Joseph: The Early Years

The account of Joseph's life falls under the next "generations" division/heading of the Book of Genesis called "the generations of Jacob" (Vs. 2). "The "generations of Jacob" are mainly occupied with the history of Joseph, because through him mainly was the divine purpose carried on. Jacob is now the head of the chosen family, since Isaac's death (Gen. 35:29), and therefore the narrative is continued under that new heading." (Alexander Maclaren)

The theme of Joseph's life is summarised in the phrase "God meant it for good". Joseph's life is a demonstration of the truth of Romans 8:28.

In this message, we will seek to set the scene by reminding ourselves of Joseph's family background from our previous studies and then consider these opening verses that Joseph's life at 17 years of age. Our lesson will be organized under three headings.