Story of Joseph

(reference Genesis 37-45)


Joseph was Jacob's most beloved son, because Jacob had Joseph at an old age in his life. Because Joseph was so loved by his father, Joseph's brothers were jealous. Joseph told his brothers about dreams he had of  them bowing down to him. This infuriated the brothers and the plotted on how to murder Joseph. The brothers instead sold Joseph into slavery and made their father, Jacob believe that Joseph had been killed by an animal. 


Joseph was a slave to Potiphar (Pharaoh's captain of the guard). Because God was with him, Joseph succeeded in everything he did. Potiphar made Joseph his personal attendant and put him in charge of everything he owned, Potiphar's entire household. Potiphar's wife began to lust after Joseph and attempted to seduce him into sleeping her. Joseph refused so she framed him, stating that he tried to rape her. Potiphar put Joseph in prison. 


Even in prison the Lord showed Joseph his faithful love by giving him favor among the prison warden. The warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. Pharaoh's cup barer and baker were both imprisoned with Joseph and both had dreams that they could not interpret. Joseph interpreted their dreams, telling them that in 3 days Pharaoh would release them. The cup barer would return to his job and the baker would be killed. Joseph asked that when this happens that the cup barer remember him and ask Pharaoh to let him out of prison because he had be kidnapped from his homeland. Everything happened 3 days later just the way that Joseph said it would, however the cup barer forgot about Joseph.


Two years later, Pharaoh had a dream that needed interpretation. The cup barer told Pharaoh about Joseph and Joseph was called before Pharaoh to interpret his dream. Joseph told Pharaoh that God was preparing Pharaoh for what was about to happen. There would be 7 years of prosperity in Egypt followed by 7 years of sever famine. Joseph told Pharaoh how to survive the next 14 years, storing food in store houses during the 7 prosperous years so that when the 7 years of famine came the people of Egypt would not go hungry. Pharaoh, realizing that Joseph was filled with the spirit of God, appointed Joseph the second in command, gave him an Egyptian name, and an Egyptian wife (who gave birth to Joseph's two sons). At 30 years old, Joseph was established as a leader in Egypt.


Years of suffering and separation from his family had not harmed Joseph's faith. Genesis 41:51-51, "God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father's family." "God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief."


When the 7 years of famine hit, people in surrounding areas heard that Egypt had grain available. Jacob sent Josephs brothers to Egypt to buy enough grain to keep them alive. Jacob would not let the youngest, Benjamin, go with them for fear that some harm may come to him, just as it did to Joseph. Joseph recognized his brothers immediately but they did not recognize him. Joseph pretended to be a stranger as his brothers bowed before him asking for grain. Joseph told them they were spies and would remain in Egypt in prison until they brought their youngest brother to him. After 3 days in prison Joseph told them to choose one brother to stay in prison while the rest go home with grain. If they brought back their youngest brother it would prove they were honest men and they would not die. The brothers agreed to the conditions realizing that they were being punished for what they had done to Joseph so many years ago. 


When the brothers returned home, all but Simeon, they told their father what happened and the deal they had made. Jacob refused to allow the youngest, Benjamin go back for fear that he may not return so Reuben said to his father, " you may kill my two sons (Jacobs grandsons) if I don't bring Benjamin back to you".  Jacob said no. Eventually the family ran out of grain so Jacob had no choice but to send his sons back to Egypt with their youngest brother to get more food, otherwise they would all die of starvation. 


When they arrived back in Egypt with their youngest brother, Joseph told them that they would be staying for dinner. The brothers gave Joseph gifts and told him that when they got home they realized that someone had put the money they paid for the grain back into their sacks, so they brought the money back as well as more money to buy more grain to take home. Throughout their visit, enough clues had been given in Joseph's previous questions about the family and his personal knowledge of them for them to wonder about him. Obviously the brothers simply did not believe that Joseph was alive and certainly not as a personage of such immense influence and authority. Joseph even showed favoritism to the youngest, Benjamin, to test their attitudes; any longstanding envy, dislike, or animosity could not be easily masked. None surfaced. 


When the brothers were ready to leave Joseph told his palace manger to put his personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother's sack. Once the brothers left, a short distance, Joseph told his palace manager to chase after and stop the brothers to ask them why they had stolen Josephs silver cup. The brothers facing a charge of theft, protested their innocence and integrity. They suggested death to the perpetrator and slavery for themselves. They had passed the second test of devotion to Benjamin. Judah, showing how his heart changed, acknowledging the providence of God in uncovering their guilt and did not indulge in any blame shifting, even onto Benjamin. Judah's evident compassion for Jacob and readiness to substitute himself for Benjamin in slavery proved that these were not the same brothers of yesteryear and finally overwhelmed Joseph; he had been away from his brothers for 22 years. 


Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. He told them not to be upset or angry at themselves for selling him into slavery because (Genesis 45:5-8) "it was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. God sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. It was God who sent me here, not you". Pharaoh told Joseph to tell his brothers to bring their children, wives, and their father to Egypt. He would give them the best of the land in Egypt and they would eat from the best that land produced. 




The story of Joseph displays omnipotent faith and trust in the Lord as well as God's faithful love to us. In everything Joseph experienced, God was with him. He kept his faith in God and though he experienced hardships, God was with him through his adversity. Joseph acknowledge God in everything he did. Allowing all that Joseph did, become prosperous and for his good. Joseph displays the importance of forgiveness as well as grace; evidencing the marks of a spiritually mature man. Even when Joseph came into a position of power he did not dismiss God's greatness. When he saw his brothers again he did not hold a grudge against them for the trials he went through of being enslaved, and then imprisoned. Joseph was not even mad at God for putting him through those hard times, instead he was thankful! That God was able to use him to save so many other lives in the future, including the lives of his family. The lives of the very same brothers who sold him into slavery. Joseph was able to look back over his life with great fullness to God and see the usefulness of his struggles for God's greater plan. Joseph had no idea what God had planed for his life or his family but he walked by faith, regardless of the obstacle. He was unshaken.