Several years have passed since Jacob’s names change. The new nation was starting to take place. Israel’s clan was growing and his sons were marrying.
But there was a problem. One of Israel’s younger sons was his favourite. That was bad enough, but this young son, Joseph, had a dream about the rest of the family bowing down to him. That was bad enough, but Joseph’s dad had a special coat made for him that set him apart from all the rest.
The older brothers were, understandably jealous and upset and even angry. They went to far as to ploy against him, sell him into slavery, and tell Jacob that he had been killed by wild animals.
The slave traders took him to Egypt where he was sold into the home of Potiphar, an important government official.
So we find Joseph, Israel’s favourite son, the one who had it made in his father’s house, who finds himself sold as a slave in a distant land.
That’s pretty rough. How could this happen? Where was God in all this?
The Bible tells us that in all this God was prospering Joseph. His master saw that there was something different about him. The master saw it as Joseph’s God being with him. And things changed in Potiphar’s house. God blessed Joseph and through him his master’s house was blessed.
What could have been a disaster was about to turn around. God had something special in store for Joseph and his family, for the nation of Israel, for Egypt, and for all the regions around, and even for us.
It wasn’t clear yet, but God was at work no matter how bad it had looked when Joseph’s brothers threw him in the pit and sold him as a slave. God is going to prove himself stronger than the world.
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