One of the reasons the story we are going to look at today is an epic tale in the Old Testament is because of its length. The story of Joseph is the longest narrative in the Old Testament. Joseph’s story covers 13 chapters and has more detail than the stories of his ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. One of the reasons Joseph’s story is so important to the history of Israel is because it explains how God’s people ended up living in Egypt. The single most important moment in Israel’s history is the Exodus, when God led his people out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. The story of Joseph gives us the backstory of how God’s people ended up as slaves in Egypt to begin with.
While Joseph’s story is long and involved, and contains several high and low moments, one of the main questions it helps us answer is: how do we find hope in times of loss and despair?
It is not a coincidence that the week we wrestle with this question of hope in times of loss is the week that Archie from Raising Hope Ukraine is with us. Their story is one of finding hope in the midst of the loss and pain of war. War not only brings loss of life, but there is the loss of homes and businesses. There is the loss of friendships and community. There is the incredible economic loss of people and their nation. And there is the loss of hope; hope that life can ever be good again.
In the midst of this kind of loss, Archie, Ruslan and their ministry team provided hope. They quickly expanded their ministry to care for refugees fleeing the violence in the cities. They provided food for the hungry and clothes and good for those who had to leave everything behind. They were even able to provide moments of love and joy by helping a couple who were fleeing celebrate a wedding. With an unwavering trust that God would lead them and provide for them, they offered hope to the people. God continues to use them to truly raise up hope for the people of Ukraine and we are blessed to be part of that ministry. The story of Joseph is also the story of finding hope in the midst of pain and loss.
Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. The father of God’s people was Abraham. Then there was his son Isaac, and then Jacob. Jacob later became known as Israel, and his 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. While Jacob had several wives, the one he loved most was Rachel, but Rachel was never able to have children. Jacob had 10 sons by his other wives when finally, in their old age, Rachel gave birth to a son. That son was Joseph. Since Rachel was the one Jacob loved the most and Joseph came in their old age when they never expected a child, Joseph was the one Jacob favored.
Because he loved Joseph so much, Jacob gave him an amazing technicolor dreamcoat. Oh wait, that was the Broadway musical. What the bible says is that Jacob gave his son an ornate robe. Scholars aren’t sure what that word ornate means so some think it was richly woven, or had long sleeves, or that it had many colors. No matter what it looked like, it set Joseph apart from his brothers, which made them jealous.
Joseph added fuel to the fire when he told his brothers that he had these amazing dreams where he was exalted above them.
He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Genesis 37:6-8
Joseph was not very perceptive. He didn’t see that his brothers’ anger was turning against him, so he told them another dream.
Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” Genesis 37:9
By now, Joseph’s brothers have had it. They allowed their jealousy to consume them so that when Joseph was sent by his father to check on them, they plotted to kill him.
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. Genesis 37: 17b-23
So Joseph is dumped into a pit without food or water. There is no way for him to get out and no way for him to get help. While he may not have been the most humble brother in the world, he certainly didn’t deserve this. As he was sitting in the darkness of the cistern, he must have felt like he had lost everything and there was no hope. Joseph was going to die in this pit unless someone rescued him. It was when all hope seemed lost that God stepped in.
As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. Genesis 37:25-28
Joseph’s brothers sold him to be a slave in Egypt and then they told their father that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. While we focus on the pain and loss Joseph went through being forced from his family and country to be a slave in Egypt, think about what his father must have gone through. One of the most profound losses anyone can experience is the loss of a child. Whether the child is young or old doesn’t matter, that loss is acute for a parent.
As a pastor, I had to tell a 93 year old woman who had already lost 2 of her 3 children to cancer that her last son had died. Her grief was deep. She couldn’t understand how and why she had outlived all her children. It was a loss she struggled with and we prayed about often. That loss was difficult. All loss is difficult. Loss of a job, loss of a relationship, loss of our health, a spouse, a parent, or friend is difficult and can feel insurmountable, but the story of Joseph shows us that from any pit of loss and pain, we can find hope.
Joseph arrived in Egypt and the Midianite traders sold him to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh's officials which placed Joseph in a wealthy and powerful home where Joseph could prosper. God didn’t just rescue Joseph, He blessed him. .
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Genesis 39:2-6a
God had taken Joseph from the literal dead end of a pit and put him in a place of power and authority. It wasn’t where Joseph wanted to be. He wasn’t among his own people and with his family, but God had not left him in the pit. God was at work in his life. Things were getting better and looking up.
Joseph’s story, however, is the story of real life. Things didn’t keep getting better, there were setbacks and those setbacks were big. After working in Potiphar's home for many years, Potiphar’s wife took a liking to Joseph and tried to seduce him. Joseph was faithful to God, and to Potiphar, and resisted her. While Joseph had acted in a righteous and honorable way, Potiphar’s wife wasn’t happy so she accused Joseph of rape, which landed him in prison.
Many people have the mistaken idea that if we are faithful to God, God will make everything smooth and easy. Or that when we follow Jesus, we will never encounter another storm or face another trial. But God never promised an easy life when we place our faith in Him. He didn’t promise to keep us out of the storms but to be with us in them.
If you are following Jesus and working hard at being faithful and things aren’t working out the way you want them to, you aren’t alone. Just be thankful you aren’t in jail. For Joseph, sitting in jail must have felt like being back in the pit. I can hear Joseph say, really God? You take me out of a pit so I can be sold as a slave, and then after working hard and being faithful I end up in jail? Is this really your plan? And God answers, yes, this is really my plan. Trust me Joseph, and keep going.
So let me condense the story a bit. In prison, Joseph uses his God given ability to interpret the dreams of his fellow prisoners. One of those prisoners ends up returning to his job as the cupbearer to Pharaoh. From this position, literally at the side of Pharaoh, the cupbearer hears that Pharaoh is being troubled by his dreams and that no one is able to interpret them, so he tells him about Joseph
Pharaoh sent for Joseph who interpreted the dreams and told Pharaoh that for 7 years there will be bountiful harvests, but after that will come 7 years of drought. Joseph told Pharaoh that he should store up all he can during the first 7 years so he can feed the people during the next 7 years. This seemed like a good idea to Pharaoh so he put Joseph in charge of the entire operation.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Genesis 41:39-43
Joseph had gone from a pit in the desert to a palace in Egypt. He had gone from a place of hopelessness and despair to being second in command in all of Egypt. This journey wasn’t easy and it wasn’t quick. It may have been a decade or more that Joseph worked for Potiphar and sat in prison, but Joseph knew God was at work. What was once a hopeless situation was now filled with hope.
So let’s go back to the original question we asked earlier: how do we find hope in times of loss and despair?
How did Joseph make it through all these years? There are at least three things Joseph did during that time that helped him hang on to his hope in God and these are the same three things we do when we have to drive in the fog. What is the first thing you do when we run into a fog bank while driving?
Slow down. When the fog hits, you don’t go speeding ahead because you aren’t sure what is lying 10 feet in front of you. You slow down. You literally go slow enough so you can see what is coming ahead.
Joseph went slow. Joseph worked 10 years in Potiphar’s house and then in prison. While I’m sure he wanted God to rescue him and lift him up much sooner, he was patient and went slow. We have to go slow. Problems aren’t going to be solved overnight. It takes time for God to move us to places of redemption. It takes time for God to turn our lives around and set us a different course. We have to be willing to give God time and not expect an overnight miracle.
The second thing you need to do when driving in the fog is to
turn your lights on dim. High beams don’t work in the fog, it blinds you. Your lights need to be on dim. They need to be focused on the road in front of you. You can’t look too far ahead, you have to deal with what is in front of you and then move on.
Joseph didn’t look too far ahead. He first just tried to be the best servant he could in Potiphar’s house. He did all he could in that position to honor God without looking to the future. When the setback came and he ended up in prison, he once again looked at the road in front of him. Joseph just did what he could right where he was. He served in prison and he used his gifts to interpret dreams. When he used the gifts God had given him, God was able to place Joseph exactly where He wanted him, in Pharaoh's palace.
While it is good to have hopes and dreams for the future, and a vision of who God wants us to be and where God wants us to go, we also have to trust God to get us there one step at a time. The road we might want to take will probably not be the road God has for us. We can’t get ahead of God, we have to set our lights on dim and look at where God has put us and what our next step might be.
The third thing we have to do when driving in the fog is:
keep your eyes on the white line. In the fog it’s important to keep your eyes on that white line on the side of the road. As long as you stay close to that line you know that you aren’t going to run off the road and you know you aren’t getting into the path of an oncoming car. You have to keep your eyes on the line that will guide you and keep you safe. When we are without hope, we have to keep our eyes on the One who can lead us and guide us and keep us safe.
Joseph kept his eyes on God. Joseph faithfully served God in the places he found himself. As a servant or as a prisoner or as second in command in all of Egypt, Joseph faithfully served God. He followed that white line. For us, that white line is Jesus. If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will end up where He wants us to be and we will end up being who He wants us to be. Following Jesus means not only living by His word but by His example. It means asking the spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, to lead us.
How do we find hope in times of loss and despair? We go slow. We turn your lights on dim and focus on what is in front of us. We follow the white line, we follow Jesus. That is what Joseph did and God rescued him and blessed him.
Now let’s jump to the end of Joseph’s story. The 7 years of plenty came and Joseph created a system for Egypt to amass huge amounts of grain that would be able to feed people during the drought. When the 7 years of drought came, not only were the people of Egypt in need, but so were all the surrounding tribes and nations, including Joseph’s family.
Desperate for food, Jacob sent his 10 oldest sons to Egypt to buy grain. These were Joseph’s brothers, the same ones who threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave. When they arrived in Egypt they had to go to Joseph to buy grain and while Joseph immediately recognized them, they did not recognize Joseph. And why should they? There was no way they could have imagined that the brother they sold to a band of Midianite traders 25 years ago had become second in command in Egypt. But he had, and while Joseph could have held a grudge and pushed his pain and anger from that earlier moment onto his brothers and kept the cycle of brokenness and pain going, he didn’t. Joseph forgave his brothers.
It’s a long and involved story, but here’s how it ends.
Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. Genesis 45:4-8a
Looking back, Joseph saw that being thrown into a pit and sold as a slave was all part of God’s plan. Joseph could now see the purpose in the pain he suffered. Joseph could see it as he walked through it day by day, but now he could see what God had been doing all along. God was working to save his family.
The story of Joseph not only tells us we can have hope in times of loss but that there can be a purpose to the pain we go through. In his book, The 6th Stage of Grief, David Kessler says, Loss is what happens in life. Meaning is what we make happen after loss.
Joseph experienced a lot of loss during his life, but he found meaning in it. God was working through it all to help rescue his family.
When we experience profound and painful loss, when we are sitting in a pit of despair, we can find hope, but we have to be willing to go slow and give God the time to work things out in our lives. We have to turn our lights on dim and be faithful in the things that are right in front of us. And we have to keep focused on the white line that keeps us safe. We have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. There is hope we can find in despair, there is meaning we can find in loss as long as we trust that God is with us and leading us along the way.
Next Steps
Epic Tales – Joseph in a pit
Read the entire story of Joseph. Genesis 37, 39-50
• How do you think Joseph felt sitting in a pit, being sold as a slave, being falsely accused, sitting in prison?
• When have you experienced times of loss, despair, and hopelessness?
• Name all the ways God was working in Joseph’s life from the time he was thrown in the pit until he was placed in command in Pharaoh's government.
• How might each advancement given Joseph hope?
• How might each setback taken hope away?
How do we find hope during times of loss and despair?
Go slow.
• Where do we see Joseph’s patience and willingness to go slow? How did that make a difference in his life?
• In what ways do you need to be patient and go slow in your life?
Turn your lights on dim.
• How did Joseph focus on what was right in front of him? How did that help him be patient and move forward?
• What is right in front of you that you need to focus on?
• How can you be faithful in the little things God has given you today? What gifts does God want you to use?
• Read Psalm 118:105-109. How can God’s word give light to your daily path?
Focus on the white line.
• Read Hebrews 12:1-3.
• How can you fix your eyes on Jesus?
• How can Jesus’ word and example keep you running the race and finding hope?
