(cont.) Joseph had no way of even imagining the wrath and vengeance of a rejected woman. But, with clear insight, he refused her advances on two grounds:
His relationship with Potiphar
His relationship with God
“My Master trusts me with everything in the entire household; he himself has not more authority here than I have! He has held back nothing from me except you yourself because you are his wife. How can I do such a wicked thing as this? It would be a great sin against God.” (Gen. 39:8-9 TLB)
Mrs. Potiphar’s aging ego could not tolerate the thought of rejection. After all, . . . who did this young slave boy think he was? She was “Mrs. Somebody” . . . he was Mr. Nobody.” He should have been flattered by her proposition. Certainly, all he needed was a little help to overcome his apparent stuffy idealism. In a moment of insistence, she desperately grabbed hold of his coat. But she had totally misjudged the uncompromising character of Joseph. As he broke away and fled, he left her holding his coat – circumstantial evidence that she would later use in her accusation of rape.
Such a charge would certainly mean quick death for Joseph by his master: a man who killed people for a living – the king’s chief executioner.
Well, Joseph . . .
What’cha Gonna Do with What’cha Got?
Why were all those bizarre situations being deposited into Joseph’s Trust Account? Was it possible that God had a plan? Could God see from His vantage point that His promise to Abraham . . . that he would become a great nation . . . would, of necessity, be fulfilled through the TRUSTWORTHINESS of his great-grandson Joseph? Perhaps, it was possible that –
God had to take Joseph to those depths – so that – when he later took him to great heights, he would not get dizzy and fall.
Instead of sudden death, Joseph was thrown into prison, . . . on a charge of which he knew he was not guilty. While there, he realized that he had reacted correctly. To have given in to the illicit desire for self-gratification would have been to yield to the spirit of greed. And somehow, he knew that:
God’s Economy Was Not Based on Greed.
Joseph also realized that:
God Had Guaranteed to Take Care of All His Personal
Needs as Trustee as Long as He was Faithfully
Administrating His Trust Account.
Even in jail Joseph remained sensitive to his administrative responsibilities. He maintained a good, positive attitude and believed in the multiplication of God’s protection and guidance. Joseph knew that:
God’s Multiplication Would Begin with His own Subtraction.
Therefore, he purposefully subtracted his own personal rights to attitudes of.
Bitterness
Disappointment, and
Discouragement
But, even with a good attitude, he still had to remain in his circumstances . . . he had to stay in jail:
It Was Up to God to Determine the AMOUNT, KIND and
TIMING of The Compensating Balances.
Joseph released the results of the future, knowing that he was only accountable for the present inventory of his Trust Account:
What’cha Gonna Do with What’cha Got?
For two years Joseph proved himself a Trustworthy Administrator while in jail:
In fact, the jailer soon handed over the entire prison administration to Joseph, so that all the other prisoners were responsible to him. The chief jailer had no more worries after that. For Joseph took care of everything, and the Lord was with him so that everything ran smoothly and well. (Gen. 39:22-23, TLB)
One day, he received two prisoners from the king’s court. They were in trouble. While they were there, they both had dreams they did not understand. Joseph realized that:
Deposited Into His Trust Account Was Exactly
What Someone Around Him Needed.
He knew God would help him again interpret dreams – he had done it before. He interpreted the dreams with precise accuracy. The chief butler was returned to his position and the chief baker completely lost his head. As the chief butler left the jail, Joseph asked him to have Pharaoh review his case. He requested that he put in a good word for him and suggest to Pharaoh that he be freed, since he was innocent of any wrongdoing. But sure enough, the butler forgot, and Joseph stayed in jail for another two years.
One night, however, it was Pharaoh’s turn to dream. As he explained his dreams to his wise men and fortune-tellers, they all admitted they had not the power to interpret his dreams. Only then did the court butler remember Joseph, the young Hebrew in Potiphar’s jail who had correctly interpreted his dream two years prior. Joseph was called before the king, told of the dreams, and was asked if he could interpret them. He publicly recognized God as the Source and relinquished his rights to any personal acclaim:
“ I can’t do it by myself . . .but God will tell you what it means! (Gen. 41:16, TLB)
Joseph then proceeded to explain to Pharaoh the meaning of his dreams:
7 years of abundance
7 years of famine
He then suggested to the king that the wisest man in Egypt should be set in charge of the operation of grain storage for the first seven years and grain distribution for the next seven years. All the king’s men quickly agreed that Joseph, obviously, should be that man!
Well, Joseph . . .
What’cha Gonna Do with What’cha Got?
In 1686 B.C. Joseph, at the age of 30, was made the second most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharoah himself. With that position of power, he had the perfect opportunity for revenge on Potiphar and his wretched wife. But again, Joseph was:
Able to LOOK Beyond the Immediate and
Deal with the Real Issue.
He relinquished his right to revenge and recognized the reality that:
God’s Economic Success Would Cost Him Everything
He Held Closer to Him Than God’s Plan.
Joseph had proven himself a Trustworthy Administrator in small things, and now, God had entrusted to him the fate of an entire nation. He responded with an equal amount of TRUSTWORTHYNESS in his new assignment and became honored and respected throughout the land.
Actually, God had not just entrusted Joseph with the fate of one nation . . .but with the ultimate fate of many nations.
After the seven years of plenty, Joseph had stored more grain than the Egyptians could inventory. But the seven years of plenty came scorchingly to an end, and the people of the known world began to feel the effects of the famine.
From all over, the people began coming to Joseph to buy food from his granaries. Among those who came bowing at the feet of Joseph, asking to buy grain, were 10 men from Canaan. Immediately he recognized the men – his brothers – but they did not recognize him. There they were . . . the men who plotted to kill him over 20 years earlier . . . the ones who had sold him into slavery . . . the ones who had ripped his coat to shreds, had soaked it in lamb’s blood, and had given it to his old father telling him that surely some wild animal had killed his favorite son. There they were, delivered into Joseph’s hands like a batch of three-week-old mice in the paws of a Siamese cat.
Well, Joseph . . .
What’cha Gonna Do with What’cha Got?
Joseph once again relinquished his right to revenge and retaliation and quickly decided on a plan to ultimately salvage the entire family from starvation. Without revealing his identity to his brothers, he began implementing that plan which took an entire year to accomplish. With five years of the famine left, Joseph revealed himself to his family, reconciled the scars of the past, and sent for the entire Israeli family of 70 to join him in Egypt. Where did they settle? Well, Land o’ Goshen, of course – the most fertile, delta area of Egypt. There, protected and sheltered by the strength of Egypt, the little group of 70 Israelis began to grow and multiply.
In the meantime, Joseph continued to skillfully administer the Egyptian wealth. Before long, he became the greatest trader in the known world. He became the
Grand Barter Master.
By the time the famine was scarcely into its third year, the people came to Joseph with an interesting problem. They had no more money. . . they had given it all to him in exchange for grain. Realizing that he controlled the monetary systems of the known world, Joseph suggested that they begin trading him all their livestock for the desired grain. That seemed to make sense to them. If Joseph owned the livestock, then he would have to feed them, and they would have more left over to feed their hungry families. By the end of the fourth year of famine, Joseph controlled not only all the monetary systems of the known world but also all of the livestock.
Next, the people came to Joseph and explained that they had no more money and no more livestock to trade. . . but they did have real estate. For the fifth and sixth years of the famine, the people brought their warranty deeds to their properties and exchanged them for food . . . until Joseph also controlled all the land for Egypt.
In the final stages of the famine, the people came from all over and told Joseph of their starving families back home, how the old folks were dying from lack of food, and how the children’s tummies were expanded by malnutrition. They told Joseph that the only thing they had left to trade was themselves and they would pledge themselves in servitude for the remainder of their lives if only Joseph would feed them. Joseph was happy to share his storehouse of supply in exchange for their loyalty to Egypt. Joseph now had control over all the monetary systems, all the livestock, all the real estate, and all the people . . . not a bad position. And, when the famine was over, he gave grain to all to plant. He required them to keep all but 20 percent for themselves. That 20 percent would be perpetually owed to Pharoah.
With God’s wisdom, Joseph had engineered a successful economy for Egypt that would give protection and remain stable for the required 430 years . . . until the night when Moses would lead out of Egypt back to Canaan not just a band of 70 Israelis but a full-grown nation of 600,000 men, as well as women and children. God had kept His promise to Abraham to make him into a mighty nation like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. And God was able to fulfill that promise to Abraham through the absolutely surrendered life of Joseph. It was never a point of confusion in Joseph’s mind as to his true Source. He realized that he was an important part – but none-the-less – only a part, in GOD’S AMAZING ECONOMY.
The principle was still the same. . . God to People . . . People to People.
Said Joseph to his brothers,
God turned into good what you meant for evil, for he brought me to this high position I have today – So That – I could save the lives of many people. (Gen. 50:20, TLB)
Joseph’s life became the unquestionable testimony that:
God Can Do a Lot with a Little
IF – He Has All There is of It!
Well, friend . . . it’s now your turn to take a deep breath, square those stately shoulders, forget the past, look intently into the future, and answer the ageless question that demands to be answered by every person born . . .
What’cha Gonna Do with What’cha Got?
Next Week: Confessions of an Economist