One of my favorites! I just want to tell this story, let it speak for itself.
Gen 37 – 1898 BC – Joseph was 17 years old, living a shepherd’s life along with his 11 brothers. His father, Jacob, had recently moved to Hebron to be near his father Isaac.
The story starts right out of the gate with this 17 year old kid telling on his brothers for something they had done while out in the fields. Right from the start we see Josephs brothers hated him! What made it worse is that Jacob (the dad) liked Joseph the best! Those of us who grew up with bros and sisters have gone through the same thing!!! We always say our parents have a favorite! We like to use that excuse when we don’t get our way☺
Joseph’s bros had a reason to despise him…Jacob had bought him this expensive coat to wear around. Colorful, meaningful. This thing just screamed ‘favorite son’. Nobody else got one! Except Donny Osmond…years later…Jacob should have learned his lesson with favorites…remember back with his brother Esau in Gen 27??
Joseph, a 17 year old kid, despised by his brothers, favored by his dad… started having dreams…we all have dreams, but some of our dreams are better left unsaid. Like one with me the other night that involved a tornado, a lake freighter and a horse jockey…that never ends good…anyway…
Joseph has this dream that his brothers were bowing down to him, his brothers are represented by sheaths of wheat, bowing to him. If you have a dream that your friends are bowing down to you….here’s a lesson – keep that one to yourself. His brothers hated him even more for telling them this. As you can imagine. Shortly thereafter he has another dream in Gen 37:9 and he tells his whole family they will bow down to him (sun, moon, stars)…. God often used dreams in the OT to communicate.
The brothers couldn’t stand him. The Bible doesn’t insinuate he did anything wrong…he just did everything too right! One thing led to another. They couldn’t take anymore of coat boy telling them he’s going to rule over them…as he’s getting preferential treatment from their dad.
They’re so fed up with Joseph they plan to kill him! Sometimes people’s desire to lead and show why they should lead, why they should be at the top…why they should be in charge…shows the very reason why they shouldn’t be at the top!
Rueben (the oldest half brother) pleaded with their brothers to spare his life…
Jacob sends Joseph out the fields, his brothers said, ‘hey, here comes the dreamer’…they seized the opportunity and grabbed him, ripping off his Technicolor dream coat and threw him in a well. A pit, a deep hole…you get it. Left for dead. These guys were serious! Rueben thought he might be able to go back later and rescue him…they sell him into the hands of Ishmaelite traders for 20 pieces of silver. They rip his coat in their hate, stain it with animal blood and bring it back to Jacob…telling him Joseph had been attacked by a wild beast and died.
Jacob tears his clothes and mourns for days. Imagine what his sons must have felt…knowing that they lied and caused Jacob so much heartache. The theme of deception comes back around to Jacob (Esau, Isaac, hair) They hated Joseph so much they didn’t confess…they just wanted him gone!
Joseph sold into slavery
Gen 39:1-6a READ
You really didn’t get much higher than Potiphar, he headed up the military division that guarded the Pharaoh! God is clearly guiding Josephs life! He gets well trained in customs, speech, hieroglyphics. Everything Joseph did, he did it well. Do you know someone that just seems to do everything REALLY well? They bother you don’t they? Ha
God’s presence and blessing is with Joseph in a very powerful way. Potiphar noticed it, this was not ordinary prosperity. Potiphar put him in charge of everything he had! Things were going great…..and then….
Verse 6 and 7 CH 39 tells us that Joseph was well built, and handsome. He had it all….
But Potiphars wife wanted it all. She tried to get Joseph to have sex with her! Joseph constantly tells her NO…he says he can’t do this to his master who owns the house, he says he can’t sin like this against God…
One day he walks in the house…she grabs his coat…says ‘come to bed with me’ …he turns and runs, and she’s left holding the coat.
Dude cannot keep his coats on…I don’t know what it is with coats and this guy…when someone grabs his coat he either ends up in a pit or in some woman’s bed. Ha
He runs but leaves his coat behind…oh oh. I think I’d rather be in a pit! Seeing that she is not going to get her way with Joseph she makes up a story and tells everyone he tried to sleep with her…that she screamed and he ran. Potiphar hears this and throws Joseph in prison…the prison where political prisoners were kept. The dungeon in the basement!
We look at this and say…’It’s not fair!!!!’
How could God let this happen to Joseph? Joseph had done no wrong. How could God let something bad happen in your life when you are trying so hard to follow and obey His commands?? Joseph should be blessed for obeying God, not punished? What’s the deal?
Sometimes God delivers us out of hard situations….sometimes He delivers us Through them.
It’s so easy to just get your faith rocked when you don’t have the answers you think God needs to give you. You don’t have to see all of the pieces of the puzzle to get the picture. What does Joseph do? He’s in prison for something he didn’t do…
Joseph was a leader…he had incredible faith that God would get him through anything. It didn’t take long before the keeper of the prison saw what Potiphar had seen in Joseph…God working. Joseph was put in charge of all the prisoners. God never forgets us, no matter where we are. …When we’re faithful to Him.
In this life, suffering is inevitable…..but MISERY is optional. Joseph kept perspective. He knew God delivered him once…he trusted He would do it again. But even if God didn’t…Joseph made the best of the situation. Joseph was going to keep his eyes focused on God.
When we are just desperate for God to change things in our lives, make them better…and it seems like He isn’t doing it…do you just give up on God? Do you try to take matters into your own hands? Or do you trust that if you continue to obey Him, and stay faithful it won’t matter what the outcome is??
Joseph is more or less running the prison now at Potiphars house when two high ranking men are imprisoned there…
Pharaohs cup-bearer and baker…of all people. They had done something Pharaoh didn’t like, so he sent them to prison. These men were important…poisoning was common…they had to be trusted. One night in prison, both these men had dreams! No one could interoperate them. Joseph heard of this and knew God could use him to interoperate the dreams.
Gen 40: 9-23 We see these guys tell Joseph their dreams. Joseph tells the cupbearer that his dream meant in 3 days he will be restored to his position with Pharaoh…and Joseph just asks that when he gets his job back, he’ll remember Joseph and put in a good word…
The baker tells Joseph his dream and it’s not so good. 3 days you will be hanged and the birds will eat your flesh. This is why I don’t want to know what my dreams mean. Ha
Sure enough on the third day it all came true…3 days later on Pharoahs birthday…cup-bearer didn’t remember Joseph. He remained there, imprisoned for something he didn’t do for 2 more years!!! Finally…Pharaoh has a dream and no one can interoperate it for him…FINALLY the cup-bearer says OH YEAH…there’s this Hebrew guy back in prison…
Joseph goes in front of Pharaoh, clean shaven and change of clothes…he tells Pharaoh ‘I can’t do this, but God can’.
He explains to Pharaoh what the dreams mean. 7 years of abundance in the land of Egypt and with the crops will lead into 7 years of extreme famine. If you don’t stock up, Egypt will be destroyed. Pharaoh puts Joseph 2nd in command!!!!
Pharaoh gave him his signet ring (to stamp documents), fine robes, gold chains, luxury chariot, a wife, the works! Joseph was 30! 13 years had passed since being sold into slavery! Everyone feared Joseph. Pharaoh was still in charge, (the figurehead) but Joseph pretty much said what goes. Like at home, I’m in charge…but Rachel really says what goes. I can relate to Pharaoh. Ha
Joseph remained an Egyptian leader, but never abandoned his Hebrew heritage…as he named his sons Manasseh (forget) and Ephraim (fruitful).
For 7 years Joseph rode around Egypt, storing up food, organizing, leading.
When 7 years of abundance was over..sure enough, 7 years of famine began! Joseph opened up the storehouses of food and sold it…to every Egyptian, to every surrounding nation! What a plan! Joseph was a hero!
Here’s where the story gets really good, and ironic.
The famine is hitting everyone really hard…Jacob tells his 10 oldest sons to head to Egypt, because he hears they have grain they can buy. Jacob kept Benjamin home so he didn’t suffer the same fate he thought Joseph had. The brothers that sold Joseph into slavery now found themselves in Egypt….begging for food. God lead them straight to Joseph…Gen 42:6-8 READ
How great is this? All that Joseph had been through! All he had suffered and become through Gods provision over the years! They bowed before him as Josephs dream had predicted, but he didn’t reveal himself to them…instead, he did what I would have done…mess with them a little bit! They deserved to be messed with!
He accused them of being spies, he made them to prison for 3 days, then he made one brother stay in prison while the others were sent back to get their youngest, Benjamin and bring him to Egypt. Joseph was making them jump through hoops. The brothers cried out “this is because of what we did to Joseph years ago”! Rueben, who had been on Josephs side when he was thrown in the pit – said ‘I told you so, his blood is on our hands’. They didn’t know Joseph was standing in front of them and could understand them!
He turned away from them and wept. When he regained composure he had Simeon bound and imprisoned, filled their bags with grain for their family and sent them on their way. “Go and return with your youngest brother”.
Joseph, unbeknownst to his brothers also slipped in come silver coins that they didn’t know about…into the sacks! When they stopped for the night, opened their sacks to feed their donkeys…they discovered this and cried out ‘the silver we sold Joseph for so many years ago has returned, surely we’re being punished by God’!!!
When they return home, Jacob loses it! He had lost Joseph, now Simeon was in prison and they needed to take Benjamin! He didn’t want to lose Benjamin too!(Josephs only full brother from Rachel) He had been a baby when Joseph was sold….
Judah convinced Jacob to let him take Benjamin back to Egypt…so they loaded up offerings and valuables to give this Egyptian leader (Joseph). They feared for their lives…they were commanded to go to Josephs house…they thought they were done…they again bowed before Joseph and at the sight of Benjamin, Joseph had to leave and cry. Imagine what he was going through!
He came back out, Simeon had been brought out of prison, and they all ate together…He seated them oldest to youngest and gave Benjamin a lot more food…they must have REALLY been thinking God is doing this! Joseph inquired about their father, wanting to know if everything was ok. Joseph wasn’t done messing with them….he says, “you have done what I asked in bringing your younger brother here…you may return…he sends them all back but plants more silver in their bags…he puts his silver cup in Benjamin’s (the youngest) sack. He sends them home, but orders his guards to chase them down! Once found, they open the sacks to reveal what’s inside…accused of stealing they are hauled back to Joseph! Surely we are going to die!
Joseph reprimands them and commands them to go home, get out of his sight…leaving Benjamin (since his sack had the cup) …Judah had promised Jacob he would not return unless he had Benjamin with him…he pleaded with Joseph to not let this happen, as Jacob would surely die when they returned from disappointment and grief! Judah had given Jacob his word after all…
They pleaded with Joseph…he couldn’t take anymore…he ordered everyone except his brothers out of the room.
He revealed himself to them in Gen 45! They all wept, so loudly everyone outside could hear them! They spent some time together and Joseph sent them back to get Jacob and all the family to live in Egypt. (Goshen) Referred to as ‘The District of the Rameses’. He provided them everything, the best land, the best jobs, the blessing of Pharaoh! Though famine continued to ravage the land, they were provided for! This allowed Israel as a nation to come to Egypt…as had been promised to Abram Gen 15:13…Moses would lead them out…Joshua would soon take over. I love the OT!!! It all ties in unmistakably! This story ties in the whole series!
Joseph must have asked himself from time to time “Is it worth it all?”
Yet in the end, he tells his brothers not to be disheartened. He realized God was providing all his life, through the ups and downs. He knew God was in complete control.
He remembered God and his promises at ALL times. Do we?
Joseph had been given so much, yet he never lost sight of God. He never gave up. He learned to forgive, he learned to grow in his faith.
God always has something bigger in mind than the immediate. God sees the big picture. It’s interesting that there is no record of God speaking directly to Joseph, no record of God personally confronting Joseph. Joseph just did what was right in Gods eyes and let God do the rest. He stayed faithful. Remember this, if nothing else!
Joseph understood what it meant to let go of himself and all that surrounded him. He let God lead him right to His heart.
He let God lead, and he made the best of whatever God threw at him. Can we all say the same? Jesus Christ paid it all, in blood…at the cross…so we can let go and let Him lead.
Are you distraught by not having all the answers in your life? Are you upset because you can’t see the whole picture? Are you busy trying to control your life yourself, by your own power, your own ideas?
When we let ourselves get led straight to the cross, we find peace, contentment, unwavering faith, we find a way to let go of everything we are holding on so dearly to.
Our situations, our possessions. Our desires, our pursuits, our own plans. We need to let God rid us of ourselves and realize we belong to Him, and that He will provide! He will protect, He will lead.
