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Visit our new blog. It lists all the new things that we are doing and what new material has been added to our site. We even list new missionaries who sign up with us for technical support so you can pray for them. FCM BLOG

Joseph – From Slave to Sovereign

In Joseph we encounter one of the most unique men in all of Scripture. He faced a multitude of pressures and trials, any one of which could have caused him to give up hope, give in to pressure, or turn from God. But he did none of these. Joseph knew God and trusted him to work things out according to his plan. Joseph is one of the few characters in the Bible who seem to have few if any major character flaws or weaknesses. In every situation he faced, we find him trusting in God and rising to the occasion. Joseph serves as a great example for us.
The final fourteen chapters of the book of Genesis record for us the story of Joseph. He was betrayed by his own brothers, lied about, sent to prison, forgotten, and eventually responsible for the deliverance of his whole family.

Background: The name Joseph (tsewOy) means, “He will add.” His mother Rachel said, “The LORD shall add to me another son” when he was born (Gen 30:24). He was the great grandson of Abraham.

Joseph’s Life: 

1. Family trouble (Gen 37): The story of Joseph begins with the words, “Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren” (Genesis 37:2). Joseph had been born in Haran, the firstborn of Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, who died at the birth of her second son Benjamin. Joseph was the eleventh child born to Jacob. He grew up in what was probably a very chaotic home. His father had four wives: Rachel, Leah, Bilpah (Rachel’s maid) and Zilpah (Leah’s maid). A motherless lad among the sons of other mothers no doubt felt the jealousies of the situation. The fact that he told Jacob of his half-brothers’ misdeeds, and the fact that Jacob gave Joseph a special, colorful coat *1 probably stirred up their wrath against him (Gen 37:2-4).

Jacob favored Joseph and Rachel with special treatment. This situation undoubtedly caused a great deal of friction among the wives and children in the home. There’s not much evidence of practical godliness in Joseph’s household. With its tangled web of step-brothers, step-mothers, jealousies, resentments and hostilities, his family today might be labeled “dysfunctional.” Given such a situation, it’s a wonder that Joseph turned out to be such an outstanding individual.
His dreams probably further weakened his already stressed relationships with his family members. He had two dreams that foretold of his future dominance over his family. In the first, he was a sheaf of wheat and all the other sheaves bowed down to him. In the second, the sun and the moon and the stars bowed down before him. When he told his family about his dreams, they became even more hostile against him.

1. Slavery in Potiphar’s house (Gen 39): When Jacob sent Joseph to check up on his brothers, they took advantage of the situation and planned his death. Reuben, the oldest brother, intended to spare the boy, but the other brothers managed to sell Joseph to passing slave traders. They took him to Egypt and sold him into the household of Potiphar, a captain in the Egyptian army. Joseph’s nobility of character, the religious training he had received in his father’s house and the favor of God with him gave him such prosperity that his master entrusted all the affairs of his household to him. When Potiphar’s wife tempted him with immorality, he ran away. She accused him of attempted rape, and Potiphar sent him off to prison. He was in Potiphar’s house for about 11 years.
2. Joseph in prison (Gen 39-41): It doesn’t take long for Joseph to rise to a position of responsibility and authority in the prison. God enabled him to interpret the dreams of the butler and the baker from Pharaoh’s household. The butler was restored to his position and the baker was killed. But the butler forgot about Joseph until Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. The Butler recommended Joseph to Pharaoh, Joseph interpreted the dream, and Pharaoh made him second in command of the empire.
3. The famine (Gen 41-46): Joseph’s job was to prepare for a coming famine by collecting stores of food during seven prosperous years. He “gathered corn as the sand of the sea” (Gen 41:49). He got married and had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When the famine arrived, he began selling the food to those in need. Joseph’s brothers traveled down to Egypt to buy grain, and Joseph recognized them, but they didn’t recognize him. He didn’t initially reveal who he was, but eventually the family is reunited. Jacob and his whole clan moved to Egypt.
4. The end of Joseph’s life (Gen 50): After Jacob’s death, Joseph’s brothers worried that Joseph would now take vengeance on them for selling him into slavery. But Joseph told them that although they meant the act for evil, God meant it for good. The family prospered in Egypt, and Joseph eventually died at 110 years old.

Joseph’s Outstanding Characteristics

1. Faithfulness: At any time after being sold into slavery, Joseph could have turned his back on the Lord, and who would have blamed him? Imagine the pressures on him to conform to the wickedness that surrounded him. Further, nobody was around to enforce Hebrew morality on him. He could have become very bitter and resentful that God allowed all these tragedies in his life. Yet he remained true to the Lord and to the principles he had been taught.
2. A good testimony among unbelievers: Potiphar, the jailer, and Pharaoh all realized that God was with Joseph. By word and by deed, Joseph demonstrated what it meant to be a follower of Yahweh.
3. Integrity: Joseph proved his honesty and trustworthiness throughout his life. Potiphar entrusted his household to Joseph’s management. So did the jailer. Pharaoh entrusted the wellbeing and future of the entire empire to Joseph.
4. Holiness: In spite of the wickedness of his brothers, Potiphar’s wife, and others, Joseph refused to compromise with evil. He fled from temptation. The Bible never mentions a sin that Joseph committed.
5. Forgiveness: Joseph held no grudge against his brothers in spite of all they had done to him. He realized that God used their wickedness for his own purposes.
6. Humility: Joseph told Pharaoh that God was the one responsible for his ability to interpret dreams. He refused to take credit for himself.

Other Important Principles found in the Life of Joseph

1. God superintends in the affairs of man. One overwhelming principle from Joseph’s experience is that God is clearly behind the scenes, sovereignly managing Joseph’s life, to put him in the right place at the right time. Joseph himself recognized this fact. He saw that God was responsible for all that had happened to him. There are no accidents with God. Read Genesis 50:20.

Application:  Trust God to sovereignly manage your life. Realize that God puts you in certain situations, even negative ones, for his own purposes.

1. God is able to turn tragedy into triumph. Joseph went from being the prince in a powerful tribe to being a slave in a foreigner’s house, and from a household manager to a prisoner in a foreign prison. Yet from this exceedingly low position, God raised Joseph up to a place of great authority and dignity. All that he experienced in Potiphar’s house and in prison likely helped Joseph to be a great leader.

Application:  God is able to use the negative experiences of life for our own good and for the good of others.

1. Those who face great persecution, abuse and disappointment need not respond with bitterness and hatred. We see no sign of sinful responses to all the pain and anguish Joseph experienced in the narrative. We don’t even find much evidence of self-pity or depression. Joseph so trusted God that he saw all of life’s twists and turns as the outworking of God’s plan for him. He did his best to honor God in every situation. We see in Joseph a consistent life of uncomplaining service, humility and peace.

Application:  Don’t respond sinfully to persecution, abuse or disappointment. Don’t allow yourself to be bitter or resentful when things don’t work out for you.

1. God’s plan for us may take a long time to work out. Many years elapsed between Joseph’s sale into slavery and his rise to power. He did not know that his childhood dreams of rulership would actually come to pass–it certainly didn’t look like they would from a dreary prison cell.

Application: Be patient as you pursue your calling in life. It may seem like it takes a lot of time to get to where you’re going–years of school, setbacks, difficulties, etc. get in the way. Patiently endure.

1. Life often hinges on very small details. What would have happened if that band of slave traders had not passed at the right time? What if Reuben had succeeded in preventing the brothers from selling him? What if Joseph had been out of the house when Potiphar’s wife wanted to tempt him? What if the butler had been sent to a different prison? What if Pharaoh had not had that dream? At many points in Joseph’s life, his entire career might have changed directions. Some would attribute Joseph’s success to good luck or blind chance, but we know that God was responsible for all these minor details.

Application:  God often uses the seemingly minor, unimportant, “chance” occurrences of life to move us along in his plan for us. Personal example: my being chosen to travel with MBBC singing group.

1. It doesn’t matter where you are in life as long as the Lord is with you. Genesis 39:2 says, “The Lord was with Joseph,” and this fact was evident to those around him. The key to Joseph’s correct responses to all the pressures around him was a deep personal faith in and commitment to God. Keeping our focus on God puts the worst of circumstances in a proper perspective. Knowing God was what enabled Joseph to deal with the pressures of life successfully.

Application:  Your relationship with God is what will keep you going when things get tough.

1. Circumstances often bring out the character inside of you. Joseph kept up his godliness and commitment to righteousness while in slavery and in prison. When he had an opportunity to testify to the power of God in his life, he was not shy. He told Pharaoh, “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Gen 41:16). Joseph humbly gave God the credit for his ability to interpret the dreams.

Application:  evaluate your reactions to pressure/trials/persecution–how do you respond? How about when people want to praise you?

1. God may allow us to be prosperous so we can help others in need. Joseph was rich, powerful and in a position to help at a time when his family was in need. Because of Joseph’s position, his family was able to move to Egypt and settle in the best place in the whole country.

Application:  You may be in a position to help others. If God has prospered you, don’t forget those in need. Look for ways you can help others.

1. People are capable of change for the better. When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they displayed incredible hatred and selfishness. Joseph’s tests of his brothers before he revealed who he was showed that they were genuinely sorry for their mistreatment of him. It also shows that they had great concern for their father Jacob and their brother Benjamin. The tests proved to Joseph that his brothers had changed.

Application:   People often regret their past misdeeds and may gladly apologize if given a chance.

1. Trials have a purpose. God used them to save Joseph and his family. It was God, not his brothers, who were responsible for bringing Joseph to Egypt, and he did so to accomplish a great purpose for the entire people of Israel. This was all part of God’s plan. Even the evil Joseph endured had a purpose and was under God’s control.

Application:  trust that God is working out his purposes in your life, even through hard times.

Conclusion:  In Joseph, we see what a person fully committed to God can do and be. He faced the pressures and trials of life with confidence in God and a desire to serve him no matter the circumstances. He trusted that God was working out his plan in his life even if he could not understand how it would all work out. Rather than seeking revenge, he extended kindness and compassion to those who had wronged him. Joseph is a noble, strong, and pure character worthy of our imitation.

Discussion:

1. What factors made Joseph’s family dysfunctional?  Several step-mothers, step-siblings, jealousies, rivalries, hatred
2. What made his brothers so angry with him?  His dreams, the special treatment Jacob gave him, the fact that he told his father what they had been doing.
3. What are some of the seemingly minor details that the whole story hinges on?  Reuben being away when they sold him to the slave traders, the slave traders showing up when they did, being bought by Potiphar, being sent to the prison where the butler was sent, Pharaoh dreaming
4. Why were Joseph’s brothers worried when Jacob died?  They thought Joseph would seek revenge.
5. Should we seek to interpret dreams today?  No. God gave Joseph that special ability, but there’s no reason to think that dream interpretation is a special gift for today.
6. What are some of Joseph’s outstanding characteristics?  Faithfulness, good testimony, integrity/honesty, holiness, willingness to forgive, humility
7. What are some key principles we learn from this account?  See the above list.