Joseph is a man who took the danger of temptation seriously. But instead of keeping his focus on temptation, Joseph kept his eyes on God. In the life of Joseph we learn that it is not the presence of consequences, but the presence of God, that motivates true and lasting behaviour. It is a relationship with Christ that is the only effective antidote against temptation. Joseph’s life demonstrates that when we commit our lives to God we must expect challenges and temptations to come our way. But God is faithful. What the devil may use to try to bring out the worst in us, God can use as a trial to bring out the best in us. It is my earnest belief that the successes of Joseph can be replicated if we seek to understand the principles that guided him. The purpose of this book is therefore to unearth the principles that piloted Joseph in his resolution to remain faithful to God. Join with me as we learn from the life of Joseph how to gain the victory over temptation and bring glory to God!
BEYOND TEMPTATION
“How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
BEYOND TEMPTATION
Dr Jongimpi D. Papu is a gifted speaker with many years of experience in ministry. An energetic and deeply spiritual man, he has the unique ability to communicate not only to church-oriented people but also to the secular mind. His spontaneous humour and intellectually-stimulating approach to holistic Christian living make him a joy to listen to.
He and his wife, Nomthandazo Patricia, have been blessed with two young adult sons, Bulumko and Sihle. Dr Papu enjoys distance running and cycling.
Jongimpi D. Papu
Ordained as a minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1995, Dr Papu has served the church at a number of different levels, including as the Youth Director of the Southern African Union (SAU) and as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Helderberg College. He is currently serving at the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) heading both the Ministerial and Family Ministries departments.
Lessons from the life of Joseph
ISBN 978-1-920579-46-3
Africa
PUBLISHING CO.
9 781920 579463
Jongimpi D. Papu
2
HOME-MADE TEMPTATIONS
I
t has been wryly observed that the key to success is to choose good parents and a good home. If this were true, however, most of us would have to forget about being successful! We are simply born into the family we are born into; we do not have the privilege of choosing our parents or our siblings. Nevertheless, it is true that whether a person will conquer or be conquered in the battle of life largely depends on the influences they encounter during their formative period. The devil does not wait until a person is old before he tries to lead them astray. He deploys forces even at an early age to work out the destruction of the individual. Unfortunately, due to the devil’s efforts, many people carry ‘factory faults’ into adulthood that are very difficult to correct except by God’s grace. The same can be observed in the life of Joseph. The devil did not wait for 19
20
BEYOND TEMPTATION
Joseph to get to Egypt before confronting him with temptation, but was there during Joseph’s formative years, doing all he could to plant the seeds of destruction in his life. Let us not forget, however, that the seeds of Joseph’s victory over temptation were also planted at home—far removed from where he would eventually experience his most difficult trials. We can be sure that there were many positive influences on Joseph that laid the foundation for his triumph over temptation. In this chapter we will look at the conditions that existed in the early life of Joseph and how they prepared him for the challenges of later life. Joseph’s family background Joseph did not have much to brag about regarding his family background. His father, Jacob, had cheated his elder brother of his rightful blessing and had had to flee from his home. Jacob, in turn, had been cheated into marrying two wives by his father-inlaw. The relationship between the two sisters was characterised by bickering and jealousy due, in large part, to the fact that Rachel struggled to have sons, while Leah steadily produced son after son, eight in total. Out of the twelve sons of Jacob, Joseph had two half-brothers, Dan and Naphtali (whose mothers were Rachel’s maidservants), and one younger brother, Benjamin. Tragically, Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin. One can imagine that growing up in a home without a mother to love and protect him would have made life difficult for Joseph. It is clear that Joseph grew up in a family where rivalry and jealousy were the order of the day. Being out-numbered, the only person he could fully trust was his younger brother. In Genesis
Home-made temptations
21
37:1-3, the author says that Joseph was “with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah”, using language which clearly describes a cold and formal relationship between him and Jacob’s sons from other wives. Later we read that Joseph brought a bad report against his brothers. Obviously he would find it easier to do this if he was not particularly close to his brothers. This is the family background that bequeaths us the man called Joseph. Joseph’s relationship with his father In Genesis 37:3 we read, “Now Israel [Jacob] loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age.” Another reason for Jacob’s partiality was that Joseph was the firstborn of his favourite wife, Rachel. Joseph must have reminded his father so much of his deceased wife. Jacob went out of his way to demonstrate his favour, making a beautiful robe for Joseph as a token and symbol of his love for him. This, of course, did not sit well with the brothers, who felt side-lined by this boy who had become the clear favourite of their father. Jacob’s love for Joseph unintentionally fuelled jealousy and resentment among his sons. The Bible states plainly that “when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (Genesis 37:4). Jacob’s preferential treatment provoked Joseph’s brothers to withdraw their brotherly protection and as such treat him as a stranger. Being younger than his brothers, with no one to come to his defence, Joseph must have felt surrounded by enemies who happened to be his brothers. While Jacob had not intentionally sought to destroy Joseph, nonetheless it had the same effect. Ellen White makes this striking
22
BEYOND TEMPTATION
comment in Patriarchs and Prophets: “His father, strong and tender as his love had been, had done him wrong by his partiality and indulgence. This unwise preference had angered his brothers and provoked them to the cruel deed that had separated him from his home. Its effects were manifest also in his own character. Faults had been encouraged that were now to be corrected. He was becoming self-sufficient and exacting” (p. 213). Joseph’s brothers were convinced that they had good reason to hate him. But while it is understandable that they felt aggrieved, this does not justify their treatment of their younger brother. They could have dealt with the issue in a more creative way than to seek to destroy Joseph. They should have raised their concerns with their father and not blamed Joseph for something he had no control over. The way they eventually dealt with Joseph brought immense pain to their father and overwhelming guilt to themselves. The role of the devil Where was the devil in all this? Like the conductor of an orchestra, he was there giving each participant a chance to play out their destructive role in his plot to eliminate Joseph. The devil had tempted Jacob into becoming an indulgent father. He had inspired Joseph’s brothers with envy and jealousy, planting evil thoughts in their minds against Joseph. And he had encouraged Joseph to become aggravating to his brothers. The devil’s aim was not only to destroy Joseph but to destroy the whole family in the process. The brothers were later haunted by their act of selling Joseph to the slave traders. They had not benefitted from selling him but had lived with regret since the
Home-made temptations
23
act. Many years later, when Joseph demanded that they bring Benjamin to Egypt, we witness the brothers’ heart-rending confession of guilt: “Then they said to one another, ‘We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us’” (Genesis 42:21). Truly, the devil rewards his missionaries with death, for the wages of sin is death. Positive home influence It would not be realistic to paint the background of Joseph as only negative. His family situation may not have been the best but there were some good qualities in his home that helped in the shaping of his character. It is clear that by the age of seventeen, Joseph was already a conscientious person. In Genesis 37:2 we are told that he brought a bad report of his brothers to Jacob. Obviously the brothers had engaged in some unethical and inappropriate behaviour which Joseph felt needed to be reported. This incident indicates that he had developed a sense of right and wrong, and was opposed to whatever wrong his brothers had done. We know, too, that Jacob was a God-fearing man who would have taught his children to fear God. During the patriarchal period, because there were no schools or organised churches, it was the duty of the family to teach the children to fear God. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7 we read God’s instructions: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
24
BEYOND TEMPTATION
The whole plan of salvation would have been outlined to Joseph. He knew that God was the creator and that his people were in a special relationship to Him. He would have been told of his family’s history, touching on the faithfulness of Abraham and how God walked with his forefathers. These lessons may not have made an immediate impression on Joseph but would later prove to have been a good foundation. Lessons from Joseph’s family At this point I would like to outline the lessons we can learn from Joseph’s family. These lessons reinforce the importance of the formative period in one’s life, and can be summed up in five points: 1. The power of parenting The home plays a crucial role in forming a child’s character. The influence of both the mother and father is indispensable in the upbringing of a child. However, if parents are not careful, they can unwittingly be used by the devil to advance his cause and bring destruction to society at large by failing to provide good nurture to their children. Let us be aware, too, that the devil does not wait until a person is converted before he launches his fierce attacks. He seeks to deprive people of the opportunity to know the Saviour. This was the lesson Jesus wanted to get across in Matthew 19:14 when He remonstrated with the disciples not to hinder the children from coming to Him. It is as if Christ was saying that these children would come to Him if they are not hindered. This implies that even in the formative years the devil tries to prevent children from coming to Jesus to be saved. It is sadly true that parents, teachers,
Home-made temptations
25
and church leaders are sometimes used as instruments in leading children away from Christ. 2. The power of negative experiences It is interesting to note that some of the most successful people grew up in dysfunctional homes or went through difficult experiences in their childhood. Some were abused or abandoned, growing up with no love or care from their parents. Others were brought up only by mothers, their absent fathers having had nothing to do with them. There are those who lost their parents at a time when they needed them the most. On the surface, these experiences may appear to be something that no child can overcome, seeming to guarantee a life of failure. While some lives have indeed been ruined by such experiences, others have developed strong characters and the determination to succeed through trying events. To a great extent, we can say it is a matter of choice as to how we are going to respond to negative experiences. 3. The power of positive influences While it is true that one can build a successful life even from negative experiences, it is far better to provide positive factors to shape the character during the formative period. Like Joseph, children need to be immersed in stories of a covenant-keeping God. God’s faithfulness should be evident in daily life and should be the subject of discourse in the family. In later life, crucial decisions will be made based on the lessons learnt during the earlier period. The question therefore is: are parents preparing their children to be conquerors or to be conquered by temptation?
26
BEYOND TEMPTATION
4. The power of choices As we see in the story of Joseph, the choices parents make play a decisive role in the way their children grow up. Jacob’s decision to cheat his brother set in motion events that had long-term consequences. It is sad but true that we may be indirectly used by the devil to lay burdens on our families even before they come to exist. For example, there are a growing number of children, born out of wedlock, who have never been afforded the privilege of having both a mother and a father. While the laws of the land can enforce maintenance and support, there is no court that can legislate the loving care and guidance from both parents. The choices parents make have an undeniable effect on their children. When a woman chooses a husband, she is choosing a father for her children. Similarly, when a man chooses a wife, he is choosing a mother for his children. Whether the children will have a good mother or father depends on the choices the parents make in choosing their life partners. Let those who have the privilege of choosing allow God to lead them in their choices, for He alone can see the future. Do not let your children condemn you for the choice you have made—they may not trust your judgment when they themselves are looking for a potential spouse. 5. The power of God The same challenging event can be experienced as either a temptation or a trial. What makes the difference is that a temptation is the devil’s attempt to destroy us, while a trial is God seeking to develop the best in us. This is the task that God undertook as He prepared Joseph to do His work, in spite of Joseph’s flawed upbringing. God was
Home-made temptations
27
able to use the positive influences in the life of Joseph not only to counter-balance the negative ones but to conquer them. Like Joseph, most of us have backgrounds that are far from perfect. But it is comforting to know that the grace of God is able to use even the negative aspects of our upbringing for His glory and for our benefit.
3
GOD’S DREAMS
N
ot only was Joseph hated by his brothers because of the favouritism shown to him by their father, but, to make matters worse, he began to have dreams which seemed to symbolically indicate a future in which he would be in a position of authority over them. In Joseph’s first dream, his brothers’ sheaves of grain gathered around his and bowed down to it. The Bible tells us that his brothers “hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said” (Genesis 37:8, NIV). In Joseph’s second dream, in which the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed to him, the imagery is extended to include his father and mother. Genesis 37:10 records Jacob’s response to this dream: “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 29
30
BEYOND TEMPTATION
The question we need to ask at the outset is: Were these really Joseph’s dreams alone? Or is it more accurate to say that they were God’s dreams, a revelation of His plans for the future? I believe that simply having a dream does not make one the originator—or even the owner—of it. Although Joseph’s brothers accused him of inventing his dreams so that he could feel superior to them, we soon come to see that they were, in fact, God’s dreams for Joseph. Without these dreams, there would be no Joseph. His brothers, instigated by the devil, wanted to make sure that his dreams would never be realised. The irony is that it was the brothers’ reaction to his dreams that sent Joseph to Egypt and ultimately brought about the fulfilment of the dreams. What was it about the dreams that caused the devil to fear? What was the real meaning of the dreams given to Joseph? Does God have dreams for us too? This chapter will explore these questions. Dreams misunderstood Throughout history there has been a fascination with dreams, giving rise to an abundance of studies on what they might mean. Even during Babylonian times, men were trained in dream interpretation and were regularly summoned to deduce the meanings of dreams, as we read in Daniel 2. However, the true meaning of Joseph’s dreams was initially completely misunderstood by Joseph and his family. The only thing that was revealed was that he was destined to be a master and his whole family would be his servants. But the simplicity of the dreams laid the foundation for their misinterpretation. Dreams, by their very nature, focus on the ultimate goal and not
God’s dreams
31
on the process with the inevitable sacrifices along the way. At the time that he was boasting about the dreams to his family, Joseph did not know the price he would have to pay for the fulfilment of those dreams. The pit which became his waiting room for enslavement in Egypt was not mentioned in the dreams. His stay in the house of Potiphar and his unceremonious exit were not revealed. His incarceration for a crime he did not commit and the years he would have to spend in prison were hidden from him. All these events were to be part of the curriculum designed to shape Joseph into the leadership figure depicted in his dreams, yet they were not revealed to him at first. Why did Joseph feel the need to share his dreams? Surely he was not seeking an interpretation. I believe that Joseph, in his immaturity, found in the dreams a way to boast and exalt himself above his family. Joseph was accustomed to being treated by his father as a prince among commoners, and in his mind, his dreams served to confirm that this indeed was meant to be. He lacked the maturity which would have prevented him from inundating his family with these visions that portrayed him receiving homage from everyone. A more mature approach would have been to take time to reflect seriously on what the dreams meant, conferring with his parents to get their opinion on the deeper meaning of the dreams. It was only towards the end of his life that Joseph developed a better understanding of what these dreams meant. Thus, from a human point of view, Joseph’s bragging was just the poor judgment of a youngster who allowed himself to be carried away by the possibilities of his dreams. He did not realise that in this way he was playing right into the hands of the evil one. Remember when Peter tried to prevent Christ from
32
BEYOND TEMPTATION
going to the cross, as recorded in Matthew 16:22-23? He was acting from a genuine concern for the welfare of Jesus, but Jesus looked beyond this innocence and pointed to a cunning figure that had orchestrated the misunderstanding. The same can be said of Joseph—while he was innocent in his approach, the devil was intentional. The devil exploited Joseph’s pride and intensified the misinterpretation of the dreams in order to cause jealousy and hatred for Joseph. The true meaning of the dreams Why was the devil disturbed by Joseph’s dreams? Could it be that it was because the devil knew what the dreams stood for, that he felt the need to disrupt their fulfilment? Joseph’s dreams were prophetic in that they foretold the life of service that he would render to preserve the lives of his family and the many that would come after them. The devil could not afford to wait until he saw the fulfilment of the dreams before he acted. He began immediately to sow confusion around the dreams with the aim of destroying not just the dreamer, but the dreams as well. Contrary to Joseph’s initial interpretation, the dreams were not a divine confirmation of the selfish ambitions he may have entertained in his mind. God had better plans than to perpetuate Jacob’s unfair and preferential treatment of Joseph. The dreams were not the product of Joseph’s creative mind but had a divine origin. They were God’s revelation of His plans for the future and the role Joseph would play in these plans. You will notice that the mention of God is glaringly absent during the first phase of the dream as understood by Joseph. The main actor in the dreams was Joseph—not God. It is only later that we find Joseph
God’s dreams
33
confessing that his dreams were God’s intention to save many lives and not just to elevate him to a position of honour and respect (Genesis 50:20). The lesson for us We have seen that Joseph’s dreams had more to do with God’s mission than personal ambition. Joseph’s dreams were God’s gracious invitation—not a qualification—for him to be part of the work that God was planning to do. Contrary to what we may have been taught, God does not allow Himself to be ambushed by our selfish ambitions posing as dreams when it comes to His mission. It is not what we can do for God but what He can do through us and for us that matters. Too often we run ahead of God, trying to impress Him with our dreams and hoping to make a name for ourselves in the process. In many ways this could be equated with using the name of God in vain; we are using His name for our own glory and not for His divine purpose and glory. Like Joseph’s dreams, the dreams God has for us today focus on the ultimate goal and most often do not show the many challenges and temptations lining the road to success. Some of us may never even reach the intended destination and become “prime ministers in Egypt” like Joseph. The lesson is that we should simply take one day at a time, fighting and overcoming as we go. Would you still enrol for a university degree if you knew that you would be involved in a car accident on the eve of your graduation? Perhaps not. But the rewards of faithfulness are not only found at the end of the road but can also be found along the path leading to our destiny. The function of dreams is to provide
34
BEYOND TEMPTATION
a vision of the future that will sustain the dreamer in the present. What is God’s ultimate goal for our lives? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” That “whoever” includes those born in the epicentre of poverty and degradation who have no hope of advancement. It includes the child from a squatter camp, living in ‘temporary’ dwellings that have become permanent. It includes the prisoner who has squandered his innocence and lives with the pain of rejection. No matter who the ‘whoever’ is, we are all born with the same destiny: God wants us to be in heaven with Him. However, heaven is where Satan was banished from, and he is determined to prevent us from experiencing what he forfeited. He is constantly seeking ways to destroy us and to frustrate God’s dreams for our lives. Those who accept God’s dreams for their lives are therefore on the devil’s ‘hit list’, a target for his temptations. Accepting God’s dreams Do we truly believe that there is a divine purpose for our lives? We read in the Bible that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Notice that the psalmist does not say that we are ‘wonderfully developed’, as evolutionists would have us believe. Science may argue about the way we came to exist but it is silent when it comes to the why—the purpose and meaning of our lives. It is only when we acknowledge that we are God’s creatures, created in the image of God, that we discover the true purpose for our existence. It was this realisation that elevated Esther into the powerful heroine she is known to be. Her famous words, uttered at a time
God’s dreams
35
when she and her fellow Jews were facing annihilation because of their faith, are recorded in Esther 4:16: “…and if I perish, I perish!” These courageous words reveal that Esther had not only found something worth living for, but also something worth dying for. People who are supposed to have evolved from animals with an instinct for survival cannot make such statements. But if we believe that God has a dream for us, then that dream is worth living for and worth dying for. The temptation for many of us is to continue in our ways of unbelief, running away from God like the prodigal son. A life of mediocrity with no high expectations can be tempting, but is this what we were created for? Is this what we want to be remembered for—that we survived, but never lived a life of meaning, a life worth remembering? God had dreams for Joseph and He has dreams for us today. Let us embrace those dreams!
Joseph is a man who took the danger of temptation seriously. But instead of keeping his focus on temptation, Joseph kept his eyes on God. In the life of Joseph we learn that it is not the presence of consequences, but the presence of God, that motivates true and lasting behaviour. It is a relationship with Christ that is the only effective antidote against temptation. Joseph’s life demonstrates that when we commit our lives to God we must expect challenges and temptations to come our way. But God is faithful. What the devil may use to try to bring out the worst in us, God can use as a trial to bring out the best in us. It is my earnest belief that the successes of Joseph can be replicated if we seek to understand the principles that guided him. The purpose of this book is therefore to unearth the principles that piloted Joseph in his resolution to remain faithful to God. Join with me as we learn from the life of Joseph how to gain the victory over temptation and bring glory to God!
BEYOND TEMPTATION
“How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
BEYOND TEMPTATION
Dr Jongimpi D. Papu is a gifted speaker with many years of experience in ministry. An energetic and deeply spiritual man, he has the unique ability to communicate not only to church-oriented people but also to the secular mind. His spontaneous humour and intellectually-stimulating approach to holistic Christian living make him a joy to listen to.
He and his wife, Nomthandazo Patricia, have been blessed with two young adult sons, Bulumko and Sihle. Dr Papu enjoys distance running and cycling.
Jongimpi D. Papu
Ordained as a minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1995, Dr Papu has served the church at a number of different levels, including as the Youth Director of the Southern African Union (SAU) and as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Helderberg College. He is currently serving at the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) heading both the Ministerial and Family Ministries departments.
Lessons from the life of Joseph
ISBN 978-1-920579-46-3
Africa
PUBLISHING CO.
9 781920 579463
Jongimpi D. Papu