For his wisdom, Joseph is made a ruler in Egypt, second only to the king (41:38-49). Joseph predicts seven years of bountiful harvests followed by seven years of severe famine in Egypt and advises the king to begin storing grain in preparation for the coming dearth (41:1-37). The king calls for Joseph and relates his dreams. Two years later, the king himself has some troubling dreams, and the cupbearer remembers Joseph’s gift of interpretation. Both interpretations prove to be true, and one of the men is later released from jail and restored to his position as the king’s cupbearer (40:1-23). In jail, Joseph interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners.
Joseph, although innocent in the matter, is cast into prison ( Genesis 39:7-20). However, Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Joseph, and when her advances are rebuffed, she falsely accuses him of attempted rape. Potiphar could see that whatever Joseph did, God looked favourably on him and he prospered in all that he did. In Genesis 39 we read of how Joseph excelled at his duties and became one of Potiphar’s most trusted servants and was put in charge of his household. Joseph is sold to a high-ranking Egyptian named Potiphar and eventually becomes the supervisor of Potiphar’s household.
Reuben, the eldest, objects to outright murder, so instead, the brothers sell Joseph as a slave and deceive their father into thinking his favourite son had been slain by wild beasts ( Genesis 37:18-35). The animosity towards Joseph peaks when his brothers plot to kill him in the wilderness. To make matters worse, Joseph begins relating his dreams-prophetic visions showing Joseph one day ruling over his family ( Genesis 37:11-15).
And when Jacob presented Joseph with a highly decorated coat, he was hated and resented by his brothers all the more ( Genesis 37:3). Because of Jacob’s open love for Joseph, his favouritism was begrudged by his other sons. This behaviour, combined with Jacob’s overt favouritism towards Joseph, causes his older brothers to resent him to the point of hatred (37:3-4). As a 17-year-old shepherd, Joseph is something of a tattle-tale, bringing a bad report about his brothers to their father ( Genesis 37:2). Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob, and his story is found in Genesis 37–50. What can we learn from the life of Joseph?
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