Joseph - Big Faith In A Big God - Week 3 Series

We have been studying the life of an Old Testament character by the name of Joseph.

Joseph’s story is filled with such emotion.

He encountered all kinds of turmoil.

And yet, Joseph navigated every situation with absolute faith in God.

Joseph’s story reminds us that…

Sometimes God may seem SILENT, but He is never ABSENT.

Let’s quickly recap his story.

Joseph was loved by his father.

But he was hated by his brothers.

One day they threw Joseph down into a well.

They intended to leave him there to die.

But his brothers decided the compassionate thing to do would be to make a little side cash, so they sold him to some Egyptian traders.

That decision saved his life, but they went home and lied to their father saying Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

After being sold as a slave in Egypt,

Joseph became a servant for a guy named Potiphar

Joseph was given great authority until his boss’ wife falsely accused him of rape

and back into a pit he went, only this time his pit was a lonely prison cell.

While he was in prison he gained authority and earned the respect of the warden and his fellow prisoners.

He interpreted some dreams for a couple of inmates.

One loved his interpretation.

The other, not so much.

He had a 100% success rate on effective interpretation,

But only a 50% approval rating, if you know what I mean.

One inmate promised to put in a good word for Joseph upon his release.

But…when he got out of jail, he forgot all about Joseph.

It would be two long years later until he remembered Joseph.

That happened when Pharaoh had a dream of his own.

Joseph explained the meaning of Pharaoh’s dream.

Seven years of plenty were on the horizon,

Followed by seven years of famine in Egypt.

Pharaoh was convinced that Joseph’s interpretation was probably accurate.

He made Joseph the Prime Minister of Egypt,

that way he could prepare the country for the crisis that was on the way.

Joseph’s job was to save the lives of the Egyptians.

During the first seven years there was an abundance of food in the land

And Joseph diligently set aside a portion of the food for when the future.

It all happened, just as Joseph had said.

And this is where we will begin the final installment of Joseph’s story today.

“Eventually, however, the famine spread throughout the land of Egypt as well. And when the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told them, ‘Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.’

So, with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.

And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.” - Genesis 41:55-57 (NLT2)

The famine Joseph had warned them about had finally come.

It would have been catastrophic had it not been for God’s provision through Joseph’s plan.

Thousands and thousands of lives were saved….

including Joseph’s family, over in the land of Canaan

Food was a scare commodity.

Joseph’s father, Jacob, had heard there were provisions in Egypt.

Something had to be done.

So, Jacob he sent his ten eldest sons to Egypt to buy grain for the family.

It was their only hope of survival.

But Jacob didn’t allow his youngest son, Benjamin to make the trip.

Benjamin was Jacob’s new favorite son.

Benjamin was Joseph’s only full brother.

You see, Jacob had had two wives

Benjamin and Joseph were the only sons of Rachel, Jacob’s first love.

Since Joseph was gone, Jacob couldn’t bear the thought of losing Benjamin.

So, he kept Benjamin at home and his 10 brothers made the trip to Egypt.

Little did they know how this trip would change their lives.

You see, the life the brothers had treated so carelessly over 20 years ago,

would be the only life that could save their own.

Joseph was a teenager when these brothers betrayed him.

Many seasons of pain and suffering have passed since then.

Now he is a grown man, closing in on 40 years of age.

Joseph is now the Prime Minister of Egypt,

the one who’s mercy his brothers now need the most.

Little did they know when they arrived in Egypt, the Prime Minister standing before them, was that same teenage boy they had abandoned and sold so many years ago.

“So, Jacob’s sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well. Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came.