Learn about the life of José for you to follow an example of what it means to truly serve the Lord despite being in very difficult situations. This character had to go through a very tough test before I could experience victory and be able to teach his brothers a lesson through his testimony.
Learn the life of José – 3 characteristics of this character
Joseph was a servant of God who had to suffer the betrayal and deceit of his own brothers, who were envious of him because of his father’s preferences for him. These preferences being reasons for jealousy, hatred, resentment and envy that caused such betrayal. Nevertheless Joseph stood firm in the Lord and he had enough confidence to believe in his prompt help.
In this sense, it is important to know the different characteristics that identified this servant of God in order to be able to follow his example:
1.- He was full of convictions
This man was full of convictions despite his family environment in which his father loved him more than the others, generating an atmosphere of jealousy, envy and resentment. This can be seen in the following word:
“And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he had had him in his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors.” (Genesis 37:3)
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In this quote it can be seen that indeed his father loved José more and that love was shown by making him a special tunic of different colors. This preference was creating enmity between the brothers and opened the doors to family disunity. Therefore he was hated by his brothers:
“And seeing his brothers that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peacefully to him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they came to hate him even more.” (Genesis 37.4–5)
In this sense, the brothers, seeing their father’s preferences towards José, created feelings of envy in their hearts. Even the dreams that he had caused annoyance between them because he strengthened his qualities even more.
This is revealed by the word in the following passages: “And his brothers were envious of him, but his father meditated on this” (Genesis 37.11) They even thought about killing him, but his brother Ruben interceded for his life.
In this sense, these feelings of envy, hatred and malice were fed by the father himself, who increased the qualities of Joseph to such an extent that it caused rejection by his brothers. Therefore we must take this aspect to analyze and internalize it and understand that as parents we can feed those feelings when we have preferences.
Nevertheless, God’s purpose it had to be done and he was in control of all things. In the face of all this that was happening to him, Joseph stood firm believing and trusting in God, since he was chosen and maintained a close relationship with his Lord.
In this sense, when there are feelings of envy, people can do unimaginable things blinded by hatred and resentment towards their favorite person. In the same way we can see the consequences that our actions can cause in our lives and the lessons that it gives us.
For this reason it is important to highlight the teaching of the life of Joseph and what we can capture for build our life. In this regard, the word exhorts us as follows: “A peaceful heart is the life of the flesh; But envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30)
José also showed his conviction despite the social condition in which he found himself, since he was sold as a slave by his brothers. So despite that suffering and humiliation that he had to go through, he did not lose his trust in the Lord.
Today, we cannot truly understand what it meant to be a slave because today we have certain rights that protect us from acts of cruelty. However, we can also observe many injustices in society.
The truth is that this young man named José had to go through the test of being a slave, so this pampered young man had to put aside his comfort, flattery from his father to face the mistreatment and humiliation of slavery.
However, despite these terrible circumstances that José had to go through, he stood firm in his convictions because he was clear about his identity as the son of the God of Jacob.
Although Joseph’s brothers disowned him, abandoned him, sold him to the Ishmaelites, and was a victim of mistreatment, he was able to resist because he trusted in the God of his father. When the story of Joseph is told in the Bible, it is mentioned that God moved this man Potiphar to buy him, because the Lord never abandoned him, and he was in control of everything that was happening.
Once Joseph is in Potiphar’s house, God blessed him supernaturally so much so that when Potiphar saw Joseph, he made everything prosperous and God made him put in charge of his entire house. As can be seen in this quote:
“So when Joseph had been taken to Egypt, Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian man, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. But the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his mistress the Egyptian. And his mistress saw that the Lord was with him, and that all that he did, the Lord made it prosper in his hand. (Genesis 39:1-3)
2.- He was a man of holiness
Despite the vicissitudes that José had to go through, God never abandoned himbut every step he took was controlled by him, that’s why he was so blessed in the process he was living: “The patriarchs, moved by envy, sold Joseph to Egypt; but God was with him (Acts 7:9)
On the other hand, this man practiced holiness at all times and he demonstrated it with Potiphar’s wife, because despite being tempted he did not fall but knew how to refuse the “invitation” of this woman.
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When this delicate event occurred, José was around 17 years old, so he was very young. So he was able to control his carnal instincts and decided to stand his ground. This can be seen in the following quote:
“There is no one greater than I in this house, and he has reserved nothing for me but you, because you are his wife; how then could I do this great evil, and sin against God? She spoke to José every day, and he did not listen to her to lie down next to her, to be with her. (Genesis 39:9-10)
In this sense, Joseph was without a doubt a servant of the Lord and he was clinging to him because his convictions were firm and his trust was placed in the God that his father Jacob had taught him. So when Joseph was tempted, he was firm enough to flee and not be seduced by Potiphar’s wife because her principles were solid and her beliefs were real.
In this regard, the word exhorts us as follows: “Flee also from youthful passions, and follow justice, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord with a clean heart” (2 Timothy 2:22)
In this order of ideas, the decision to sin against Our Lord is personal and will determine the result of our actions because Joseph was certainly blessed in a great way due to his obedience and his .
However, holiness not only implies being apart from sin, but also means live apart for the Lord. Despite finding himself in very difficult circumstances, Joseph lived differently because he was set apart for the Lord.
As previously stated, God was always with Joseph and when he was in jail, the Lord gave him grace in front of the prison manager to such an extent that Joseph was in charge of the other prisoners. One of these was the cupbearer. of Pharaoh, even though he took time to recommend it, since Joseph once interpreted a dream for him. But he forgot to recommend it. As seen in the following quote: “And the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Genesis 40:23)
But since God was in control of all things, the cupbearer saw the situation of Pharaoh’s dreams that could not be interpreted, he remembered Joseph. And Pharaoh realized that Joseph was with God, as can be seen in the following passage:
“You will be over my house, and by your word all my people will be governed; Only on the throne will I be greater than you. Pharaoh further said to Joseph, Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh took his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in fine linen garments, and put a gold necklace on his neck; and he made him get into his second chariot, and they cried out before him: Bend the knee!; and he set it over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:40–43)
In this sense, Pharaoh recognized that the Lord was with Joseph and therefore he set him on high and gave him power and exalted him greatly. He furthermore recognized his holiness, because he had set himself apart for God.
3.- José learned to forgive
One of the characteristics of this biblical character is that he learned to forgive his brothers despite the bad things they did to him. For which he received them and gave them a lesson on what forgiveness and love and compassion mean, since Joseph felt mercy on them in view of the scarcity that succumbed to them.
In this sense, José teaches us that when we forgive we are leaving behind the past that binds us.. In the story of this servant of God, we can see that when he predicted the seven years of famine in the land, the brothers came down from their land in search of food.
And when Joseph saw his brothers, given his reaction we can realize that he had already forgiven them. He had the authority to take revenge on his brothers but he did not do it because his conviction towards God and his purpose were firm. Real forgiveness has to do with leaving everything behind, it is not about forgetting because that is difficult, but it is about healing the wounds of your past so that they heal and no longer cause you pain.
In this sense, José learned to forgive those who hurt him so much and those who wanted to kill him. But his conviction towards God he was very solid and he believed wholeheartedly in the God of his father Jacob, so he couldn’t hold a grudge against his own blood.
Given this, the word exhorts us as follows: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their offenses, neither will your Father forgive your offenses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
So Joseph teaches us in his testimony that we must learn to forgive to be able to see the Father, since the one who does not forgive lives tied and chained to that resentment and resentment. But he who forgives is free from all captivity. For this reason, Joseph, being a slave, felt free because within his heart he had the love of God, full of his presence and full of forgiveness.
In this way, life is about that, to learn from the situations that are presented to us in life, from setbacks, betrayals, tribulations, sadness, because it is…