My Reflection on Joseph the Dreamer and God's Providence
Joseph the Dreamer's true story is as an example of God's providence. The story of Joseph can be read in Genesis 37-50. It talks about God's sovereignty which is summarized in this verse:Genesis 50:20 - But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Does this mean Joseph is excusing sin? Not at all. He still mentions how sin is sin but forgives them nonetheless leaving judgment at God's hands. Forgiveness doesn't mean condoning sin or letting sin go unpunished. He's seen how much his half-brothers have repented of their sin of selling him. He saw them repent of what they did to him. One can see how Judah (where the Messiah would come from) intercedes for Benjamin. Now let's move from the very start to understand the sovereignty of God in Joseph the Dreamer's life.
Joseph was the child of Jacob's old age and the awaited son. Jacob was paying the price for his deception towards his father and it's coming back at a huge scale. Remember when Joseph was fooled into marrying Leah when he wanted to marry Rachel? Because of that he ended up with four wives with Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah. Jacob's treachery towards his own father worked against him when his uncle Laban was a cruel taskmaster towards him. Now he's got twelve sons and one daughter Dinah. This wasn't a happy family especially that Joseph got that coat of many colors. Although Jacob didn't pamper Joseph or spoiled him but that special treatment was just as wrong as the envy of the half-brothers. I don't know how life was in this dysfunctional polygamous family.
Do you remember the dreams of Joseph? Joseph dreamed that he would one day become a ruler. He saw his father, mother (or better yet translated as stepmother since Rachel died giving birth to his only full brother Benjamin) and his eleven brethren would one day bow to him. Not even Jacob was happy with the idea proving he wasn't spoiling his favorite son even if he should haven't treated Joseph with a little bit of special favor. This led to the anger of the brothers to want to murder him. Judah would suggest that it was better to sell Joseph away to the caravan as a slave. I even felt that Judah's mistake of selling Joseph cursed his line. Remember that Jesus didn't only descend from Judah's line but would later be sold for 30 pieces of silver by Judas Iscariot. Take note that Judas is Greek for Judah. I believe that this curse on Judah's line happened because of this deed but it was also all part of God's salvation plan for mankind.
Joseph was the child of Jacob's old age and the awaited son. Jacob was paying the price for his deception towards his father and it's coming back at a huge scale. Remember when Joseph was fooled into marrying Leah when he wanted to marry Rachel? Because of that he ended up with four wives with Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah. Jacob's treachery towards his own father worked against him when his uncle Laban was a cruel taskmaster towards him. Now he's got twelve sons and one daughter Dinah. This wasn't a happy family especially that Joseph got that coat of many colors. Although Jacob didn't pamper Joseph or spoiled him but that special treatment was just as wrong as the envy of the half-brothers. I don't know how life was in this dysfunctional polygamous family.
Do you remember the dreams of Joseph? Joseph dreamed that he would one day become a ruler. He saw his father, mother (or better yet translated as stepmother since Rachel died giving birth to his only full brother Benjamin) and his eleven brethren would one day bow to him. Not even Jacob was happy with the idea proving he wasn't spoiling his favorite son even if he should haven't treated Joseph with a little bit of special favor. This led to the anger of the brothers to want to murder him. Judah would suggest that it was better to sell Joseph away to the caravan as a slave. I even felt that Judah's mistake of selling Joseph cursed his line. Remember that Jesus didn't only descend from Judah's line but would later be sold for 30 pieces of silver by Judas Iscariot. Take note that Judas is Greek for Judah. I believe that this curse on Judah's line happened because of this deed but it was also all part of God's salvation plan for mankind.
I remembered Pastor Peter Tan-Chi of Christ Commission Fellowship had used an illustration that Joseph was in a cycle of promotions, demotions and God's sovereignty was at work. I'd like to talk about how Joseph's life was ups and downs. That's exactly a picture of the Christian life. God's plan doesn't give one a smooth path but a rocky and difficult path. Without difficulties it's very easy to neglect God's presence.
Joseph's being sold to Egypt was definitely not in his plan. He's now in a land far away and he's sold to Potiphar's house. But his hard work paid off and he got promoted. He was a household slave to a majordomo. But we've got the ungodly Mrs. Potiphar. The Bible doesn't tell us her age but she certainly was a wanton woman. It's possible that she and Mrs. Potiphar had a couple of children or if even he were an eunuch it's still no excuse to do what she did. Remember, she's a married woman and she shouldn't be having sexual escapades with other men. She tried to tempt Joseph many times but he refused. It's a stark contrast to what happened to Judah one chapter earlier. Judah was seduced by his daughter-in-law Tamar that led to the birth of Phares and Zerah. In Joseph's case resisted the temptation and got framed for it. It's amazing how Potiphar immediately believed his wife and it was a serious lack of discernment on his part. This act led Joseph to prison.
It's not easy to understand why God would allow such a thing to happen to Joseph until you read the account properly. It's very easy for me to say I did the right thing so why did I get into trouble? Joseph went to prison for a crime he didn't commit. It's very crooked justice and it makes me cringe at how the wicked are allowed to prevail even when I know God allows it. That happens to Christians a lot. From getting falsely accused to falsely punished - it's not a pleasant picture but God allows them to happen for a reason. I can't say Joseph didn't grumble or he grumbled. Maybe he did but inwardly then understood that God was in charge. Take note that's just my assumption. He was soon put in charge of the other prisoners for good behavior. If it wasn't for jail time then I don't think that he would have displayed his God-given gift of interpreting dreams. He begged the cupbearer to tell Pharaoh about his innocence. But here's what: the butler forgot about him for two straight years!
I remembered reading through the late D. Vernon McGee's rather extensive Thru the Bible Commentary. One of the things he said in the commentary was that if Joseph were released right after that time then he would have gone home to the Hebrews. God purposely allowed Joseph to be forgotten for two years because of a bigger mission. Had Joseph gone home to his father then the great even that he would be the new prime minister of Egypt would not be fulfilled. This was all part of the plan to picture that even the wicked Egyptians or any heathen nation aren't exempt from the great plan of salvation.
Why would God put Joseph in Egypt a heathen nation and the biggest hub of Babylon Religion that time? It's so that God's power was displayed when a heathen king's dreams were interpreted. His marriage to Asenath an Egyptian would probably picture the Gentiles in the plan of redemption. Later in the Bible other Gentile women get involved like Rahab and Ruth. Seven years of plenty came and the seven years of famine also came. This was all part of God's plan. Remember he also planned that the Israelites would be slaves in Egypt for 400 years while the first 30 years would be a peaceful settlement. This also would allow God to fulfill His prophetic blueprints that would ultimately lead to the great plan of salvation. When Joseph met his brothers he not only led them to repentance of their selfishness but that he wouldn't take revenge because he laid everything on the Sovereignty of God.
The plan of God was already displayed through Joseph's time in a pagan nation. Everything about it was obvious. God was in charge. You can't deny that God allows certain things to happen because it's God's will. I know it can be irritating to hear "It's God's will." without seeking why it's God's will but you still need to accept that His sovereignty is there. When I think about why God allows bad things to happen to me then I could say that it's part of the purification process. We don't know what sins Joseph may have committed to lead to the purification process. Maybe it was because he may have grown arrogant in some way (though nothing is written to suggest otherwise) after he was shown the dreams so God had to humble him. Maybe it was because Joseph soon felt he was someone after he saw the dreams so God allowed the terrible tragedies before giving him the glory. God will do the same likewise to everyone who are His.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
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