(Genesis 39) Joseph was Jacob's little baby, and Jacob loved him very much. That was a good thing.But then, Joseph's older brothers got jealous and were mean to him. That was a bad thing.Jacob gave Joseph a wonderful new coat. A good thing.But that made Joseph's brothers REALLY jealous. A bad thing again. Joseph's brothers were so jealous, they decided to kill him. A really bad thing! But, at the last minute they decide NOT to kill him - a good thing - but to throw him into a pit instead. Bad again!But then Joseph's brothers decide to drag Joseph OUT of the pit, a good thing - and sell him to some traveling merchants, so he would never see his family again.Joseph had to be wondering WHAT was going on!But life is like that.Sometimes there are good times and sometimes there are bad times. But ALL the time, God is with us. But even more than that, sometimes God uses what seem like the worst times to do something wonderful. THAT'S what was going on!Meanwhile, the caravan of traveling merchants arrived in Egypt. Now, I suppose they could have sold Joseph to just any old Egyptian, who lived in some out of the way part of town, and we would have never heard of him again.But that's not what God had in mind.Instead, they sold Joseph to a man named Potiphar. And Potiphar just happened to be an officer in the court of the Pharaoh, the king of all Egypt. Well, of course it didn't just happen that way. God planned it that way!But Potiphar wasn't just any officer in the Pharaoh's court, he was the captain of the Palace guard. He was a big cheese in Egypt, and Joseph was in an important place.So Joseph went from a pit in the wilderness to live in the beautiful house of a very rich and powerful man in the land of Egypt. A bad thing turned into a good thing again!God was with Joseph, and he blessed him.Everything Joseph did for his master turned out well. Really well. His master Potiphar saw this, and he was no dummy. He said to himself, "Why don't I just let Joseph run everything, and then EVERYTHING will turn out well!"And that's just what he did.Potiphar made Joseph his personal servant, and he put him in charge of all that Potiphar owned.And God was with Joseph. God blessed Potiphar's house and all the crops in his fields and everything he owned. All Potiphar had to worry about was what was for dinner!But, even then, trouble was just around the corner. Again!Okay, Joseph was a hunk. He was handsome and strong, and if he was alive today, you would probably see his picture on People magazine while you were waiting in line at the grocery store to buy a Milky Way candy bar.The trouble hiding around the corner was Potiphar's wife. She saw how strong and handsome Joseph was. And she wanted him."Kiss me!" she said to Joseph one day while no one was looking.Potiphar was away, working in another part of the house. Potiphar's wife grabbed Joseph as he walked by. "Kiss me!" she said again."I can't do that!" Joseph said. "My master trusts me! He has put me in charge of everything he owns. It is just like everything is mine. But he is your husband. How can you ask me to kiss you??!! That would be wrong! And God would not be pleased with me at all."But Potiphar's wife would not give up.Day after day, she secretly grabbed him and tried to kiss him. But Joseph always said no.But one day, there was no one at home. Potiphar and all the other servants were away. And Potiphar's wife saw her chance. She grabbed Joseph by the robe and wouldn't let him go."I will not kiss you!" Joseph said, and he ran away so fast he left his coat in her hand.Now Potiphar's wife was angry. She was so angry that Joseph would not have her that she decided to get even. She had a terrible idea.She screamed!"Help me!!! Help me!!! This servant of my husband came into my bedroom and tried to kiss me!!!" By then, the other servants had come back home, and they came running into her bedroom and saw her standing there. "Look!" she said, "When I screamed, he tried to run away. He ran away so fast, he left his coat!"That night, she told the same lie to her husband. "See, what I am saying is true. He came into my room. He even left his coat!"Potiphar was furious.He called for his servants at once. That very night they broke into Joseph's room and dragged him out of bed, and they threw him into a cold, dark prison cell.Things looked pretty terrible for Joseph again.And maybe that night, Joseph sat in his cell, shivering and scared. Maybe he sat there with his head in his hands wondering why all this was happening. "God, where did you go?" He might have even cried. If only he could see the amazing things God had planned. But he couldn't just then. For now, all he could do was trust in God, because God was with him. But, boy, it sure didn't seem like it.But that's how it is. Even in the darkest times, God is still with us. And even then God is at work on a wonderful plan.Always remember that.
When Jesus was about 12 years old He went with His family to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival. As they were returning to Nazareth with the caravan, Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus was missing! They returned to Jerusalem and looked and looked for Him. After 3 days they finally found Jesus in the Temple, sitting with the teachers, listening and asking questions. All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding of the Bible and God. Jesus' mother said, "Son, we were so worried. We have been looking and looking for you." And Jesus said,"Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But He left with them and returned to Nazareth, where He continued to obey His parents and to grow in God's love. (Adapted from Luke 2:41-52)
Now God sent an angel to a young lady named Mary. The angel told her she would have a baby and that the baby would be God's Son. The angel said God's Son would save all who trusted Him from their sins. Mary was very happy. Just before the Baby was to be born, Mary and Joseph, who was to be Mary's husband, had to go to Bethlehem. But Bethlehem was so crowded that the only place they could find to sleep was in a stable for animals. That night, baby Jesus, God's Son, was born. An angel appeared to shepherds in nearby fields. The angel told them that the Son of God had been born that night. He told them they would find the baby in a manger in Bethlehem. Suddenly there were angels everywhere, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in heaven, and peace to all people who love Him!" The shepherds immediately went to Bethlehem to see the Baby. And then they told everyone about the things they had heard and seen!
Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to a man named Potiphar. Joseph worked hard, and soon Potiphar put him in charge of his entire household. But Potiphar's wife was not a good woman, and one day she accused Joseph of betraying her husband. Although her words were false, Joseph was put in prison. But even in prison, he obeyed God. Joseph liked helping people. Soon he was released to help Pharaoh, the leader of all of Egypt.
"Joseph, I've heard you are able to explain dreams," said Pharaoh.
"Only with God's help," replied Joseph.
God showed Joseph what Pharaoh's dreams meant. Joseph said, "God is warning you. After seven years with plenty of food, the rains will stop. Nothing will grow for the next seven years. But if you plan, you can save your people from starving. You must store food during the good years. Then you can feed your people during the bad years."
"You are a wise man, Joseph," said Pharaoh. "You shall be in charge of all this." Joseph worked hard to carry out the plans that God showed him. He made sure that huge amounts of grain were stored. And when the bad years came, Egypt had plenty of food to feed its people.
From Prison to Palace
In explaining the king's dreams, Joseph gave the king the good news and the bad news. Joseph didn't simply tell the king the meaning of his dreams, though. He gave the kng good advice and a plan.
Many people are able to see the problems, but do not offer the workable solutions. Joseph showed that he trusted Gd to do what he had promised him. The king recognized that God was giving Joseph wisdom, so he made Joseph the second most powerful person in Egypt.
Joseph's promotion came suddenly, and possibly when he least expected it. It is easy for us to think of Joseph as an "overnight success." We tend to forget, however, that God was training Joseph through thirteen years of hardship.
When the time came for Joseph to move to the top, he was prepared. He had learned how to trust God through good times and bad, He had also learned how to be sensitive to the needs of others.
