Genesis 41:37-45 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.… Joseph was inspired in the highest and truest sense. Not only was he spiritually gifted to rule the nation, but he had also that higher gift which enabled him to refer the lower gift to God. Now there are three things required to fit a man to rule: intellectual power, a sense of dependence upon God, and unselfishness. All these were combined in Joseph; we are told that there " was none so discreet and wise as he." In the interpretation that he gave to Pharaoh's dreams we see how he referred all to God; his unselfishness we see in his forgiveness of his brethren. Without these qualities there can be no real rule; for it is these which make up saintliness, and saintliness alone fits a man to rule perfectly. But saintliness in the sense we use it must take in intellectual power. For mere spiritual goodness alone does not make a good ruler. Eli was a good man, he had the two latter qualities which go to make up a ruler; but he was wanting in the first, he was a weak man, and this it was which caused such troubles to his country. But it is a mistake still greater to suppose that intellectual power alone qualifies for rule. There must also be moral goodness and unselfishness. These are the qualities which clarify the intellect and purify the character. (F. W. Robertson, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.WEB: The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. |
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