From The Pit To The Throne: The Story Of Joseph

Written By: Cyril Adom

The story of Joseph as recorded in Genesis chapter 37-47 is such an inspirational one. Joseph was the first of only two sons of Rachel, Jacob's second wife. Aside Benjamin, Joseph had ten other brothers who envied him because he was Jacob's favourite son.

One day, Joseph had a series of dreams which he innocently told his brothers. His brothers didn't like the contents of the dream so they planned to harm Joseph. They first threw him into a pit but later brought him out and sold him into slavery.

In Egypt, Joseph was bought by Portiphar. Whilst working in Portiphar's house, Joseph became an object of lust for Portiphar's wife. When Joseph rejected her lust, she lied against Joseph and he was thrown into prison. Whilst in prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's chief Butler and his Baker.

One day, Pharaoh had a dream and Joseph was brought out of prison to interpret his dream. Pharaoh was impressed and decided to make Joseph the Prime Minister of Egypt, second in command to only Pharaoh himself. Later, there was a famine and Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy food. Joseph met them and eventually revealed his identity to them and forgave them.

Let's look at some important lessons we can pick from Joseph's story.

√ Be careful who you talk to.

Not everybody around you likes you. Some people are dream killers. It is okay to share your dreams with others but be careful who you share them with. Let God lead you.

√ Joseph feared God.

One of the reasons Joseph got to the top was because he had the fear of God in him. That fear of God made him resist Portiphar's wife. To succeed in life, we need to have the fear of God in us.

√ God always has a plan.

This is one of the main lessons from this story. God has a plan. Even when Joseph's brothers meant it bad for him, God still had a plan. The pit, the prison were all part of God's plans. We need to trust God to order our steps.

√ Be willing to easily forgive.

One of the amazing things about this story was the ease with which Joseph forgave his 'wicked' brothers. Forgiveness is a godly character. Unforgiveness is a sin. Let's learn to easily forgive.

√ The destiny road isn't smooth.

God doesn't take people through easy and comfortable roads. The road to your destiny won't be smooth. There will be 'pits' and 'prisons' but trust God to get you to your destination. Don't give up because of the challenges. The struggles are part of your success story.