In the previous article, I shared with you three insights about God's promotion: God does it in his perfect time, His servants learn to acknowledge their proper place, and God entrusts his servants with greater responsibility. In this post, I just want to add three more insights.
When God exalts a man, He causes that man to forget all his troubles.
This is particularly true in the case of Joseph. As we all know, he suffered so many troubles. He was powerless in the face of those troubles. He could not do anything against his older brothers. They are too powerful for him. The same thing is true with his master's wife. She was too powerful to fabricate a story against Joseph.
Joseph did not do anything bad to deserve those troubles. It was his good qualities that brought him trouble. In the case of his brothers, it was his father's love and his dreams that angered his brothers causing them to sell Joseph as a slave. On the part of Potiphar's wife, it was Joseph's physical attraction and fear of God that brought him trouble.
However, Joseph had forgotten all these troubles. He could not do it on his own. Only God can cause Joseph to forget all his troubles. And the name of his firstborn son, Manasseh reminded him of this fact.
It is difficult for us humans to forget the bad things that are done against us by others simply because we are naturally unforgiving. We tend to treasure memories of bad experiences in life. It is difficult for us to "let go" of painful memories. Only God can bring healing to wounded souls, and only Him can bring complete restoration.
In contrast to the cupbearer, which points to the fact that basic to human nature is to forget the good things that are done to us by others, but when it comes to bad things, that's very difficult for us to forget. This shows our need for grace. This grace will reverse whatever sin has done against us. If we are forgetful of God's goodness, grace can help us remember it. On the other hand, if we find it difficult to forget painful memories, the power of God's grace can help us forget them.
Remember that in the case of Jesus, there is nothing sinful in him that would make him deserve to suffer troubles while he was still here on earth. It was because of His righteousness that the world and the religious leaders of his day persecuted him. And finally, it was because of his righteousness that his generation agreed to crucify him.
When God exalts a man, he will that man productive even in the land of suffering.
Joseph was referring to Egypt as the land of his suffering. Egypt was his land of suffering for it was there that he was sold as a slave and was thrown into prison. However, God reversed Joseph's life in this very land of suffering. God made his life fruitful. And every time he looked at his second son, Ephraim, Joseph was always reminded that God made him fruitful even in Egypt, the land of his suffering.
In Joseph's case, every time he remembered Egypt, he was reminded of his slavery and imprisonment. How about you? What is your "Egypt"? What's your land of suffering? What does your land of suffering remind you of? Only you and God know your "land of suffering". The details might be different from what Joseph suffered. That "land" could be associated with a broken relationship, a financial loss, or any type of suffering that you find difficult to forget. And you might be tempted to think that there is no way you can get out of such a land of suffering. That's not true. In God's power and grace, like Joseph, He can make you fruitful even in the land of your suffering.
In Jesus' case, the cross is his "land of suffering". The cross reminds him of the sins of the world. It reminds him of the betrayal of his disciples. But without the cross, there is no way Jesus can bring redemption to mankind. Without the cross, there will be no glory of resurrection, no glory of ascension and session into the right hand of the Father, and there will be no final victory on the day of his second coming.
When God exalts a man, He will make that man useful for the salvation of many.
Notice that in chapter 41 verses 56 to 57, we are told that when the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was so severe. It was not confined to Egypt. The famine affected other countries as well. Unlike Egypt, they failed to prepare for the famine. As a result, these countries came to Egypt to buy grain. God used Joseph to save not only Egypt but the whole world as well. That's how God exalted Joseph.
I believe the same thing is true in our case as followers of Jesus. When God exalted Jesus and seated him in his right hand in the heavenly realm, we were also exalted and seated with him. And right now, God wants to make your life and my life to be useful in his kingdom. God wants to use you for the salvation of your loved ones, relatives, friends, and other people who are still under the power of sin.
Conclusion
When God exalts a man, He will cause that man to forget all his troubles, will make that man fruitful in the land of his suffering, and will make that man useful for his kingdom.