Genesis 37

1. Genesis 37 Joseph is sold into Egypt

2. Map Here’s Joseph’s home Here’s where he was taken

3. Joseph’s Background Story • Joseph was 17 when his journey begins • Jacob, also known as Israel, loved Joseph because he was a child of his old age • In other words, he was his youngest son • Because he loved him, he gave him a long tunic • Think of him getting a new car while his brothers all got awful junk cars • His brothers were jealous of him because their father loved him the most

4. Joseph’s Special Power • First Dream: • Joseph and his brothers was binding sheaves in the fields and suddenly, his sheaf rose to an upright position, and his brothers’ sheaves formed a ring around his and bowed down to it • This dream made his brothers’ hate him more • “Are you really going to make yourself king over us? Or impose your rule on us?” Gen 37:8 • Second Dream: • The sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to Joseph. • His brothers were furious and started plotting against him--but they didn’t give the dreams a second thought • His father, Israel, was intrigued by Joseph’s dreams

5. Cont… • His brothers decided that they would kill Joseph • Then they changed their plot and chose, instead, to throw Joseph down a well • After they tossed him in the well, they ate lunch • While they were eating, a caravan of Ishmaelites came by • One of the brothers thought that they should sell Joseph instead of just letting him die • Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver and taken to away

6. Cont cont…… • Then the brothers took Joseph’s tunic (his special gift) and smeared it with goat’s blood • Then they took the tunic and brought it to their father claiming that it had been found in the field • Jacob then inferred that his beloved son, Joseph, had been killed • Meanwhile…the caravan of Ishmaelites had sold Joseph to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward

7. The Literal Sense • Basically everything we just said • How is God involved? • Joseph’s dreams were an act of God, telling him that he was special and he was meant to be a king.

8. Moral Sense • Joseph’s brothers were jealous and they let their jealousy control them. • They plotted to kill him and ended up selling him as a slave. • They even lied to their father. • We should not let our emotions control us

9. Allegorical Sense • Joseph represents Jesus, and his brothers represent the same people that persecuted Jesus around the time of his death • His own brothers sold him to a caravan to be treated as a slave, in the same way Jesus was given up to the Romans by his own people.

10. Anagogical Sense • God saved Joseph • God will always be there to save us, no matter the circumstances

11. Genesis 39 Joseph’s Temptation

12. Literal Sense • Joseph was brought in as a slave to Egypt, and was sold to Potiphar • Potiphar and Joseph got along very well, so Joseph was assigned to the household • The household became prosperous because the Lord blessed the house for Joseph’s sake • Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to lie with her, but he refused every time • Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of trying to sleep with her, and Potiphar became enraged and threw Joseph in jail.

13. Moral Sense • We should follow Joseph’s example and not give into temptation. • Always trust in God, because whatever happens, happens for a reason

14. Anagogical Sense • By following Joseph’s example, we can resist temptation—sin—and stay closer to God • The closer we are to God, the closer we are to Heaven.

15. Allegorical Sense • Joseph is like Jesus because even though Jesus was tempted, he still did not give in, just like how Joseph refused to give in.