Catherine Brown
“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” Genesis 39:20b-23
We may well ask ourselves what prison life would have been like for Joseph and his fellow inmates. Perhaps we might consider that the conditions would most likely have been harsh, with little food and water, difficult living conditions and continual physical, emotional, mental and spiritual suffering for most of the prisoners. Yet, the bible tells us that Joseph was still a man on whom God’s favour and kindness was evident, and he was made responsible for everything that happened in the prison. Let’s consider for a moment, what that might have involved:
Food preparation (if one was fortunate enough to eat)
Cleaning up
Emptying the latrines
Tending the wounds of prisoners
Caring for sick prisoners
Dealing with infestations of rats, lice, other insects and rodents
Watching over vulnerable prisoners
Maintaining order/maintaining peace
Keeping corruption at bay and encouraging righteousness
Dealing with death
Ministering to the broken hearted and the lonely
THE PRIORITY OF PEOPLE
As we consider the potential list of duties that being in charge of the prison might have included, it is easy to see that God taught Joseph the priority of people before programmes. It is my deep conviction that Joseph learned how to be a father in his time in prison. In the place of God-permitted confinement and in-built destiny delay, Joseph embraced the priceless truth and depths of the Father’s compassion, humility, wisdom and love, persevering in his sonship regardless of his circumstances. Learning how to function as a father was an important part of Joseph’s “training for reigning” before he was released into the fullness of the apostolic mantle as God’s ambassador in Egypt – God chose a prison cell as the perfect crucible for His love to be formed in His servant Joseph.
Furthermore, Joseph learned the heart of a servant in prison. It was crucial in the preparation of one who would one day be entrusted with so much power and influence to be developed as a servant leader. God chose to confine Joseph in a prison to teach him this lesson and granted him the privilege of showing tender compassion to the other prisoners who were placed in his charge.
While we consider Joseph’s character development at this stage in his faith walk as an apostolic watchman for his nation, it is also helpful to remind ourselves of some of the other characteristics and attributes of a Godly watchman/woman.
CHARACTER AND ATTRIBUTES OF A WATCHMAN
Intimate with God in holy covenant relationship;; “I am my beloved’s and He is mine.” SoS 6:3’ “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” SoS 2:4 “Place me like a seal on your heart …” SoS 8:6
Worshipful
Prayerful
Loving God with a whole heart Mk 12:30-31 (giving out of one’s riches or ones poverty e.g. the widow Mk 12:33,34)
Aspiring to be Christ-like in active discipleship
Exhibiting fruits of the Spirit e.g. love, joy, peace, patience
Exercising faith in the gifts of the Spirit e.g. wisdom, discernment, prophecy (Daniel was given insight and understanding to comprehend his visions Da 9:22)
Compassionate and mercy filled
Spirit-filled
Familiar with Scripture
Alert/watchful
Aligned with God’s purposes
Accountable, humble, submitted and part of a local body
Radically obedient to God; (“But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.” 1 Ki 22:14
Responsible/wise steward
Comprehending of one’s assigned sphere of influence
Understanding of one’s call
Active in faith in response to one’s call
Every watchman will experience character refining as they journey towards their faith goals. May you each know the kindness and favour of God as you walk with Him towards fulfilment of your destiny and may our dear lord grant you dreams, visions and visitations that you might be encouraged especially if you feel like Joseph in prison! Your time of testing will surely pass, and the Lord by His grace, will position you in the places where He has pre-ordained, so that every sphere of society will be filled with His glory. Amen.
“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” Genesis 39:20b-23
We may well ask ourselves what prison life would have been like for Joseph and his fellow inmates. Perhaps we might consider that the conditions would most likely have been harsh, with little food and water, difficult living conditions and continual physical, emotional, mental and spiritual suffering for most of the prisoners. Yet, the bible tells us that Joseph was still a man on whom God’s favour and kindness was evident, and he was made responsible for everything that happened in the prison. Let’s consider for a moment, what that might have involved:
Food preparation (if one was fortunate enough to eat)
Cleaning up
Emptying the latrines
Tending the wounds of prisoners
Caring for sick prisoners
Dealing with infestations of rats, lice, other insects and rodents
Watching over vulnerable prisoners
Maintaining order/maintaining peace
Keeping corruption at bay and encouraging righteousness
Dealing with death
Ministering to the broken hearted and the lonely
THE PRIORITY OF PEOPLE
As we consider the potential list of duties that being in charge of the prison might have included, it is easy to see that God taught Joseph the priority of people before programmes. It is my deep conviction that Joseph learned how to be a father in his time in prison. In the place of God-permitted confinement and in-built destiny delay, Joseph embraced the priceless truth and depths of the Father’s compassion, humility, wisdom and love, persevering in his sonship regardless of his circumstances. Learning how to function as a father was an important part of Joseph’s “training for reigning” before he was released into the fullness of the apostolic mantle as God’s ambassador in Egypt – God chose a prison cell as the perfect crucible for His love to be formed in His servant Joseph.
Furthermore, Joseph learned the heart of a servant in prison. It was crucial in the preparation of one who would one day be entrusted with so much power and influence to be developed as a servant leader. God chose to confine Joseph in a prison to teach him this lesson and granted him the privilege of showing tender compassion to the other prisoners who were placed in his charge.
While we consider Joseph’s character development at this stage in his faith walk as an apostolic watchman for his nation, it is also helpful to remind ourselves of some of the other characteristics and attributes of a Godly watchman/woman.
CHARACTER AND ATTRIBUTES OF A WATCHMAN
Intimate with God in holy covenant relationship;; “I am my beloved’s and He is mine.” SoS 6:3’ “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” SoS 2:4 “Place me like a seal on your heart …” SoS 8:6
Worshipful
Prayerful
Loving God with a whole heart Mk 12:30-31 (giving out of one’s riches or ones poverty e.g. the widow Mk 12:33,34)
Aspiring to be Christ-like in active discipleship
Exhibiting fruits of the Spirit e.g. love, joy, peace, patience
Exercising faith in the gifts of the Spirit e.g. wisdom, discernment, prophecy (Daniel was given insight and understanding to comprehend his visions Da 9:22)
Compassionate and mercy filled
Spirit-filled
Familiar with Scripture
Alert/watchful
Aligned with God’s purposes
Accountable, humble, submitted and part of a local body
Radically obedient to God; (“But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.” 1 Ki 22:14
Responsible/wise steward
Comprehending of one’s assigned sphere of influence
Understanding of one’s call
Active in faith in response to one’s call
Every watchman will experience character refining as they journey towards their faith goals. May you each know the kindness and favour of God as you walk with Him towards fulfilment of your destiny and may our dear lord grant you dreams, visions and visitations that you might be encouraged especially if you feel like Joseph in prison! Your time of testing will surely pass, and the Lord by His grace, will position you in the places where He has pre-ordained, so that every sphere of society will be filled with His glory. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment