A Few Thoughts On Joseph

    The story of Joseph (the son of Jacob, not the husband of Mary) is a really fascinating one. It's got brotherhood, betrayal, integrity, righteousness, faith in God, an incredible rise to power, forgiveness, and peculiar dreams.
    Said dreams, at first, didn't seem to bring their bearer, Joseph, much good. The first two times he talked about them, he was scolded by his family, his brothers became bitter against him, and they eventually sold him out--literally. Then he ended up in prison interpreting the dreams of prison mates. He had to tell one that he was going to die, and when he asked the other to have someone get him out of prison, he was completely forgotten.
    Then, two years later, he was called up by the country's ruler to interpret his dream. And immediately, Joseph went to do it.
    Which seems incredible considering what had happened to him so far. There were so many things that could've kept Joseph from speaking.
    Fear of something bad happening, for example--this was the ruler of the land; if Joseph did something wrong or even just offensive, he could be executed. Then there was the possibility of bitterness--it's so tempting to be angry when you've been kicked more than once. Joseph also must have been plagued with doubts at some point--his initial dreams about wheat sheaves and the lights in the sky hadn't come to pass yet, after all.
    Fear, bitterness, and doubt. All of these things are powerful motivations to keep quiet. So why did Joseph take the risk? Why did he dare to speak of dreams again?
    In Genesis 41:16 (NKJ), Joseph tells the Pharaoh that: "'It is not in me: God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.'" He understood that God was the one who gave him any wisdom in anything--that He was the one who gave him dreams and interpretations of them. Joseph also believed that God had put him there in that situation and that God had given him things to say of dreams.
    He had faith that God had given him the gift and was willing to risk his life on it--and he was not only righteous in doing so, but right. Since Joseph didn't succumb to fear, bitterness, or doubt, God used him to save more than one nation from a severe famine. He used the situation to give Joseph authority and to reunite him with his family in forgiveness.
    So among being a story of integrity, righteousness, coming to power, and faith, the story of Joseph seems to also be a story of using the gifts that God gives, even when it has a cost.
    Genesis has so many awesome stories like this. Isn't it cool? Which story in Genesis is your favorite?