The life of Joseph intrigues us. And his life intrigues because it’s a roller coaster ride of a life. Along the way, he wears the hats of a shepherd, a slave, a prison warden, and a governor. Relationally, he’s a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a grandfather.
Now the last time we saw Joseph, he was languishing in prison. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt through the betrayal of his brothers, and he was actually put into prison through the betrayal of his master’s wife. There in prison, he had interpreted the dreams of two white-collar prisoners, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker to none other than Pharaoh. The last thing Joseph said to the cupbearer, “Remember me when you’re back with Pharaoh.” But two long years went by – over 700 times the sun went and the sun went down. All the while, Joseph languishes in prison. Yet, when the Pharaoh couldn’t understand his own dreams, the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph’s ability. Joseph is called up before Pharaoh and before entering before Pharaoh. No sooner does Joseph enter the room, Joseph is able to interpret Pharaoh’s dream where he foresaw a great famine coming. Today, we see Joseph get tested.
We pick up the story with Joseph’s counsel to Pharaoh…
Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah (ZAW FIN NOTH – PA NA YAH). And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath (OZA NOTH), the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.” 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”
56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. (Genesis 41:33-57)
His test comes in the most unusual of ways. In just one day, Joseph goes from a forgotten prisoner to a powerful prince. How did he stay grounded? How did he not lose himself and change with his rise to fame and fortune?
1. All You’ve Ever Wanted
1.1 Joseph’s Promotion
What’s interesting about Joseph is that he rises twice and falls twice, before ultimately rising to the top – the governor of Egypt. He rises both in Potiphar’s house and again in Potiphar’s prison before eventually ascending to rule Egypt under Pharaoh. And Joseph’s clothes give him away. Several weeks ago, I told you I wanted you to be alert to Joseph’s changing wardrobe. Every time Joseph receives new clothes, he’s on the way up. But every time Joseph has clothes removed from him, he’s on the way down. Just as Joseph had received the special coat from his father, now Joseph receives fine linen as a symbol of his new status.
This is the 3rd house that Joseph has been placed in charge of. Just as he had been promoted to be in charge of everything in Potiphar’s house and later in Potiphar’s prison, now he was in charge of everything in Egypt. Only one thing had been withheld in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife. And now only one thing is being withheld in Pharaoh’s nation, Pharaoh’s throne.
Pause and reflect on Genesis 41:41 for a moment: “And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’” (Genesis 41:41) Joseph received authority over everything the king’s entire household. Further, he was given financial power. For a second time Joseph goes for a ride. The first was to Egypt while the second is throughout Egypt. The first ride was as kidnapped victim while the second is as exalted hero. He has a chariot led by an entourage of runners – a security detail. In our day, it would be a stately, black limousine where you have a drive and soldiers snap to attention on your orders. And the king completes the “Egyptianizing” of Joseph by renaming him and assigning an Egyptian wife from a prestigious priestly family. Joseph has a new job, a new name, and a new wife. You’ll never hear his Egyptian name or his Egyptian wife his Egyptian mentioned after this point. Later on, even Pharaoh will refer to Joseph by his Hebrew name (Genesis 41:55).
1.2 Joseph’s Plan
The key to Joseph’s promotion was, in part, his action plan. Joseph’s good looks caught the attention of Potiphar’s wife and now Joseph’s wise planning catches the eyes of Potiphar’s ruler. Joseph never dreamed that he was essentially commending himself when he gave Pharaoh his plan. Joseph was not engineering a contrived “Who, me?” kind of moment. In effect Joseph’s blueprint for the chief administrator was his own résumé. The plan was sound, capable leadership and follow-through: As Joseph himself put it, “select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:33) Joseph advises a flat-tax - 1/5 of all that is grown in the land for the next 7 years. The brilliance of Joseph’s “20 percent x 7 years saving plan” was at once obvious.
Why? – three reasons - 1. It decentralized food. The decentralization of the stored grain would, when the time came, allow for convenient distribution. 2. It made the food easy to protect. And the storage of grain in centers of population provided for adequate protection should a panic set it when the famine grew in severity.
Knowing the unpredictable behavior of people who are facing starvation and trying to cope with survival, Joseph urges that such supplies be protected from public access and possible looting.
3. It saved for a rainy day: “Go to the ant, O sluggard consider her ways, and be wise. she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” (Proverbs 6:6,8)
Everything Joseph has said turns out to be accurate. Just as Joseph planned, store cities were set aside and more crops and produce were on hand than anyone could feasibly count. As Noah had built the ark in preparation for a worldwide flood, now Joseph stores grain for a worldwide famine. Joseph had no idea that he was not only saving Egypt but his family as well. And he couldn’t have been aware that God was using the famine to arrange a meeting with his brothers at long last. He had all ever wanted.
2. The Test of Success
Joseph is like a cork, you keep pushing him down, but he’s sure to come back up!
But Joseph’s poverty and Joseph’s prosperity were both tests: “When [God] summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters;
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the Lord tested him.” (Psalm 105:16-19)
A moment ago, I said: Joseph’s life intrigues because it’s a roller coaster ride of a life.The roller coaster is this: he twice elevated to positions of authority only to be demoted and punished.
A 2009 Sports Illustrated study discovered that 60 percent of US professional basketball players have faced bankruptcy within 5 years of retirement. Within two years of retirement, 78% of all NFL players have gone bankrupt. The money just spilled right through these athletes fingers.
Joseph was tested as well. Just like his great-grandfather was tested by God asking Abraham to take the life of his only son, Isaac (Genesis 22). Joseph was tested like his great-grandfather. Everyone is tested who walks with God. Even perfect Jesus was tested.
Two Tests – Jonah and Job
There are two kinds of tests at least.
The first I’ll call a Jonah test, and the second is a Job test. Let me tell you what a Jonah test is. Jonah has a big storm coming after him. Why is God sending this bad thing into his life? The reason is this: Jonah was a preacher, but he only wanted to preach to his kind of people. He didn’t want to preach to those dirty Ninevites. Jonah is tested because of Jonah’s sin, his character flaw. Sometimes the reason for troubles in your life is God is just trying to grab you by the nape of the neck, stick your face in the mirror, and say: ‘Will you finally look? Your friends have been trying to tell you about this. Your spouse has been trying to tell you this. Your parents, your siblings … Now I’m trying to tell you this. There is a problem.” Sometimes your test is a Jonah test.
But sometimes your test is a Job test. God sends all kinds of troubles into Job’s life. His children die. His money is taken away. His status and influence are gone. Now, the problem with Job, in a way, the reason he spun his wheels for so long, was he thought it was a Jonah test. He kept looking for sins. The Job test is a foundation test. It’s not about any one particular lesson. There’s not one particular sin. It’s God asking you to look at your very foundation, the very reason you live, the very most important thing in your life. You see, Satan comes to God and says, “Do you know what? Job does not serve you for nothing. He serves you for himself. Basically he gets you to serve him; he doesn’t serve you.” Satan continues, “His foundations are his children. His foundations are his status. His foundations are really the good things. He doesn’t serve you just for who you are. You’re not his foundation. Those are his foundation. Take those things away, and you’ll see.” We pray, “Show me what my sin is. What is my sin?” Sometimes God is saying, “I’m not after one particular sin. I want you to see I’m God, and you’re not. I want you to see I am worth having even if you have nothing else. I want you to see these things are not your salvation; I am your salvation.” You know what I enjoy about Joseph? - He passed the test!
Joseph’s Loyalty
Things get really interesting when the boys are born. Let me show you why. Pharaoh arranged Joseph’s marriage into the Egyptian family of priests. The city, On, was better knows as Heliopolis, “sun city”, situated on the Nile in Lower Egypt just seven miles northeast of Cairo.
The city was the prestigious religious center of Egyptian solar deities. The city’s power was surpassed only by Memphis and Thebes. Everything given to Joseph upon his promotion was Egyptian – Egyptian names, Egyptian wife, and the Egyptian gods. He even shaved his beard as Egyptians would. But as soon as Joseph had children, it’s clear he still is a Hebrew – he’s still a worshipper of God. Joseph could have given his sons Egyptian names or Hebrew names. Joseph’s master is Egyptian. His wife is Egyptian. His in-laws are Egyptian. But after some twenty years away from home, he finally has a chance to make a clear declaration of his identity and allegiance! The names he gives his sons make a clear message.
Manasseh and Ephraim
The first boy’s name was unusual – it meant, “one who causes to forget.” Joseph said at his first son’s birth: “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.” (Genesis 41:51b) Joseph names second son’s to celebrate God’s blessing despite all his hardships. Joseph makes it clear that he is not just giving a nod to his heritage; he is identifying himself as a Hebrew among Egyptians. Joseph has the finest clothes, jewels, chariots, houses, and lands at his disposal. He is living a life of opulence beyond anything he would have experienced as the son of a shepherd. However, he calls Egypt the land of his affliction— not the place where he had been despised, rejected, and abandoned.
The climax of today’s part of the story is that the God of a Hebrew slave is greater to anything Egypt has to offer. God has no rivals. And He alone controls Egypt’s economy. He alone controls the Nile. And though he didn’t look it went entered the palace, Joseph was important to Egypt – he saved the very people of Egypt. Joseph is wiser than anyone Egypt has to offer. God’s providential plan is coming into focus. Joseph passed the test. He handled the prestige and power of his new position without succumbing to pride.
Twenty years prior to the famine, God, knew that (1) the land would cease to produce; (2) His people would starve without intervention; And (3) Egypt would have resources sufficient to store grain during the plentiful years prior to the famine. God’s hand moves Joseph from the prison to a very high and strategic place in the matter of 13 years. Later to honor Joseph at the death of his father, Jacob, we read these words: “And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.” (Genesis 50:3). Evidently Pharaoh mandated a 70 day mourning as an expression of his respect for Joseph and his father.
The Bible tells us that Egyptians mummified both Jacob and Joseph as is famous for this ancient civilization (Genesis 50:26). Can you imagine what it was like when Ephraim and Manasseh were old enough for Joseph to explain the meaning of their names to them? What an incredible opportunity! “Boys, I want to tell you about your grandfather and your uncles, and how God brought your daddy to Egypt.” He had an opportunity to teach them about God’s promise to Abraham to make of him a great nation. He was able to teach them about the roller coaster of a life God had taken him on.
It is clear that the “Oval Office” never got to Joseph. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. What was different about Joseph? God’s Favor Sometimes the Bible beautifully summarizes a person’s life in just one sentence.
It is said of Abraham, the father of faith, this: “Abraham believed the Lord…” (Genesis 15:6) and that certainly could be placed on his tombstone as an accurate summary of his life. The Bible says of Moses these words: “Now the man Moses was very meek…” (Numbers 12:3) and that certainly could be placed on his tombstone as an accurate summary of his life. Or take one more… John, one of the Twelve Disciples and companion of Jesus Himself, the Bible describes John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 19:26, 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). Sometimes the Bible beautifully summarizes a person’s life in just one sentence. And the Bible says this of our man, Joseph: “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him.” (Acts 7:9)
While Pharaoh doesn’t get specific with which “god” is blessing Joseph, he does recognize something supernatural about Joseph: “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:38b) Joseph rose to the top of the slaves in Potiphar’s house because the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:3). And Joseph rose to the top of prison because the Lord was with him and had place his favor on him (Genesis 39:21).
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
“May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 15:33)
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).
Your most difficult test isn’t poverty but prosperity. Despite all of the trials of Joseph’s life, the hand of the Lord is with this man. Joseph’s education as a slave taught him who he was. More important, he knew who God was. Joseph passed each challenge and he learned from each experience. With each trial, Joseph learned to trust God even more.
Takeaways
1) Don’t Let Bad Memories Ruin You
2) Don’t Allow Long-Time Afflictions to discourage You
3) Don’t Allow Prosperity to Detour You
