Unyielding Clay
The Scripture uses the metaphor ‘God is the Potter and we are the clay’ several times, but there’s a deeper truth here. As ‘human clay’ we can ruin everything by resisting our Potter. I believe he Lord has a good plan for each of us. Something special He wants us to accomplish in this world. But a rebellious, stubborn, unyielding piece of ‘human clay’ can end up a shapeless lump, set aside on a backroom shelf.
In part 1, I wrote about how God used Joseph’s new role as a slave to re-shape his character. Joseph decided to trust that his family’s personal God was still with him, even in this new brutal life.
Jacob’s son had just been enslaved and shoved into a alien culture. Stranded in Egypt? Joseph probably didn’t even speak Egyptian.
The Old Life? Gone
In a single night, Joseph lost everything he trusted in.
At home Joseph acted like any annoying younger brother would. A little cocky and spoiled; their dad’s favorite son. A real pain. Constantly irritating. But his brothers’ deep, murderous hatred must have shattered him. To be stripped, then thrown into a pit to die of thirst by family members you trusted? Terrifying.
And escape was impossible.
Then his brothers had a brighter idea. Why not make a profit and get rid of Joseph forever by selling him as a slave to the traders passing by?
Judah, Levi and the rest then sold their little brother into lifelong slavery!
Suddenly everything that made Joseph’s life wonderful got ripped away.
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- Living at home as Jacob’s favorite son.
- Enjoying his father’s protection, love and care.
- Losing his own language and culture.
- Being robbed of his freedom to do as he pleased.
- Great food, laughter and willing servants.
- Jacob’s gift of a beautiful ornate robe.
Dumped in Egypt as a common slave, what did Joseph have left?
Family stories.
Family History Sustained Joseph in Egypt
Joseph and his brothers were 4th generation males, all circumcised on the 8th day. Everyone in the family knew how the true God of Heaven revealed Himself to their recent ancestor Abraham.
I think too, that grandpa Isaac was still alive during Joseph’s boyhood, sharing stories of God’s goodness. After all, Jacob was only in exile 20 years and Isaac lived to be 180 years old (Genesis 35:28-29).
The testimonies Jacob and Isaac shared were all personal 1st or 2nd hand accounts. They’d either experienced God’s miraculous care or protection themselves or their parents and grandparents had.
How the Almighty called Abram out of his idol-worshiping culture to serve the one true God.- The promised son, Isaac, born when Sarah was 90 and her husband Abraham 100.
- The awful judgment on the cities Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Isaac’s own near sacrifice on an altar, before God provided a ram instead.
- God answering Isaac’s prayers about his wife’s barrenness, blessing him with twin sons.
- The Lord speaking personal promises to Jacob during a dream, the night after he fled from Esau.
- The Almighty One frustrating Laban’s plans to cheat Jacob out of his wages, by causing the remaining goats and sheep to miraculously gave birth to speckled and spotted young (Genesis 30:27-36).
Because of these stories, Joseph knew his family served the God of the impossible. He too had had supernatural dreams, like his father. Stripped of everything else, he put his trust in the personal God of Abraham.
Joseph Prospers in Potiphar’s Household
Joseph succeeded in every task he was given because God supernaturally blessed the work of his hands.
If Joseph planted a row of seeds, his plants would yield larger and tastier vegetables than any other slave’s. Surly or lazy servants supervised by Joseph would work hard in order to please him. If sent to the market, Joseph always returned with the best bargains.
As the saying goes, “Everything he touched, turned to gold.”
Soon his Egyptian owner Potiphar noticed.
5 …the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. (Genesis 39:5-6 NIV)
Though still a slave, Joseph was now valued and honored in the house of his master.
Life had gotten good again.
Unfortunately he caught the eye of the one woman in Potiphar’s household who could ruin him.
All these images came from Pixabay.com.
