God's Favorite Man

Genesis 37-45

In the jungle, where lions and tigers and bears rival for the kingdom—scratching and biting and scheming against heaven— if we seek to find the disease that infects and distracts, the microscope magnifies the throne.

 The throne reeks of riches, the beloved bacteria thriving in our blood, the cancer metastasizing to the four corners of the earth. The throne illuminates in the jungle and burns the ghetto with its toxic rays. It smells like honey, but, if you touch it, it burns.

The love of money is the root of all evil. (1 Ti. 6:10) It is the road to perdition which destroys spiritual fruit that creates a better society. We are dying in the jungle because our hope is in money, not in the power of God.

The lion rules in the jungle, on its glistening throne, appointing and disapproving, while setting the standards, calling the shots, and admonishing poverty. If everything goes according to plan, the rich prevail and the poor are simply forgotten, but the love of God has taught us different. Though the son, whose sacrifice expressed the greatest love, is so easily rejected for fear and hatred, but has the intention to bless abundantly, he is the model for service and humility. There is much to be said about the Apostles and the three thousand converted souls in one community acknowledged in the book of Acts. Acts 2:44 says that all that believed were together and had all things common. They sold their possessions and goods and gave to every man as he needed. There was a sense of responsibility for each other that escaped the exonerative world. The lion would have watched the tigers and bears hustle their way up the ladder of success while sneering at the ones who achieved the least; daunting the poor, but the community of ferocious beings who are forgotten used their power for good to establish their own kingdom despite their lack of monetary wealth.

Unfortunately and deviously, the African American communities have suffered the consequences and my concern is for the Black men, its back bone. The unruly fact concerning Black men is that, according to the Justice Policy Institute, 791,600 Black men are behind bars compared to 603,032 of Black men enrolled in college. The Justice Department figures relate 50% of Black men in jail to violent crimes and the other 20% are related to drug crimes. Meanwhile, government spending clearly conveyed its priorities as it decreased the Higher Education budget to $10.7 billion and increased the budget for correction facilities to $20 billion which is a 166% increase from 1980 to 2000 compared to the 24% increase for Higher Education. (“Cell Blocks or Classrooms? The Funding of Higher Education and Corrections and its Impact on African American men.”) These statistics expose how education has suffered as a result to the government taking more interest in putting Black men behind bars as opposed to desk chairs.

Though my concern is for the Black men, my advice is to the community: aspire to be the best you can be, and use the difficult times to create better moments together. These statistics are heart breaking and alarming. I understand the daunting is overwhelming for the young brothers and it sometimes compels them to react in a crazy way, but there is something that has to be done about the issue and we can’t wait for the government to fix this problem. Before the prison boom, Black men in college outnumbered Black men behind bars. I suppose this was during the time when Black people stood together on a common ground for justice and freedom. The moment we became complacent, our Black men became the target of injustice just as they were when much more than the recorded 4,000 Black men were lynched for petty crimes during the beginning of the twentieth century. Despite statistics there is something about a Black man that I find confidence in. He is the soul of the community, and so much more.

A Black man is a jewel, something rare, not ordinary and such a beautiful creature.

More than often, he is looked at as a threat because we tend to miss the best part of him that seeks to be understood. And why not understand these men? Not one of them is the same as another. There are many shades to accommodate a woman’s desire. Some wish to be doctors, lawyers, philosophers, athletes and teachers. Not all of them hold narcotics in their back pockets while standing on the block lurking aimlessly. This is only a stereotype, and while some Black men, and not only Black men, do occupy street corners, others posture themselves in desk chairs eager to learn and achieve something.

While I persuade you that Black men are more than how they are perceived, I must also inform you about their strengths. If you look into the eyes of most Black men, more than likely they carry stories. These stories give them a sort of passion, yet make them uncertain toward life. They have a passion to survive and overcome adversity, and at the same time, they wonder if survival is possible. The strength is in his mind. The epiphany that this man must receive is that there are no handicaps besides a despondent heart. His passion certainly travels far beyond his stereotype. There is some goal much more powerful than the security of riches-- there is a yearning for a peace in identity.  

 

The key ingredient this man must carry in his essence is hope. He must be both determined and confident enough to be more than what the world calls him both publicly and behind closed doors; then, he can be whatever his heart and mind desires. The former character of this man; broken down, bruised, and despised for his strength, must lose to the new man of endless possibilities, victory, and peace with the comfort of the Holy Spirit. No matter what class he represents in this jungle called life, there is no one, but himself, who can hold him back.

 

There is only one thing more valuable than platinum chains, diamonds, and other precious stones. Favor is your spiritual visa, with platinum benefits—it has no limit and it’s accepted everywhere. Whatever you need is God’s pleasure to provide. Favor is special gifts glued to your fingertips. On a rainy day, favor is the rainbow dipped into a pot of gold. For a prosperous life, God’s favor is the ice that illuminates your neck and strengthens your confidence. There is no challenge or disappointment great enough to keep you from your destiny when God rules your heart. Alone, you wither as a branch cast into an abandoned field, but accompanied with God’s grace and power, you flourish as the green grass under the morning sun. (2 Corinthians 6:1)

 

If Joseph could speak, his wisdom would say that a set back is God’s mysterious way of setting a stage for his grace. Sure, God could devise a more delicate journey to our blessing, but the rough path better presents his glory. Capital is a universal burden that drains the life out of billions of people every day. The paper chase dares to challenge God for his seat in heavenly places, but, no match for God, dollar bills slip through fingertips and confound the people—who will you trust now?

Joseph was a man to whom God gave dreams and visions. He was a shepherd at the age of seventeen, but he knew, regardless of where he came from, he would be mighty and blessed one day. Stapled to the vision, there was no road map suggesting the route he should have taken. Thrilled about God’s promises to him, he shared his dreams with his family, but envy blinded their eyes and shoved hatred down his brother’s hearts. They sought to kill him out of jealousy, but not before God had done what he promised. Instead, they sold him to the Ishmaelites. The jealousy and acts of hatred were all Satan’s way of intervening. Joseph’s circumstances looked bad, but God was not finished with him. What looked like harmful intervention was only disguising God’s true intentions.

Joseph’s reactions to hurt and disappointments are what make him a worthy candidate to represent the shape of a brother’s perseverance. If you live long enough, you will become accustomed to disappointments. Disappointments are as likely as the clouds in the sky, but you can’t necessarily expect rain because of a clouds form. Perhaps it will profit you to hope for a beautiful day instead of counting the day a loss. If it rains, who is to say that the sun won’t shine tomorrow? Like Joseph, the community’s lack of support can seem like a stumbling block. You may have been lied on and set up for failure, or when you take a step forward you soon take three steps back. Regardless of his circumstances, Joseph remained positive because he remembered what God promised him.

 

By appearance, the universe may not look as though it stretches for light years, but the truth is that it is bigger than we realize, and so is God’s plan for us. When Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites by his brothers, he couldn’t have guessed that he would have become Potiphar’s attendant. And just when God’s favor became evident, Joseph took a step back. Potiphar’s wife asked Joseph to sleep with her and when he chose not to sin against God or betray his boss, she lied on him and accused him of trying to sleep with her. Her husband’s reaction was to throw Joseph in jail. Joseph was innocent, yet God let him go to prison, but not without a plan. In prison, Joseph met a cupbearer who had a dream that he could not understand, but Joseph was able to interpret the dream, which eventually proved to be true. When the cupbearer retrieved his job with the Pharaoh, Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and referred him to the Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh’s dream was so important because it foretold God’s plans for the land of Egypt. God had planned to give Egypt seven years of great abundance and seven years of severe famine to follow. Joseph, with God’s wisdom, advised the Pharaoh to appoint someone to take provision over the land for the seven abundant years. This man would take a fifth of the harvest and collect all the food and store up the grains under supervision. The food was reserved for the famine that followed the seven abundant years. This was going to be a trying time for Egypt and the people who depended on its wealth. The Pharaoh was so pleased with Joseph’s favor and interpretation that he put him in charge of the whole land. No one could “lift a hand or foot in Egypt” without Joseph’s permission. The Pharaoh handed over to Joseph his signet ring which signified authority, dressed him in robes of fine linen which represented majesty, and put a gold chain around his neck which gave him confidence. Joseph was the most favored upon the land. Though he began herding sheep in his father’s soil, he became a shepherd over the whole land of Egypt, guiding and protecting his community.

Meanwhile, Joseph’s brothers, the ones who despised him for his calling and swore to dispose of his blessing, suffered in Canaan because of the famine and traveled to Egypt because they heard there was food there. At this moment, Joseph’s dream was manifested. Joseph’s brothers had indeed bowed down to him. His brother’s could not return home without grain or they would surely die. It took Joseph a while to reveal himself to his brothers and when he did he commanded them: “Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me.” Joseph rewarded their hatred with love and recognized God’s plan to do something greater for his family. He understood that what his brothers did to him was divine destiny that would preserve their lives.

Now, it becomes evident that the paper chase is no longer relevant. Death and hatred is no longer relevant. The illegal ownership and distribution of a being’s sex in every sense is no longer relevant. Taking that, which is not yours, is no longer relevant. All of these examples are irrelevant because of the passion you have in your heart. The passion can’t be the money, because money is temporary gain and glory. The passion is what you dream about when you carry out your daily routine. It is what makes you smile when you are smothered in chaos. It is what you secretly pray for on your knees during your evening prayer. The only reason some brothers continue to hustle on street corners or sleep in jail cells is because they pray, but they don’t believe. Some believe, but refuse to repent, and others repent, but the disappointments cause them to lose sight of their promise and lose their faith. The secret about disappointments is that we have no knowledge of God’s perfect will for our lives, so we create our own assumptions which conflict with God’s will. What is wonderful about God’s will is that it is the best will. On the other hand, we tremble at God’s will because we, like Joseph, do not understand the journey. Along the journey we meet tears we never expected, shame from defeat, and the fear of uncertainty, but like Joseph, we need to focus on the favor we have as we go through it and hope in the glory we will receive in the blessing. The blessing is for more than just yourself, it is about your community.

By the grace of God, there is a plethora of men in God’s word that exemplify the characters that we should both embrace and shake off. It is my desire to expound on the character of a man that stands firm in faith, recognizes his vision, transforms his mind, and reaches the ultimate success. First, this man must eliminate fear.