§18. Joseph and His Dreams (Gen. 37:3-11)

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a long garment with sleeves. And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

And he said unto them, "Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf."

And his brethren said to him, "Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?" And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me."

And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, "What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?"

And his brethren envied him; and his father kept the saying in mind.

§19. Joseph Sold as a Slave (Gen. 37:12-35)

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, "Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them."

And he said to him, "Here am I."

And he said to him, "Go now, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; and bring me word again."

So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, "What seekest thou?"

And he said, "I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock."

And the man said, "They are departed hence: for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'"

And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, "Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil beast hath devoured him': and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph of his coat, the long garment with sleeves that was on him; and they took him, and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a traveling company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh."

And his brethren hearkened unto him. And they drew and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they brought it to their father; and said, "This have we found; know now whether it be thy son's coat or not."

And he knew it, and said, "It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces." And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, "For I will go down to the grave to my son mourning." And his father wept for him.

§20. Joseph's Faithfulness (Gen. 39:1-6)

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.

And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous 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 that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him save the bread which he did eat.

§21. Joseph in Prison (Gen. 39:17-23)

But Potiphar's wife spoke false words concerning Joseph, and she said unto her husband, "The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he fled out."

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, "After this manner did thy servant to me," that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

52. The story of Joseph is remarkably beautiful and interesting. It is more fully told than many of the other stories, and we seem to know Joseph better than almost any of the older Bible characters. His life was full of startling adventure and shows how a strong, noble young hero can meet danger.

53 (§18). Joseph was the youngest but one of Jacob's sons. The others were grown up, and many statements show that they were not very good men. How did Jacob feel toward Joseph? He gave him a long garment with sleeves, which was a mark of distinction. The ordinary working garments were short and had no sleeves. How did Joseph's brothers feel toward him? What do you think of favoritism in families? Can a father feel the same toward good sons and bad sons?

54 (§18). In old times they thought much of dreams and believed they had important meanings. Tell Joseph's two dreams. What were they supposed to mean? Do boys often dream of their future?

55 (§19). Why do men with large flocks need to move from place to place? Locate Hebron on the map. Then note how far the shepherds had wandered to Shechem, which is a very rich pasturage. Then notice Dothan, 15 miles farther north, where the pasturage is still richer. About how far was Dothan from Hebron? (Use the scale on the map to measure.) Tell how Joseph found his brothers.

56 (§19). Tell the story of the plot. What had prepared these men for the crime they committed? (See I John 3:15.) It is a fearful thing to keep hatred in the heart. Shut the book and think for a moment whether you really hate anyone. Tell what they did with Joseph. How does one sin lead to another? What did they tell Jacob? Notice how sorry the old man was and how they showed their sorrow in those days.

57 (§20). What happened to Joseph when he reached Egypt? What is the position of a slave?

58 (§20). Notice how Joseph, although he was sold into slavery, determined to do his duty to his master. Some people will only do their best when they are well paid. How was faithfulness rewarded in this case?

59 (§21). This story is full of strange surprises. Just as Joseph was enjoying his place as overseer, a new enemy arose. His master's wife made false charges against him. She was a wicked woman and wanted Joseph to be put out of the way. Her husband believed her. What did he do with Joseph?

60 (§21). Joseph might well be discouraged, but even in prison he was determined to do his best. Whose favor did he gain? In our prisons they call the good prisoners "trusties." The jailer soon found that Joseph was a "trusty," and gave him charge of all the other prisoners.

WRITTEN REVIEW

Bear in mind Joseph's trouble in slavery and in prison, and try to find out about someone who has had a very hard time, but who is patiently and cheerfully doing his work, trusting in God. Write the account of it.