Issue #216, September 20, 2017
The 17-year-old Joseph traveled to Egypt as a slave and his dream for leadership seemed dead. The next 13 years of Joseph’s life were painful and difficult. First, he was sold as a slave and served in Potiphar’s house. Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master 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. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned (Genesis 39:1-4). Then Joseph was wrongly accused of sexual assault by Potiphar’s wife and was sent to prison. For several years he was a prisoner and again his hard work and integrity helped him become a leader in the prison. In some ways, his dream of being a leader began to happen, but certainly not in the way he expected.
What was God doing during all these difficult years in Joseph’s life? Joseph’s dream was being severely tested. God used those years of testing to develop leadership qualities in Joseph that would serve him well in the future.
Years of testing developed character.
God had a lot of work to do in Joseph’s heart. As he learned to serve under an Egyptian leader and later in prison, he learned submission to authority. He learned that serving under authority comes before being in authority. His status as a favorite son was gone and he learned to humbly serve others. The pride of his youthful dream was broken. During these years of testing, he faced a powerful test of sexual purity. His response revealed his character, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Servant leaders welcome times, even long times, of testing. They recognize that character takes years to develop but will impact their leadership for a lifetime. Testing does not make them bitter, it makes them better.
Years of testing developed knowledge.
During these years of testing Joseph also gained a lot of knowledge. In Potiphar’s household, he learned accounting skills and developed his ability to keep records. He developed a good knowledge of the Egyptian language and culture. He learned about himself and his own gifts and passions. Servant leaders recognize that they need to grow in knowledge. They are passionate about reading, learning and reflecting to develop the knowledge they need to lead effectively.
Years of testing developed skills.
Joseph dreamed of becoming a leader to whom others would bow down. But he had a lot he needed to learn about leadership skills. These years of testing taught him many skills of leadership. As he managed Potiphar’s home and the prison he learned organizational skills. He learned how to relate well with others and to be sensitive to their needs. He was slowly learning the skills he would soon need to lead a nation. Servant leaders acknowledge that leaders need skillful hands. They welcome feedback from others to identify areas they need to improve. They continually seek to become more skillful so that they can influence more people for the Kingdom of God.
Joseph did not know that these three areas, character, knowledge, and skill, are the places in which God needs to develop all servant leaders. But he allowed God to do this work in times of testing. He did not allow the testing to produce bitterness or to give up on the dream. Instead, the time of testing prepared him to be a leader.
For further reflection and discussion:
- What testing have I gone through in my own leadership journey? In what areas did I pass the test? In what areas did I not do well? What more might God need to do in my own life?
- Consider the three areas that were developed in Joseph’s time of testing: character, knowledge and skill. In which of these am I strongest? In which am I weakest? How is my leadership impacted by my strengths and weaknesses in these areas?
- What is my attitude when I am faced with a time of testing? In what ways does Joseph’s life and attitude during this time challenge me? (Read the full story in Genesis 39 and look for indications of Joseph’s attitude towards work, authority, trials, etc.)