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Divine Purpose
Joseph realizes God’s work in his trials. Genesis 45:5-8
5And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you. 6For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.8Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Joseph had an opportunity to be bitter or to seek vengeance against his brothers who cruelly discarded him. Yet, he realizes God’s movement in his journey! In our journeys, we might not see the ultimate end as Joseph does particularly as we start to walk on the path to healing, restoration, and reconciliation.
Joseph sets an example for us. Consider that all great men and women of faith have trials, difficulties, and long seasons of questions, doubts, and discomfort. David Guzik writes:
Joseph shows the triumph of faith. Joseph never complained and he never compromised.
i. “He was loved and hated, favored and abused, tempted and trusted, exalted and abased. Yet at no point in the one-hundred-and-ten-year life of Joseph did he ever seem to get his eyes off God or cease to trust him.
Adversity did not harden his character. Prosperity did not ruin him. He was the same in private as in public. He was a truly great man.” (Boice)
ii. Best of all, Joseph is also a remarkably powerful picture of Jesus Christ.
Source: https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/genesis-37/
God’s Truth is Light to warm our souls and refresh us as we endure seasons of difficulty and spiritual darkness! We can stand in His light as His grace and presence shines upon us.
As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good: Joseph did not romanticize the wrong his brothers did. He plainly said, “You meant evil against me.” Although that was true, it was not the greatest truth. The greatest truth was God meant it for good. This was a second reason Joseph could truthfully assure his brothers that he would not take revenge against them.
i. Every Christian should be able to see the overarching and overruling hand of God in their life; to know that no matter what evil man brings against us, God can use it for good.
ii. Joseph did not have the text of Romans 8:28, but he had the truth of it: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Sadly, many of us who have the text do not have the truth.
iii. The liberating truth is that ultimately, our lives are not in the hands of men, but in the hands of God, who overrules all things for His glory.
God is at work! God does not minimize our suffering or difficulties–His presence empowers us.
Key Thoughts:
1. Life of Grace and Forgiveness
Joseph is true to God’s call! He doesn’t use his position to punish his brothers. He doesn’t seek revenge or to return ill treatment. Do you see how that Joseph and Jesus are similar in behavior?
Jesus is the Son of God who is cruelly rejected, abused, and murdered by His own people. Yet, after His resurrection, Jesus doesn’t attack the Temple, Priests, Pharisees, or Roman. He doesn’t launch a holy crusade against the religious or pagan Romans! Why doesn’t Jesus avenge Himself?
Like Joseph, it wasn’t His desire because getting revenge apart from His Heavenly Father isn’t His nature!
2.Trusting God to provide justice and restoration
God is ultimately over our lives, not the evil of others! We rest in this knowledge that His purposes will come about. This truth enables us to follow our dreams and trust in Him. Part of healing is growing from opposition and suffering. We become more like Christ or resentful. There is no justice in revenge! Others will fail, and some will abuse us. We will encounter malicious individuals who act according to their nature.
How we respond to these individuals and circumstances determine our character. When facing these situations it’s beneficial to consider our values and the character traits we practice.
The sunrise chases the darkness away! It’s a gentle reminder to us that darkness is temporary and that each new day is a gift!
Life Dreams
David Guziak explains the nature of “life” dreams in the case of Joseph in his commentary on Genesis
i. Joseph’s life doesn’t really tell us anything about fulfilling life dreams.
· Joseph never dreamed of being a slave.
· Joseph never dreamed of being falsely accused of rape.
· Joseph never dreamed of being forgotten in prison.
· Joseph never dreamed of being the second most powerful man in Egypt.
· Joseph never dreamed of saving the world from famine.
· God’s dream for Joseph was better and greater than any dream Joseph could come up with.
Dreams in Joseph’s case centers on God’s Word. God speaks through these dreams to Joseph, his brothers, and Jacob. These dreams are promises and foreshadows God’s plan for Joseph. God’s dream for us is far greater than the sorrows, betrayals, and brokenness that we endure in our journey!
To get to a better perspective or viewpoint, we may have to climb some steep hills and persevere along a wandering path.
Application
God speaks to us through His Word, situations in our life, and Holy Spirit. When God gives us a dream it’s crucial to reflect:
ii. A focus on our life dreams can be dangerous, because we easily make the fulfillment of our dream the most important thing – we make it an idol.
It is then easy to think of our connection to Jesus as a way to accomplish our dream; we make Him an actor in our life story. Instead, we want to act out our part in God’s unfolding story.
We are characters, God is the Author. This is crucial to healing: we understand our role in life. Our role is one of dependence and trust upon God. Our role with others is interdependent not co-dependence! There is a major difference between healthy interdependence and co-dependence. For a detailed explanation on this check out:
https://psychcentral.com/lib/codependency-vs-interdependency
and
Part of the process of healing is moving away from immature and codependent styles of relating to others. As we progress in the healing journey, we recognize our motives and how past hurts underlie our present behaviors and interactions.
The hard work arises as we transform our mindsets and behaviors! Growth isn’t painless, quick, or “cheap”. It calls us to make daily sacrifices, see others’ needs, and move forward! God speed your journey to healing and wholeness! These posts address topics related to healing!
Words of Grace & Hope 