By M. U. Adikwu
The Disappointments of Joseph
The disappointments of Joseph and his later success in life can encourage any Christian who is asking today, “Where is God?” Joseph’s disappointment started early having lost his mother at a very tender age – during the birth of his only brother Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-19). Joseph was thus left amidst his elder brothers. The more discomforting situation was the fact his father was a polygamist with three remaining wives.
The women were actually adversaries to one another and his mother was one of the main sources of trouble in the family before her death (Genesis 29 and 30). This might have resulted from her barrenness (Genesis 29:31). Joseph was, therefore, in a hostile environment. God, will however, use whoever He wants to use. All these ugly circumstances surrounding Joseph’s life did not deter God from using him. He was the child of a second wife. He was from a polygamous background. The family was not even a peaceful one. Amidst all these he began to dream dreams. God was quietly visiting him in the vision of the night. He began to see perhaps a far off; his leadership position. At age seventeen, he began his journey to greatness (Genesis 37:2).
In fact heaven gave attention to his record before any of his brothers when the generation of his father, Jacob, was named (Genesis 37:2). At this age he had begun to differentiate evil from good. He had seen how evil his brothers were (Genesis 37:2). He had decided to consecrate his life to God. No wonder, that his father loved him, not just because he was the child of his old age. This love from his father contributed to his greatness. If your father is a pagan and he loves you, and blesses you, God will honour his blessings. Once they noticed that he was loved more than them (Genesis 37:3, 4) they (his brothers) began to hate him. This was the beginning of his troubles. Yet God kept visiting him in dreams.
“We were binding sheaves in the field and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold your sheaves stood round about it, and made obeisance to my sheaf.”
One interesting word was that his sheaf stood “upright.” Many people are not able to attract obedience and respect from people because they are not upright. Uprightness brings victory. Uprightness brings people to respect us even when we are not asking for it. The people of the world want to force people to respect them either through coercion or through achievements. That is why we have walked very far away from God. It is one of the reasons that we meet resistance even in churches. It has even led to splitting of churches.
God continued to visit Joseph in dreams and this time, it was the sun and the moon and the eleven stars that made obeisance to him. This time around, God was more specific and the interpretation of this dream was not difficult for the father.
“Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”
It was a serious dream and instead of his brothers teaming up with him to bring about the realization of this dream, envy was the response. They failed to realize that in most generations there is usually a figure- head that God elects and uses. Their plan instead was to ensure that his dreams were not realized.
Many of us are fund of quickly revealing our visions and dreams to other people. Most of the time, they will quietly plan that those dreams and visions God has shown to us do not come to pass. It is usually the plan of the devil. Even for Jesus, he planned that He should be killed by causing Herod to decree that all children that were 2 years old and under (Matt. 1:16) should be killed.
I am sure it was clear to Joseph that his brothers did not like him, yet when his father told him to go and see if all was well with them, he did not hesitate. Even when he did not find them easily, he pressed on until he saw them in Dothan (Genesis 37:17). At this point his brothers decided to kill him.
I am sure he was seriously disappointed with his brothers. Although all the brothers had conspired to kill him, God was quietly making arrangement to save him. Ishmaelite business men came at that point and were willing to purchase him for 20 pieces of silver. That was how God spared his life. I am sure that Joseph saw himself at this point as a disappointment. How will all the dreams come to pass now that he is separated from his parents? After all they were the ones doing obeisance in the dream that he dreamt.
God, however, had a plan. God does not use a man that he does not “make.” It is usually “follow me and I will make you……” If only we can learn to follow God without complaining. I thank God for men like Joseph. In all his troubles he continued to follow God, even as a slave as we shall soon see.
One thing we must carefully note is that God does not use us in the comfort of our homes. It is usually “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). Joseph could not be used of God in the comfort of his father’s home. He had to be separated to a place where no one knows him. At such a place he will be forced to look up only onto God. No father, no step-mother, no half-brother, no brother.
In fact, there was no one to comfort him. That is the desert of life where God actually trains his people and ordains them into their destiny as he did into Moses. I am sure Joseph and Benjamin being the children from the beloved wife of Jacob, Rachael, would usually eat with their father with extra meat and other entrails. The coat of many colours was gone. There was no Benjamin to call at play time.
He began to live and eat the food meant for slaves. He could be killed anytime just because of one careless mistake or just because they want to use him for entertainment or one ceremony. All that will see him through now is uprightness. He must walk closely with God. Any careless life-style will end his life and his destiny. We are told that his original buyers resold him to Potiphar. He became a commodity. In all these, the Bible recorded clearly that the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:2).
Then came the temptation from Potiphar’s wife, asking Joseph to sleep with her. To us that would have been harmless as Joseph would have been getting more favour. His meal would have been assured even before that of his master. He would have had permanent and secret “appointment” with the woman. That would mean losing appointment with God. He had to risk his life.
Many of us cannot change our generation because of wanting too much favour from men. It becomes something important if the president or the congress of our country should call us to speak to them. Some people think that the more the people they know the better for them. Actually no one knows you unless God has known you. The number of people that knows you is proportional to the level that God knows you.
Even while Joseph was in prison, if God had not known him, He would not have caused Pharaoh to have a dream. The man who knew him forgot to say anything about him
once he was out of prison (Genesis 40: 23). Even men that want to favour you, God has to remind them. Thus, Joseph was severally disappointed by people. Men will disappoint you. If you do not know God, such disappointment could even end your life.
Adikwu writes from Abuja, and can be reached through 08034378988 and email adikwum@yahoo.com
