The Life of Joseph: God Meant It Unto Good

By Clarence Sexton

This book on the life of Joseph is written with the prayer that it will encourage Christians to keep their eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781589816992

Book preview

THE LIFE OF JOSEPH

GOD MEANT IT UNTO GOOD

he life of Joseph is one of the most beautiful lives ever lived. There are few characters in the Bible as glorious to study as the man Joseph. As we begin this study, let us familiarize ourselves with the highlights of Joseph’s life.

SOLD INTO SLAVERY

We begin reading about Joseph in the thirty-seventh chapter of the book of Genesis. Joseph was a son of Jacob, whose name had been changed to Israel. The Bible says in Genesis 37:3, Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. Joseph was hated by his brothers because he was his father’s favorite son.

When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was sent by Jacob to check on his brothers. The Word of God says in Genesis 37:18, And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. They stripped Joseph of his beautiful robe and cast him into a pit. Instead of taking his life, they decided to sell him to the Ishmeelite merchants for twenty pieces of silver. Joseph was sold into slavery.

Joseph was better off in Egypt in the care of God than he was in Canaan among his brothers who despised and envied him.

With shock we declare, What a tragedy that Joseph was sent out by his father to visit his brethren and they sold him into slavery! Yes, but Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, God meant it unto good.

We may say, What a horrible coincidence! How could such a terrible coincidence take place? As Joseph’s brothers were thinking about what they were going to do with him, it just so happened that across the horizon came merchantmen traveling down to Egypt. Yes, but we know that God meant it unto good.

God’s ways are not our ways, but God knows all things. Joseph’s brothers were so hardhearted that they sat and ate their lunch while Joseph called out for mercy from the pit. They sold Joseph. They took the coat his father had made him, tore it, and covered it with blood. They made it appear to their father that a wild beast had slain Joseph.

Jacob certainly thought, If I had not sent him, if I had not asked him to go, he would never have been killed by a wild beast. No doubt Jacob blamed himself for Joseph’s death. Those heartless brothers lived with that lie until they came face to face with Joseph many years later.

Let us follow Joseph to Egypt. The Bible says in Genesis 37:36, And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard. Joseph was sold again.

The Word of God says in Genesis 39:12, And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph.

BETTER IN EGYPT

Joseph was better off in Egypt in the care of God than he was in Canaan among his brothers who despised and envied him.

The Word of God says in Genesis 39:3, And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Do you know that God is with you? No matter what men do to you or choose to say about you, if you walk with God, God will honor your life. He will bless you and take care of you.

Joseph served in the house of Potiphar. However, there came a time when Potiphar’s wife set her eyes on Joseph. When she attempted to seduce Joseph, he testified in Genesis 39:9, There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Our sin is inescapable

God was all-sufficient to Joseph. Joseph was not saying, Look, you’re another man’s wife, and I’m not going to commit this sin with you. Joseph declared, How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

What happened? Joseph ran away from Potiphar’s wife. He left his coat, but he kept his character. Then, from Potiphar’s house, he was sent to prison. The Bible says in Genesis 39:21, But the LORD was with Joseph.

BETTER IN PRISON

This is hard to imagine, but Joseph was in the lap of luxury in Potiphar’s house. He had everything a man could imagine. Potiphar was quite a noble man in Egypt. However, Joseph was better off in prison with his character and integrity than he was living in the lap of luxury in Potiphar’s house. The foundation of Joseph’s character was his faith in God.

When we come to the end of ourselves, then our sweet, precious Lord can make Himself truly known to us.

The Bible says in verse twenty-two, And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. Even in prison, God gave Joseph favor. This reminds us that the Word of God says in Proverbs 22:1, A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

In Genesis 39:23 we read, The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

We want God to remove our problems. We want God to take away our prisons. However, God says, I won’t take away your problems or your prisons, but I’ll go with you through your problems and be with you in your prisons.

The Bible tells us that a butler and a baker were in prison with Joseph. The butler lived and the baker died. The butler returned to Pharaoh’s house. In Genesis 40:2223 the Bible says, But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.

If you study the life of Joseph and put events in chronological order, you will find that as a seventeen-year-old boy he was sold into slavery. For the next thirteen years, until he was thirty years of age, he was in Potiphar’s house and in prison. The Lord worked thoroughly in Joseph’s life. We want God to work quickly, but God desires to work thoroughly. Is God working thoroughly in your life?

We want God to work quickly, but God desires to work thoroughly.

The Lord delivered Joseph from prison. Pharaoh had a dream, and the butler remembered that Joseph could interpret dreams. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh and was enabled by God to interpret his dream. The Bible says in Genesis 41:3841,

And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Although the butler had forgotten about Joseph for such a long time, it is evident that God never forgot Joseph. Beloved, no matter what others have done to you, no matter what they have said about you, no matter what you have been through, God has not forsaken you.

SINNED AGAINST BY HIS BRETHREN

We find in God’s Word that the Lord worked in Joseph’s life even though his own brethren sinned against him. As we continue in this Bible story, we read in Genesis 42:14,

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

The Lord worked to bring Joseph’s brethren into his presence. The Bible says in Genesis 42:69,

And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

Do you know what Joseph really wanted to do? He wanted to rush to his brethren, embrace them, and smother them with kisses. However, they were not ready for this.

Do you know what our heavenly Joseph, the Lord Jesus, desires to do to us? He wants to rush to us, embrace us, and smother us with His kisses. But we must be prepared to receive Him. Just as they sinned against Joseph, we have sinned against our Lord Jesus and He must deal with us.

Let us notice how Joseph dealt with them. The Bible says in Genesis 42:1516,

Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

Remember when Joseph came to them, sent by his father, and his brothers said, You’re a spy, Joseph! No doubt when Joseph said to them, You’re spies! they thought that their great sin against their brother was catching up with them.

The Bible says in Genesis 42:2023,

But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

The Word of God says in verse twenty-four that Joseph turned himself about from them, and wept. Joseph was yearning; he was groaning. Inside, every emotion was tugging at him to embrace his brothers and reveal himself to them, but their hearts were not ready to receive him.

Oh, how much God desires to do for us How tender and precious God desires to be to us, how He longs to bless us But He must prepare our hearts to receive His blessing.

The Bible says that Joseph kept Simeon, and the rest of his brothers traveled back to Canaan. They knew they were in trouble when they found their money in their bags. Things did not get better for them; instead, they were getting worse.

Oh, how much God desires to do for us How tender and precious God desires to be to us, how He longs to bless us But He must prepare our hearts to receive His blessing.

Do you know how we bring our burdens to the Lord? Do you know when we come to God and ask Him to help us? We come, not when the burden is light, but when the burden is so great we cannot bear it any longer.

The Bible says in Genesis 43:1, And the famine was sore in the land. Joseph’s brothers would have to go back to Egypt, but Joseph had asked them to bring Benjamin. The boys told Jacob, He wants Benjamin.

Their father said, No! He’s all I have left. My tender wife, the one I loved so, gave me two sons and one is dead. You can’t take Benjamin.

Finally, there was no other option. In Genesis