Genesis 41:43
And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh publicly invested Joseph as ruler over all Egypt next only to himself, setting him to ride in the royal second chariot while heralds called for all to kneel before him. In a single sudden step he was lifted from a prison cell under false accusation and humiliation to stand beside the throne of the world's greatest empire in great honor and wealth. He had been fitted for that trust by discipline in hardship and temptation, by humbling himself and learning obedience before receiving authority, while God overruled the designs of his enemies to exalt him in due time. His sudden honor tested him by prosperity without lessening his regard for God's will, for he remained as faithful in the palace as in the prison, with his eye single to God's glory and his religion giving tone to all he did amid danger that exaltation breeds pride and self-sufficiency. He was entrusted there to carry out the plan that would preserve the nation and to shine as a light-bearer and representative of Christ, so that idolatrous Egypt and the nations connected with it would behold God's wisdom, justice, purity and love, and his elevation in fulfillment of the predicted years of plenty and famine shows that revealed times extending to Christ's coming can be trusted.
Elevation to Rule Egypt
Pharaoh set Joseph in public honor by having him ride in the second chariot and having a call to bow the knee go before him, and by that investiture made him ruler over all the land of Egypt in place just below Pharaoh himself. The ride, the proclamation, and the rulership belong together as one open elevation to authority over the country.
That elevation came suddenly, lifting Joseph out of a prisoner's cell and dungeon and out of humiliation under false accusation to stand next to the throne of the world's greatest empire as second only to the king. With the change came great honor and wealth, raising a condemned prisoner to the ruler next to the throne.
The appointment put into his hands the carrying out of the plan that would preserve the nation. It placed him where he could serve God's purpose by making the knowledge of God shine in an idolatrous nation.
He was fitted for that exalted position by what he passed through beforehand, obtaining experience by temptations, adversity, and hardships in the gloomy prison to prepare him to fill it. Prison discipline taught him to govern and serve with responsibility, for he first humbled himself and learned obedience before authority over others was given to him. His education and abilities also prepared him for positions of trust, while God overruled the plans of his enemies for good and exalted him in due time.
Faithfulness Tested by Prosperity
Genesis 41:43 is a test of prosperity, for Joseph's sudden elevation to great wealth and honor as ruler next to the king did not diminish his regard for God's will. Lifted from the prisoner's cell to stand next to the throne as ruler over all Egypt, he showed the same fidelity in Pharaoh's palace as in the prisoner's cell. He bore alike the test of adversity and the test of prosperity, preserving his integrity under exaltation just as in prison. Though separated from his family and often saddened as a stranger in a foreign land, he trusted that God had guided his course and placed him there. Depending continually on God, he carried out his duties as ruler faithfully.
He was one of the few who could withstand temptation, keeping his eye single to the glory of God and showing a lofty regard for God's will in exaltation. The love and fear of God kept him pure, so his high position did not stain his character. He carried his religion with him into his high place, letting it give tone to everything he did and faithfully discharging the duties belonging to the situation where God had placed him.
The lofty height of success and honor over Egypt brings danger, where great changes of fortune test character. Fierce temptations that leave the lowly untouched assail those in honor. His example shows the danger of becoming proud and self-sufficient when exalted to power next to the throne.
Prophecy Fulfilled and Witness
The chariot ride belongs to the foretelling of Pharaoh's seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Those years were once only a matter of prophecy and then came to pass in accordance with the prediction. Fulfilled in this way, they prove that predicted events often occur within a given time. As one of those fulfilled time prophecies, the elevation shows that chronological periods in the Bible extending to the second coming of Christ are revealed times that can be trusted.
God placed Joseph next to the throne of the world's greatest empire after calling him from affliction and the dungeon, where he had proved true to his allegiance to the God of heaven as a servant of captives and a prey of ingratitude and malice. His rise with public honor in Pharaoh's second chariot to rule over the land put him where he could serve God's purpose by making the knowledge of God shine in an idolatrous nation, and he remained faithful to that trust. He was set there to be a light-bearer not to Egypt alone but to all the nations connected with that powerful kingdom, so that heavenly illumination might extend far and near. All Egypt marveled at the wisdom God taught him, and by his wisdom and justice, by the purity and benevolence and devotion of his daily life and his devotion to the interests of the people, though idolaters, he displayed God's character.
By that life he was a representative of Christ, so that in their benefactor to whom all Egypt turned with gratitude and praise the heathen people, and through them all connected nations, would behold the love of their Creator and Redeemer. The public honoring and authority given over all Egypt thus presents him as a public example of fruitful character for faith institutions to represent their faith to the world. His education and abilities fitting him for trust and his appointment as ruler support training workers and ministers in both physical and mental powers. The fruits of character in his life stand in contrast to the unfruitfulness of the Jewish nation in Christ's day.