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Joseph: Genesis 37-50
Of his twelve sons, Jacob’s favorite was Joseph, the first one born to Rachel, the wife he loved. Joseph was a remarkable young man, and a fine example to all who desire to live godly. He demonstrated great faithfulness to God in very difficult circumstances (Genesis 37-50).
Because he was his father’s favorite, Joseph was not liked by his brothers. To make matters worse, Joseph told his brothers of dreams he had, indicating that they would bow down to him. One day when Joseph came out to the field to check on his brothers, they plotted to destroy him. At first, they wanted to kill him, but decided rather to throw him in a pit. When some traders came through, his brothers sold him to them, and they took him down to Egypt where he would become a servant.
God was with Joseph, and everything he did prospered. He rose to a high position in the household of Potipher, a captain in the Egyptian army. When he was thrown in jail under false accusations, he became a supervisor under the chief jailer. After a time, the cupbearer and baker for the Pharaoh were thrown in jail, and Joseph was able to interpret dreams that they had. Because of this, after a couple more years, he was given an opportunity to interpret a dream for Pharaoh himself. In this, he foretold of a famine that would come. So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of storing up enough food to take care of the period of famine.
These events led to Joseph’s brothers coming down to Egypt, and even bowing down to him. Eventually, Joseph’s family was all moved down to Egypt where they would grow into a great nation of people over many years. All of this was made possible because of the work of Joseph.
Discussion
1. Why did Joseph’s brothers hate him so much?
2. Why did Joseph prosper so much even under hard circumstances? Give examples of how he prospered.
3. How did Joseph respond to temptation?
4. How did Joseph feel toward his brothers after seeing them again? What did he say to them?
5. In what ways is Joseph an example for young and old?