Joseph, Part 9
The coat of many colors.
In part 9 of our Joseph series, we see Joseph appointed as Prime Minister of Egypt, and his wise use of leadership, authority and influence. Click here for the recording of this 9/1 Service, and you can fast-forward to 27:24 to get to the start of the sermon.
Our text comes from Genesis Chapter 41.38-52
38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom there is a divine spirit?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people shall be obedient to you; only regarding the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I have placed you over all the land of Egypt.”
42Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen, and put the gold necklace around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed ahead of him, “ Bow the knee!” And he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of plenty the land produced abundantly.
48 So he collected all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities; he put in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. 49 Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.
50 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh; “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all of my father’s household.” 52 And he named the second Ephraim; “For,” he said, “ God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
Introduction…
There are times when something awful happens to us and we think that our life is permanently, negatively altered.
As stated earlier in this series, we often have little to no control over what happens to us.
What we do have control over is how we react.
What you do in crisis says much about you.
A person’s maturity level is often measured by the amount of ambiguity they can tolerate in their life.
What is happening in the text?
V38- The passage starts with Pharaoh asking a rhetorical question of his advisors - ”Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” (a man in whom is the breath, ruach of God).
This is quite a statement - Joseph is outside the norm, as leaders go.
V39- “since God has caused you to know (yada) all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you”
V40- “you are in charge of my house (bayit- house, servants, animals, residents on his land); only regarding the throne will I be greater than you”.
V41-45 Pharaoh places Joseph over all Egypt; he places his signet ring on Joseph; clothes him in fine linen and a gold necklace; he rides in the second chariot behind Pharaoh; crowds are instructed to bow the knee in his presence; Joseph is given power as absolute ruler second only to the King; he is given an Egyptian name- “treasury of the glorious rest”; he is also given an Egyptian wife.
V46-49- Joseph is 30 yrs old when he assumes this role; the land produces abundantly during the 7 yrs of plenty; he stores grain in the cities of Egypt; grain was so plenteous that he stopped measuring it.
V50-52- Joseph pays tribute to God in the naming of his sons; he comes to terms with his past family (this takes time- Joseph was 30); second, he comes to terms with his present location, being in Egypt.
Applying this to your lives?
God’s leaders stand apart from the crowd because of God given ability; those with a discerning eye see this.
Leadership, authority and influence are giftings to be used, and not abused
leadership - taking people from where they are, to where God knows they need to be authority - the power to give order, make decisions, enforce obedience (Oxford Languages) influence- the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone (Oxford Languages).Leaders have to be close enough to the culture to lead; and not so close that they lose their leadership identity- even though Joseph had an Egyptian wife, he knew he was still a Hebrew.
The wise leader knows that neither good times, nor bad times, last; he prepares for the future (Gorbachev on the politician vs the statesman).
The wise leader keeps a balanced sense of the past, and the present- hence the naming of Joseph’s first and second sons.
