This lesson on Joseph as a Leader in CRS for SHS 1 will highlight such issues as how Joseph came to live in Egypt, the role of Joseph in the history of Israel and Joseph’s leadership qualities that can be learnt by today’s leaders.
It is Lesson 2 in our CRS Textbook for SHS 1 students series. We devote this CRS lesson to Leadership Roles, an important topic in the SHS/WAEC Christian Religious Studies syllabus.
Specifically, this CRS lesson on Leadership Roles will give you detailed study notes on Joseph as a leader in CRS.
Here is a quick look at the major topics in Lesson Two of the Cegast Academy CRS Textbook for SHS 1 series.
- How Joseph Came to Live in Egypt
- Pharaoh’s Dreams and Interpretation
- How Joseph Reconciled With His Brothers
- Effects of Joseph’s Stay in Egypt on His Family and the History of Israel
- Joseph’s Leadership Qualities
- Moral Lessons from Joseph’s Story
- Likely WAEC CRS Questions on Joseph as a leader
Are you ready to learn more about Joseph as a leader? Then come with me as we begin Lesson 2 of our CRS Textbook for Senior High School series.
How Joseph Came To Live In Egypt (Gen 37:1 – 28)
How Joseph came to live in Egypt is a recurring WAEC CRS question. Therefore, I want you to take seriously these notes on the circumstances that led to Joseph’s forced migration to Egypt and his experiences there.
As usual, I have deliberately highlighted some key points in these SHS CRS study notes to enable you to deal decisively with the WASSCE CRS objective test paper.
Let’s go.
Joseph, The Favourite Son
Joseph, the son of Jacob, was hated by his brothers because he was the favourite son of his father.
LESSON ONE OF THE CRS TEXTBOOK FOR SHS 1
He was loved by his father because he was the son of his old age and the son of Rachel his favourite wife.
Jacob, Joseph’s father, demonstrated his deep affection for his son by making him a special coat of many colours.
This action also demonstrated that Jacob had made Joseph his heir rather than Reuben his eldest son.
Reasons Why Joseph’s Brothers Hated Him
Here are the major reasons why Joseph’s brothers hated him.
First, Joseph’s brothers hated him for the special love their father had for him.
Another reason why Joseph’s brothers hated him was that their father Jacob often kept him at home while the other brothers worked in the field.
The third reason for their hatred was that Joseph brought bad reports about his brothers to their father whenever they went to graze their father’s flock.
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Joseph also incurred his brothers’ jealousy because of the dreams he claimed to have. Joseph’s dreams pointed to his future greatness and dominance over his brothers.
Joseph’s Dreams
In his first dream, Joseph said he saw that they were building sheaves in the field when his sheaf stood upright while the rest gathered around bowing to his.
In another dream, Joseph saw the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing down to him. Jacob then lamented if he and his family would one day bow before Joseph.
The brothers of Joseph did not take these dreams lightly. This was because dreams were believed to be divine messages from God.
Filled with anger, hatred and jealousy. Joseph’s elder brothers looked for an opportunity to teach him a lesson.
Joseph’s Brothers Sold Him to Midianite Traders
The opportunity to deal with Joseph came when Jacob sent Joseph to send food to his brothers at Shechem. He eventually found his brothers at Dothan.
At first, Joseph’s brothers conspired to kill him. However, Reuben advised that they shed no blood. Instead, they should cast him into a dry pit.
Judah however convinced them to sell him to some Midianite traders for twenty shekels of silver.
The traders in turn sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer in the court of Pharaoh, the Egyptian king. Potiphar was the captain of the guard in Egypt.
To conceal their evil deed, Joseph’s brothers smeared his coat with the blood of a goat and went home to tell Jacob that a wild animal had killed him.
God Blessed Joseph in Egypt
God blessed Joseph and made him successful in the house of Potiphar. He became Potiphar’s trusted overseer.
The wife of Potiphar made a false allegation against Joseph which led to his imprisonment.
While in prison, he interpreted the dreams of two high officials in the royal household. The officials in question here were the chief butler and the chief baker.
Joseph then asked the chief butler to remember him when he was restored to his position but he forgot Joseph.
Two years later, Joseph was summoned from prison to interpret a disturbing dream of the king of Egypt.
Joseph went beyond the mere interpretation of the dream and gave Pharaoh some wise advice.
To show his appreciation, Pharaoh made Joseph the food administrator and prime minister over the entire kingdom.
Pharaoh’s Dreams And Interpretation (Gen.41:1 – 57)
How Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams played a vital role in the fortunes of Joseph himself, his family and the rest of Israel as a nation.
This incident demonstrated Joseph’s wisdom and the divine gifts he possessed as a leader in the making.
Let’s have a look at Pharaoh’s dreams and how Joseph interpreted them. It is an important topic in our lesson on Joseph as a Leader as part of the CRS Textbook for SHS 1 series.
Joseph languished in prison for two years. Later, Pharaoh had a disturbing dream which none of his magicians and wise men could interpret.
The chief butler then remembered Joseph as a capable dream interpreter. He recommended the imprisoned Joseph to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh, therefore, sent for Joseph. He told Joseph that he had heard he could interpret dreams. Joseph replied that it was not him but that God would give Pharaoh a favourable answer.
Pharaoh’s First Dream
Pharaoh then narrated the dream.
He was standing at the bank of the river Nile when he saw seven fat cows coming out of the Nile to feed on grass. Soon after, seven thin cows came after them and ate them up. Even after eating them up, they remained as thin as before.
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Pharaoh’s Second Dream
In his other dream, Pharaoh saw seven fresh ears of corn growing on one stalk. Just after that, seven thin and blighted stalks sprouted and swallowed them up.
Joseph’s Interpretation of Pharaoh’s Two Dreams
Joseph did not only interpret Pharaoh’s dreams but also gave him wise counsel. He interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams as seven years of food and plenty followed by seven years of famine.
The doubling of the dream meant that God would bring it to pass.
Joseph then advised Pharaoh to store food in silos during the bumper season so that during the famine there would be plenty of reserves.
How Pharaoh Rewarded Joseph
Pharaoh rewarded Joseph for his clever interpretation of the dreams and his wise counsel in at least four different ways.
- He appointed Joseph to be in charge of the project.
- In addition to that, Pharaoh made Joseph the next in command after him.
- Pharaoh went further to give Joseph the Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah.
- To cap it all, Pharaoh gave to Joseph Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to be his wife.
Joseph’s Wife and Sons
Thus, Joseph married Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.
Joseph and Asenath, his wife, had two sons. The names of Joseph’s sons were Manasseh and Ephraim.
Manasseh means “God has made me forget all my hardship”.
Ephraim means “God has made me fruitful” in the land of my affliction.
The End of the Famine in Egypt
Eventually, the seven years of famine came to an end. And all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.
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How Joseph Reconciled With His Brothers (Gen 41:1 – 15)
One significant way Joseph proved himself as a great leader was his willingness to forgive and reconcile with his brothers who once hated him and treated him badly.
Let’s see how this incident portrayed Joseph as a leader in our CRS lesson.
During the period of the long famine, Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to buy grain. They encountered Joseph who accused them of being spies.
The brothers protested that they were innocent and that they were twelve brothers of one father in Canaan.
Initially, Joseph treated his brothers harshly. He imprisoned Simeon and told the rest to go and bring their younger brother Benjamin.
Later, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers.
He ordered their sacks to be filled and replaced everybody’s money in the sack. He encouraged them and asked them not to worry about what they did to him in the past.
Joseph said that it was God who sent him to Egypt to preserve their lives.
Joseph shed tears of joy over Benjamin and the rest of his brothers as he kissed them and assured them of his love.
He later urged them to bring their father to come and live with him in Egypt.
Effects of Joseph’s Presence in Egypt
We shall now look at the ways in which Joseph’s presence in Egypt affected the fortunes of his family and the history of the entire Hebrew nation. This will throw more light on the qualities Joseph possessed as a leader in our CRS studies.
So let’s have both the positive and negative effects of Joseph’s journey to Egypt on his family and the history of the Hebrews.
Remember to use these points to write an essay on the role of Joseph in the history and religion of Israel.
Positive Effects of Joseph’s Presence in Egypt
- Joseph and his family of seventy settled in Goshen in Egypt. Goshen was the best land for rearing livestock in Egypt.
- During the period of famine, his family was saved from starvation due to his presence in Egypt.
- Joseph also rose to a position of prominence after interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and giving him wise advice.
- Through this, God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled because he brought security and prosperity to his family in Egypt who could have otherwise perished in Canaan.
Negative Effects of Joseph’s Life in Egypt
- First of all, Joseph’s presence in Egypt led to him experiencing personal hardship at the early stage of his stay there. This was when he was wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison.
- Secondly, Joseph’s presence in Egypt resulted in the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt when a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph took over.
Moral Lessons from Joseph’s Story
There are many moral lessons Christians and everyone else can learn from the story of Joseph as a leader in this CRS lesson.
Here are the important ones.
- God has a purpose for everybody.
- God can change our misfortunes into blessings.
- We must have the courage to resist temptations.
- We must take time to reconcile with people who wrong us.
Lessons to Learn From Joseph’s Leadership Qualities
As a leader, Joseph demonstrated multiple leadership qualities. We shall now identify the key lessons leaders can derive from Joseph’s example as a leader.
So if you need to know how Joseph proved himself as a great leader as part of your CRS studies, then keep reading.
Below are Joseph’s leadership qualities that are worth emulating by all persons in leadership positions in society.
- Joseph demonstrated endurance and patience through his trials and tribulations.
- He was God-fearing
- Joseph was a visionary leader. For instance, he foresaw the coming hardship of the people and helped to store enough food for the future
- Furthermore, Joseph proved, by his actions, that he was a team builder and a team player. This made it possible for Joseph to collaborate with the rulers of Egypt to deliver all the region from hunger.
- Joseph was an obedient son to his father Jacob and an obedient servant to the king of Egypt.
- Also, he exhibited a high sense of discipline and faithfulness
- Joseph was a humble and loving son, brother, servant and leader who was willing to forgive those who wronged him.
Likely WAEC (Past) Questions on Joseph as a Leader in CRS
- How did Joseph come to live in Egypt?
In what way did it affect the fortunes of his family?
- Explain how Joseph came to live in Egypt.
How did this influence the history of the Hebrews?
- Discuss how Joseph reconciled with his brothers.
State three lessons that can be learnt from the story.
- What factors led to the hatred of Joseph by his brothers?
State two ways in which Joseph was reconciliatory towards his brothers.
- Recount the first two dreams of Joseph and the reaction of those who heard them.
What penalty did Joseph pay for his dream afterwards?
What three positive attitudes should Christians show to those who hurt them?
- Identify the talents of Joseph and show how he applied them as a leader.
- What role did Joseph play in the history of the Hebrews?
Final Thoughts
This is the end of our lesson notes on Joseph as a Leader in CRS for WAEC/WASSCE and other Bible study examinations. What are your own thoughts about Joseph as a leader in the history of Israel as narrated in the Book of Genesis?
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