Joseph’s Betrayal
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph…
if you’ve grown up in church you have probably been told and taught this account many times
Even if you didn’t grow up in church you have probably heard something about Joseph
Most of us were taught the story of Joseph as a lesson in perseverance, purity, or leadership
And while those lessons are real, over the next few weeks we are going to see that there’s a deeper truth in his story
TENSION
TENSION
See, Joseph’s life is a foreshadowing of Jesus
his betrayal
suffering
exaltation
and ultimate reconciliation
Meaning that Joseph’s life is a preview of the gospel
thousands of years before Jesus ever arrives onto the scene
So over the next few weeks as we come to the end of our Genesis series we are going to get a glimpse of Easter story we just celebrated foretold through the life of Joseph
TRUTH
TRUTH
If you have your bible you can turn to Genesis chapter 37 (page 20)
we will be camped in this chapter all night
it is going give us the beginning of Joseph’s story
The beginning of Joseph’s story can be broken down into 3 stages of Joseph’s identity
Joseph, the Favored Son (vv. 1-11)
Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. These are the family records of Jacob.
At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought a bad report about them to their father.
We learn some important things about Joseph here:
17 years old
Close in age to a lot of you
He is working the sheep with his eleven other brothers
He leaves them to bring a bad report about them to their dad
In other words… he is a snitch
Typical sibling behavior
Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a long-sleeved robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him.
Jacob loves Joseph more than all of the other sons
joseph is the first born of Jacob’s first love… rachael
Jacob is what my brother would call a sonist
he display’s his sonism by giving joseph a robe
a robe that shows his love for him by making him stand out more than all the other sons
Because of this Joseph’s brothers hate him
despise him so much that they can say one good thing to him or about him
understandable right…
So far…
Joseph is a snitch
and the prized son
but wait it gets better
Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”
“Are you really going to reign over us?” his brothers asked him. “Are you really going to rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said.
Joseph has a dream that him and his brothers are out in the field gathering bundles grain when his bundle stands up and his brother bow down to his
Joseph doesn’t even begin to interpret the dream because the brother’s already know
his dream is saying that one day joseph’s brothers are going to be bowing down to him
Hearing this makes them even more mad
they hate him even more
but wait there’s more…
Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. “What kind of dream is this that you have had?” he said. “Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
He has another dream…
Same exact dream but different objects
this time his brothers are represented by stars
and it includes jacob and his wifes as the sun and moon
The brothers even more upset
even Jacob (dad) gets mad about it
so in this first scene… Joseph is the favored son but his brothers clearly hate him
Joseph, the rejected brother (vv.12-24)
This scene begins with Jacob sending Joseph out to check on his brothers who are shepherding the flocks
but he can’t find them
A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph said. “Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”
A man finds him in wandering and points him in the right direction
as joseph makes his way to his brothers they spot him and begin to come up with a horrible plan
They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert! So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
The brothers see from a ways off and start plotting
ironic that it’s probably because of his special robe that they see him…
Also here we see that it’s his dreams that have put them over the edge
siblings snitch… whatever
dad is sonist… whatever
but don’t be telling me that you are going to rule over me and i’m going to be bowing at your feet
Their plan:
Kill him
throw his body in a pit
tell dad that a wild animal got him while travelling
But during their plotting one of the brothers steps in…
When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, “Let’s not take his life.” Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.
Reuben steps in trying to “save” Joseph
put him in the pit and let him die of starvation so that there is not literal blood on our hands
but his real plan is to come back and save joseph and bring him back to dad
Why?
He could be acting like a responsible older brother
But most likely it’s because he thinks that if he does this then he will be back on dad good side since he is currently not
So what happens?
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s robe, the long-sleeved robe that he had on. Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.
They strip him of his robe and throw him in a pit
Pit
A well that they would make in the wilderness with hopes it would fill up in rainy season
imagine the shape of a vase but underground
And now we enter the last scene of tonights story…
Joseph, the betrayed and sold (vv. 25-36)
They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and his brothers agreed. When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.
After throwing him into the pit that do what any siblings would do… they have a picnic
As they are having a picnic some Ishmalites pass by on their way to Egypt
and judah has a great idea
how about instead of killing him we just sell him
i mean that way we aren’t killing our brother and we can make some money
So they sell Joseph for 20 pieces of silver
the going price at the time of a male slave
meaning they don’t even try to get more for their brother…
that’s how poorly they view him
How do they cover it up?
So they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son’s robe or not?”
His father recognized it. “It is my son’s robe,” he said. “A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
The brothers rip his robe, dip it in goat’s blood, and deceive their father Jacob into believing Joseph was killed by a wild animal.
Jacob is heartbroken and He weeps uncontrollably
The chapter ends in darkness:
Joseph gone
Jacob grieving
and the family broken by sin
I mean what kind of story begins like this?
The beloved son betrayed, sold out, stripped of his robe, handed over to foreigners, and thought to be dead
If it sounds familiar, right?
it should…
Because this story is meant to make you think of another Son, another betrayal, and another plan unfolding
Remember, Joseph’s story isn’t just a tragedy, t’s a preview of the gospel
Just think for a second about how similar Joseph and Jesus’ betrayal accounts are:
Just like Joseph was betrayed by Judah, Jesus was betrayed by Judas which is the same name in Greek.
Joseph was sold for silver, and so was Jesus.
Joseph was handed over to foreigners, and so was Jesus (the Romans)
Joseph was thought to be gone forever, and his father mourned him deeply
Just like Joseph’s betrayal was part of God’s plan to save lives, Jesus’ betrayal was not a mistake it was the plan
Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.
God didn’t just respond to the betrayal, He was working through it
The same God who sovereignly guided Joseph’s betrayal for good is the same God who sovereignly used the cross for our salvation
See what is so interesting is that God is never once mentioned in this chapter
yet we can see him working everywere
God working behind the scenes:
He gives Joseph the dreams
He provides the stranger in the wilderness to guide Joseph
He times the traders' arrival with the picnic
He allows the pit, the sale, the grief
It is all part of His sovereign plan
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
So we have seen the beginning of Joseph's story
a story that begins with favoritism and hatred
but ends with betrayal
We’ve seen how the beginning of Joseph’s story foreshadows the beginning of Jesus’ passion story
Lastly, we’ve seen that even though God is unmentioned in the chapter, it was He who was working it all out for His plan to be accomplished.
But what does this mean for us?
How can we apply these things to our lives?
1. God is working in your story even when you can't see it
Joseph didn’t understand why he was hated, thrown in a pit, or sold but God was using all of it to write a much bigger story
You may not see what God is doing in your life right now
It might feel like silence, confusion, or even abandonment
But your story matters.
Your pain, your questions, your faithfulness, they're not wasted.
God is present in the unseen, and He’s weaving your story into His plan even when you don’t get the full picture.
Ask yourself: Am I trusting that God is at work in my life—even when it doesn’t make sense right now?
2. Betrayal and brokenness don’t get the final word
Some of you have experienced deep hurt
maybe from friends, family, or people you thought you could trust
Joseph's story reminds us that God can redeem even the darkest betrayal
And Jesus’ story proves it
His betrayal led to the cross… and the cross led to our salvation
Encourage: God sees your hurt. He’s near to the brokenhearted. And He’s powerful enough to bring healing and redemption out of anything.
3. Look for Jesus not just lessons
Joseph’s story isn’t just about how to be a good brother or how to handle suffering
It’s a shadow of something bigger —> it points to Jesus
When you read the Bible, don’t just look for moral rules
look for the Savior who the whole Bible is about
Invite: Let Joseph’s story lead you to worship the One who was betrayed, buried, raised, and now reconciles you to God.
RESPONSE
RESPONSE
This is just the beginning of Joseph’s story and of this series.
The pit isn’t the end
Betrayal isn’t the end
Pain isn’t the end
God is writing something bigger
Jesus like He was in the life of Jesus
Jesus was also betrayed, buried, and raised to reconcile us to the Father
The same God who worked through Joseph’s suffering to save a nation worked through Jesus’ suffering to save the world, including you
Unbeliever
Maybe you’ve heard the story of Jesus before but tonight you see that it’s not just a story
It’s a plan, and you’re part of it.
Jesus was betrayed, crucified, and raised so that you could be forgiven, loved, and reconciled to God
You may feel far from God, but He’s closer than you think
Will you trust Him tonight?
Will you receive the One Joseph’s story points to?
Believer
Maybe you feel like you’re in a pit
forgotten
unseen,
or unsure of what God is doing in your life
Remember Joseph
And more importantly remember Jesus.
God is working, even in what feels like betrayal or silence.
Trust Him. Worship Him.
And come back next week ready to see how God works even in suffering
PRAY
PRAY
Tease next week: Next Wednesday, we’ll follow Joseph into Potiphar’s house and prison. It will look like things are getting worse. But God is still moving toward rescue.
