Joseph had a special purpose
Joseph’s life is another example of how God can use someone for a great purpose. His story begins in Genesis 37.
Joseph was the second youngest of Jacob’s sons. His older brothers were very jealous of him because their father showed Joseph special favor.
Jacob even gave Joseph a special coat, which made his brothers even more upset.
God showed Joseph what would happen one day
When Joseph was 17 years old, he had a dream that his brothers would one day bow down to him.
He later had another dream about the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him.
His father understood that this dream meant Joseph’s family would bow before him one day. This made his brothers extremely angry.
Joseph’s brothers treated him unfairly
One day, Joseph’s brothers were out taking care of the sheep, and Jacob sent Joseph to check on them.
When his brothers saw him coming, they made a plan to hurt him. At first, they wanted to kill him, but Reuben wanted to save his life.
Instead, they threw Joseph into a cistern. Later, when some traders passed by, Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave.
God was with Joseph in a new place
Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to a man named Potiphar, who was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.
Even though Joseph was far from home in a foreign place, the Bible says that the Lord was with Joseph.
God gave Joseph favor, and Joseph did well in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar trusted Joseph so much that he put him in charge of his whole household.
Joseph kept doing what was right
Then something unfair happened again. Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph, even though Joseph had done the right thing.
Because of her lie, Joseph was thrown into jail.
Joseph’s story reminds us that doing what is right matters, even when other people do not treat us fairly.
God was still with Joseph
Even in jail, God was still with Joseph. Joseph was trusted and given responsibility there too.
While he was in jail, God helped him interpret dreams. Two of Pharaoh’s servants, the cupbearer and the baker, had dreams.
Joseph explained that the cupbearer would get his job back, but the baker would be put to death. Everything happened just as Joseph said.
God gave Joseph wisdom
Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him when he returned to Pharaoh, but the cupbearer forgot about Joseph for two years.
Then Pharaoh had troubling dreams that no one could explain. The cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him.
God helped Joseph understand Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph explained that Egypt would have seven years with plenty of food, followed by seven years of famine.
Joseph became a leader
Joseph told Pharaoh to store up food during the good years so the people would have food during the hard years.
Pharaoh saw that God had given Joseph wisdom. He put Joseph in charge of the land of Egypt.
Joseph became second in command, right under Pharaoh.
Joseph’s brothers came for help
Later, during the famine, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain.
They did not recognize Joseph because he was now grown and in a powerful position.
Just like Joseph’s dreams had shown many years before, his brothers bowed before him.
God used Joseph to save his family
In the end, Joseph was able to save his family from starving during the famine.
Even though Joseph had been treated unfairly, God was working through his life the whole time.
Joseph’s story teaches us to trust God, keep doing what is right, and believe that God can use our lives for His purpose.