LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JOSEPH
Do you enjoy waiting? Me neither! Sometimes I can be really patient, but other times it is very, very hard! We all have experienced times in our lives when we have to wait for something. It could be waiting to find a life partner, a baby, a job, a new job, or for someone coming home for Christmas – just to mention a few. In this new devotional series, I will be looking at Joseph in the Old Testament – a man well aquinted with waiting. He waited for 13 years, Moses waited for 40 years, Abraham waited 25 years and Noah for 120 years. Sometimes, God simply needs us to wait. These devotionals will be focusing on Josephs experiences in his life. We can all learn from his life and try to apply these Scriptureverses in our lives!
Waiting
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.“
Psalm 27:14
Waiting is something we rarely enjoy doing, yet we do it all the time. Every single day, in fact. Chances are that we are all waiting for something right now. Are you waiting for a dream to come true? Are you waiting for someone to honour a promise to you? Are you hopefully waiting to find a spouse? If not, then we wait for a green light, for our shift at work to end, our birthday to arrive, and so on and so on…
I know a few things about waiting. All my children live abroad, so I eagerly await seeing them again, although I currently dont know when this will happen next. I cherish the memories of last time I saw them – in England, in Germany and in Norway. I also love Christmas, so I wait excitedly for that season to start. I am also looking forward to continuing this study – or devotional – to study the life of Joseph once again. What are you looking forward to? What are you waiting for?
What you are waiting for might be quite different to what I’m waiting for, or maybe you can relate to some of the things that I am waiting for. Maybe you know someone, or maybe you yourself are, waiting for healing of your physical body or for you mental health. Maybe there is a great void in your life – the absence of a spouse or a baby, loss of a dear one, loss of a job or a broken friendship – and you are in desperate need of change or healing in this regard, We are all waiting – and hoping – for something.
Sometimes, when we feel that nothing is happening, and we start feeling discouraged, it’s time to fight that discouragement and seek the Lord, the One who can never fail you! I hope this study of Joseph will benefit you. Maybe you can relate to some of the things that happened in Joseph’s life.
We will be looking at some of these topics or headings as we walk in Joesph’s sandals:
- God-given dreams
- When bad things happen to good people
- Run from temptaion
- Feeling like your wait is a prison
- Being forgotten
- God’s perfect timing
- Living with past hurts
- Forgiving those who hurt you
- Hiding your true self
- Learning from your mistakes
- But God
- A promise fulfilled
Next post will introduce this dreamer of dreams!
Questions:
- What is the dream you are waiting for?
- Which topics resonate with you and why?
- What do you hope to learn from this study?
–
God-given dreams
“1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.“
Genesis 37:1-11
What kind of dreams do you dream? Do you have so realistic dreams that you think you’re actually there? Some times I wake up confused because the dream is so vivid that I’m shocked to see that I’m actually in my bed. Sometimes I kick with my foot because the dream seems so real, and that wakes me up. Joseph’s story starts with his two dreams, but these wre not ordinary dreams – they came from God. They were glimpses of what was to happen in the future – prophecies of what was to come.
Joseph finds himself in the fields as a 17 year young man, tending the flocks with his 10 brothers (Benjamin was not among them, probaly too young to work in the fields). It is important to realize that the family of Jakob – aka Israel – was a bit messed up. Joseph’s brothers were sons of Jacob’s former handmaidens, Bilhah and Zilpah. Jacob’s favouritimsm for Joseph, his first son with Rachel, made him give him the coat of many colours, and the other brothers (except Benjamin) hated Joseph because of this.
Whilst Joseph was out in the fields with his brothers, he must have noticed them doing something wrong, because “Joseph brought unto his father their evil report” (37:2). I don’t know why he became a tattletale, but it is possible that Jacob had asked him to report what the other brothers were doing. Whatever the reason, this didn’t score any brownie-points with his brothers. There was clearly a great division between Joseph and his brothers, so when Joseph dreamed the first dream, he told them straight away!
“We were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf” (37:7). I don’t think this did any good mening the fenses beteen the brothers. His borhers replied: “Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?” (37:8). They were not impressed!
So what happens when Joseph gets another dream? He tells them straight away. Was he not thinking, or was he just as upset with his brothers as they were with him? He says: “Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me” (37:9).
It seems like even Jakcob reacted to this dream, as it says “his father rebuked him” (37:10). Hsi brothers were jealous of Joseph, but his father may have realized that these were not ordinary dreams. After all, his dream of the ladder going up to heaven is epic in the Old Testamant.
Joseph did however appear boastful in this story, and he may have thought that this was a prophecy about the future. He could however have been gullible and not put much thought into it. Either way, he definately needed some time to mature into the person God wanted him to be.
Questions:
- Have you ever had a dream that you felt was from God?
- Did you share this with anyone? What was their reaction? Did it come to pass?
- What do you see in Joseph that shows he needs to grow?
–
When bad things happen to good people
“12 And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Genesis 37:12-36
Romans 8:28
The Scripture for today has more drama tnan lots of movies that I’ve seen. It is a classic! Jacob sends Joseph out to the fields where his brothers are, and we see that Jacob wants Joseph to tell on his brothers. He has done so before, and Jacob trusts that his favourite son will give him a true and correct report on what his brothers are up to. Last time Joseph told on his brothers, it didn’t sit well with them. I wonder how much Jacob realized this.
And when Joseph finds his brothers, they are not where they are supposed to be. They were supposed to be in Shechem, but they had gone to Dothan. They spot him a mile off because of his manycoloured coat – that they also hate – and they plot to kill this dreamer of dreams. They have had enough of Joseph’s dreams and tattletaling, som they want to kill him and blame it on an animal attack. Ruben comes to the rescue, spo they throw him in a big well instead of killing him. Rubens plan was to rescue Joseph out of the well later and take him back to their father. But that plan did not go well (pun intended).
Joseph arrives to his brothers, and they grab him, takes off the coat that they hate so much, and throw him in the well. There is an ironic picture here where this multicoloured coat represents the protection and love of his fathe, but now it is taken and ripped. Do you think Joseph could have shouted at the top of his lungs whilst his brothers sat somewhere close by, eating their lunch? Joseph must have begged and threatened trying to get them to pick him out of that well.
Their plan changes again when some traeling Ishmaelites are passing by. They are headed to Egypt, so the brothers sells Joseph as a slave, giving them some reward for this brother they so utterly despise. They thing Joseph will be gone for ever, and his blood will no longer be on their hands. They sell him for 20 shekels of silver, the price of a young man dedicated to the Lord according to Leviticus 27:5.
It is also interesting to see that they covered Josephs coat with blood, just like we today are covered by the blood of Jesus. Joseph’s brothers lets Jakob believe that a wild animal killed Joseph, a terrible lie that made Jakob grief-stricken. It seems like there was no comfort that could help him, and Joseph’s brothers would have to live with the effects of this lie for many years to come.
As we know, Joseph gets sold as a slave to Potiphar when they arrive to Egypt, and Potiphar is the captain of Pharoh’s guard – a quite important person in that country. He is the head of Pharoh’s security, and would be a popular person in Egypt that everyone would know of. It is no coincidense that Joseph arrived in this household. We must remember that God is in the details – He wanted Joseph right there so that He could orchestrate what was about to happen.
Maybe you can relate to Joseph in today’s Scripture? He was obeying his father, checking on his brothers, doing what he was supposed to be doing, but it turned terrible wrong. Maybe you have done what was right to do, but endede up in trouble for it? Would you have done it if you knew it would turn sour?
God can use bad things to make you grow and mature as a Christian, so that you will be able to fulfil His purpose for your life, Sometimes God will work on you like you’re a rough dimond, polish you and make you ready for the plan that He has for you. He will me molding and shaping you like clay on a potter’s table, and God is the divine Potter. We may not like it when God is preparing us for something, but when that moment arrives, we will see it all som much clearer!
Questions:
- Who do you identify with more, Jospeh or his brothers? And vhy?
- Just like the brothers, have you ever lived with a hidden sin you knew might really hurt someone if you told the truth?
- What did you take away for today’s Scripturereference?
–
The Lord was with Joesph
Genesis 39:1-6
We some times find ourselves in places where we don’t want to be. This was absolutely the case with Joseph. It can be difficult to make the most of the time we have in places we don’t really want to be. It might be that we also have to wait for things that will come in our future.You don’t have to be happy about where you are, but it will help us to have the right attitude whatever our situation might be. As they say, your life as a Christian can be the only Bible som people might read.
Last chapter, we saw that Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. It is important to note what Genesis 39:2 says: “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.” Joseph was only a teenager, yet we see that he made great progress in the house of Potiphar, and Potiphar noticed that this young Hebrew had a good attitude and did his work well. Joseph probably worked harder than all his other emplyees. It says “And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand” (39:3). It seems like everything Joseph touched was turned into gold, and this surely impressed Potiphar.
Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Joseph, arriving to a different country? New language, new customs, new culture, and as a slave, no less. Yet Potiphar, impressed with this young Jew, put Joseph in charge of his whole household. Considering Potiphar’s high office, this would have been a very prestigeous position. You think the people of Downton Abbey were rich and prestigeous? This household was like working for the elite of the country, like for a prime minister.
Joseph got more favour, but also more responsibility. And we read “And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field” (39:5). So God’s blessings on Joseph spilled out over Potiphar and his entire house, even his fields.
As we look at the Scriptures about preperation, we realize that God was using this time in Joseph’s life as a time of preperation for what was to come. Joseph had to learn the Egyptian language, the Egyptian culture, how to run a household, how to be a leader. Even though Joseph didn’t ask for this to happen, it was still a vital part of his life as God was preparing him to run the whole country and save the nation of Israel.
In our lives, we might not understand that the Lord is working in our lives to prepare us for something down the road. We find ourselves doubting God, saying “God, are you out there?” as we think that He might have left us by ourselves. If you are a child of God, then this is not the case. God is with you, and He is working on you so that He can use you in a greater capacity later.
You experience trials and sufferings? This will make you grow so that the Lord can use you when others go through something similar. If you go through a period of waiting, then do not waste this opportunity for growth. God might have something big in store for you! Bloom wher God has planted you!
Questions:
- How is God teaching you during your wait?
- Do you have friends or family watching how you handle your waiting?
- Do you feel adequately prepared or do you see this time as a much needed interruption in you life to teach you more than you ever thought possible?
–
Run Joseph! Run!
13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.
Genesis 39:7-20
As we follow Joseph’s story, it seems like he’s going from the frying pan into the fire. This handsome Jew catches the eye of Potiphar’s wife after Potiphar has made him the ruler of his house. In his important posistion, Potiphar is probably gone much of the time. Potiphar’s wife enters the scene as a hot and lusting wife. She invites Joseph to go to bed with her, but he wisely refuses her.
Joseph is very clear in his dismission of Potiphar’s wife by saying: “ how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (39:9). He doesn’t want to betray his masters trust, and he doesn’t want to sin against God. Could it be any clearer? He could have given after for Potiphar’s wife’s advances – most men probably would – but Joseph was obediant to God, his real Master. Potiphars wife keeps on asking Joseph again and again, but he refuses again and again.
Then the plot thickens. Joseph is inside the house, and there are no one else about – other than Potiphar’s wife. She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and begs him to sleep with her, but Joseph runs away from her. leaving his cloak in her hends. She screams blue murder and accuses Joseph of trying to rape her – litterally. Although Joseph has done nothing wrong, he finds himself in trouble – again. It seems lik Potiphar’s wife wants revenge on Joseph for his rejection of her. Note how she calls Joseph “an Hebrew unto us to mock us” (29:13).
When Potiphar comes home, he believes his wife’s lies – most husbands would – and is filled with wrath against Joseph in spite of Joseph’s innocence. Another theory is that Potiphar could have been familiar with his wife’s promiscutious lifestyle and wants to appear to be in control of her. Still, the fact that Potiphar was wroth and threw Joseph in prison might suggest that he did, in fact, believe his wife.
Another note here is that Potiphar could have put Joesph – who was a slave – to death without any problems. But Potiphar throws Joseph in a special kind of jail, “a place where the king’s prisoners were bound” (39:20), so Potiphar must have recognised Joseph’s true character when he was working for him, giving Joseph some credit and leniency.
We can learn many things from Joseph’s story. First of all, we need to run from temptation. It didn’t work that well for Joseph, but in most cases it does. Then, we need to maintain our purity. We should attempt to stay clean before God. Thirdlky, we should set wise boundries with people. Don’t get yourself in tricky situations if yoy can help ut. And lastly, seek to please God instead of man.
Have you ever thought that noe one is watching as you say something bad, steal something, or tell a lie? God always knows! Remember in your life that God is always watching, and He knwos everything about tyou. There is no fooling Him! Sometimes our actions have serious consequences – no matter if we have done right or wrong. If we suffer because we do right, then this will be to Giod’s glory, And when we do right, God will reward you, but maybe in a different way than you have expected. Chose to do like Joseph did, even if the consequences are bad. God will be with you if you do the right choices!
Qusetions:
- What temptations are you facing today?
- Have you made compremises as you’re waiting?
- Why do you think Joseph declared he would be sinning against God and not Potiphar or his wife?
–
Joseph in the prison
Genesis 39:20-23
“23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Colossians 3:23-24
When we read that Joseph got thrown into prison, we likely thought “how low can you go?” Would it be possible for Joseph to sink any lower than getting thrown into prison? Doing right and obeying God has only gotten Joseph in a big heap of trouble this time. He has been standing on his principles and been faithful to the Word of God, and look where it got him! In prison!
There are some details here that makes me wonder – maybe you too? In 39:20 we read: “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. Potiphar took Joseph to prison personally. Have you ever wondered what they talked about? I sure have!bPotophar was forced to act on his wife’s accusations, but he knew the upstanding character that -Joseph had, and he myust have wondered if his wife was telling the truth. He might have apologized to Joseph for what he felt forced to do. It makes me wonder if Potiphar even had a word with whoever was in charge of the prison about him. That could be a good thing, or it could have been a bad thing. Whateber was said or done, Joseph did end up in prison – no doubt about that!
Joseph was likely scared when he got into prison. He was also likely affraid when he was sold as a slave. But Jospeh might have been comforted by the Lord, as he was a believer and consciencely tried to obey God in all that he did. I don’t know if you have ever experienced fear or anxciety in your life – most likely you have at some time – and if Joseph felt fear for his life when he was put in prison, he would only prove that he was human.
Then we read “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (39:21). No matter where Joseph ended up, the Lord was with him, and God made him prosper. He gained “favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison“. We know that Paul and his companions sang in prison, maybe Joseph was a bit like Paul? Even though he was in prison, he remained a positive outlook on life, knowing that the Lord was with him and he would be ok. Whatever the reason, Joseph was noticed by the others in the prison, and he was granted favour – however this was displayed.
They say that if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That was what Joseph did when he came into Potiiphar’s household, and now he does it again – in prison! He decides to make the best out of every situation, and we can all learn from his example! As we read in 39:23: “because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.” This is also something God can do in your life in spite of dire circumstances.
God wants to be very present in you time of waiting. He knows what difficulties you face, He knows about your sleepless night, your anxcieties and your depression. He knows that you cannot face these ythings on your own. You need to team up with God, seek Him first in your life. You need to focus on Him, not on your circumstances. I can assure you that God knows your situation and is ready to help you through any testes or difficulties that you might face. Trust in God, for He can make you achieve great things, even if you get sent to prison!
Questions:
- How do you handle stress and fear in your life?
- Does waiting feel ike a prison for you?
- Can you feel that the Lord is with you right now?
–
The butler and the baker
6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.“
Genesis 40:1-22
When it says “And it came to pass after these things” in 40:1, we actually don’t know how long Joseph had been in the prison. For Joseph, this time gone might have seemed like an eternity. We are introduced to two new characters in Joseph’s story, namely the butler and the baker of Pharaoh’s household. The butler, or the cupbearer, served Pharoh himself, and the baker made the food that Pharoh ate. These were prominent positions. They likely knew more than others what was going on in Egypt. And they ended up in prison with Joseph.
It doesen’t say what the butler and the baker had done to deserve Pharaoh’s wrath, but whatever it was, it was serious enough for them to wind up in prison for it. It says “he (Pharaoh) put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard” (40:3) – that was good old Potiphar.
Then it says, in 40:4: “And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.” This means that Potiphar turned these two fellows over to Joseph in the prison. So Joseph served these two guys for “a season“. How long you, you ask? I don’t know, I say. A season is a very uncertain period of time. So Joseph is the caregiver of these two important people from Pharaoh’s household. But Joseph notices that these two are discouraged and depressed, not knowing what the future will bring.
Then they have their dreams. And the dreamer of dreams, Joseph, tells them “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (40:8). So he gets them to tell him about what they have been dreaming, so that he can give them an interpretation of their dreams. So God gives Joseph the interpretation of the two dreams: in three days the butler will again be serving Pharaoh his food and drink, but the baker has baked his last bread – or cookie, or whatever he bakes for Pharaoh’s household.
We see Joseph trying to plead his case through the butler when he says: “ But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
We can pretty much feel Joseph’s frustration as he trying to make lemonde out of the lemons he’s been given. He has done nothing wrong, and he’s hoping that the cupbearer will be his “get out of jail free” card. In the next part of this story we will see how this goes.
Questions:
- Do you feel you deserve to be waiting for what you’re waiting for? Why or why not?
- How do you feel about Joseph stepping up and urging the butler to speak up in his behalf?
- Are there friends, family members, or a community in your life who you can serve as you’re waiting on God? If so, what is your next step of service?
–
THIS PAGE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Rev. Lars Haukeland - studies 