Cultivated and nurtured tenderly by his father Jacob, the incidences of injustice repeatedly occur in his life in the will of God and by His sovereign hand. He was violently taken from his home where he should have grown secure a strong young man, only to end up the lowest slave, stripped naked and dirty, sold, in the house of Pharoh's official.
Out of the riches, the science, the progress and military might of egypt, he was counted among the poor, he did not benefit from any of its prosperity. In the nation's power and wealth, as the inhabitants enjoyed freedom, he served was deprived of all freedom, wealth, opportunity, or any promise of personal safety or security as a slave. God's covenant was still with him. The beloved son went from son to slave in a single day. He was surely a tough man to have survived and to have prospered as a slave.
He is "promoted" to prison at the height of his prowess. Some people get double promotions and everything seemingly goes well for them, but not Joseph. Godly, God worshipping Joseph gets only double injustice done to him, and for honouring God, God deems it fit to further prune and scourge his vessel.
He walks a holy man branded as a rapist, he suffers the shame of being falsely accused, the shame and stinging injustice. His home is now the hardest, hardcore jail in the biggest and most advanced nation in the ancient world. At a time where he could be serving with kings, he instead worships and served God with rapists, and murderers on death row, thieves, white-collar criminals, bandits, robbers, petty thieves and the falsely accused. A hardened lot, the waste of society, the forgotten.
You don't get much lower than this in life.
What does prison do to a mind?
How does a man's environment shape a man?
What was the ancient prison system like?
He could either become weary and dispirited but grew instead in wisdom in power and in authority instead. His growth in God and character was progressive through the injustice. Life and its injustices could not stop the man from growing only more and more fruitful.
Until surrounded by murderers and rapists, he becomes their leader, a captain, winning their respect, he serves these people in prison, gives the place order, brings something of God's kingdom and leadership to the place he was. A rough place, an unpleasant place. Joseph blesses the ground he is planted in, no matter how foul it is the more life stings at him with injustice, the more Godly, humble, wise the man becomes.
David did the same in the wilderness, still fighting for the benefit of the kingdom of Israel, and fighting for God though branded an outlaw.
One of the toughest things in life is to will to do good and persist in it when life and people treat you bad, when the very ground you are planted in is choking you. Yet God has power to prosper a man and make him overcome his environment and do good in the face of evil and injustice.
Joseph does this through doing good, he overcomes the injustice in his heart, the hurt the disappointment the anger and hurt of being left for dead seemingly, Yet God never leaves him in his long and winding and lonely trial. How lonely it must have been to be Joseph.
Long before he is promoted to the throne, the man had conquered disappointment his own heart and the hearts of the prisoners too with good and wisdom, with God.
In the end Joseph would work to bless the very city which imprisoned and enslaved him wrongfully, which took away his justice and in which he suffered their chains.
Is that not much like Christ, who though being crucified by men still lives to bless and forgive them? The followers of Christ bear His likeness.
Are you in a prison of hurt, of pain of injustice, of anger with God and men and circumstances, yet God has not left you. His presence is still with you. He is lifting you up in the midst of it all to stand in your place. It might be a bitter, foul place but God is with you to help you grow and stand and you will with God's help overcome and stand strong in your place and at the right time, God will lift you up. Dont be pre-occupied with how God will lift you up, He is mighty and a miracle working God He has no problems with the miracle, with lifting you up. But will you not be like Joseph, committing your soul to God in the midst of your trial and trust in His goodness, would you not commit your soul to God as a a righteous judge. Who is not an unjust God who does not know what He is doing. You have worshipped Him, you have sought Him but things have only become worse. God loves you as God loves Joseph. Immensely. When God looked down at the 12 children of Jacob, Joseph was his favourite, God had to break the pride and self dependence out of him before He could use him. If you suffer it is not because God does not love you, It might just be because you are one of His most beloved. God had to break the pride and self dependence and self strength in the man. Faith in God was then rebuilt into Him. He breaks us so that we may hold a strong blessing, later. For now only trust and rest in Your Father's arms for He loves you, let Him rebuild you and trust fully in His time, His power and goodness. Surely the promise holds true: He will exalt you in due time. Keep growing in the likeness of Christ right where you are.
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