In every way, Joseph is an image of God's anointed one—through his suffering, a remnant of God's people is preserved. Through his faithfulness, blessing goes out to all the nations.
God intended to do good to Joseph through his sufferings. Indeed, God used Joseph's sufferings as the means of exalting him. God purposed the hatred of his brothers as the means to bring him to Potiphar's house where he blessed Joseph and exalted him as overseer of Potiphar's house (39:2-6).
“Joseph, son of Jacob, because of his faithfulness and integrity to the purposes of the Lord, was rewarded with the birthright in Israel. It was the custom in early times to bestow upon the firstborn son special privileges and blessings, and these were looked upon as belonging to him by right of birth.
Though eventually Joseph rose to power, wealth, and prominence, he experienced many dark days. His brothers hated him and sold him into slavery; he spent years in jail for choosing not to engage in sin, and he was forgotten by those he helped for quite some time. Despite all these trials, he kept his faith.
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.
Joseph became the overseer of a vast amount of grain that would deliver Egypt and many other people from a future famine. This was the main purpose that God had for Joseph's life. He had absolute control over who would receive any grain that was stored up in Egypt.
God's sovereignty figures largely in the Joseph story because God wants us to see how he puts himself in impossible situations and yet finds a way to keep his covenant promises.
His brothers hated Joseph and bullied him. Joseph had dreams wherein his brothers would bow down to him and he would rule over them, and the brothers hated him even more. When Joseph was 17-years-old, his brothers plotted to kill him. Before they carried out their plan, they instead sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt.
Joseph cries so frequently not because he is emotional, but because the reunion with his family takes place over time.
And one of the lessons that is critical to the matter of overcoming is the lesson of patience. Though Joseph was unjustly imprisoned again, he went about the business of being useful where he was. He faithfully served and patiently waited be- cause he was learning that he was not there by ac- cident.
In Genesis 45, Joseph was able to lavish forgiveness and mercy and “the best of the land of Egypt” (verse 18) to the same brothers who had betrayed him. Trusting the Lord was with him, Joseph stewarded the gifts, opportunities, and assets God gave him with excellence and faithfulness.
Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves for him. But Joseph said to [his brothers], “Don't be afraid; I can't put myself in the place of God.
Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.
It was good for Joseph's soul to forgive his brothers. It honored God and gave Joseph freedom from bitterness. We can say with confidence that this is what God wanted for Joseph. We can also say with confidence that God was patient with the journey.
Even though it had been prophesied, it was still hard for the people of the day to wrap their minds around. Thus Joseph was faced with a dilemma. He could either divorce Mary or be complicit in her murder. That is a lot to swallow for a young man who has just seen his plans go up in smoke.
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.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Scripture's Command: Flee!
Ultimately, Potiphar's wife became so aggressive in her advances that Joseph had to run! “One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, 'Come to bed with me!
Weaknesses: Hard to identify any firm ones. Perhaps a lack of sensitivity, a lack of maturity, and maybe some amount of pride combined to make him keep telling his brothers his dreams about his own dominance over them (37:6-11).
Vulnerable to abuse
When the Midianites reach Egypt, Joseph is bought by a man called Potiphar and his wife. This puts Joseph in the dangerous situation of being at the mercy of his master and mistress. Young men today often look to the example of Joseph, who resists the sexual advances of Potiphar's wife.
Joseph exemplified authentic leadership in practice and through years of life-changing hardship. Through his own values, self-control, compassion, and sense of purpose, he earned the trust of high officials, and even more importantly, he was found trustworthy by God, who was consistently blessed his leadership.
Joseph's Special Skills
The Bible, Genesis 37–50, has the story of Joseph who was special because he had a skill of dealing with dreams. Once in his dreams, he saw 11 plants bowing down to him. He also saw 11 stars bowing down, and the sun and the moon, perhaps his mother and father.
God made himself known by appearances called “theophanies,” and in this story, God spoke through dreams. The point of Joseph's dreams is very simple. God would lift Joseph up above his brothers, and this is exactly what happened…
Joseph's Real Skill
The Egyptians believed that everybody had prophetic dreams. The real skill was in interpreting those dreams, and that was Joseph's skill. Joseph was not special because he was prophetic but because he knew how to interpret the dreams.
Chapter six concludes that each of these motifs is a key concern of the Joseph Story but none by itself adequately articulates the story's theme. It is the ecology of these motifs that enunciates the theme: God's providential work with and through Jacob's dysfunctional family, preserving it and blessing others.