Who is Joseph?
The story of Joseph begins in Genesis 37. Joseph was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, a son of Jacob and his wife Rachel, known as “the righteous one”.
Joseph was born in the Mesopotamian town of Haran. At the age of six, he left Haran along with his family and journeyed to the land of Canaan, eventually settling in Hebron.
The Bible explicitly tells us that Joseph was the favourite of his father Jacob. The cloak of many colors designated his heir-apparent status, even though he was not the oldest.
He was sold by his brothers to Egypt, where he ultimately became ruler of the land, second only to King Pharaoh.
What does the life of Joseph teach us?
The story of Joseph’s life is one of the most relatable in the Bible. It is filled with family drama and filled with emotions.
The story of Joseph is so important because we can draw so many practical, encouraging and life-changing ideas from it.
Summary of his journey
•Joseph was sold into slavery (Genesis 37:25-28).
•Put into prison (Genesis 39:20).
•Made ruler over Egypt (Genesis 41:39-43).
•Visited by his brothers (Genesis 42:6-7).
•Reunited with his father (Genesis 47:29-30). I
•Blessed (Genesis 49:23-26).
•Joseph died peacefully. He had forgiven his brothers. He had seen God’s plan for his life. He had been blessed by his father .He had lived to see his great-great-grandchildren. He died at the age of 110, apparently younger than most of his brothers.
What are the qualities of Joseph that makes him a great Bible lesson in good character and leadership quality?
▪︎He was a special child given birth to answer in long prayer
▪︎He was more righteous than his brothers, refused to participate or join them in evil
▪︎His father loved him. He was the son of Jacob’s old age
▪︎He had a divine gift of dreams
▪︎He was a prophet
▪︎He his hardworking, persistent and does not give up easily
▪︎Joseph was favoured by God
▪︎Always experiencing divine promotion, even when all seems down and out.
▪︎Always giving glory to God
What are some of his strengths and accomplishments?
•Faithfulness
•Stewardship
•Resisting temptation
•Discernment/wisdom: This he showed when his brothers came, Joseph very wisely devised a way to see if his brothers repented from their behaviour towards him previously or if they would treat Benjamin in a similar way
•Looking at the world and his own situations from God’s perspective
•Forgiveness
What are some of his weaknesses and mistakes?
-Lack of sensitivity
-Immaturity
-Arrogance – This is clearly seen when he told his brothers his dreams, stating it with cheer dominance over them (Gen. 37:6-11). This hurt his relationship with his brothers.
-Also, Joseph did end up marrying a foreign wife, the daughter of a priest of a false god.
What are the lessons learned from his life?
1. God’s dreams for you can make others uncomfortable:
One of the first lessons from the life of Joseph is that God often has plans for us that we ourselves do not desire, yet, it can produce some unfavourable backlash.
2. Nothing can stop God’s plans for your life:
Although Joseph’s brothers tried to destroy God’s plan for his life by selling him into slavery, their actions only served to cause God’s plans to fall right into place.
3. Sometimes generational curses are at work in ones life: This actually has to do with forces that had nothing to do with Joseph himself, how do i mean? Joseph’s brothers tried to get rid of him because they felt that they would secure their share of the inheritance. Their schemes and lies are quite similar to what their father, Jacob, did. You remember when he was younger, he and his mother schemed so that he would get the blessing which belonged to his brother Esau.
4. In hard times, always watch out for how God shows up
5. Although Joseph ended up in Egypt because of unfortunate family issues, God never left him alone, we all saw how he progressed even in the midst of strangers.
Joseph’s Integrity and obedience was a landmark
One of the most powerful lesson from the life of Joseph has to do with integrity. When Joseph worked in Potiphar’s house, there was nothing that was out of bounds for him, except the wife. Although he tried to avoid her at all costs, she would not leave him alone. But his integrity was driven by his sound commitment and obedience to God.
Character traits found in Joseph
Righteousness, honor of authority, disregard for peer pressure, obedience to parents, honor of parents, conviction, courage, reverence to God, submission to truth, cheerfulness, diligence, faithfulness, honesty, humility, service, fear of God, self-denial, hatred of sin, faith, long-suffering, patience, temperance, compassion, love of others, love of the truth, respect for authority, kindness to his enemies, zealous religiously, discretion, graciousness, wisdom, excellent training of children, prudent, fore-sightful, leadership, craftiness, forgiveness, loyalty, tenderness, family affection, generosity, mercy, trust in the will of God, bowels of compassion, tender feelings, integrity, zeal in his work, tender affection, discretion, a great name and reputation, and great faith in God’s words.
