Looking for More Josephs

by Bryan Gibson

The life story of Joseph is told in Genesis 37-50. Read it and you will be filled with admiration for this great man. To help us better understand his nearly impeccable character, let’s look at three things he handled very well.

He handled responsibility very well.

Not long after Joseph arrived in Egypt, Potiphar bought him from the Ishmaelites. Joseph served so well in Potiphar’s house that Potiphar made him the overseer of his house. How well did Joseph handle this responsibility? So well that Potiphar “left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate” (Genesis 39:6).

Later, when Joseph was imprisoned, he was given another job. “The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison” (Genesis 39:22). Again, Joseph showed himself to be dependable, because the “keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority” (Genesis 39:23).

Joseph was later released from prison when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, and it was then that he was given his most demanding job. Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph that he said, “You shall be ruler over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:40). Pharaoh trusted Joseph to such a degree that when famine struck the land, he told the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”

Wouldn’t it be great if we all handled responsibility as well as Joseph did? When given a task—any task—we should be trusted to do the job well and do it right.

He handled temptation very well.

While Joseph was serving in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife “cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, lie with me” (Genesis 39:7). Joseph was very firm in his refusal, and among other things said to her, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? Potiphar’s wife did not give up easily. She continued to make advances toward him and one day even grabbed him by his garment, pleading with him to lie with her. What did Joseph do? “He fled and ran outside” (Genesis 39:12).

What a great example! We can resist temptations, no matter how strong they may be. God provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). Joseph found his, and so can we.

He handled adversity very well.

Joseph’s life was sort of like a roller coaster, a lot of ups and downs. He rose to the second highest position in all of Egypt, but look at what he went through before that. He was sold as a slave by his own brothers, and he spent two years in prison. What is admirable about Joseph, though, is that during these bad times, he showed no bitterness and he maintained his faith in God (see Genesis 39; 40:7-8; 41:15-16; 45:5-8; 50:15-21). He was just as faithful to God during the bad times as he was during the good times. Adversity presents a big test to our faith and character. Joseph passed his with flying colors—what about us?