Understanding the text

Joseph’s story is an emotional rollercoaster full of seemingly random, tragic events. It starts off with his brothers selling him into slavery—a life that would be short and full of suffering. From there, he is purchased by Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers, only to be falsely accused of sexual perversion by Potiphar’s wife. Next, he ends up in prison where his unique ability to interpret dreams puts him in Pharaoh’s favor. Consequently, Joseph becomes the second most powerful person in Egypt. It is this unique position of power that will allow Joseph to save his brothers and the people of Israel.

We might expect Joseph to be exceedingly bitter towards his brothers. In fact, given his powerful status in Egypt, Joseph could have potentially imprisoned them or worse! But what did Joseph do? Joseph knew that what his brothers meant for evil, God meant for good. The God of Israel had put Joseph in a position to protect and provide for his family, the very family from which Jesus would come.

Additional scripture

1. Acts 2:22-24
2. Romans 8:18-30
3. Luke 6:27-36

Applying the text

1. How does faith in the sovereignty of God protect Joseph and us from bitterness and vengeance?
2. In hindsight, the random and tragic events of Joseph’s life can be seen as God’s wise and good plan to bring blessing to Israel. How have you experienced this same dynamic in your own life?
3. In what way is Joseph’s life story similar to Jesus’? How does Joseph’s life point forward to the promised and coming Christ?

“You cannot judge God by your calendar. God may appear to be slow, but he never forgets his promises. He may seem to be working very slowly or even to be forgetting his promises, but when his promises come true (and they will come true), they always burst the banks of what you imagined.”
—Tim Keller