I always love reading the story of Joseph. While I don’t think he handled his brothers in an honorable way, he was not lying when he talked about the future of his relationship with his brothers as it was revealed in his dream. Joseph was a man of integrity and honor, and while it sometimes got him into trouble, in the end, he was always willing to accept the consequences of doing what was right. Joseph is one of those men we can all model our lives after as long as we realize there are sometimes difficult choices we must make to maintain the level of character and integrity expected of us by God.
2013 Day 15 – Genesis 37-39, Psalm 13
15 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
Daily Devotion 
Here is another prime example of family dysfunction being passed down. Jacob grew up with parents playing favorites. So what does he do? He plays favorites. He loves Rachel more, therefore, he loves Joseph more. And so what does Joseph learn? That he’s the favored son…and that it’s OK. So, yeah, he’s a punk as a young man, but he is just living out what he has been taught as normal. So I don’t think he really realized what a punk he’s being when he tells his brothers his dreams. And apparently, the favoritism was so bad that it made the other brothers jealous enough to plan to murder him! Talk about serious dysfunction! But then they decide to just sell him and make some cash…for 20 pieces of silver…interesting.
So Joseph goes to Egypt and works for 11 years for Potiphar. Something must’ve happened during that time. He starts out as a punk a$$ kid, but 11 years later he’s of high authority. A phrase comes up over throughout his life, “And the Lord was with Joseph and Joseph trusted God.” Amazing what hardship can do to reorient your life.
Apparently, Joseph turned out to be a stud. The Bible makes a point to tell us that. So it’s no wonder that Potiphar’s wife was after him. So she sets him up and he is sent to prison…and then he’s put in charge again! And again, we see the theme of God being with Joseph and Joseph trusting God…regardless of circumstance.
It’s interesting, I read Bonhoeffer’s biography…and the same thing happened with him. Even though he was thrown into prison, he continued to trust God. As a result of trusting God, he was at peace. Because he was at peace he treated others around him with respect, eventually leading to the gaining the trust of the guards. In fact, so much so, that the guards smuggled letters and other “treats” for him because they liked him so much. It’s a reminder that no matter the situation we find ourselves in, God is there. And if we trust him, he makes things work out for good. Apparently in the case of Joseph, those prison guards needed to see the story of God and the way God chose to do that was to send Joseph there.