Brief summary

Joseph was the highly favoured son of Jacob who received two prophetic dreams suggesting he would reign over his family. Out of jealousy, his older brothers plotted to kill him. They stripped him of his special robe and threw him into a cistern before selling him to a group of Ishmaelite traders heading to Egypt.

In Egypt, Joseph was bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. God blessed Joseph's work and he quickly became the overseer of Potiphar's household. His success was interrupted when Potiphar's wife falsely accused him of attempted assault. As a result, Joseph was thrown into the Pharaoh's prison.

While in prison, Joseph successfully interpreted the dreams of two of Pharaoh's servants: the cup-bearer and the chief baker. His interpretations proved accurate, but the restored cup-bearer forgot to mention Joseph to Pharaoh. Two years later, Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams. When the cup-bearer finally recalled Joseph, he was brought before Pharaoh and successfully interpreted the dreams as a warning of seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of severe famine.

Impressed by his wisdom, Pharaoh immediately elevated Joseph to the second-highest position in Egypt (Genesis 41:39-41), putting him in charge of preparing for the coming famine. During the years of famine, Joseph's ten older brothers traveled to Egypt seeking food. They bowed before him, unaware of his true identity, thus fulfilling the dreams of his youth. Joseph eventually revealed himself and brought his entire family to settle safely in Egypt.

What we can learn

Most people, after receiving a clear vision of success only to face betrayal, slavery and prison, would become bitter or curse God. Yet, Joseph did not. Instead of dwelling on his misfortune, he simply focused on working faithfully within his current circumstances, trusting that God was in control of the long-term plan.

We see his exceptional character even in prison. Though he was favored by the warden, Joseph never abused his status. When the cup-bearer and chief baker were imprisoned, Joseph attended to them, noticing their distress (Genesis 40:6-7). This shows that despite his own severe hardships, he refused to let them turn him into a self-centered individual. He still chose to serve others, embodying Christ's teachings (Mark 10:42-45).

After interpreting the cup-bearer’s dream, Joseph asked him for a small favour, to mention him to Pharaoh, arguing he had done nothing to deserve prison. When the cup-bearer forgot about him for two years, Joseph could have become resentful. Instead, he waited patiently and was ready to serve Pharaoh when the time came, allowing God to exalt him in His perfect timing.

Joseph could never have imagined what God had in store for him, from being sold to slavery and unjust imprisonment to being put in charge of the entire land of Egypt. God's plan is definitely better than anything we could imagine. He uses every aspect of the journey for a purpose far greater than we could imagine, perfectly fulfilling His promise: "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).