Previously we looked at The Mysteries of God. This time, let’s take a deeper look at how believers fit into the handling of these mysteries.
1 Corinthians 4:1 says, “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (NKJV). Before we go further let’s look at the word steward. In modern-day terms this word evokes images of people who serve meals and attend to passengers aboard airplanes, trains and ocean liners. In Biblical terms, a steward was a slave that is given responsibility for managing the master’s household or business. Joseph was steward over the household of Potiphar: a powerful man: a Captain of Pharaoh’s Guard, “And his master saw that the Lord was with him (Joseph) and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. … Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.” (Genesis 39:3-4).
Stewards of the Mysteries
In Biblical terms, a steward is still a slave, but a slave that is entrusted with the oversight of the master’s property. This is property of which the slave has no ownership. A steward does not stand to inherit the master’s property either. Earning such a position in a wealthy household means, “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV). Faithful means that the slave treats the masters property with the same care and diligence that they would if it were their own. A steward works up to this position by showing the master that they can be trusted with the lesser tasks. Performing these faithfully earns trust which in turn earns more responsibility.
Joseph had been bought from slave traders as any other slave would have been. Joseph had been betrayed by his brothers and sold to these traders. Yet Joseph applied himself and worked diligently in his master’s household. He knew God was with him and would use these circumstances to His benefit.
Who Are Stewards
Jesus told His disciples, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand[b].” (Luke 8:10; Matthew 13:11; b:Isaiah 6:9 NKJV). The mysteries of God are not public property. They are given to those who devote themselves to God, through Jesus. As we learn what Christianity is, and accept our initial responsibilities (reading the Bible, praying, obeying what we are told) more is revealed to us. As we grow in maturity, our understanding grows as does our ability to use the Word of God as a defense against the dark forces and to bring light to those who need it. As stewards of the mysteries of God, believers manage the ministry that God has given them. But the power of that ministry does not lie in the steward, it lies in the Master.
Joseph understood this. As his story unfolds, he earns a high place in the house of Pharaoh and helps Egypt prepare for a famine. Imagine the shock when Joseph’s traitorous brothers come before Pharaoh to beg for grain and find the one they sold into slavery standing beside Pharaoh’s throne deciding who gets the grain! All part of the mysterious ways of God.
