Joseph the Overcomer

By Tom Dooley

Bible teacher Gene Getz once said, “If any man had an excuse for turning out bad, Joseph certainly did.”

However, Joseph’s life is a dynamic portrayal of godliness. Joseph’s growth in godliness was not easy. In fact, Joseph’s life began with overcoming three great obstacles to become a great man of God.

Faulty parenting (Genesis 37:1-4). Joseph’s father Jacob was far from being a model parent. He made serious parenting mistakes. He showed damaging favoritism toward Joseph.

Genesis 37:3 states Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers because he was “the son of his old age.” Jacob didn’t hesitate to express this partiality in a tangible way. He made Joseph a coat of many colors. This was no ordinary coat. It represented Joseph’s favored position in the family as well as Jacob’s intent to treat Joseph as the firstborn, with all the accompanying rights and privileges, including a double portion of inheritance. Such favoritism resulted in Joseph’s brothers hating him.

We see a second serious parental error in Jacob’s preoccupation. Jacob was oblivious to the animosity of Joseph’s brothers toward the favored son. If he had any clue regarding their deep anger, certainly he would not have sent Joseph on an errand to check up on them.

No doubt Jacob was a busy man, but his preoccupation almost cost him the life of his most loved son. Preoccupation is a trap every parent needs to avoid, especially fathers. It is tempting to become so preoccupied by work, status, responsibilities, and sometimes leisure that we neglect our children. It is crucial to know what is going on in their lives.

Bitter brothers (Genesis 37:5-35). As we already learned in verse 4, Joseph was so hated by his brothers they “could not speak peaceably.” In verses 5-11, when Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers—how he would reign over them one day—they hated him even more. Their deep-set bitterness drove them to want to kill Joseph. Had Reuben not intervened, Joseph would have been murdered. Instead, they cast him into a pit. But even that didn’t satisfy their bitter hearts, and they sold Joseph to Midianite slave traders, condemning him to what seemed likely to be a life of misery.

Joseph was totally rejected by his brothers, the object of their disdain. Yet, as difficult as it must have been for Joseph, even this horrible relationship didn’t detour him from becoming the man God wanted him to be.

Instead of wearing a spirit of bitterness, Colossians 3:12-14 commands us to be people of mercy, kindness, humility, and patience. Rather than acting in violence like Joseph’s brothers, we are instructed to act in compassion and forgiveness. Later in life, Joseph demonstrated exactly what godly forgiveness looks like when he came face to face with his brothers once again.

Confusing circumstances (Genesis 37:36). Joseph’s dreams were not coming to pass. He wasn’t reigning over anyone. He found himself enslaved in a foreign country. Amazingly, even in this heartbreaking situation, we have no record Joseph ever questioned God’s love, power, and faithfulness.

Joseph set a worthy example. We need to remember when life puts us into a pit, it does not mean God has forgotten us or failed us in some way.

Of all the obstacles Joseph had to overcome, I believe this one was the most challenging. He could have used the hardships he endured as an excuse to turn his back on his relationship with God, but he didn’t.

As Philippians 4:10-14 reminds us, with God, we can be content no matter our circumstances! Joseph experienced both a life of plenty and a life of servitude. No matter the circumstances, he found strength to overcome in the Lord.

Growth in our Christian life will bring us face to face with obstacles. So, let’s determine to be overcomers. Joseph could have made all kinds of excuses for himself. He could have quit, but he didn’t.

He overcame.

About the Writer: Ohio native Tom Dooley has pastored New Road FWB Church in Austintown, Ohio, since 2002. He previously served as the director of Free Will Baptist Master’s Men.