Genesis_45
Scripture
Genesis 45:7
“But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
Observation-What does it say?
Joseph has been through a lot up to this point in his life. He was his father’s favorite, but hated by his brother’s. He was sold into slavery, and then became one of the chief servants of his master. His master’s wife accused him of trying to rape her, so Joseph was thrown into prison. After a very long time, Joseph is recognized as a person who interprets dreams and is released to serve the Pharaoh. All of a sudden, his brother’s come out of nowhere begging for food. In this moment, Joseph had the power to completely destroy his family and send them away without food. Instead, he uses his authority to take responsibility for the brothers that had disowned him and changes the course of their foreseeable future.
Understanding-What does it mean?
One of the things we have a habit of doing, as we raise our three young boys, is to say “The Lord’s Prayer” with them at night (Matthew 6:9-13). Jed and Zeke both have it memorized, for the most part, which is awesome. But as we start the prayer, it never fails that shortly into it we come to “Your kingdom come, and Your will be done.” On most nights, I silently struggle with this. To be quite honest, I have my own things that I want to get done in my life. Some of which, like bicycling the coast of California, really have no bearing on God’s call on my life, which is to bring the Gospel to my sphere of influence.
In stark contrast, we have Joseph. He literally suffered through some of the most horrible circumstances a human could endure. Through all this, his perspective was far different than mine is most of the time. His horizon was clearly fixed on God’s goodness. He knew that whatever he went through it was meant for good. Me on the other hand, I can struggle with something as simple as filling out a form at work, or being willing to offer someone a ride who is less fortunate than I am.
Paul writes so plainly on this subject in his letter to the Roman church. In chapter eight, he reminds us “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Further along in the chapter, he gives a picture of the greatness of God’s love for us, stating that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from His love. With this in mind, I know I need to change my perspective to be more like that of King Solomon, who instructed his son to lean on God’s wisdom (Proverbs 3:5). As well as following the sage wisdom of Paul who tells us that the will of God in our lives is to give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Because who knows, maybe in simply obeying God when he asks me to be generous to strangers, or to have a good attitude at work, that might be reaching a person that would otherwise not hear the good news of Jesus reconciling us through His sacrifice on the cross.
Life application