Joseph

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob and the most loved of them all. His father made him a coat of many colors, a sign that he considered him special.

Joseph’s Dreams

One night Joseph had an unusual dream: his brothers’ sheaves of grain stood up and bowed down to his sheaf. Another time he dreamed that the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.

When he told them his dreams, his brothers became very angry. Even his father was astonished.

What Does It Mean?

God was speaking through these dreams. He was showing Joseph that He had a great plan for him, even though at that moment it was not clear how it would come true.

Joseph’s brothers hated him because of his dreams and his colorful coat. The envy in their hearts grew until they decided to do something evil.

What Happened

Joseph’s father sent him to look for his brothers in the pasture. When they saw him coming, they said to one another: “Behold, this dreamer cometh… let us slay him”.

But Reuben, the oldest, persuaded them not to kill him. They threw him into an empty pit with no water.

Sold into Egypt

When a group of Ishmaelite traders came by, Judah suggested: “Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites.” They pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver.

The traders took him to Egypt. His brothers took his coat, dipped it in goat’s blood, and brought it to their father. Jacob believed that a wild animal had eaten Joseph, and he mourned for a long time.

Joseph arrived in Egypt as a slave and was sold to Potiphar, an important officer of Pharaoh. Even though his situation was hard, Joseph chose to work with all his heart.

God Was with Him

The Bible says that God was with Joseph and that everything he did succeeded. Potiphar noticed this and made him manager of his whole household. Joseph earned his master’s trust through hard work and honesty.

The Temptation and the Hard Choice

Potiphar’s wife wanted to draw Joseph into doing wrong. Joseph flatly refused, saying:

Potiphar’s wife lied, and Joseph was thrown into prison. Although he had done what was right, he got punishment instead of reward.

Faithfulness Matters

Joseph did not choose what was right in order to be rewarded. He chose it because he loved God. Sometimes doing right costs something, but God sees and does not forget.

Joseph was in prison even though he was innocent. He could have been angry or discouraged. But God was with him, and Joseph kept being faithful.

Manager of the Prison

In prison, too, Joseph stood out for his seriousness and honesty. The jailer gave him responsibility, and Joseph looked after all the other prisoners.

The Dreams of the Cupbearer and the Baker

Two of Pharaoh’s servants, the cupbearer (who brought the king his wine) and the baker (who baked his bread), were put in prison and had strange dreams.

Joseph said to them: “Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.” He explained that the cupbearer would be set free in 3 days and the baker would be put to death. It happened exactly so.

A Forgotten Request

Joseph asked the cupbearer: “think on me when it shall be well with thee… make mention of me unto Pharaoh.” But the cupbearer forgot him. Joseph had to wait 2 more years.

After 2 years, Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler in the world, had two troubling dreams that no one could explain.

The Two Dreams

In the first dream, 7 fat cows came up out of the Nile, followed by 7 thin cows that swallowed up the fat ones. In the second dream, 7 full ears of grain were swallowed by 7 withered ears.

The wise men of Egypt did not know what they meant. Then the cupbearer remembered Joseph!

Joseph Before Pharaoh

Joseph was brought out of prison, shaved, and changed his clothes, and he stood before Pharaoh. When Pharaoh told him he had heard that Joseph could explain dreams, Joseph answered at once:

The Meaning

Joseph explained that 7 years of plenty were coming in all of Egypt, followed by 7 years of terrible famine. He advised Pharaoh to store up grain during the 7 good years.

Pharaoh recognized that God was with Joseph and made him vizier over all Egypt.

Pharaoh made Joseph vizier over all Egypt, the second most powerful man in the greatest kingdom in the world. From a slave in prison to ruler of Egypt!

Preparing in Plenty

Joseph was now at the head of the government. During the 7 years of plenty, he gathered grain into huge storehouses in every city. He stored up so much that it could no longer be counted.

Joseph married and had two sons. He named the first Manasseh (forgetting), saying that God had made him forget all his hardship. He named the second Ephraim (fruitfulness), because God had made him fruitful in the land of his suffering.

The Famine Comes

The 7 years of plenty ended and the famine began. There was famine in all the world, not only in Egypt. People from every nation came to buy grain from Joseph.

And Joseph’s brothers came from Canaan, sent by their father Jacob…

Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain. They did not know that the powerful man in front of them was the very brother they had sold. Joseph recognized them at once.

Joseph’s Tests

Joseph did not reveal himself right away. He put them through a few tests to see whether they had changed. When he saw them weeping and feeling sorry for what they had done, his heart melted.

The Moment of Truth

Joseph could not hold back any longer. He wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard him. And he told them:

His brothers were frozen with fear. But Joseph calmed them right away:

God’s Plan

Joseph understood that everything that had happened to him, being sold, Potiphar, the prison, the cupbearer’s forgetting, had been part of God’s plan. It was not people who directed history, but God.

He embraced them all, brought them to Egypt with their whole families, and fed them during the famine.