Treasures New and Old

Christian Convictions: Leaders: A Look at Joseph

-Author unknown

As we continue this series of studies, I thought it prudent in this article to remind you of the Seven Disciples’ Principles that we should remember and observe (as in guard, hold important).

Seven Principles Recap:

1) We must always strive to be like Him and understand that we can never be better than Him

2) Always remember that Christ is our Master – others may be teachers or counselors, or brethren, but He is our Master

3) The Master is coming back and will ask for an accounting

4) Hold fast to the truth, don’t stray, avoid the gray areas

5) Disciples serve one another – as our Master gave example

6) Stay in the Master’s Book

7) Be a vessel of honor

Leadership Lessons from the Life of Joseph ben Jacob

Joseph ben Jacob, the eleventh son of Jacob and first son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel (Genesis 30:22-24), was a special birth as Rachel had been unable to have children for a long time until God opened her womb. As a result, Jacob favored Joseph and Benjamin, Rachel’s only other child (and we know that Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin – Genesis 35:17-20), and the other sons were naturally jealous of Joseph’s standing with their father.

• Genesis 37:2-4: “These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the son of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.”

Joseph the Dreamer

• Genesis 37:5-11:

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him, but his father observed the saying.

At this point, Joseph has not interpreted his dreams, but our hindsight lets us know that his dreams will, indeed, come true because they are from God.

Sold into Slavery

• Genesis 37:26-28: “And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for his is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”

So, you think you have had a rough life? Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers! He was bound and sold as a slave at the age of seventeen and taken to a foreign land (Egypt), likely had to learn a new language, and, of course, a new culture.

We will assume that while in his father’s house, Joseph was schooled in sufficient business practices that he could manage an estate (Jacob was grooming him) and do enough accounting like math that he had the skills an important household slave would need to manage a great house such as Potiphar’s.

• Genesis 39:2-4: “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.”

While serving faithfully, Joseph is in effect sexually attacked by Potiphar’s wife as she saw Joseph as a strong and desirable young man. Joseph resists her attempts to seduce him multiple times until one fateful day, she traps him . . .

• Genesis 39:10-12: “And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.”

So Joseph, the beloved slave, is sent to prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and there he serves again as a favored prisoner . . .

• Genesis 39:21-22: “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.”
  

And so, Joseph, as a slave prisoner, served the jail keeper again faithfully until the incident where he hears and interprets the dreams of the baker and butler (wine taster). See Chapter 40 of Genesis. We all know that story ends up with the baker executed and the butler restored to his position. Joseph asked the butler to remember him to authorities and of the wrong doing done to him. The butler promptly forgets (Genesis 40:23)! It will be two more years that Joseph serves in the jail until the event of Pharaoh’s dream which no one can interpret that the butler remembers Joseph (Genesis 41:9-57).

After Joseph successfully interprets the dream, he does an odd thing for a slave-prisoner. He proceeds to give Pharaoh unsolicited advice on how to navigate through the next fourteen years (seven good and seven bad) and beyond . . .

• Genesis 41:32-37:
  

And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

Seven Leadership Qualities Joseph Has Demonstrated

1) Boldness: Many of us would cower and remain quiet in the face of high-level leadership (like a king or president) and would have most likely remained in the background, but not Joseph. Also, Joseph did not shy away from reporting his dreams as a seventeen-year-old boy to brothers who were much older and rougher. Neither did he shy away from doing the reporting his father asked him to do regarding his brothers. Joseph knew what was right to do, and then he did it.

2) Faithfulness: Regardless of the many wrongs done to Joseph in his life (sold into slavery, falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned, forgotten in prison for two more years by the chief butler), Joseph remained determined to be faithful in service to those he attended. The Bible record does not report and instance when he questioned what God had allowed in his life, and he never questioned God’s plan for him. The Bible says that God was with him in every instance, and we should note that when we walk with God, He will be with us in our various life assignments. We need to be like Joseph and remain faithful to God and to those we serve.

3) Integrity: Joseph may have been spoiled by his father’s favoritism, and his dream telling may have been arrogance on his part (at seventeen . . .), yet Joseph maintained his integrity. Joseph could have feared his brothers and falsified reports. As a chief servant in Potiphar’s house, he could have enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a season with Potiphar’s young wife, and, at the jail, he could have just slouched and moped in his cell like most, if not all, of the other prisoners. But he didn’t and held on to his integrity.

4) Diligent in Service: We are told that whatever Joseph was assigned to do, the LORD made him succeed. Why? we may ask. Do you think that God simply gave Joseph a “golden touch”? Joseph was diligent in whatever capacity he served: at home with Jacob in Canaan, in the house of Potiphar, in the prison, and as second in command in Egypt. He could have moaned and groaned about his circumstances, but instead threw himself into doing what he knew best and did it diligently for those he served.

5) Humble: Some may not agree with this assessment. But Joseph gave credit to God for his amazing dreams and dream interpretations. Much lesser “leaders” would have taken the credit for their unique insights for themselves, but not Joseph. Look at Genesis 40:8 and 41:15-16 where, in both cases, even before telling the interpretations of the chief butler, baker, and Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph humbly and honestly states that it is not him, but God who will give them the proper interpretations. Are we able to give credit to those in our life (and God) who have helped us and not take all the credit ourselves?

6) Trustworthy and Loyal: Joseph was both trustworthy and loyal to those he served starting with his reporting to Jacob. When tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he would not betray Potiphar, nor sin against God (Genesis 39:8-9). When in prison, he quickly rose to the position of steward of the prison under the jail keeper and, of course, even to a heathen polytheistic king (pharaoh) Joseph was trustworthy and loyal enough to administer the entire grain and food economy for Egypt so that Pharaoh, and not him, ended up owning all the people and the land of Egypt and the monies of Egypt and Canaan (Genesis 47:13-31).

7) Forgiveness: Joseph suffered several abuses that he didn’t deserve (well, I guess you might stretch it and say the brothers had had enough of the favored young son . . . – but to sell him into slavery?) Then in Potiphar’s house, he was accused of attempted rape and sent unjustly to prison. Then in prison, he asked to be remembered by the chief butler who forgot him for two years. Finally, while in the second most powerful position in the land of Egypt, he could have easily gotten back at his brothers for selling him into slavery. Indeed, look how easily he did put one of the boys in prison until Jacob sent his remaining sons back with Benjamin. In all this, Joseph forgave and never looked back. We see this captured perfectly in the following verse: Genesis 45:3-5: “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could no answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.”

So far, we have seen twelve leadership qualities of Moses and of Joseph. Looking at them together, we can ask the following questions about ourselves:

1. Are we willing to reject ungodly power and prestige of this world?
2. Are we humble?
3. Are we faithful?
4. How’s our prayer lives?
5. Do we know how to conduct true worship?
6. Are we walking in God’s truth?
7. Do we fear man more than we fear God?
8. Are we bold in our faith (yet gentle as doves)?
9. Do we serve with integrity?
10. Are we diligent in service to others?
11. Are we trustworthy and loyal to those we serve?
12. Do we have a forgiving nature to those who wrong us?

Maranatha!

May God bless you all!

Bro. Joe

References

Kress, J. (2021). On Being a Disciple – Seven Principles.

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