7 Powerful Lessons From The Life Of Joseph

In this article, we will explore lessons from the life of joseph and how we can apply them to our lives. So, grab your Bible, and let’s dig in…

Everyone has their favorite Bible characters and hands down one of my favorites is Joseph. The life of Joseph is written in Genesis chapters 37 – 50, and there are many lessons that can be learned and applied by the reading of his life and the work that God did in and through him. The story of Joseph is full of truth, revelation, and encouragement, and every Christian can learn much from reading it.

The lessons that we learn from the life of Joseph, including how faithful God is, the importance of a relationship with Him, and reliance on the provision of God are all lessons that every believer can learn from and apply to their own lives. The life of Joseph has many lessons to teach us and those are just a few! We can even learn from the dreams of Joseph.

Reading these chapters in Genesis reveals what kind of man Joseph was and how the Lord was with him in every way, despite going through some of the worst trials a person can endure. So, let’s go explore some of the major lessons from the life of Joseph, and discover how we can apply them to our own lives.

Lessons From The Life Of Joseph

Joseph was born to Jacob and Rachel in the book of Genesis and went on to become one of the most prominent figures of the time. This man lived a life that demonstrated the goodness of God in the midst of great hardship and betrayal. There are also tons of similarities between Joseph and Jesus. It’s amazing to see the parallels.

As I mentioned earlier there are lots we can learn, but there are a few key lessons that we can draw from his life based on the Scriptures in Genesis 37 – 50.

The Faithfulness Of God

The first crucial lesson to learn from the life of Joseph is that God is faithful.

The life of Joseph clearly demonstrates the faithfulness of God in every situation. Regardless of what Joseph faced, be it false accusations, imprisonment, persecution, deception against him, abandonment, and even betrayal by his own family, God was always faithful to Joseph.

God gave his favor to Joseph in every situation and brought him through all of the various trials that he faced in the victory. Joseph was betrayed, but the Lord brought him up to be the second in charge of all of Egypt, which was one of the greatest and mightiest kingdoms of the time.

The Lord brought Joseph through everything he faced helping him overcome and showing off His power and faithfulness. The Lord is faithful to those who love Him. We can put our trust in God even when things feel like we have been thrown into a pit or put into jail. God is able to turn everything around for our good!

The Faithfulness Of Joseph Toward God

The second major lesson to draw from the life of Joseph is that not only was God faithful to Joseph, but Joseph was faithful to God.

No matter what Joseph was given, in all of the wealth and influence that God provided him, in all of the provision that God gave him, Joseph was always faithful to God. He made it clear to Pharoah that it was God who can interpret dreams, and made it clear to his brothers that it was God who orchestrated everything.

The things that God gave Joseph never became more important than God to Joseph! He was always faithful to God, even when presented with opportunities that other men would take without hesitation. Joseph would not sin against God.

The same is true even when Joseph was betrayed, sold into slavery, and even imprisoned. When Joseph was at his lowest, most painful place, he remained faithful to God. He was not only faithful in the good times, but when things were at their worst, he was still faithful and kept God above all other things. Joseph never even spoke against God, even in the hardest times.

The faithfulness of Joseph is why God could trust him with so much influence, favor, and provision. Joseph always kept God first, regardless of all the good that God did for him.

Many times we focus on God’s faithfulness and never look at whether have we been faithful to Him. This isn’t always an easy question to ask ourselves but I believe it’s an important one.

Relationship With God

To piggyback on Joseph being faithful to God. He also maintained a relationship with God and learned to hear His voice. This is evident when Joseph interprets the dreams of the prisoners and the Pharaoh and when he shows great wisdom from the Lord in stewarding difficult situations, such as famines and droughts that took place in Egypt.

In everything that Joseph faced, he kept his relationship with the Lord strong and was sure to hear the voice of God above all other things. This is how the Lord led him through everything that he faced and brought Joseph victory in the midst of hardship. He found his strength, wisdom, and grace in God.

Even though Joseph lived thousands of years ago this life lesson is still true today. Like any relationship, you have to cultivate it. The same is with the Lord! We must spend time with Him in His presence, reading His Word, praying, and waiting on Him.

Good Stewardship

A lesson that we learn from the way Joseph handled his life in the Lord is that Joseph was a good steward of what the Lord gave him.

Joseph never took anything for granted and was always grateful for what God gave him. He looked after what God put in his hand, he took good care of what was entrusted to him, and he stewarded his influence and stature well in the Lord.

He was also a good steward and functioned in a gift of administration when taking care of Pharoah’s kingdom during the years of plenty and famine.

Joseph never took any credit for what he had, and he always glorified God in what he did. He stewarded the favor of God well.

God has given each one of us a position, influence, gifting, and calling. And we have to learn to be good stewards of the things He has given us. And I think a lot of times we think it needs to be something big for God to care about it and that’s not the truth. God cares about the little things as well. Like are we being good steward of how we spend our time or money?

The Provision Of The Lord

We have covered faithfulness but another side of it is provision. Throughout the book of Genesis we see this theme as The Lord is My Provider, Jehova Jireh.

Joseph was sold into slavery, betrayed by his brothers, and falsely accused. Yet, through it all, God provided for Joseph and even brought him through a time of great affliction to take his place as second in command over the entire kingdom of Egypt.

But let’s really reflect.

When Joseph was sold into slavery God opened the door for him and provided him with becoming a slave to Potiphar, the captain of the guard in Egypt. Joseph wasn’t sold to some random farmer, but to someone with power and influence. God provided him with the favor to be placed with Potiphar knowing this would put him in place to go before Pharaoh one day. It says in Genesis 39:2,

The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

God truly blessed Joseph beyond what anyone could have expected and He always proved Himself faithful no matter what situation Joseph faced. This teaches us that if we remain true to the Lord, even when everything seems against us, He will provide for us in ways that are far more beautiful than we can imagine. 

Forgiveness

An important lesson from these chapters in Genesis is demonstrated by the forgiveness that Joseph showed his brothers. It’s actually quite amazing!

Joseph’s brother betrayed him and sold him into slavery, and he still took them in, gave them what they needed, and forgave them of their wrongs. Joseph was secure in who he was in God and in what God had done and given him; he had no resentment toward his family. He saw the bigger picture in it all.

The forgiveness shown by Joseph saved all of the tribes of Israel from famine and the future generations. Joseph demonstrated the same forgiveness that Jesus gave us all.

The topic of forgiveness is deep and very important to a Christian walk. We are told to forgive those who have wronged us even up to 70×7. Even though Joseph had every right to be angry and to seek vengeance, he chose the higher road and extended forgiveness. No matter what we have faced and who has done us wrong we can extend forgiveness. We can do this by the grace of God.

If you are having a hard time forgiving someone then I encourage seek God and ask Him to help you forgive and to heal the pain or release the anger. He is a good God and He will help.

Wisdom From God

Joseph demonstrated what it means to rely on God and receive His wisdom for the things that we have to face in our lives.

Every problem that was presented to Joseph, be it a confusing dream, running a household, droughts, and famines, or even running an entire nation and kingdom, was always solved with the wisdom of God.

Joseph did not rely on his own skill or understanding to face the problems that he was presented with, but he always relied on God, received His wisdom, and walked in His ways.

In this, every difficulty and challenge that joseph faced was overcome by the Lord, not by his own understanding or abilities. We too can seek wisdom from God (James 1:5–6) when we are in need.

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The lessons that we can learn from the life of Joseph include the unending faithfulness of God, how important faithfulness toward God is, good stewardship of what we are given, the importance of the relationship with God, reliance on the provision of the Lord, and the value of receiving wisdom from God.

If you feel a bit like joseph, being downtrodden by people in your life, remember that Joseph trusted the Lord in all things, He was faithful always, and the Lord kept him safe and gave him favor in all that he faced.