Joseph – a man of integrity and forgiveness
Introduction
Today’s message provides a summary and reflection on the life of Joseph.
There are 3 senior public servants from the Bible: Nehemiah, Daniel and Joseph.
All three are Hebrews who attained the most senior public service post in a foreign country.
All three demonstrated you could be successful without compromising your faith and integrity.
Nehemiah – we learn from his achievement in building the walls of Jerusalem and more importantly rebuilding the community of God’s people after the exile.
Daniel – we learn from his ability to serve ably four kings (Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, Cyrus) in three different empires (Babylon, Median, Persia).
Joseph – if OT has a perfect character, Joseph would be the obvious candidate, not coincidence that many scholars use Joseph as a type of Jesus, foreshadowing the perfection of our Lord Jesus.
4 things we can learn from the life of Joseph:
1. Integrity
2. Forgiving spirit
3. Total trust in God
4. Faithful to God’s promise
Integrity
It is difficult to maintain personal integrity in a different culture with a different value system.
Clearest example of Joseph’s ability to maintain a highest degree of integrity was when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife (Gen 39:6-20).
Consider Joseph’s situation: bought as a slave by Potiphar, evaluated to the top of the household, seduced by the master’s wife, not once, twice but continuously, lesser characters would have succumbed, rather went to jail than to betray his master and his integrity. Note his response to Potiphar’s wife: “how can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” He considered if he succumbed to the temptation of his mistress, he would betray not only his master but also God.
The second example of Joseph’s integrity is - He told good news and bad news: in jail, he told the good news to the cupbearer and the bad news to the baker (Gen 40:1-19). He relayed what he received from God and passed on as is. He did not put any spin on the message.
Forgiving spirit
This is probably the most obvious of Joseph’s virtue.
Forgive his brothers, even they did not believe it. He looked back and understood his brothers’ crime to sell him into slavery was in fact part of God’s plan to save lives (Gen 45:4-8a).
This is the secret of Joseph’s ability to forgive. He looked back and he understood that God allowed him to be sold into slavery was because he had a plan for him – a plan for him to rescue Israel’s household from famine. When he looked back, he understood God allowed the injustice for him to be wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife was because he had a plan for him – a plan to allow him to meet with the cupbearer in prison. When he looked back, he understood why God allowed the cupbearer to forget about him and left him in prison when the cupbearer was restored to his former position, it was because God had a plan for him – a plan for the cupbearer to finally introduce him to Pharaoh.
You see, for people do not believe in God, do not believe God has a plan for each of us; we will look at these incidents as isolated events. For Joseph, he can look back and can clearly discern the perfect will of God in his life, all these are no longer incidents just happened by chance, but they are all related and interconnected due to the perfect will of God. More importantly, it allows Joseph to forgive others in times of difficulties. In prison or in slavery, he did not bear any grudge against those who had wronged him because he knew these injustices and misfortunes can only happen under the will of God, he may not understand right now but he will understand one day.
Over a decade ago there was an attempt on the life of Pope John Paul. Fortunately, the Pope lived. After he recovered, he shocked the world when he made a visit to Rome’s Rabbibia Prison to see the man who had attempted to assassinate him on Christmas day. Millions watched on television as the Pope visited with Mehmet Ali Agca, who only two years before had tried to assassinate him. The Pope and terrorist huddled in Agca’s cell for 20 minutes, talking in low voices that could not be heard. When he emerged John Paul explained, "I spoke to a brother whom I have pardoned."
Through this incident Pope John Paul clearly demonstrated the spirit of Christian forgiveness.
Joseph’s forgiveness extended to outside the family, we do not hear Joseph pay back Potiphar’s wife, or Potiphar, or the cupbearer for forgetting him in prison. The argument from silence may not be convincing but it is consistent with Joseph’s character.
Total trust in God
There are many ups and downs in his life.
He was brought up as a favoured son of his father, because of that he was envied by his brothers and sold into slavery.
He as then bought into household of Potipher, tempted by his mistress and as a consequence thrown into prison.
In prison, he was evaluated to a position of responsibility in prison, he interpreted the dream of the cupbearer (and the baker), but forgotten and left behind in the dungeon.
Lesser person would have complained and given up.
Joseph continued to put his faith and trust in God.
Second example: See Gen 39:2 and 39:21. He did not need to sell himself; his ability and competence were made known by common consensus. Everyone, whether Potiphar, or the cupbearer, or the Pharaoh knew Joseph’s talent when they observed him for a while. Yes, the bible said he was well built and handsome (Gen 39:6b), but behind the handsome appearance his superiors/bosses knew he got substance. In contrast, today’s success hinges on how well you can sell your image.
Third example: during his long tenure as the Prime Minister of Egypt, he maintained and upheld his faith. He bore testimony to the cupbearer and the baker that interpretations of dreams belong to God (Gen 40:8), he claimed more than once in front of Pharaoh that the dreams of Pharaoh came from God (Gen 41:25, 28). Even Pharaoh acknowledged Joseph’s faith and Joseph’s God is in control (Gen 41:38,39).
Faithful to God’s promise
We often only celebrate Joseph’s achievements and success without realising they are only transient and temporary.
It is easy to be mesmerised by the material wealth and comfort of Egypt.
First big test is Potiphar’s wife which we already commented on.
Second comes when he was evaluated to be the prime minister of Egypt (Gen 41:44-45). Pharaoh gave name a new name, a new identity. Sapnat-Paneah can mean: “hiding discoverer” (Josephus) or “the god has said: he will live” or “the man he knows”, all with a strong religious overture. Then Pharaoh gave him a wife from the priestly family (he did not ask for that and not up to him to refuse). Very easy for Joseph to be totally assimilated to the Egyptian upper class society and forget the faith of his fathers. We have every reason to believe that Joseph maintained his faith and witness throughout his long tenure as the PM of Egypt. Indeed, according to the Jewish legend, Joseph not only maintained his faith, he even converted his wife Asenath from idolatry to true faith to worship the God of Israel.
We should not simply read Joseph’s life story as a recipe for success in the corporate and bureaucratic world. He had his focus to the future, through Jacob, Joseph understood and accept God’s promise to His people lies not in the green pastures of Egypt but in the promised land of Canaan, the land of milk and honey that God promised Abraham, Isaacs and Jacob. Jacob’s as the last instruction he gave to Joseph, was to ask Joseph to bury him in the cave of Ephron the Hittite, that is the ancestral land in Canaan. Likewise, Joseph on his dead bed asked his brothers to bring his bones out of Egypt (Gen 50:25).
When the author of Hebrews in the NT commended the heroes of faith in the Old Testament, when he came to Joseph, he did not praise him for his achievements, nor his ability to discern dream, nor his administrative skills, not even his ability to forgive his brothers. In the entire life of Joseph, the single incident that he singled out is the last act of Joseph, his instruction to the sons of Israel that they should bring his bones out of Egypt and the prophesy that God will bring His people out of Egypt.
Billy Graham is no doubt one of the most admired individuals in the world, one who enjoys access to many world leaders and whose opinions are regularly sought. It is quite remarkable that Billy Graham has been able to maintain such a singular focus on his work as an evangelist. Graham once commented in his autobiography that he has had a number of opportunities to become involved in television, motion pictures, or even to help in the building of a great Christian university. "But always the still, small voice has said, ’God called you to be an evangelist.’ When God calls us, we are to remain faithful."
It is very easy when we become successful in our career, when we move up the social ladder, when we get recognition, we lose sight of our calling, we lose sight of our permanent citizenship is not Australian, nor Chinese, nor Singaporean, nor Malaysian, our citizenship belongs to the kingdom of God.
All our material wealth, corporate success and achievements will one day pass away. More importantly, we need to ask ourselves the questions, have we left something that is permanent and eternal, something that is pleasing to God behind – Have we introduced someone to Jesus? Have we helped a brother (or sister) in need? Have we passed our faith on to the next generation?
At the end, the greatest success of Joseph is not so much his secular achievements, impressive as they are, but his single-mindedness to follow, to trust and to obey God, no matter what consequences and under what situation. Joseph has been an inspiration me and I pray and trust through studying his life story also be an inspiration to you. Amen.
