Everyone knew Dr. Jekyll as a wonderful, upstanding man. He was brilliant and kind, and people likened him to a saint. However, many people didn’t know him. He spoke at the beginning of the idea that inside every human being, there are two people. In other words, for every truly good person you know, there’s some bad, and in every bad person, there’s some good. Do you believe that?
As we look at Genesis 47 today, nearing the end of the study of Joseph, we all should consider that our character always counts. Joseph gets an audience with Pharaoh not only for his dad but also for five of his brothers. Before he takes his brothers in, he gives them a prep talk. Joseph explains precisely what the king will ask and what their reply should be. They had the anser to the interview questions; all they had to do was say what he said.
Joseph didn’t expect Pharaoh to call him aside shortly after meeting with his brothers and lay on him the load he did. In my sanctified imagination, the conversation went a little something like this: “Hey Joe, you’ve been a pretty good employee of mine, a man filled with integrity and grace. I know you to be a man of discernment. I like your brothers because I have found favor with you. I want to offer them a position in the palace, taking care of my flocks. So, Joseph, if you see that any of your brothers are skillful and honest, I want you to hire them for this prestigious position I’ve created just for them. It was the offer of a lifetime.
Most of the time, when people come up and experience the realization of their dreams, they want to bring their relatives and closest friends with them. But not this time, and not Joseph.
It was clear he could have done more than sustain his brothers at this point; he could have said only a word, and all of them could have been sustaining themselves. What happened? Why did Joseph decide not to promote his brothers? We don’t hear anything about him making any of them rulers in Pharaoh’s palace, although he does take care of all of them for the rest of their lives. I believe he didn’t do it because he’d experienced them when no one was watching and they had nothing to prove. Joseph knew things that his brothers would do that proved their character, and this, I believe, is the reason none of them were promoted to work with him in the palace.
Here are some thoughts for you to take away from this situation:
Perhaps Joseph was just protecting his brothers from all the politics of the palace for he knew they couldn’t handle it, and perhaps he was just wise enough to know that the lifestyle of the Egyptians could corrupt them so he sent them away to Goshen.
Joseph did an excellent job of exposing his heritage to Pharaoh as it was, he didn’t take away from who they were, and he didn’t hide them from Pharaoh to protect his lifestyle as a dignitary.
Would you promote someone who you know lacks integrity and honesty? Joseph had sustained a prominent position for many years at that point, and perhaps bringing his brothers to the table would have put too much weight on him to keep them performing as well as he did.
Dr. Jekyll lost his chance to marry Muriel because her dad finally came to understand the true character of the man inside him called Mr. Hyde. Her dad did all he could to protect her, but at one point, Dr. Jekyll could not stop Mr. Hyde from coming out. Perhaps the brothers had put away their old work ethics, but that hadn’t been tested and proven to Joseph, and maybe he couldn’t take the chance.
The GOoD Life Pre-Cepts
KevilynJ
