Genesis Chapter 37 - Chapter 47 tells us the story of Joseph, and of all the trials and tribulations he faced in his life. In Genesis 50:20 (KJV) Joseph says "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."
Have you ever found yourself in a low place, and wondered why you were going through the trial or trials that landed you there? When you are in pain and suffering through trials in your life, do you ever wonder where God is in all of it? Most of us have experienced valleys in our lives, and suffered through things that at the moment we couldn't understand. The above scripture tells us that things some people mean for our harm, God will turn around and use for our good. The story of Joseph is an excellent example of this, and of the promise found in Romans 8:28 (KJV) which says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." That means you, me, and all others who have chosen to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph, and his coat of many colors, but let's look at his story in depth. Joseph's father, Jacob, favored Joseph because he was born when Jacob was an old man. Because he favored Joseph, Jacob made and gave to him a coat of many colors. Being aware that their father favored Joseph, his brothers became jealous, and they hated him. They hated him to the degree that they had difficulty even talking to him without sounding agitated. Fuel was added to the fire, when Joseph shared a dream he had with his father, and his brothers. He told them he had dreamed that they were binding sheaves in a field, and his sheave stood up as theirs bowed down to him. This further angered his brothers, and prompted them to ask him if he thought he was going to reign over them. Joseph then dreamed another dream, and shared it with his father, and brother's as well. He told them he dreamed that the sun and the moon, and the eleven stars bowed to him. This further infuriated his brothers, and their hatred for Joseph grew even stronger. Jacob rebuked Joseph asking him if he thought the entire family would one day bow down to him.
Then one day Joseph's father called him, and told him his brothers had gone out to feed the flock, and they'd been gone a long while. Jacob requested that Joseph go find them, and make certain nothing was wrong. Joseph obeyed his father, and headed out. As he approached his brothers they saw him coming toward them, and they began plotting among themselves to kill him. They said here comes the dreamer let's kill him, and put him in a pit then we'll see what becomes of him, and his dreams. They said we can tell our father that a wild beast devoured him. Reuben one of Joseph's brothers had compassion on him, however, and said let's not kill him, but rather throw him in a pit in the wilderness. Reuben had thought to convince them to keep Joseph alive so that he could return him to his father. So when Joseph approached them, his brothers stripped him of his coat of many colors, and threw him into a pit. They then sat down to eat, and as they were eating a group of Ishmaelites happened by. When they came up, Judah, another of Joseph's brothers, said lets not kill Joseph, but instead sell him to the Ishmaelites, then we are rid of him without having to kill our own brother. They did just that. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver, and he was taken to Egypt. Joseph's brothers then killed a goat, dipped his coat of many colors in it, and took it back home with them to their father. They presented the coat to Jacob, their father, and told him that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Jacob's heart was broken.
Joseph was a man of God, but having been thrown into a pit, literally, and sold into slavery by his own brothers had to be devastating. I doubt at that moment Joseph could see the good that God would bring out of this, but he remained steadfast in his faith. When the Ishmaelites arrived in Egypt with Joseph, they sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian. It wasn't long before Joseph's master noticed that God was with him, because everything he touched prospered. After seeing this, he promoted Joseph to overseer of his house, and for a time things went well. Then his master's wife made known to Joseph that she wanted him to be with her. Joseph told her he could not possibly betray his master, and refused her request. She continued her pursuit of Joseph, and one day when they were alone in the house she ripped her clothing, and accused him of rape. Joseph was sent to prison. Now Joseph found himself in another pit. He was in prison for something he didn't do. Here he was again, I'm certain, unsure of how this could possibly turn out for his good, but yet continued to remain steadfast in his faith.
While in prison, Joseph had two fellow prisoners, Pharaoh's chief butler, and his chief baker come to him with dreams they had, desiring an interpretation of them. He advises them that it is God who makes known the interpretation of the dreams to him, and that he just delivers the meaning that God gives him. Then he goes on to interpret their dreams. He advises the chief butler that his dream means Pharaoh will restore him to his duties, and he advises the chief baker that he will be hanged, Joseph requests of the chief butler, that he mention him to Pharaoh after he is restored to his duty in hopes that Pharaoh will release him from prison. In just a few days, the chief butler was restored to his duties, and the chief baker was hanged. When the chief butler was restored, however, he failed to mention Joseph to Pharaoh as he had promised to do. It wasn't until Pharaoh had a dream of his own that no one could interpret that the chief butler remembered Joseph to Pharaoh, telling him that there was one in prison who could interpret his dream So Pharaoh had Joseph brought up, and Joseph tells the king that it is God who interprets the dreams. He advises that his dream is to show him that there will be seven years of plenty during harvest, and that seven years of famine will follow those good years. Pharaoh told Joseph that since God had shown him the interpretation of his dream he was putting him over all Egypt, and that he would be second only to Pharaoh himself. Joseph would be in charge of storing food during the seven years of plenty, and distributing it during the seven years of famine.
Now the famine was in all the land, and Joseph's father, and his brothers didn't have enough to eat. In order to prevent dying from starvation they had to go to Egypt for food. In short Joseph's father, and his brother's wound up in Egypt bowing before a man, asking him to sell them food, a man they would soon learn was Joseph. God had taken Joseph from the pit his brothers threw him in, meaning to cause him harm, to a palace where he was second in charge of Egypt. Joseph not only gives his father and brothers food, but he gets permission from Pharaoh to give them land on which to live.
Joseph remained steadfast in his faith through every trial he faced. He could have hated his brothers, and behaved bitterly toward them, but instead he wept with joy upon seeing them. He had missed them, and his father. He even sends everyone else out of the room when he makes his identity known to prevent them from being embarrassed. He told them as the above scripture states that what they had meant for his harm, God had meant for his good. He advised them that as a result of everything that had transpired he was able to save many lives from starvation. He then made certain they had everything they needed and more, in order to survive the famine. They mistreated him greatly, and in return he repaid them with love and kindness. What a Godly example he set for us.
Are you in a pit? Are you going through something that you feel couldn't possibly be turned around for good? If so, I encourage you to remember Joseph and his story, he was hated, betrayed, sold into slavery, wrongfully accused and placed in prison. God turned all that around for his good. Not only did he bring him out of all those trials, but each time God lifted Joseph up, he lifted him higher and higher. God will do the same thing for you and me, if we do as Joseph did and remain steadfast in our faith, as we go through the trials that we are faced with in our lives.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
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