Batman had Robin.
Andy Griffith had Barney Fife.
Laurel had Hardy.
Sidekicks are not easily found. As they say, "Good help is hard to come by."
But if you were fortunate enough to have Joseph in your house (or jail), you would have realized quickly that he was a man you could certainly count on. Joseph's integrity and hard work stick out so clearly from these chapters. Contrasting him with the members of his current family (i.e. Judah) as well as his father and grandfather, I am just amazed by his level of his overall integrity.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He could have sulked and frustrated his owner easily. Many would not have even faulted him for his anger and sadness. But you hear not one complaint or difficulty arise with Joseph. Potiphar entrusts everything in his house to Joseph. Joseph, an Israelite slave, here is given total authority over the captain of the Egyptian bodyguard's welfare. How often would you expect that?
Joseph stands blameless before Potiphar's wife. How easy could it have been for him to satisfy the passions of Potiphar's wife. Potiphar was probably home very little because of his responsibilities. Joseph could have given in and the Scriptures show that he had ample opportunity. It says she came "day after day" to entice him. But he refused, even to the dramatic level of physically running away from her. Have we seen this type of moral integrity from anyone in Scripture yet? (Enoch is the only one who comes to mind, but we only follow him for a couple verses.)
And everywhere Joseph went he remained faithful and true. Even in jail, wrongly imprisoned, he is elevated to an incredible position. So trusted was Joseph that the Bible says the chief jailer did not even supervise anything under Joseph's charge.
Wow, what a breath of fresh air. Joseph was truly a man of integrity and faith. Several times we are reminded of God's blessings over Joseph wherever he traveled. God honored and worked through Joseph. People all around him could see it.
How about you today? Are you a person of integrity? Are you one on whom others can count? If not, what can you do, even today, to change that? Today try to fulfill a promise, or offer your help to someone struggling, or do some of the behind-the-scenes things no one else wants to do. (Remember, we don't do it for our own glory, we do it for God's glory... Just as Genesis 39:3 says... "Now his master saw that the Lord was with him..." Do others see that the Lord is with you? Is He with you?)
Do you know someone of great integrity and work-ethic? If you do, take a moment and thank them for their faithfulness and example. It's not often that we have a "Joseph" among us. For them we must always be thankful.
2 comments:
Whew! Finally a person of integrity emerges. These first few chapters of the Bible sounds like something from "Desperate Housewives" or a soap opera. I had forgotten that all this stuff was listed one right after another. No wonder God was fed up with mankind; the old saying that no one is perfect doesn't even begin to address this. Did they not feel guilty because they didn't have the Holy Spirit residing in in their hearts back then? Guess I sound really naive, but I just can't understand how people who are walking with God daily can do so many bad things. Joseph is a refreshing breath of fresh air in a dry and barren land. I am even more thankful that God has unlimited love and mercy for His children.- DJD
I think part of the reason that we see little guilt expresses is due to the times in which they lived. I think they must have had guilt, Romans 2 speaks about our consciences bearing witness for or against us.
But we must also remember they were some of the first people to attempt this walk of faith being in relationship with a real God. The world around them probably professed other gods, but because those gods were impotent, they had to reconcile all problems on their own. They could not trust in their dumb idols like we trust in our God. So, these biblical men are being introduced instead to a counter-cultural living God, one who speaks to them, one who guides and protects them. They were just learning of His holiness and righteous standards.
God, throughout all time continues to meet man where he is, in the culture in which he is saturated, and continues to transform him day by day into the image of His Son.
Back then they did not have the Christian environment many of us had. They had to learn every step of the way.
(PS: Nor where any of these men regenerate, which includes the lack of the indwelt Holy Spirit... and this sure didn't help!)
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