The Story of Joseph, Part 1

The Story of Joseph Part 1

           The story of Joseph is my favorite story from the Old Testament and one of the greatest stories in all of literature. It has been one of the most influential biblical accounts in my personal life and in recent years I have revisited it and learned even more from Joseph’s life; how he trusted God,  served God, and changed the course of history. In this series of videos I want to go back and look at Joseph’s life once again.

[Genesis 37:1-11]

           Joseph’s name first appears in the Bible in Genesis 30. He is the first son born to Rachel, but he is Jacob’s 11^th son. His older brothers were born to Jacob’s other wives.  

           We pick up the story again at the beginning of Genesis 37 when Joseph is 17 years old. One of 12 sons in a polygamous family. I don’t think we have to strain ourselves to see the enormous problems inherent in polygamy. It is not God’s design for the family. It is a disaster. 

Joseph has been put to work with his half-brothers and he observes them doing things they shouldn’t do and that Jacob would disapprove of. This is not hard to believe considering the other things we read about the brothers in Genesis. At any rate, they predictably hate Joseph for telling on them and they hate him anyway because his father clearly favors Joseph. Jacob gives him a special, multi-colored coat. Many of you have seen the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It’s what Jacob gives to Joseph. All the more reason for the brothers to hate him.

Parents this goes without saying but bears repeating. Do not favor one child over another. Parents should never play favorites with their children. It helps no one. It’s based on bad theology. You do not know how God is going to uniquely use each one of your children.

If Joseph’s brothers hated him for being a snitch and his father’s favorite, he is going to give them a whole lot more reason to hate him. Joseph has a dream and then he has another dream. In both dreams his brothers and even his father are bowing down to him.

Joseph, in future days, is going to need to remember the promises God gave him in his dreams. God’s promises will always be fulfilled but we must remember that He fulfills them in ways that surprise us and in His own time. Lots of catastrophes can occur before they are fulfilled. As you travel your earthly journey do not doubt in the dark what God has revealed in the light.

Joseph’s dreams will have a very literal fulfillment. The brothers bow before Joseph because their empty sheaves are seeking his full sheaves. They will bow before Joseph because they are seeking his corn. But a lot has to happen first.

Joseph dreams of success; but he does not dream of being sold into slavery and imprisoned. We place great hope in the promises of God. But we need to be aware of the troubles God allows us to experience in that process.

The most galling part of Joseph’s dream is that his brothers would bow down to him. Why did he tell them about this dream? God ends up using this in a powerful way. It is a crucial part of the story. And it results in one of the most astonishing providences in history. I think this is another instance of God using sin to produce a righteous outcome. I can’t be persuaded that God led Joseph to brag about his dreams to his brothers. It almost got him killed. But God uses all this anyway. Our mistakes and sins do not prevent God’s will from becoming reality in our lives.

The text says even Jacob rebuked Joseph and his dream but it says Joseph’s words stuck in Jacob’s mind. I wonder if Joseph’s dreams gave Jacob any comfort in the years ahead when he was told that Joseph was dead?

[Vv12-17]

At some point Joseph’s brothers head out to tend sheep. As you probably know, raising sheep is a nomadic prospect and sheepherders have to move from place to place to find grass. The brothers had been gone for some time—probably a week or two—so Jacob tells Joseph to go check on his brothers. We don’t know if it is suspicion or just curiosity but he sends Joseph out to find them. Jacob had not sent Joseph with them to actually tend the sheep. But now he sends him out—apparently alone. It seems like a foolish thing for Jacob to do. But he does it. He sends his child into a dangerous situation. Parents we need to be really careful about this. Do not send your child into a situation where they might be harmed. It could be school, or a neighbor’s house, or a relative’s. Protect your kids. Unlike Jacob.

So off goes Joseph.

[Vv18-24]

The brothers are able to see him from a long way off. And they decide to commit a terrible crime, one that would haunt them to the end, and cause enormous pain and suffering in their family, especially their father. At first they plan to simply murder him, but Reuben, the oldest brother, talks them out of homicide and works out a scheme to save Joseph’s life. But he does not stand up to the brothers and rebuke them for their evil. Reuben has forfeited his leadership credibility because of certain outrageous sins he has committed. His sins had rendered him powerless.

The brothers had allowed anger, resentment, jealousy, and bitterness to fester in their hearts. This inevitably led to terrible sins and tragedy.