Exceeding. Abundant. Above.
Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and wrongfully imprisoned, Joseph’s story is enough to drive one to a therapist. And his suffering was made worse by its contrast to earlier days. Once a loved and favored son from a prestigious and wealthy family, Joseph had even had dreams of a bright future where his exaltation was so great that his brothers, and even his parents, would bow to him. But in a few short hours, Joseph lost his family, his home, his privileges, and his freedom. Even then, his betrayals were not yet complete. His adamant devotion—day after day (Gen. 39:10)—to Potiphar was repaid by Potiphar’s wife’s accusing Joseph of unfaithfulness—a claim all the more galling because it was Joseph’s faithfulness that so incensed her. Yet, her lies were believed by the very master that Joseph had been so loyal to, and Joseph was sent to prison.
In the dungeon (Gen. 40:15), Joseph kindly set Pharaoh’s cupbearer’s heart at ease by freely interpreting his dream, asking only that he be remembered when the cupbearer was restored to his former position (Gen. 40:14). Imagine how Joseph’s hope faded as days turned to months and months turned to years (Gen. 41:1). One more betrayal.
Faithful to his father, he was hated. Faithful to his master, he was betrayed. Faithful to his fellow prisoner, he was forgotten. Life wasn’t turning out as Joseph had dreamed. But we know the rest of the story. It wasn’t only Joseph and the cupbearer who dreamed dreams. One day, Pharaoh had a dream, and his desperation to understand its meaning reminded the cupbearer of Joseph. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and, as a result, was made second-in-command in Egypt.
Joseph’s interpretation proved true and when the seven years of famine came, the magnitude of the catastrophe drove his brothers from Canaan to Egypt; drove them to Joseph—the only source of food in all the world. Brought into his presence, they bowed down before him, “and Joseph remembered the dreams” (Gen. 42:9).
It appears that, along the way, Joseph had forgotten about the revelation that his brothers would one day bow to him. Who could blame him? It had been a long road and, most of the way, it didn’t look like it would end well. But the Lord’s designs were more glorious than anything Joseph had dreamed of, even on the brightest days. Above all of the circumstances, God’s purposes rolled on, unstoppable. And He moved the world in order to fulfill His plans for one dreamer.
Did you know that when the Lord was writing the story of Joseph, He was writing our story, too? Like Joseph, Christians have been promised future glory. But in this sin-torn world, the children of God face many trials. Sometimes, like Joseph, faithfulness even increases our suffering (2 Tim. 3:12). If we focus on the road, we can lose sight of the glories to come. But the glories will come. And, when they do, they will far exceed any of our dreams (Eph. 3:20).
Finally, it isn’t only the magnitude of Joseph’s exaltation that was breath-taking; it’s the speed with which it was accomplished. When Joseph woke up in the dungeon that morning, it would never have crossed his mind that, by the end of the day, he would be the second most powerful man in the world. But our blessed hope should cross our minds every morning. It will all happen more quickly than we can measure—in the twinkling of an eye. When it does, we will look back, remember the dreams, and wonder why we ever doubted.