"Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, 'Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do"' Genesis 41:55. Why do some of God’s servants live in obscurity while others are exalted? Why are there distinctions of position, ability, health, and other circumstances among the children of God? That such distinctions exist among God’s people cannot be denied. Abraham was a rich man with considerable influence, but the elderly widow at the treasury only had two small coins to live on (Mark 12:41-44). Solomon was among the greatest of Kings to ever have lived, but Lazarus was a sick beggar at the gate of a rich man (Luke 16:20). Job was a rich and prominent man, the greatest of all the men of the east; but the apostle Peter could say “silver and gold have I none” (Acts 3:6). Many of the Kings of Judah ruled in great splendor and majesty, but the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, had nowhere to lay His head (Matt 8:20). Such variations of position and circumstance are not only seen from one child of God to another, but can also occur over time in the life of any individual child of God. The providence of God brings His child from the peak of exaltation to the valley of humility, or from the depths of sorrow to the heights of rejoicing. Joseph experienced the extremes of being a shepherd, being a slave, being a prisoner, and being a Prince. He was deeply afflicted in the darkness of an Egyptian prison only to later hear Pharaoh say to all of Egypt, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.” Though the reasons for God’s providence in the lives of His children are fully known to Him alone, there are principles that we can learn from the life of Joseph.

We see in Joseph that circumstances in life are given to glorify God. In each of the stages of his life, Joseph brought honor and glory to the true God. While Joseph was at home, he faithfully and honestly served his father for the glory of God. While Joseph was a slave, Potiphar recognized that the true and living God was with him, and the name of God was honored in that house. While Joseph was in the prison, the destitute and the hopeless would learn that there is a God who visits even those in prison; they could find hope in the God of Israel. When Joseph stood before Pharaoh, all recognized that the Spirit of the true God rested upon him, and the name of the LORD was exalted in the land of Egypt.

God’s servants have glorified Him throughout time, whether in high or low positions in life. When questioned as to why a particular man had been born blind, Christ said, “that the works of God should be revealed in him” (John 9:3). When Daniel was taken to Babylon to enter the service of a pagan King, it led to the proclamation of the true God in that dark land. Whether in prosperity or adversity, God’s people are placed in their circumstances to glorify Him; so it is written, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

What are the circumstances of your life? Are you exalted or humbled? Let us remember that our circumstances come from God for His glory. “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:7-8). Have you lived for the glory of God?

We see in Joseph that circumstances in life are given for the good of others. In Potiphar’s house, Joseph was used by God to bless Potiphar and his household. When in the prison, Joseph was made to be a blessing to his fellow prisoners and to those over whom he had charge. When exalted by Pharaoh, Joseph saved the known world from famine. He could say to his brothers, “God sent me here before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5).

God has always placed His people in their circumstances for the good of others. Aquila and Priscilla were thrown out of Rome by Claudius only to encounter the apostle Paul at Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). That encounter would bring help to Paul and further the gospel in the Greek-speaking world. Esther was made a Queen of the Medes and the Persians so that she could save God’s people from destruction. The prison was where Joseph encountered the Chief Butler, the very man who would later bring him to help Pharaoh.

How did those prisoners in the land of Egypt learn of the true God? God sent Joseph to the prison. How was Egypt prepared for a seven-year famine? God sent Joseph to Pharaoh. How was Joseph’s family saved? God gave Joseph power in Egypt to provide for them. How was the line of the Messiah preserved until the time of Moses? God used Joseph to prosper and protect the nation of Israel in the land of Goshen. All of these things resulted from the work of God in one man’s life. Our lives are not our own; they are for the good of others. Have you sought the good of others in the circumstances that God has given you?

We see in Joseph that circumstances in life are given for the good of the individual. How did Joseph become a man capable of ruling the known world in righteousness? Was it not through his enslavement and imprisonment? Did he not learn in those trying circumstances the plight of the slave and the misery of the prisoner? Did he not learn diligence and economy when ruling Potiphar’s house? In those circumstances, did he not gain the humility and strength that would make him a great ruler of the people? How did Joseph become the man who would give good to his brothers when he would meet them again? Was it not through his sufferings? Was it not under the humbling hand of Almighty God? How did Joseph become a man of such a heart as to quickly shed tears of love and tenderness? Was it not through the pain of his trials? Was it not the providence of God that molded and softened his heart?

It is often in times of affliction that God’s children grow the most spiritually. Affliction causes the child of God to fall on his knees in humble dependence upon God. It causes him not to think more highly of himself than he ought. It causes him to seek the Lord earnestly and to follow His ways more closely. As the psalmist says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Psalm 119:67). Have you allowed God’s providence to mold you into being a more faithful servant of His?

We see in Joseph’s circumstances a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though Joseph lived nearly two thousand years before the coming of Christ, God ordained Joseph’s life to be a picture of the life of Christ. What we see in Joseph in small degree is a shadow of what is true of Christ in the greatest degree. Joseph experienced trials and sorrow; Christ was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Is 53:3). Joseph’s brothers persecuted him; Christ was persecuted and rejected by His own people: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Joseph was unjustly accused and imprisoned; Christ was arrested, tried, and condemned to death, though completely innocent. Joseph was forsaken; Christ’s own disciples forsook Him in the hour of trial. Joseph suffered in the prison; Christ, in bearing the sins of His people, suffered the death of the cross. Joseph was exalted and became the ruler of Egypt; Christ rose victorious from the grave and exercises all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18)-and as Pharaoh sent all who desired bread to Joseph, so now the Father sends all who desire salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ. As Pharaoh said to all of Egypt, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do,” so now the Father says to all the world, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt 17:5).