Series: Bible Characters JOSEPH

When we turn to the life of Joseph in Genesis, we encounter one of the most unique men in all of Scripture. Joseph’s name means ―may He (Jehovah) add‖. Joseph is more like Christ than anyone else in the Scriptures. The word ―Shiloh‖ means ―Christ‖.

Joseph faced a multitude of pressures and trials, any one of which could have caused him to give up hope, give in to the pressure, or turn away from God. He could have accused God of being powerless to handle his difficulties or, even worse, not caring enough to come and rescue him out of them. But Joseph did none of these. Instead, he knew some things about God. He trusted in God and what he had been told and taught about Him. And he had discovered the rich treasure of fearing God and walking in His presence. That is what we want to discover, and Joseph will help us.1 One great lesson we can learn about Joseph deals with pressure. Notice with me first of all...

I. THE PRESSURE JOSEPH FACED

A. The pressure of growing up.

1. Out of 12, he was the first born son to Rachel. a. Six born to Leah. b. Two born to Rachel. c. Two born to Bilhah, Rachel’s maid. d. Two born to Zilpah, Leah’s maid 2. Friction and jealousy was a part of the family life. a. Jacob had been tricked into taking Leah as his wife, and then was given Rachel (Gen. 29:21-35). b. Leah was unloved even though she had bore 4 sons to Jacob (29:31-35). c. Rachel was loved very much, but bore no sons to Jacob (29:30). d. Both wives gave their handmaids to Jacob as a wife, and these two women bore Jacob four more sons. The relationship between the four women had become tense. e. Jacob finally leaves and goes to Canaan and Joseph grows to be a teenager. 1) Joseph was app. 6 years old when they left (31:41, compare with 30:25-31). 2) Eventually they moved to Shechem (Gen. 34) and the family once again faced pressure.

1 Following God – Learning Life Principles from the Personalities of the Old Testament: A Bible Study by Wayne Barber, Eddie Rasnake, Richard Shepherd.

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3. They again move to Bethel for a short time and then began their journey to where Jacob was from, but in the process of this move, Rachel gives birth to Benjamin and dies (Gen. 35). a. Joseph would have been a teenager by now, and impressed by what his father did in (35:1-3). b. It was a time of cleansing, and putting away false gods, and serving the One true and living God. c. When Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, she had called his name Benoni, meaning ―son of my sorrow.‖ d. Jacob changed it to Benjamin, meaning ―son of my right hand‖ which shows a place of great honor. 4. You can see now that there would be great strife and jealousy between the two sons of Rachel and the rest of the brothers. 5. Dysfunctional families are nothing new.

―People have always been people, with relationships complicated by the sin nature all of us bear. Joseph was born into a family whose complications rival those of many families today—including a step-mother, three sets of half-brothers, and the loss of his mother. It was a tangle of divided loyalties and resentments. Joseph could have easily become a victim of those circumstances, but he was learning from his father, Jacob, that he had a God bigger than any circumstances.‖2

B. The pressure increases.

1. By chapter 37, Joseph had distinguished himself as a man of honor. a. The coat given to Joseph by Jacob was probably a long tunic with sleeves worn by youths of the richer class. It was most likely reserved for the firstborn and signified position and honor. Joseph’s brothers apparently resented Joseph’s ownership of the coat itself, as well as the status it implied, since they made a point to strip him of it.3 b. Ruben was the first-born, but had distinguished himself as a man of wickedness (35:22). c. Joseph was the first-born of Rachel, the one Jacob loved. d. On top of this, Joseph reports his two dreams that one day he would rule over them. You can be sure that this drove the wedge deeper between them. 2. By this time, things were at a boiling point. In (37:14) Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers. a. (37:18-24) even before he gets there the brothers see him and conspire to kill him.

2 Ibid. 3 Ibid.

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b. Instead of killing him, they throw him in a pit. How did Joseph respond to this (42:21)? c. The word ―distress‖ lit. means ―tightness‖ and has the idea of a narrow or tight place, a crowding in. Joseph was under tremendous stress and pressure. d. Joseph’s situation worsens (37:25-36). 1) He is sold for 20 pieces of silver to a band of Midianites. 2) The Midianites sold him to Potiphar, who later sold him to Pharaoh 3) He was probably very confused about what God was doing. Bitterness for his brothers was just a heartbeat away. 3. An important response to the pressure. a. He could have simply sat down and waited for God to rescue him. b. He could have become bitter and wallowed in self-pity. c. He could have tried to take matters into his own hands and perhaps been killed. d. Instead he trusted God to be in control and did each thing that came along next in such a way as to glorify God. 4. The important thing is not where Joseph was, but where God was (39:2). a. As a result, God prospered Joseph, and this became evident to Potiphar (39:3). b. Joseph then becomes the personal servant of Potiphar and is blessed in his work for some time (39:4-6). c. When we handle pressure the right way, God is glorified and we and those around us are blessed. Most of the time we don’t handle the pressure like Joseph did, we become self-absorbed and wallow in self-pity eventually becoming bitter with life and God. 5. Then the pressure intensifies greatly (39:7-18). a. Potiphar’s wife (q. 5) ―desired‖ (39:7) him and tempted him day after day (39:10). b. We don’t know how long this went on, but eventually she caught him when there was no one in the house with them (39:11). 1) She grabs his garment and perhaps literally pulls it off of him (39:12). 2) Some commentaries feel that she had literally stripped herself of her clothes before she grabbed his garment. 3) As a result of doing the right thing, Joseph suffered more pressure (39:19-23). a) The anger of Potiphar. b) Being falsely accused. c) Being branded as an adulterer. d) Interpreted two dreams and was forgotten by the one who could have helped him. Joseph spent two more years in prison before being called out. c. But Joseph still responds to this pressure correctly (39:21-23; 40:14-15). 1) How do you tend to act when under pressure? Fear 2) Notice how Psalm 46 tells us to act.

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3) Keeping our focus on God tends to put overwhelming circumstances in perspective. 6. A new pressure in (Gen. 41:14-16). a. What was the new pressure Joseph was facing now? b. How did he respond to this new pressure? 1) Verse 16 shows us exactly how he handled it – ―It is not in me‖ 2) The focus of Joseph’s thinking and of his response was God and His ability to guide correctly. 3) Notice 41:25, 28, & 32. To whom did Joseph give the credit? c. Joseph is promoted by Pharaoh in v. 39. Why? 1) Because Pharaoh recognized that God was with Joseph. 2) When we handle pressure correctly, trusting completely in the Lord, the unsaved can see God in our lives.

C. The pressure for others.

1. Joseph is now married and has two sons. a. How do you think Joseph’s attitude toward God was about his past? b. The answer is found in 41:50-51. 2. Joseph was now responsible for all of Egypt’s welfare during the famine. a. He handled this with great wisdom. b. Gen. 41:53-57 tells how he prepared, and v. 57 says that ―all the earth‖ came to Joseph for grain. c. What purpose does God give in 2 Cor. 1:3-6 for our afflictions? d. Sometimes, God guides us through great pressure in order to minister to others when they go through affliction.

II. THE PRESSURE WE FACE

A. The purpose of pressure. By the time Joseph’s brothers saw him again, 13 years had passed.

1. To show the wonders of God’s provision. 2. To show the loving care and character of God. 3. To help others. 4. To develop strong relationships between Himself and others. 5. God used the trials and pressures in Joseph’s life to bless eventually bless him (49:22-26; 50:20).

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Sometimes God’s purposes in our pressures may be far beyond anything we will ever see in this life. Many times He shows us the tangible results of His work in our lives, but whether we can see it clearly or not, He always has a purpose. His purpose is always good, acceptable, and perfect, and He is always working everything to the fulfillment of that purpose (Rom. 12:2).

B. The application of pressure.

The pressures we face may not be as big as those that Joseph faced. But God wants to teach us faithfulness in the small things so that He can make us more usable in the larger things. Knowing God was the key in Joseph’s life, and it is the key for us. How do we get to know God?

 Recognize that God is worth getting to know personally.  Read the book He wrote to reveal Himself to us.  Open ourselves up to Him in prayer, making Him our closest, most familiar and trusted friend.

If God is trustworthy, then we must trust Him completely. We often limit what God wants to do in our lives because we are afraid—afraid of pain, suffering, or disappointment. We’re really afraid that what God wants for us might not really be the best. We should know God better than that.

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