131 - Joseph down a hole

Wording of this Handout:

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It wasn't Joseph's fault that he was born last, and therefore the youngest in the family. And it wasn't his fault that his father loved him most of all. And it wasn't Joseph's fault that he kept having dreams from God which showed that he would one day be as important as king!

But is was Joseph's fault that he was a good boy. He chose to be good, in spite of the nasty way his brothers treated him. This is what it can be like in a big family, when you may be the only Christian, or in a workplace, where you are the only Christian employee. Being good has its price.

Eventually Joseph's brothers decided to kill him, but they changed their minds and sold him as a slave instead. Now Joseph was really suffering for being good!

He went to Egypt as a slave, and he ended up working for an Egyptian officer. Joseph was about 17 years old at the time. I wonder if he ever felt homesick?

But Joseph stayed good, and soon he was promoted. The officer gave him more and more responsibilities - a mark of success - and soon Joseph was in charged of the officer's household - which meant buying things and managing the other servants. And the harder Joseph tried to be a good boss, the more God blessed him. The reward of being good.

The Bible says "The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man,"
Genesis 39:2