JOSEPH, THE SURVIVOR

Text: Genesis 37

Introduction: If the importance of a story can be measured by the number of chapters devoted to it in the Bible, then Joseph’s account ranks high. It takes 13 chapters (Genesis 37–50) to complete Joseph’s saga! We gain many practical truths as we carefully reread these chapters.

1. Joseph’s Dysfunctional Family

• Jacob. Joseph’s father was enigmatic. He was deceptive, manipulative, passive, and fearful. And yet God changed his name, and he is considered the father of Israel. Under Jacob’s tent were four mothers, eleven sons (until Benjamin came along), and one daughter. As the favored son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Joseph became the target of his brothers’ anger and rage. If a Christian organization were selecting the “Father of the Year,” Jacob would not have been selected!
• Rachel. Joseph’s mother was considered a beauty. Jacob was so taken with her that he was willing to work 14 years for Laban in order to gain her as his wife. Joseph did not have a lengthy relationship with his mother. She died while giving birth to his brother Benjamin.
• His brothers. Joseph’s 10 older brothers were a rough-and-tumble group. Though Jacob was passive, they were just the opposite—aggressive. When their sister, Dinah, was raped by Shechem, a man from a nearby city, two of Joseph’s brothers took the law into their own hands and murdered all the men of the city. After that deed, the other brothers came and “plundered the city” (Genesis 34). That same aggression was directed toward the “family pet,” Joseph.

2. Joseph: Rejected and Abandoned

• There were many contributing factors to the hatred directed toward Joseph. This was in large part due to the mistake Jacob made in his outward show of affection for his young son, which filled the other brothers with extreme jealousy. Parents are warned to refrain from showing favoritism to one child over another. Jacob was obvious in his special love for Joseph, and the symbol of his favoritism was the gift of a coat of “many colors.” The coat was a daily reminder that Joseph was first in their father’s eyes.

  Charles Swindoll writes: “Jacob did nothing to hide this favoritism, In fact, he put it on display by giving Joseph ‘a varicolored tunic,’ or, as the familiar King James Version translates it, ‘a coat of many colors.’. . . One reliable Old Testament commentator, H. C. Leupold, says this regarding the style of Joseph’s garment: ‘This tunic was sleeved and extended to the ankles.’ . . . You can’t work very well in a garment that has sleeves and extends all the way down to the ankles, especially if it’s a costly, richly ornamented robe. . . . By giving Joseph this elaborate full-length coat, which was also a sign of nobility in that day, his father was boldly implying, ‘You can wear this beautiful garment because you don’t have to work like those brothers of your’ ” (Joseph, pp.10-11).

  Joseph’s dreams didn’t help matters. In his dreams, sheaves of grain and moon and stars bowed down to him. Joseph made a big mistake in sharing these dreams over the breakfast table. It was like throwing oil on a raging fire. So the brothers’ anger turned to hatred, which finally resulted in the brothers wanting to kill him. Genesis 37:18-20 records the brothers’ developing plan. With Joseph pleading for his life (42:21), the men sit down to lunch. When they spy a caravan of Ishmaelites in the distance, they decide to make some money and sell their brother into slavery. They pocket the 20 shekels and watch Joseph disappear down the desert trail to Egypt.

3. Joseph and His Survival. How did this young man with a God-given dream ever survive? At every turn, he seemed to meet a pit or prison or other disappointment. Every event seemed to scream, “Your dream will never come to pass!” So where did Joseph find solace?

• God was with him and made him successful (39:2-3,21). Joseph was given endurance to go on and to do his best. He rose in ranks to run Potiphar’s household. He was a slave in charge, and later he was in charge of the prison.
• God was never far from the mind of Joseph (40:8; 41:16,25,28,32). He did not emerge from prison at the command of Pharaoh full of resentment. No, he gave all the credit for dream interpretation to God. Joseph’s God brought this to pass!
• God took part in the naming of his children (41:50-52). As a reward for unraveling the dreams of Pharaoh, Joseph was elevated to prime minister, or second in charge. In addition to robes and rings and chariots, he was given a wife. Later, when children were born, Joseph named them:
  Manasseh, which means “to forget.” For God had made         him forget all his toil and his father’s house. With God’s         help, Joseph was moving on in his life.

  Ephraim, which means “fruitful.” God caused him to be         fruitful in the land of his affliction.

  Joseph survived, and his story tells us how. If you’ve had a difficult struggle in your life, wrap your arms around Joseph’s story and find fresh hope today.