Joseph's Example - Part 1

At a young age God made Joseph aware that great things were in store for him. God gave Joseph two dreams (Gen 37:6-11). In these dreams God made it clear to Joseph that He would raise up Joseph to such a high place that his brothers, father, and mother would bow to him out of respect. Joseph told these dreams to his family but it only made his brothers hate him even more. His brothers were already jealous and envious of him and the love that their father had for him and these dreams made them hate him all the more.

After these dreams his father sent him to check up on his brothers and to see how things were going with his flock. When his brothers saw him coming their first thought was to kill him, then they decided to sell him into slavery instead. His brothers saw this as a way to preserve their “innocence” by not having his blood be upon them.

When Joseph came into Egypt he was purchased by a high ranking captain of the guard for Pharaoh named Potiphar. Joseph is never said to complain, he does not refuse to serve the man that has purchased him, he does not try to escape, instead he faithfully serves this man. God grants Joseph great favor in the eyes of Potiphar by making everything Joseph does to prosper (Gen 39:1-6). Joseph worked so hard, was so trustworthy, and so blessed by God, that this man put him in charge of everything he had and did not even check into his accounts any longer, he just trusted Joseph.

Reflections for Part 1

This part of the story makes me pause and really think how I would act in this situation. If I was given these great dreams by God of being a powerful person, and then betrayed by my family and sold into slavery, would I be as faithful and trusting of God’s plan as Joseph was here? Would I serve the man who purchased me, faithfully and honorably, without ever trying to escape? Would I complain to God about the circumstances that I was in? Would I continue to trust that God was sovereign? Would I really believe that God is working out all things for my good (Rom 8:28)? We see that this is exactly what Joseph did. This is a great example being set for us. We should trust God and be faithful to God no matter what our circumstances seem to be. He continued to trust God and continued to be a godly man and God in turned blessed him.