10 Encouraging Lessons from Joseph in the Bible

The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 paints a picture of a man faithful to God through adversity, someone who demonstrates leadership skills, who listens to God, and who uses his gifts to bless those around him. Here are 10 lessons about leadership and faithfulness that we learn from the story of Joseph in the Bible.

The Story of Joseph in Genesis

We encounter the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50. Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, and we are told that Jacob “loved Joseph more than any of his other sons” (37:3). This was the first thing that got Joseph into trouble, for his brothers saw that he was the favourite, and they were jealous and “hated him for it” (37:4). This jealousy was made worse when Joseph had a dream that he was ruling over his brothers and he shared that dream with them. And then, one day, because of this jealousy, when they were out tending the family’s sheep in the fields, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery when some Medianite merchants came by. The brothers staged Joseph’s death, and his father mourned for him.

Meanwhile, Joseph finds himself in the palace of Pharaoh, in Egypt. He had been sold to a man named Potiphar, the captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s palace. The writer of Genesis tells us that “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered” (39:2), and that, when his master saw that God was giving Joseph success in everything that he did, he gave Joseph a special position in the household, so that he became Potiphar’s attendant. Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household, and he entrusted to Joseph the care of everything that he owned. The whole household, we are told, was blessed because of Joseph’s presence.

Now this state of harmony and blessing didn’t last long. Joseph drew the attention of Potiphar’s wife, and when he refused her advances, she became angry and set Joseph up, making it look like he had attacked her. Joseph was thrown in prison because of this. And yet, “the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden” (39:21).

While in prison, Joseph made friends with some influential people (the cupbearer and the chief baker of the king). He interpreted dreams for them and his interpretations proved accurate. After two whole years had passed, Pharaoh himself had two dreams that troubled him, and no one could tell him what they meant. The chief cupbearer remembered Joseph, at this point, and suggested the Pharaoh consult him.

Joseph wisely interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and advised him on what to do about them. For the dreams had predicted a seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in Egypt. Joseph advised Pharoah to take advantage of the seven years of abundance, to store away enough food to last through the seven years of famine. Pharaoh, impressed with Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, put him in charge of the whole palace and the whole land, so that he was second-in-command only to Pharaoh himself. Because of Joseph’s oversight, the people of Egypt had enough food to last through the entire seven years of famine, and they even sold grain to other countries.

At this point in the story, Joseph meets his brothers again. Joseph’s brothers had travelled to Egypt to buy grain during the years of famine. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but they did not recognize him. Joseph sends them away, instructing them to return with their youngest brother (born after Joseph had been sold into slavery). When they return, Joseph reveals his identity to them, insisting that God had placed him here for this purpose.

Joseph reassures his brothers, “do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…. God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (45:5-7). Joseph then brings his brothers and his father to live in Egypt, enjoying life in the palace and escaping the hardship of five more years of famine. Both Jacob and then Joseph die peacefully, trusting in God’s plan and his promise to bring blessing upon their descendants.

10 lessons we learn from Joseph in the Bible

10 Lessons we Learn from the Story of Joseph in the Bible

There are many lessons that we can learn from Joseph in the Bible. The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 shows us a man who trusts in God’s plans, who uses his gifts of leadership and discernment to bless those around him, and who extends grace and mercy to those around him. Here are 10 lessons that we can learn from the story of Joseph in the Bible.

See yourself as God sees you.
Expect challenges and make peace with adversity.
Look for opportunities to lead.
Listen to God’s voice.
Use the gifts you are given.
Extend grace and mercy to others.
Serve in all circumstances.
Know that God can bring good out of hardship.
Trust that God is involved and working everything towards his purpose.
Know that God’s plans are bigger than our own.

See yourself as God sees you.

Genesis 39:2 tells us that “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered.” Some translations say that “Joseph was a prosperous man” (KJV), or “Joseph was a successful man” (ESV). God sees Joseph as prosperous and successful, even though he had lost everything. No longer the wealthy, well-dressed, favorite son, Joseph was now a slave in a foreign country. And yet, in God’s eyes Joseph was prosperous and successful.

Joseph listened to God’s voice, trusted in his plan, and used his gifts to bless those around him. And so, God gave Joseph success “in everything he did” (39:3). Joseph could have seen himself as a victim, but God saw him as a faithful servant whom he would use to do great things. What we learn from the story of Joseph in this instance is that what the world says about us, and what we might be tempted to believe about ourselves, is not necessarily what God says about us. God says that we are loved, protected, provided for, and destined for great things.

Expect challenges and make peace with adversity.

Joseph’s life was marked by challenges. He was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was framed for abuse and thrown in prison. He lived through seven years of famine. And yet, Joseph sees God’s hand at work even through his years of adversity. Joseph’s story teaches us that life will not always be easy. Even when God is with us, we may face challenges, losses, and failures. If you expect challenges, then you can learn to trust God to walk you through those challenges.

Look for opportunities to lead.

Even when Joseph was imprisoned or a slave, he looked for opportunities to lead. He was Potiphar’s personal attendant, and he was Pharaoh’s second-in-command. His leadership skills resulted in these men trusting him and giving him more responsibilities. Ultimately, Joseph’s leadership helped the people of Egypt avoid the worst consequences of years of famine.

Listen to God’s voice.

One of Joseph’s gifts was the ability to interpret dreams. In interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph notes that it is God who is speaking through these dreams (41:25). Joseph has learned to listen to God’s voice and he uses that skill to help him make decisions and give wisdom and discernment to those around him.

Use the gifts you are given.

Joseph uses the gifts that God has given him. He has been given the ability to interpret dreams, and he has substantial leadership skills. Joseph uses these gifts in order to help those around him, and he is rewarded for it.

Extend grace and mercy to others.

When confronted with the brothers who had sold him into slavery so many years before, Joseph does not react with vengeance and anger. Rather, he extends grace and mercy to them. He sends them home with more grain than they need, and he returns the silver that they paid to them. He brings his brothers and his father to Egypt in order to care for them during the years of famine. Joseph also notes that this was God’s plan all along, that he had been placed here in order to save lives and to go ahead of his brothers to preserve their lives as well. In forgiving his brothers, Joseph models God’s forgiveness for us.

Serve in all circumstances.

Joseph doesn’t serve only in places where he chose to be. He serves in all circumstances. When he was sold into slavery, he served Potiphar – the man who had purchased him – so well that he became a blessing in the household and was entrusted with the care of everything. When he was thrown in prison, he served by using his gift of interpreting dreams to help his fellow prisoners. In all situations in which we find ourselves, we can look for opportunities to use the gifts that God has given us to serve others and to help to bring about God’s kingdom.

Know that God can bring good out of hardship.

Joseph expresses faith in God’s plan, and insists that God is working good through the suffering that Joseph himself had gone through. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Joseph recognizes that God can bring good out of hardship. While the things that Joseph went through were not good things themselves, God used them towards a good purpose. We, too, can trust that God can bring good things out of our hardship.

Trust that God is involved and working everything towards his purpose.

Joseph trusts that God is working behind the scenes. Even though he doesn’t know what the purpose is at the beginning, he faithfully follows God, listens to his voice, interprets that voice for others, and brings blessing to those around him. As he does this, he trusts that God is working everything towards his purpose of bringing restoration and blessing to a broken creation.

God’s plans are bigger than our own.

Joseph’s story shows us that God’s plans are bigger than our own. Joseph could not have predicted, when he was sold into slavery, that he would help to save thousands of people from the worst consequences of a years-long famine. He was given a dream that predicted that he would rule over his brothers, but he was not given the full story ahead of time. With each twist and turn of Joseph’s life, he had to trust that God was in control and that he would work all things out according to his purposes. God’s plan was so much bigger than Joseph could ever have planned for himself.

So, too, in our lives, God’s plan is often much bigger than our plans. When we learn to hold our plans lightly, to listen to God’s voice, to use our gifts to bless those around us, then we can begin to participate in the grand and adventurous story that God has planned for us.

Prayer Points from the Life of Joseph

The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 provides us with an inspirational example of faithfulness, service, and mercy. We can use these prayer points from the life of Joseph to pray for these traits to flourish in our lives as well.