ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 15 - Genesis 41-42 (FromSlave to Prime Minister)
“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41:41-44)
I don’t know any other person in history who has risen from being a slave to becoming Prime Minister of a nation, let alone the reigning world power. But that is exactly the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob. If you read my previous posts or if you are familiar with the story, you will recall that Joseph was sold by his brothers as a slave to Egypt and then ended up in prison due to an unjust accusation.
God allowed what appeared to be a terrible tragedy in the life of Joseph in order to bring him to a place where God can promote him and God alone will get all the glory because there is no other human explanation to it. Perhaps you are experiencing a tragedy in your life now; be encouraged by Joseph’s life - God is not done with you yet. He may be bringing you to a place in your life where He wants to promote you so that God alone will get the glory.
In our reading for today, Joseph rises to become second in command to Pharoah as a result of divine intervention. Joseph was pulled out from prison in order to interpret Pharoah’s dream. What struck me in the account of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharoah’s dream was how he did it. Not only did Joseph give Pharoah the meaning of his dream, he also gave a recommendation of the solution to what could have been the end of Egypt and the surrounding nations as a result of the seven years of famine that was to come.
No doubt, Joseph was given a special gift by God to interpret dreams but I believe that we can all immitate the wisdom of Joseph in speaking to Pharoah. Joseph was not afraid to give his recommendation even though he was not asked for it. It paid off big time in that Pharoah acknowledged it’s wisdom and appointed Joseph Prime Minister.
If you have been blessed by God with wisdom, don’t be afraid to speak up and let your voice be heard. The world calls this getting ahead by setting yourself apart from others. As Christians, however, we do it not to get ahead of others, but to be a blessing and contribute to the good of the whole organization or society.
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