Life of Joseph: A case study in God's plan & providence!
Ps 105:16-22 16Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. 17He sent a man before them; Joseph; who was sold as a slave. 18They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. 19Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him. 20The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free. 21He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, 22To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom. (+ Acts 7:8-15)
What is Providence?
In English the word “providence” is made up of two words - “pro” and “video” which when put together, literally meaning “to see before.” → God's timely action to accomplish His plan in our life!
Intro to Joseph:
Gen 37:2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
[Gen 35:22 And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard about it.]
God taught about sexual purity to Joseph early in His life! (God knew he has to face a temptress!)
Jealousy reigns!
Gen 37:3-4 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
Dream/Visions makes things worse!
Gen 37:5-11 5Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7"There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf." 8And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me." 10So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?" 11And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Joseph's mistake – naïve, should've spoken to his father and got wise counsel!
Providence - The Lord's way:
1. The assignment that we very much desired, but brought us to crisis!
(Pro 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.)
- Travel to far-place to bring back news to father
Gen 37:12-14 12Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. 13And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." So he said to him, "Here I am." 14Then he said to him, "Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
A little history about Shechem:
It was in Shechem that Shechem, son of Hamor raped Dina, the daughter of Jacob to Leah! Later the sons of Jacob plundered the city in retaliation and Jacob was afraid for his life. (Gen 33:18- 34:2, 26-30) Then the Lord intervened.
Gen 35:1-4 1Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother." 2And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3"Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone." 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. !!
2. The unwanted assignment
- Almost got killed
- but was not killed, later sold as a slave (maybe even worse!)
Gen 37:18-22 18Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19Then they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming! 20"Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!" 21But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him." 22And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him"; that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
Gen 37:26-28 26So Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27"Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened. 28Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
3. Assignment for our growth
- bought by Pharaoh's 'chief-of-staff' → captain of the guard!
- Lord prospered him to prominence
Gen 37:36 Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Gen 39:1-6 1Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
What happens normally to someone sold as slave?
How did his master know that the Lord was with him?
4. The forced assignment / assignment within an assignment
- In dungeon for righteousness sake
- Just jailed and not executed when accused of attempted rape!
- But the Lord was with Joseph
- Chief baker was hanged for just offending the king!
- Own plan to get out do not work
Gen 39:7-20 7And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 8But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9"There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" 10So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. 11But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 "And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside." 16So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18"so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside." 19So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. 20Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
How was Joseph able to overcome temptation?
Mistake → Joseph did not inform his master about his wife's advances / maybe his master knew the secret!
Gen 39:21-23 21But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
Why did the Jailer had favour for Joseph?
Gen 40:1-3 1It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.
Gen 40:14-15 14"But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15"For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon."
Gen 40:22 - 41:1 22But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. 41:1Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river....
What would've happened if butler helped him get out before time?
How is Joseph's attitude towards his perpetrators?
5. Placement on the real assignment!
- To reign over Egypt!
Gen 41:9, 14-19 9Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: "I remember my faults this day... 14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it." 16So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
Gen 41:33-43,46 33"Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34"Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35"And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36"Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine." 37So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40"You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you." 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt... 46Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
In total, Joseph's trial (training!) lasted 13 years!!
Gen 50:19-20 19Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."
How does Joseph's life helps us not to quit in our current struggles?
Assignment for growth:
- Faith
- Obedience
- forgiveness
- humility
- Christ-likeness
What does the life of Joseph teach us?
- How to deal with envy and adversity.
- Obedience to our earthly father and our Heavenly Father.
- How to deal with temptation.
- Forgiveness to our enemies.
- Faith in God’s promises.
- Acknowledging God’s Sovereignty in all things.
God's plan already revealed to Abraham:
Gen 46:2-4 2Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am." 3So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4"I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."
Gen 50:24-25 24And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." 25Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here."
Gen 15:13-14 13Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14"And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Meditation:
- Do I see/understand God's providence in my life?
- Which steps will help me see clearly it by faith?
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