• family betrayal
• total abandonment , and
• broken dreams
On the surface it appeared as if Joseph ’ s life was over . Suffering has a way of convincing us of its finality . On the heels of two prophetic dreams , Joseph suffered the death of the life he knew and was in a strange land in the hands of strangers . But he was not without his God .
There is an important refrain in Joseph ’ s story : The Lord was with him .
The Lord was with Joseph , and he was a successful man ; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian . And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand . 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 . 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 . Thus he left all that he had in Joseph ’ s hand , and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate .
Genesis |
39:2-6 , |
NKJV , |
emphasis |
added |
|
|
|
In these opening passages of his story , we see that in spite of Joseph ’ s displacement , God ’ s
16