Biblical Leadership Part 2

By Hershey H. Friedman, Ph.D. Joseph Joseph was sold by his brothers as a slave and was ultimately purchased by Potiphar (Genesis 39). His master recognized Joseph’s abilities and appointed him over his entire household. Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce Joseph and he did not succumb because he felt: "how can I perpetrate this great evil and sin against God" (Genesis 39: 9). Joseph did not want to behave in an immoral manner even though it would have been very easy to rationalize given that he was Potiphar’s slave. A good leader has to behave in a moral, ethical way and do the right thing even if no person is watching and there is no way of getting caught. Joseph proved that he had matured and now had the moral character to become a leader. Joseph’s talent was the preternatural ability to interpret dreams. He never attributed this extraordinary capability to his own efforts. When Joseph was in prison, he noticed that Pharaoh’s butler and baker -- two men who were also in the same prison -- were depressed. Joseph, who cared about people, asked them why they appeared so downcast. They told him that they dreamt a dream but had no one to interpret it for them. Joseph’s reply to them was (Genesis 40:8): "Behold, interpretations belong to God. Please recount it to me." Some two years later, Pharaoh had Joseph brought to the palace and asked Joseph to interpret his dream. He mentioned to Joseph that he heard of his ability to interpret dreams. Joseph’s reply was (Genesis 41:16): "That is beyond me. It is God Who will respond regarding Pharaoh’s welfare." An effective leader must be self-confident and sure of himself or herself; arrogance, however, gets in the way of effective leadership. Joseph knew with certainty that he would be able to interpret the dream, but he was modest and did not desire to take credit for his abilities. Joseph’s brothers had wronged him in the most horrible way imaginable: they sold him as a slave. Joseph was sold at the age of 17 and toiled as a slave for 13 years. He had the opportunity to get even, and could easily have justified it, but Joseph had no interest in vengeance. The story of Joseph is not the story of The Count of Monte Cristo. Joseph tested his brothers to determine whether they had changed. Once he established that his half-brothers were treating his only full brother, Benjamin, properly -- indeed, Judah offered himself as a slave in place of Benjamin -- Joseph revealed himself to his kin. The Bible states (Genesis 45:15): "He kissed all of his brothers and wept on them." Joseph had no interest in avenging himself and made clear to his kin that he would take care of their entire families during the seven-year famine. When their father Jacob died, the brothers thought that Joseph might take vengeance against them. Joseph made clear to them that he had no intention of avenging past wrongs (Genesis 50:19-20): "Fear not! For shall I then take God’s place? Although you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good." A good leader is not concerned with avenging slights to his or her honor. Rather, she cares about what is best for the entire organization and will overlook personal slights. Individuals who spend their days trying to get even do not make upright people and certainly are not suitable as leaders.

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Biblical Leadership Part 2

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