Why did Joseph continue to serve God? And why would he want to help his captors? By the time he appeared before Pharaoh, he had been held as a slave in Egypt for 13 years. And he had spent two years in prison, falsely accused of rape because he had done the right thing, refusing to have an affair with his master’s wife. Thirteen years of injustice and oppression is enough to make many people bitter, and maybe that’s where you are today. Maybe you’ve given up on God. Maybe you just don’t understand why so many bad things keep happening to you.

And when we look at Joseph’s speech, he doesn’t shrink from the idea that God is in charge of everything. Over and over again, he indicates that God will bring seven years of famine on the whole region. And this isn’t just saying that God has foreknowledge of natural phenomena that are out of His control. No, Joseph clearly says, “The thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about” (41:32). Joseph affirms God’s sovereign power over all the events of history – and that would have to include his own 13 years of captivity.

But in the midst of his suffering, Joseph gave God the glory. Instead of being proud of his own ability to interpret dreams, Joseph kept affirming that it is only God Who can reveal future events (41:25, 28). Moreover, Joseph used his God-given knowledge of dreams to bless and serve even those who had stolen his liberty. He humbled himself before wicked, godless people and tried to warn them of the danger to come.

And isn’t that the same sort of thing Jesus did for us? He could have abandoned all of us in our sin. He could have rejected the Father’s will that He go to the cross. But instead of bitterness, He chose love. He humbled Himself before the Father and before sinners like us, giving us the salvation and forgiveness that we need so that the Father might receive all the glory.

So, which path will we choose today? We can’t deny that God is in charge of everything that has happened to us. So, in the midst of our problems, will we do what makes sense, clinging to bitterness and unbelief? Or will we follow Jesus, trusting God’s sovereign wisdom, and serving others, even those who have hurt us the most?

Genesis 41:25-32 (ESV)

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.
27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine.
28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,
30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,
31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.
32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.