Joseph: God's Plan for Israel

One of the most misquoted verses in scripture is found in Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 NASB95

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

This passage of scripture is given to Jeremiah for the people of Israel that will be going into exile for 70 years!

It is true however that God does have a plan for your life and mine… He gives us a glimpse in Mark 8:34 or in John 16:33

Mark 8:34 NASB95

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

John 16:33 NASB95

“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.”

You and I seek to know His plan for our lives. Truth is that you probably don’t want to know. What we can know though is God’s will for our lives, and when we live within His will we can have peace knowing we are following the One who has overcome the world!

Joseph would not know the plan that God had for his life. Truth is that the next twenty years would be hard. Regardless of not knowing we will also see Joseph live within the will of God.

You and I serve an Omniscient God!!!

om•ni•scient \-shənt\ adjective

1: having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight

2: possessed of universal or complete knowledge—

So much so is His Omniscience that He predicted to Abraham what would occur… Genesis 15:13-14

Genesis 15:13–14 NASB95

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.

Joseph would look at the events and see God had a plan… the Nation of Israel would look and see God had a plan. God not only knows all things… He knows all hearts!

Favored Son & Hated Brother

Genesis 37:1-4 sets the scene for us nicely...

Genesis 37:1–4 NASB95

Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. 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. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. 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.

The next 13 chapters of this book of Genesis will focus greatly on the life of Joseph!

Favoritism… are you seeing patterns in this family!?

Multi-colored coat (Patagonia of the day verses Wal-Mart brand coat)

Bad report… not sure but no one likes a snitch

Jacob does not have a good pulse on the family dynamics… they could not speak or be friendly in any way!!!

Jacob’s Old Age

He has trained Joseph differently

Quality Time / Poured into him knowledge of God

Different relationship than with the others

To add to the fury… Joseph shares two peculiar dreams he has Genesis 37:5-11

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.

The Dreamer

This title is a derogatory title his brothers give him… Notice that the dreams are recieved poorly.

I don’t know how he told them

Regardless, no family member likes to think that they will bow before another.

What a beautiful way to show Joseph later that God had a plan...

Also note the scripture available to Joseph at the time

Word of mouth from father and maybe grand father

Possibly Job but nothing else

Does God Plan Bad Days

Joseph is going to have a bad day...

Can’t find his brothers

Brothers scheme as he approaches to kill him

Pretend a wild animal shred him to pieces

This knowledge will crush his father (BEYOND COMFORT!)

Reuben (Oldest Son) has some conscience and convinces them to just throw him in a pit

Brothers have a meal while Joseph suffers in pit

Judah (Fourth Son) comes up with the idea to make a profit on their brother and sell him, instead of killing him!

After all he is our brother

Besides we can get something out of it!

Joseph is sold to traders… taken to Egypt, a foreign land and culture, SOLD as a slave to work in Potiphar’s home.

Genesis 37:36 reads:

Genesis 37:36 NASB95

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

What do you do with bad days?

When life throws your world upside down, can that really be okay with God?

Could God really have this plan for Joseph? In Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph states to his brothers:

Genesis 50:19–20 NASB95

But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? “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.

Evil is evil, sin is sin… scripture is NOT calling this good… BUT GOD can work it for good!

Bad days come, Hardships will be abundant, there will be times your world is rocked by evil and sin… BUT GOD

Let’s rest in the ONE who is in control, who KNOWS ALL, who has a PLAN… He WINS!!!

I close with the words Peter would give to a church who was going through a lot of Bad Days… 1 Peter 4:19

1 Peter 4:19 NLT

So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.