They released powerfully from the gate high on the mountaintop. The cold, harsh Alps winds blew onto the face of the skier, and they dropped immediately out of the little gate house onto the steep slope below. The downward thrust of gravity tugged them in one great jerk, and then the skis made contact with the slope. A little “puff” of icy snow kicked up and the skis settled at a forward angle and the skier took off. For a moment they were working to catch balance. Once solid balance was attained, they stooped into a “stance” with the poles they carried tucked under this arms, their body leaning into the steep drop. In a matter of seconds a series of flags appeared in front of them – tall poles of fiberglass with bright “safety orange” plastic flags attached. No instruction was necessary. This skiing competitor instinctively knew what to do. They swayed to the left, pulling the poles carefully down into position to simply “knick” the ground as they slipped past the pole. First they went left around the pole, then right around the next. On and on they went, quickly avoiding by slight turns every obstacle that was artfully placed to measure their ability to make forward progress but remain within the boundaries. The slalom skier knows about obstacles – and knows how to successfully navigate around them!
Wikipedia defines slalom as “To slalom is to zigzag between obstacles.” I mention this because it is clear in our text that Joseph had become a man who knew how to survive and thrive – despite the tremendous obstacles he faced in his life. In many ways Joseph was not unlike the skier in an interview after they had successfully made it through the course, and were now enjoying the fruits of the victory.
He wasn’t always able to navigate so well. In the early part of his story, he was hated by his own brothers because of jealousy. He was sloppily handled by a father that insensitively made him an overt favorite. He was viciously tossed into a hole and later sold into slavery. He was wrongly imprisoned and left to rot there - forgotten for years by those he went out of his way to help by use of his gifts. Joe was a man trained, honed and sharpened in the midst of crisis. By the time we pick up the story, Joe is helping Pharaoh manage a crisis in the nation, while he is ending an emotionally draining crisis in his own family.
His sorrow could easily have threatened the stability of his journey. Jealousy and anger could have eaten him up inside, making him intolerable and harsh. Yet, this is not the Joseph we see as the curtain rises on chapter 47. God gave us a snapshot of the man AFTER many of the competitive “slalom points” were navigated. It is in this snapshot we can see the lessons he learned about making it through the obstacles. Without these lessons, life as we know it could be disrupted by obstacles and turning points and we would be ill prepared when everything around us seems to be impeding our growth and hindering our peace.
Key Principle: Some refinements to maintain balance amid obstacles and troubles only come with practice.
The text offers us SEVEN LESSONS from the slalom course (Gen 46:31-47:12).
Keep Honest Communication with those around you – I will tell Pharaoh that you have arrived with your flocks and herds (46:31-32; 47:1).
Gen. 46:31 “Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me; 32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ Note that later, in Gen. 47:1 we see the follow through on this statement: “Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”
When you have been burned by people, there is an enduring mark on your communication. You are sorely tempted to hide things from others. You feel more in control if you hide and pull away from communication. One of the great lessons of those who come have allowed the Spirit of God to guide them through the slalom course is the ability to trust God while presenting TRUTH to those around them.
Note the verses carefully. Joseph, the man who was abused by family, so called friends and those in authority, opens with the declaration that he will report all that has happened to the Pharaoh, the authority above him. He declared this to his family. People who get to know you must see your value through your communication. Joe believed in walking in integrity and accountability – and his family saw that immediately following his meeting with his dad. (46:31-32). The lessons of being abused should lead you to be MORE SENSITIVE about walking circumspectly in the truth – not license poor behavior based on the labels you receive from your dysfunctional background.
There are two common problems that people develop who were abused:
- They tend to hide the truth from others. People who have been hurt place the boundaries in the wrong places, and try not to HURT people – according to their own damaged sense of responsibility. Often this results in them hiding the truth. End game: they LIE but think they are doing it for a “good reason” to keep someone from “getting hurt”.
- They (often unwittingly) reframe the truth so much they seem to be unable to discern the truth. This happens to all of us in small ways, but in pronounced ways to those who have been emotionally hurt or damaged. As they replay their own actions in their mind, powerful justifications are introduced into the story that they recall were MOTIVATIONS – even when they didn’t have those thoughts until later. The order of events is often jumbled in their minds into an order that reflects the later “revised version” of the story – proving they had a good reason for their actions.
The slalom course taught Joe that many people have a shaky and slippery hold on truth. They MEAN to say the right thing sometimes, and they just don’t. They reframe events in their own mind and retell the edited version of their own story in their heart and mind. The new version shows them in a better light than the truth. No matter, that is how they recall it. After a while, they simply enshrine the new memory and the truth is quietly left adrift and remembered no more – the lie replaces it in their minds and is now what they will defend with all their might.
Make Careful Preparation for tricky situations - Joe explained exactly what the brothers were to say when they were interviewed by Pharaoh (46:33-34a; 47:2-3)
Gen. 46:33 “When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ that you may live in the land of Goshen…for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.” Note the confirming event as it is detailed in 47:2 “He took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.
Note something unique about this exchange between Joe and his family:
- Joe KNEW what Pharaoh wanted to know about his family before they ever got to him.
- Joe’s family was forced to immediately trust his judgment concerning an approach to Pharaoh. In effect, God used the situation to have Joe take his place of leadership in the family, as the dreams he had from his youth became a reality.
- Joe had to communicate WHO to respect and HOW in preparing his family for the meeting with Pharaoh. He did not presume with his authority (before Pharaoh), nor did he presume with his family (blindly putting them into picture without preparation for the meeting).
Many problems can be solved before they happen with careful preparation. Telling people what will happen next can help them adjust before being placed into an unfamiliar setting with no coping mechanisms. The slalom course taught Joe that if he could prepare people, he should. It will make the journey much easier.
Rely on your Thoughtful Understanding developed through listening – Joe listened over the years, and understood an Egyptian’s value system well (46:34b; 47:4a, 7-10).
Gen 46:34b …for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.” This idea is seen again in Gen. 47:4a “They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan.
Joe understood WHY the Pharaoh’s inner reaction to them may not be favorable based on his culture. Joe was a student of people. He was able to understand the value system of the Pharaoh, and without needing to comment on the cultural difference, he was able to prepare his father and family to understand the situation.
Note particularly in the meeting the nuance of culture that entered the words of Jacob, who in his earlier life was a traveler as well. Note the actual meeting with Pharaoh in Gen. 47:7 “Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?” 9 So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence.
It sounds as though Jacob is whining – but he is not. Hidden in the communication are signs that he understood his place before Pharaoh. Common to the day was the idea that the length of one’s days showed wisdom. The more honor you wanted to bestow on another, the OLDER you would say they had become. As a result, the OLDEST in the room was the MOST HONORED in the room. Obviously, Jacob entered and he was much older than the others in the room. Pharaoh offered him honor by asking, “How many years have you lived?” Jacob tells him the number, 130, but then follows up with the statement that he had not attained the wisdom of his fathers (length of years), and immediately Jacob offered a blessing for Pharaoh. Jacob showed respect and loyalty – something that he failed to do WHILE HIS DAD WAS ALIVE. He could do it now recalling his long deceased father.
Joe learned on the slalom course that to deal with people well you have to understand where they are coming from. They think a certain way. They have a particular culture and set of values. He could not be a man of integrity and surrender HIS VALUES, but he could deliberately make THEM MORE IMPORTANT that him in the room.
Make a Forthright Request if you have one– We are requesting the use of Goshen’s land (47:4).
Genesis 47:4 “They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”
One of the impressive things that Joe learned from the obstacle course of his life was that straightforward requests give people simple choices. Hints make things OPAQUE that should be clear. The boys were told to present themselves and OPENLY ASK for what they needed. The passage is clear – they stated the need for pasture land, and the reason they had the need. Joe understood from his obstacle ridden life that when people need something, it may be humbling, but they need to learn to ASK for help.
Practice Respectful Obedience that accepts direction – Pharaoh gave them a specific place to live, and Joe complied with the order specifically (47:5-6a; 11).
Gen. 46:5 “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 “The land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
Gen. 46:11 “So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered.”
Since we have made the point already that Joe felt the need to instruct his family and show them he was a man of honest communication, these verses offer only one detail that we have not already emphasized – Joe did what he was told. Some may argue that because Pharaoh was generous, Joe followed instructions. The passage leads me in a different direction – since Pharaoh knew Joe’s longstanding obedience, he could be generous.
Obedience sets up the platform for blessing – with BOTH God and man. If the employer gains complete trust in you through a long walk of obedience, he will be able to offer you the ‘benefit of the doubt” when troubling things happen and the explanation is not immediately clear. Joe learned in the slalom course of life that trust is both EARNED and BUILT.
Rely on a consistent Constructed Testimony – Joe’s capabilities were translated into Pharaoh’s trust of his family (47:6b).
Go back to verse 6 and look at it more closely. Pharaoh is speaking: Gen. 47:6 “The land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
Following on the TRUST IS EARNED AND BUILT theme is another corollary truth – trust opens an umbrella of testimony from which others will benefit. Pharaoh saw Joe as a man he could trust, and was therefore open to allowing Joe to pick some that Joe trusted from among his brothers – to care for the flocks if Pharaoh.
That’s an interesting situation for Joe. Who among his brothers would YOU trust? Clearly the family had TRUST ISSUES that would take time to sort out. At the same time, this allowed Joe to show his family that he was neither bitter, nor desiring to withhold his heart to them – despite the past.
For Pharaoh’s part, I want only to emphasize what a good testimony DOES for those who follow after you. We know hoe damaging a poor testimony can be, but we speak too softly concerning the benefits of a good one! We need to emphasize that there are very unselfish reasons for being a man or woman of God – for the benefit of our families and society! Joe learned first hand that MANY DAYS DOING RIGHT construct a testimony that will come to aid you when the dark curtain falls.
Remember to Focus on People - those entrusted to you - Joe understood the charge of caring for his father and brothers, and did not take into account how they were to him earlier in life
Gen. 47:12 Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to their little ones.
Our trip through the slalom course of life can leave us BETTER or BITTER. We have to face the truth: Whether or not the people in our lives handled us well is not the issue anymore – it is HOW WE HANDLE THEM that eventually becomes the issue. The old adage says: “The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay – the difference is what it was made from.”
”…[Many] of the New Testament Epistles were written from prison. Bunyan wrote Pilgrim¹s Progress from jail. Florence Nightingale, too ill to move from her bed, reorganized the hospitals of England. Semi paralyzed and under constant menace of apoplexy, Pasteur was tireless in his attack on disease. During the greater part of his life, American historian Francis Parkman suffered so acutely that he could not work for more than five minutes at a time. His eyesight was so wretched that he could scrawl only a few gigantic words on a manuscript, but he contrived to write twenty magnificent volumes of history.” -Williamsport: Coslett Publishing, 1948
Look at what the obstacles taught Joe! Some refinements to maintain balance amid obstacles and troubles only come with practice.
You are simply wasting time if you are holding back your life because of what others have done to you! “A study of 300 highly successful people like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer, Mahatma Gandhi, and Albert Einstein revealed that one-fourth had handicaps such as blindness, deafness, or crippled limbs. Three-fourths had either been born in poverty, came from broken homes, or at least came from exceedingly tense, disturbed situations.” –John Maxwell, Developing The Leader Within You
