A Call To Communityনমুনা

Joseph: Serving His Community 

Beaten. Bound. Heading to a land he didn’t know. Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, was now a slave. Could this new, terrifying life have any upside? 

Jacob’s favoritism for Joseph made him the target of his brothers’ hatred, so they sold him into slavery at just 17 years old! Relocated to a foreign country, and cut off from his family, it was natural for Joseph to think God had abandoned him. Instead, he immersed himself in his work and got to know the people around him. He had a lot of difficulties in Egypt, but he persevered. 

Joseph took the time to understand the culture of his new home, which earned him acceptance. He worked hard, which earned him respect. In fact, “the Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did” (Gen. 39:2a). Eventually Joseph earned the favor of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who put him in charge of the entire land. Joseph was second only to Pharaoh himself. Not bad for an Israelite kid sold into slavery! 

Pharaoh even gave him a new Egyptian name—Zaphenath-paneah—and a wife, who bore Joseph two sons: Manasseh (“God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family,” (Gen. 41:51)) and Ephraim (“God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief,” (Gen. 41:52)). 

Joseph’s leadership role came during seven years of prosperity—just the right time to store up food supplies and prepare Egypt and the surrounding nations for the coming seven-year famine that Pharaoh had seen in his dreams. God used Joseph to save his people—and his own family—when hope seemed lost. 

God is in the details. Joseph’s life played out exactly as God intended, hardships and all. Joseph even reconciled with his brothers and brought their families to live in Egypt! And it all happened because Joseph submitted himself to God’s plan and embraced the new life, culture and community to which God called him. (You can read the entirety of Joseph’s story in Genesis 37-50.)

Points to Ponder:

• You don’t often get to choose the circumstances of your life, but you always get to choose your responses to them. Have there been any situations where, like Joseph, you’ve had to trust that God has something bigger in store than you can see?  
• How can you make a difference in your own community, right now? Ask God to show you ways that you can make a tangible impact on those around you. 

They didn’t set out to change the world, but their simple obedience had a global impact. Read “7 People Who Changed the World” at wycliffe.org/community/7-people-who-changed-the-world.