Woven

Honestly, we could study Jacob/Israel for the entire summer season. Aren’t you thankful that God used ordinary, messy, and immature believers to tell the story of redemption? He did it in the Old Testament, and I believe He will do it this way until He returns. He gets all the glory when lives that shouldn’t be effective accomplish great things in the name of the Lord.

The patriarchal family had a real problem with favoritism. Rachel’s first son, Joseph, was the favorite for Jacob. He was unapologetic about it, and Joseph didn’t mind advertising it. Seriously, it’s easy to feel sorry for Joseph until we think about the fact that he wore that fancy coat into the field to gather his brothers one day. I think that's extreme! In Genesis 37, Joseph’s brothers plotted against him. They schemed to kill him which was wrong. I’m just saying that Joseph wasn’t fully innocent.

Have you ever been asked this question, “If you could interview one Biblical character who would it be?”

I’ve been asked that question a couple of times. Without fail, I answer Joseph. His life is fascinating to me. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph spoke a famous verse to his brothers. He said,

And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

I want to ask Joseph to tell me at what point in his story he started to believe in the sovereignty of God. I want to know when he realized that all of the bad things going on were allowed by God. And, I just need to see when Joseph began to understand that if God allows the negative things to happen, He has a plan to use all the bad to bless many.

I don’t know how or when it happened, but Joseph learned these lessons. So, when his brothers humbled themselves, apologized, and begged to be Joseph’s servants instead of being killed, Joseph had already surrendered his bitterness to the Lord. He’d entrusted his pain and disappointment to God which opened his heart to receive his brothers in love and understanding.

Genesis 50:20 reminds me of Romans 8:28. It will be a long time before we get to Paul in the New Testament. But, his words in Romans speak to the sovereignty of God just like Joseph’s sentence to his brothers did.

Read: Romans 8: 26-31.

Somewhere along the way, Joseph began to believe that God really does work all things together for good. He doesn’t necessarily work all the things. Some things (like scheming for your brother’s death, accusation of rape, and unfair prison sentences) are not the workings of God’s hand, but even those are allowed by our loving Father. What I’ve learned through stories like Joseph’s is that God will allow some yucky things to happen when they’ll lead to preserving many people alive (Gospel redemption).

Journal – Can you praise the Lord today for the blessings that came from difficult situations? I really want us to spend some time this morning thinking of one thing that shouldn’t have happened in your life. What is one thing that you wouldn’t have written into your story? Now, have you lived enough life beyond that point to notice some gifts, strengths, or provisions that you have because of that negative experience?

It's really important to me that you hear me say I am not making light of your difficult circumstances. I will never be the person to gloss over pain with a simple, God will use it for good. That makes my God seem so cold and harsh. He’s not. I believe that He grieves when we grieve. So, if you’ve experienced something so difficult or so recent that you can’t see a single good thing God has brought from it, I want to encourage you to speak honestly with God about that in your journal. I have to believe Joseph’s journey included difficult conversations with his God about circumstances. I just don’t think daddy’s favorite, spoiled son was prepared for the extreme hardship he faced. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he had a few whining sessions with God. That would be normal! I just believe our gracious God walked him through the struggle and all the way to Genesis 50:20.

He will do the same thing for us. Since He’s for us, who can be against us?

God, thank you for the Patriarchs. Thank you for the reality that You included in the Bible. I pray that the past few weeks of study have allowed us to see how personal You are. Our Bible tells stories, and You are the Hero of every single one. You’ve written ours the same way. We will have ups and downs, but You have promised to be with us all along the way. Give us the wisdom to wait for the good, the blessing, and the redemption. Amen.