Session 1: The Governor

Session Overview

Key Elements

• Key Passage: Genesis 37-50
• Scripture Memory: “So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Galatians 3:9
• Catechism: Q: What is the foundational characteristic of leadership? A: Faithful integrity.

Introduction

“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.” Psalm 15:1-5

“Till men have faith in Christ, their best services are but glorious sins.” Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies

Faith is one of the most foundational characteristics of godly leadership. Faith brings a compelling integrity to one’s life that unleashes leadership potential. God-oriented faith that seeks God-pleasing ends is a sure foundation for life and ministry. Such faithful integrity allows a leader to minister from the conviction of principles in the face of disappointing heartache. It can command the attention of one’s enemies and transform them into allies. It can persuasively win over one’s transgressor and make them reconciled friends. Faithful integrity can overcome temptation and purify motives. Trust in God that works its way into a life of integrity is a nonnegotiable starting point of Christian leadership.

Ever vigilant must leaders be when it comes to their faith and integrity. Leaders must expect difficult days ahead, recognizing that these burdens will put stress and strain on one’s faith. If not watchful, the hurtful wounds of betrayal and treachery can shipwreck one’s faith. Under the daily pressure of being God’s instrument, the appealing allure of momentary pleasure can ruin the integrity of one’s character. The potential to use power and influence for personal gain is an ever-present danger to unsuspecting leaders. Challenging still is maintaining faithful integrity across the arc of one’s entire life, as unrelenting forces daily strive to erode our faith over time.

However charismatic or skillful a leader might be, to minister without faithful integrity is a fool’s errand. If we rely upon our own abilities, depend upon the influence of our relational networks, or lead for a sense of personal significance, we are at risk in turning God’s work into our own personal agenda. Moreover, without an integrity of character, our leadership will ring hollow and superficial. We may accumulate popular applause and the appearance of external success, but without faithful integrity we cannot be called God’s servants. Our orientation and trustful dependence upon God is the most defining attribute of our Christian service.

Through hardship, Joseph persuasively displayed a life of faithful integrity. He was hated by his brothers, yet held firmly to God’s revealed word. By these same brothers, he was tossed into a pit and sold to a Midianite caravan where he was eventually sold as a slave in Egypt. Nevertheless, God’s favor was upon him. Given the opportunity of an affair with Potiphar’s wife, Joseph fled her flirtatious advance with courageous resolve. Joseph was imprisoned for being wrongly accused, but still Joseph did not abandon his trust in God. When seven years of famine threatened the land, Joseph faced these difficult years with prudent preparation, trust in divine provision, and magnanimous generosity, providing haven for those in need. Joseph spent years separated from his family in a foreign land, yet he did not give up on God’s revealed truth or promised word. Even when he reunited with his brothers years later, he planted seeds for reconciliation rather than allowing a poisonous root of bitterness and unforgiveness to prevail. Reflecting on the years of painful situations which he experienced, Joseph maintained an unyielding confidence that God was successfully working out his purposes in the world.

In the midst of challenging ordeals, God’s hand was upon Joseph. From his early years as a dreamer of dreams, by means of divine protection in harrowing circumstances, and through successful promotion in Pharaoh’s house, Joseph tasted the blessing of God’s favor. As we look into his life, we see that faithful integrity did not materialize in easy or ideal situations, but rather was established on the anvil of extreme hardship. This hardship tested the genuineness of his faith and then strengthened it with enduring vitality. As a leader worthy of emulation, Joseph commends faithful integrity to us as a foundation for all of our leadership and ministry endeavors.

Biblical Interpretation: Hearing the Word

Study the Text: Christian disciples ground themselves in God’s inspired word. In this movement, you will study the details of the biblical text in order to accurately understand what God’s word says.

Observation Questions

Read (or listen to) the whole passage of Scripture. Discuss the questions below for each section of the story. Pay attention to the details of the text to recall what the passage is saying. Use the focus verses to guide your conversation.

Storycraft

Theological Dialogue: Discussing the Plot

Explore the Text: We grow as Christ’s disciples when we root our lives in the truth. In this movement, you will explore the important teachings of this biblical passage.

Discussion Questions

Biblical Commentary

Read the following commentary of the biblical passage. Use this explanation to help gain a better understanding of the biblical narrative and important biblical principles that the passage teaches.

Key Idea

Godly leaders are faithful to God’s work in the integrity of their lives.

Introduction

Integrity is the lifeblood of a godly leader. No amount of charisma, skill, or relationship capital can overcome faulty character. This does not mean that we should hold leaders to standards of perfection or subtly push them to live behind a facade. Perfectionism and posing are real, recognizable problems that leaders face, and certainly we do not want to encourage such patterns of behavior. Nevertheless, the fact cannot be ignored that a leader will only be as impactful as their character is holy. The quality of a person’s character speaks volumes beyond their words or actions. It is the piston of character that drives the engines of influence for a leader. Without character, one’s ministry can quickly stall; however, a tested integrity of character covers a multitude of mistakes.

The pressures of leadership performance, where a meritocracy appraises a leader’s worth, can poke fissures in a Christian’s integrity. Suddenly the need to perform outweighs the foundational element of cultivating one’s character. Agonizing experiences of suffering can make the easy route of compromise seem so appealing. Pain from broken relationships can give a foothold for bitterness or unforgiveness to poison a person’s integrity. The incessant temptations to sin have slain many godly persons who let down their watchful spirit. A fear of man or fear of appearing weak can paralyze a leader who needs Godly accountability. Without being tempered by humility, the position and power of influence can intoxicate a leader. No little damage has been done to the character of well-meaning leaders by boastful overconfidence, eroding compromises, maintenance of image, or self-promoting competition.

In Genesis 37-50, we have a series of episodes that tell the story of Joseph’s formation as a leader. Specifically, Joseph’s narrative puts the characteristic of integrity on paradigmatic display. We learn about the promising and complicated circumstances of his birth. His youth was a mixture of favor, conflict, and suffering. He was sold as a slave and later wrongfully imprisoned. These difficult experiences groomed him for an unlikely rise to power in Pharaoh’s courts. All part of God’s plan, Joseph displayed integrity in his life and leadership. He governed with prudence, faith, and wisdom. Eventually, deeply confident in God’s sovereign plan, he forgave the trespasses of his brothers and became an agent of reconciliation. He provided safe-haven for his family in Egypt during a seven year famine and continued to serve God’s people in a foreign land. Even in his death, he would leave a legacy that would resound throughout the generations. Faith trusts God’s promises to come to fruition no matter the difficulty of the present circumstances.

An Open Womb: Examining the Complicated Circumstances of Joseph’s Birth

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 30:22-24, 25; 33:2, 7; 35:24).

Birth. Joseph was the second youngest son born to the patriarch Jacob. His mother was Rachel, who was the second wife to Jacob after he was deceived into marrying his first wife and Rachel’s older sister, Leah (cf. Genesis 29:1-30). Leah bore six children to Jacob while Rachel was barren for a long time (Genesis 29:31-30:21). Eventually, “God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb” (Genesis 30:22). To barren Rachel, Joseph was born. Hatred, envy, neglect, and anger circulated within the relationship of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah (Genesis 29:31; 30:1, 2). To some degree, the conflict experienced at the spousal level precipitated the sibling conflict to come. When Joseph was born, he entered into the patriarchal family after eleven other children had already been born (ten sons and one daughter). Joseph grew up a younger brother to siblings who entered the world amidst inter-marital strife. This setting was ripe for contention, competition, and conflict.

Name. Nevertheless, Joseph was the first son born to Rachel, bringing her barrenness to an end and allowing her to say “God has taken away my reproach” (Genesis 30:23). Additionally, Rachel was hopeful for another child and said, “May the Lord add to me another son” (Genesis 30:24). In fact, Joseph’s name was based on the word “to add” and it sounded like the word “to take away.” In this sense, Joseph’s birth was a gracious removal of Rachel’s reproach and a hopeful anticipation of what she desired God do for her in the future. Indeed, Rachel would have one more child, Benjamin, before her death in childbirth (Genesis 35:16-21, 24). Joseph embodied the hopeful rescue of deliverance from shame and reproach. In fact, being born into the family of Abraham, he inherited a lineage with a covenant of promise. As with Abraham, the father of faith, so would Joseph build his integrity from a platform of faith.

Transition. Around the time of Joseph’s birth, Jacob left his exile in Laban’s home and returned to his own country (Genesis 30:25). When Jacob was returning home, he met his estranged brother Esau. Years prior, conflict had fractured the relationship between these twin brothers because Jacob had stolen the birthright and blessing from his elder brother, Esau. Before Jacob met Esau after years of separation, Jacob sent a caravan ahead of him with gifts in an effort to placate his brother’s anger. In this long line, which acted as a buffer between Esau and Jacob, Jacob placed Rachel and Joseph right before him at the very end of the caravan (Genesis 33:2, 7). This showed that Rachel and Joseph were favored by Jacob among his other wives and children.

Biblical Principles.

Joseph was born into the patriarchal family of promise yet he grew up under tense circumstances. The very meaning of his name communicated release from shame and hope of future blessing, but his home was a place of conflict, envy, and competition. Joseph’s father, Jacob, had experienced the coverage of God’s blessing but woven into this was the painful and unnecessary trouble he brought on his family by trying to deceive and connive his way to God’s promises. Joseph was the cherished child that embodied Rachel’s freedom from barrenness, but at the same time was used by his father as a buffer between him and his estranged uncle. The prosperity of Joseph’s home was unnecessarily encumbered by poor decisions made by his father. From his very birth, Joseph was raised in this environment: a home that knew both the reality of God’s promises and the pain of sinful decisions.

The early years of life are incredibly formative. While no home environment guarantees the outcome of a person’s life, one’s home life has an inestimable impact on a child’s development. As adults look back, the home of our upbringing can evoke unpleasant memories that still cause us disquiet or joyous nostalgia that fills us with delight. Like Joseph, however, many people have mixed experiences with their upbringing. A mature perspective of our early years acknowledges the blessing of God’s promises mixed with painful decisions of our human parents. Often only in retrospect, we can reflect on our upbringing and see how God’s hand had been at work despite troubling circumstances.

Faith and integrity can be formed in these early years. The tangible evidence of God’s blessing would not have been lost on Joseph. He would have come to know the covenantal promise God had given to his family. After Joseph was born, Jacob left Laban to return home with much prosperity. Joseph would have grown up in this context. He would have experienced God’s blessing despite his father’s deception. However, Joseph also had to endure difficult sibling rivalries that would have put his faith to the test. The circumstances of Joseph’s birth and his father’s subsequent favor made his relationship with his brothers particularly challenging. Moreover, Joseph grew up in these early years without his birth mother who died after giving birth to his younger brother, Benjamin. Favored among the children, Joseph would not have had many natural advocates to come to his defense in his complicated home environment. Thirteen children from four different women were ingredients for certain strife.

Christian leaders learn to see God’s handiwork even in the most challenging circumstances of their birth and upbringing. This perspective may be more difficult to see for some than others. However, maturity as a leader comes in part when we can recognize God’s plan at work in our lives from early on. Often only understood in retrospect (as we grow older and with the help of godly mentors), the wounds and losses of our childhood can actually be training grounds (unknown at the time) for some work God would have for us in later years. It is important for a Christian leader to cultivate his faith in God’s promises and integrity of life by reflecting on these early years with discernment and hopefulness.

More Than Any Other: Locating the Uniqueness of Joseph’s Youth

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 37:1-36).

Favor. The potential for sibling rivalry (a potential which existed at Joseph’s birth and early years) became a reality. Joseph grew up in the promised land of Canaan (Genesis 37:1) with siblings from four other women (Genesis 37:2). Yet, he was loved by Jacob “more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age” (Genesis 37:3; cf. 37:4). As a sign of his favor, Jacob “made him a robe of many colors” (Genesis 37:3). Because of the special treatment that Joseph received, his brothers “hated him and could not speak peacefully to him” (Genesis 37:4). Moreover, at one point, “Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father” (Genesis 37:2). All this was perhaps exacerbated because he was a younger brother to all his siblings (except Benjamin).

Dreams. To add to the tension, Joseph had a couplet of dreams in his youth that spoke about his future. The one dream foretold how Joseph’s brothers would bow down to him (Genesis 37:5-8). Joseph’s second dream told how his father and mother would bow down to him along with his brothers (Genesis 37:9-11). These dreams caused his brothers to hate him even more (Genesis 37:5, 8) and stirred them to jealousy (Genesis 37:11; cf. Acts 7:9). Although the latter dream incited Jacob’s rebuke (Genesis 37:10), he eventually “kept the saying in mind” (Genesis 37:11). A young man of seventeen years of age (Genesis 37:2), Joseph experienced special favor mixed with inter-familial hostility and conflict (similar to the family dynamics of his birth and early years).

Betrayed/Slave. With jealousy and hatred stewing within his siblings, Joseph would become their victim. One day when his brothers were watching the flocks, Jacob sent Joseph to get a report concerning them (Genesis 37:12-14). He left Hebron, but being unable to find them at Shechem, he traveled to Dothan (Genesis 37:14-17). When his brothers saw him at a distance, “they conspired against him to kill him” (Genesis 37:18). They plotted how they might kill him, planned how they would cover for his death, and mocked his dreams (Genesis 37:18-20). The oldest sibling, Reuben, suggested that they only throw him into a pit and not take his life (Genesis 37:21-23). When Joseph arrived, “they stripped him of his robe” (Genesis 37:23) and “threw him into a pit” (Genesis 37:24) without water and “sat down to eat” (Genesis 37:25). When a caravan of Ishmaelites and Midianites came, they decided to sell Joseph to them for twenty shekels of silver (Genesis 37:25-28) without Reuben knowing (Genesis 37:29-30). As a cover for their scheme, they took Joseph’s robe, dipped it in goat’s blood, and gave it to their father, saying that Joseph was eaten by a fierce animal (Genesis 37:31-33). Jacob was thrown into deep mourning (Genesis 37:34-35) and Joseph was sold again to Egypt as a slave (Genesis 37:36; cf. Psalm 105:17; Acts 7:9).

Biblical Principles.

Uniqueness. In general, youth is a time for discovering one’s uniqueness. When Joseph was seventeen, he had experienced a special relationship with his father, enjoyed God’s remarkable blessings on his family, and received a noteworthy revelation about his own future status. While we should not condone Jacob’s special treatment of Joseph to the neglect of his other sons, we should understand that Joseph’s discovery of his place in the world is a normal part of this season of life. Although youth seldom will get a full and detailed picture of their future (as in the case of Joseph’s dreams), it is helpful to assist them in the discovery of their unique role in God’s mission. Leadership training and the formation of faith begins early in life.

Restraint. It is not clear whether Joseph was excessive in his bad report of his brothers, ostentatious with his many-colored robe, or boastful about the nature of his dreams. While we may not be able to fully characterize Joseph at this youthful age, the ambiguity in the story still serves as a very clear warning. The time to discover our uniqueness can often be a time of vanity and overconfidence. Just like Joseph, this is often the time of our youth. An understanding of one’s uniqueness tempered with humble gratitude toward God’s promises forms firm footing for a life of integrity. A life of integrity is built upon understanding of one’s unique role in God’s plan. With this confident knowledge a leader need not try to be someone else. However, integrity is served well when we guard against showy displays of our uniqueness.

Hardship. Joseph’s youth was also a time of hardship. While he basked in the favor of his father, the divine revelation of his dreams, and the promise of a significant future, he unexpectedly became the victim of his brothers. He endured hatred, jealousy, and discord from them. This inner animosity turned into mockery, betrayal, rejection, mistreatment, and eventual exploitation. Although it might seem contradictory, Joseph’s unique calling could (and did) coexist with deep suffering. Faithful integrity learns to celebrate personal uniqueness, cultivate measured self-restraint, and endure personal suffering. These lessons in his youth would serve him in the uncertain days ahead. For now, we must say that Joseph’s lessons on integrity—and his preparation as a leader—began in the early years of his life.

All That He Did: Measuring the Unlikely Success of Joseph’s Young Adulthood

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 39:1-40:23).

Divine Favor. Sold as a slave to Egypt by the Ishmaelites and Midianites, Joseph was a young adult in the service of one of Pharaoh’s captains named Potiphar (Genesis 39:1). During this season of servitude, “the Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man” (Genesis 39:2; cf. Acts 7:9). Although he was a slave, “the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands” (Genesis 39:3). When Potiphar realized God’s favor was upon his slave, he promoted him as “overseer of his house” and “put him in charge of all that he had” (Genesis 39:4). God’s blessing was upon Potiphar and his house because of God’s favor on Joseph (Genesis 39:5). So trusted was Joseph that Potiphar “left all that he had in Joseph’s charge” (Genesis 39:6). Because of Joseph, Potiphar “had no concern about anything but the food he ate” (Genesis 39:6). As a young adult in the foreign land of Egypt, Joseph was marked by God’s favor. True to God’s redemptive ways, divine blessing turned a traumatic predicament into a hopeful prospect.

Integrity. During his time as the overseer, Potiphar’s wife grew attracted to Joseph (Genesis 39:6-7). She would repeatedly attempt to seduce Joseph to sleep with her (Genesis 39:7, 10). Recognizing that to acquiesce would be a “great wickedness”, and that such wickedness would be to “sin against God” (Genesis 39:9), Joseph refused her seductive offers (Genesis 39:8). One day, however, she made an aggressive advance at him (Genesis 39:11-12). She grabbed his garment and Joseph left it as he fled out of the house (Genesis 39:12-13). Vindictively, Potiphar’s wife spread a false accusation against Joseph, saying that he was the one who made an advance at her (Genesis 39:14-18). When Potiphar heard this report he was angered and put Joseph in prison (Genesis 39:19-20). No matter this unjust treatment, Joseph confronted temptation with an amazing display of integrity and character.

Divine Favor. As was the case when Joseph was sold as a slave, “the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21). God’s blessing on Joseph transcended the difficulties of his Egyptian servitude and undeserved imprisonment. So rich was God’s favor that Joseph was promoted in the prison, such that “the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison” (Genesis 39:22). He was so trusted by the keeper of the prison that he “paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge” (Genesis 39:23). Not even the confines of the prison could keep God’s blessing from Joseph. Since God’s favor was upon him, “whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed” (Genesis 39:23).

Imprisoned. Joseph was in prison for “some time” (Genesis 40:1; cf. 40:4; Psalm 105:18) when a cupbearer and a baker, each of whom were in the service of Pharaoh, had been put in prison for some offense (Genesis 40:1-3). Joseph was given charge over them (Genesis 40:4). One night, each of these two officers had a dream (Genesis 40:5). The next morning, Joseph asked why they were troubled and then asked to hear their dreams (Genesis 40:6-8). Joseph told them that “interpretations belong to God” (Genesis 40:8). The cupbearer shared his dream and Joseph explained its meaning: in three days he would be restored to his position before the king (Genesis 40:9-13). Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember Joseph when he would be restored to his position (Genesis 40:14-15). Then, the baker shared his dream with Joseph. Joseph interpreted that in three days the baker would be executed (Genesis 40:16-19). Indeed, three days later things took place as Joseph had explained (Genesis 40:20-22). Unfortunately, when events transpired as Joseph foretold, “the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Genesis 40:23; cf. 40:14-15). In his youth, he was a dreamer of dreams (cf. Genesis 37:5-11) and he had now become an interpreter of dreams (cf. Genesis 40:5, 8, 12, 16, 18, 22).

Biblical Principles.

Divine Favor. For being a member of the patriarchal family, Joseph’s young adulthood was not all that might have been expected. Joseph experienced God’s favor despite mistreatment and adversity. Joseph experienced God’s presence (39:2, 3, 21, 23) and steadfast love (39:21) that led to his success in unideal situations (Genesis 39:2, 3, 23). God gave Joseph such favor with those around him (39:4, 21) as well as such charge and authority in his sphere of influence (39:4, 6, 22-23; 40:4) that he became a channel of blessing to those around him (39:5). Joseph was a slave who became an overseer. He was accused and mistreated even though he was innocent. He was wrongly imprisoned but became promoted in the prison. He was confined in custody but had access to divine interpretation of dreams. He was forgotten by the cupbearer but remembered by God. Throughout his life, God “rescued [Joseph] out of all his afflictions and gave him favor” (Acts 7:10). Christian integrity is fashioned when we learn to lean on God’s favor regardless of the mistreatment we have received. In fact, integrity so values God’s favor above all that we are able to be a blessing to our very captors.

Divine Revelation. During this young adulthood of Joseph, he became a dream interpreter. For Joseph, “what he said came to pass” (Psalm 105:19). He gave himself to decipher the meaning of the dreams of the cupbearer and baker, knowing that “interpretations belong to God” (Genesis 40:8). Not only did Joseph value God’s favor above all, he also gave himself to God’s revealed truth. He understood that God is the sole keeper of the meaning of life. Joseph gave himself to God as an exegete of God’s truth to the world. Joseph was willing to unfold the meaning of the dreams whether favorable or not. In speaking God’s truth, “the word of the Lord tested” Joseph before God and others (Psalm 105:19). It was through his stewardship of truth that Joseph’s integrity was shown. So should we steward the truth of divine revelation by unfolding God’s mind for humanity in its fullest sense.

Integrity. Sustained by God’s favor and grounded in God’s truth, Joseph also lived faithfully in God’s ways. He remembered the innocence of his youth, knowing that his present suffering was not a result of his personal sin (40:14-15). He was faithful in service to those around him although much injustice had been done against him. Having already built an integrity of character, he was ready to resist the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife (39:6-10). He recognized his position of influence (39:8-9), he asserted the sanctity of marriage (39:9), he acknowledged the evil of sin (39:9), and he feared opposing God (39:9). We are to understand Joseph’s success and physical appeal as accentuating the intensity of his temptation with Potiphar’s wife. Often the successes and laurels of our youth bring fierce temptations toward evil. Fixed on the unerring foundations of God’s favor and truth, we are called to follow Joseph’s courageous example of integrity.

Over All the Land: Observing the Humble Authority of Joseph’s Ascendancy

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 41:1-57).

Joseph remained in prison two more years after the fulfillment of the dreams of the cupbearer and baker (Genesis 41:1). During these years, he had been forgotten by the cupbearer (cf. Genesis 40:23). Eventually, Pharaoh had two dreams which troubled him greatly, and none of his magicians or wise men could interpret them (Genesis 41:1-8). At that time, the cupbearer finally remembered how Joseph accurately interpreted his own dream and that of the baker when they were in prison (Genesis 41:9-13). He told Pharaoh about Joseph, and Pharaoh had Joseph brought before him (Genesis 41:14). When Pharaoh explained that he heard Joseph could interpret dreams (Genesis 41:15), Joseph gave credit to God saying “it is not in me” (Genesis 41:16).

Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams of seven plump cows which were eaten up by seven thin cows, and seven withered ears of grain that swallowed seven full ears of grain (Genesis 41:17-25). Joseph went on to explain how both dreams meant that seven years of plenty would follow seven years of severe famine (Genesis 41:25-32). Joseph advised Pharaoh to appoint a wise governor of the land who would store up food during the years of plenty in preparation for the years of famine (Genesis 41:33-36). Pharaoh was pleased with this and gave Joseph freedom from his bondage (cf. Psalm 105:20), appointing him as the recommended governor over the land (Genesis 41:37-45; cf. Psalm 105:21-22). Joseph was known as a man “in whom is the Spirit of God” (41:38) who was “discerning and wise” (41:39). He was given authority over all of Pharaoh’s house (41:40; cf. Acts 7:10) and the land of Egypt (41:41-44; Acts 7:10), and also given a wife in marriage (41:45).

At this time, “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Genesis 41:46). During the years of plenty, the land produced much grain and Joseph stored up the grain as a reserve (41:46-49). Prior to the years of famine, Joseph had two sons (41:50-52). He named the first Manasseh as a statement that “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house” (41:51). He named the second Ephraim, because God had made him “fruitful in the land of my affliction” (41:52). Years after betrayal, mistreatment, false accusation, imprisonment, and neglect, Joseph was experiencing the rich hand of God’s favor once again. After seven years of plenty, the years of famine hit the land and Joseph was prepared with his reserves of grain to sell to the people (Genesis 41:53-57).

Biblical Principles.

Authority. Now a young man at the age of thirty, Joseph ascended to a position of power and influence. Thus far, the pattern of Joseph’s life has been painful hardship that gives way to God’s favor. In this phase of Joseph’s life, the sphere of his influence widens as he becomes second in command to Pharaoh himself. One can surmise that Joseph’s ability to wisely steward authority over all of Egypt and Pharaoh’s house was due in part to his faithful leadership first in Potiphar’s house and in prison. God often rewards faithful leadership with expanding spheres of influence. From this portion of the narrative, we should pay heed to Joseph’s relationship with authority. Joseph is consistently deferent to those who are in authority over him. He gets entrusted with authority by Potiphar and the prison keeper after a season in which he gained their favor. Authority is best used after seasons of faithful service under the authority of others. As is often the case, we tend to use authority over others based on how we have tended to respond to those in authority over us.

Even when Joseph gained influence, he was sure to recognize that he is under God’s sovereign authority. Such a trust in God’s sovereign charge gives one freedom to personal influence for the blessing of one’s enemy. The conviction of being under God’s authority enables leaders to endure hardship, resist temptation, rely upon God’s truth, maintain purity, and give credit in all things to God. Moreover, as with Joseph, we need never grope for positions of authority, but rather wait patiently for God to unfold his plan for us in his perfect time. Patience in God’s timing is a great moderator of godly leadership. We maintain a deep level of integrity when we are willing to wait patiently—sometimes even years as in Joseph’s case—for God to work out his plan according to his timing.

Wisdom. In reality, Joseph led even when he did not have a position of influence. That is, Joseph’s influence came from the character of his life. His faithful integrity made him a compelling figure. Part of what was compelling about Joseph’s character was a recognizable wisdom (cf. Acts 7:10; Psalm 105:22). Known as a man of the Spirit who was discerning and wise (Genesis 41:33, 38-39), Joseph displayed the ability to be prudent, judicious, and timely in his words and actions. When he gave counsel to Pharaoh, it did not reek of self-interest. He was able to offer clear interpretations to dreams and advise Pharaoh without self-promotion.

Humility. Joseph’s wisdom and prosperity was tempered with sincere humility. As he gave credit to God for the interpretation of dreams in prison (40:8), he credited God as the source of a dream’s meaning (41:16). Years of imprisonment, a lengthy delay on a promise, and a special ability to interpret dreams might have caused many to develop an entitled and self-lauding spirit. Not so with Joseph. In all his wisdom and discernment, he maintained humility. Further, this humility did not prevent him from a position of high authority; he was given great amounts of this by Pharaoh. As exhibited by Joseph, humility enables godly leaders to be content amidst both mistreatment and high responsibility.

God Meant it for Good: Witnessing the Wisdom of Joseph’s Governorship

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 42:1-50:21).

Rescue/Relief. In his next season of life, Joseph became an agent and mediator of rescue, reconciliation, and divine promise. With his wise governance of the land during the years of plenty (Genesis 41:46-49), he was able to provide food for people in the region during the years of famine (Genesis 41:53-57). Without food, the people cried out to Pharaoh who told the Egyptians to “go to Joseph” (Genesis 41:55). He instructed them that “what he says to you, do” (Genesis 41:55). As the famine “spread over all the land” people from “all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain” (Genesis 41:57). Through wise preparation and the sanction of God’s favor, Joseph became a key mediator who brought relief to the famished in Egypt and beyond.

Reconciliation. In the height of his leadership, Joseph was also an agent of reconciliation. The famine had even impacted Joseph’s family back in the land of Canaan. Lacking food, Jacob sent ten of his sons (leaving Benjamin back home) to Egypt to buy grain (Genesis 42:1-5; cf. Acts 7:12). Joseph was governor of the land of Egypt and in charge of the distribution of the grain (Genesis 42:6). When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him, asking to buy grain (Genesis 42:6-11), and fulfilling the dreams he had when he was a youth (Genesis 42:9; cf. 37:5-11). Although Joseph recognized his brothers, “he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them” (Genesis 42:7).

Alleging that they were spies, he put his brothers to the test by telling them to bring the youngest brother to Egypt (Genesis 42:12-16). Then, he had them imprisoned for three days (Genesis 42:13-20). Eventually, the brothers came under conviction about their sin against Joesph so many years earlier (Genesis 42:21-22). Joseph had Simeon bound and sent the rest of the brothers back with grain and replaced their money in their sacks (Genesis 42:23-25). The other brothers returned home with the grain and money and told their father Jacob all that happened (Genesis 42:26-34). Jacob refused to send Benjamin and feared that Simeon was gone (Genesis 42:35-38).

Eventually, they had to return to the land because they ran out of food. After Jacob finally agreed to send their younger brother, he sent them with a present, double the money, and Benjamin himself (Genesis 43:1-15). When they arrived with Benjamin, Joseph brought them to his house and served them a meal (Genesis 43:16-34). Joseph was overcome with compassion when he saw his younger brother Benjamin (Genesis 43:30) and he treated him with extra favor (Genesis 43:34). When Joseph sent his brothers back, he tested them by returning their money in their sacks again and putting his silver cup in the sack of Benjamin (Genesis 44:1-2). On their way home, Joseph sent his steward to confront his brothers, alleging they were repaying evil for good and stealing from Joseph (Genesis 44:3-13). When they arrived back at Joseph’s house and he threatened to keep back Benjamin, Judah interceded and volunteered to stay back instead of Benjamin (Genesis 44:14-34).

Joseph was overcome with emotion (Genesis 45:1-2), revealed his identity to his brothers (Genesis 45:3; cf. Acts 7:13), and explained to his brothers God’s purpose in sending him to Egypt (Genesis 45:4-15). In an amazing display of reconciliation, he told them not to be “distressed or angry” with themselves, but that God had sent him to Egypt to preserve life (Genesis 45:5). He told them that “it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:8). In firm conviction of God’s sovereign plan, he did not harbor bitterness against them but paved the way to reconciliation.

Provision. Not a mere accident of nature, God “summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread” (Psalm 105:16). God would use a famine to accomplish a greater purpose. Now two years into the famine (Genesis 45:6), Joseph loaded up his brothers and sent them back to Canaan to get the rest of the family and bring them to Egypt (Genesis 45:16-28). Jacob’s whole family of seventy people went to Egypt (Genesis 46:1-27; cf. Acts 7:14). Joseph and Jacob saw each other again with an emotional reunion (Genesis 46:28-34), and Joseph had the family settle in the land of Goshen where they could shepherd their flocks (Genesis 47:1-6). Jacob met Pharaoh and blessed him (Genesis 47:7-10). As they settled in their new place, Joseph provided for the whole family (Genesis 47:11-12).

During the remaining years of the famine, Joseph managed Egypt’s resources with great discretion and shrewdness. When money ran out, he exchanged grain for livestock (Genesis 47:13-19), and when all other resources ran out, he exchanged seed for the people’s land and servitude (Genesis 47:20-22). All the people grew Pharaoh would get a fifth (Genesis 47:23-26), and they gladly gave themselves to Pharaoh’s service as their lives were saved from the severe famine (Genesis 47:25). The family of Jacob prospered for seventeen years in the land of Goshen (Genesis 47:27-31). Before Jacob died, he made plans to be buried in Canaan (Genesis 47:29-31), blessed Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:1-22), and blessed his sons (Genesis 49:1-27). After this, Jacob died (Genesis 49:28-33; cf. Acts 7:15). Joseph mourned for his father (Genesis 50:1-3) and went back to the land of Canaan to bury his father as instructed (Genesis 50:4-14; Acts 7:16). Joseph’s brothers feared that with Jacob dead Joseph would take revenge on them, and so they pleaded for his forgiveness (Genesis 50:15-18). Joseph told them not to fear because “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). He also said that they need not fear but that he would provide for their families (Genesis 50:21). Joseph treated his brothers with comfort and kindness.

Biblical Principles.

Vocation. The height of Joseph’s governorship displays a sober sense of vocation when it comes to leadership responsibility. Joseph recognized himself as “a man sent ahead” (cf. Genesis 45:5; 50:20; Psalm 105:17). For Joseph, his gain of leadership and increase in influence was not for his own reputation or sense of self-worth. He did not grasp onto authority to assert his control or impose his will on others. The integrity of Joseph’s leadership reached to the depths of his sense of duty before God. Joseph recognized that his position of governorship in Egypt was a God-given means of serving God’s redemptive and covenantal purposes in the world. Those granted a leadership position should be just as content without it, if God would deem fitting. The leader with integrity is motivated to serve God and his purposes regardless of the role.

Rescue. In his vocation, Joseph was an agent of rescue for God’s people. He suffered, endured, and prospered that “many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 50:20). He was sent to “preserve life” (Genesis 45:5). He was an agent of God’s choosing who would “preserve…a remnant on earth” and “keep alive…many survivors” (Genesis 45:7). Godly leadership never loses focus on God’s redemptive plan. The rescue of God’s people, the safeguarding of his remnant, and the preservation of life are salvation achievements on earth that carry eternal significance. To maintain integrity as a leader is to maintain the focus of God’s redemptive plan of divine rescue in all leadership activity.

Reconciliation. Joseph embodied a spirit of reconciliation in his leadership. His position of power and influence did not cauterize his conscience. His journey of suffering did not turn him bitter or poison him with unforgiveness. So able to put God’s redemptive purposes first, Joseph displayed an ethos of reconciliation with his brothers. He extended compassion, forgiveness, generosity, pardon, and comfort to his treacherous brothers (Genesis 45:1-5; 50:15-21). Easily could Joseph have clung to the past and used his position to take revenge upon his brothers. Instead, Joseph modeled superlative integrity. Godly leaders show the depth of their integrity with their response to mistreatment. The godliness of a leader is measured not only by how they steward their vocational role but how they handle personal offenses.

Provision. Joseph offered his family more than an enclave of safety in Goshen. A theme through Josephs’ leadership is his role of ongoing support and sustenance for his family (Genesis 42:25; 45:11, 21, 23; 47:12; 50:21). In fact, Joseph was a skillful provider not only for his family, but for all of Egypt (Genesis 41:37-56; 47:13-28) and the whole world (Genesis 41:57). Leaders who serve God’s redemptive purposes recognize their dual role of leading people to God’s redemption and then sustaining them afterward. It is easy to serve God and people diligently for the purposes of salvation. It requires ironclad integrity to care for people for the distance: to shoulder the burdens of their lives on your shoulders for the foreseeable future.

Seeing the Children’s Children: Enjoying the Stamina of Joseph’s Longevity

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 50:22-26; Exodus 1:1-7).

Being thirty-years old when he was promoted to Pharaoh’s service (Genesis 41:46), Joseph was about thirty-nine years old when he brought his family to Egypt (Genesis 45:6). With Jacob living in Egypt seventeen more years (Genesis 47:8-9, 28), Joseph would have been around fifty-six years of age at the time of his father’s death. Joseph continued to live in Egypt until he was 110 years old (Genesis 50:22). He enjoyed nearly another fifty-four more years in Egypt. Not much detail is recorded about these later years. We do know that Joseph’s life was considered blessed because he “saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation” (Genesis 50:23). When Joseph was about to die, he gave a prophecy that “God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Genesis 50:24).

Biblical Principles.

Joseph lived a fruitful and full life. Early on, it was fraught with challenges and deep suffering. As a young man, he experienced unlikely prosperity in a foreign land. As he matured, he embraced a daring vocation that put his integrity to test at all levels. However hard Joseph’s life was, his integrity allowed him to trust God in the struggle and enjoy the God-given blessings of a long and bountiful life. Without integrity, leaders will capitulate in suffering or stray in prosperity. Like gravity, integrity grounds leaders to God-fearing reality. In the valley of despair, such leaders can trust God’s sovereign plan. At the pinnacle of prosperity, these same leaders can give credit to God and use it entirely for his purposes. During the afterglow of one’s waning years, one can live in contentment with gratitude for all that God has provided. In all of these various scenarios, integrity gives a leader stamina for the changing landscape of life’s terrain.

Nevertheless, leaders must reckon with the fact that at some point they will be “about to die” (Genesis 50:24). How leaders die can prepare God’s people in future generations. Joseph died in a way that reminded people of God’s promised covenant plan in the past (Genesis 50:24) and prepared them for the future (Genesis 50:25). All human leaders are finite. When leaders do not recognize the limitations to their own life, they overextend their influence in other people’s lives. This can result in unhealthy expectations and malformed dependence upon human beings. Only when leaders recognize and embrace their finitude can they properly be conduits to God.

An Enduring Legacy: Learning Leadership Lessons from Joseph’s Life of Integrity

Biblical Narrative (Exodus 13:19; Numbers 1:10, 32; 13:7-8, 11; 26:28-37; 27:1-11; 32:33; 34:23-24; 36:1-13; Deuteronomy 27:12; 33:13-17; Joshua 14:4; 16:1-17:18; 18:5, 11; 24:32, 43; Judges 1:22-26, 35; 1 Samuel 2:18; 1 Samuel 16:18; 17:25-30; 18:5; 2 Samuel 19:20; 1 Kings 11:28; 1 Chronicles 2:2; 5:1-10; Psalms 77:15; 78:67; 80:1; 81:5; 105:12-25; Ezekiel 37:16, 19; 47:13; 48:32; Amos 5:6, 15; 6:6; Obadiah 18; Zechariah 10:6; Matthew 2:19; John 4:5 [cf. Genesis 33:19; 48:22; Joshua 24:32]; Acts 7:9-19; Hebrews 11:22; Revelation 7:8).

Enduring Legacy. Joseph left a multifaceted legacy after his death. As one of the twelve sons of Jacob, Joseph’s legacy continued through the lineage of his tribal ancestry (Numbers 1:10, 32; 13:7-8, 11; 26:28-37; 34:23-24; Deuteronomy 27:12; 33:13-17; Judges 1:22-26, 35; 1 Kings 11:28; 1 Chronicles 2:2; 5:1-10; Ezekiel 48:32) and the possession of a land inheritance during the conquest (Numbers 27:1-11; 32:33; 36:1-13; Joshua 14:4; 16:1-17:18; 18:5, 11; 24:43; Ezekiel 47:13). In fact, during the time of Jesus, the Jews traced back a plot of land “that Jacob had given to his son Joseph” which became the burial plot of Joseph when he died (John 4:5; cf. Genesis 33:19; 48:22; Joshua 24:32). As a national figurehead, Joseph came to represent the people of Israel (Psalms 77:15; 78:67; 80:1; 81:5; Ezekiel 37:16, 19; Amos 5:6, 15; 6:6; Obadiah 18; Zechariah 10:6). Joseph’s enduring tribal legacy continued with the future prospect of God’s people (Revelation 7:8).

Promise. Joseph’s legacy also continued to give testimony of God’s faithful promises coming to fruition. Certainly, Joseph exhibited the fulfillment of God’s promises over the span of his life. The dreams of his youth came to fulfillment years later when he brought his family to safety in Egypt. However, Joseph also showed the trustworthiness of God’s promise in his death. When he was near death, Joseph gave instructions that his bones be carried out of Egypt and buried (Genesis 50:25). When he “gave directions concerning his bones” he was making "mention of the exodus of the Israelites” that would occur 400 years later (Hebrews 11:22). The instruction of his bones was a tangible reminder to his people that God would “visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Genesis 50:24). Lest Israel doubt during their lengthy enslavement, Joseph’s bones could serve as a reminder that “God will surely visit you” (Genesis 50:25). According to this promise, Joseph’s bones were taken out of Egypt with Moses in the Exodus (Exodus 13:19) and burned in the land after the conquest with Joshua (Joshua 24:32). These instructions by Joseph were an ongoing memorial of God’s certain rescue of his people. Later, Joseph’s narrative is an important historical milestone to show God’s redemptive work in accomplishing his covenantal plan (Psalm 105:12-25).

Favor. Joseph left a legacy of God’s favor with his people in unideal situations. While this was certainly true in Joseph’s life, it also occurred after his death. Joseph’s legacy gave God’s people favor in an enemy land until a king arose who did not know him (cf. Exodus 1:8; Psalm 105:25; Acts 7:18). Israel began as a people “few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it, wandering from nation to nation” (Psalm 105:12-13) and after they were brought to Egypt “the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7; cf. Psalm 105:23-24). Parallel to Joseph’s life story, the Israelite slaves (and Hebrew midwives) in Egypt prospered despite the ruthless efforts to oppress and threaten them (Exodus 1:7, 12, 20). For all generations and cultures, Joseph is an emblem of God’s enduring favor on his people in brutally challenging circumstances.

Christ Figure. Most of all, Joseph left a legacy that, even today, points people to Christ. His life is a standard of comparison for other godly leaders (1 Samuel 2:18; 1 Samuel 16:18; 17:25-30; 18:5; 2 Samuel 19:20). His experience of affliction prior to vindication mirrors Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. That Joseph was mistreated by his own family foreshadows Jesus who “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). Similar to Joseph’s dream interpretations in Egypt, so to Jesus’ father “an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt” (Matthew 2:19). That Joseph was sent to “preserve life” (Genesis 45:5) and “that many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 50:20) anticipates Jesus who said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Biblical Principles.

Joseph left an enduring legacy in his wake. His life and embodied quality of leadership would make him a reference point for generations. His role in the tribal ancestry and land inheritance of Israel would make him a crucial figure in Israel’s history. Joseph himself could be a reference that represented the people of Israel. Not only was he a tribal participant but was the rescuer of the patriarchal family. Leaders must recognize the way they represent God’s people. For good or for ill, our lives will reflect upon God’s people and subsequently also give commentary of God. We cannot help but do so. Leaders are representatives of God to his people and the world. Inversely, leaders are representatives of God’s people to God and the world. It requires integrity to occupy this important space in God’s redemptive work.

Joseph also recognizes God’s promise and divine favor. He experiences God’s favor and sees God’s promises advance through hardship, suffering, and persecution. Importantly, he not only speaks about God’s promised favor, but personally *experiences *these dynamics in his own life. In other words, Joseph tastes what he serves. Godly leaders must be prepared to experience God’s work in their own lives, often through suffering. To have a ministry of integrity is to allow oneself to be a fellow pilgrim in the journey of faith alongside those to whom we are ministering. A position of leadership does not wall off leaders from this necessary responsibility. Rather, godly leaders can minister to others from the reality of what they have undergone themselves.

Ultimately, Joseph was a figure of Christ. Even generations after his life, he continues to point people to Christ. The affliction he endured as an innocent sufferer is reminiscent of Christ’s own suffering. His rise to power after a sentence of death is even more accomplished in Christ, who went to the grave and came out the other side victorious in his resurrection. Joseph’s story of rescue, reconciliation, and provision foreshadow Jesus’ own work of salvation and sustenance for his people. The forgiveness Joseph offers to those who betrayed him like enemies anticipates Jesus’ forgiveness offered to hostile enemies of God. To read Joseph’s life rightly and to honor his legacy reverently is to come to terms with Christ.

Conclusion

Joseph epitomizes a life of integrity. The patience and perseverance with which he endured suffering and hardship put his integrity on display as much as the wise and discerning way he stewarded authority. Joseph was willing to suffer well, which particularly made him a godly candidate for a position of influence. Integrity means that a leader will maintain consistency in the time of plenty or the time of famine, keep faith during an unjust imprisonment or unexpected promotion, show care for the prisoners of the cell block or the affairs of the king’s house, and display wisdom in the governance of a nation or the broken relationship of estranged siblings.

Joseph’s life journey was circuitous. He was born as a child who brought hope to a barren mother, grew up as a favored son, and was betrayed as by his jealous brothers. He prospered in slavery to become Potiphar’s officer and then withstood seductive advances of Potiphar’s wife. He experienced God’s favor when imprisoned. Speaking as an interpreter of truth, he addressed Pharaoh with candor, confidence, and counsel. Promoted to Pharaoh’s second in command, he sustained the kingdom of Egypt and the world through a severe famine and reconciled with his brothers. He showed honor to his father in his death and continued to serve faithfully in a foreign land for years before his own death. Although he was not perfect, Joseph exhibited superlative character in times of difficulty or times of prosperity. As a man of God for the preservation of many in his day, his faithful integrity is commended to God’s people in all subsequent generations and cultures.

Personal Reflection: Entering the Story

Apply the Text: God calls his people to follow what the Bible teaches. In this movement, you will discuss how to apply God’s word to your lives.

Reflection Questions

Spiritual Practice

An Open Letter

“Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.” Job 27:5-6

“Joseph made his office subservient to God’s providence. This sobriety is always to be cultivated, that everyone may behold, by faith, God from on high holding the helm of the government of the world and may keep himself within the bounds of his vocation, and even, being admonished by the secret judgments of God, may exhort himself to the discharge of his duty.” "It is a rare and unparalleled integrity to keep one’s hands pure in the middle of such heaps of gold. Joseph would not have been able to conduct himself with such moderation unless his divine calling had been like a bridle holding him back.” John Calvin, Genesis

Joseph modeled a life of faithful integrity. Mistreated by his brothers, sold as a slave to Egypt, seduced by Potiphar’s wife, falsely accused before his master, imprisoned for crime he did not commit, and confronted with a lengthy famine, Joseph was no stranger to suffering. These difficult challenges galvanized his faith and cemented his integrity. Under unideal situations, God caused Joseph to flourish. He gained favor with his captors, understanding of divine revelation, promotion in Pharaoh’s courts, and reconciliation with his brothers. Joseph had displayed (and no doubt grown in) a deep confidence in God’s sovereign purposes. His life is an example of faith-filled integrity of character. Our journey of Christian leadership also involves the cultivation of this crucial component. Knowing the essence of integrity is an important part of our own formation. Without faith our leadership will collapse. Without integrity our ministry will suffer from superficiality. Consider the following exercise as a means of translating Joseph’s exemplary life into advice for emerging leaders.

Reflect on what it looks like to have a faithful integrity through the life of Joseph. Imagine a letter which Joseph would write to an emerging leader in your context. Consider what he would say in encouraging this leader in his work.

Ministry Practice: Rehearsing the Script

Minister the Text:_ God wants us to use his word to edify the Christian community. In this movement, you will utilize this biblical passage to minister to other believers and build them up in their faith._

Reflection Questions

Look at the infographic below. Use the questions to think about how to minister this text to other believers.

Missional Outreach: Publicizing the Truth

Witness the Text: In word and deed, God calls his people to testify about the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. In this movement, you will utilize this biblical passage to reach out to unbelievers.

Reflection Questions

Look at the infographic below. Use the questions to think about how to use this teach to reach out to unbelievers.