 |
Adult Bible Study November 11, 2007 |
Lesson Text: Genesis 41:25-40
By Melanie Zuercher
E-mail: mz606@cox.netSo Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”—Genesis 41:38 NIV
Does anyone remember that Jimmy Carter was once president of the United States? Carter served one term, 1977–81, during which the U.S. economy suffered greatly, there were massive fuel shortages, Iranian militants held hostages in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran for more than a year, and the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Carter lost the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan in a landslide defeat.
Today, Jimmy Carter is one of the best-known Americans internationally who isn’t a rock musician or media celebrity—not because of his presidency but because he was president. He established the Carter Center in 1982 to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering. The center mediates conflicts and monitors the electoral process in support of free and fair elections, all over the world. The center also works to improve global health through control and eradication of diseases such as Guinea worm disease, malaria, and schistosomiasis. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He is known for his strong Christian faith with a vigorous service ethic that includes work with Habitat for Humanity.
Al Gore, who just won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (shared with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Global Climate Change), has some things in common with Jimmy Carter. Like Carter, Gore is a Southerner and a Baptist. His political career also came to a somewhat rocky end—after serving eight years as President Bill Clinton’s vice president, Gore lost his own presidential bid in the 2000 election, the outcome of which some still contest.
And like Carter, Gore has parlayed his political prestige into working for global good. News reports of his winning the Nobel Peace Prize often included the comment that Gore is the one person most responsible for bringing international attention to the looming implications of global climate change.
In a time when the bulk of the news about politics—local to worldwide—seems to cover corruption, greed, and maneuvering for personal benefit, the story of Joseph in Egypt reminds us that God has used people in many kinds of positions throughout history to serve the good of others and even of creation.