In almost every word of our study of Joseph so far, beginning in chapter 37, Joseph has been in a trial (a trial being an unfavorable situation that a person has been thrust into through no fault of their own). It is not until you get to Genesis 41:14 that Joseph’s situation turns around and he is out of his long season (i.e., 13 years) of testing. In the first part of Genesis 41, Joseph was brought out of prison (cf. vs 14), and he has interpreted the dream of Pharoah (cf. vs. 25). The meaning of the dream was that Egypt and the surrounding nations were going to experience seven years of plentiful food harvest, and then seven years of famine (cf. 41:26-32, 57). It is Joseph’s coming out of his long trial (cf. vs. 14) that allows us to understand what the trials of life prepare believers for.
First, the trials of life prepare believers to be a better witness for God (cf. 41:37-39). Joseph was a good witness at the age of 17 to his family (cf. Gen. 30). Now Joseph, at the age of 30 (cf. 41:46), has the opportunity to be a witness to Egypt and to many other nations because other nations will come to buy grain from Egypt as the seven years of famine set in (cf. 41:57). Joseph’s witness for God influences Pharoah immediately because Pharoah wants “a man in whom the Spirit of God is” (vs. 38), meaning a man like Joseph. You see, Pharaoh needed this kind of man, a man of God, because that man would be over the gathering of the food during the seven years of plenty, and it was Joseph’s testimony that allowed Pharoah to see that (cf. 41:33). Our trials make us a greater witness and give us greater opportunities to serve God.
Second, the trials of life prepare believers to be on the mountain top, which is when there is no trial going on, and Joseph is for sure on the mountain top now (cf. 41:40-44). It may sound like a strange statement to say that “trials prepare us to be on the mountain top”, but they certainly do. When you go from the prison to second in command of Egypt as Joseph did (cf. 41:40), there must be a certain level of spiritual maturity to take that kind of upward transition. Joseph could have become prideful or lazy because of his newfound position. Can you imagine if a prideful or lazy man got this kind of power that Pharoah has given to Joseph? It would have been an absolute disaster for Egypt and the other nations because of the coming famine. The mountain top can be a lazy place for the immature believer, and this laziness will manifest itself in prayerlessness, slothfulness, and a lack of seeking God through His Word. However, Joseph shows us that the mountain top is a place for service and not selfishness.
Finally, the trials of life prepare believers for greater service to God (cf. 41:45-57). Joseph had managed Potiphar’s home (cf. 39:4) and prison (cf. 39:22), and now those skills would prove useful over the next 14 years of Joseph’s life and beyond as he deals with the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine. Joseph will also be second in command in Egypt for the next 80 years (cf. 41:46; 50:22). Joseph was shaped on the anvil of life, heated by the fire of his trials, so he could be a useful tool in the plan of God to bring salvation to the world.
Sampson Ridenour is the associate pastor at Indiana Avenue Baptist Church.
