Joseph

Stay Focused on the Dream

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” – Genesis 50:20 As we conclude this series about dreamers today, allow me to reiterate that dreams from God will annoy people and get you in trouble, but so what! Joseph had two significant dreams: ”We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” Also, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” As God brought Joseph’s dreams to fulfillment, I don’t think he pictured becoming the Grand-vizier of Egypt, but God did. Joseph had no idea that the gauntlet of betrayal, suffering, deception, and abandonment, were all preparing him for the moment of saving many lives. 

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A God-Given Dream

“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had:’ ” – Genesis 37:5-6 Today, as we continue talking about dreams and dreamers in the Bible, we can’t leave out Joseph! Joseph was the first son of the Patriarch Jacob and Rachel. He had eleven other half brothers, yet he was the favored son. This was evidenced by an ornate coat given to him by his father — a symbol of favor and blessing. In addition to the coat of blessing, Joseph has many qualities to be envied. The Bible tells us he was a handsome guy, but he was also really friendly and loving. But what finally pushes this family over the edge is when God gives Joseph a dream. He shared the dream: “We were binding sheaves of grain out

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Keep Hope Alive!

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13 We’ve been looking at the story of Joseph and how getting to where he needed to be was a long process that required unexpected twists and turns, many of which looked like anything but the fulfillment of a destiny. His story is encouraging to us because it teaches us about God’s redemptive sovereignty. You see, the Lord is not holding our sins against us. We can count on the cross for our forgiveness and know that as we put our trust in Him, He will get us to where we need to go. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful!  This reminds me of my son, Cohen, who just loves Disneyland. To him, it really is the happiest place on earth. I remember a few years ago, he didn’t understand the concept of

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Intended Harm Transformed

“His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. ‘We are your slaves,’ they said. But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” – Genesis 50:18-21 Yesterday, we continued to look at the story of Joseph and we saw that after nearly twenty years of misfortune and trial, He finally witnessed the fulfillment of his prophetic dream. This is the culmination of his story. After interpreting Pharaoh’s vision, Joseph was elevated to a position wherein his power was almost equal to that of the king. This was truly a display of God’s divine favor! Through this promotion,

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God’s Presence in a Prison

“Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.” – Genesis 40:1-5 Yesterday, we looked at how Joseph repeatedly endured hardship and unjust persecution, even while trying to do everything right! After Potiphar’s wife accused him of raping her, he was sent to prison, and in just

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Utterly Pure and Persecuted

“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. ‘With me in charge,’ he told her, ‘my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care…One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” – Genesis 39:7-9,11,12 Yesterday, we looked at the beginning of the story of Joseph. He was a young and naive dreamer who was sold into slavery by his brothers in their jealousy. After being sold, Joseph’s saga progressed, and he ended up in the household of a wealthy Egyptian named

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The Price of the Prize

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.” – Genesis 27:3-5 We can learn a lot from the story of Joseph in the Old Testament, so for the next couple of days, we are going to look more closely at his life. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the account, but it begins when Jacob’s 11th and favorite son, Joseph, had a couple of peculiar dreams. Unfortunately, his siblings were already jealous of their 17-year-old kid brother because he was his dad’s

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Favor is Unstoppable

“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” – Genesis 39:2 As we continue our discussion about God’s favor, I believe we can learn a lot from the story of Joseph. Since we just finished examining the interaction between his dad, Jacob, and his grandfather, Laban, it’s worth noting that Joseph was the son born to Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. Unfortunately, Rachel’s sister Leah, whom Laban gave to Jacob instead of Rachel after he had worked for seven years, had better luck in childbearing. She bore him several children and Rachel became extremely jealous. So insecure was she about her sister’s advantage that she gave her husband her maidservant so she could get pregnant on her behalf. It took years before she finally gave birth herself, and when she did, she had a son and named him Joseph. Because

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