Pam Padgett ... teacher
Joseph showed great courage as he heard from God and served God.
courage:
- facing and dealing with anything recognized as dangerous, difficult, or painful, instead of withdrawing from it
- doing what one thinks is right regardless of the consequences
Joseph was hated by his brothers because their father, Jacob, loved
Joseph more than his other sons. Joseph was given a dream by God
showing that his brothers would bow down before him. Even though he was
already hated by his brothers, Joseph had the courage to tell them
this dream which was from God, and they hated him even more ...
Genesis 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his
brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them,
Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we
were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also
stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made
obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed
reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they
hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
Then Joseph was given another similar dream. Even though his brothers
hated him when he told the first dream, he had the courage to tell the
second dream to his brothers and his father ...
Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told
it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and,
behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father
rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast
dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down
ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his
father observed the saying.
The hatred his brothers had toward Joseph led them to sell him to
Ishmeelites. He was then sold to Potiphar in Egypt. God was with
Joseph and prospered him. Joseph having been purchased by Potiphar,
served him and was faithful both to God and to Potiphar, doing what was
right. He courageously refused advanced from Potiphar's wife, refusing
to lie with his master's wife and to sin against God, even fleeing when
she took hold of his garment to try to force him ...
Genesis 37:7 And it came to pass after these things,
that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with
me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my
master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed
all that he hath to my hand; 9 There is none greater in this house than
I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou
art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against
God? 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day
by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with
her. 11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the
house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house
there within. 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me:
and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
Joseph was imprisoned when Potiphar's wife lied, telling her husband
that Joseph had tried to force himself on her and showed her husband
Joseph's garment which he had left behind.
Even though Joseph was in prison unjustly, he didn't shrink back, but
continued to steadfastly trust in God. When Pharaoh's butler and baker
were sad after having dreams, Joseph asked them to tell the dreams to
him, saying that interpretations belong to God ...
Genensis 40:5 And they dreamed a dream both of them,
each man his dream in one night, each man according to the
interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of
Egypt, which were bound in the prison. 6 And Joseph came in unto them in
the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 7 And he
asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's
house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? 8 And they said unto
him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And
Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me
them, I pray you.
Joseph courageously told the interpretations he was given for the
butler's dream, knowing that the truth of the interpretation would be
proven in three days time ...
Genesis 40:9 And the chief butler told his dream to
Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10
And in the vine were three branches:and it was as though it budded, and
her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe
grapes:11 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and
pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.
12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The
three branches are three days: 13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh
lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt
deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou
wast his butler.
He was also very courageous in telling the interpretation he was given
for the baker's dream, which was that the baker would be hanged in three
days. Although it would be hard to deliver such a message, Joseph was
faithful to tell the interpretation he had been given ...
Genesis 40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was
good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had
three white baskets on my head: 17 And in the uppermost basket there was
of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out
of the basket upon my head. 18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the
interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: 19 Yet within
three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang
thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
The interpretations of these dreams came to pass ...
Genesis 40:20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: 22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
When Pharaoh was given two dreams and wise men could not give the
interpretation, the chief butler told Pharaoh about Joseph. Joseph was called and Pharaoh told him the dreams. Again, Joseph
courageously told the interpretation he was given for the dreams ...
Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him hastily out of the dungeon:and he shaved himself, and
changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it:
and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to
interpret it. 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me:
God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. 17 And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18 And,
behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well
favoured; and they fed in a meadow: 19 And, behold, seven other kine
came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I
never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: 20 And the lean and the
ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 21 And when they
had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but
they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 And I
saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and
good: 23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the
east wind, sprung up after them: 24 And the thin ears devoured the seven
good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that
could declare it to me.
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is
one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good
kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream
is one. 27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after
them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east
wind shall be seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have
spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29
Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land
of Egypt: 30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and
all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine
shall consume the land; 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land
by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32
And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the
thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
Having been in prison a short time before and now
talking with Pharaoh who was over all of Egypt, Joseph also courageously
gave counsel to Pharaoh in what to do to prepare for the famine shown
in the dreams .....
Genesis 41:33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and
wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and
let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of
the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35 And let them gather
all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the
hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 And that food
shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which
shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the
famine.
Pharaoh set Joseph over the land to store up food during the years of
great plenty. Although only 30 years old and being set over all the
land of Egypt, Joseph courageously set forward to do this, believing the
interpretation of the dreams and counsel he had been given ...
Genesis 41:46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before
Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of
Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And in the seven
plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. 48 And he gathered
up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and
laid up the food in the cities:the food of the field, which was round
about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph gathered corn as
the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was
without number.
As Joseph courageously did what God had shown him and what he believed
to be right in the sight of God, he was put in a position to make food
available when the severe famine came, including making it available for those in his father's family in Canaan.
Genesis 41:56 And the famine was over all the face of
the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the
Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all
countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the
famine was so sore in all lands.
Genesis
42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto
his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have
heard that there is corn in Egypt:get you down thither, and buy for us
from thence; that we may live, and not die.