Bible Study 1

Overcoming Adversity: Joseph

Lesson 1

A Dysfunctional Dynasty

Everybody loves an underdog. What is one movie growing up you loved where the underdog became the hero? Karate Kid-Rocky

Joseph certainly falls into the category of an underdog becoming a hero. Joseph seemed to understand early on that his life had a purpose. He has an inner drive to do the right thing. And it wasn’t because his life was easy. It started out easy but quickly became a series of catastrophes. But eventually Joseph like a cat tossed in the air landed on his feet.

Joseph grew up in a family of dysfunction marked out by favoritism and deceit. We are all familiar with how Abraham lied in Egypt about his wife Sarah and said she was his sister. Joseph’s grandfather Isaac pulled the same trick on the Philistines with his wife Rebekah. And we saw how this same dysfunction continued with his father Jacob and his uncle Laban.

I want to look at the origins of this dysfunctional family and how it all began and laid the foundation for Joseph’s life.

Genesis 25:26–28 “Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them. When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

So, we see from there very beginning there was already this favoritism in the family that would lead to sibling rivalry and hatred.

When you were a child how did you feel when another child was shown favoritism over you?

Have you ever experienced favoritism as an adult (on the job)?

Then we see this great deception that led to Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing.

Genesis 27:1–8 NASB95

Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. “Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.” Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ “Now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you.

Genesis 27:11–13 NASB95

Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man. “Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.” But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”

There is a pattern of deception in the entire family. Jacob isn’t dying at this point but he wants his son to go out and hunt for him. Rebekah doesn’t want Esau to receive Jacob’s blessing, so she creates this whole plot.

What happens in a family when lying and cheating is the typical way to get what you want? What does it say about Isaac and Rebekah’s relationship and the way they raise their children? How can we expect the children to turn out when that’s the way we operate as adults?

Then after Jacob flees from his brother who wants to kill him, he runs to Mesopotamia where he meets his match in Laban.

Genesis 29:16–21 NASB95

Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face. Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her.”

Genesis 29:23 “Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her.” Genesis 29:25 “So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?””

Jacob had to reap what he sowed. His cheating Esau out of his blessing came back to haunt him through his uncle Laban. Fast forward to the life of Joseph.

Principle Development

What do you think it must have been like for Joseph growing up in a family with four mothers, eleven brothers, and one sister when lying and cheating were the way to get what you want?

Joseph is 17 when we first meet him in and we are not told but you can imagine what the first 17 years of his life were like. Genesis points out all of the flaws of his parents and his grandparents and these were the people who set the example and played important roles in Joseph’s life.

It’s no accident that the Bible immediately introduces us to the dysfunction of his life Genesis 37:2 “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.”

The sibling rivalry that began with Jacob and Esau has made its way through the generations. But through the years of adversity Joseph rose above the family dysfunction and was eventually able to say to his brothers, “That which you intended for evil God used for good!!”

What can we learn from Joseph’s life to help us face our own challenges of growing up in a dysfunctional family?

Principle 1: God specializes in transforming our lives and changing us into His image no matter what family background we come from.

The sins of the family definitely had an impact on Joseph. All of the lying, cheating and immorality dominated his family for generations. If anyone had an excuse for turning out bad it was Joseph. But Joseph didn’t blame his family for what he went through. In fact, he didn’t blame anyone. Joseph rose above all of the negative influences of the environment he was raised in and let God make him the person God wanted him to be.

How has your relationship with the Lord helped you to overcome the environment you grew up in?

What do you think happens to our heart when we begin to feel sorry for ourselves because of what we have went through or where we come from?

How can we as church help one another overcome our past? (encouragement, prayer)

Principle 2; God understands our circumstances and wants to help us rise above the negative influences in our life.

God’s will for us doesn’t include living in self-pity or being held back by what we have been through. God wants to work in our lives to remove the old habits. He doesn’t want us to repeat the dysfunction. But it takes time, just like it did in Joseph’s life.

That doesn’t mean we are not going to be affected by the environment we grow up in. Of course we are. I know people who have struggled their whole adult life because of abuse and mistreatment. (Debbie, abuse written on her forehead) on the other hand her sister moved on!!

God wants to bring healing to all of us in all areas of our emotional and spiritual lives. But it can only happen when we follow God’s plan.

How can a Christian focus on God’s plan for their future and not dwell on the pain of the past? Serving, forgiveness and grace. Investment and involvement.

How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus and help those around us move on from the past into what God has for their future?

Principle 3; No matter what your background is, transformation begins with New Birth.

Jesus teaches us that we must be born again if we are going to see the kingdom of God. The new birth gives us a new beginning. We see this happen in the life of Jacob Joseph’s father at Bethel when God appeared to him in a dream in Gen. 28:10-22. Jacob’s ladder symbolized the coming of Jesus Christ, who has always been the way, the truth and the life.

Paul wrote about the new birth in the life of a believer in 2 Cor. 5:17. When we are born again we don’t receive a new body or a new brain but we receive a new identity in Christ. The Holy Spirit begins to indwell us and empower us and we are able to live a new way of life.

How is your life different today than before you knew Jesus?

Caring time; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were oblivious to the harm they was caused their family. But you and I need to take responsibility for our life and the affects they will have on our children and grandchildren. We can’t allow the dysfunction to continue. We like Joseph are to rise above it and be different and through Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit we can do that.

We overcome by the power of our testimony. So, you and I must share with those around us the difference God has made in our life.

Also, we must pray for one another that we will be committed to living Godly lives and influence those around us to do the same.