Joseph - A Story of Grace

Episode 17

Hello, and welcome to this special edition of In the Lighthouse: your safe harbor from the storm. This is Daphne Collins, your Lighthouse Keeper and host for our time together. Today, I’m pleased to present you with another installment from our special series, “Heroes of the Old Testament,” and this particular story is dedicated to those individuals living in this world who choose to stand, without wavering, against the barrage of flaming arrows coming at you from all directions. The hero from the Old Testament, whose name is synonymous with persecution, is Joseph, the second to youngest son of the great patriarch Jacob, who chose to live righteously. Joseph’s story demonstrates God’s abounding grace amid years of enslavement brought about by betrayal. His biblical account is found in the Book of Genesis, chapters 37-50.

Many of us come from dysfunctional families and have parents whose names would never be put forward by their children to a survey of “best parents ever.” When we closely examine the parenting style of the patriarchs of God’s chosen people, we find that they were imperfect and prone to favoritism, lying, cheating, abuse, and all manner of sin acted out in God’s sight. Yet, their children survived their tutelage and carried on these same behaviors through the generations. A familiar song written to instruct children “in the way they should go” is entitled, “O, Be Careful Little Eyes What You See,” which warns them that their Father in Heaven is watching them, even if their parents may be unaware of what they’re doing. This episode is entitled “Joseph – A Story of Grace,” and in its telling, the profile of a man's endurance is illustrated. This ancient biblical character is one of many who chose to stand for righteousness before God and, because of his steadfast spirit, received an abundance of grace and was blessed in all his endeavors. Joseph’s story is a reminder to anyone who incorrectly believes that God doesn’t see them in their struggles. If you choose to trust him, God will give you the grace needed to carry on and, according to his purpose and ultimate glory, will bless you along the way. Okay, let’s get started!

Sibling rivalry could become the consequence of years of parental favoritism shown to one child over another. If you are overtly making comparisons between children, imparting disparate methods of teaching and discipline, or displaying affection unequally, it can cause the overlooked sibling to become resentful and turn their aggression toward the favored one. Protests of unfairness that are left unaddressed by the neglectful parent will only exacerbate the situation further and cause their unsuspecting favored child to become the target of the disgruntled siblings. This was a key issue faced by Joseph, whose older brothers resented their father Jacob’s outpouring of love to his two youngest sons. Proverbs 22:6 provides parenting advice for prudent childrearing. Wisdom sagely advises, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Biblical history has given us many parenting examples of imperfect people whose life choices netted negative consequences. These are the generations whom God called to “come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:17). We will learn more about some of these families and their dynamics in future episodes of this series. Presently, however, we will look to the example of the life of Joseph, a young man who was doted on by his indulgent father because he is the eldest son of the two sons borne by Rachel, the favorite wife of Jacob. It was for Rachel that the patriarch labored for 20 years on her father’s land in order to have her as his wife. Their issue, Joseph and Benjamin, were prized by Jacob, who lost his wife Rachel from the birthing bed of their youngest. After years of waiting for the woman he loved more than the rest, how then can Jacob’s affections extend to his other sons?

The life of Joseph is a mere composite of how the love of a parent is central yet should be applied equally. Hebrews 12:7-11 explains the parenting style of our heavenly Father and how Joseph’s life was shaped by God’s guiding hand. “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

God saw how Jacob treated Joseph, and he knew the love the patriarch had for all his sons. God also knew of the hurts Jacob harbored in his heart as well as the regrets he had from his past and current relations with his brother, Esau.  Moreover, God was aware of the feelings of Jacob’s sons concerning their younger brother. Joseph became the unwitting recipient of the choices made by those around him. The discipline Joseph acquired was the result of years of testing according to God’s greater purpose for His people, Israel (Ephesians 1:11). This story of Joseph demonstrates a life of complete dependency on God’s grace that results in a greater good beyond anything anyone would have ever imagined.

Show Notes

All music themes used in this story are taken from Envato Elements

Opening Theme: Heroes of the Old Testament

Introductory Theme: Middle East Cinematic (short version) by Vadym Kuzniecov/nuclearmetal

Transition Theme: Middle East by Blacksmith

Conclusion Theme: Middle East Cinematic (long version) by Vadym Kuzniecov/nuclearmetal

Images used in this story: FreeBibleimages.org/

Transcript of “Joseph - A Story of Grace” by Daphne Collins

Transcript of “The Great Escape” by Laine Wilder