Family Legacy

Family Legacy

Introduction – Anthony Mucci

How time spent with my grandfather shaped my character and influenced my faith.

Joseph – a life of hardship and redemption

Genesis 37:12-38

Joseph’s brothers disliked him for a few reasons:

1. He was the firstborn son of Rachel, who was their father Jacob’s first and greatest love, and so he was their father’s favorite son.
2. As the favorite son, Joseph often got to stay behind at the family tents while his brothers were out tending the livestock and working on the fields. Jacob also lavished him with special gifts, such as a multi-colored coat.
3. Joseph told his brothers about a dream where they all bowed down to him, which enraged them even further.

And that is how a teenager ended up being kidnapped by his own brothers and sold into slavery in a foreign land.

Genesis 39 – Potiphar’s wife and Joseph’s Imprisonment

Once again, we see Joseph become the victim of circumstances outside of his control. By all accounts of what we read in scripture, he did everything right, end yet he ends up a captive once again and thrown into prison.

I want to draw our attention to an important distinction we see in Verse 2: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man…”

It does not say that “The Lord was with Joseph, SO he became a success…”

Success in itself is not an indication that the Lord is with us, and hardship is not an indication that He isn’t.

Genesis 40 – The baker and the cupbearer

While we do not know exactly how long Joseph was in prison, there are a few things that scripture tells us for certain:

1. The total time of Joseph being sold into slavery, serving in Potiphar’s house, and his imprisonment is 13 years (age 17 to age 30).
2. Joseph was in prison for another 2 years after helping the Cupbearer get restored to his position under Pharoah.

Genesis 50:15-20 – Joseph’s Brothers Fear Retribution

Joseph forgives his brothers, but forgiveness does not require us to brush aside the severity of the offense. He still acknowledges that it was wrong and done with evil intent.

Our sin does not become justified when God makes use of it

Isaac & Joseph

Joseph was born when Jacob was 91 years old and Isaac was 151.

Isaac died at the age of 180, when Joseph was 29; 12 years after he arrived in Egypt.

• Isaac born to Abraham at the age of 100, (Gen 21:5)
• Isaac marries Rebekah at age 40, (Gen 25:20)
• Isaac becomes the father of Jacob at age 60, (Gen 25:26)
• Jacob (at age 71) deceives Isaac when he is 131 (Gen 47:9, 45:6, 41:47)
• Jacob returns from Padam Aram after 20 years at age 91, as Joseph is born, Isaac 151.
• Joseph is sold into slavery at age 17 (Gen 37:2), Jacob is 108, Isaac is 168.
• Isaac dies at age 180 (Gen 35:28).

So even though scripture records the death of Isaac in Genesis 35, and doesn’t start talking about Joseph until Chapter 37, we can see that Isaac would have been present in Joseph’s life up to the point where he was sold into slavery and taken to Egypt.

What are some of the things that Joseph would have learned from his Grandpa Isaac?

• How God promised Abram at the age of 75 that he would have offspring, but then had to wait another 25 years before Isaac was born.
• The time that Isaac went with Great-Grandpa Abraham up to the mountain to make a sacrifice, only to realize that they had everything with them but the lamb.
• About the time that God appeared to Isaac and repeated the promise He made to Abraham (“through your offspring many nations will be blessed”).
• About Isaac’s time in Gerar, when he kept looking for a place to settle and dig wells, and God finally made room for him after multiple failed attempts.

Jospeh would have learned from these stories that God is present in our lives, but waiting is often a bigger part of the equation that we’d like. God had blessed his family, but His plans were not always evident until much later.

In Summary

1. God works all things for the good of those who love Him. That doesn’t mean hard times won’t be part of our story.
2. Waiting on the LORD is one of the most consistent states of being in the Christian life.

• From the time that God promised to make the childless Abram the “father of many nations” to the birth of Isaac was 25 years.
• From the time that God anointed David as the next King of Israel to the time he took the throne fully over the nation was 20-25 years.
• Moses lived in relative obscurity for 40 years as a shepherd in Midian before God called him to return to Egypt and lead His people out of bondage.

1. What has God done in your life that you can pass on to your children and grandchildren to increase their faith and character?