Joseph - God's Instrument of Grace

Genesis 37 thru 41

Genesis 37:1-11 Joseph’s Dreams

Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.[a] 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

Issues within the family?

Step and half siblings – can result in jealousy, envy and animosity
Joseph felt a need to act as his brothers’ quality control foreman
Jacob loved Joseph more (just like Isaac)
Brothers allowed their envy of Joseph cloud their judgment

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Issues

Joseph felt compelled to share his dream of superiority
- may have been innocent but remember: his brothers were much older – as a teenager he may have looked upon them as ‘outdated’
Brothers’ disdain for Joseph increased because of his potential for lording it over them
- rather than dismissing his dreams, they became judgmental of him

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Issues

Joseph is slow to learn about diplomacy
Jacob is now incensed (but, it’s possible he could be just admonishing Joseph in front of the brothers)
- Notice that Jacob “kept the saying in mind”
  - Implies that Jacob ‘saw’ something special in God’s gifting
Brothers’ are jealous – Of what?
- Very possibly just the attention from Jacob he received
- It’s possible they discerned God’s blessing upon Joseph and resented it

Joseph Gets Sold

18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”

Issues

The brothers conspire to KILL Joseph – that’s a LOT of jealousy/envy
The brothers conspire to lie to Jacob
Notice that the dreams are still forefront in their thinking!

21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.

What might have been Reuben’s motivation for saving Joseph?

Joseph is an innocent – shedding his blood was heinous (Cain/Abel)
Perhaps he hopes to ‘buy back’ his good name with his father over the defiling of Jacob’s bed

Unfolding Course of Events

first they strip him of the robe – a symbol of Jacob’s favoritism
they argue about Joseph’s fate
they throw him in the pit and then sit down to eat as if nothing has happened
they sell him to Ishmaelites – not opposed to buying/selling people

26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

It’s important to see Judah’s part in this.

(Yes, I know we’re using hindsight but it’s important to understanding this episode and Judah’s rise to leadership)

We know that he will receive the birthright
we know Christ is descended from the tribe of Judah

The Cruelty Done to Jacob

31 Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

The brothers sell him to traders
the brothers feign Joseph’s death
THEN…they feign consoling their father’s grief!

36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

NOTE: Ishmaelites vs Midianites

Some say they sold Joseph to people who then sold him to others.
Some say Ishmaelites and Midianites are one and the same, from the same region of Midian (both are direct descendants of Abraham)

GENESIS 38

This account seems out-of-sequence

Don’t dismiss this account

Synopsis

Judah separates himself from family
- Runs off to live with pagans
  - Pagan friend, Hirah (possibly a wrench in Judah’s spirituality)
Judah “sees” Canaanite woman in Adullah
- Reminiscent of Shechem ‘seeing’ Dinah – desire overrides right-thinking
- He marries her and has 3 sons
  - Did Jacob ever warn his sons about marrying pagans?
    - This is an important question that goes to the heart of our responsibility as parents before God.
First son marries (Tamar) – he was “wicked in the sight of the LORD”
- God smites him
2^nd son marries Tamar (levirate marriage)
- traditional brother carries on previous brother’s name
- but #2 refused to raise his offspring as his brother’s
  - God smites him
Judah is afraid for youngest son’s fate
- promises him to Tamar “when he’s older”
Tamar tires of waiting
- dresses like a temple prostitute and lures Judah to bed
- Judah thinks she’s a common harlot
  - Judah leaves personal collateral for her “services”
Later, Judah tries to find the “prostitute”
- Hirah goes looking for the temple prostitute
  - he is aware of Canaanite religious customs, Judah is not
    - Judah’s moral and spiritual compasses are way off!
Tamar is rumored to be pregnant
- Judah makes bold proclamation to have her burned (sexual misconduct = being burned; an insult and sign of damnation
Tamar sends Judah’s collateral to identify him as the one who impregnated her
- Judah is found out
Judah: “she is more righteous than me”
- A reflection on Judah’s unwillingness to trust God with his youngest son’s future

What do we learn from this account?

God uses Tamar to help Judah “man up”
God isn’t afraid to work with sinful people, or work around/thru their failures to accomplish His agenda
- both Judah and Tamar manipulated the situation for their own gain but God used it all for His purpose
Tamar gives birth to twins
- Tradition says Zerah had breached the womb first = he earns the birthright
- however, Perez was born first – physically
  - God ignores Man’s traditions
    - Isaac, Jacob, Judah and Perez weren’t receivers of the natural birthright but God chose them to be carriers of the Promise
See the sin God has chosen to work with:
- familial jealousy and hatred
- poor choices
  - to live among pagans
  - to withhold his son from levirate marriage
  - to take pose as a harlot so to keep a pregnancy familial
  - sleeping with a harlot
  - unexpected and elicit birth

GENESIS 39

READ vss 1-6

Notice how God doesn’t ‘save’ Joseph, yet redeems him

Review: Potiphar’s wife’s treachery

READ vss 19-23

Again, notice Joseph’s plight, yet God’s redemption

Keep in mind that though Joseph is not the bearer of the Promise, he is divinely instrumental in the establishment and development of the nation of Israel. Thus, God’s redemptive plan encompasses other people not just the bearer.

How does that make you feel about your place in God’s plan?

GENESIS 40

Dreams of the cupbearer and the baker
Joseph – by God’s wisdom – interprets the dreams
Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember him to pharaoh
Cupbearer and the baker are released
- cupbearer is exonerated, but the baker is hung
Cupbearer forgets Joseph
- seems “unfair”
- Why would God allow this to happen?
  - Possible: makes pharaoh’s need for Joseph later on all the more compelling!
  - Perhaps Joseph needed “seasoning” before becoming the leader of Egypt

GENESIS 41

two full years pass!
Pharaoh’s disturbing dreams

READ vss 9-16

despite his plight for the last decade or so
- Joseph never forgets God
- Joseph never complains
- Joseph never cries “unfair!”

READ vss 37 to end of chapter

How God has set the stage for Israel’s future?
How has God’s plan of redemption taken shape through history from Adam to Joseph?