Joseph and Hot Potatoes

In the Kingdom of God, authority will be diffused as widely as possible. Lots of people will have a little bit of authority.

Those with authority will attempt to push it down to those below them, as soon as they are capable of exercising it themselves. Authority will be like a “hot potato”, with those who receiving it, quickly passing it on to someone else.

Joseph is a good example of how to get authority, but a bad example of how it should be used. He was appointed as Pharaoh’s deputy, because he has learned wisdom while working as a servant.

However, when he gained a position of authority in the land of Egypt, he was still under the authority of Pharaoh. Being a heathen emperor, Pharaoh used the famine in Egypt to increase his authority over the people. By the time the famine was over, Pharaoh owned all the land of Egypt and all the people were his slaves.

So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other (Gen 47:20-21).

Joseph had no choice but to advance Pharaoh’s position, but this is the opposite of the way that God works.

God does not want slaves serving him. He wants his people to freely love him, and obey him acknowledge his wisdom. God wants us to have authority over our own lives.

In the world, a few people hold most of the authority. In the kingdom of God, authority is spread around. Most people will have a little authority and no one will have a lot.

The life of Joseph illustrates a common problem. Many Christians believe that the problem of government will be resolved by replacing those with political power with Christians. This is not correct. Christians exercising political power are as dangerous as anyone else with political power. The only solution is to get rid of most government.