A Great Cloud of Witnesses: "Joseph"

We are continuing our series, “A Great Cloud of Witnesses”. Hebrews 11 has 17 individuals, mentioned by name, that serve as witnesses or testimonies of faith. Several more are referred to by the things they experienced or endured because of their faith. They are an example for us to follow. 20 times in the 40 verses of this chapter we are told these witnesses lived “by faith”. They show us how to have a faith that is pleasing to God.

Hebrews 11:6 (NASB)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him...

So far we’ve covered the first 19 verses in Hebrews 11. First, we started off by defining faith. Then, we looked at the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. Then we looked forward to heaven and then went back to examine Abraham a second time. Today we are going to examine the faith of Isaac.

Hebrews 11:22 (NASB)

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

(Pray)

Faith requires Perseverance

Hebrews 11:22 (NASB)

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

Because of trials and tribulations:

Genesis 37:4–8 (NASB) [His brothers hated him]

4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms. 5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Genesis 37:18 (NASB) [His own brothers planned to kill him]

18 When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.

Genesis 37:23–24 (NASB) [His own brothers kidnapped him]

23 So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; 24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

Genesis 37:26–28 (NASB) [They sold him into slavery]

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Genesis 37:36 (NASB) [He was sold as a slave in Egypt]

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.

Genesis 39:11–20 (NASB) [He was slandered and wrongly accused of rape and then unjustly imprisoned as a result]

11 Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. 12 She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. 15 “When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” 16 So she left his garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with these words, “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; 18 and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” 19 Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. 20 So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.

Genesis 40:20–23 (NASB) [He was forgotten and left to rot in prison]

20 Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; 22 but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Joseph lost his home. He lost his family. His Mom died while he was in Egypt. His identity was stolen from him. His dignity was disregarded. He was neglected, mistreated, and abused. He was abandoned and betrayed by his own family. Joseph had to endure and persevere through trials and temptations most of us could never even imagine.

Because it takes time…

Hebrews 11:13 (NASB)

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Genesis 37:2 (NASB)

2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.

Genesis 41:46–48 (NASB) [That’s 13 years of great suffering]

46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly. 48 So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields.

Genesis 45:6 (NASB) [13 + 7 + 2 = 22 years before God restored]

6 “For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

Genesis 50:25-26 (NASB)

25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” 26 So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

[Joseph died in Egypt… 110 years old, not seeing the fulfilment of the promise to return to the Promised Land. ]

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

[Talking about taking time, the Exodus didn’t occur for another 300 years (Exodus 12:40-41)]

James 1:2–4 (NIV)

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Faith recognizes Providence

Hebrews 11:22 (NASB)

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language:

In theology, Providence is the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures. He that acknowledges creation and denies providence involves himself in a palpable contradiction…Belief in divine providence is a source of great consolation to good men. Providence is often understood as God himself.

Genesis 37:25–27 (NASB) [in the sin of Abraham and Sarah]

25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

Genesis 39:1–9 (NASB) [...in Egypt]

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. 5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. 6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 9 “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”

Genesis 39:20–23 (NASB) [...in prison]

20 So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. 22 The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. 23 The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.

Genesis 40:6–8 (NASB) [through Dreams]

6 When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. 7 He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” 8 Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”

Genesis 41:14–16, 32 (NASB) [with Pharaoh]

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

32 “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.

Genesis 41:38–42 (NASB) [with Pharaoh}

38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. 40 “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

Genesis 42:1–3 (NASB) [in the famine]

1 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” 2 He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.” 3 Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.

Genesis 42:8–9 (NASB) [All the way back to the first dreams as a boy…]

8 ...Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them...

Genesis 45:3–5 (NASB) [in the years of plenty]

3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

Genesis 45:7–9 (NASB) [In his Joseph’s position and role]

7 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.

Genesis 50:18–20 (NASB) [All for God’s glory and their good!]

18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive...

Genesis 50:24 (NASB)

24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.”

Romans 8:28 (NASB)

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

In closing:

Psalm 37:3, 5 (NASB)

3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness... 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Memory Verse of the Week:

Romans 8:28 (NASB)

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Bible Study Questions:

What does this Scripture teach us about God?

What does this Scripture teach us about ourselves?

What does this Scripture teach us about the world?

Do you see any commands to obey or principles to apply?

Do you see any promises to claim or blessings to enjoy?

Do you see any truths to meditate on or Gospel messages to share?

Did anything else in the passage stick out to you?