The majority of this section of Genesis records for us the events of how Jacob and his family left the promised land and arrived in Egypt. The main character in this section is Joseph, the first child of Rachel, Jacob’s second wife.
Jacob chose Rachel to be his wife in chapter 29. Laban, Rachel’s father told Jacob that if he worked for him for seven years he could have Rachel as his wife. The words in verse 20 are telling, “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.” This speaks of the difference that love makes. Those who talk about how hard it is to be a Christian, or how hard it is to serve God, or how hard it is to study the Bible, don’t need try harder, nor do they need more instruction, more time, more resources, they simply need to love God. We do not have a sin problem, we have a love problem. If we would grow in our love for God, we would not sin so much.
But Laban tricked Jacob and on his wedding night he gave Jacob Leah, his eldest daughter, rather than her sister Rachel. Jacob did not know it until the next morning, by then he was already married to Leah. Laban agreed to give him Rachel if he would work another seven years. He did, but there were problems with these two sisters and their one husband. Those problems showed up in their children. This is often the case. Children learn by observation more than any other thing. What the sons of Jacob learned from their father and mothers was fear and jealousy, because these were dominant characteristics in the lives of the adults in this “blended” family. Joseph suffered the most from this family sin.
By the time we get to chapter 37 we see the ten sons of Jacob grown and jealous over their brother Joseph, who is 17 when chapter 37 opens. Joseph is gifted by God and favored by Jacob his father. The other brothers hate him because he is so loved. God loved Joseph and gave him the ability to serve faithfully and to see into the future through dreams. Jacob loved Joseph and gave him a beautiful coat. This would not be the first coat to get him into trouble.
Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit and were ready to kill him but he is saved by Rueben, the oldest brother, and sold into slavery by Judah, the fourth son of Leah and Jacob. Joseph’s brothers took his coat and smeared goat’s blood on it and took it to their father with the story that a wild animal had killed his son. An Ishmaelite caravan bought Joseph and sold him to Potiphar, an official of the Pharaoh of Egypt. Over and over it states that “God was with Joseph.” As a result of the gifts and love of God, everything that Joseph did was successful and prospered. Potiphar put Joseph over his whole household because Joseph was a faithful servant and conducted himself wisely.
But, as is often the case, success led to trouble. Potiphar’s wife took notice of Joseph and started flirting with him, tempting him to take notice of her and sleep with her. Joseph refused time and time again (39:1-10). Joseph would not go along with the temptation and Potiphar’s wife would not take “no” for an answer. She finally trapped Joseph in the house, demanding that he be with her. His response is instructive for all of us who are tempted, “…how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (39:9). Joseph knew that God was with him, especially when he was tempted. If we would just remember that God is with us and for us and has gifted us with His own Spirit, we would be led away from temptation and through it with victory over it.
Joseph triumphed over the temptation by breaking loose from Potiphar’s wife and running away. But Potiphar’s wife held on to his cloak, then accused him of attacking her. His cloak was her evidence. Both times Joseph’s coat was used as evidence to lie about him. Both times Joseph suffered as a result of those lies. And again, Joseph is faced with another temptation; what to do when others falsely accuse you and seek to destroy you. God was with him and took care of him, in prison.
In prison Joseph proved himself just as he had at Potiphar’s house. Before long, the jailer had entrusted him with managing the jail. Joseph exercised the giftedness of God in the lives of the other prisoners. Joseph helped the Pharaoh’s butler and asked for his help once he got out, but to no avail; he was again overlooked by man, but favored by God. But God was with Joseph. In His own timing, God promoted Joseph.
The Pharaoh had a disturbing dream in chapter 41 and called for Joseph to come out of prison to interpret it. The Pharaoh told Joseph he heard that he could interpret dreams and Joseph makes one of his classic statements, “It is not in me, God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (41:16). Joseph was exercising the gifts of God but he did not own them, he was a faithful manager of them. Joseph knew that what he had was entrusted to him and that it was not his own; it all belonged to God.
The Pharaoh made Joseph the manager of Egypt as a result. He stayed focused upon the challenge that Pharaoh had entrusted him with instead of focusing on getting revenge on Potiphar and his wife, and on the butler for overlooking him and leaving him in prison for another two years. Unforgiveness and revenge blurs our vision and dulls the giftedness of God in us. Joseph shows us how important it is to exercise the gifts of God and to stay focused upon the task at hand rather than looking back with regret and revenge.
The Pharaoh’s dream had to do with seven plentiful years of harvest followed by seven lean years of famine. In the second year of the famine, Jacob sent his sons to buy grain in Egypt. The reputation of the wisdom God gave to Joseph had spread all over the world in nine short years. The world was starting to come to Egypt to buy grain.
Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him, but Joseph recognized them. He wanted to see if they had changed. Judah had changed. He was willing to put himself into bondage and slavery for his brother, Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother (44:33). Judah had changed in just 22 years from being hateful to being loving, from a proud and greedy man to a humble and honest servant. God will change your life. Joseph saw the change and revealed to his brothers his true identity. He brought his family to Egypt and gave them the best land, the land of Goshen. Jacob died 17 years later a blessed and happy man. All of his sons carried his body back to the cave of Machpelah, in the promised land, to the place where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah were buried. There they buried Jacob.
When they returned to Egypt Joseph’s brothers revealed something they had been hiding for 17 years, unbelief and fear. They were afraid that now that their father was gone, Joseph would have them destroyed. They did not believe that Joseph had really forgiven them and they lived in fear of this lie for 17 years. Joseph reassured them with another classic statement in 50:20, “…you meant it evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” The lesson is clear. We do not have to live in fear if we trust what God has said concerning our relationship with Him. He has forgiven you of all of your sins in His Son, Jesus Christ. Trust Him today and be free from the fear of judgment and death.
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