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The Redeeming Family: Joseph and his brothers

Through God’s grace and desire to redeem our families, he provides a way for us to overcome challenges and our own imperfections. God has the power to take our sinful behavior, even in families, and turn it into something beautiful.

You’ll see this for families illustrated in the lives of the redeeming family – Joseph and his brothers. Jacob made peace with his brother Esau and settled in the land of Canaan. Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons, a 17-year-old, was assigned to tend the flocks with his brothers.

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age. Jacob, also known as Israel, made a richly ornamental robe for Joseph to wear, which set the stage for brotherly conflict.

The brothers responded to this favoritism with hatred, the same type of rage Cain had toward Abel. To make things worse, Joseph had a dream in which all his brothers bowed down to him. He shared this dream with his brothers, and it caused them to hate him even more.

Their hatred turned into jealousy and a plot to kill him. Rather than kill him, though, Joseph’s brothers bound him, threw him into a well, and sold him as a slave to a caravan of Ishmaelites headed for Egypt. Joseph was taken to Egypt as a slave and was bought by Potiphar, an Egyptian official and captain of the guard (Gen. 37).

God blessed everything Joseph did while he served Potiphar and was promoted to household manager, running all the affairs of Potiphar’s house.

Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce Joseph, but he refused her in honor of Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of sexual advances and complained to Potiphar, who then threw Joseph in prison, where he served under the warden’s supervision.

During Joseph’s imprisonment, Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer were also thrown into prison. Both men had dreams while in prison that Joseph was able to interpret (Gen. 40).