00:00:01 In the present system of things,
00:00:03 all of us experience trials.
00:00:06 Do you ever wonder whether Jehovah will act in your behalf?
00:00:10 And if so, when?
00:00:12 We can be certain that Jehovah will support us during our trials.
00:00:17 Why?
00:00:19 Because Jehovah’s foremost attribute
00:00:21 is an especially heartwarming quality —love.
00:00:26 To learn about this quality, including how we can show it ourselves,
00:00:30 let’s examine the Bible account of Joseph.
00:00:34 Joseph was born
00:00:36 more than 3,700 years ago in Mesopotamia.
00:00:41 His father was the patriarch, Jacob,
00:00:44 also known as Israel.
00:00:46 Joseph had ten half brothers
00:00:49 and one full brother, Benjamin.
00:00:52 At a tender age, Joseph began to face adversity
00:00:56 because of the jealousy of his ten older brothers.
00:01:00 Yet, Joseph’s trials
00:01:03 led to the saving of his whole family from famine.
00:01:07 More than that, as a result of his trials,
00:01:11 we can receive everlasting blessings.
00:01:14 I invite you to read along in your Bible
00:01:17 as you listen to Genesis 37:2-11.
00:01:25 “When Joseph was 17 years old,
00:01:28 “the young man was tending the flock
00:01:30 “with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah,
00:01:33 “the wives of his father.
00:01:35 “And Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.
00:01:39 “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons
00:01:44 “because he was the son of his old age,
00:01:46 “and he had a special robe made for him.
00:01:49 “When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers,
00:01:54 “they began to hate him, and they could not speak peaceably to him.
00:01:59 “Later Joseph had a dream and told it to his brothers,
00:02:03 “and they found further reason to hate him.
00:02:06 “He said to them:
00:02:08 “‘Please listen to this dream that I had.
00:02:10 “‘There we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field
00:02:14 “‘when my sheaf got up and stood erect
00:02:16 “‘and your sheaves encircled and bowed down to my sheaf.’
00:02:22 “His brothers said to him:
00:02:24 “‘Are you really going to make yourself king over us and dominate us?’
00:02:28 “So they found another reason to hate him,
00:02:32 “because of his dreams and what he said.
00:02:35 “After that he had still another dream,
00:02:38 “and he related it to his brothers:
00:02:41 “‘I have had another dream.
00:02:43 “‘This time the sun and the moon
00:02:46 “and 11 stars were bowing down to me.’
00:02:50 “Then he related it to his father as well as his brothers,
00:02:54 “and his father rebuked him and said to him:
00:02:57 “‘What is the meaning of this dream of yours?
00:03:00 “‘Am I as well as your mother and your brothers
00:03:03 “really going to come and bow down to the earth to you?’
00:03:08 “And his brothers grew jealous of him,
00:03:11 but his father kept the saying in mind.”
00:03:17 Joseph’s family find it difficult to accept the meaning of his dreams!
00:03:22 Yet, Jacob ‘keeps the saying,’
00:03:25 that is, he keeps Joseph’s dreams “in mind.”
00:03:28 How so?
00:03:29 He keeps thinking the matter over.
00:03:32 Perhaps he realizes that his son’s dreams are from Jehovah.
00:03:36 Joseph’s brothers, however, have a different reaction.
00:03:41 Follow along in Genesis 37:18-36.
00:03:48 “Now they caught sight of him from a distance,
00:03:51 “and before he reached them,
00:03:53 “they began plotting against him to put him to death.
00:03:57 “So they said to one another:
00:03:59 “‘Look! Here comes that dreamer.
00:04:02 “‘Come, now, let us kill him and pitch him into one of the waterpits,
00:04:06 “‘and we will say that a vicious wild animal devoured him.
00:04:09 “Then let us see what will become of his dreams.’
00:04:13 “When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from them.
00:04:17 “So he said:
00:04:19 “‘Let us not take his life.’
00:04:21 “Reuben said to them:
00:04:23 “‘Do not shed blood.
00:04:25 “‘Throw him into this waterpit in the wilderness,
00:04:28 “but do not harm him.’
00:04:30 “His purpose was to rescue him from them
00:04:33 “in order to return him to his father.
00:04:36 “So as soon as Joseph came to his brothers,
00:04:39 “they stripped Joseph of his robe, the special robe that he wore,
00:04:43 “and they took him and threw him into the waterpit.
00:04:46 “At the time the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
00:04:50 “Then they sat down to eat.
00:04:53 “When they looked up,
00:04:55 “there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.
00:04:58 “Their camels were carrying labdanum gum,
00:05:01 “balsam, and resinous bark,
00:05:04 “and they were on their way down to Egypt.
00:05:07 “At this Judah said to his brothers:
00:05:10 “‘What profit would there be if we killed our brother
00:05:13 “‘and covered over his blood?
00:05:15 “‘Come, now, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites,
00:05:18 “‘and do not let our hand be upon him.
00:05:21 “After all, he is our brother, our flesh.’
00:05:25 “So they listened to their brother.
00:05:27 “And when the Midianite merchants were passing by,
00:05:31 “they lifted Joseph up out of the waterpit
00:05:34 “and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver.
00:05:38 “These men took Joseph into Egypt.
00:05:42 “Later when Reuben returned to the waterpit
00:05:45 “and saw that Joseph was not in the waterpit,
00:05:48 “he ripped his garments apart.
00:05:51 “When he returned to his brothers, he exclaimed:
00:05:54 “‘The child is gone!
00:05:57 “And I —what am I going to do?’
00:06:00 “So they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a male goat
00:06:04 “and dipped the robe in the blood.
00:06:07 “After that they sent the special robe to their father and said:
00:06:12 “‘This is what we found.
00:06:14 “Please examine whether this is your son’s robe or not.’
00:06:19 “Then he examined it and exclaimed:
00:06:22 “‘It is my son’s robe!
00:06:25 “‘A vicious wild animal must have devoured him!
00:06:29 “Joseph is surely torn to pieces!’
00:06:32 “With that Jacob ripped his garments apart
00:06:36 “and put sackcloth around his waist
00:06:38 “and mourned his son for many days.
00:06:42 “And all his sons and all his daughters
00:06:45 “kept trying to comfort him,
00:06:48 “but he kept refusing to take comfort, saying:
00:06:52 “‘I will go down into the Grave mourning my son!’
00:06:57 “And his father continued weeping for him.
00:07:00 “Now the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar,
00:07:04 a court official of Pharaoh and the chief of the guard.”
00:07:11 What a drastic change
00:07:13 —from favorite son to lowly slave!
00:07:17 Joseph’s brothers not only fail to show loyal love to him,
00:07:21 but they fail to show love to their father, Jacob,
00:07:25 and, most important, to their heavenly Father, Jehovah.
00:07:30 Faithful servants of Jehovah are not always shielded from injustice.
00:07:34 At times, injustice may befall us
00:07:37 even at the hands of a fellow believer.
00:07:40 Are you in the middle of a trial like that?
00:07:43 Actually, your trial gives you a unique opportunity
00:07:47 to prove your love for Jehovah.
00:07:49 How so?
00:07:52 Consider how Joseph responded to his trial.
00:07:55 Note what Genesis 39:1-23 says.
00:08:02 “Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt,
00:08:05 “and an Egyptian named Potiphar,
00:08:07 “a court official of Pharaoh and chief of the guard,
00:08:11 “bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
00:08:14 “But Jehovah was with Joseph.
00:08:17 “As a result, he became successful
00:08:20 “and was put over the house of his master, the Egyptian.
00:08:24 “And his master saw that Jehovah was with him
00:08:27 “and that Jehovah was making everything that he did successful.
00:08:32 “Joseph kept finding favor in his eyes,
00:08:35 “and he became his personal attendant.
00:08:38 “So he appointed him over his house,
00:08:40 “and he put him in charge of all that was his.
00:08:43 “From the time he appointed him over his house
00:08:46 “and in charge of all that was his,
00:08:48 “Jehovah kept blessing the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph,
00:08:53 “and Jehovah’s blessing came to be on all that he had
00:08:56 “in the house and in the field.
00:08:59 “He eventually left everything that was his in Joseph’s care,
00:09:04 “and he gave no thought to anything except the food he was eating.
00:09:09 “Moreover, Joseph grew to be well-built and handsome.
00:09:14 “Now after these things,
00:09:16 “the wife of his master
00:09:18 “began to cast her eyes on Joseph and say:
00:09:22 “‘Lie down with me.’
00:09:24 “But he refused and said to his master’s wife:
00:09:28 “‘Here my master does not know what is with me in the house,
00:09:32 “‘and he has entrusted everything he has into my care.
00:09:35 “‘There is no one greater in this house than I am,
00:09:38 “‘and he has not withheld from me anything at all
00:09:41 “‘except you, because you are his wife.
00:09:44 “‘So how could I commit this great badness
00:09:47 “and actually sin against God?’
00:09:50 “So day after day she spoke to Joseph,
00:09:53 “but he never consented to lie with her or to remain with her.
00:09:58 “But on one of the days when he went into the house to do his work,
00:10:02 “none of the household servants were in the house.
00:10:06 “Then she grabbed hold of him by his garment and said:
00:10:09 “‘Lie down with me!’
00:10:12 “But he left his garment in her hand and fled outside.
00:10:16 “As soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand
00:10:19 “and had fled outside,
00:10:22 “she began to cry out to the men of her house and to say to them:
00:10:26 “‘Look! He brought to us this Hebrew man
00:10:30 “‘to make us a laughingstock.
00:10:33 “‘He came to me to lie down with me,
00:10:35 “‘but I began to cry out at the top of my voice.
00:10:39 “‘Then as soon as he heard me raising my voice and screaming,
00:10:42 “he left his garment beside me and fled outside.’
00:10:47 “After that she laid his garment beside her
00:10:51 “until his master came to his house.
00:10:54 “Then she told him the same thing, saying:
00:10:58 “‘The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us
00:11:01 “‘came to me to make me a laughingstock.
00:11:05 “‘But as soon as I raised my voice and began to scream,
00:11:09 “he left his garment beside me and fled outside.’
00:11:13 “As soon as his master heard the words his wife spoke to him, saying:
00:11:17 “‘These are the things your servant did to me,’
00:11:20 “his anger blazed.
00:11:22 “So Joseph’s master took him and gave him over to the prison,
00:11:26 “the place where the prisoners of the king were kept under arrest,
00:11:30 “and he remained there in the prison.
00:11:33 “But Jehovah continued with Joseph and kept showing loyal love to him
00:11:38 “and granting him favor in the eyes of the chief officer of the prison.
00:11:42 “So the chief officer of the prison
00:11:44 “put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the prison,
00:11:48 “and everything that they were doing there,
00:11:51 “he was the one having it done.
00:11:53 “The chief officer of the prison
00:11:55 “was looking after absolutely nothing that was in Joseph’s care,
00:11:59 “for Jehovah was with Joseph
00:12:01 and Jehovah made whatever he did successful.”
00:12:07 Joseph remains under Jehovah’s watchful care,
00:12:11 and Jehovah makes whatever Joseph does successful.
00:12:16 Why is Jehovah so attached to Joseph?
00:12:20 Because Joseph maintains unshakable love for God.
00:12:25 Joseph’s experience teaches us
00:12:28 that if we maintain our love for Jehovah,
00:12:31 He will not abandon us!
00:12:34 Rather, He will provide just what we need at the right time
00:12:39 so that we may endure.
00:12:42 Returning to Joseph’s story,
00:12:44 we find he’s assigned to care for two special prisoners
00:12:48 —Pharaoh’s personal cupbearer
00:12:51 and his chief baker.
00:12:53 One night, they each have a puzzling dream.
00:12:58 Jehovah enables Joseph to interpret those dreams accurately,
00:13:03 and the dreams are fulfilled.
00:13:05 Notice that at Genesis 40:14,
00:13:09 Joseph entreats the cupbearer with the words:
00:13:13 “You must remember me when things go well with you.
00:13:17 “Please show me loyal love and mention me to Pharaoh,
00:13:21 in order to get me out of this place.”
00:13:24 But the cupbearer forgets all about Joseph.
00:13:29 Eventually,
00:13:31 Pharaoh himself has two baffling dreams
00:13:34 —one of plump cattle eaten by skinny ones
00:13:38 and the other of choice ears of grain
00:13:42 swallowed by shriveled ones.
00:13:45 None of the priests and wise men in Egypt
00:13:47 were able to interpret these dreams.
00:13:50 Finally, the cupbearer tells Pharaoh
00:13:54 about Joseph’s amazing ability to interpret dreams.
00:13:58 Joseph is quickly summoned from prison.
00:14:02 As we resume our reading from Genesis 41:25,
00:14:07 Joseph, now 30 years old, is standing before the king.
00:14:15 “Then Joseph said to Pharaoh:
00:14:17 “‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.
00:14:20 “‘The true God has told to Pharaoh what He will do.
00:14:24 “‘The seven good cows are seven years.
00:14:28 “‘Likewise, the seven good ears of grain are seven years.
00:14:31 “‘The dreams are one and the same.
00:14:35 “‘The seven skinny and bad cows
00:14:37 “‘that came up after them are seven years,
00:14:39 “‘and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind,
00:14:43 “‘will prove to be seven years of famine.
00:14:47 “‘This is just as I told to Pharaoh:
00:14:49 “‘The true God has caused Pharaoh to see what He will do.
00:14:53 “‘There are to be seven years of great abundance in all the land of Egypt.
00:14:58 “‘But seven years of famine will certainly arise after them,
00:15:02 “‘and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will certainly be forgotten,
00:15:06 “‘and the famine will exhaust the land.
00:15:09 “‘And the previous abundance in the land
00:15:11 “‘will not be remembered because of the famine afterward,
00:15:15 “‘for it will be very severe.
00:15:17 “‘The dream was given twice to Pharaoh
00:15:20 “‘because the matter has been firmly established by the true God,
00:15:24 and the true God will soon carry it out.’”
00:15:29 Joseph lays out a detailed strategy
00:15:32 to deal with the coming famine.
00:15:34 Pharaoh is so pleased with Joseph’s interpretation
00:15:38 and his sound advice
00:15:40 that he installs Joseph as ruler over all Egypt,
00:15:45 second only to himself!
00:15:49 Eight years later, famine dominates the region.
00:15:52 Joseph’s family suffers too.
00:15:55 Jacob directs his sons to try to buy food in Egypt.
00:16:00 Jacob’s ten oldest sons leave for Egypt.
00:16:04 However, his youngest, Benjamin, stays safely at home.
00:16:09 The ten brothers meet Joseph and bow down to him,
00:16:14 fulfilling Joseph’s dream from years earlier.
00:16:18 Joseph recognizes his brothers,
00:16:21 but they don’t recognize him.
00:16:23 He speaks to them only in Egyptian through an interpreter
00:16:28 and keeps his true identity secret.
00:16:32 Joseph now has a decision to make.
00:16:35 Will he use his authority to make life hard for his brothers?
00:16:40 Will he dismiss them indifferently,
00:16:43 feeling that they don’t deserve his help?
00:16:46 Or will he look for any opening to reconcile with them?
00:16:51 Will he imitate Jehovah’s loyal love?
00:16:55 What would you have done?
00:16:58 Joseph wants to know if their attitude has changed
00:17:02 or if they’re still filled with hatred and envy.
00:17:06 Thus, he accuses them of being spies,
00:17:09 telling them he’ll keep their brother Simeon under arrest
00:17:13 until they return with Benjamin.
00:17:17 Let’s read Genesis 42:21-24.
00:17:24 “‘We are surely being punished on account of our brother,
00:17:28 “‘because we saw his distress
00:17:30 “‘when he begged us to show compassion,
00:17:32 “‘but we did not listen.
00:17:34 “That is why this distress has come upon us.’
00:17:37 “Then Reuben answered them:
00:17:40 “‘Did I not say to you,
00:17:42 “‘“Do not sin against the child,”
00:17:45 “‘but you would not listen?
00:17:47 “Now his blood is certainly being asked back.’
00:17:51 “But they did not know that Joseph understood,
00:17:54 “for there was an interpreter between them.
00:17:57 “So he turned away from them and began to weep.
00:18:00 “When he returned and spoke to them again,
00:18:03 he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.”
00:18:09 Reuben expresses remorse over their mistreatment of Joseph.
00:18:14 But are Reuben and his brothers genuinely repentant?
00:18:18 To find out, Joseph demands that his brothers return to Canaan
00:18:23 and then bring Benjamin, their youngest brother, to Egypt.
00:18:28 How does Jacob respond
00:18:30 to the demand that Benjamin be brought to Egypt?
00:18:34 Genesis 42:36, 37 answers:
00:18:41 “‘It is I you have bereaved!
00:18:43 “‘Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more,
00:18:47 “‘and you are going to take Benjamin!
00:18:49 “It is upon me that all these things have come!’
00:18:53 “But Reuben said to his father:
00:18:56 “‘You may put to death my own two sons if I do not bring him back to you.
00:19:00 Give him over to my care, and I will return him to you.’”
00:19:06 Jacob is adamant!
00:19:09 He will not allow Benjamin out of his sight.
00:19:12 However, by the second year of the famine,
00:19:16 the food supplies run out at home for Jacob and his household.
00:19:21 Will Jacob now be persuaded to let Benjamin join his brothers
00:19:25 in their trek back to Egypt for more food supplies?
00:19:29 Let’s find out
00:19:31 by reading Genesis 43:8-10, 13, and 14.
00:19:38 “Judah then urged Israel his father:
00:19:40 “‘Send the boy with me, and let us go on our way
00:19:43 “‘so that we may live and not die
00:19:45 “‘—we and you and our children.
00:19:48 “‘I will be a guarantee for his safety.
00:19:51 “‘You may hold me responsible.
00:19:53 “‘If I fail to return him to you and present him to you,
00:19:56 “‘I will have sinned against you for all time.
00:19:59 “‘But if we had not delayed,
00:20:01 “we could have been there and back twice by now.’
00:20:05 “‘Take your brother and go, return to the man.
00:20:09 “‘May God Almighty grant you pity from the man,
00:20:13 “‘so that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin.
00:20:18 “‘But as for me, if I must be bereaved,
00:20:22 I will be bereaved!’”
00:20:26 Although earlier Judah had displayed insensitivity
00:20:30 toward his father’s favored son, Joseph,
00:20:33 now he’s willing to take full responsibility
00:20:37 for his father’s beloved son Benjamin.
00:20:40 So Jacob permits his sons to return to Egypt,
00:20:44 bringing Joseph a large gift.
00:20:46 Let’s continue reading Genesis 43:26-30.
00:20:53 “When Joseph went into the house,
00:20:56 “they brought their gift to him into the house
00:20:58 “and prostrated themselves to him to the ground.
00:21:02 “‘How is your aged father of whom you have spoken?
00:21:05 “Is he still alive?’
00:21:07 “To this they said:
00:21:09 “‘Your servant our father is well.
00:21:12 “He is still alive.’
00:21:14 “Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves.
00:21:19 “When he looked up and saw Benjamin his brother,
00:21:22 “the son of his mother, he said:
00:21:25 “‘Is this your brother, the youngest one of whom you have spoken to me?’
00:21:30 “He added:
00:21:32 “‘May God show you his favor, my son.’
00:21:34 “Joseph then hurried out,
00:21:37 “because he was overcome with emotion for his brother,
00:21:40 “and he looked for a place to weep.
00:21:42 So he went into a private room and gave way to tears there.”
00:21:48 Joseph wants to discern his brothers’ true feelings,
00:21:52 so he tests them.
00:21:54 How?
00:21:56 Joseph has his servants fill each of his brothers’ bags with food.
00:22:00 Secretly, he also has his special silver cup
00:22:04 slipped into Benjamin’s bag.
00:22:06 After they all leave and have traveled a short distance on the road,
00:22:11 Joseph sends his servants after them.
00:22:14 When they catch up with them, the servants demand:
00:22:18 ‘Why have you stolen our master’s silver cup?’
00:22:23 Joseph’s brothers strongly deny any wrongdoing and add:
00:22:28 ‘If you find the cup with any one of us,
00:22:31 let that person be killed.’
00:22:34 So the servants search through all the bags,
00:22:37 and they find the cup in Benjamin’s bag!
00:22:40 The brothers show their grief by ripping their garments apart.
00:22:45 Perplexed, they all return with Benjamin to Joseph’s house.
00:22:51 Now, having fallen to the ground before Joseph,
00:22:55 Judah says:
00:22:57 “The true God has found out the error of your slaves.
00:23:01 We are now slaves to my master.”
00:23:05 Joseph, continuing his test, replies sternly:
00:23:09 ‘As for the rest of you, return home,
00:23:12 but Benjamin must stay here as my slave!’
00:23:16 Judah moans:
00:23:18 ‘If I fail to bring Benjamin back,
00:23:21 ‘my father will surely die
00:23:24 and I will have sinned against him forever.’
00:23:28 Judah is unwilling to cause his father
00:23:31 the pain of losing another favored son,
00:23:34 so he volunteers to become a slave in place of Benjamin.
00:23:40 Let’s read of Joseph’s emotional reaction
00:23:43 at Genesis 45:1-15:
00:23:48 “At this Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants.
00:23:53 “So he cried out:
00:23:56 “‘Have everyone leave me!’
00:23:58 “No one else stayed with him
00:24:00 “while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
00:24:03 “Then he began to weep so loudly
00:24:06 “that the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s house heard it.
00:24:09 “Finally Joseph said to his brothers:
00:24:12 “‘I am Joseph.
00:24:15 “Is my father still alive?’
00:24:17 “But his brothers were unable to answer him at all,
00:24:21 “because they were astonished on account of him.
00:24:24 “So Joseph said to his brothers:
00:24:27 “‘Come close to me, please.’
00:24:30 “With that they came close to him.
00:24:33 “Then he said:
00:24:35 “‘I am Joseph your brother,
00:24:39 “‘whom you sold into Egypt.
00:24:42 “‘But now do not be upset
00:24:45 “‘and do not reproach one another because you sold me here;
00:24:48 “‘because God has sent me ahead of you
00:24:51 “‘for the preservation of life.
00:24:54 “‘This is the second year of the famine in the land,
00:24:58 “‘and there are yet five years in which there will be no plowing or harvest.
00:25:02 “‘But God sent me ahead of you
00:25:05 “‘in order to preserve for you a remnant on the earth
00:25:08 “‘and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.
00:25:12 “‘So, then, it was not you who sent me here,
00:25:17 “‘but it was the true God,
00:25:19 “‘in order to appoint me as chief adviser to Pharaoh
00:25:23 “‘and lord for all his house
00:25:25 “‘and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
00:25:28 “‘Return quickly to my father, and you must say to him,
00:25:33 “‘“This is what your son Joseph has said:
00:25:36 “‘“‘God has appointed me lord over all Egypt.
00:25:40 “‘“‘Come down to me. Do not delay.
00:25:43 “‘“‘You must dwell in the land of Goshen, where you will be near me
00:25:47 “‘“‘—you, your sons, your grandsons, your flocks,
00:25:51 “‘“‘your herds, and everything you have.
00:25:54 “‘“‘I will supply you with food there,
00:25:56 “‘“‘for there are yet five years of famine.
00:26:00 Otherwise, you and your house and everything you have will come to poverty.’”
00:26:05 “‘You and my brother Benjamin can now see with your own eyes
00:26:09 “‘that I am really the one speaking to you.
00:26:12 “‘So you must tell my father about all my glory in Egypt
00:26:16 “‘and everything you have seen.
00:26:18 “Now hurry and bring my father down here.’
00:26:22 “Then he embraced his brother Benjamin
00:26:25 “and gave way to weeping,
00:26:27 “and Benjamin wept with his arms around his neck.
00:26:31 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them.”
00:26:36 Accordingly, Jacob, with about 70 of his family,
00:26:40 moves down to Egypt.
00:26:42 Pharaoh gives them the land of Goshen to dwell in.
00:26:46 For 215 years, Jacob’s descendants live in Egypt
00:26:51 until the day when all three million
00:26:53 or more of them pass between the walls of the parted Red Sea
00:26:57 and eventually take possession of the Promised Land.
00:27:00 Jehovah used Joseph
00:27:03 to preserve the line of descent leading to the Messiah.
00:27:07 What can the story of Joseph teach us?
00:27:10 No matter what situation he faced,
00:27:14 Joseph showed loyal love to Jehovah.
00:27:17 For years, he was battered by one trial after another,
00:27:21 but he never became resentful.
00:27:24 Today, we may have little control
00:27:26 over the trials we face in this imperfect system.
00:27:30 But we can control our reaction to them.
00:27:35 We refuse to become embittered against Jehovah.
00:27:38 We love Jehovah,
00:27:40 and we are determined to prove our love
00:27:43 by rejecting any conduct that would hurt him.
00:27:48 Later, when Joseph’s circumstances changed,
00:27:51 he showed loyal love to his family,
00:27:54 despite his brothers’ unjust treatment.
00:27:57 In fact, Joseph’s loyal love toward his family
00:28:01 helped to fulfill a prophecy!
00:28:04 In the days of Joseph’s great-grandfather Abraham,
00:28:07 Jehovah had set the precise time to deliver His people
00:28:12 —exactly 430 years later.
00:28:15 If Joseph had not shown loyal love toward his family,
00:28:19 how would that prophecy have been fulfilled?
00:28:22 Obviously, our loyal love for our brothers matters to Jehovah.
00:28:28 So if you are ever hurt by your spiritual brother,
00:28:31 reject the temptation to spread negative talk about him
00:28:35 or to hurt him in kind.
00:28:39 Do whatever is necessary to restore peace.
00:28:42 After all, our brothers are loved by Jehovah.
00:28:46 They deserve our loyal love too!
00:28:50 The finest example of loyal love in this account
00:28:53 is Jehovah.
00:28:55 Joseph was abandoned by his family,
00:28:58 slandered by his employer’s wife,
00:29:01 and finally thrown into prison;
00:29:03 but Jehovah “continued with Joseph
00:29:06 and kept showing loyal love to him.”
00:29:09 Why?
00:29:11 He saw that Joseph remained loyal,
00:29:14 so he acted in loyalty toward Joseph.
00:29:17 Jehovah’s treatment of Joseph
00:29:20 was also an expression of loyal love toward the nation of Israel.
00:29:24 By using Joseph to preserve his family,
00:29:28 Jehovah preserved the line of the Messiah
00:29:31 and ensured that His promise to deliver the Israelites
00:29:35 was fulfilled right on time.
00:29:38 Isn’t that reassuring?
00:29:40 Imperfect humans may let you down,
00:29:43 you may face ridicule or even slander,
00:29:46 or you may be treated unjustly.
00:29:49 But if you remain loyal, Jehovah will never abandon you.
00:29:53 He never forgot Joseph,
00:29:55 and he will not forget any of His loyal servants today.
00:30:00 Stick close to Jehovah,
00:30:02 and he will continue showing loyal love to you.
