Date: July 07, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 8
“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”” (Gen 41:41NIV)
As the bible shows us, when Pharaoh of Joseph’s time had two dreams that troubled him, he lost no time to summon all the magicians and wise men of the land to come and interpret them for him. Why did he do that? It must have been because they had been interpreting dreams or solving very difficult riddles for him in the past. But on that occasion, none of them could tell him the meaning of his dreams. (Cf. Gen 41:1-8)
Now, while this king was yet troubled and wondering what those dreams he had could mean, one of his officials, who had benefited immensely from Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams, remembered that the young man was gifted to handle such matters. So, even though he knew that Joseph was not their citizen but a foreigner, slave and prisoner, he still recommended him to Pharaoh. And did he disappoint him or not? No, he did not disappoint him at all.
On the contrary, as the bible further shows, he delivered beyond everybody’s expectations, including Pharaoh. That was because he not only interpreted the king’s dreams, he also told him the solution to the problem at hand. So, without wasting time, Pharaoh set him free from the prison and put him in charge of the whole country. (Cf. Gen 41:9-57)
But Joseph was merely a foreigner and a young man too. What does it matter? This young foreigner came up with solutions that could make the nation richer and greater and also keep it from going into extinction. And that was at a time that all the old magicians and wise men in the land were utterly lost and helpless. So, who should be exalted to manage the affairs of the entire country, if it was not him? None other!
So, Pharaoh did what he had to do. He did what any true lover of his people and their welfare would naturally do. He put Joseph in charge of the whole nation of Egypt. And remember again that he did not do this because somebody recommended the young man or because he was an Egyptian or because he was his family member. Rather, he did this because the young man proved himself as one possessing what it would take to wisely lead the nation and save it from future ruins.
That, of course, is one sure way to make any nation, society, family, business or organisation experience true progress and safety. We look beyond people’s tribe, ethnic group, colour, social status, sex, age or family relationship to what they are actually capable of doing to make life better for all in determining what we recommend them for or what position we place them in life. Unfortunately, we don’t usually do this, when we are given an opportunity to recommend or put people in certain offices or positions that require some level of competence or intelligence to handle. What we usually do is to recommend for or put in those positions our friends, families, neighbours, tribal or town’s people, religious group members and so forth, even when we know quite well that they are not fit for them.
Why, then, do we act like this? Sometimes, it is because we want people who will always be loyal to us to be in positions where we can use them for our own benefits. At other times, it is because we want the praise or approval of men, especially those close to us or related to us. Then, there are also times that we do this because we want to reward people for certain acts of kindness they have done for us or to us.
Now is it really wrong to have people who are loyal to us occupying certain positions of advantage in life? No! Or is it wrong to use our position to elevate or promote the welfare of others, especially those who are related or close to us in one way or the other? No! Then is it wrong to reward people for the good they have done to us in the past, when we are in a position to do so? No!
However, if we recommend for or put someone in a position they are not competent to handle, we will certainly be hindering the progress of whatever society or organisation we want them to serve, regardless of how loyal they may be to us. And if we want to use our position to elevate or promote the welfare of others close to us or to reward them for whatever good they also have done to us, we should mind their level of competence or capability in determining what we do for them. That means we should elevate, promote or reward them on the basis of their competence or capability. Otherwise, we will never be able to build lives, institutions, organisations or societies that are strong, healthy, fruitful, productive, safe and progressive, regardless of how hard we try.
So, next time you are thinking of exalting someone or recommending someone for elevation, think about these things. Exalt or recommend the man or woman with leadership solutions or competence and not just anybody you feel like picking. By doing so, you may just be saving all of us from years or decades of hardship and pains.
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