Episode 10
Joseph and his Vertical Attitude
Text: Genesis 45: 1-11
© Dani Banggo 12/21/2023
Hello everyone! From the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii USA I want to greet you with a warm Aloha! I hope you are doing greaqqt today. I pray that you will be enlightened with new insights for living as the Holy Spirit reveals His passion for humankind to be saved that is that no one should perish but all will come to repentance. But before we begin our devotion let’s have a word of prayer. Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, praise be your Holy Name! Thank you for your abundant provisions, they are new every morning, indeed your faithfulness is so great! Father God, make wonders today for the preaching of your words. Soften the hearts of my listeners, especially to those who have not yet surrendered their lives to your Son. Break any wall that hinders them from surrendering their lives by faith to Jesus Christ. May you convict their hearts as they listen to your words. In Jesus’ name, amen!
Our devotional meditation is taken from the book of Genesis 45: 1-11. And I will read to you the following verses:
1 Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was.
2 Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.
3 “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them.
4 “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt.
5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.
6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.
8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.
9 “Now hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately!
10 You can live in the region of Goshen, where you can be near me with all your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own.
11 I will take care of you there, for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you, your household, and all your animals will starve.’”
Our devotional meditation is entitled, “Joseph and his Vertical Attitude.”
We can only read the full account of Joseph life when he was 17 years old (ch.37). Here is a young man who was deprived of life at an early age. He was envied and hated by his own brothers to the point that they even plotted his life. But instead of murdering him they finally decided to sell him to a slave market. Joseph was brought to Egypt by the slave traders, and they sold him there. And there he became a slave in a foreign land alone, lonely, and destitute. And then there came another blow to his present misery when he was falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. Poor Joseph! As a result, he was thrown into a dungeon where the Pharaoh’s prisoners were confined.
Joseph’s life as a teenager is characterized by a series of misfortunes and afflictions that any one of us, especially those of his age, could ever endure. He was all alone by himself in a foreign land surviving from all kinds of physical and emotional abuse and persecution. The story of his life is one that cuts into the heart of what forgiveness is all about. A lesson of what it takes to fear God and to obey him at his word. I am thrilled of his unperturbed disposition despite all his tragedies he met along the way until God rewarded him with an abundant blessing that made him far greater than all his contemporaries during his days and in today’s world as far as faith in God is concerned. Today, I want to share with you some spiritual insights about his life that will motivate and inspire you in your journey of faith
The first is that, while he is still young as a teenager, Joseph was able to face and handle his greatest struggle with a godly disposition. (1-4)
Despite being rejected and wickedly hated by his own brothers that ultimately caused him to suffer a series of miseries and afflictions for many years, he did not give up but maintained a vertical perspective that made him so strong to handle his situation. He did not compromise his godly principles but accepted his circumstances in a positive way. As a result, he survived victoriously and eventually became the most powerful man in the entire nation of Egypt next only to the Pharaoh. He was so mature in his perspective of life, and he never complained nor pointed his finger at anyone to blame and accuse them of all his miseries. Instead, he followed God’s way instead of his own.
One of his hardest struggles is when he was enticed “day after day” with the lust of the flesh when he had all the chance to have an illicit sexual relation with his master’s wife (Gen.39: 10). But he refused to submit to this lustful desire. Joseph chose not to sleep with her on the bed but to run for his life that caused him to pay a very costly price (Gen.39: 13). He chose to be accused falsely and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit rather than to destroy his integrity towards his master and his loyalty to God.
This temptation has been the pitfall of anyone without exception since the fall of man. And there were some Bible heroes who have fallen into this impulse. Consequently, they too paid a very costly price. Samson, for example, was a womanizer and as a result he lost his strength and was blinded and died miserably with his enemies (Jud.16: 25-31). David is another example of who fell into this trap. He planned the death of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to obtain her as his wife. Although he succeeded to marry Bathsheba, their firstborn son died consequently (2 Sam.12: 14). Solomon is also worth mentioning. He had 700 legal wives and 300 concubines a total of 1000 women in his life (1Kgs.11: 3). But he too was not spared in his later years because he was influenced by his pagan wives and was led astray to serve other pagan gods. As a result, Israel was divided into 2 kingdoms, the north, and the south (1Kgs.11: 11). These are some painful and very disappointing examples from the Bible we can mention as a reminder for us to watch out and be extra careful with ourselves lest we too might fall. Therefore, the apostle Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth by saying, “So if you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall!” (l Cor.10: 12 NLT). In other words, the temptation of the lust of the flesh is not to be taken for granted and not to play with it. But for Joseph he is the man of the hour. What he did was to run as fast as he could for his life. He did not entertain this lust even a hint of it when it was about to happen. His vertical perspective dominated his emotion and led him to choose a better disposition, that is, to run! How mature Joseph was in resolving his greatest struggle. He did it in God’s way!
After many years of incarceration in the dungeon he thought he would soon be freed much earlier but that was not the case. Instead, he stayed for another couple of years in a place where sunlight is scarce. He thought he was remembered by the cupbearer whom he had helped in interpreting his dream. But he was not. But this did not cause him to give up but instead he patiently maintained his vertical perspective until after a couple of years when he was finally remembered. This was the beginning of a new chapter of his life. While it is true that God is sovereign, meaning the Lord was with him and He was the one who gave him success in everything he did yet, it is still Joseph’s responsibility to make a choice for himself. He patiently waited upon the Lord by doing what was right. And he was so blessed for the rest of his life. Indeed, God’s time is beautiful! (Ecc.3: 11).
Like Joseph there are some Bible heroes too that we can mention who patiently waited upon the Lord. These people never gave up but maintained a vertical attitude until they were blessed by God in his right time. Noah, for instance, the only righteous man found by God before the flood waited for 120 years for the rain to come. Abraham was a hundred (100) years old when Isaac was born to him. Moses is another example, who was called by God when he was already in his late 80’s! The prophet Elijah patiently endured to be fed by ravens at Kerith Ravine during the great drought until the brook dried up. And the apostle Paul who patiently waited for 3 years before making himself known with the other apostles. What we learn from these people is their commonality, that is, all of them waited patiently on the Lord’s timing for their missions.
Indeed, Joseph was fully prepared for a lifelong mission. He suffered deprivation, he wrestled with hardship, and experienced poverty yet it was God’s way of training him to be the best candidate who will fill-in the position that He intended to accomplish for the greater good of humanity. Only a mature mind and a highly evolved principle would humbly accept what Joseph had experienced in the past because the tendency is always for human nature to get even with those who caused his miseries. No wonder the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi saying in part, “…But I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…” (Phil.3: 13 NLT). In other words, what Paul is saying is that if we keep digging into the past we will never grow and mature. We will only be wasting our time, and anything wasted today will be wasted for all eternity. Our focus should be today and on the future. There is a need for us to sit down and see what we can do to motivate ourselves; to see what we can challenge to improve our lives, and to consider what we can change to move on with the pace of time. And this will lead us to the second point wherein…
II. Joseph understood well his purpose in life (5-8)
When Joseph ascended into the palace of the Pharaoh, he did not waste his time but immediately performed his task as the new governor of Egypt. Here is a man who is nobody in the past but is now somebody, once an obscure individual but is now a significant one. He was a slave among the slaves being despised and rejected by his own brothers and was accused of a crime he did not commit. He was denied due process and was illegally convicted. He was thrown into a dungeon, where they incarcerated the most hardened criminals, and he was counted as one among them. But right now, here is Joseph being clothed with the robe of authority and having crowned with the majesty and splendor of Egypt and wearing the signet ring of the Pharaoh himself. Joseph is now the second most powerful man in authority under the throne of the Pharaoh. He was just 30 years old! (Gen.41: 46) It is unbelievable to imagine the transformation of his life. In layman’s term this is impossible. Who would ever expect that Joseph will one day become the governor of Egypt, which was the single most powerful nation on earth at that time in history? Who would ever believe that this former Hebrew slave is now their boss? Indeed, when God calls someone to accomplish His purpose, his promise is to bless that someone if he wholeheartedly and willingly serves Him. Remember, this is what God had assured to Joshua when he called him for a mission. The Lord told him: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Jos.1: 9).
We learn from the life of Joseph that as early as a young man he has been a God-fearing individual. And from then on, he never backed down but maintained a positive attitude even when he was under severe persecution. He did not push his own agenda to survive but instead he entrusted his entire life to the Lord by doing God’s way. No wonder he persisted until God promoted him at the right time. He succeeded because he knew too well and clearly understood his calling from God. This truth is reflected in his untarnished attitude of love and empathy instead of anger and vengeance towards his very own brothers who betrayed him. At this time, he had all the powers to demand their lives, but he chose not to. Instead, he called them all to come close to him to let them know by themselves that he was alive! I could just imagine how dumbfounded they were. They could not believe with their own eyes that they were talking with Joseph whom they had destroyed 13 years ago. Fear seized them all and immediately their guilt haunted them. No one can say a word and probably they were all frozen like dead men. But through it all - grace prevailed! It was all in the name of grace that Joseph was able to overcome his years of pain against his brothers.
Of course, Joseph is not different from us. He too has feelings. And I can assume there were countless nights in his solitude crying not only because of his suffering but most of all for missing his parents so much. This is not an overnight change of heart for Joseph to deal with the people who have caused him so much pain in the past. It takes a lot of courage and discipline to stand before them, especially when their situation is now different. This is very tempting for Joseph because right now, not like before, he has all the power under his command to do whatever he wants against them. But he did not. He chose rather, to follow God’s way. He understood his purpose for life. And he told them:
“5But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So, he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. (Gen.45: 5; 50: 19-21)
In like manner, this does not mean that we are exempted from tribulation. Our faith is tested to the limit before God will entrust to us a responsibility. It is not enough to attend church Sunday after Sunday or never missed out Bible studies every week or tuck our Bibles under our arms. In fact, all of these are important to our growth. But let’s bear in mind that there must also be a change in our attitude. In Joseph’s case he embodies this ideal in the Christian life. It is his attitude that made him a model for Christians or any man or woman for that matter to emulate.
Do you still nurse a childlike attitude despite having been born again into the Lord? Sometimes human nature still prevails and has greater influence on the way we live. Gossip here and gossip there. We always complain and criticize others. We harbor hatred in our heart and keep digging into the past like a worn-out tape recorder that we keep pushing the rewind button. I am afraid that if we do not change our attitude then we will never grow and mature in our faith. We will always be a baby Christian pampered and nursed all throughout. This should not be the case. The apostle Peter wrote the early Christians saying, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet.3: 18). Our attitude will determine our life as a Christian how we influence others to come to know Jesus Christ, our Lord. And this will lead us to the third and final point which is…
III. Joseph did not forget his humble beginning (9-11)
Finally, Joseph did not forget his humble beginning. He looked back where he came from, and he realized for the first time the magnitude of God’s love for him. He now understands how God made him as who he is now today. This realization made him even more great because this is what life is all about – to give all glory to God. He alone is worthy of our praise. There should not be any boasting on our part about what we are today. It is all because of Him. Like Joseph, when God blesses us, we should not forget our history. We will then be guided according to God’s plan for what he purposed for our lives.
Are you suffering? Are you hurting? Remember Joseph how he managed to overcome all his obstacles because God was with him. He never gave up but trusted the Lord throughout his journey and in the end he succeeded.
Jesus Christ is greater than Joseph. By his grace he saves humanity from spiritual drought brought about by our sinful nature. He gave His life to save humanity from eternal damnation. His sacrifice and death on the cross redeemed us from the curse of death and by His resurrection promised us eternal life. What a blessing to have Jesus as our Lord and Savior. With him there is hope not only in this life but the next life, which is eternal.
It is my prayer that you have been blessed today. Listen to this podcast, Gospel in the Air, and be encouraged in your daily walk with Jesus. Gospel in the Air is a podcast ministry of Cornerstone Christian Church. We are located in Maui, Hawaii, USA. Our number is (808) 463-8859. You can also visit our website at www.cornerstonemaui.org or you can send your email to danibanggo@gmail.com This is your host, Brother Dani Marantan Banggo saying, keep punching the good fight of faith. Mahalo!
