When Nothing Else Seems to Make Sense - The Story of Joseph

We all want, need, and could use more endurance, especially in this world. The story of Joseph embodies this, and it’s really 5 stories in one, spanning over more than 10 chapters of the Old Testament Book of Genesis.

Joseph’s Stories
1. The Positioning – Joseph has a dream that eventually comes true. His dad shows him favoritism, and he responds with a sense of entitlement. His immature and rude response is what sets up the second story.

Genesis 37
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.
 
2. The Pit – Joseph’s brothers throw him into a pit out of anger and then sell him to some Ishmaelites, who take him away from his home, away from what seems like the position, to Egypt.

3. The Potiphar – Joseph is purchased by an Egyptian named Potiphar, who is the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Joseph “prospers because the Lord is with him,” and he rises in stature until he’s managing the whole household.

Genesis 39
3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,

This would be a great end to the story. He endured, and God blessed him. But there’s more to his story, and it seems to take a turn in the wrong direction.
 
4. The Prison – Joseph gets propositioned by Potiphar’s wife, flees, and gets a story pinned on him that he made a move on her. Potiphar puts him in prison, but even there the Lord shows him favor. Over time, he rises to prominence and can interpret dreams. The cupbearer and baker, who are in prison with him, have Joseph interpret their dreams. One is restored to his position, the other put to death.

Genesis 39
21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Genesis 41
1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 

5. The Palace – Two years pass, and Pharaoh has some dreams, none of which his advisors can interpret. The cupbearer from prison remembers Joseph and sends for him. Joseph interprets the dreams – 7 years of plenty, 7 years of famine. Joseph is put over all Egypt to oversee and prepare, and when the famine strikes, Egypt is ready. People from outside Egypt come to buy grain, including Joseph’s brothers. A dramatic scene takes place when Joseph, as the second-in-command in Egypt, reveals himself to his brothers.

Suddenly, those dreams from the first story are true, and the tables are turned. But Joseph’s response is different from how many might respond.

Endurance isn’t something we find in the moment, it’s something we build over a lifetime.

We think endurance is something we need for specific situations. We think we need to endure to get through something, and then we’re good.

Joseph’s first story leads to his greatest challenges in the second story. His third story seems to be one of redemption, until he hits more challenges head-on in the fourth, followed by his greatest significance in the fifth.

The last story is the only one where everything seems to click, but God uses it all. God was there in it all, showing favor in it all. There’s something about the middle seasons that produces something in us we need, and we can’t get any other way.

Joseph’s Seasons
In the first season, Joseph positions himself above others, while in his last season, he uses his positioning to serve others – even those who wanted to kill him.

Endurance is found when you embrace your positioning in any story or season as it's from God and walk faithfully in it.

As you walk through it, God will be faithful to you, but He’ll also build something in you.

Joseph acknowledges God in every story and season. It’s easy to recognize God in the bright seasons, but what about the dark ones? It would’ve been easy for Joseph to see God, acknowledge God in the palace or Potiphar’s house, but what about the pit or prison?

Where was God in that?

When we trust our perception of things, how they all affect us, we’ll often miss God.

What if we make the repeated decision to trust that God is at work? We look back at His faithfulness and hold onto His promises.

When you endure, God can redeem the worst things, and He multiplies the best.

At the end of Joseph’s story, there’s this last scene where Joseph’s dad has died. The brothers are all worried that Joseph has been waiting for this moment to settle the score, but that’s not how he responds.

Genesis 50
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.


We have a song about this – enemy meant for evil, turned for good. What if this is not just for us or even mainly for us?

If this had been primarily about Joseph, it would have made sense for him to want justice, or at least, him holding a lot of the cards for the rest of their lives – never letting them forget who got the last word.

When God redeems, He doesn’t just redeem things for us, He redeems us for others.

This is the truth of the Gospel, it’s the truth of how God works.

There’s something that happens to our endurance – even our suffering – when we’re not the goal, not the end, but a means to a greater end. And when our “ends” don’t make sense, we lose heart, but if we see a greater end, trust that God is at work, that’s where we endure.

We’re not the main character in the story, but our endurance plays a part in a much bigger, longer, better one. Whether you’re in the positioning, the pit, the prison, or the palace, God is always at work.

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