Exaltation and Salvation
“This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:37)
All of us are familiar with the story – Joseph interprets two dreams of Pharaoh that predict the coming of a great famine. We may laugh in the face of famine in our day and age where a Dollar General can be found on every hill and ravine of Mississippi, but not so in Joseph’s day. The land of Egypt faced certain extinction, and Pharaoh found himself powerless to stop it. Pharaoh’s question and the subsequent answer prove to be important for him and for us. Let’s answer his question first.
Pharaoh found the answer in Joseph. Joseph was not any man. Joseph was a prisoner, enduring abject humiliation despite his continued faithfulness. He had toiled many years as a servant and a prisoner after being cruelly betrayed by his brothers. Now, through the interpretation of two dreams, Joseph has been transformed from servant to savior, from weakness to power, from humiliation to exaltation. The lifting up of Joseph would stave off famine for the Egyptians, for his family, and for the world.
Does this sound familiar? It should. Jesus took the form of a servant, being anointed with the Spirit beyond measure. Though rejected and worse, He was obedient until the point of death, even death on a cross. Now, He has been highly exalted above every name that has been named (Phil. 2:8-11). In His exaltation has come our salvation. His lifting up on the cross and into glory provided life for the whole world (John 6:51). His reign began with the pouring out of the Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life who forms and fashions new life in a multitude of dead, famished sinners. The day will come when the fullness of the Gentiles will come in that the brothers of Jesus according to the flesh will come, famished and barren, to look upon Him whom they pierced and find salvation (Rom. 11:25; Zech. 12:10). In that day, Christ will be most glorious!
What of you, reader? Do you find your own soul to be dry and barren? Are you starving for the bread of life? Christ has been exalted to give to you repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31). Come to Him, for He has an abundance of provision for you.
