Lessons from Joe – the young years
Opening video Illustration: From Blue Fish Tv – Joseph abandoned by God
Thesis: Joseph’s life demonstrates a person who was a great leader because he learned from his mistakes and was teachable. He was also adaptable and persevering. His most noted leadership quality was he was forgiving.
Key Text: Genesis 37:1-36
1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2This is the account of Jacob.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
8His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
12Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
14So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
17“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20“Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22“Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing—24and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
28So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
31Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son.” So his father wept for him.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
Introduction: Background on series on Joseph
Joseph was the great grandson of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob, who was also known as Israel – which by the way is how Israel got its name today. Joseph was the son of Jacob and Rachel. Jacob had four wives and 12 sons and Joseph was the 11th son. He had one full brother named Benjamin and during his birth his mother died.
In the fifty chapters of Genesis Joseph’s life story takes up one-fourth of the chapters. His life can be divided up into three sections says Chuck Swindoll:
• Birth to Seventeen Years (Genesis 30:24-37:2)
o During this time Joseph’s family was is transition-everyone was unsettled, on the move. A low-level antagonism was brewing as his family clashed and argued in jealousy and hatred.
• Seventeen to Thirty years (Genesis 37:2-41:46)
o This second segment occurs as Joseph reaches young manhood. It seems as though his life becomes out of control. Enslavement, unfair accusation, and imprisonment assault him.
• Thirty Years to Death (Genesis 41:46-50:26)
o Joseph’s last eighty years of prosperity and reward under God’s blessing. He had the classic opportunity to get even with his brothers, to ruin them forever, but he refused. Instead he blessed, protected, and forgave.
(pg. 4)
I have grouped his three time periods in to a series called “A Man named Joe!” The series is three parts. The first we will look at today is called “Lessons from a young Joe” – Covers his early years. The second part is called “Lessons from prime time Joe!”- covering his later teens and 20’s. The third part is called “Lessons from Joe in his wiser years” - covering his last 80 years.
• History is always a great teacher to those who want to learn it’s lessons. Abraham Lincoln knew this and one author had this to say about him.
o He was not a born king of men…but a child of the common people, who made himself a great persuader, therefore a leader, by dint of firm resolve, patient effort, and dogged perseverance. He slowly won his way to eminence and fame by doing the work that lay next to him-doing it with all his growing might-doing it as well as he could, and learning by his failure, when failure was encountered, how to do better….He was open to all impressions and influences (including from history and other sources), and gladly profited by the teaching of events and circumstances, no matter how adverse or unwelcome. There was probably no year of his life when he was not a wiser, cooler, and better man than he had been the year preceding (Phillips, 170,171).
o Abraham Lincoln knew that success in life and leadership came by learning from others, from history and from life’s circumstances. Phillips states, “Time after time Lincoln used this method of gathering the evidence he needed to take appropriate action”(21).
o In essence Phillips who studied Lincoln said the man “…actually grew into the job of the presidency”(172).
o We can observe the same about Joseph he actually grew into what God wanted him to become and that was the Prime Minister of Egypt.
T.S. - Lets now begin exploring how Joseph grew into a Man of God and the Prime Minister of Egypt. Let’s gather information about him in his early years and see what we learn.
I. Joe was spoiled – By Dad, “Here is a coat of honor because you’re my favorite son” (Genesis 37:1-4).
“This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”
a. Joe was in a family where his dad lifted him up as more honorable than the rest of the kids. Jacob blatantly showed favoritism to Joseph and the rest of the family took notice.
i. Joseph was in the middle of the disease called favoritism.
1. At a young age Joseph was engulfed into a plague that brought painful sores to his life.
a. The first sore he received from this plague created by his father was rejection from the rest of his brothers.
i. Bruce Goettsche notes this about what happens in families where favoritism is prevalent:
1. This chapter reminds us of the danger of playing favorites in a household. …Favoritism in a home is deadly. Jacob of all people should have understood this. His father loved his brother more than him. In fact, if you remember, Jacob had to pretend to be Esau in order to get his fathers blessing. If any parent was sensitive to this issue, it should have been Jacob. Every child longs for the love from their parents. Even when children are grown they still want the approval and affirmation of their parents. I wonder how many of you would love to be able to hear your parents say, ‘You know, I am so proud of you.” Many adults grow up feeling that they cannot measure up. I suspect that the sons of Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah spent their lives looking for the approval and love of their father (2).
b. The second wound Joseph faced from favoritism was jealousy from his brothers.
i. It’s amazing but a fact the brothers do not get mad at their father Jacob who is in the wrong but at Joseph.
1. Maybe they just wanted to believe that their father did love them as much as Joseph but Joseph kept him from loving them like he should.
2. This thought pattern would be much less painful for the other kids
ii. The favoritism and the special robe just added to this dysfunctional family the green eyed monster of jealousy.
1. It made a mess that breed a deep seated envy and anger that affected the other brothers so bad- that the Bible states, “They would not be friendly to him or speak nice words to him.”
a. He became the focal popint of their anger! He became the one to punch, swear at, ridicule, mock, abuse, verbal abuse, emotionally abuse, and the list could go on.
2. Have you ever observed this ugly monster of disease?
a. It produces hatred, denial, and torment to one it’s focused on.
3. Many would never and admit they had this disease. But as this one writer states it’s all to common:
a. Jealousy is on of the hardest of all sins to admit to. How often do you hear someone admit to that one? But’s it’s universal. Mass confession time. If you have in your life envied somebody else’s car or house or physique or marriage or children or grandchildren, if you’ve ever wished you had someone else’s skin, if you’ve ever wished you had someone else’s hair, if you’ve ever envied somebody’s salary, success, beauty, wardrobe, education, temperament, athletic ability, spiritual gift or humility…”
b. You have experienced the disease of jealousy.
c. It happens in life and this monster lives in a state where people deny he’s there. Yet it causes mass destruction.
c. The third pussing infected wound caused by favoritism was prideful arrogance.
i. Another ugly disease surfaces to the top because of a father’s action.
ii. Only this one surfaces in our young hero Joseph.
T.S. - Let’s look at this one in more detail under our second main point.
II. “Joe here is a dream” this is to give you a vision of the future. He used his dream to put others down.
a. Genesis 37:5-11: “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
i. First the coat now the dreams the ugly diseases are spreading like wild fire getting more deadly by the day.
ii. But note this Joseph brags about his dreams! Prideful arrogance to his family is manifested. His father the one who started all of this rebukes him.
iii. By the way it never says in our text that these dreams came from God! The writer inspired by the Holy Spirit does not attribute them to God. IN other Biblical texts it is usually affirmed that the dream was from the Lord. So don’t take the view that God showed this to Joseph so that he could share this in side scoop with his brothers and father.
1. How many see that a spoiled child turns into a spoiled teenager who now tells the family I will be the greatest. I am special – more special than you! And the clincher you will all bow to me!
a. Have you ever meet a spoiled child? It’s very ugly and leads that person into a life of misery, pain and prideful arrogance.
b. Proverbs 8:13 states, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”
c. Proverbs 16:18 states, “Pride goes before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall.”
2. The lesson here is that favoritism infects the one favored not just the ones not favored.
3. This is what I love about the Bible it tells the story of real life situations. It does not try to paint our Bible characters as perfect but it shows their flaws, bruises, mistakes, scars and imperfections.
4. Yes my friends our picture in Genesis 37:1-11 says Joseph was imperfect – Gilliland states, ”Joseph, at the age of seventeen, was not the humble, likable, mild mannered young man that we sometimes picture. He was more likely a pompous, arrogant, conniving spoiled brat. He was Little Ford Fonteroy with full, puffy sleeves to match his full, puffy ego. He looked better than the rest of his brothers. He dressed better. He had a better job. He had the preferred position. His father liked him best and he rubbed it into all of his other brother’s faces. No wonder they were jealous of him. No wonder they schemed against him. If he had been my kid brother, I’d have tempted to throw him down the well too!”
T.S. - Lets now progress to next section of our text in Genesis 37:12-36
III. “Never give up on your dreams” - Genesis 37:12-36
a. Joe was an arrogant, boastful, and even a tattle tale and this caused his brothers to strike out at him in an attempt to destroy his dream.
b. Jacob’s disease of favoritism infects the whole family Joseph became the pampered spoiled brat and his brothers became angry, jealous kids driven toward throwing Joseph in a pit, and even considering murdering him.
i. The brothers have been driven over the edge.
1. Their character is infected with unkindness, evil plotting, murderous intentions, lying, deception, covetousness, jealousy, envious and unremorseful.
2. In essence it’s a view of an evil family that was raised by Jacob.
a. Who’s to blame – Is it Joseph, is it the brothers or really is it the father?
ii. This family is in need of a miracle!
c. The question could arise at this point for Joseph – Has the enemy killed his dream – stolen it away – squashed it? Has the devil stolen his divine destiny?
i. When dreams and vision are given by the Lord – they will come pass in spite of the surrounding circumstances.
ii. John Maxwell in his book “Failing Forward” stated:
1. “All great achievers are given multiple reasons to believe they are failures. But in spite of that, they persevere” (page 26).
2. “God uses people who fail-cause there aren’t any other kind around” (page 27).
iii. There are seven mindsets needed to fail forward:
1. Overcomer’s reject rejection
2. Overcomer’s see failure as temporary
3. Overcomer’s see failure as isolated instances
4. Overcomer’s keep expectations realistic
5. Overcomer’s focus on strengths
6. Overcomer’s vary their approaches to achievement
7. Overcomer’s bounce back
Video Illustration: Blue fish Tv – “What is missing”
T.S. - Lets apply what we learned from out historical narrative.
IV. Lessons learned from or history lesson! We need to learn from this families mistakes!
a. The solution to showing favoritism (adapted from John Ortberg’s message.
i. For those of you who have grown up receiving favoritism you need to put yourself in places where you are not the center of attention.
1. You need to throw away the arrogance and pride of thinking you are more special than others.
2. You need to learn to be servants to others
3. One pastor says, “Carry someone’s groceries, change some other kids diapers in the nursery, anything. But just humbly serve someone else and learn to rejoice in just being ordinary.”
4. You need to die to yourself and be what God wants you to be a servant – just like he was.
a. Hybels states, “Jesus’ perspective was shaped by a deep sense of humility. It was a humility where none was called for; Jesus, as God, clearly deserved His titles, position, and praise. But as we have seen, Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” He wanted instead, to relate with man on an equal level. Where religious leaders of His day relished the separation between themselves and “the common people”, Jesus sought to break down the barriers, even those imposed by His divine rights. Humility was at the core of His philosophy. More times than not, He used His power for the powerless, showed love to the loveless, and served those who could not possible return the favor. With characteristic consistency, He repeatedly rejected a Pecking order based on conditional response.”(121)
b. Matthew 23:11-12 “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
ii. For those of you who have been on the other side of the coin the one not in your parents favor.
1. You need to recognize and admit the pain. You need to come face to face with the pain of not wearing the robe.
2. For some of you if it’s possible you need to approach your family and acknowledge how this hurt. Maybe they just need the chance to apologize to you and have a time of reconciliation.
3. You also need to forgive – with no conditions attached. Joseph learned this quality well as we will see over the next two Sunday’s.
4. You also need to renounce your envy and jealousy of the person who has worn the robe. You need to repent and ask to be forgiven.
a. Some of you have been scared by envy and you need to make the choice not to give into this temptation to gossip about others, to back bite about others, to tear down others, to try to hurt others because they have and you don’t.
b. This will be a daily battle but you can win over it with the assistance of the Lord.
5. You also need to receive love and acceptance and it starts with God!
a. “See what love the father has given us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are”(I John 3:1)
b. Receive his love and His acceptance through Jesus.
c. You need to find friends who will receive you and love pray that God would send people into your life like this.
d. You also need to trust again – don’t hide behind the hurt and scar and keep making excuses. You need to trust and it does take risks but the benefits far outweigh the risks.
iii. Parents there are very few issues in your family as important as this one. Deal with it and admit it. If you don’t your setting your family up for failure and turmoil.
1. Acknowledge you do and stop it!
2. Watch your words and actions to all of your children
3. Be consistent with them all
4. Treat them as individuals and highlight each of their unique attributes.
5. Do not elevate one over the other.
6. A parents job is t try to make robes for each of their children—robes that highlight uniqueness and qualities of each individual child.
Conclusion: Each of us have a responsibility to act the way God desires us to act. For those who had the robe you need to be humble servants to all. To those who did not have the robe you need to admit it, deal with it and forgive. To parents here is a special word From a pastor, “It you’re feeling depressed because your family was not perfect, is not perfect, then hear this. There is healing for imperfect families. There is a God who rejoices in bringing weak and broken people into the reality of His love. There is a home where love and peace rule. And good news is that we don’t have to wait for heaven to experience this joy and peace. We can get a taste of it right now. We can all wear the robe in God’s family.”(Ortberg, July 22nd sermon Willow).
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