Joseph : Part 2 - Parents Abode

The narrative of the life of Joseph begins in Genesis chapter 37. As a teenager of seventeen years of age, he already had some striking qualities that set him apart from his brothers. That is why the writer in verse two, talking about the account of Jacob’s family line, chose to write about Joseph, instead of the other older brothers. In fact Joseph was the second last son of the twelve sons of Jacob. Yet his life was distinguished. In any setting, the life of a christian should always be highlighted in comparison to the rest. :"You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world." Daniel stood out in the Babylonian courts, so did Nehemiah in Susa. 

The scriptures tell us that Jacob loved Joseph more than the other sons. Jacob made for Joseph an elaborately embroidered coat, to the envy of the other brothers. Here Jacob failed to remember the mistake made by his mother many years earlier by showing favoritism to him, which had disastrous consequences. He now follows his mother's footstep. It only goes to show that the sin of one generation often affects the next. The brothers only hated Joseph even more.The hatred was so intense that they even planned to kill him later. It is only wise that parents not to show partiality when dealing with their children. 

God does not use lazy or idle people. Joseph at the age of seventeen was seen working in the fields together with his brothers. He could have taken advantage of his father's partiality and stayed at home. I'm sure Jacob would have welcomed it. Nevertheless Joseph displayed the quality of a man used of God. Don't come to the ministry because you can't find a job. Paul was the greatest missionary and theologian of all, yet he was gainfully employed as a tent maker. "Tent-making" today is a lost art. I am not discounting the fact that there is a role for full time ministry but you can be gainfully employed and still serve the Lord effectively.

Three things emerge from the parents abode. Joseph knew that God had set him apart for a higher purpose, one that wold make even his parents bow before him. He had the vision although the purpose was not very clear yet. But he hung on to that vision and it was only after going through thee the pit and the prison that the purpose became clear. The pit and the prison experiences in our lives are usually meant to disclose God's purpose for our lives.

Secondly Joseph was for sure very secure in this comfort zone. Satan's excuse to God regarding Job resonates loudly in that home. “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.  “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Job 1:9-11. God allows Satan to test us for the purpose of demonstrating to Satan just how strong a believer’s trust in God is. Though suffering isn't good, God can use it to accomplish good. Would you have still been faithful God, if you had gone through his experiences?

Thirdly Joseph needed to be trained, his character refined, if he is going to handle the complexities of the palace. In Gen 37:2, Joseph brings a bad report about his brothers to his father. As a young lad, he lacked apathy, prudence and discretion, a deficiency of which eventually led his brothers to vent their anger on him. All these qualities are essential if Joseph is to become the Prime Minister. He was very legalistic and failed to establish relationships, just like the pharisees. If God is to use Joseph in the palace, his character needs to be molded in the pit and the prison. God did the same for Moses, for Paul and the rest. James 1:2-5 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.