The Story Chapter Three

We left off last week explaning the story of Jacob (Israel). We told you all about his love for his wife Rachael and all that he went through to make her his wife. They try for years to have children but Rachael is barren. Finally, she cries out to God and gives her the desires of her heart a son, named Joseph. Although, Jacob has 10 other sons Joseph becomes his favorite child and goes out of his way to show his favoritism. He makes him a beautiful coat of many colors and drapes it around his sons shoulders. His brothers look on with envy and hatred. They dispise the boy who has told them all of his dreams....that one day all of them would bow before him. Talk about pouring salt in an open wound! If they weren't already furious about the coat imagine how much resentment came from that statement.

The story opens to find Jacob sending his son Joseph out to see how his brothers and his flock are doing in his field in Shechem. However, when Joseph gets there his brothers are nowhere to be found. He asks a man who is wandering in the fields alone if he knows where is brothers are. He tells them he heard them say "Let's go to Dothan". Dothan is a place outside of the land his father owns.

Notice, the father sends his son out to find his children and his flock. They had decided to leave their fathers land and go to a foriegn place. Sounds alot like the people of God. The Father sent His Son into the world to look for His children and they were not where they were supposed to be. When the church is not where it is supposed to be....don't be suprised when you find people wandering lost and alone! Like sheep without a shepherd.

Joseph finally finds his brothers who see him coming from a distance (of course it was probably not hard to notice him in the coat of colors). They devise a plan to kill him and quiet the annoying dreamer. However, his older brother Judah says hey why kill him when we can make some money off of him. So they strip off his coat soak it in blood so they can tell their father their was a terrible accident. They then sell him to the merchants for 20 pieces of silver (the going rate for a boy between the ages of 5-20). Most of the time people purchasing young boys would use them to complete harsh construction projects that were dangerous. However, Joseph gets sold to Potipher's house in the kingdom. The Lord was with him and granted him favor. He becomes the best servant and soon is in charge of his entire house.

The next scene....well, talk about a script straight from the latest episode of Desperate Housewives. Potiphers wife has the hots for young Joseph but he refuses her advances over and over again. So she tricks him to get him alone in her bedroom and grabs him by the coat. He gets so scared that he runs out of the house leaving the coat in her hand. Feeling quite rejected she screams out to the guards and makes up a story about Joseph that lands him in prison.

The Lord was with Joseph even in prison. He finds favor with the gurad and soon is running the whole prison. Everyone there loves and trusts Joseph. After helping out two cell mates with a dream interpretation he finally leaves the prison after two years and now finds himself working as 2nd in charge to the kingdom. Again the Lord is with Joseph and he finds favor. God gives him the wisdom to prepare for a faminie.

When the famine stricks who should come begging for bread and bow down before Joseph....His brothers. What is the response of Joseph? He tells them what you meant for evil, God meant for good, the saving of many lives. Including the lives of the very people that had brought him so much pain.

What drove Joseph through all of the hardships, trials, heartaches? Yes, the Lord was with Him but let's face it, it can be difficult when going through hard times to keep going. It was the dreams. God had shown Joseph a vision and plan for his life through dreams when he was still a young boy. Joseph believed what God said would happen and no matter what came against his purpose, he pushed on, he pressed through, he had his eye on the reward.

It was no accident that he was sold into Potiphers house and did not end up on the construction sites. It was no accident that he was taken into prison. It was no accident that God gave Pharaoh a bad dream that required the dreamer to come and interpret. It was all God's divine plan. Joseph understood this and that is why he tells his brothers...I can forgive you....it was God who brought me here....not you. And not for the glory of Joseph but for the saving of the lives of others.

What painful memory have you been holding onto and need to let go of? You may have gone through some horrible things caused by the hands of others...Understand that if you let God into those secret places not only can He heal you but even give you the strength to forgive them. Later if you are willing God will use those hard places to save many lives. Just as he did for Joseph as well as He did for me.

Has God given you a dream?
What roads will you have to walk to get there?
What will be required of you?
Will you become bitter when things get rough?
Will you do it to glorify yourself or God?

Joseph is a story that is referred to as a "type". Meaning that it was an example of Jesus.
Notice that the son was sent into the world to find his brothers. None of them were in the right place. Like the Pharisee's when the brothers seen him coming covered in his coat of glory they resented him and plot his murder. One of his own sells him out for silver and wrongfully accused they are taken captive. Now both sit as second in charge of the kingdom and are willing to forgive those who hurt them. Hmmmm....tell me God did not already have a plan in mind after the fall of Adam and Eve.

God does not do anything by accident His ways are not our ways...He can turn every test into a testimony! God already had a plan and purpose for your life laid out before you were even born trust that He is still working and is not finished with you yet.

Can I get an Aman?