One death-grapple in the darkness twixt old systems and the Word;
Truth forever on the scaffold. Wrong forever on the throne,–
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown.
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.
James Russell Lowell
“And they…sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt” (Gen. 37:28).
“For God did send me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5).
“And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Gen. 45: 7).
Anytime there is a move of God there is a counter move of Satan. Anytime there rises a man of God there rises against him opposition. God does not preclude it but rather makes it redemptive and enhancing. There is no story in the Bible which more perfectly proves this fact than the story of Joseph. God saw to it that every needed detail was in the story of Joseph. The report is full, covering ten chapters in Genesis.
Joseph’s biography is given in Hebrews 11:22: “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.”
I want to introduce to you the Joseph principle. It is a principle that affirms utter confidence in the ability of God to see his purpose through, despite anything that happens. God often takes the tools fashioned by the devil with destruction in mind and makes of them wonderful sources of blessing for his children. In spite of and, in fact, because of what the devil did in the story of Joseph the final result is redemption!
The Joseph principle takes four great facts into account:
One, the overwhelming wickedness of Man.
Two, the overseeing providence of God.
Three, the overcoming obedience of Joseph.
Four, the overruling plan of God.
The Overwhelming Wickedness of Man
The principle which faces us takes reality into account. Spiritual reality demands that we recognize the wickedness of man. If we recognize it, we will have difficulty trusting man. This will leave all our trust for the Lord and him alone. Although Jesus was betrayed by men; he was never suspicious, never bitter. He despaired of no one. If we trust wholly in the Lord, neither will we despair of anyone. The adversary was so bent on destroying Joseph that he followed him into Egypt where the conspiracy continued.
See the overwhelming wickedness of man, first in the depravity of Joseph’s brothers. They hated him because his father loved him. They could not speak a peaceful word to him. Isn’t that just like unredeemed human nature? He dreamed a dream, obviously from the Lord, and shared it with his brothers. This aroused even more envy and hate. When he visited them in the fields, they plotted violence against him and eventually sold him as a slave into Egypt. Their wickedness is further revealed in their plot to deceive the father and declare Joseph dead.
More of man’s innate wickedness is revealed in the deceit of Potiphar’s wife. The adversary is not through with his attempts to destroy the man of God. The wife of Joseph’s master made advances toward him. Day after day he refused her, vowing unswerving loyalty his master. Finally, on an occasion she found him alone and caught him by the garment. As he fled he left his garment in her hand. She then proceeded to lie about Joseph which resulted in his being put into prison a condemned man.
Then we have the disrespect of the liberated butler. You will remember that while in prison Joseph was elevated to the position of keeper of the prison. In due time the king’s butler and baker were placed in the prison under the authority of Joseph. Each of them had a dream. Joseph interpreted the dreams, and as he had interpreted so it happened. The baker was executed and the butler was liberated. To the butler Joseph said, “But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me to Pharoah, and bring me out of the house” (Gen. 40: 14). But as quickly as the butler was liberated he forgot. “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Gen. 40:23).
The Overseeing Providence of God
All the while, unknown to anyone, God was keeping close watch over his investments and guarding his interests.
The providence of God was overseeing the whole affair. This meant several things. First, it meant that God’s presence was involved. “And the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man” (Gen. 39:2). It was obvious to Joseph’s master that God was with him. “And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand” (Gen. 39:3). Second, it meant that God’s persistence was involved. Joseph was cast into prison because of the deceit of his master’s wife, but God persisted. “But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Gen. 39: 21). The butler forgot but God did not! Third, the peace of God was involved. There is about the whole story an atmosphere of peace. God would see him through. He could thus rest in peace. And that he did.
The Overcoming Obedience of Joseph
God’s providence needs his children’s obedient cooperation. Joseph was obedient to God in every circumstance. He was not bitter over being sold into slavery. There is never registered a note of hatefulness in any of the circumstances which surrounded him. He was faithful to his master, Potiphar, in spite of the repeated advancements of Potiphar’s wife. He was faithful to use his God-given ability to interpret the dreams of the baker and the butler. He continues faithful and obedient until at last he was liberated from prison and lifted to prominence…the prime minister of Egypt!
Obedience is the basic ingredient in overcoming. All the foes of God cannot unseat the man who observes obedience as his first and last qualification for usefulness.
The Overruling Plan of God
The plan of God came through all the conspiracies of the adversary. God’s plan is reflected first in Joseph’s prominence. It was unsought and unbought as far as Joseph was concerned but carefully prearranged by the God of heaven. God’s plan is seen next in Joseph’s purpose. He had no doubt about that purpose by the time his brothers came. Pharoah had a dream and could find no one to interpret. The butler at last remembered, and Joseph was called from prison to interpret the dream. When the truth was known about the seven good years and the seven years of drought, Joseph was made prime minister of Egypt. God will go to any measure to elevate anyone whose elevation will bring glory to His name.
God’s plan is again seen in Joseph’s proclamation. In the moving scene in Genesis 45, Joseph sends everyone out of the room except his brothers and breaks into tears. He then confesses his true identity to his brothers. His proclamation is, “God did send me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5). He was saying, “You didn’t do it–God did! It wasn’t evil-it was good!”
Finally, God’s plan is reflected in Joseph’s proof. When the brothers reported to their father that Joseph was alive, he could not believe. He had mourned the death of Joseph for twenty-two years. Joseph had disappeared when he was seventeen. He was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh to become the prime minister of Egypt. Seven years of plenty had passed and two years of the famine had come and gone. That made Joseph thirty-nine years old. Can you imagine the emotion-charged atmosphere when Jacob’s heart fainted within him at the possibility of seeing his beloved son. The proof of Joseph’s being alive came when Jamb saw the wagons sent by Joseph. The spirit of Jacob revived, and he said: “It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die” (Gen. 45: 28).
What an ending to a pathos-filled story! God is working out his plan for this muddled-up world. It may seem to be staggering but it is plodding on toward the purpose of God. The Joseph Principle declares that God may not always be obvious in his presence and providence but he will win out in the end! Indeed Paul was right when he said: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Deposit the Joseph Principle in your heart. You will need it sooner than you expect!
JRT - Chapter 5, After The Spirit Comes
