Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob in the Old Testament. He was Jacob’s eleventh son and the first son of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife (Genesis 30:22-24). Joseph’s story takes up a significant portion of the book of Genesis, spanning from Genesis 37 to Genesis 50.
Joseph’s story can be summarized in four main stages:
1. Joseph the favored son
Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son because he was the son of his old age and the firstborn of his beloved wife Rachel (Genesis 37:3). Jacob showed favoritism towards Joseph by giving him a special ornamented robe (Genesis 37:3). This favoritism bred jealousy and hatred from Joseph’s brothers.
2. Joseph the dreamer
Joseph had two dreams which implied that he would one day rule over his brothers and parents. He foolishly shared these dreams with his family, causing his brothers to hate him even more (Genesis 37:5-11).
3. Joseph the slave in Egypt
Driven by jealousy, Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him. But they decided instead to sell him into slavery to passing Midianite merchants. The merchants brought Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard (Genesis 37:12-36). Through a series of ups and downs, Joseph eventually became the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.
4. Joseph the ruler and reconciler
A famine brought Joseph’s brothers to Egypt in search of food. They bowed before the powerful Egyptian official asking for help, not realizing it was their brother Joseph. After testing their character, Joseph revealed his identity and reconciled with his brothers, saying God had used their evil actions for good to save many lives (Genesis 45:5-8). Joseph invited his brothers and father to live in Egypt under his care and protection (Genesis 45:9-28).
Looking more closely at each stage of Joseph’s life provides deeper insights into this important biblical figure:
Joseph the favored son
Joseph was the elder of two sons born to Jacob through his favorite wife Rachel. Rachel was initially barren, but eventually gave birth to Joseph after many years (Genesis 30:22-24). Jacob openly displayed his favoritism towards Joseph by making him an ornamented robe or “coat of many colors” (Genesis 37:3). This special treatment bred resentment and jealousy amongst Joseph’s brothers.
As Jacob’s gift to his favorite son, the robe was a symbol of status and authority. It likely had long sleeves and extended to the ankles or feet, as was customary for young nobles. The “many colors” may represent embroidered strips of cloth. This robe reflected Jacob’s desire to distinguish and exalt Joseph above his brothers.
Joseph the dreamer
Joseph had two prophetic dreams which he foolishly shared with his brothers:
– In the first dream, the brothers’ sheaves (bundles of grain stalks) bowed down to Joseph’s sheaf as it stood upright (Genesis 37:7).
– In the second dream, the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed down to Joseph (Genesis 37:9).
These dreams implied that Joseph would one day rise above and rule over his brothers and parents. Rather than keeping these revelations to himself, Joseph naively boasted about them to his brothers, who hated him even more because of his dreams and behavior towards them (Genesis 37:5,8,11).
Despite his youth and immaturity, Joseph had a unique gift to receive prophetic dreams and interpretations from God. The accuracy of his dreams later proved that this gift came from the Lord.
Joseph the slave
Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him out of jealousy over his dreams and favored status with their father Jacob. But Reuben and Judah convinced them not to directly shed his blood, so they instead decided to sell Joseph as a slave (Genesis 37:12-28). A passing caravan of Ishmaelite and Midianite merchants was transporting spices to Egypt. So the brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit where Reuben had placed him, and sold him to the merchants for twenty shekels of silver. The merchants brought Joseph to Egypt.
In Egypt, the merchants sold Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard (Genesis 37:36). Genesis 39 describes how the Lord blessed Joseph even as a slave by causing his master Potiphar’s household and assets to prosper because of Joseph’s presence. Joseph eventually became the overseer of Potiphar’s household.
However, false accusations from Potiphar’s wife, who was attracted to Joseph, led to his imprisonment (Genesis 39:7-20). Joseph interpreted dreams and gave wise advice while imprisoned, and made such a good impression on Pharaoh’s cupbearer that the cupbearer recommended him to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:1-13).
Joseph the ruler
Pharaoh had two cryptic dreams that his magicians could not interpret, so he summoned Joseph from prison to interpret them. With God’s help, Joseph declared that the dreams warned of an impending seven-year famine, and advised Pharaoh to store up surplus grain during the preceding seven years of abundance (Genesis 41:14-36). Impressed by Joseph’s interpretation and counsel, Pharaoh appointed him as vizier – the highest official and administrator in Egypt under Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:37-45).
At just 30 years old (Genesis 41:46), Joseph rose from slave and prisoner to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. Under his oversight during the seven years of abundance, Egypt stored up so much extra grain that it was like the sand of the sea (Genesis 41:47-49). When the famine struck, Egypt was the only kingdom prepared and able to sell grain to buyers from surrounding lands (Genesis 41:54-57).
Joseph the brother and reconciler
The famine impacted Joseph’s family back in Canaan, so his father Jacob sent his brothers to Egypt to buy grain (Genesis 42:1-5). Joseph recognized his brothers when they came to him to buy grain, but he concealed his identity and tested their character by speaking harshly, making accusations, and imprisoning them for a few days (Genesis 42:7-17). Joseph wanted to see if they had changed since their act of betrayal years earlier.
Joseph framed his youngest brother Benjamin for stealing, threatened to enslave him, and observed as Judah offered to sacrifice himself in place of Benjamin. At this point Joseph was satisfied of their repentance and transformation, and could no longer restrain his emotions. He revealed himself to his brothers and assured them that God had used their evil actions for good – to preserve many lives by allowing Joseph to gain power in Egypt (Genesis 45:5-8).
Joseph then invited his brothers, father Jacob, and their whole households to live in Egypt under his care and protection (Genesis 45:9-28). Pharaoh himself welcomed Joseph’s family and awarded them the best land (Genesis 47:1-6). So Jacob’s whole family relocated to Egypt under Joseph’s authority and lived in peace (Genesis 47:27-28). Before he died, Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim and adopted them to share in the inheritance alongside Joseph’s brothers (Genesis 48:1-20).
Joseph demonstrated remarkable wisdom, foresight, administrative skill, and even grace and forgiveness during his rollercoaster journey. When Jacob blessed his sons on his deathbed, he declared that the God of Jacob’s father had enabled Joseph to achieve power and prosperity (Genesis 49:22-26). Due to his faithfulness, Joseph’s legacy was leadership and fruitfulness.
Lessons from Joseph’s life
Joseph’s story provides several important lessons:
- Favoritism damages families. Jacob’s preferential treatment led to envy and hostility.
- God can turn evil plans into good outcomes (Genesis 50:20).
- Dreams and prophetic gifts must be handled cautiously and sensitively.
- Suffering can develop character, wisdom and humility if we respond correctly, as Joseph did.
- Success requires relying on God’s guidance and seeking to bless others.
- Reconciliation requires repentance and forgiveness on both sides.
Joseph as a foreshadow of Christ
Joseph also serves as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ in several ways:
- Joseph was betrayed for silver; Jesus was betrayed for silver.
- Just as Joseph was conspired against and cast into a pit, Jesus was conspired against and crucified.
- Joseph became a servant though he was innocent; Jesus took the form of a servant though he was sinless.
- God exalted both Joseph and Jesus to heights of power and influence.
- Joseph’s management of grain in Egypt parallels Jesus as the bread of life.
- Joseph forgave those who betrayed him, as Christ forgives sinners.
Joseph’s legacy
Joseph died in Egypt at the age of 110 after a fruitful life (Genesis 50:22-26). His dying wish was that his bones would one day be carried out of Egypt and buried in Canaan, which was later fulfilled when the Israelites left Egypt after 430 years of captivity (Exodus 13:19).
Joseph saved Egypt and his family during a devastating seven year famine. But more importantly, God used Joseph’s sufferings and triumphs to prepare the way for the eventual deliverance of the Israelites from bondage generations later under Moses. Joseph’s legacy was leadership, fruitfulness and unwavering faith in God’s providence.