From Slave to Second-in-Command: 7 Lessons from Joseph’s Life in Egypt
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We serve a God who wastes nothing. Every bit of our lives’ stories are His, whether as unbelievers or believers. When we place our faith in Jesus, He assures us He works all things together for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28). And remember, God gains the glory from unbelievers too (think of Pharaoh). The Bible includes many historical narratives which show God’s providence via a person’s story, and Genesis is replete with them. Joseph's story is one.
Bible readers are introduced to Joseph in Genesis 30:22-24, and the rest of his story unfolds throughout Genesis 37, 39 up to Exodus 1:7.
Who Is Joseph and What Happens in His Story?
Genesis 30:22-24 records Joseph’s birth to Jacob’s favored wife, Rachel. Joseph is Jacob’s eleventh son, and his name means, “he will add” or “may he add” (Genesis 30:24).
The narrative picks up again in Genesis 37, when Joseph was seventeen years old, living in Canaan with his father’s family. Joseph helped his brothers with his father’s flock and Scripture reports in Genesis 37:2 that Joseph brought a “bad report of them to his father.”
Jacob did not hide his favoritism toward Joseph (Genesis 37:3), and he “made him a tunic of many colors.” His brothers (all of them) saw this—that their father loved Joseph more than they—and “they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (Genesis 37:4).
In the culture of their day, when a father bestowed a garment such as the tunic Jacob gave Joseph, it marked him as the one whom his father chose as the future leader of the family. Normally this would be the firstborn son, and Jacob’s other sons (especially Reuben, the firstborn) knew that custom.
His brothers became enraged toward him after Joseph told them about a dream he had where his sheaf stood up and their sheaves stood around his and bowed to it. Joseph included his father when he shared his second dream about the sun, moon, and the eleven stars bowing down to him (about which he also told his brothers). Jacob rebuked him and asked, “Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” (Genesis 37:10). This dream revelation piqued his brothers’ envy, but Jacob, however, pondered the meaning of Joseph’s dreams.
Later, when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers as they tended the flock, they saw him from afar and conspired to kill him and to throw him into a pit, pinning the blame on a wild beast (Genesis 37:18). Reuben—the firstborn—came to Joseph’s rescue and devised a different plan to stay Joseph’s life and return him to Jacob. Whether Reuben went away from his brothers or not, we do not know, but the other brothers, under the direction of Judah, sold Joseph, whom they had stripped of his many-colored tunic, to a band of Ishmaelites who traveled to Egypt. The price? Twenty shekels of silver, which was the average cost for a slave at that time.
When Reuben returned and saw Joseph missing, “he tore his clothes,” lamented, and went along with his brothers as they killed a goat kid, dipped Joseph’s tunic in it and presented it to their father with the fabrication he had been devoured by a wild beast.
Joseph’s Life in Egypt
The Ishmaelites (Midianites) sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers and captain of the guard (Genesis 37:36). And “the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man,” (Genesis 39:2) and the Lord blessed Potiphar’s house for Joseph’s sake (Genesis 39:5a). Potiphar trusted Joseph with everything under his purview, until Potiphar’s wife, who noticed the handsome young man, repeatedly entreated him to “lie” with her (Genesis 39:7). On a day when Joseph and Potiphar’s wife were the only two in the house, she once again beseeched him to lie with her as she grabbed his garment. Joseph refused and fled, leaving his garment in the clutches of Potiphar’s wife. She called out and claimed that Joseph had acted aggressively toward her, wherein an angry Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison.
Once again, God was with Joseph and showed him mercy (Genesis 39:21) and He gave Joseph favor in the sight of the prison keeper, who placed Joseph in authority over the other prisoners. Two of the Pharaoh’s servers (the chief butler and chief baker) offended their lord, and were also placed in the prison. When they each had perplexing dreams, Joseph, who gave all credit to the Lord, interpreted them and they came to pass as he said they would.
Fast forward two years. The chief butler had been returned to his position and, after remembering Joseph, he told Pharaoh about him after Pharaoh had a troubling dream. Pharaoh called Joseph to him and, after explaining that God would give Pharaoh an answer, Joseph interpreted the dreams.
Pharaoh was so delighted with Joseph’s wisdom that he gave him authority as second only to the king (himself). Through Joseph’s wise handling of resources during seven years of plenty followed by seven years of drought, he saved many peoples, including his father, brothers, and kin. Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and had them bring his father and the rest of the family to reside in Goshen. For seventeen years, Jacob lived in Egypt and “grew and multiplied exceedingly” (Genesis 47:27).
Joseph lived 110 years, and at his death said to his brethren, “God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
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Seven Lessons from Joseph's Time in Egypt
Joseph may seem innocent and naïve to many who read his life story in Genesis, but he had wisdom beyond his years. Through his story, the Scriptures give us many lessons by which to live, including but not limited to the seven listed below.
1. Our Lives Must Include Speaking about God and Living the Gospel
(Genesis 39:2-3, 21-22, Colossians 3:17)
When Joseph faced trials and opportunities while in Egypt, he spoke about honoring God before men, and he lived an exemplary life despite his position as a slave and as a servant under a pagan ruler. To a sin-seeking temptress, Joseph said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9b), and he fled. His words and actions always revealed his faithfulness to the Lord.
For us, whatever we do, in every part of our walk with the Lord, we are to present Jesus to a lost and dying world not only by what we say, but also by what we do.
2. God Never Leaves Us or Forsakes Us
(Genesis 39:2, 21; Deuteronomy 31:8)
God did not leave Joseph alone when he was displaced to Egypt. Not only is that truth shown throughout the narrative, but it’s also revealed in Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph” and verse 21a, “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.” Joseph recognized that and, as we saw in point one, he lived it.
For us to know God will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8) is a lesson in God’s faithfulness. As believers, He does not leave us to face anything without Him. That’s a sure hope and a promise.
3. God’s Providence Is Always Active
(Genesis 50:19-21; Romans 8:28)
When Jacob died and Joseph’s brothers feared he would exact vengeance upon them, Joseph told them, “‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Joseph knew it was God Who directed the events of his life, despite what his brothers intended.
For us as believers, we need not fear. God is sovereign, and He, as Scripture promises, works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
4. Obedience Does Not Mean an Easy Life
(Genesis 37;12-36; Matthew 10:35)
Joseph obeyed his father by going to his brothers as they watched over the flocks. And what happened? The Bible does not give us details about Joseph’s early behavior toward his brothers, but we do know his brothers threw him into a pit and sold him off to a band of Ishmaelites. And we know the rest of the story about his time in Egypt both as a slave and a prisoner. Life, at the beginning of his time in Egypt, was not easy for young Joseph, yet he kept his integrity.
For us as believers, we know becoming a Christian does not mean a life of ease. At most, a Christian may give his earthly life in service to Christ. At least, we may face contempt from others who repudiate our lifestyle of obedience and sacrifice. But oh, the joy which fills us as we follow Jesus (James 1:2)!
5. Run from Temptation
(Genesis 39:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 4:7)
When Potiphar’s wife made her aggressive move to have Joseph “lie with her,” he ran! What Joseph did physically was based on an action already stored in his heart. He recognized the sin he faced and did the best thing. He got as far away from the tempter (and temptation) as possible.
We believers can rest assured that God always gives us a way out of every temptation. We can flee from sin and lean into Jesus.
6. Give God All the Glory
(Genesis 40:8, 41:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31)
Joseph displayed immediate reverence for God when questioned about dream interpretation. He said to the chief baker and steward, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8) and to the Pharaoh he said, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:16).
When we believers gain “notoriety” for a particular act, service, or accomplishment, it’s always best to give glory to the One who made it possible. Hide behind the cross and let people see Jesus, not you.
7. Honor the Authorities God Places over You
(Genesis 41:33; Genesis 50:20; Titus 3:1)
After Joseph gave God’s message to Pharaoh regarding his dreams, Joseph suggested to Pharaoh, “Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt” (Genesis 40:33), and Pharaoh replied, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 40:39-40). Joseph, while retaining his loyalty to the Lord, showed deference to Pharaoh.
As believers, we place God first in our lives, yet we show ourselves as His by how we treat others. We are to love them as we love ourselves, and to submit to the authorities the Lord has placed over us, yet always placing God’s law above man’s.
Every book in the Bible is full of lessons for us. As you read through the account of Joseph's life in Genesis, think about why certain passages are in it and ask God what He wants you to know about Him through it. Seek lessons; they are surely there.
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