Gen. 41:37-4337And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 40Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 41And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43And 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. (Genesis 41:37‑43)
“And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.” Pharaoh then expressed his confidence in Joseph declaring that the Spirit of God was in him, establishing his place next to himself. He also proclaimed all the land of Egypt under Joseph’s authority and command. “Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” v. 40.
As Joseph’s faith was tried during the harsh years of servitude and imprisonment, he was now to receive the reward of enduring that testing. He could now see that every trial, every tear and every disappointment had been for his ultimate good and according to God’s counsels as well. That such were his thoughts will be seen later, when he said to his brethren: “God did send me before you to preserve life.”
Trials and testings, while extremely severe in Joseph’s case, are the familiar experience of all, although the result does not necessarily always appear the same. One may “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,” while another becomes “wearied and faint,” forgetting the exhortation, “Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him.” Heb. 12:55And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (Hebrews 12:5). May the example of Joseph (and more particularly that of the Lord, who “endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself”) exercise our hearts to greater patience and submission in every trial of faith, knowing that the reward lies at the end of the journey, if indeed not seen here. What encouragement for the tried soul to remember that he is possessor of “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Pet. 1:4,54To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:4‑5).
“And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 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.” vv. 42,43. Joseph, whose role as a revealer of secrets and proclaimer of God’s purposes was associated with his humiliation, now becomes the one to give counsel and to whom administration of his counsel is entrusted. What a delight to see him given such honor and dignity, of which he had proved himself so worthy. Coming from the prison (figurative of death), everything is transformed. The humble one becomes the glorified one; the one of lowly demeanor is given honor and exaltation; the one who submitted to indignities is made the subject of reverence and esteem; the one who bowed to others is now the one before whom every knee bows.
In all this are seen (in type) the glories of our Lord Jesus Christ, the rejected, despised and crucified One. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2: 9,10.
ML 05/28/1967