Wednesday, Sept. 4
Genesis 39:1 – 40:23 Read it here
Joseph provides a change from many of the people we’ve met before in the Bible: he is honest, honorable and faithful. No wonder he didn’t get along with the rest of the family.
In addition to his integrity, Joseph is a competent manager. When he becomes a slave in Potipher’s household, his abilities result in him quickly becoming a trusted servant, serving more as a chief of staff than as a slave.
After he ends up in jail even though he committed no wrongdoing (even because he committed no wrongdoing), he again turns a lowly position into a leadership role, becoming a trusted deputy to the head of the prison.
His ability to interpret dreams comes back into play, as he interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners. Even here the story highlights both his abilities and his honesty; he shows the integrity of a prophet of God by speaking the truth as it was revealed to him even when the news will not be welcomed.
While it seems at first glance that the two men he interprets dreams for are at the bottom of the social ladder, as personal servants to the Pharaoh they would have been in positions of trust. The cupbearer (perhaps a personal butler kind of a role) would have been in close proximity to the king and serve him drinks. He would have to be deeply trusted both because of the opportunity his role offered to poison the Pharaoh, but also because he would be likely to be around when matters of state were being discussed.
The baker would not have been quite so close, but would also need to be absolutely trustworthy as he provided food the Pharaoh ate.
While the cupbearer was in a position to help Joseph in gratitude for what Joseph had done for him, he fails to—at least for a while.
While we don’t usually look to Joseph for his similarities to Jesus, they have some striking things in common: Joseph is able to lead by serving, he is faithful to speak the truth, and he suffers as a result of his righteousness.