p. 6 | JOSEPH EXALTED

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 16, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 42.

JOSEPH EXALTED.

TRUE exaltation is reached by two prominent steps,—humbling of self and giving glory to God. To true humility belongs also patience to abide God's time. Christ was “highly exalted” because he first humbled Himself (Phil. 2:8, 9), and all through His earthly career He had sought only to do His Father's will, and therefore to do Him honor. John 6:38; Matt. 26:39. Through a prophet sent to Eli, the Lord says also to us, “Them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Sam. 2:30. And through Solomon He reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.” Prov. 15:33. That this humility must be voluntary, is shown in the instruction of Christ, “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 14:11. It is to this class that James refers when he says, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6.

The exaltation of Joseph in Egypt is an instance of preferment because it was evident that God was with him, and this was made manifest by Joseph's giving God the glory for the wisdom which he himself had manifested before the dignitaries of Egypt. First, in his service of Potiphar, to whom he was sold when taken to Egypt, his conduct was such that “his Master saw that the Lord was with him.” When his master's wife sought to draw him into sin, he resisted her wiles for the honor of God, and had to suffer a long imprisonment for his fidelity to the law of God. But in the prison his righteous course again brought his God to favorable notice; and he was advanced to a position of trust “because the Lord was with him, and that which he did the Lord was the doer of it.”

Thus the Lord received glory before men through Joseph's humility in ascribing honor to Him, and in turn Joseph was promoted through the providence of God. The Lord's being with Joseph is our evidence of Joseph's humility of heart; for the Lord says, “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isa. 57:15.

Joseph's exaltation did not consist simply in his being promoted in the line of his service of men. His exaltation through the gift of prophecy, in the interpretation of dreams, was more to his honor than the stewardship in his master's house or the position of trust in the king's prison. It was this gift that finally brought him to the governorship of all Egypt.

When Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker in the prison, he gave God the credit of it. True he asked a favor of the butler when he should be restored to his office before the king, but it was forgotten by that individual until the king had dreams that gave him great anxiety. Then the butler was reminded of his neglect. In the providence of God the reminder came at a time when the king's own interest would demand attention to the obscure Hebrew prisoner.

Pharaoh dreamed that he stood by the river, “and, behold, there came up out of the river seven well-favored kine and fat-fleshed; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine.” Then Pharaoh awoke and slept again, and the same matter was presented in another dream. “Behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears.”

In the morning the king was troubled about the dreams. “But there was no wise man of Egypt that could interpret them.” Now was the Lord's time to further manifest His power and wisdom, and incidentally to exalt His servant, who had been so long under the instruction of humility and patience, an innocent victim of false accusation and ingratitude. Then, as before stated, the butler was reminded of his forgotten promise to Joseph.

“Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon.” The king said to him, “I have heard say of thee, ‘that thou canst understand a dream to interpret

it.’” True to his faith, Joseph denied himself and exalted his God. “It is not in me,” he replied; “God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Then Pharaoh told his dream, which Joseph interpreted to mean seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Following the interpretation came the inspired counsel to the king concerning the course to be pursued. He was to lay up food during the years of plenty against the years of famine. One purpose of the dreams was to tell the king what was coming, that he might be prepared for it, and the lives of his people be spared. Another purpose was to bring before the king and his people a knowledge of the true God, in whose hand are the destinies of every nation and kindred and tongue and people.

Pharaoh accepted the interpretation and the counsel from the servant of God. The same Spirit that had prompted the advice to the king now suggested to his mind the only man in his kingdom who was “discreet and wise” enough for such an emergency. Who could it be but one in whom was the Spirit of God, even Joseph? “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. . . . See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph's pathway from home, through the pit at Dothan, through bondage in Potiphar's house, to the end of his imprisonment, was thorny and long, consuming more than twenty years. But at the end of his instructive experience, it was but a step from the dungeon to the throne. From such lessons as this, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Rom. 8:28.