A Closer Walk

Our Bibles are full of stories that both reveal the humanity and shortcomings of the various people being talked about. This includes women, of course. Women who were helpful, or harmful. But the same can be said about the men mentioned. On other occasions there are people who are wrongly accused or falsely accused. One of these was a man named Joseph. His story is found in the Old Testament book of Genesis. Joseph was the eleventh of twelve sons born to Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. His father loved him more than his brothers, the Bible tells us, and so his brothers were jealous of him and hated him.
At their first opportunity they sold him into slavery to a traveling group of traders. The traders sold him to an Egyptian man named Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard. “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. And the LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. And it came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD’S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.” Genesis 39:1-6 NASB.
So Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his whole household. After this Potiphar's wife threw herself at him because he was an attractive young man. Being delicate in my wording here, she desired him to have a physical interlude with her. Joseph, being a man of integrity, steadfastly and completely refused her advances. She pleaded with him over and over and eventually threatened him by telling Joseph that she would tell her husband that he forced himself on her. Still he refused her. When Potiphar arrived home one day his wife did exactly what she threatened to do, she told her husband that Joseph had forced himself on her but she screamed and called for the men of the household. So Potiphar was angry with Joseph had him thrown into prison. Joseph was both wrongly and falsely accused of something he did not do. But he was still in prison.
Remember Romans 8:28? “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Later Pharaoh had a dream which his seers and magicians could not understand or interpret for him. Pharaoh had heard that Joseph could interpret dreams so he had Joseph freed from prison and brought to him so that Joseph could interpret his dream. After interpreting the dream and offering a solution to the calamity that was predicted, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the entire country of Egypt and issued a decree that all Egyptians were to follow Joseph's instructions. Other than Pharaoh himself there was no one in Egypt more powerful than Joseph. “Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went through all the land of Egypt. And during the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly. So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt, and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure,” Genesis 41:46-49 NASB.
Why do we care about this? Again, Romans 8:28. There arose a great famine in Israel as well as Egypt. Joseph's interpretation of the dream predicted seven years of abundance; then seven years of famine. Joseph's suggestion to Pharaoh was that Egypt stockpile a fifth (20%) of all the grain harvested during the seven years of abundance in order to supply the Egyptian people during the famine years. Joseph even suggested that Pharaoh select a good man to be in charge of all this. And, of course, Pharaoh selected Joseph. Fast forward into the years of famine. Joseph's brother's, at their father's instruction, left the famine in Israel and traveled to Egypt to check on the possibility of food. These are the same brothers that sold Joseph into slavery. From the point he was sold onward Joseph's life was completely outside his control. They meant their actions for harm. But our God used it for their own good as well as Joseph's. When they arrived they were met by Joseph and they didn't recognize him. But he recognized them and sent them back with food and instructions to bring their whole family to Egypt.
So how did this all end up? “Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Say to your brothers, “Do this: load your beasts and go to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you shall eat the fat of the land.” Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. And do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours,'” Genesis 45:16-20 NASB.
Our God is always, always at work in our lives, even though we may not recognize or be aware of that. And what a blessing that is!