Joseph, A Righteous Man (pt. 2)

So, I know that I had said there would be three parts to Joseph's story, but I'm going to shorten that to two parts. Joseph's story goes to Genesis 50, and so it'd take quite a while to complete the account of his life. So, today I'm going to share some things that I learned from reading Joseph's story. If you want to read his full story, go ahead so that you can understand what I'm talking about.

I want to share some other things that you may not know about Joseph's family and his story. I'm sharing these things from chapter 43-50, but I'll cite the verses so you can follow along.

Judah, one of Joseph's brothers, was not a righteous man. We see his character developing into a better man by him taking full responsibility of Benjamin's safety. He makes a promise that he intends to keep in Genesis 43:9. Judah goes so far as requesting to be a slave in the place of Benjamin in order to keep his promise.

Genesis 45:4-8 shows why Joseph was able to forgivve his brothers. He understood why he had been put through so much suffering, and he knew that it was not his brothers' doing, but God's doing for a bigger picture.

Throughout the Bible, different characters serve as a foreshadowing of God, or Christ. Pharaoh is one of these by him welcoming Joseph's family into Egypt so graciously (Genesis 45:20). God is preparing a great place in Heaven for His children, similar to how Pharaoh prepared a wonderful place for Joseph's family to stay. Pharaoh also accepted Joseph's family, foreigners, into his kingdom although Hebrews were hated by Egyptians. This is similar to God's allowing anyone who believes into His kingdom.

A few key lessons from Joseph's story are...

1. God uses trials and tribulations in our lives to build our character and for His bigger picture. Our tribulations we face are always part of God's plan, even if we can't see His purpose. God used many years of suffering in Joseph's life to teach him to trust the Lord, to teach patience, and to brignn him to a great position of leadership in a land where God was not honored. God, through Joseph, was introduced to the pagan Egyptian world.

2. Forgiveness. Joseph showed forgiveness to his brothers, even though they really didn't deserve it. By forgiving his brothers, Joseph showed them God's unconditional love.

3. God's presence. God is everywhere, watching over us (Psalm 139:7-12), whether it is in prison or a foreign land. If we just trust Him, He will always be there to hear our plea for help.

Here are a few things we can take away from his story as a righteous person and apply to our lives:

1. Be forgiving.

2. Trust God.

3. Love unconditionally.

4. Follow Christ's example.