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Joseph. Spurned by his brothers. Completely alone in an unknown country. Can’t speak the language. Prospects zilch. Voted “Most Likely to Be Incarcerated.” But Joseph had one thing going for him – he feared God! How would you stand up to those kinds of tests? Come on, be honest. Two years in a slimy Egyptian prison – would you still be honoring God, fearing God, trusting God’s purposes for your life? I hope I would, because that’s exactly the kind of integrity that propelled Joseph from the dump to the palace. Two weeks ago, we found that the life of Jacob was completely redefined from deceiver to God-seeker by setting his sights on “ascending the hill of the Lord” (Ps 24). A week ago, we looked at the High Priest Joshua who learned to be a God-speaker, moving in God’s authority (Zech 3). Now we see a man named Joseph come into a startling destiny, all because he is a God-fearer! Look at some examples of how Joseph’s integrity caused him to fear God in the crunches of life: 1. Gen 39:9 “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” Joseph saw clearly that to compromise God’s wise commands and go to bed with Potiphar’s wife would be a slap in the face to the One who made him and had a great purpose for his life. Nothing good could come of such a bad decision. Being a God-fearer kept Joseph qualified for his destiny.
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2. Gen 40:8 “Do not interpretations belong to God?” and 41:16 “It is not in me (the interpretation); God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Confronted with an opportunity to take glory to himself, Joseph instead directs the attention straight to God. And while the risk of a botched interpretation in jail was virtually nil, the risk before Pharaoh was probably his very life. Being a God-fearer opened the door of opportunity to Joseph’s destiny. 3. Gen 45:8 “It was not you who sent me here, but God,” and 50:20 “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Joseph recognized the sovereignty of God and the utter goodness of God’s character as the driving force behind his own temporary suffering. Being a God-fearer kept Joseph from giving up on his destiny. The strength of Joseph’s integrity caused him to receive favor, even while in extremely trying circumstances – favor from Potiphar (39:2-4), favor from the jail keeper (39:21-23), and shocking favor from Pharaoh himself (41:38-45). If you and I will fear God in any circumstance, we cannot be conquered by circumstance; this kind of integrity will unlock our future and cause us to be world-changers! Let’s join the Joseph Generation.
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