God made humanity to be ongoingly growing in wisdom. It is part of who we are. And a key element of growth in wisdom is the need to grow in discerning what is good from what isn’t.

Forgiveness brings freedom for all involved. Joseph’s brothers are fearful that he has been storing up his revenge, only to find that Joseph’s forgiveness is not only genuine but life giving to all. 

As Jacob makes his way to Egypt to see Joseph, we realise this is more than just a family reunion, this is the end of a long journey of Jacob learning to trust God. 

This is it! After more than two decades of separation, Joseph tests his brothers one more time to see if they can be reconciled. Up steps the most unlikely of candidates to make it possible.

In one of the most unsavoury stories of the Bible Judah withholds a husband from Tamar, forcing Tamar to go to extreme lengths to bring forth a child. Yet, this objectionable interaction results in Tamar being called righteous. How can she be righteous? The only way any of us can … by faith in Christ.

God continues to fulfil his promise to the line of Abraham, showing that he can take someone’s sin, convict them of it, empower repentance and ultimately bring salvation.

Joseph descends into the depths of the dungeon for 13 years before ascending to the highest rank in the land behind Pharaoh. Out of the fire comes refined gold and everyone is blessed.

Divine Demand and Human Obedience - For those interested here is some further reading on balancing suffering and blessing.

In the process of Joseph being blessed and God blessing those who bless him there is a test. Joseph is going to show us how to respond to sexual temptations that entice you with human wisdom and as result we’ll see the beauty of God’s design for intimacy. 

Through the story of Joseph, we learn that God has a plan for the redemption of his people who have been broken by sin. Joseph is the culmination of God’s plan in Genesis, however, Jesus is a greater fulfilment of God’s plan for all of human history. 

When it comes to Jesus, the more you learn about him, the more you like him. He is that kind of person. Peter closes out the John series by reflecting on what we have learnt about Jesus from John’s gospel.