When Potiphar saw that the LORD was with him and that the
LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and
became his attendant....Later while Joseph was in prison, the warden saw that the
LORD was with him, so the warden put Joseph in charge of all that was done
there.
Genesis 40:3-21
I found it interesting that Potiphar, as well as the warden, saw that God was with Joseph, but his brothers did not…why is that do
you think?
Potiphar and the prison warden were Egyptians, yet they were open
to the fact that God worked through people, they understood that the attributes
and actions of those in favor with God were worth being around, that they had
something to offer. Even though they
were Egyptians they could still see God and the hand He had in Joseph’s
life. I found it interesting that
Joseph’s brothers who were Israelites, who were born and raised with the teachings
of God, could not see that God was with Joseph…why is that?
Some like to say that Joseph was spoiled, he was, the Bible
says so; it says that Jacob “loved Joseph more than any of his other
sons.” Some like to say that he was
spoiled rotten, maybe even obnoxious, I'm not so sure; the Bible doesn’t say
so. But it does say that the brothers
were jealous, it says that the brothers hated Joseph because they “saw their
Father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not say a kind
word to him.” They could not see God was
with him because they could only see hate; hate and jealousy.
Joseph was their brother and all of them were raised with
teachings of God, yet they could not see God, only hatred, only jealousy and
murderous thoughts, they didn’t care that Joseph may have had dreams from God;
they only knew that it was not in favor of them. Jealousy causes suffering; it blinds the eyes
to see what is really there.
How often do we see someone who is succeeding and place a
label of spoiled rotten on them, we are jealous and respond in line with that
thinking, with hate and anger. We want
what they have and in order to get whatever it is they have, we plot and hate
and like Joseph’s brothers, sometimes hold thoughts of murder. Thoughts of
jealousy blind us to anything good at all.
I can think of several times where my jealousy has limited
my view of God, I’m sure you can too…times where feelings of hate and anger
overtook seeing God, let alone anything good at all.
Wouldn’t it be great that when we are dealing with one
another, instead of seeing the things that make us jealous, things that cause
hurt and anger and disagreement, we could see that God was with them?
This is hard to do, I know that. I have been taught the hope and faith and joy and loving kindness of God, I know God, yet sometimes I
cannot see that God is with the people I have objection with. The fact is, and I know this too, God opens
the eyes of those to see Himself at work all around. I want my eyes to be opened, I want to look
for good, and I want to see God in those around me.
God before jealousy…I love that.
This is what I want to see...what do you see?
