‘These things happened to them as examples…for us…’ 1 Corinthians 10:11 NIV
In brief, Joseph had his head screwed on. He wasn’t perfect, but we can certainly learn from the way he dealt with misfortune and rejection (compared to Samson’s set up in life), temptation (compared to Samson’s head–firstness), and his attitude.
If you’re at all familiar with their stories, you’ll have noticed that Samson had everything going for him, while Joseph… well, didn’t. He didn’t get off to a great start; his brothers didn’t like the favour God had for him at all and they sold him into slavery. But Joseph forgave them (that’s massive), acted in faith that God was with him (Flashback to April 15) and ended up helping his family out big time during famine.
He also resisted temptation; turning down a married woman multiple times. He lived with determination to stay on track with God (Genesis 39:9). Yet it was because of this rejection that the married woman falsely accused him—and it was this that landed him in prison… where he became one of the leaders! (God was with this boy).
Comparison time: Samson has a position of authority… Joseph ends up in prison. Samson goes for the girl his lust tells him to (and it ends badly)… Joseph resists temptation, and through his hard–times never turns his back on God… Who had it planned for Joseph to end up as Prime Minister. Samson lived out of his own strength, turning to God when times got hard. Joseph lived, trusting in God despite his situations, with massively different results. The Joseph story (Genesis 37–46) is about staying true. What can you learn from how he responded to tough–times?
SoulFood: Acts 16-17, Mk 1:23-34, Ps 7:1-9, Prov 11:3-6
word4U2day (an adaptation of The Word for Today authored by Bob & Debby Gass) is published under licence by UCB Australia. 2014 UCB International Ltd