Joseph’s Destiny Revealed

“And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”— Genesis 45:7

When Joseph had his dream as a teenager, his interpretation was that he would rule over his brothers and parents and they would serve him. Joseph’s immaturity caused him to define greatness as a position of lordship versus one of service—a lesson Jesus would later teach His disciples in Mark 10:35-45:

“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask.’ ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked. They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.’ ‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said. ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?’ ‘We can,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

This attitude led to the need for the Lord to take Joseph through the wilderness experience. Once Joseph was fully perfected, the Lord revealed his ultimate destiny to him: a destiny of service towards his brothers, not lordship. What allowed Joseph to see his destiny was the fact that he forgave his brothers. Prior to the time Joseph forgave his brothers, he was attempting to ensure his well-being as well as the well-being of his younger brother Benjamin. However, once he forgave, he realized that it was not just about him and his brother Benjamin, but about his entire family—even those who sold him into slavery.

Though Joseph saw himself as the center of the story, it was really never about him, but his brothers. More specifically, it was about Judah. Why Judah, you may ask? From the loins of Judah would come our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Lord sent Joseph ahead to Egypt because he knew there was a famine coming and he needed to protect the seed—the seed that would one day take away the sins of the entire human race, so that whoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). It was about protecting Jesus Christ our Savior. In Genesis 44:18-34, we see Christ manifested in Judah when he interceded on behalf of Benjamin, putting his own life on the line so that Benjamin would be saved. That act foreshadowed what was to come, as Christ would come and lay down His life so that we might be saved.

My prayer for you today is that God would give you a spirit of humbleness and forgiveness so that you won’t ever stand in the way of the destiny that God has for you.