Joseph’s process was over 13 years.. from pit to Potiphar’s to prison to palace.
At the age of 17, his brothers sold him into slavery after that pit moment.
At the age of 30, where he became the one leading the nations resources.
A few reasons why we know this was God’s divine process for Joseph?
1. Favor was with Joseph
2. Blessings on Joseph
3. The Lord was with him
4. God’s promotion because gifts exercised
5. Fruit
2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. (Genesis 37:2-5)
Even our own family may come against us at times during our process.
Could this been the start to the Lord allowing the pit moment to happen for Joseph’s protection? & using him for the future protection of his family when the famine hits the land?
Something we could learn in this moment - we don’t need to share our dreams to everyone, even if they are close friends & family. Not everyone should have access to revelations you may be receiving.
18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” 21 But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. 23 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. (Genesis 37:18-24)
When his brothers conspired to come against & kill Joseph, I believe it was God’s grace for the brother Reuben to convince them otherwise.
|Joseph was cast into a pit & that pit was located in wilderness.
Wilderness are transition seasons for us. & this was a transition in Joseph’s life.
25 And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. 26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. (Genesis 37:25-28)
This was the beginning of a new season for Joseph, & the scriptures were clear that the Lord was with him through the process.
2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. (Genesis 39:2)
3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. (Genesis 39:3)
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. (Genesis 39:4-5)
The Lord was with Joseph through Potiphar’s house while he was a servant for him & not only was Joseph blessed, so were those around him in the house and in the field.
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” 10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. (Genesis 39:7-10)
Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, but his fear for the Lord gave him strength to not fall for it. “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Joseph was faced to give in to lust but His love for God was above. She later continued to ask & Joseph didn’t fall for it, then she conspired against him which got him into prison.
Now Joseph wasn’t just in any prison… he was in the ‘kings’ prison. Which in disguise gave him access to the right people that would later lead to a promotion.
20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. (Genesis 39:20-23)
& even though Joseph got tossed in prison, he still had favor & the Lord was with him.
Just because our situation looks bad, does not negate the fact that the Lord is with us.
God is good even if our situation is not.
He meets the chief butler & chief baker in the prison who have had dreams that Joseph interprets correctly.
Joseph could of decided NOT to interpret their dreams because he wasn’t in the right environment. But he still using his prophetic gifting to interpret dreams that later land him in the palace.
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:37-38)
Because of Joseph’s gifting of interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, he acknowledged this can only be God!
Then Joseph got promoted to steward over the lands resources at the age of 30.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:46)
8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. (Genesis 42:8)
By the time God is done with you, even your own family won’t recognize you.
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (Genesis 50:20)
Whatever the enemy meant for evil… the Lord will turn it around for good! & that process is so many people can be saved.
Watch the full teaching here
"Is This God's Divine Process? (Genesis 37-50 with Joseph)"