On the Way to the Palace 2-Who is Joseph?

Although the promotion  of Joseph to the Palace is often portrayed as a sudden event, and an overnight miracle, close  examination of the Scriptures show that Joseph had been on a journey of preparation long  before ever   getting to the Palace.

 The very first lesson I would like to point out from Joseph’s story  is there is a period of preparation before we can get to the Palace and  this preparation differs for different people and   palaces..There is a programme of preparation for everyone of us, depending on the work we have been called to do. Preparation is a sign that we believe what God has spoken concerning us.

It is imperative to reiterate that different individuals will have different journeys and preparations to the Palace. This is clearly seen from Scriptures in the lives of Esther &David who eventually became Queen Esther ( Esther 2:1-18) and King David ( 2 Samuel 5:1-5 ) .

For us to fully appreciate the journey of Joseph to the Palace and draw life lessons from it, we would need to do  a little background  check of his family and the  various circumstances that surrounded his life which no doubt had influence on him. Most times, just a little peep behind the scenes is enough to cure us from the blindness that most times breeds criticism of others.

Joseph happened to be the first fruit of a love that waited long for expression. His father Jacob loved his mother(Rachael) at first sight and worked seven years  for her(Genesis 29:1-20)  but was tricked into marrying her elder sister and made to work a total of fourteen years for the woman he really loved (Genesis  29:21-30). Although he paid such a great price and eventually married her, his home was far from a bed of roses. There is a certain level of wickedness that happens when a man marries a woman and her friend but for a man to marry a woman and her sister is to invite hell and her demons to reside in his home with unending drama. Just think of the irony of cousins being step brothers/sisters and an auntie being a step mother! To worsen the whole situation, Rachael (being the younger of the sisters &the woman Jacob really loved) was barren for a long time Jacob’s home was full of jealousy, strife and all the ills that go with polygamy, Several children were born by her sister and even their maids, before we are told that God remembered her  and gave her a son whom she called Jacob saying “May he add another “. God remembered Rachael and barrenness was no longer an issue (Gen 30:22-24)

It was at this point that Jacob decided to leave his father in law whom he had served under stringent conditions(Genesis 30:25-26). It was like a new zest in life but I am glad that Jacob eventually decided to return back to the land of promise .It is never too late to take a step in the right direction,

But the decision of Jacob to return was met with several tragedies along the way. Indeed  a choice to return to the right path will not necessarily elude us from trouble. Even Jesus promised his disciples trouble and much more (John 16:33).The tragedies that plagued Jacob included the rape of his only daughter mentioned in the Bible –Dinah(Genesis 34:1-4 ),the death of Deborah( Genesis 35 :6-15 ).the death of his beloved wife during childbirth to the second son(  Genesis 35:16-20  ) and ,incest within his family (Genesis 35:21-22) .

It is in the light of all these that Genesis 37 opens. The introduction of the genealogy of Jacob however does not follow  the traditional  reckoning with the firstborn Reuben , rather it was with Joseph, the eleventh son because his life was one that fulfilled purpose. In the words of the late Pastor Tayo Adeyemi of the New Wine Church ,London, “the length of years you lived is not important ,it is what you did that is most important .What makes life meaningful is filling life with meaning“.

Joseph was the eleventh son but one to be reckoned with at all levels and we would begin to examine his life in the next post .

Remain in His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer.

On the Way to the Palace

"Jacob’s son Joseph was now seventeen years old. His job, along with his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, was to shepherd his father’s flocks. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things they were doing."-Genesis 37:2 TLB Today's Living Bible

Today, I would like us to begin with a series that I have been teaching on the Radio for over a month now. I have decided to share these truths using this forum also as I believe we all learn differently and while some would prefer to read through, others may be more akin towards visual /audio learning  and maybe because I love to write, I am biased towards write ups  as it affords me the pleasure of reading.Going through my previous notes, I must adnit that  the Holy Spirit  has shed  further  light on this series as I began to teach it as compared to when I  originally studied it privately two years ago.

I was going through a particular difficult period in my life and was beginning to examine again the book of Genesis with the aim of getting to the encouraging story of Joseph(Romans 15:4). There are some   scenes  in the story of Joseph that evoke the same reaction every time I read(Potiphar’s wife- Genesis 39:2-20 ) .I  especially love when this young man was reunited with this father Jacob and how he wept when he kissed his father(Genesis 46:29). I must admit that severally whenever I come to that part of the story, I end up crying with Joseph. The tears fail to take a gentle stride as they  seem to be in a race  to outrun   each other in a protest for the many years   Jacob had ended up crying over a lie (Genesis 37:31-35).

Joseph’s story  (Genesis 37-49) is  one that leaves us with genuine admiration  for his integrity and sense of purpose. He is one of the few Bible characters that we struggle to find fault with. Some commentators in their respect for him parallel his life with that of Jesus ; they both seemed to have  suffered hatred, rejection, they were both sold by  their loved ones and so much more.

However  in these series, I would like us to look at the life of Joseph as a prototype of the kind of life we should emulate if we want to get to the Palace which is hopefully where we all want to get to .Some  sermons erroneously  portray Joseph’s promotion as  an overnight success and leave us   with the impression that he attended a Special Next Level Anointing Service or that he sowed  a Breakthrough  seed from the prison the night before and suddenly , the next day, he became the second in  command to Pharoah( Genesis 40:40-41). This however was not the case

I believe that you  would receive  fresh insights in this story as I did  and will very much love to hear from you. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will show you further things that we can all learn from. Do not hesitate to share your comments here or on our page on Facebook “Feasting at the Table “https://www.facebook.com/feastingatthetable

I also invite you to join me on Peace& &Joy Radio(Online or via Tune In App) every Saturday @11am for “Feasting at the Table”  aka F.A.T and subsequent rebroadcast on Tuesdays  @7pm.

Remain in His Service 

Grace Tom-Lawyer.

Ps-.I  am indebted also to the works of several Bible commentators such as  F.B. Meyer, W.H.Griffith Thomas, Sewyln Hughes Charles Swindoll , and several others .