After Joseph achieves a reconciliation with his brothers, he invites Jacob's whole household to come to Goshen in Egypt, where a settlement is provided for the family and their flocks. His brothers' sale of Joseph into slavery thus proves providential in the end, since it protected the family from famine.
And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Forgiveness enabled Joseph not to seek revenge or become bitter and angry (Genesis 50:19-21). Forgiveness caused Joseph to become a loving and caring person. This was a special blessing from God. Loving forgiveness will prevent a person from seeking revenge that will hurt people.
“The story of Joseph, the son of Jacob who was called Israel, is a vivid representation of the great truth that 'all things work together for good to [those] who loved God. ' (See Rom. 8:28.) Joseph always seemed to do the right thing; but still, more importantly, he did it for the right reason.
Introduction. After Jacob died, his body was embalmed in Egypt. Following a period of mourning, Joseph and his brothers buried Jacob's body in the land of Canaan, according to his wishes. With their father dead, Joseph's brothers feared that Joseph would seek revenge on them for their past injustices to him.
By contrast, the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, from the 5th or 6th century, has a long account of Joseph's peaceful death, aged 111, in the presence of Jesus (aged about 19), Mary and angels. This scene starts to appear in art in the 17th century.
But, Reuben stepped in on Joseph's behalf and convinced his brothers to throw Joseph in the pit instead. Secretly, Reuben planned to come back and save him. The brothers listened to Reuben and did not kill Joseph, but when Reuben returned to rescue Joseph, he was gone!
We could learn a lesson about the mysteries of how the world works. Believers and non-believers can see it as an illustration of the need to keep trying and persevere. Joseph shows that the worst conditions possible may not be final. We never know when the next step will lead to success.
Genesis 37-50 tells the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob. God blessed Joseph richly and used him powerfully, but only after Joseph had been in slavery and prison for 13 years.
The Joseph story becomes a really important part of the pattern of the suffering servant that God appoints to rule. But his rule involves him descending down into death on behalf of others so that through their suffering and death, they can be exalted and become a source of life to others.
In Genesis 50, Joseph is both forgiving his brothers (not throwing them into prison) and being restored to his brothers (inviting them back into family relationship).
He had forgiven his brothers for selling him into slavery, and he was happy to see them again. He could tell his brothers had changed as well. They were worried about their father, and they took good care of Joseph's younger brother Benjamin, and they were sorry for what they'd done. They didn't hate Joseph anymore.
From a young age, Joseph believed God had destined him for greatness. In dreams, God assured Joseph that he would rise to a position of leadership over his parents and brothers (Gen. 37:5-11). From Joseph's point of view, these dreams were evidence of divine blessing, rather than his own ambition.
But Reuben wanted to save Joseph. He said, “Let's not kill him. We can put him into a well without hurting him.” Reuben planned to save Joseph and send him back to his father.
Most of the ancient commentators of the Bible interpreted it as meaning that Joseph was law-abiding, and as such decided to divorce Mary in keeping with Mosaic Law when he found her pregnant by another. However, his righteousness was tempered by mercy and he thus kept the affair private.
Both Joseph and Jesus were betrayed by someone named Judah/Judas (it's actually the same name). In both cases the deal was done in exchange for many pieces of silver – 20 for Joseph and 30 for Jesus (Genesis 37:26-28; Matthew 26:14-16). Their betrayal also led to them both being saviours.
God chose Mary for the special privilege of being the mother of His Son Jesus, and He chose Joseph for the special privilege of being Jesus' adoptive father. It was not necessary for Jesus to have an earthly father. He could have been raised by Mary without the assistance of Joseph.
The Joseph Effect is a term derived from the Old Testament story about the Pharaoh's dream as recounted by Joseph, which led ancient Egyptians to expect a crop famine lasting seven years to follow seven years of bountiful harvest.
Joseph immediately became a powerful and very prosperous man. He was given a wife and began to raise a family. He lived very comfortably and had a lot of good food to eat. These were all personal blessings that he experienced before being reunited with his father and family.
On his ancient father, he bestows life by inviting him to a new home. The old man, once brokenhearted by his loss, experiences resurrection because his son still lives. Yes, the Joseph who reveals himself to his brothers is a man who gives the gift of life.
According to the Gospels, Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph, conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit – and therefore Christians consider Jesus the Son of God. However, most Christians understand Joseph to be a true father in every way except biological, since Joseph was the legal father who raised Jesus.
Through the story of Joseph, and how he forgave his brothers for the way they treated him when he was young, the children learn the power of forgiveness. They also learn how Jesus forgives us and that it is important to forgive others. Memory Work - Matthew 6:14; Scripture Reading and Discussion - Genesis 45:1-28.
Joseph, who had been sold to Potiphar, an officer of the pharaoh, came to be trusted and honored in Potiphar's household. He was, however, falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, Iempsar, of trying to violate her, after her attempts at seduction had failed.
He is then said to have been embalmed then placed in a coffin in Egypt. In Exodus, we are told that Moses fulfilled the pledge by taking Joseph's bones with him when he left Egypt. In Joshua, Joseph's bones are said to have been brought from Egypt by the Children of Israel and interred in Shechem.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.