MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
ADVENT: DAY 19
Joseph
Genesis 50:24
“Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come for you, to lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he vowed to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Bible Readings
Jacob had 12 sons. The Bible tells us that Jacob loved his wife Rachel best. She had 2 sons, Joseph, and then Benjamin.
The Bible tells us that Jacob loved his son Joseph better than all his other sons. Jacob bought Joseph a colorful coat. This made Joseph’s brother very mad and they got rid of Joseph.
Joseph ended up forgiving them, many years later.
The forgiving Prince
Page 76
genesis 45
Romans 8:28
Videos
- 1 of 3. Joseph and his colorful coat, given by his dad - Jacob/Israel. Genesis 37 Video Length 3:18
2 of 3. Joseph in Egypt Genesis 39-41 Video Length 3:16
3 of 3. Joseph forgives his brothers and is reunited with them. Genesis 42-45 YouTube Video HERE Video Length 3:44
JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT!! Video Length 5:39 A fun rendition of the Bible for children!
Joseph is in jail because of Potiphar’s wife Genesis 39 - In this video he meets the baker & the cup-bearer (butler), and tells them the meaning of their dreams. Genesis 40 Video Length 6:30
Joseph forgives his brothers & reveals himself to them. Genesis 45 Video Length 1:29
Joseph Forgives his brothers, and finally sees his dad - Jacob. Jacob sees his son Joseph before he dies! Video Length 2:47
Historical Artwork: Joseph
“The Triumph of Joseph” 1657 AD By Hilaire Pader Located in: St. Stephen’s Cathedral of Toulouse
Joseph was the first son of Jacob’s wife Rachel.
Joseph was 1 of the youngest of the 12 sons - #11. Joseph’s brother Benjamin, whose mother was Rachel also, was the last of the 12 sons born.
Joseph was a good example of right living, in difficult times. It is interesting to read about Joseph’s life & choices after discovering who Jacob, Esau, and Laban were.
In Genesis 37 The Bible tells us that Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons, and gave him a special coat. Soon after this, Joseph tells his brothers of 2 dreams he has - both of his dreams make himself look good, and his older brother’s not so good. When his brothers had the chance - they decided to kill him! Reuben spoke up and convinced the others to throw him into a well instead, and then Judah spoke up and they ended up selling Joseph as a slave to some Ishmaelite traders heading to Egypt.
In Genesis 38 Joseph was purchased by Potiphar who was a member of the personal staff of Pharaoh of Egypt.
Genesis 39:2-3 “The LORD was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.”
The Bible tells us that Joseph was very handsome and a well-built young man.
This is when things change for Joseph again - Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of “trying to rape her, but she screamed and he ran away”
Wrongly charged - Joseph was thrown into jail, but God was with him there, and blessed him.
In Genesis 40 he interprets dreams for 2 people. In Genesis 41, word gets out that he can successfully interpret dreams, and Joseph is taken out of jail to help pharaoh with his dream. Pharaoh responds to Joseph - Genesis 41:39-40 Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land! I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage this household and organize all my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours.”
Pharaoh’s dream comes true, there is a famine in the land - and only Egypt has prepared for it. In Genesis 42 Jacob and his family in Canaan are hungry and hear of grain stored up in Egypt. Jacob sends all of his sons to go to Egypt, except for Benjamin. When they arrive in Egypt, they bow before their bother Joseph who is the governor of Egypt and in charge of all the grain. Joseph knows it’s his brother, his brother do not know that they’ve bowed down to Joseph.
After a few more chapters, the family is reunited - Joseph forgives his brothers and Jacob gets to hold his son - Joseph again. This is a beautiful story of God’s hand on the life of Joseph and the family of Jacob.
What would you do if these things occurred to you? Life brings difficulties, and unfair situations - Joseph’s life is a great example of continuing to do your best - right where you are.
Through Joseph’s unfair situations and trials, Joseph was still able to reveal God to others. In addition, many people in his family, and around him were blessed because of God’s power to turn what is meant for EVIL - into GOOD!
Questions
Why did Joseph’s brother throw him in the well?
Was God with Joseph?
In his life, did Joseph do things right?
Prayer
Father in Heaven,
We praise you for watching over us. We thank you for being with us in all circumstances.
Help us to remember to hold on to you and your ways when trouble comes our way.
AMEN