Forgiveness Pt. 10: A Made Man

Saturday we learned that:

·       It took him a good minute but Joseph’s “cellie”, Cup E. Berry, hooked him up with his boss, Pharaoh;

·       After accurately interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams and rattling off a detailed plan of action related to the dreams, Pharaoh made Joseph a member of "the Family" and he became a “made man”.  He went from second in command at Potiphar’s house; to second in command of the prison to second in command of the Palace.  A position similar to the US Vice President without the drama of Congress, Senate, filibustering, etc;

·       He created his own job description and started the same day;

·       He was an ex-con, previously incarcerated, re-entering society as a Made Man, shot-caller, HHIC (head Hebrew in charge) with the sole responsibility of saving an ENTIRE country and answering only to Pharaoh.   

·       He was pardoned and his record expunged, all in the same day.  Who says a previously incarcerated person can’t “come up?”

·       Joseph was the epitome of a humble servant leader and credited God for all his abilities.

·       He got all the fringe benefits you could imagine: palace, chariot, servants, competitive salary, etc.  Pharaoh’s signet ring (to validate documents, etc. distributed) and an Egyptian wife from royalty;

·       Joseph entered the palace as a slave, the property of Potiphar who threw him in jail two years prior because his lying wife accused Joseph of attempted rape making him a slave-prisoner but he left the palace a free man;

·       Lastly Joseph never took credit for his abilities, he testified of God’s goodness with his life and his mouth

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  Can you imagine how cocky he could have been if he had not been humbled through this experience?  His gift was serving others at a higher level.  Never let anyone hate on you for being an assistant.  People in leadership need good qualified people that they can count on to do the things they don’t have the capacity for (e.g. time, experience, knowledge).  If that's you, you're just as important as the leader, you’re just in the background.  A self-confident person can work anywhere, even with an apron on.

Genesis 41 (paraphrased):  I can imagine Joseph moving with the grace, wisdom, expertise and expertise never before seen.  However, he knew that time was of the essence because God gave the same dream twice in one night which meant that the events were going to begin immediately.  According to the dream there was going to be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.  Joseph didn’t want the Egyptians to have a false sense of security with the plenty so he knew it was imperative for him to act quickly by educating the people as to what was to come.  His no nonsense attitude was stern but not so rigid that he breaks the backs of those he works with. He gets along with everyone, even the haters like Mrs. Potiphar (whose husband was a palace official) because no one wants to be on Pharaoh’s bad list.  He calls for all of the existing managers to determine their capacities.  He keeps some and replaces others, nothing personal, it’s just business.  He calls for some of those he “slaved with” at Potiphar’s house and others he did time with in Pharaoh's prison because he knew they'd ride hard like fo’ flats on a rainy day.  Those brothers and sisters would go to hell and back if necessary for Joseph because they were loyal.  They have a series of meetings for several weeks, planning, tweaking, more planning and then begin their outreach campaign to inform the Country of what is to come while at the same time surveying the land, inspecting crops, flocks, storehouses, etc.  

He is personable with the locals assuring them but not making promises he cannot meet.  Some of his “cellies” who are now managers vouch for Joseph in their “hoods” letting people know that Joseph is “good people”.  The natives him because they can feel his heart and passion, but having the extra validation from folks they know solidifies their feelings.  They inspect the storehouses and Joseph employs some of the locals that come recommended by his previous “cellies” as contractors for repairs, to build additional storehouses, install security systems, warehousemen, administration, shipping and receiving, etc.  This is a massive project, but nothing gets past Joseph because he seeks God daily for direction, who overshadows him with favor, wisdom and knowledge and he is surrounded by people that he has empowered to do their jobs.  He reports to Pharaoh on an as needed basis so that Pharaoh can focus on other kingdom related business.  He trusts Joseph fully.

The people did an amazing job cooperating during the first seven years, but signs of the famine start to become evident.  The lack of rain, extremely hot weather, pest epidemics (locusts, flies, cankerworms, etc.) was beginning to affect the Country, especially those who failed to take precautions and listen to the warnings about the upcoming famine.  The Egyptians began to feel the sting of famine and looked to Pharaoh for help but he re-directed them to Joseph and instructed them to do what whatever Joseph told them to do.  (Genesis 41:55).  Joseph’s God-inspired plans worked flawlessly, which allowed Pharaoh to be at ease during this most difficult time but as the famine’s fangs stung like that of an inland taipan snake Joseph began to open the storehouses and sell the grain they worked so hard to preserve seven years prior.  This was a big deal as it affected the entire Country of Egypt though one translation says it was a world-wide famine.   Needless to say the famine also affected Canaan, Joseph’s homeland which was somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 miles and was about a 30 day journey.  How do I know? 

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  1) Cellie: a person whom served time with another.  Similar to a co-worker, college roommate, etc. 2) Leaders, if you're going to assign people to do the work, give them the freedom and flexibility to do so.  No one can be productive with an insecure, egotistical leader who micromanages over his people because you will suffocate them.  If you're not going to trust them don't appoint them; 3) Leaders, don't allow your subordinates to circumvent processes you have in place. If they are supposed to go to John Doe for XY & C but they come to you instead, that can be a potential powder keg.  

Genesis 42 (paraphrased):  While Joseph's immediate family and the rest of Egypt had food to eat his brothers were sitting around like idiots trying to figure out what to do.  Their father, Jacob (aka Israel) heard that there was food in Egypt and asked them why there were sitting around looking at each other like they were going to grown grain.  He ordered them to go to Egypt and buy food so we don’t starve to death.  All of the brothers prepared to leave except Benjamin, who is an adult now, but Jacob refused to allow him to go on the trip because of what happened to Joseph.  When the ten brothers arrived in Egypt they had to go before Joseph to purchase their food.  They had no clue who he was, but Joseph recognized them immediately.  The first thing they all did was to bow low before him as was customary to royalty in that time period and they treated him with honor.  His first dream had come true 13 years later.

·       Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said, “Listen to this dream I had. We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat. All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine.” His brothers said, “So! You’re going to rule us? You’re going to boss us around?” And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams and the way he talked. (Genesis 37:5-9 (The Message)

To be continued 

In His Excellent Service

Tania Not Tanya