A beloved Old Testament son & brother dominates the final 14 chapters of the book of Genesis. His name is Joseph. As we study the journeys of his life, our heart often aches for the injustice that was carried out against him by his brothers, his master’s wife and by other Egyptian leaders under whom he was subject. He was bullied & sold into slavery by brothers who were supposed to love and care for him. He was falsely accused of immoral assault and subsequently imprisoned for the crime he did not commit. He was abandoned, forgotten, isolated in loneliness and presumed dead by his loving father.
But God never forgot about Joseph. In spite of the troubles and atrocities that came into his innocent life, God still had a will, plan and purpose for Joseph that would one day make him a strong and mighty leader. In time, he was second-in-command of all Egypt. Only the Pharaoh was higher in command than Joseph. God used Joseph to sustain the nation through a long and destructive famine. All the people paid homage to this great man as if he himself was king.
The success of Joseph’s life is attributed to his unwavering faith & obedience to God. The challenges and assaults that came against him did not deter him from serving His Lord and believing God for the best. The forgiveness & reconciliation expressed by this humble leader to the brothers who treated him so cruelly serves as a type-and-shadow of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. We can learn much from the faithfulness of Joseph as we take an insightful look into the journeys of his life.