Blessed for His Sake by William S. Sadler

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Dec 6, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 49.

Blessed for His Sake

By William S. Sadler

LESSONS FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF JOSEPH. No. 2.

BY W. S. SADLER.

JOSEPH was the particular favorite of his father, and received from him a coat of many colors. This made his brothers envious, and their envy caused them subsequently considerable trouble. May we not learn that we should not feel envious toward those who are the objects of favoritism? For while our envy will not perhaps make trouble for the one favored, it may, and probably will, bring down undesirable consequences upon our own heads.

And there is another side to this giving of a coat of many colors. The father of Joseph undoubtedly acted very imprudently in thus displaying his partiality. The most unwise and most cruel thing any parent can do to a child is to show partiality. The Josephs do not think, perhaps, that their parents pet them unduly, but they can not be blamed if they assume that father or mother recognizes their superiority. Any parent who shows favoritism is to that extent perverting the true office of parenthood. Yet in what family to-day is there not some Joseph with a coat of many colors?

A parent's love should be supreme, all-embracing, and so much a reflection of the divine love that minor matters will not be considered. Jacob should have recognized that there was a principle, a truth, in the matter, and this would have eclipsed the thought of the two boys' being the children of his real wife. Naturally it would involve a struggle, because by nature we are sinful. But we must only follow our longings as far as they accord with principle.

Blessed for His Sake.

In the fifth verse of Genesis 39, we read that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. Joseph served Potiphar so faithfully that the Lord blessed him for Joseph's sake. Similarly, God would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah had there been even but a few righteous people in the cities. When Joseph's candle was burning, so to speak, it caused the whole of his employer's house to be brilliant. We may well seek to imitate Joseph in this regard, that our diligence and faithfulness may be the cause of other's being richly blessed on our account, for then verily we shall not have lived in vain.

Another remarkable testimony to the manner in which God was with Joseph, is shown in the third verse of this chapter, where we are told that "his master saw that the Lord was with him." What a powerful testimony to the grace of God in a life? Potiphar may have been the most devoted of idol-worshipers, but he could not shut his eyes to the fact that there was some power in Joseph's life that could only be traceable to his communion with his God. So we should seek to live so near our Father that onlookers will instinctively recognize that we have been with Jesus and have learned of Him. If such is not the case, we may be sure something is lacking; people should be able to detect the influence of the grace of God by our lives more than by our words, or profession of being followers of the Master.

When the temptress tried to induce him to sin he resisted the temptation, and fled. In so doing he parted with some of his attire, but it was far better to leave the scene of temptation with a marred garment, than to stay and preserve his coat intact. We should always flee from temptation, and be willing to leave behind us anything that it is necessary to leave in order that we may escape the tempter's snares. We should hasten away from the tempter's ground, and not allow any seductive inducements to lead us to remain; for the longer we stay near the temptation, the less grow the probabilities of escape.

A Blessing in Prison.

As we read of Joseph's being given charge and oversight of the prisoners, are we not struck by the course which events took? It would appear that God allowed Joseph to be sent to prison that those already prisoners might have a good master over them. It was far more for this than it was to confine Joseph. How often does it occur in our lives that the trouble, which would seem to be so exasperating and well-nigh unbearable, is but the ladder that shall lead to promotion and high honor, with ample opportunity to minister to the needs of our fellows. So it was in the case of Joseph. That which would have seemed the least likely method of reaching exalted position, was in the hands of God just the very thing that led directly to such a station. May we not take courage from this, and reflect that tho we may have to go through fire and water, as it were, it may only end in our being brought into a wealthy place? We must indeed walk by faith rather than by sight.

In Gen. 40:7 we learn that Joseph inquired of his fellow prisoners, when he noticed their troubled countenances, "Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day?" Here again we see the far-reaching significance of a trivial thing, such as the mere asking how a person is feeling. But for this demonstration of practical, kindly sympathy, who knows but Joseph might have languished in prison till the day of his death? But his inquiry was the means of ultimately bring him to the king's notice, with the happy ending with which we are familiar.

Joseph did his best to help a poor prisoner, and it proved but the first of a long train of circumstances that led him to being a high ruler in Egypt, and a benefactor to his race.

Recognizing God.

At the close of Joseph's checkered career, we find that when he has risen from the valley, and is on the mountain top, he is not puffed up, he does not attribute his prosperity and the change in his fortunes to his own efforts or ability or shrewdness; no, he rightly and humbly acknowledges that God was the author of it all, and to Him ascribes the glory and the credit of his triumph. What a lesson for us! Whenever we are blessed and prospered, let us not take credit for it to ourselves, but rather let us attribute it to the One whose we are and whom we try to serve, for "without Me ye can do nothing."

When we receive a mighty blessing, let us reflect the glory of Him who sends it. Remember that when the Saviour wrought some miracle of special blessing to an individual, He commonly bade His beneficiary to abstain from advertising Him, and in this is sets us an example of modest behavior and humility. Let us acknowledge the marvelous goodness of God, rather than affect merit of our own, when we receive His gifts.