Dr. Goodluck Ofoegbu

Prof. Oby Ofoegbu

Banking Blessings Ministry

San Antonio, Texas

USA

What We Will Learn

Example on God messaging a child

In “normal” parental interaction

Based on testimony from life of Joseph

Father sent him on errand

To check on senior brothers in the field

Led him to relocate family to Egypt

Where they prospered and multiplied

Genesis 37 through 47 SelectionsJoseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Messaging Child

via Normal Parental Interaction

Parent passes information to child

Instruction

Advice

Request

Other parent-child interaction

Not known to parent or child

That the information is message from God

Example from life of JosephJoseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Israel Sends Joseph

on Errand

Joseph was about 17 years old

Lived with family in Valley of Hebron

Senior brothers tending flock in Shechem

Father (Israel) sent Joseph

To go and check on his brothers

Joseph accepted task

Performed task with diligence

Genesis 37:12–17

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NKJV)

12 Then his brothers went to feed their

father's flock in Shechem.

13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your

brothers feeding the flock in Shechem?

Come, I will send you to them.”

So he said to him, “Here I am.”

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NKJV)

14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

15 Now a certain man found him, and there

he was, wandering in the field. And the man

asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NKJV)

16 So he said, “I am seeking my brothers.

Please tell me where they are feeding their

flocks.”

17 And the man said, “They have departed

from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to

Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers

and found them in Dothan.

Joseph stayed on mission

Until he accomplished the objective

Joseph Sold to Slavery

Brothers conspired to kill Joseph

But held him in a dry well

Sold him to merchants travelling to Egypt

God protected him through the experience

Reuben convinced them to hold him

They chose a dry well

Judah convinced them to sell him

Genesis 37:18–28

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NIV)

18 But they saw him in the distance, and

before he reached them, they plotted to kill

him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to

each other.

20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him

into one of these cisterns and say that a

ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll

see what comes of his dreams.”

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NIV)

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to

rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take

his life,” he said.

22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this

cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a

hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him

from them and take him back to his father.

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NIV)

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers,

they stripped him of his robe—the ornate

robe he was wearing—

24 and they took him and threw him into the

cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no

water in it.

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NIV)

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelitescoming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we

gain if we kill our brother and cover up his

blood?

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 37 (NIV)

27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and

not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our

brother, our own flesh and blood.” His

brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite merchants came

by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the

cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of

silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to

Egypt.

Slave in Charge

At Potiphar’s house as slave

Joseph distinguished himself

His interactions radiated Godliness

Potiphar placed him in charge

But wife framed him for illicit attention

Imprisoned without trial

Genesis 39:1–20

[1–7 and 17–20 read in session]Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 39 (NKJV)

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to

Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh,

captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him

from the Ishmaelites who had taken him

down there.

Getting to Potiphar’s house→ Act of God

Except for Joseph’s earlier contribution

In finding his brothers at Dothan

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 39 (NKJV)

2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a

successful man; and he was in the house of

his master the Egyptian.

3 And his master saw that the Lord was with

him and that the Lord made all he did to

prosper in his hand.

Radiated Godliness through interactions

Attentive, engaged, and obedient

Successful

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 39 (NKJV)

4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

Joseph’s Godliness

Endeared him to Potiphar

Servant and Household Charge d’Affaires

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 39 (NKJV)

5 So it was, from the time that he had made

him overseer of his house and all that he had,

that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house

for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the

Lord was on all that he had in the house and

in the field.

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 39 (NKJV)

6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's

hand, and he did not know what he had

except for the bread which he ate.

Now Joseph was handsome in form and

appearance.

7 And it came to pass after these things that

his master's wife cast longing eyes on

Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 39 (NKJV)

17 Then she spoke to him with words like

these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom

you brought to us came in to me to mock me;

18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and

cried out, that he left his garment with me and

fled outside.”

Potiphar’s wife framed Joseph

For illicit attention

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 39 (NKJV)

19 So it was, when his master heard the

words which his wife spoke to him, saying,

“Your servant did to me after this manner,”

that his anger was aroused.

20 Then Joseph's master took him and put

him into the prison, a place where the king's

prisoners were confined. And he was there in

the prison.

Dream Interpreter

Joseph placed in charge of all prisoners

He interpreted dream for Pharaoh’s staff

And for Pharaoh two years later

Appointed to 2nd highest office in Egypt

To run famine survival program for Egypt

Grain collection, storage, and distribution

Genesis 39(19–23), 40, & 41

[Not read in session]

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Joseph and Brothers

Meet Again

Severe famine

In Egypt and neighboring lands

Brought Joseph’s brothers to Egypt

He recognized them but they didn’t

First verified their repentance

Revealed himself in forgiving them

God sent me to prepare a place for you

Genesis 41–45 [45:4–8 read in session]Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 45 (NKJV)

4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please

come near to me.” So they came near. Then

he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you

sold into Egypt.

5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or

angry with yourselves because you sold me

here; for God sent me before you to preserve

life.

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 45 (NKJV)

6 For these two years the famine has been in

the land, and there are still five years in which

there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

God sent me to Egypt ahead of you

To prepare for you

A refuge from this great famine

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent

Genesis 45 (NKJV)

7 And God sent me before you to preserve a

posterity for you in the earth, and to save

your lives by a great deliverance.

8 So now it was not you who sent me here,

but God; and He has made me a father to

Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler

throughout all the land of Egypt.

What We Learned

By asking Joseph to go and check on his

brothers grazing the flock in Shechem

Israel delivered to him a message from God

To set out on a mission to Egypt

To prepare a refuge from the great famine

Where the budding family of the Messiah

Will prosper and multiply

Joseph accepted and fulfilled the mission

Joseph Sent on Mission—Messaging Child through Parent