The story of Joseph is a compelling one and there are many lessons for the Christian to learn from it. It’s a story of lies, intrigue and inspiration when the beloved son of Jacob was sold as a slave to Ishmaelite merchants by his own brothers (Genesis 37: 12 – 36).
Joseph’s Story
Joseph was born into a family of 12 sons and his mother was Jacob, his father’s, most beloved wife. He was favoured by his father for this reason, but also because he was born in his father’s old age.
When Joseph was young, he had dreams that earned him the name “Dreamer” from his brothers, however this was not meant to be complimentary. In his dreams his family bowed down before him in submission. Joseph, a mere sapling, had no clue what the dreams meant, nor did he have the good sense to consider that his family may not be as thrilled by his dreams as he was. Even his father was annoyed when he realised the sun and moon in Joseph’s dream referred to himself and his wife.
In addition, there was the case of the bespoke technicolor coat that the doting Jacob had gifted his spoiled young one. This must’ve caused quite a jealous stir in the Jacob’s family.
Jealousy and envy
This theme of jealousy and envy has also played out in Joseph’s father’s life for as long as he could remember. Born as a twin, he had always felt the sting of jealousy whenever he saw Isaac, his father, dote on his tough and athletic twin brother Esau. Jacob, the gentle homebody, would’ve done anything to have the affection of his father.
It’s amazing how Jacob, knowing how deprived he felt as a youngster, went about and created the same environment he grew up in in his own household.
Aimless and without understanding his purpose:
The older brothers often traveled together to far away fields to graze their father’s flocks. The fact that Joseph didn’t travel with them even when he was old enough, emphasizes the deep divide there was between him and his brothers. Jacob asked Joseph to go to Shechem to visit his 10 brothers in the field. Upon his arrival in Shechem however,
“ a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?” Genesis 37:15
Joseph may as well have answered the man by saying: “I’m looking for my purpose and destiny in this life. At that point in Joseph’s life he never had to do much for himself. His father was rich and he was the apple of his father’s eye. He didn’t have to work the way his brothers had to. His future was secure as he would’ve inherited quite handsomely being his father’s favourite son.
One may be tempted to imagine an alternative ending here. For example, Joseph could’ve told his father that he couldn’t find his brothers and therefore returned home and that would be the end of it.
But the story goes, when Joseph told the man he was looking for his brothers, the man replied that he just happened to see the brothers move on to the greener pastures of Dotham and so an excited Joseph took off with speed to find them.
Unknown to Joseph, was the fate that awaited him as his brothers saw him approach in the distance. They devised a hurried plan to kill him and instead of the heartwarming welcome Joseph expected from his siblings, they grabbed him and threw him in a dried up pit.
God’s plan for Joseph’s life:
Joseph had gone from being his father’s treasure to being his brothers’ trash; a nuisance to be discarded. The only reason he was still alive at that point was because Reuben, the eldest, suggested they throw him in a pit so he could later turn on his brothers and secretly rescue the lad. There was clearly no loyalty in this family.
Ultimately, God needed Joseph alive for the plan he had for his life and therefore didn’t allow the murder to go ahead.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
The brothers changed their minds, pulled a disgruntled Joseph out of the pit and instead of apologizing to him, they sold him as a slave to a caravan of merchants who were en route to Egypt.
Deception as a family curse
When the brothers returned home carrying the blood stained coat of his beloved son, Jacob was beside himself with grief and desperately cried that he would die as well and join his young son. Although the brothers witnessed their father’s anguish, none felt moved to repent and tell the truth of their little brothers’ fate. They continued their deception for many years, knowing their father had never recovered from Joseph’s ‘death’.
Was this the price Joseph paid for deceiving his own father Isaac many years before when he stole the birthright of the first born from Esau? (Genesis 27)
Joseph prospers in God’s plan:
In the meantime, once in Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an official and captain of the guards of Pharaoh. Here his talent for leadership was first spotted and he was put in charge over all the others slaves. His good looks also managed to gain him the unwanted attention of Potiphar’s wife who eventually accused him of molesting her when Joseph didn’t welcome her advances.
He was thrown in jail as the testimony of a mere servant meant nothing against the more powerful one of Potiphar’s wife. This time Joseph went from favored to being discarded again.
While a prisoner, Joseph again rose to prominence when he was put in charge over all the other prisoners. When Pharaoh’s dreaming wine steward and chief baker were jailed for offending him, Joseph accurately interpreted their dreams, citing that it was God who gave the interpretation not he.
When it was Pharaoh’s turn to dream, the surviving wine steward remembered Joseph’s talent as an interpreter. He was summoned and the now grown and humble Joseph informed Pharaoh that it was indeed God who gave the interpretation. Pharaoh was impressed by the accuracy of Joseph’s interpretation that he absolved him of all charges and appointed him prime minister of Egypt.
Joseph reconciles with his family:
It was in this role that Joseph got to meet his brothers again and fulfill the plan God had for him. While Joseph was being trained and tested by God for the role he was meant to play, a famine struck the whole of Israel so that there was no food in the land. As Joseph had had years to prepare Egypt for the drought, they were in a position to live comfortably during the drought.
Israel, on the other hand, was not prepared and Jacob had to send his sons to Egypt to buy food. Here, Joseph met his brothers again for the first time in many years and the dreams he’d been given as a young boy became reality. However, no longer the naïve, spoiled boy he once was, he didn’t trust his brothers and tested their motives before revealing his identity, forgiving them and inviting them to live in Egypt.
By forgiving his brothers, Joseph didn’t overlook what his brothers had done to him, nor did it mean that he had forgotten. What they did cruel and careless. By forgiving his brothers, Joseph freed himself from the pain of their betrayal which was evident in the emotions that got the better if him whenever he saw his brothers.
We see how Joseph’s journey away from his family brought him wisdom, humility and a discerning spirit so he could test his brothers’ motives before he revealed his identity and eventually forgave them. His brothers on the other hand still stayed with their father and still operated in a pack the way they did all those years before.
God’s leadership plan for Joseph:
Joseph’s life was marked with jealousy, upheavals and betrayal, but all along God’s plan for his life was unfolding. While Joseph stayed with his father, he could never step into the leadership qualities that God had placed inside of him without offending his brothers or his father. He needed to come out from under them and go to a place where he had to fend for himself and it was in Egypt that his character as a leader could be fully developed. In Jacob’s household, Joseph knew what it felt like to be loved and hated at the same time and in Egypt he learned that the position given by man is fleeting, but if he depended on God, he would prevail.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Romans 12: 12
In the greater scheme of things, the young Joseph could never anticipate the life God had planned for him. Through many trials he would be in a position where God could use him to preserve the life of his brother Judah from whose bloodline the Messiah would come. God knew this and blessed and prospered Joseph as a result.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:17
If it seems to you that your life is meaningless and fraught with one trial after another. Take heart, our hero in this story could never in his wildest dreams (and he had some wild ones) conceive of the idea that his struggles have enabled him to serve God’s greatest plan for humanity. For this reason, not one of us can say that our life is meaningless or our struggles are in vain.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Lessons we can learn from Joseph’s life:
- God has a plan for our lives and He will fulfill it no matter how trying the journey.
- Not everyone will support your vision or your calling or your dreams.
- When there is a recurring pattern of jealousy, lies and deceit in a family, there is most likely a family curse operating in that family.
- Trying times can teach us humility
- When we depend on God, He will promote us.
- God will test us even though He has called us.
- God qualifies us for leadership even if we don’t feel that we are.
- God knows when we are ready to step up into leadership.
- We need only to trust the process..
- Serve those whom God brings on your path.
- God sometimes chooses the most unlikely vessels to use.
- Our lives are small parts in a bigger picture.
