Genesis 37,39-45 Summary

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac was the father of Jacob, and Jacob was the father of Joseph. And Joseph had 11 brothers. But Jacob favored Joseph, and Joseph told his dreams to his brothers, and his brothers hated him on both accounts. For he was the favored son of their father, and the dreams he shared with them appeared to be saying that one day they would bow down to Joseph. And they did indeed, for those dreams did come true. But before then, Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him, for they hated him.

His brother Reuben prevented the other brothers from killing him, but he was okay with the “throw him into a pit” plot. But then the other brothers decided to sell him to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. Then the brothers faked Joseph’s death, stating that a vicious animal had devoured him, and Jacob, who believed the lie, then mourned his son Joseph’s death. But Joseph was alive and was now serving Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. And Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household, for he trusted him.

But then Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph to sleep with her, but he refused, for he was a man of honor. This angered her and so she lied about him and she accused him of trying to have relations with her, and so Joseph was thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit. Then Pharaoh was angry with two of his servants, so he threw them in prison. They had dreams which they could not interpret and so Joseph interpreted their dreams for them. Then Pharaoh restored one servant while he hung the other one.

Two years later Pharaoh had two dreams. He summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, but none could interpret his dreams for him. But then the servant (the cupbearer) who had been in prison with Joseph recalled how Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream and the dream of the other servant. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph and he asked him to interpret his dreams. Joseph replied, “I myself cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.” And God, through Joseph, interpreted the dreams.

Joseph told him that his dreams spoke of seven years of great abundance followed by seven years of famine. And so Joseph counseled him to look for a discerning and wise man and to set him over the land of Egypt for the purpose to make preparations and to store up provisions for the seven years of famine for when they should come. So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of his house. “Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you,” Pharaoh told Joseph. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.

The seven years of famine were now upon them. And Jacob, Joseph’s father, learned that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain for them. Ten of Jacob’s sons were sent to Egypt. But Jacob kept the youngest, Benjamin, with him. Now the brothers did not know that Joseph was still alive, and they did not know that he was ruler of the land, and that he was the one who sold grain to all the people. And many years had passed since they had sold him as a slave. So they did not recognize him.

Joseph, on the other hand, recognized his brothers but he did not immediately reveal himself to them. Joseph had no compassion on his brothers, and he decided to test them, instead (see Genesis 42-44). And Joseph’s brothers felt like maybe they were now being punished for what they did to their brother Joseph. Joseph ordered that they must bring their brother Benjamin to him if they wanted to buy grain. At first Jacob resisted the idea, but eventually he yielded and let Benjamin go with his brothers.

After many back and forths between Joseph and his brothers, when he was testing them, he finally revealed himself to them (Genesis 45). And he wept loudly!

4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” And they did so. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt! 5And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you. 6For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:4-8 BSB – Berean Standard Bible)

Lesson Learned

God allows hardships, pain, sorrows, trials, tribulations, mistreatments, false accusations, rejections, betrayals, and persecutions in our lives for a reason. What we might regard as something horrible, which it certainly can be, no question about it, God allows for good in our lives. But not just so that we can grow closer to our Lord in fellowship with Him, and so that we will serve Him with our lives in obedience to His commands, in doing the will of God for our lives, but sometimes it is for the salvation of other human lives. So, in a sense, it really is not about us, but it is about how God intends to use us.

And, as I think about my own life, and the trials and tribulations God has taken me through, and the sufferings and persecutions and mistreatments I have had to endure throughout my life, I realize that God took me through all of that to make me who I am today so that I would be doing what God has called me to do these past 22 years, which is all for the glory of God, and which is also for the salvation of human lives from the pit of hell so that they can know God, and so they can be saved from their sins and now walk with God in fellowship with Him in obedience to His commands from here on.

It Was to Save Lives
An Original Work / September 27, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

It All Depends

Jerry Nelson / Don Marsh

Would I leave the place
Where I have lived and settled down?
It all depends.
Break with my attachments,
Sentimental though they be?
It all depends.
Would I find myself uprooting
All the stakes I’ve driven down,
Leaving friends and loved ones far behind,
Captive to the call of some far off distant land?
I can only answer, that depends.

It all depends on where He needs me,
For where He leads me my feet must go.
It may be down an unfamiliar pathway
Or cross the mountains so bleak with snow.
His faithful hand will always guide me.
He’ll walk beside me, let come what may.
Why should I dread the night?
My faith has found its sight.
I’ll do His will through the rest of my life.

[I cannot find a recording for this song anywhere.]