Genesis 40-45: God’s Providence, Even When We Can’t See It

In our second of three weeks looking at the life of Joseph, Joseph is finally released from prison — after 13 years enslaved and imprisoned in Egypt! God’s providence to Joseph is seen as he is redeemed, raised to status and power, and blessed with his own family, and even sees his childhood dreams fulfilled — even if decades later. And God’s providence through Joseph is seen as he blesses and serves Pharaoh, the nation of Egypt, the surrounding known world, and even his own long-lost family during a time of deep need and literal famine. While Joseph’s life was one of suffering, he remained faithful to God, patient for God’s timing, crediting God for God’s work, and recognizing God’s plan — even if it wasn’t in the timing or way Joseph would have chosen.

In these ways and others, Joseph’s story serves an an example in our ups and downs — and it serves as a foreshadow to Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection: another favored son is mocked, rejected, and killed by those he came to save… but God worked through Jesus for his glory and the good of the world, providing a more holistic and eternal salvation than Joseph did.

And if you want to wrap up Salt + Light’s journey through Genesis together, here is the final teaching, as Nicole Tatum brings it all together in Genesis 46-50.