Joseph: Triumph Through Treachery and Trust

Total Time: ~3–3.5 hours
Focus: Tracing the life of Joseph to understand God’s absolute sovereignty and His power to weave human evil, betrayal, and suffering into a grand, redemptive plan for His people.

🧱 Session 1 — The Beloved Son, Betrayed (60–75 mins)

Theme: A father’s special love and God-given dreams incite bitter jealousy, leading to a brutal betrayal that sends the beloved son into slavery and unjust imprisonment.

📖 Reading

• Genesis 37 — Joseph’s dreams and coat of many colors, the conspiracy of his brothers, and his sale into slavery.
• Genesis 39 — Joseph finds favor in Potiphar’s house, resists temptation, and is falsely accused and thrown into prison.

📖 Key Passages

• Genesis 37:3-4: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.”
• Genesis 37:28: “Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
• Genesis 39:21: “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”

🔍 Word Study Suggestions

📚 Historical & Cultural Context

• The Patriarchal Era: This story takes place within the family of Jacob (Israel), whose twelve sons would become the twelve tribes of Israel. The family dynamics are central to the future of the nation.
• Slavery in Egypt: Egypt was a major world power, and slavery was a common institution. To be sold as a slave, especially by one’s own family, was to be stripped of all identity, rights, and hope.

🗣️ Discussion Questions

1. Joseph’s dreams were from God, yet they caused immense conflict. How can a true calling from God sometimes lead to rejection from those closest to us?
2. Even when betrayed, sold, and falsely imprisoned, the text repeatedly says, “the LORD was with Joseph.” Where do we see evidence of God’s presence in the midst of Joseph’s suffering?
3. Joseph’s response to temptation from Potiphar’s wife was “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9). What does this reveal about his character and the source of his integrity?

🧱 Session 2 — The Prisoner and the Pharaoh (60–75 mins)

Theme: God’s hidden providence works through forgotten moments and divine revelation, exalting his faithful servant from the depths of the prison to the heights of power.

📖 Reading

• Genesis 40 — Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker, an act of service that is seemingly forgotten.
• Genesis 41 — Two years later, Pharaoh has troubling dreams, the butler remembers Joseph, and Joseph is brought forth to interpret them, leading to his stunning promotion.

📖 Key Passages

• Genesis 40:23: “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.”
• Genesis 41:16: “And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
• Genesis 41:39-40: “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”

🔍 Word Study Suggestions

📚 Theological Framework

• The Forgotten Servant: Joseph’s being forgotten by the butler for two full years highlights a period of testing and waiting, where faith must persevere without any visible sign of deliverance.
• Exaltation after Humiliation: Joseph’s dramatic rise from the lowest place (a forgotten prisoner in a dungeon) to the highest place of power is a core pattern in God’s kingdom. It demonstrates that God honors those who are faithful in small, unseen places.

🗣️ Discussion Questions

1. Joseph was forgotten in prison for two years after helping the butler. How does this long period of silence test the idea of faith and trust in God’s timing?
2. When brought before Pharaoh, Joseph immediately deflects credit, saying, “It is not in me: God shall give an answer.” What does this teach us about true humility and confidence in God?
3. Pharaoh, a pagan king, recognizes that God is with Joseph. What does this show about the undeniable evidence of God’s work in a person’s life?

🧱 Session 3 — The Savior and the Revelation (60 mins)

Theme: The betrayed son, now exalted, uses his power not for revenge, but for the salvation of his family, revealing the breathtaking scope of God’s redemptive plan.

📖 Reading

• Genesis 42–44 (Summary) — Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt for food, and he tests them to see if their hearts have changed.
• Genesis 45 & 50 — Joseph reveals his identity, comforts his terrified brothers with a profound statement of God’s sovereignty, and reaffirms his forgiveness after their father’s death.

📖 Key Passages

• Genesis 45:5, 7: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life… And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
• Genesis 50:19–20: “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

🧠 Reflection & Application

• Joseph’s brothers are terrified when they realize who he is, expecting justice and revenge. Instead, they receive grace and provision. How does this interaction model God’s response to us when we recognize our sin?
• The phrase “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” is one of the clearest statements of divine sovereignty in the Bible. How can this truth bring comfort and hope in the midst of our own suffering or when we are wronged by others?
• Joseph is a powerful picture of Jesus Christ. He was the beloved son, betrayed by his brothers, suffered unjustly, and was exalted to a position of power where he freely provides the “bread of life” to the very people who rejected him. Discuss the parallels between Joseph’s story and the story of the Gospel.

✝️ Final Encouragement: The Unseen Weaver

The story of Joseph is the ultimate testament to God’s unseen hand weaving all threads—even those of betrayal, injustice, and human evil—into a beautiful tapestry of redemption. It assures us that no pit is too deep and no prison is too dark for God’s plan to unfold. Joseph’s life demonstrates that our greatest suffering can become the very means by which God brings salvation to others. He is a constant reminder that our God is a God who turns crosses into crowns, and what others mean for evil, He masterfully and beautifully means for good.