Joseph was a dreamer. In one particular dream, he dreamt his father, mother and brothers would bow down to him. To make family matters worse he shared this dreams with them. His brothers had enough, by the way he was also his father's favorite, and decided to get rid of him. Instead of killing him, their original plan, they sold him to slave traders. He eventually ended up a slave in Potipher's household.
Potipher, an officer of Pharaoh, and the captain of the guard, placed Joseph in charge of all that he owned under his authority. One problem, Potipher's wife wanted Joseph to sleep with her. In spite of her advances, he kept refusing. On one occasion she grabbed his clothes and begged him to come to bed. He did escape by tearing out of his clothes, leaving her holding his garment, the evidence she used against him. When Potipher came home she falsely accused Joseph of coming on to her. Potipher saw the garment in her hand and threw Joseph in jail. It's the stuff of soap operas.
OBSERVATION
On the surface it would appear that Joseph suffered misfortune...sold as a slave, falsely accused and thrown in jail. But in reality God was working behind the scenes in His life.
- God was the reason he attained a position of power in Potipher's house: "The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master." (Gen. 39:2)
- Even in prison, God was the reason he was placed in charge of all the prisoners. "The Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden." (Gen. 39:21)
Meanwhile, Pharaoh began having some pretty vivid dreams and needed someone to interpret them. Joseph's dreaming ability, which got him in trouble in the first place, was the reason he was released from prison. Pharaoh heard about Joesph's ability to hear a dream and interpret it. However, Joseph did not take the credit for himself. "'I am not able to," Joseph answered Pharaoh, 'It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.'" (Gen. 41:16)
So, throughout Joesph's life the hand of God was with him. In the well, in the slave traders' caravan, in Potipher's house, and in prison, it was God's hand that made the difference. On the surface it looked like he was the victim of his circumstances. But God turned them around and used them for good. Joseph's brothers eventually came to Egypt to buy food because there was a severe famine in the land. In a sense, they did bow down to him. Joseph summarized his experience this way, "You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result--the survival of many people." (Gen. 50:20)
APPLICATION
God's plans never fail. He can take a bad situation and bring about good results. Joseph's life is a testimony to the power of the plans of God. Being a follower of Jesus does not mean that we have to view every event as good. We do find ourselves in some bad places. But in those places we can still find a good God who can bring about good things. What good plans is He bringing about in your life, even though circumstances may be bad?
PRAYER
