What is the Bible? Part 5 - Joseph: God's Plan will be Fulfilled

Genesis 37:5–11 NASB95

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. Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Introduction

Jacob’s sons

Who Joseph was

1. God’s Plan for Joseph (Gen 37:5-11)

Rulership

Genesis 37:7 NASB95

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.”

Genesis 37:9 NASB95

Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

Illustration slide of sheaves and sun/moon

The Objective of God’s Plan: Protect and Provide for His People

Genesis 15:13–16 “God said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.””

God will take them out of a land, grow them, and bless them with possessions.

As we will see, this is exactly what will occur.

God will use them to punish the Amorites.

“Amorites” - ref here is to the inhabitants of Canaan, which would become the Promise Land

God takes them out of the land of Canaan to protect them.

Genesis 41:56–57 “When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.”

What This Means for Us

God Works in Interesting, Unforeseen Ways.

Isaiah 55:8–9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

God does not conform to our way of doing things. We have our plans, but watch out, they are not always God’s plans. Be ready to get interrupted and wildly different things to happen.

My own personal plans and the way I thought it would happen: Phoenix, etc.

Proverbs 16:9 “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

God has plans for his people (collectively and individually), but they seem to always to be opposed. Someone or something fights against God.

2. God’s Plan is Opposed (Gen 37:18-28; 39:7-19)

Joseph Sold into Slavery

Joseph sent out by his father Jacob to his brothers.

His brothers plot to kill him, but Reuban says no. Throw him into a pit.

Ishmaelites traveling by headed to Egypt.

Genesis 37:25–28 NASB95

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. Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? “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. 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.

Joseph Imprisoned

Joseph becomes a servant in Pharoah’s house.

Genesis 39:1–4 NASB95

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. The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. 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.

Joseph is climbing that latter of success—better yet, God is blessing him and placing him in high command in Egypt.

But the evil forces behind the curtain yet again oppose God’s plans, and the forces attempt to thwart God’s plan.

Genesis 39:7–19 NASB95

It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 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. “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?” As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. 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. She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 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. “When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” So she left his garment beside her until his master came home. 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; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” 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.

What This Means for Us

We can expect trouble as God fulfills his purpose in our lives.

It’s not always going to be an easy path. In fact, we are told that it is going to be difficult.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

We may be sold out—not necessarily as a slave—but by people around us.

We may be slandered or gossiped about. People may besmirch us, make up stories about us to muddy our integrity.

John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

We we follow God’s plan for our lives and live righteously, we will often suffer injustice.

People will lie about you and make up stories.

This happens all the time in the political world and on social media. But not only in our world, but unfortunately, even in the church at times.

Perhaps some of us may be guilty of selling others out through gossip. When we do that we are not tools in God’s hand; we have become a tool in the devil’s hand, opposing the plans of God.

We may even be physically persecuted.

With the events over the past several weeks, we need to be aware that this is a possibility now.

So now is the time to choose who you will be and what you will be committed to: To Christ and his Kingdom, or to a kingdom/country/government/political movement of this world.

Let us not fall into the temptation that we can commit to both:

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

3. God’s Plan is (being) Fulfilled (Gen 39:21-41:49)

God Gives Joseph Interpretive Abilities

Tell about the chief cupbearer and chief baker’s dream that Joseph interpreted

Then Pharoah who had a dream:

Genesis 41:14–16 NASB95

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. 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.” Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

7 cows fat and sleek; 7 cows lean and ugly, swallowed up 7 fat cows

7 ears full and good; 7 ears withered and thin, swallowed up the 7 good ones

Joseph gave interpretation

God Gives Joseph Rulership

Genesis 41:38–40 NASB95

Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. “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.”

Through all the hardships and struggles, the ups and downs of Joseph’s life (even from his own kin), he now becomes the second in power in Egypt.

This sets the stage for God to provide and protect for his people Israel.

If it had been up to any one of us or any human, this would seem like strange way to work out God’s promises to Abr, Isaac, and Jacob.

What This Means for Us

Throughout Joseph’s life, he never once complained. We shouldn’t either.

If I had been Joseph, I would have been throwing a fit, crying out to God, “Why me? Why me? What’s going on here?”

Through all the hardships, Joseph accepted his circumstances. Evidently, he believed God was going to work it all out.

Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

“grumbling” = complaining

“disputing” = debating, quarreling about who is right and wrong

James 5:9 “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”

1 Peter 4:9 “Be hospitable to one another without complaint.”

Some people make it their goal, and even seem to enjoy it, to complain and be negative about everything, or almost everything. They constantly deride people, have outbursts of anger, and obsesses with how everyone else is doing it wrong.

God gives us gifts to use for his kingdom purposes, and we are to use them.

God gave Joseph interpretive abilities, and he used them. Note: not just for his own people per se, but for the unbelieving world. He let the light of God shine among the Egyptians.

Are we doing this?

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

Not all have the gift of teaching; not all have the gift of music; not all have the gift of preaching; not all have the gift of hospitality; not all have the gift of encouragement; not all have the gift of leadership; etc.

But we all have a gift of some sort that is to be used to build up the body (whether a teenager all the way up to 100 years old).

1 Corinthians 12:7 “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Do you also use these gifts in the world in order to shine the light of Christ?

Recall Joseph’s words to Pharoah: Genesis 41:16 “Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.’”

Sometimes (many times?) we want the glory; we want the recognition. But all that is good, including our giftedness, is from God. We ought to give him the glory for it.

But, alas, we struggle in the flesh against the pride that is inherent in our sinfulness.

We want recognition, and oftentimes when we do not get it, boy do we get angry. We want our name on a screen or billboard; we want money or a bonus, a benefit of some kind.

The next time tempted to think that you deserve recognition:

Luke 17:10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”

Matthew 23:5–7 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.”

Conclusion

Just as God had a plan for Joseph and the people of Israel, he has a plan now for the world, his church, and us individually. We may go through hardships, wondering where is God or what is going on. But God has everything in the palm of his hand. He is still working; he may have a funny or mysterious way of doing things, but he is working. And he is working for our good.

The question: will we respond like Joseph? Will we remain faithful in hardship or just give up on God because it’s “just too hard?”

Unbeliever (or perhaps even believer) and you can’t see God working? Praying that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see what he is doing in your life. God is calling everyone of us to be productive in his kingdom and not let the obstacles of the world slow us down.