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Thought for the Week

Heroes VI

My hero does not seem to have good fortune in the beginnings of these "Thoughts." Last time he was a slave. This time he is in prison. He is here because he was falsely accused of molesting his master's wife. Remember it was she who attempted to seduce him. He refused and fled. She accused him of the deed. His master acted on her accusation and had him thrown into prison. I wonder a bit if we have the whole story. The normal penalty for Joseph would have been death. So, perhaps Potiphar doubted her accusation. Perhaps Joseph's life was so exemplary Potiphar did not believe him guilty of the evil but needed to "save face." None of that is substantiated of course but simply my speculation. Now we find Joseph in prison but God has not forsaken him. God's favor continued to be on Joseph and Joseph's life in prison was so exemplary, it was not long until the warden left the running of the prison in Joseph's care. In time, two fellow prisoners had dreams. These dreams were so troubling, the men sought out Joseph to interpret them. Joseph did just that. His interpretations proved true, resulting in the execution of one prisoner and the prison-release of the other. Joseph asked the released prisoner to make an effort to get him released, too. Later, Pharaoh dreamed. He sought for an interpreter but could not find one. The released prisoner remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh. Pharaoh sent for Joseph and told him his dreams. Joseph knew these dreams were a warning from God. His interpretation was that there would be seven years of great abundance in Egypt, followed by seven years of severe famine. With the interpretation, Joseph offered advice that there should be careful preservation of the abundance to meet the severity of the famine. Pharaoh wisely realized God was blessing Joseph. So he appointed Joseph to be in charge of the effort to preserve the abundance against the famine. Joseph was made "second-in-command" to Pharaoh, something like the "prime minister" of Egypt. The slave, who was placed in charge of the household, the prisoner, who became Prime Minister, had radical ups and downs in his life. The reason he is my hero is because up or down, he was faithful to God and God was faithful to him. Such examples are there to encourage us. Joseph was only one individual. In our world today, there are millions of individuals who face injustice and enormous stress. God is available to them. For those who commit to God, God's promises are real and He is faithful. Most assuredly, one day God will right all wrongs, make all things new, bless all who were faithful, and of course punish all who have done evil without repentance. Perhaps you are facing stress, temptation, pain, or any of a host of hard things. In the words of a scriptural song, "Hold on My child. Joy comes in the morning..." God has a plan for your life. He is working it out. He calls each of us to be faithful. Scripture tells us of a very few who were faithful and a few who failed. Being alone, or even just feeling alone is hard. If you can, find a friend who is willing to pray for you and support you in stressful situations. The story of Joseph is not yet completed. In the succeeding segments, he will demonstrate even more evidence of being a hero. Let us emulate Joseph.

Scriptures to Read

Genesis

40:1-11

Genesis

40:12-23

Genesis

41:1-14

Genesis

41:1-27

Genesis

41:28-36

Genesis

41:37-43

Genesis

41:44-49

 

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