Joseph

Joseph’s Many Hardships

This is the last lesson we’ll have in Genesis. Remember, we have a whole Bible to get through in the next year, so we are quickly marching on.

Today, we want to center around the person of Joseph. We’ve already covered some larger-than-life characters in Genesis. But you can’t miss Joseph. His story is a unique one.

The thing we are quickly going to see with Joseph is that living in covenant does not exempt us from tough times.

His brothers hated him because Jacob had made no attempt to hide the face that Joseph was his favorite son. And we know that he had been given this multicolored coat. And just the sight of that coat caused those brothers of his to snarl with envy.

It probably didn’t help the situation that Joseph had two dreams in which all his family bowed down to him. He shared that and you can imagine how it went.

Betrayed by Brothers

Now… considering all of that… and what we’ve already observed about rifts between siblings in Scripture… it’s not surprising that Genesis reports Joseph’s brothers…

Genesis 37:18 KJV 1900

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

So they get together and catch him and throw him into a dry well to die. Reuben, who is the oldest, plans on coming back later and saving him. But another brother, Judah, suggests that they sell Joseph as a slave to merchants coming through.

But they want to cover up their scheme here. So they strip Joseph of his coat, they dip it in goat’s blood, and then bring it to their father. And he is led to believe that Joseph had been mauled by some wild animal. He immediately goes into extreme grief.

Sin is still continuing to scar humanity and ruin relationships.

This is truly one of the most despicable things you’ll read about in Scripture. We use that phrase “sold into slavery” and don’t think too hard about it. But think of how horrible that really is. To sell a sibling into slavery to get twenty pieces of silver.

And here’s what makes it much worse: these brothers were all descendants of Abraham. They had been called by God to live in covenant with Him and each other.

But their envy and hatred had caused them to forget who they were supposed to be, and they sold their own brother out of jealousy.

Several years ago I was in conversation with Jeff Morgan and I asked him at the time: “What do you think is the greatest need in the Church right now?” I remember him telling me that we need a greater understanding of the power of Jesus name and also… we need a true revelation of who we are in God.

It’s not enough to just have a status of “SAVED.” I need to get a revelation that my status must now be “SENT.”

Faced with Hardships

Now, Joseph has a choice at this point. Obviously, that’s a pretty disheartening place he’s in. Complete utter betrayal by his family.

He could spiral into self-pity. He could become consumed with a desire for revenge.

What actually takes place is that those men he was sold to in turn sold him to an Egyptian officer named Potiphar. He was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. There are some scholars who believe Potiphar was Pharaoh’s personal bodyguard.

But what Joseph does is he decides to make the best of a terrible situation, and he faithfully served Potiphar.

Genesis 39:2 KJV 1900

2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

I will trust God though I face hardships as I journey toward my purpose

He could not have realized this at the time, but his betrayal and slavery were part of a much larger plan God was executing.

God was using Joseph to eventually save his entire family from a deadly worldwide famine. And He chose Joseph for this because He knew his character wasn’t going to crack under the tremendous pressures he would be facing.

His brothers displayed their lack of character. But he remained faithful.

Like Joseph, we will not understand the full scope of what God is doing in our lives until we reach Heaven. But in the meantime, we have to trust that God knows what He’s doing and He is ultimately going to get glory from anything we go through!

I love what Paul said:

Romans 8:28 KJV 1900

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Joseph Successfully Lived for God in Egypt

It’s amazing, but somehow Joseph never forgot that he had a responsibility to the God who had called him and his family to live in covenant with Him. And so God honored him in blessing everything he did.

Maintained His Integrity

The story takes another turn.

We know that Joseph was a handsome guy. And apparently he catches the eye of Potiphar’s wife. She repeatedly tempts him. But Joseph always refuses her advances.

One day, she simply would not be ignored. They were alone in the house and Potiphar’s wife brazenly made more advances toward Joseph. And you have to admire Joseph’s reaction. Instead of caving to it, he runs out of the house and away!

But she’s not happy. He had refused her, ignored her, and now fully rejected her. So she begine to weave this story that he had tried to take advantage of her. And her husband had Joseph thrown in prison.

Joseph should have been given some sort of award or recognition. But what he got was prison. But we read this same, comforting line that keeps coming up: “The Lord was with Joseph.”

Now, there are a lot of people who would have caved to that kind of pressure. But not Joseph. He had something rare… it’s a word we’ve been circling this morning: integrity.

It’s the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

He was committed to living with integrity before God, no matter what the consequences were.

Faithful and Forgiving

So he is now in prison (don’t know for how long, but considering who put him here and why, it could be forever). And it’s all based on a false accusation.

But Joseph refuses to just live in despair. He gets back in there. He served his prison sentence like he had served when he was enslaved in Potiphar’s house.

And I can just boil his method down to this: work hard, trust God, and see what happens.

That’s exactly what he did. And the keeper of this prison soon realized the Joseph is no ordinary prisoner. And he starts assigning him the care and oversight of other prisoners. And once more, we read:

Genesis 39:23 KJV 1900

23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

Now, this doesn’t mean everything went Joseph’s way while he was in prison. Because - yet again - it doesn’t.

There are these two inmates who start dreaming. And Joesph (remember - he’s the dreamer) correctly interprets those dreams. One of the things he says will happen is that the inmate who was a butler would get released. And he does! Just as Joseph said. But he forgets about Joesph. For two long years.

That could have truly aggravated Joseph and sent him into this strong bitterness and resentment. That’s easy to let happen.

But he just remains faithful and keeps at his prison duties and loves God.

I will remain humble and persevere just as Joseph did

That example of humility and perseverance when all of these things are happening to him… it’s a reminder for us to do the same.

Jesus told the people one day:

John 16:33 KJV 1900

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

“You SHALL have tribulation.”

Jesus could sympathize with Joseph. Because Jesus was betrayed by a close friend. He was also imprisoned on false charges.

And, as people of God, we can expect people to treat us unfairly at times. They may lie on us, falsely accuse us, even betray us. Things will not always work out for the best, at least in the short term.

But look at those last words in that verse:

John 16:33 KJV 1900

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

“Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

God helps us and gives us power to persevere in the face of injustice and hardship. In the end, we can say what Paul did, when he was also falsely accused:

2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV 1900

14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Faithfulness Preserved the Covenant

So now that we’re coming to the end of Genesis, we see the major stories within it. And the bulk of the book is dedicated to sharing how God made and kept His covenant with Abraham and his descendants, even though different people made mistakes with it.

No matter how faithless people are, God remains faithful!

The last 13 chapters or so are all about God using Joseph to keep his covenant and God’s people despite betrayal, lies, sexual temptation, injustice…

And I’m telling you this morning that God will preserve His people today if we remain faithful!

A Tense Reunion

Joseph has now been sitting here for two years in this prison.

And now, something happens. The Pharaoh himself has a dream. And when the butler hears about this dream, something clicks in his mind and he remembers a man he met a while back who knows how to interpret dreams!

Pharaoh calls for Joseph. Joseph interprets the dream and gives glory to God for it. And then Pharaoh promotes him to be the second-in-command.

And after suffering as a slave and enduring this undeserved prison sentence, Joseph was now ruling the palace!

But he didn’t have much time to celebrate. A famine that would soon consume the land was coming in. And Joseph only had seven years to get some sort of plan together that could save Egypt from starvation.

Unbeknownst to Joseph, this famine would force an awkward family reunion. Remember - we haven’t heard about his family in a while now. And there are tons of people coming in looking for food in Egypt. Low and behold, here comes Jacob and his sons.

When they come in, they find themselves standing before the brother they had once betrayed. They were at his mercy!

And you know, you’ve got a choice to make here. He could rain down revenge. Or he could show kindness and mercy.

What does he do? He invites them to live out the famine with him in Egypt. Now… it’s a beautiful thing that happens. It ends with Joseph embracing his father. This dad who had spent many years mourning the death of his son. God brought this covenant family back together.

And Joseph perfectly, faithfully told his brothers what God had done from his point of view:

Genesis 50:20 KJV 1900

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Faithfulness Wins the Day

I’ve got no doubt that Joseph possessed a ton of talent, intelligence, and skill. But it was his godly character and integrity - faithfulness to God - that allowed him to overcome.

He gave all his skills and talents to the hands of God, and God promoted him when the time was right.

In the end, Joseph’s faithfulness allowed his family to survive famine and reunite after years of separation. This could have ended with sadness and regret. But Genesis closes on a hopeful note.

Joesph is laying on his deathbed, following a long and faithful life. And he leaves his family with a parting word of encouragement:

Genesis 50:24 KJV 1900

24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

I will live in covenant even in a hostile environment

We live in a hostile environment. We’re surrounded by sin, sickness, and suffering.

Talent, intelligence, and skill are valuable, but they are not enough to overcome the challenges of our present age. Faithfulness is the key to success!

1 Corinthians 4:2 KJV 1900

2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

The best and brightest do not always have what it takes. But the one “that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved!

Conclusion

Keep standing! Stay faithful!

Don’t be distracted by life’s inevitable detours! Don’t be resentful when you’re treated unfairly! Don’t compromise your obedience to God’s Word just because it appears to be the easiest thing to do!

The same God who preserved Joseph is going to preserve you! One day, you will find yourself standing beside Joseph and many others like him, listening as the Master says:

Matthew 25:21 KJV 1900

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Let me encourage you today: don’t resist the character development that God is trying to do in you! Don’t resist the growth He’s trying to make happen!