The God Of Boys

III.

"Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren" (Genesis 37.2). His father Jacob was ninety-one when he was born and he was the son of his old age" (Genesis 37.8). Truth has been said to be stranger than fiction, and this is exemplified in the wonderful life of Joseph. The story is one of the gems of scriptural narrative. A slave, a supposed felon, is in one day swept from prison right to the throne of the mighty Pharaohs. In one day he became the appointed ruler of Egypt with only Pharaoh above him. How could such a young man of thirty take on so great a task? All Egypt's wise men, its senators and counsellors, were to be taught by him how to act from henceforward.

It is just this matter of how he would accomplish his work that is of great interest. What was Joseph's background? Perhaps we may put it under three heads.

Ihis fear of God;

IIhis early training;

IIIand the Spirit of God which was in him.

In the book of Job, perhaps the oldest book of Holy Scriptures, men in the search for wisdom (Job 28.) ask the question,

"Where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?" (Job. 28.12).

Wisdom we are told cannot be bought with gold or silver, the precious onyx, sapphire, and ruby, cannot equal its value. In short, God's answer to the question is this

Unto man He said:

"Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom;

And to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28.28).

David says, "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever" (Psalm 19. 9).

This fear was in Joseph's heart. The ways of his brethren were evil and he told his father about their behaviour. And when in Potiphar's house he said to his wife, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39.9). Solomon said, "By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil" (Proverbs 16. 6).

Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, was wayward, and sinned, and lost his birthright. This was passed on to Joseph (1 Chronicles 5. 1, 2), for whom and in token of love, and no doubt because of his firstborn's place, Jacob made for Joseph a coat of many colours. The influence of Jacob's training of Joseph in those early years, who was now by appointment the most important son of his family, had a marked effect on Joseph, which remained with him throughout his life. The effects of godly training in youth cannot be over-estimated. The principle is laid down in Proverbs 22.6.

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

And even when he is old he will not depart from it."

That some very ordinary men have good sons, and some good fathers may have bad sons, in no way alters the general rule stated by Solomon. The exception proves the rule.

Then we have the third reason for Joseph's success as the ruler of Egypt declared in Pharaoh's question, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Genesis 41.85). The Spirit is called, "The Spirit of wisdom and understanding " (Isaiah

11.2). Such a Spirit was to rest on the Lord Himself, and it rested on Joseph, God's servant of a former day. The boy or youth who lives in the power of the ungrieved Holy Spirit of God is sure to make his mark and show ability in God's things. Such was the boy and the man Joseph, one of the most beautiful characters in all God's album of portraits.

unknown | Jun 1953
The God Of Boys