Genesis 37,39-45 Summary
Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac was the father of
Jacob, and Jacob was the father of Joseph. And Joseph had 11 brothers. But
Jacob favored Joseph, and Joseph told his dreams to his brothers, and his brothers
hated him on both accounts. For he was the favored son of their father, and the
dreams he shared with them appeared to be saying that one day they would bow
down to Joseph. And they did indeed, for those dreams did come true. But before
then, Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him, for they hated him.
His brother Reuben prevented the other brothers from killing
him, but he was okay with the “throw him into a pit” plot. But then the other
brothers decided to sell him to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. Then
the brothers faked Joseph’s death, stating that a vicious animal had devoured
him, and Jacob, who believed the lie, then mourned his son Joseph’s death. But
Joseph was alive and was now serving Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. And
Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household, for he trusted him.
But then Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph to sleep
with her, but he refused, for he was a man of honor. This angered her and so
she lied about him and she accused him of trying to have relations with her,
and so Joseph was thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit. Then Pharaoh
was angry with two of his servants, so he threw them in prison. They had dreams
which they could not interpret and so Joseph interpreted their dreams for them.
Then Pharaoh restored one servant while he hung the other one.
Two years later Pharaoh had two dreams. He summoned all the
magicians and wise men of Egypt, but none could interpret his dreams for him. But
then the servant (the cupbearer) who had been in prison with Joseph recalled
how Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream and the dream of the other
servant. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph and he asked him to interpret his dreams.
Joseph replied, “I myself cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh a sound
answer.” And God, through Joseph, interpreted the dreams.
Joseph told him that his dreams spoke of seven years of
great abundance followed by seven years of famine. And so Joseph counseled him
to look for a discerning and wise man and to set him over the land of Egypt for
the purpose to make preparations and to store up provisions for the seven years
of famine for when they should come. So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of his
house. “Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you,” Pharaoh
told Joseph. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
The seven years of famine were now upon them. And Jacob,
Joseph’s father, learned that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons to
Egypt to buy grain for them. Ten of Jacob’s sons were sent to Egypt. But Jacob
kept the youngest, Benjamin, with him. Now the brothers did not know that
Joseph was still alive, and they did not know that he was ruler of the land,
and that he was the one who sold grain to all the people. And many years had
passed since they had sold him as a slave. So they did not recognize him.
Joseph, on the other hand, recognized his brothers but he
did not immediately reveal himself to them. Joseph had no compassion on his
brothers, and he decided to test them, instead (see Genesis 42-44). And Joseph’s
brothers felt like maybe they were now being punished for what they did to
their brother Joseph. Joseph ordered that they must bring their brother
Benjamin to him if they wanted to buy grain. At first Jacob resisted the idea,
but eventually he yielded and let Benjamin go with his brothers.
After many back and forths between Joseph and his brothers,
when he was testing them, he finally revealed himself to them (Genesis 45). And
he wept loudly!
4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” And they did so. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt! 5And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you. 6For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:4-8 BSB – Berean Standard Bible)
Lesson Learned
God allows hardships, pain, sorrows, trials, tribulations,
mistreatments, false accusations, rejections, betrayals, and persecutions in
our lives for a reason. What we might regard as something horrible, which it
certainly can be, no question about it, God allows for good in our lives. But
not just so that we can grow closer to our Lord in fellowship with Him, and so
that we will serve Him with our lives in obedience to His commands, in doing
the will of God for our lives, but sometimes it is for the salvation of other
human lives. So, in a sense, it really is not about us, but it is about how God
intends to use us.
And, as I think about my own life, and the trials and
tribulations God has taken me through, and the sufferings and persecutions and
mistreatments I have had to endure throughout my life, I realize that God took
me through all of that to make me who I am today so that I would be doing what
God has called me to do these past 22 years, which is all for the glory of God,
and which is also for the salvation of human lives from the pit of hell so that
they can know God, and so they can be saved from their sins and now walk with
God in fellowship with Him in obedience to His commands from here on.
It Was to Save Lives
An Original Work / September 27, 2026
Christ’s
Free Servant, Sue J Love
Jerry Nelson / Don Marsh
Would I leave the place
Where I have lived and settled down?
It all depends.
Break with my attachments,
Sentimental though they be?
It all depends.
Would I find myself uprooting
All the stakes I’ve driven down,
Leaving friends and loved ones far
behind,
Captive to the call of some far off
distant land?
I can only answer, that depends.
It all depends on where He needs me,
For where He leads me my feet must go.
It may be down an unfamiliar pathway
Or cross the mountains so bleak with
snow.
His faithful hand will always guide
me.
He’ll walk beside me, let come what
may.
Why should I dread the night?
My faith has found its sight.
I’ll do His will through the rest of
my life.
[I cannot find a recording for this song anywhere.]
