Basic HTML Version
Always the Same, March 12
Genesis 41:1-43
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he
shall not stand before mean men.
Proverbs 22:29
.
From the dungeon Joseph was exalted to be ruler over all the land of Egypt. It
was a position of high honor, yet it was beset with difficulty and peril. One cannot
stand upon a lofty height without danger. As the tempest leaves unharmed the
lowly flower of the valley, while it uproots the stately tree upon the mountaintop,
so those who have maintained their integrity in humble life may be dragged
down to the pit by the temptations that assail worldly success and honor. But
Joseph’s character bore the test alike of adversity and prosperity. The same
fidelity to God was manifest when he stood in the palace of the Pharaohs as
when in a prisoner’s cell. He was still a stranger in a heathen land, separated
from his kindred, the worshipers of God; but he fully believed that the divine
hand had directed his steps, and in constant reliance upon God he faithfully
discharged the duties of his position. Through Joseph the attention of the king
and great men of Egypt was directed to the true God; and though they adhered
to their idolatry, they learned to respect the principles revealed in the life and
character of the worshiper of Jehovah.
How was Joseph enabled to make such a record of firmness of character,
uprightness, and wisdom?—In his early years he had consulted duty rather than
inclination; and the integrity, the simple trust, the noble nature, of the youth bore
fruit in the deeds of the man. A pure and simple life had favored the vigorous
development of both physical and intellectual powers. Communion with God
through His works and the contemplation of the grand truths entrusted to the
inheritors of faith had elevated and ennobled his spiritual nature, broadening and
strengthening the mind as no other study could do. Faithful attention to duty
in every station, from the lowliest to the most exalted, had been training every
power for its highest service. He who lives in accordance with the Creator’s will
is securing to himself the truest and noblest development of character
[78]
17
Ibid., 222
.
79