your boss?
    • How did Joseph display this sort of character?
  • More Scripture: Philippians 4:10-20
    • Keep in mind that Paul, like Joseph, was in prison when he wrote this. Where did he find contentment?
    • v. 18 - Although the Philippians had given gifts to Paul, who were these offerings really for?
    • v. 19 - In what way were the Philippians rich?
  • It has been argued that Luther's most significant theological "find" - other than the doctrine of justification - is the doctrine of Christian vocation, that is, hearing God's calling in whatever place he has put us. Learn more about the doctrine of vocation:

Posted by at

1 comment:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)