Joseph: His God-given Dreams

This is part of a series of studies we are doing on the life of Joseph. Joseph indeed is a challenge both to the young and the old today. He is a model to servants and those who are going through difficult times in their lives. We hope that it is going to be a blessing to you. Remember you are free to comment and/or write us.

Gen 37:19-20 “And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” (KJV) If you can, try and read the whole of that chapter in Genesis here. The brothers of Joseph hated him because of envy. Firstly, their father loved and favoured him. Secondly, he had dreams about his life which suggested that he would be greater than all of them sometime in the future. In fact, their hatred increased because of his dreams. Look at the list: “…they hated him…” (Gen.37: 4) “…they hated him all the more…” (vs 5) “…and they hated him all the more because of his dream…” (vs 8) “His brothers were jealous of him…” (vs 11) The result of all these dreams was that in the course of doing his job and obeying his father, the brothers took him and would have killed him, but for the intervention of Reuben. They decided to sell him. Joseph was sold from one hand to another until he landed in the house of Potiphar in Egypt. If you examine carefully, it seems to me as if Joseph was sold naked or semi naked. This is because, Vs 31-33 says that they took his robe and dipped it in blood and took to their father so as to deceive him that a wild animal killed him. Joseph was mourned by his father and forgotten. Let’s take of these: Joseph lost the affection of his father, he lost the affection of his moderate brothers, he lost the company of all the people he was familiar with, he lost his freedom forever because he was sold as a slave. In Egypt, because of his fear of God, he ended up in prison and was disappointed and abandoned by pharaoh’s chief cupbearer. He had traumatic experiences. However, in spite of all these, there is one thing that Joseph did not lose – his relationship with God. A lot of people lose their relationship with God in the face of adversities. You may have lost ‘all’ in your adversities – relationships, material things, loved one, tragedies and you are like forgotten and abandoned in life by those who used to celebrate you. You may actually have forgotten all the dreams God gave you about your life and all you care about now is just how to have a relief. Please, do not lose your relationship with God. That is what is going to bring to pass your God-given dreams. The way Joseph took was the only way God had designed for his dreams to come to pass. He suffered but he was faithful in his relationship with God and in his service. At last, his God-given dreams came true. Your God-given dreams will eventually come true! Only continue in your love relationship with God and in your faithfulness.

Joseph: A child of God can say no to sin

This is part of a series of studies we are doing on the life of Joseph. Joseph indeed is a challenge both to the young and the old today. He is a model to servants and those who are going through difficult times in their lives. We hope that it is going to be a blessing to you. Remember you are free to comment and write us.

Gen 39:6-9 “…Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused…How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (NIV) Joseph was a very successful servant and was well favoured by his master, Potiphar. Also, he “was a very handsome and well-built young man” Vs 6. Soon his master’s wife began to desire him. She was bold and invited Joseph to bed with her, but Joseph said no. Now imagine the favours he would probably have enjoyed from the madam of the house assuming he conceded to her request, though we know, just like any gain or pleasure of sin, it would have been short-lived. Off course saying no to the woman was a risk in itself and eventually landed him into trouble. However, if you love God and you are a responsible son, you should be able to say no to sin even when it seems ‘risky’. Better land into ‘trouble’ with man and be at peace with God rather than the other way round. Most people are able to say no once but succumbs when under pressure. Potiphar’s wife “kept putting pressure on him day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and kept out of her way as much as possible” Vs 10(NLT). Joseph devised ways of avoiding the woman. Why was he taking all the pains? He was determined in his refusal to sin against God. Often times, opportunity comes for us to prove our decisions. I don’t call it opportunity to sin but opportunity to test our decisions. Joseph was alone in the house doing his house cores. The desperate woman grabbed him on his cloth begging him to sleep with her. Joseph left his clothes with her and ran. God has not asked us to stand and resist temptation. He asked us to resist the devil but urged us to “flee from every appearance of evil” (1 Thess.5: 22). Temptation can come in several ways: in the course of discharging your duties in your workplace like Joseph, in your school, in house among neighbours, or even in the course of rendering service to God, like helping others etc. But one thing is clear, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (I Jn 3:9 NIV). If you are born of God, you have the capability to say no to sin and live a victorious Christian life.

Joseph: Humanly forgotten but divinely remembered.

This is part of a series of studies we will do on the life of Joseph. Joseph indeed is a challenge both to the young and the old today. He is a model to servants and those who are going through difficult times in their lives. We hope that it is going to be a blessing to you.

Gen 40:8-22 “And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph…And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon…And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand… Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.” (KJV) Here we see Joseph interpret a dream to Pharaoh’s Butler who was in the prison with him at that point in time and had a dream. According to Joseph’s interpretation of his dream, the Butler would soon be restored to service in the presence of Pharaoh and again be close to the corridors of power. What is moving is the request he made to the Butler: “But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon” For the first time we saw Joseph’s emotion poured out. He was feeling abandoned. He was in anguish. He felt injustice and oppression. Like Job, he felt he was being treated unfairly. So he saw the moment with the Butler an opportunity. He asked the Butler to remember him before Pharaoh. However, the Butler forgot and abandoned him in the prison. “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.” How many times have you felt abandoned in this life because friends and those you trust so much have failed you? You may be struggling right now with a feeling of shattered dreams, wondering what happened that you have found yourself in the present condition you are in. you may have suffered tragedy in your life, standing bewildered in the middle of a broken, you don’t know what to do. You are asking the question, what went wrong? Why is it that all the people you felt would be of help to you, all forgot you at the time you trusted them? Not just that these were friends, you have done them good at one time or the other and even aided in their being to the position were they are today. Unfortunately, all they could do to you is to forget you in your troubles. You may even have more questions than these. No matter your questions, you may not have answers to any of them. However, there is good news for your situation. Thank God the Butler didn’t remember Joseph. Thank God he forgot Joseph. If he had remembered him and pressed his case well, perhaps Pharaoh would have released Joseph but he would have remained a servant forever. The disappointments you are seeing today will come to an end. Thank God for all that have happened to you. They will all work together for your good. And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans. Rom 8:28(TLB) God had a plan for Joseph’s life. He wanted to come out of his troubles anyhow, but God said, ‘I have a better plan for your life though it would mean your staying in prison longer. Though the Butler abandoned you, I knew about it and I’ve been in control all this while so as to bring to pass my plan for your life. I’ve not abandoned you in spite of your feelings’. Joseph continued to trust God and He restored him in due time. Friends and people may forget you but God has not abandoned you.