JOSEPH – THE MAN WHOSE DREAMS CAME TRUE
Scripture: Genesis 37-50
INTRODUCTION: Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, but the first of his mother, Rachel. He is one of the most outstanding men of the Bible, and it would take a book itself to fully detail all the virtues and victories over vicissitudes of Joseph. The story of this young man is so appealing to young and old alike, for it is the story of a man who went from a pit to a palace, from rags to riches, from being a slave to being a sovereign! But most importantly, it is the true story of a young man who stayed morally pure in the face of great temptation.
JOSEPH WAS A YOUTHFUL DREAMER – Gen 37:5-9, 41:42-44
It is not uncommon for a young fellow to be a “dreamer,” that is, to have his head in the clouds, daydreaming and wishing about one thing or another. If the adjective “lazy” can properly be placed before the noun (dreamer) then there’s not much hope for that person to amount to anything. But Joseph was different, his dream came true! [See Pro 23:7a. Discuss with your class the importance of dreams (goals for the future) and right thinking–Phil 4:8.] When we consider the nature of Joseph’s dreams and that the fulfillment of them resulted in the sparing, not only of his immediate family, but of the future nation of Israel as well, we are reminded of Solomon’s wise words in Prov29: 18a, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: … !”
JOSEPH LABORED AS A SLAVE – Gen 39:1-6, 20-23
Even though he was a slave, Joseph was faithful under hard circumstances and in unnoticed places. Here is a very important principle for living: There must be faithfulness in little responsibility in the obscure position before greater responsibility and a more prominent position will be given. When we learn to be faithful in the “little” things, God will give us greater things to do. You can be sure that if Joseph had complained and been a slacker in his work as a slave, he would never have been promoted to second ruler over the land of Egypt.
JOSEPH ENJOYED THE PRESENCE OF GOD – Gen 39:2-4
Because of Joseph’s attitude and his unbroken trust in God, God was with him and blessed him. (The theme of Joseph’s life could well be “Securing God’s Presence.”) Notice in v 3 that his master took note of God’s blessings upon Joseph. Because of the obvious presence of God in Joseph’s life, Potiphar had confidence in him.
JOSEPH RESISTED TEMPTATION – Gen 39:6-13
No doubt the most prominent and admirable thing about Joseph is the way he withstood every test that came his way. There are six of them in the divine record:’
1. The test of Adversity
2. The test of Prosperity
3. The temptation of sexual immorality
4. The test of False Accusation
5. The test of Broken Promises
6. The temptation to Get Even!
No. 3 is the subject of this passage. Joseph was a handsome, comely man (v 6) and, thus, became the unwitting and innocent target of his mistress’ wicked desires. It is hardly expected that a slave whose occupational background (shepherd) made him an abomination to the Egyptians would become the object of affection to the “high class” wife of Potiphar. A maid, a cook, or some other female servant, yes, but not Potiphar’s wife! Here is an important lesson: temptation often comes from unexpected directions. Joseph is to be commended for his response to her advances. Note specifically his words in v 9: Joseph understood that sin is against God and in this case would be “great wickedness.” He not only reproved his ungodly mistress, but he steadfastly resisted her advances. When he was “cornered,” he left his garment in her hand and fled! It would not be written till many hundreds of years later, but Joseph understood the principle Paul conveyed to young Timothy, “Flee also youthful lusts … ” (2 Tim 2:22) What an important lesson this incident in Joseph’s life is for us–when we are submitted wholly to God, we will allow neither shortcomings nor favorable traits to cause us to stumble in serving God. We also need to be reminded of the truth of 1 Cor 10: 13 and put it into operation when we are faced with temptation.
JOSEPH “ANSWERED NOT AGAIN” – Gen 39:14-20
This is the outcome of the incident dealt with above and comprises Joseph’s fourth Test. After Joseph had done that which pleased God by refusing to sin with his master’s wife, she, in her anger over being rejected, accuses him of trying to rape her. Without any effort to learn the truth of the matter, Potiphar has him thrown in prison! Joseph is a marvelous type of Christ in so many particulars of his life. But here is one of the most amazing–he was silent amid foul and false accusations and the appearance of guilt, and even to unjust imprisonment. No doubt there was some wisdom in this ( after all, what man would believe a slave instead of his wife) but there was also a great deal of Christlike humility. This is certainly not a merely human response. Jesus answered not again when he was falsely accused and then delivered up to die in total innocence.
JOSEPH WAS UNSPOILED BY SUDDEN PROSPERITY -Gen 41:14-20
This was possibly the greatest test of character Joseph experienced. Many a man who stood faithful through great opposition and hard trials has fallen when he met success. Joseph passed the “success test” with flying colors! When days of great honor followed days of servitude and humiliation, Joseph did not yield to pride.
JOSEPH KNEW HOW TO RETURN GOOD FOR EVIL- Gen 50:16-21
You would agree that this was a pretty big test also–after all, he had his brothers just where most of us would have wanted them!! But Joseph again exhibits great Christlikeness in his refusal to seek revenge. Consider Jesus’ teaching in Matt 5:43-48 and see how Joseph’s life compared to that. (How does your life compare?!)
CONCLUSION: We cannot have all the gifts of Joseph, who was such a complete type of Christ, but we surely ought to covet and strive to imitate all his graces. We will not achieve his greatness from a worldly perspective, but we can have his goodness reproduced in our lives by the Spirit of God!
Final Lessons from Joseph’s Life- The attitudes which helped Joseph secure the PRESENCE of Godare revealed in three scenes:
Scene #1: In Potiphar’s house – his attitude toward sin was fear – Gen 39: 1-13
Scene #2: In Prison – his attitude toward circumstances was faith – Gen 39:20-40: 14
Scene #3: In the Palace – his attitude toward people was forgiveness – Gen 50: 1-26