The Arm of Flesh

May 12, 2018

One of the themes that we see from the life of Joseph who was sold into Egypt is that we cannot put our full trust in humans.  Even when it is undeserved or unexpected, humans may betray us or be untrue to us.  We see this of course first in his life in the way that his ten older brothers treated him.  Even though they should have been his protector and friend, they were traitors to him, conspiring in these words: “Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him” (Genesis 37:20).  After selling him into Egypt, Joseph working his way up in Potiphar’s house.  But once again, he was betrayed.  After he refused her advances, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him, “The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out” (Genesis 39:17-18).  This angered Potiphar, and so both he and his wife betrayed Joseph despite the fact that he had done nothing wrong.  When Joseph was in prison, Joseph was able to interpret the dream of the butler, and what he predicted came to pass.  Joseph had said to the butler after telling him what his dream meant, “But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house” (Genesis 40:14).  But once again Joseph was betrayed and the butler, at least in the beginning, betrayed Joseph by not helping him as he had promised: “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him” (Genesis 40:23).

               Though Joseph was betrayed several times by those who should have loyal to him, the writer of Genesis makes it clear that the Lord never forsook Joseph.  Joseph could always count on the Lord to be with him even if humans betrayed him.  After he arrived in Potphar’s house we read, “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man” (Genesis 39:2).  When he got moved to prison we read, “The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper (Genesis 39:23).  Each place Joseph went, the Lord was with him and helped him, even when others betrayed him.  Next when Joseph came before Pharoah to interpret the dream, the Lord came through for Joseph again as Joseph declared to Pharaoh, “God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”  The Lord revealed to Joseph the details of Pharaoh’s dream right when Joseph needed to know it.  Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s connection to God that he declared about Joseph, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (Genesis 41:38).  Joseph was true to the Lord, and therefore the Lord was with him and gave Joseph His spirit.  From all these experiences of Joseph we are reminded that it is the Lord we must put our trust in and not in man.  Nephi declared the attitude that we should have when he struggled with brothers who similarly were not loyal to him, “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh” (2 Nephi 4:34).