I believe too many educational institutions in the Western world fail to properly teach history. Some academic voices have even gone so far as to say learning history is of little or no value. This is an extremely dangerous trend, and one that the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology takes seriously.
We recognize the value of history. After all, archaeology is history!
“When history is taught at all nowadays, often it is taught as the unfolding of inevitabilities—of vast, impersonal forces,” syndicated columnist George Will wrote in a Dec. 23, 2001, column. “The role of contingency in history is disparaged, so students are inoculated against the ‘undemocratic’ notion that history can be turned in its course by great individuals” (emphasis mine throughout).
Do great individuals turn the course of history? Consider men like George Washington. America came dangerously close to losing the Revolutionary War. As Mr. Will wrote, the founding of America “was not inevitable.”
“Gen. George Washington, commanding ill-fed, ill-clad and barely trained forces against the world’s mightiest power, had been in retreat, as he was to be much of the war,” Will wrote. By Dec. 25, 1776, Washington “desperately needed a victory and got one with the surprise attack on Trenton. … The human story would have had different contours if the bullets that sliced through his clothing during the French and Indian War had struck him.”
History is full of examples of great individuals changing the trajectory of world events and saving whole civilizations. It is, in fact, a law of history that individuals can have a transformative effect on the way events unfold. You don’t have to do much digging to see that is true. How important, then, is it that we learn from civilization-saving history?
Israel has had some remarkable examples in its history of individuals who saved its people and the nation. The Hebrew Bible is full of examples of individuals, men and women, who displayed courageous, nation-saving leadership.
The Jewish people recently celebrated their national holiday of Purim. This holiday highlights the bravery and boldness of Esther—a young Jewish woman who saved the Jewish race from genocide. It’s refreshing to see how much many Jewish people value their history. Many recognize and celebrate the impact of its great individuals.
It is vitally important to remember this history and learn from its examples.
One of the most dramatic examples of one individual being used by God to save civilizations is that of Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob. He not only saved the Israelite people, he also saved Egypt—the mightiest power on Earth at that time—and the surrounding region from extinction.
Joseph began his illustrious political career after his brothers sold him to slave traders. Once in Egypt, Potiphar bought the rights to Joseph and very quickly entrusted him with everything in his house. Joseph showed signs of strong character: “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand” (Genesis 39:2-3).
Joseph was shown a lot of favor by Potiphar, but his time in Egypt wasn’t without difficulty. Just as quickly as Joseph went from slave to chief servant in Potiphar’s house, he became a prisoner.
After being wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was put in prison for what could have been as many as 12 years. But even in prison, he was being taught important lessons in leadership and being prepared for his civilization-saving role. “But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper” (verses 21-23).
Joseph’s time in prison prepared him for an important responsibility! After he was freed from prison, he ascended to the second-highest political position in Egypt—just below pharaoh! (Genesis 41:41). And Joseph was an Israelite. We explore some of the scientific evidence of this illustrious history in three articles in this issue. (For a concise breakdown on the historicity of the Joseph account, see our article “The Genuineness of the Joseph Account”.)
It truly is one of history’s most fascinating periods—when a young Israelite man was used to save civilizations!
Egypt prospered under Joseph’s direction. In fact, when a dreadful famine struck the region, surrounding nations came to Joseph for help because he saved the excess during prosperous times. He had the wisdom and discernment to lead the region through this famine. All of Egypt and the surrounding nations benefited.
When the people of Egypt cried out to pharaoh because of the famine, even he knew where to turn in the moment of crisis: “Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do” (verse 55). What an example! Joseph lived lawfully. Pharaoh knew that. And when things got tough, he turned the people to the one who had his own life in order and said, “Listen to what he says, and then do it!”
The entire course of civilization was changed because of Joseph’s leadership.
During the famine, Joseph tearfully reunited with the brothers who had sold him into slavery. The famine was so bad that eventually Joseph’s entire family moved to Goshen, the choicest property in Egypt. The Israelites found favor with the Egyptians and prospered. Even here, history was being shaped.
After Joseph died, a new king arose in Egypt who “knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). He was concerned about the rising power of the Israelites and grew to despise them. To weaken the tremendous power and wealth of the Israelites, the king made slaves of them. (For the historicity of this account, read our article “The Hyksos: Evidence of Jacob’s Family in Egypt?”)
For over 150 years, the Israelites were subjugated to their Egyptian taskmasters. The Bible says that God then raised up Moses—another individual who was used to change the course of history. He brought the Israelites out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and prepared them to take the Promised Land and establish themselves as a nation.
This is the wonderful heritage of the nation of Israel! Joseph and Moses not only impacted Jewish history—they impacted world history. And they are a clear testament to this law of history: Great individuals do change the course of history!
