Everybody loves a good rags to riches story, but what if that was your story? Would you be able to keep your pride in check if life suddenly took a radical turn for the better? Today on Truth for Life, Alastair Begg traces one man's dramatic rise from the pit to the pinnacle. and considers how he avoided the dangers of pride. Mm-hmm.
Genesis 41, if you turn to it with me. And Father, we pray that as we turn to your word, the Spirit might be our teacher. that our hearts may be open to your truth, and that our lives may be transformed by it for Jesus' sake. Amen. Resume our studies at around verse 37.
And we discover that Joseph gets a new job. A new name? A wife. and two sons. Every so often in magazines you read of the things that create the most stress in your life.
And here he got a whole bundle of them rolled into a very short period of time. and as we will see, he comes out remarkably well.
Some thirteen years have passed since as a teenager he had worn that multicolored coat. And now here he is, still a young man, and yet raised to a position of unique usefulness in a country where he lives as a resident alien. And when we view the unfolding saga of his life, and particularly this section before us now, you will recall that this particular period in Joseph's pilgrimage began with Pharaoh's troubling dreams. And in Pharaoh's dreaming, He discovered that there was no one who could answer his dilemma. Saved Joseph, and God made it possible for Joseph to grant an interpretation.
And then Joseph had followed up the word of interpretation with a suggested plan of action. And the plan of action was responded to as verse 37 makes clear. It was obviously good. Clearly necessary and enthusiastically received, not only by Pharaoh, but also by his officials.
Now the key to the implementation of this plan, as with any plan, is leadership. And as you read those verses, 37 through 40, You gain the impicture of Pharaoh and his officials in conference with one another. As Pharaoh makes clear to them the discovery of his dream, And then as they discuss what has been suggested by Joseph. And Pharaoh's conclusion is simply, it would seem to be the best plan. To allow the one who has conceived of this approach to our dilemma.
to be the one who himself implements it, carries it out. And so in verses 39 and 40, Pharaoh informs Joseph of this new position that he is creating. Apparently, the leadership structure in this nation is to be altered. It doesn't appear that Joseph is taking someone else's job, but rather that Joseph is filling a completely new role in the country. And for last time we had noted first of all the dream God interpreted and then the plan Joseph suggested and then we said that we were going to proceed to the role Pharaoh created.
And it is Here, that we pick up the story this morning as Pharaoh creates this whole new position. in the land of Egypt. And we can summarize it indeed as it is stated here: Joseph is to be. in charge. in charge.
That's what it says there in verse 40, you shall be in charge. of the palace And of the people, and he is to be second only to Pharaoh himself.
Now this again is where a knowledge of this story works against us just a wee bit. I wish many times For the best of reasons, that I didn't know these stories as well as I've known them from infancy. Because I wish that I could turn the page not knowing what was about to happen, as some of you have the opportunity to do, having never been brought up and nurtured in the Bible. And for you it must be doubly exciting. Because you left him in the dungeon, now he interprets the dream.
What's going to happen to him next? You turn the page and here he is, second in command in the whole of Egypt. And overnight, in a dramatic rags to riches story, his circumstances are radically altered. He has lived the last 13 years of his life at the beck and call of his masters. Get up at this time, go to bed at this time, bring me this, fetch that, clean this, do this, be there, come back.
He has spent 13 years of his life. responding always to the demands of his masters. And overnight, He becomes the supreme authority under Pharaoh in the greatest nation on the face of God's earth. What an amazing story. You wake up every morning and you say, well, I wonder what today will be like.
And on this morning, when he had awakened and said, Well, I wonder what today will bring, his wildest imaginations could never have fulfilled that which was about to take place.
So he's in charge. He gets a new job. Notice a number of the perks of the job. First of all, the job came with clout. If we might use the vernacular.
It came with clout. That's the significance. of the signet ring in verse 42. Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He didn't go and get another signet ring made for him.
He didn't get a kind of... Second in command signet ring. He actually said here. You're going to need this. He took it from his own finger.
the supreme symbol of his authority And he takes Joseph and he says, now I want you to wear this and I want you to use it. The word signet ring or a signet ring. emerges from the Hebrew verb Which means to sink In. And that's what you're supposed to do with a signet ring. It is to be sunk in either wax or or in clay.
And the symbol which is left there Is symbolic of the authority which stands behind the ring. And all of a sudden, Joseph, who had been an entity in the nation, Who had had absolutely no influence whatsoever save within the sphere of his own limited circumstances. is now able to go anywhere he wants Any timey ones and essentially do anything he wants. Under Pharaoh. Joseph in in contemporary terms, would have had the ability to close down Cleveland Hopkins Airport at a moment's notice.
Because he wanted to fly out of it at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and he didn't want any fuss and bother. He would have been able with a telephone call to have marshalled troops to be placed on a certain border. he would have been able to close doors and open doors and make decisions that were national in their impact. And all on the strength of the fact that he had been raised to this position of unique influence and he had been given clout. Verse 44 is somewhat metaphorical and yet it is Striking in its impact.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh. Didn't want him to forget that, but he says, Without your word, no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt. In other words, no one can stand up or sit down without your say-so. That, I suggest to you, is clout. And God had purposed he should have it.
So the job came with clout. The job also came, as you will note, with a clothing allowance. as verse forty two makes clear. Not only did he get a ring, but he got clothes. Didn't get a uniform, he was dressed in robes of fine linen.
and he had a gold chain around his neck. It had probably been a long time since Joseph got dressed in the morning. and said to himself, Hmm. This feels pretty nice. In fact, probably 13 years since he would have said he had a decent outfit.
The last one he'd had had got horribly torn up. His dad had given him it, the multicolored coat. It had caused an awful fuss and bother. He could never ever forget that. Indeed, probably the change in circumstances as he began to put on these fine clothes and the gold chains and everything must have sent tremors through his body as he realized the impact of what had happened the last time he had been dressed so nicely.
And so He is able to walk down Rodeo Drive. And go in those stores that have no price tags on the clothing. and choose anything that he wishes from the ranks. And to have some of his servants just hold out their arms and pick it up and carry it out with them.
So that his clothing may be commensurate. with his new status. And the job came with a car. Actually a chariot. He got a chariot.
Now, this wouldn't have been one of your run-of-the-mill chariots. This would be a special chariot. This was chariot two in the land of Egypt. if you have seen the Queen in one of her Rolls Royces. Or in one of those phenomenal chariots that go back some couple of hundred years.
You would recognize that that says something when you write around in that thing. And if you get to write around in the second one, People are going to stop. and pay attention.
So, from the chains of the dungeon now to this most dignified of transport, and all on account. Of God's eternal providential plan at just the right time. I took my girls, my wife and I took our girls to see Jane Eyre on Friday evening for the second time in the space of a week.
Well, she and I for the second time, them for the first. It's a wonderful story. If you missed it, you should be sorry. Because I think they took it away. I mean, it's so good that they put it in one cinema in the whole of Cleveland for two weeks.
And if you know the story of Jane Eyre, You would have loved seeing it on film. Because as you know, she was orphaned. Brought up in total poverty and in obscurity. And it is a dramatic event in her life when, in her later years, She discovers that she had an uncle that she never knew. who had died in Madeira and left to her a vast fortune.
And her response to the word of the fortune is to inform the minister who tells her of this that first of all she wants to give a third of it, not knowing what it is, to Lowood School where she had been educated. Secondly, she would like him to take as much as he requires for the work of missions in which he's involved in the world, and then she will take the residue. And as the film unfolds, there is no immediate indication of this dramatic change in her circumstances, save when she returns to the big home where she had been the governess. On every previous occasion in the movie, she comes, as it were, on the stagecoach. She comes as a number of people in an old black stagecoach, rocking back and forth along her way.
And when it finally reaches the stop, she gets out and makes her way up to the house. But when she returns this time, she comes in a beautiful navy blue carriage. with two horsemen. who are her own personal valets. She rides alone.
And she rides right up to the place of entry. Why? because her status has been dramatically ordered. and her carriage gives testimony. to the change.
Now that is exactly what had happened, you see, in Joseph's life. In a moment, he had clout, he had clothes, he had a carriage. He had an entourage. He had people who walked in front of his chariot shouting, make way, make way. What do you make of this?
I've seen some of you drive, and you probably ought to have somebody going in front of you saying the same thing. You look at me and you say, That's the pot calling the kettle black. I understand, but I thought I'd get in before you did. But the make way, make way is an indication of the grandeur of the one who is to come. Joseph is coming.
Clear the way. Joseph, the second in command of all of Egypt. He run on too rash. And he's only thirty years. of age.
30 years of age and now the world at his feet. 30 years of age and unlimited resources. 30 years of age, able to go where he chooses, buy what he wishes, do what he wants, live where he wishes, and second only to the Pharaoh whose dreams God had enabled him to interpret. He is in no doubt. If God had not put him where he had put him, he would never have been in the position to answer as he did.
And indeed, if God had never given him the wisdom, he could never have interpreted as he did. And so he was in no doubt as to how he had the clout and the clothes and the chariot and the operation. Observations. On this point, Joseph in charge, observation number one. The Bible says, He who honors me, I will honor.
1 Samuel 2.30, you remember that? In chariots of fire. a fictitious piece beautifully inserted. Where Schultz, the American runner, before Abe, before Eric Little runs. in the event.
comes across to him and gives him a piece of paper. And little, of course, who has stood out on the interests of his commitment to the Sabbath and has made great impact in his collegiate athletes. Opens the paper and it says, He who honors me, I will honor. It's fictitious. But the spirit's good.
And of course he runs to Olympic gold. And here Joseph who had honored God in the drudgery. And in the dungeon, and in the disappointment, and in the disasters, and in the separation from all that he knew and loved, and in this alien world with a foreign language, and foreign people, and this menial service, this young man who had honored God in all of these dark days is now honored by God and put in a position of unique usefulness. The principle remains always true. It may not always be expressed in matters of physical and material prosperity, although it may well be.
But God will always be true to this Principle of His Word. And we see it in Joseph's life. Secondly, Observation. We recognize in Luke 12, 48, to whom much is given, much will be required. Joseph has entered a whole new phase of his experience.
Unique challenges are about to befall him. And this principle will also unfold in his life. You have received a great deal, Joseph, therefore a great deal is now expected of you. It is the responsibility, loved ones, of our lives as individuals and families and fellowships, and certainly as a church to whom much has been given, much will be required. God does not give us these things so that we may sit and congratulate ourselves in our well-being, but He gives us them in order that we may offer them to Him as a sacrifice of praise and our lives in His service.
The third observation is this. It is one thing. for Joseph to be able to handle the pit. But is he going to be able to handle the pinnacle? We know that he can live in subservience and in the menial responsibilities that have been his.
But can he live in this position of great authority? Can you? Can you come second in Charge of your school? Can you become second in command, the chief operating officer of a large company? Can you rise to a pinnacle?
without diminishing In your usefulness, can I? It is one thing to live down here with an awareness of our dependence upon God. It is another thing to be exalted to a position of influence. And how dangerous for an individual to live there, lest like Uzziah, who was. Gloriously helped until he became strong, we like him then become proud to our own destruction.
Many a man or a girl who has done well In the menial. has floundered. In the realm of success. Fourth observation is this. It is one thing.
to be able to enter in to Joseph's disasters and his discouragements. It's quite another thing for us to be able to share his joy and his prosperity. In fact, that principle is generally true. Most, if not all, of us. have some spirit of empathy in us for those who are going through difficult days.
And that is right, for the Bible says we should weep with those who weep. But it also says we're supposed to rejoice with those who rejoice. Do you find it as easy? To send the cards of encouragement? When a friend or a neighbor, a brother or a sister, a colleague who has been living at this level is overnight at this level?
In material terms? I suggest to you. That many of us who can write the notes to the dungeon dweller find it far harder to write the notes to those who are on the pinnacle.
Well With Joseph in the dungeon. And now with Joseph, on the heights. Having noted then some of the perks of his being in charge, we need to ask the question, what it was that made Joseph the obvious choice for this position? And I'd like to answer that with another two-word phrase, which essentially provides for me the two building blocks of part one of this message today. And the second phrase is in touch.
in touch. Joseph was put in charge because Joseph was in touch.
Now the in touch was not in touch in terms of um His ability to move and shake and manipulate. There is little evidence of that in Joseph's life. The closest he comes to it is when in a previous time he asks the cupbearer to see what he can do about getting him out of the jail. That, I think, is more simply the taking of initiative than it is any desire to manipulate the circumstances. No, the significance in Joseph's life is not that he's in touch with the people who can make a difference, but that he is in touch with God.
He is living in touch with God. He has a God-centered life, a God-centered focus, and God is working in him and through him. And Pharaoh himself picks this up. The degree to which he is able to grasp what he is even saying is unclear. But in verse 38, he says to his officials, Can we find anyone like this man?
One in whom is the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of the Gods. In other words, what he's saying is there is a dimension to Joseph. which may only be explained in terms which are other Then human. Pharaoh looks at this young man. Looks at the events that have brought him to this day, listens to his word of interpretation, marvels at the wisdom of the plan that he suggests.
and says to himself, Surely The Spirit of God is in this guy. Whoever or whatever he conceived God to be.
Now loved ones, this is how it must always be and indeed has always been when God has chosen to pick up an individual and use them in a unique way. Do other people see God's Spirit in you? We're listening to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg, and we'll hear the conclusion of the message tomorrow.
Now, if we want our children to trust in God's providence, as Joseph did, the sooner we teach them about the gospel, the better. And maybe you're familiar with the children's book that Alistair wrote called Sea is for Christian, which was published last year.
Well, we're excited to let you know he's just released a brand new book that follows the same format. It's called J is for Jesus, Enjoying Who Jesus Is from A to Z. This is a book you can use to teach your children or grandchildren about Jesus. It explores the nature and character of Christ in a way that young children can easily understand, and it opens the door for you to answer questions and have important conversations with your children. In the introduction to the book Alastair says In this book I'm going to tell you about some one far more important and more wonderful than me.
I'm going to tell you about the most remarkable person who ever lived, and I'm going to use twenty six words to do it. I'm talking about Jesus. He goes on to say 26 words are nowhere near enough to describe him. In fact, there could never be enough words to sum up his greatness. But hopefully the 26 words I've chosen will help you see how amazing he is and how exciting it is to know him.
Ask for your copy of the book J is for Jesus today when you donate to Truth for Life online at truthforlife.org slash donate or call us at 888-588-7884. And if you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for the book, write to Truth4Life at P.O. Box 398000 Cleveland, Ohio 44139. Thanks for listening. Tomorrow we will learn why biblical wisdom has nothing to do with how many degrees you've earned.
The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. Where the Learning is for Living.
