Genesis 37. Study in the life of Joseph
I must confess to you that when I finished reading the story of Joseph, the first words that came to my mind were the words of that hymn:
When we walk we the Lord
In the light of His word
What a glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still
And with all who trust and obey.
This is a man who walked with God and what a glory God shed on his way. He is a man who did God’s will, in the midst of all the adversity and in the midst of all the temptations that he faced and as a result of it God abided with him.
1 John3:24 says, “he who keeps God’s commandments, abides in God and God abides in him”. As I read the story of Joseph I thought, “what a wonderful illustration of that truth in the life of Joseph!!!”
What a wonderful example from a man who many times could have blown a fuse, fall into temptation, get even, become arrogant, proud by his achievements, bitter for being wronged etc. Yet in the midst of all the surrounding pressures, Joseph was straight like an arrow.
It is as if in the midst of all the temptations and the pressures that he was facing Joseph had in mind that abbreviation that sometimes we hear about WWJD – What would Jesus do?
It is as if each time his brothers were jealous with him Joseph thought: what would God want me to do?
When he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife:
What would God want me to do?
When he reached the heights of glory he could have said to his brothers “pay back time, buddies”. He did not do that.
There is that popular sticker that people put in the back of their cars “I don’t get angry I just get even”.
Not Joseph. His eyes were always fixed on God, what would God want me to do? How would God want me to behave in this situation?
I think that if we ask ourselves that question often enough we would not get into a lot of problems that we are getting into.
Some people say, well it was easy for Joseph because he knew that he was destined for glory. Not so, the only thing that Joseph had was two dreams that got him into more trouble. His brothers hated him even more for that.
As we’ll continue to study these chapters in Genesis we’ll see that the whole account is peppered with: deceit, lies, favoritism, jealousy, murderous thoughts, sexual temptations, wrong accusations, unfair imprisonment, forgotten by friends, etc. It wasn’t easy for Joseph. He faced many of the adversities that you and I are facing today.
In the midst of all these he was as straight as a straight line. I believe that God has left the story of Joseph for us as a testimony to the fact that it is possible in the midst of an unholy world and an adverse environment.
The apostle Paul writes in Romans 15:4, “everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”
But you know, the account that we find in Genesis 37-50 is not just about Joseph; it’s not even about his brothers, Jacob or the Pharaoh. It is above all about God. It is about God’s sovereignty, His control, and his knowledge of every single detail of the story.
Before we’ll go to look at the story of Joseph in more detail in the coming weeks, I want us to look at some overall simple yet very profound lessons about God’s dealing with Joseph and how these apply to us.
1) God’s plan for Joseph.
As we look at the entire account of Joseph’s life we discover without a doubt that God had a plan with Joseph. Even though the plan was unknown by Joseph it was known by God.
It was a plan that took Joseph from riches to rags from rags back to riches. From riches back to rags and ultimately back to glories and riches.
From being the pet of the family he reached the point where there was a plot against him. The plot led him to a dark and cold pit. From the pit he was taken to Potiphar. From Potiphar to prison. From a prison to a palace. From palace to being a prime minister.
To get to be a prime minister Joseph had to travel a road that few of us would have enjoyed. I said to you that he did not know that he was destined for glory and in the lonely moments he could have questioned God’s plan for his life. But Joseph always did that which was right before God and left the consequences with God.
That’s what Spurgeon said. We always must do what is right and leave the consequences with God. That’s what Joseph did. He knew that in spite of the difficult circumstances that he had to go through there was the God whom his great grandfather, his grandfather and father had served. And the same God would keep his hand upon him.
This is what it is to really have faith in God and his plan. Even then when we cannot see the plan of God in our lives to trust him. This is real trust and this is what Joseph had.
Do you know what I believe was the most difficult moment for Joseph in God’s plan for him? The moment when he probably thought that after trials and tribulations, after being sold and losing his family he finally got some contentment and some fair treatment by being appointed overseer in Potiphar’s house.
That very time he must have felt like someone pulled the rug from underneath his feet. Because no sooner that he reached some heights, he was brought low. He was brought right back to where he started
Let me say this to you. In God’s plan for our lives and in His providence and sovereignty He may remove the good from us to give us the better. Sometimes He may remove the better to give us the best. That’s what happened to Joseph.
2) God’s purpose in that plan.
With every plan that God has for our lives He also has a purpose. God always hits the target that he wants to hit even though his arrow has to turn corners. That’s what happened in the life of Joseph. To reach that purpose God had to take him around a lot of unexpected corners. He had to take him through a lot of dark days.
But what purpose did God have for Joseph? I want someone to read Genesis 50:19-20.
I want to ask you two questions: Look at these verses and tell me who does Joseph say that was behind all the difficulties that he had to go through?
It would do us good to remember in the midst of difficult circumstances and in the midst of people who may be evil to us that above circumstances and above people there is God.
That’s why Joseph says, “Am I in the place of God?”. It is God was orchestrated all these things and as such I cannot take any action against you. It is as if Joseph is saying to his brothers, I know you meant evil but God was in His place. He knew everything.
What kind of purpose did God have for Joseph? – Good.
It is as if Joseph had a premonition of what Paul was to write some 19 hundred years in Rom.8:28. “For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God who are called according to his purpose”.
I said to you sometime back. This is a verse that speaks about the mystery of God’s sovereignty. God is the only one who out of the most desperate situation, out of those situations that we think are totally hopeless God works out a good thing.
All things work together. Not just some things but in all things God works for our good.
The words “work together” are expressed in Greek by one word “sunergei” from which we get the word synergy. What is synergy? It is the combination of several chemicals to produce a medical drug. To produce something that would be used for curing or controlling a disease.
If these chemicals are taken individually they are deadly but when they are combined they produce that drug with good effects.
That’s the way God works in our lives. He takes the evil things, the tears, the pain and mixes them together, produces that spiritual synergy, so that He can say to us: All things work together for God.
This is something that Joseph realized when he saw the purpose of God in his life.
Let me say Joseph did not realize God’s purpose until after he went through all the difficult times. But through those times he trusted God and did the right things.
The Hebrew language is read from right to left not from left to right the way English is and someone said that, “the purposes of God must, sometimes, be read like Hebrew letters, backward”.
At the time we may not understand them but when He accomplishes that purpose then we look in retrospect we realize the best intentions that God has for us. That’s what Joseph expressed when he said, “you meant these things for evil but God in His laboratory mixed these evils and He produced good”.
You will notice as the story unfolds that even though God allowed some difficult times in the life of Joseph, Joseph always enjoyed God’s protection.
He could have been killed at least twice. Once by his brothers and the second time by Potiphar for allegedly sleeping with his wife. But you know, in His grace God allows upon us only those circumstances that accomplish His purpose and not that destroy his purpose.
Do you remember Job? What did God say to Satan? Take him and do what you what with Him, but don’t cross this line.
One final thought I want to bring to you from God’s dealing with Joseph. Not only that God had a plan for Joseph, not only that God had a purpose to that plan but it was all done with God’s presence.
3) God’s presence with Joseph
Throughout the entire account of Joseph’s life there are some little phrases that just stand out like stars in Joseph’s dark nights.
Any ideas that Joseph was abandoned by God are squashed by these little phrases
Let’s read these verses.
39:1-2 – The Lord was with Joseph.
39:21 – The Lord was with Joseph
39:23 – The Lord was with Joseph
As the story develops we see how God as it were pulled all the strings as it were and was right there with Joseph.
This is the truth that you and I can enjoy throughout our lives. Before He ascended to heaven Jesus said “ and I will be with you always, to the end of the age”. The author of the book of Hebrews quotes God as saying in 12:5 “ I will never leave you nor forsake you”
Let me end the way I begun:
When we walk we the Lord
In the light of His word
What a glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still
And with all who trust and obey.
When we do that we’ll understand that He has a plan with our lives. There is a purpose to that plan, a good one. And finally that purpose will always be accomplished with His presence. Just like it happened with Joseph.
Amen.
4/22/2001, evening.
