“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.  Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.  They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.  This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”(Gen 41:33-36)

Ideas they say, rule the world.  When their concepts are put into practice and positive outcomes are obtained, those who generate ideas experience a rush of excitement. However, even great idea generators know that they should not dump their ideas unsolicited, especially before superiors and particularly when there are layers of authority in between. Often, if such a one got the privileged summon into the revered space with the boss, his or her handler would be heard saying something like, (think of the movies, if you have not experienced it) “Speak only when he speaks to you. Answer only the question he asks you. Otherwise, stay quiet. I repeat, stay quiet!” In Esther’s days, and in that kingdom, coming into the King’s presence unsummoned, even for a queen, meant death. I wonder what speaking without being asked to would mean.

Joseph had a precisely defined task: To interpret a dream; which he did till verse 32. Protocol demanded for him to stop there. Maybe he did not know the protocol. I doubt that though. “And now let Pharaoh, …” Joseph, who asked for your opinion? The Minister for Public Affairs will take it from there. The Minister for Agriculture will consult with the National Weather Emergency Commission and then advise the King. In the presence of all the ministers of state, Joseph breaks all possible protocols, transcends the role of interpreter, and assumes for himself the revered office of political, meteorology, agricultural and economic counsel to the king. Indeed, he commands Pharaoh – “Now therefore…. let Pharaoh…”

A lot can be said of Joseph, but this moment captures something of his heart for me, and I do not think it was naivety. Certainly, he knew a bit of Egyptian protocol by now. Joseph was a man driven by the need to offer solutions. The assignment on the table was to interpret the dreams. But he chose to transcend that and offer more. The same attitude must have guided him at Potiphar’s house and the prison. Approaching those troubled officials of Pharaoh in jail with him was because he was not given to hoarding  solutions.

Often, we hold back our secret bullet for fear that if we offer our best idea, it might be used and we will be left unrewarded. We scheme an insurance policy around those ideas, to ensure that whoever is going to use them must reward us adequately. Joseph did not care. In Matthew 25, we have the story of the rich man who was to go away and handed his business to three of his servants, expecting them to make some profit. One of them was smart. Hear his reasoning, “Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you,” (Vs. 24,25). The man concluded, "There is nothing in this for me,” and chose not to lift a finger. The master called him wicked.

Our offices and ministries are filled with people who are waiting to be in position before they pull out those smart ideas. We hoard those ideas because if we bring them forward now, the applause and credit will go to another. Such people insist that before the organization can reap their delicious fruits, they must corner the reward first. Joseph could have kept quiet at that point and used his brilliant idea as a bargaining chip to get out of jail. Maybe wait until the session is over, and the king dismisses everyone. If his appeal that he was wrongfully jailed is not heard because Pharaoh needs to keep the goodwill of his officer of the guard, then he corners the Minister of Agriculture. “I know how you can solve this famine problem. Just promise to get me out of this jail.” That would still be a good deal. At least that is the sort of deals we are taught in the corridors of power and corporate boardrooms. To leverage our trump cards – those best-kept ideas and secrets. However, like Joseph, “So now…” may be the best time.

Incidentally for Joseph, the opportunity to speak was in Pharaoh’s presence. What do you think? Supposing the Minister of Dreams was the one  who had met Joseph, and the one to take the feedback to Pharaoh, if he considered it wise.? Do you think Joseph would have given that counsel still, or would he have sought to get an audience with Pharaoh first? If Joseph had plotted to use his divinely inspired idea as a bargaining chip with Pharaoh, what deal do you think it could have gotten him?

In his shoes, what would you do? The need for personal profit is a very seductive one. The same need  was at the heart of the temptation the Lord faced to turn stone into bread. So logical and so innocent. To have privileges serve my interests first. And then hoard service and solution until personal interest is guaranteed.

Prayer:  Lord, save me from that seduction. Help me to serve in such a way that if I die today, I’ll return to you empty of all you have given me to serve with. That no trump cards will be seen hidden in my sleeves; no vault of ideas will be uncovered buried under my bed; no sticky notes with the tag: “