This sharing will be based on Joseph, not the step-dad of Jesus, but Joseph son of Bilhah and Zilpah. He was 17 and with his brothers did some things that were not right, he even told his parents Genesis 37:2 “When Jacob’s son Joseph was seventeen years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.”
To hurry this along, one day he was sent to bring report of how his brothers faired while they watch the flock. When he went to the place they had been, he was told they had moved on, and he went to them. Seeing him coming, the contemplated killing him but he was fended for by his brother Reuben. Who knew that word one way or another would reach their father. They then threw him in a pit to die of starvation. But just then traders were passing by, so they decided to barter him off to the traders.
Again, we haven’t reached the ‘weren’t part yet. In returning home, they soiled his cloak (the multi-colored tunic given him by his father) with the blood of one of their herd and delivered the ‘bad’ news that Joseph had been slain by wild animals.
Joseph was then sold into slavery in Egypt and was purchased by Potiphar “Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king’s official in charge of the palace guard.”
In Portiphars home he did well and was promoted. Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property. v. 39:4
Not only was he placed in charge but he was a ‘dreamer’.
One day, Joseph told his brothers what he had dreamed, and they hated him even more. Joseph said, “Let me tell you about my dream. We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it.”
His brothers asked, “Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?” Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.
Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, “Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.”
When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, “What’s that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down in front of you?”
Genesis 37:5-11
Portiphar’s wife became a problem.
Joseph was well-built and handsome, and Potiphar’s wife soon noticed him. She asked him to make love to her, but he refused and said, “My master isn’t worried about anything in his house, because he has placed me in charge of everything he owns. No one in my master’s house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn’t given me is you, and that’s because you are his wife. I won’t sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this.”
We should note he gave glory to God for what he had. Do we? More so, a lot to learn, he adamantly refused to get involved. See, he might have been killed for doing ‘wrong’, he knew what was right and kept to it strictly. Once again, do we? Moving curtly along.
One day, Joseph went to Potiphar’s house to do his work, and none of the other servants were there. Potiphar’s wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, “Make love to me!” Joseph ran out of the house, leaving her hanging onto his coat.
When this happened, she called in her servants and said, “Look! This Hebrew has come just to make fools of us. He tried to rape me, but I screamed for help. And when he heard me scream, he ran out of the house, leaving his coat with me.”
Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s coat until her husband came home. Then she said, “That Hebrew slave of yours tried to rape me! But when I screamed for help, he left his coat and ran out of the house.”
Potiphar became very angry and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king’s prisoners were kept. He could and should have killed him for what he was accused of, but God had greater plans for our ‘dreamer’.
In prison, not was he the ‘dreamer’ but the interpreter of dreams.
One night each of the two men had a dream, but their dreams had different meanings. The next morning, when Joseph went to see the men, he could tell they were upset, 7 and he asked, “Why are you so worried today?”
“We each had a dream last night,” they answered, “and there is no one to tell us what they mean.”
Joseph replied, “Doesn’t God know the meaning of dreams? Now tell me what you dreamed.”
The king’s personal servant told Joseph, “In my dream I saw a vine with three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its grapes became ripe. I held the king’s cup and squeezed the grapes into it, then I gave the cup to the king.”
Joseph said: This is the meaning of your dream. The three branches stand for three days, and in three days the king will pardon you. He will make you his personal servant again, and you will serve him his wine, just as you used to do. But when these good things happen, please don’t forget to tell the king about me, so I can get out of this place. I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here in Egypt I haven’t done anything to deserve being thrown in jail.
When the chief cook saw that Joseph had given a good meaning to the dream, he told Joseph, “I also had a dream. In it I was carrying three breadbaskets stacked on top of my head. The top basket was full of all kinds of baked things for the king, but birds were eating them.”
Joseph said: This is the meaning of your dream. The three baskets are three days, and in three days the king will cut off your head. He will hang your body on a pole, and birds will come and peck at it.
Three days later, while the king was celebrating his birthday with a dinner for his officials, he sent for his personal servant and the chief cook. He put the personal servant back in his old job and had the cook put to death.
Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would.