Humility and the Fear of the Lord
In reading Genesis 41-42 today, I saw how God was able to use years of slavery and imprisonment to teach Joseph how to walk in the fear of the Lord. His mindset beautifully reflected submission and humility as he gave stipulations to his brothers and responded to Pharaoh about interpreting his dreams declaring, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer" (41:6). While Joseph knew that any ability to discern truth from a dream could never come from following his own heart (40:8), he also trusted that God was willing and able to speak through him. Pharaoh also saw that Joseph was a "discerning and wise" man not because he was so amazing, but because the "Spirit of God" was indwelling him (41:38:39).
I'm reminded afresh today that true humility is not diminishing the gifting and graces that God has given us but instead a desire and commitment to magnify God rather than ourselves as we use them for his glory (Col 3:23). This kind of humility is inextricably linked to the fear of the Lord, which God says is the "beginning of wisdom" (Prov 9:10). As we humble ourselves before him, standing in awe of his greatness and power, his Spirit reminds us (like he did Joseph) that apart from him we can do nothing, but that in and through him we can do all things (Jn 15:5, Phil 4:13).
