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All
things work together for good to those that love God (Part II) - The
case of Joseph
Two issues ago we considered the
well known passage of Romans 8:28. There we read:
Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for
good to those that love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose"
Today, I would
like to return to this passage and consider its application with an
example from the Old Testament: the example of Joseph.
1. From the land of Canaan
to Egypt
To begin, we will go to Genesis 37.
There, starting from verse 3, we read:
Genesis 37:3-11
"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his
children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him
a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their
father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could
not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it
to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them,
"Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were,
binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood
upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my
sheaf." And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign
over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated
him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed still
another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have
dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon and the eleven
stars bowed down to me." So he told it to his father and his
brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is
this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your
brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?" And his
brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind"
Later, in
Genesis 42, we read the fulfillment of Joseph's dreams concerning his
brothers:
Genesis 42:6, 9
"And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down
before him with their faces to the earth........Then Joseph
remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them..."
As it may be
evident, the dreams of Joseph were prophetic. In other words, there were
dreams given by God, through which He showed to him what would happen in
the future, in fact many years later1.
Though at first nothing may seem strange in the above, it becomes when
we remember the negative reaction these dreams had on Joseph's brothers.
Really, they didn't cause but only their envy and hate, that was added
to their hate for him because of the special love of their father. In
fact, they hated Joseph so much that after thinking even to kill him
(Genesis 37:18), they finally sold him to some passing traders on their
way to Egypt:
Genesis 37:25-28
"And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they
lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites,
coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh,
on their way to carry them down to Egypt. So Judah said to his
brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our
brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the
Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our
brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened. Then
Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and
lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels
of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt"
The hate of
Joseph's brothers finally made them to sell him as a slave to Egypt, far
from his father and family. Yet, not far from the Lord:
Genesis 39:1-6
"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. The Lord
was with Joseph and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of
his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was
with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. 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. 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. 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"
The Lord was
with Joseph, blessing and establishing everything that he did in the
house of Potiphar. Seeing this, his master made him an overseer of his
house, passing to his oversight all that he had. However, the things
once more changed dramatically:
Genesis 39:6-15, 19-20
"Now Joseph was handsome in form and
appearance. And it came to pass after these things that his master's
wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."
But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does
not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all
that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house
than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are
his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against
God?" So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not
heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened
about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and
none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by
his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in
her hand and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when she saw that he
had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to
the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has
brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me,
and I cried out with a loud voice. And it happened, when he heard that I
lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and
fled and went outside".....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. Then Joseph's
master took him and put him into the prison were the king's prisoners were
confined."
Just when
stability started to be re-established for Joseph, another conspiracy
happened against him that put him into prison. However, the Lord was
with him even there and showed him mercy.
Genesis 39:20-23
"and he was there in the prison. But the Lord
was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight
of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to
Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever
they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look
into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because
the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it
prosper."
The Lord was
with Joseph in the prison, exactly as He was with him in Potiphar's
house and in the land of Canaan. He was with him showing him mercy and
favor. However, let's for a moment put ourselves in Joseph's position.
He was expelled from his father's house because of the hate of his
brothers for the dreams that God had given him. They sold him as a slave
to Egypt, but his master, deceived by his wife, put him into prison. He
was alone, slave in the prison of a country that he had never chosen to
be. Certainly, things like these are not what someone would immediately
call "blessings". However, the Lord was with Him. He was with
Him and showed him mercy. And really this is the important. As Joseph,
it may be that we do not understand why we are where we are, why it
happened what happened, but THIS IS NOT THE IMPORTANT. What is the
important IS THE LORD TO BE WITH US. As He said, "ALL THINGS WORK
TOGETHER FOR GOOD" to those that love Him. If we love Him, ALL
THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD, even the things that do not seem as
"good", and even the things that we may not fully understand.
Returning to
Joseph, verses 1-8 of chapter 40 tells us:
Genesis 40:1-8
"It came to pass after these things that
the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the
king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief
butler and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house of
the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was
confined. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them and he
served them; so they were in custody for a while. Then the butler and
the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison,
had a dream, both of them, each man's dream in one night and each
man's dream with its interpretation. And Joseph came in to them in the
morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. So he
asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his lord's
house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?" And they said
to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no
interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not
interpretation belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
"Do not
interpretation belong to God?", Joseph said, and really to Him
belongs ALL INTERPRETATION. Thus, the two Egyptians went on and said
their dreams to Joseph, who then gave them their interpretation. This
means that these dreams had interpretation, i.e. they were dreams coming
from the Lord (He was the one that gave the interpretation). According
to this interpretation, the one of the two officers would be executed
while the other would be restored to his office. From the latter, Joseph
asked to remember him and make mention of him to Pharaoh:
Genesis 40:14-15
"But remember me when it is well with you, and
please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me
out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the
Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into
the dungeon"
Nevertheless,
as soon as the chief butler was restored to his office, he forgot
Joseph's pleas:
Genesis 40:23
"Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph,
but forgot him"
Summarizing the
above, Joseph's story is the story of a man that had done no evil and
yet he was persecuted. It is the story of a man who for a long time was
living a life of many "why", very few answers, yet with the
continuous PRESENCE OF THE LORD. His brothers sold him as a slave to
Egypt, because they hated him for the dreams that God gave him. His boss
in Egypt put him into prison, being deceived by his wife, though the
only that Joseph did was to protect him. The chief butler as soon as he
was restored to his position forgot him. It is really difficult to
understand the good of all these things and the reason they happened to
this godly man. Nevertheless, despite the lack of understanding, Joseph
had FAITH in God. He didn't sin in Potiphera's house because he feared
God. He boldly made reference to the Lord to the two Egyptians and by
His Spirit gave the interpretation of their dreams. His lack of
understanding didn't obstruct him from trusting God. You also may not
understand the reason that some things happened to you, but you also
should not permit the lack of understanding to be a barrier to your
faith: ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD, and be
sure, this is as much true for you as we will see it was for Joseph.
2. From the prison to the
palace.
Moving on, chapter 41 tells us for
another dream, seen this time by Pharaoh:
Genesis 41:1-14
"Then it came to pass, at the end of two full
years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.
Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and
fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up
after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other
cows by the bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the
seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed
a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk,
plump and good. Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east
wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven
plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed it was a
dream. Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled,
and he sent and call for all the magicians of the Egypt and all its wise
men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who
could interpret them for Pharaoh. Then the chief battler spoke to
Pharaoh, saying "I remember my faults this day. When Pharaoh was
angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the
captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, we each had a
dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the
interpretation of his own dream. Now there was a young
Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we
told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he
interpreted according to his own dream. And it came to pass, just
as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office,
and he hanged him." Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his
clothing, and came to Pharaoh."
Two years had
to pass till the chief butler remember Joseph. Now one could ask:
"Why should this time have gone and really why this didn't happen
from the beginning?" However, the answer is simple: BECAUSE THIS
WAS THE WILL OF GOD. We live in an age that wants everything to be done
FAST. On the other hand, God wants everything to be done BEST and fast
is not necessarily the best. Therefore, two more years had to pass with
Joseph in prison till Pharaoh received those dreams from the Lord. As
Joseph said later, giving the interpretation, "GOD has shown to
Pharaoh what He is about to do" (Genesis 41:25). It was the Lord
that chose that time to give these dreams to Pharaoh. Now, going one
step back, it was the Lord that two years ago had given those two dreams
to Pharaoh's officials and it was He that gave to them their
interpretation through Joseph. It was the Lord that brought Joseph to
Potiphar's house and it was He that permitted the things that happened
there and which finally brought him to that specific
prison2.
It was the Lord that gave those two dreams to Joseph that made his
brothers to hate him so much that they sold him to Egypt. We have
probably started to understand little by little the plan of God and we
will understand it even more as we read further.
So Joseph through the spirit
of the Lord, explained the dreams to Pharaoh. Egypt would have great
crops for seven years. However, this period would be followed by seven
years of famine. Joseph also told Pharaoh how he was to handle the
situation. At the end:
Genesis 41:37-45
"So the advise was good in the eyes of Pharaoh
and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants.
"Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the
Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God
has shown you all this, there is no one discerning and wise as
you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled
according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater
than you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you
over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off
his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of
fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in
the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him,
"Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh and without your
consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a
wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went
out over all the land of Egypt"
Within a few
minutes, Joseph was transformed from a slave of the prison into a prime
minister. He was made second in command over all the land of Egypt! This
didn't happen gradually but very rapidly. If you are now in a situation
that you feel as unpleasant, in a situation that you would like to get
rid of, the Lord can take you out of it. He can do it swiftly, turning
the things upside down within only a few moments. As He will do with our
rapture for example. It will happen says the Word, "in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye" (I Corinthians 15:52). You close your eyes
and you are on the earth, doing something ordinary that you probably do
for years. After a moment, you open your eyes and you are in the air,
together with the Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints! It will only
take a moment! GOD HAS THE POWER TO DO IT AND HE WILL DO IT. Yet, He
also has the TIME to do it. This time had arrived for Joseph. He passed
many things but the Lord was always with him. The things he passed
didn't happen accidentally. Instead, they were part of the plan of the
Lord that finally brought him before Pharaoh. Removing the end (and we
haven't seen it all), it would be difficult for someone to understand
how the events of Joseph's life worked for good. The same was probably
true for Joseph as well. Without seeing the end, he was unable to
understand, yet he was not unable TO BELIEVE. You may be weak in
understanding, yet DO NOT BE WEAK IN BELIEVING ....... in believing what
the Word says for everything that you may live today: i.e. THAT IF YOU
LOVE GOD, ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD, either you understand it or
not.
Returning to Joseph, his
rise to the second in command in Egypt, was not the end of the plan of
God. When the seven years of famine came, this also affected the land
that his family dwelled:
Genesis 41:56-57, 42:1-3, 6-9
"And the famine became severe in the land of
Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because
the famine was severe in all lands. When Jacob saw that there was grain
in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one
another?" And he said, "Indeed I have heard that there is
grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may
live and not die. So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in
Egypt......And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their
faces to the earth. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he
acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to
them, "Where do you come from?" And they said from the land of
Canaan to buy food." So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they
did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had
dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies! You
have come to see the nakedness of the land!""
Many years ago,
the Lord had given two dreams to Joseph, where his brothers were bowing
before him. In fact, it was these dreams that made his brothers to hate
him so much that they sold him to Egypt. Since then, it was only now, at
the fulfillment of those dreams, that they met each other. However,
Joseph didn't make himself known to his brothers immediately. Instead,
he pretended that he didn't know them, accusing them that they were
spies. Then, after he kept them for three days, he called them again
asking them to go and bring Benjamin while he would keep one of them in
Egypt till their return. This sorrowed his brothers and they considered
what they had done to him many years ago as the cause of what was
happening now. Thus, without knowing that the ruler before them was
Joseph, confessed their guilty for what they had done to him:
Genesis 42:21-24
"Then they said to one another, "We are
truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul
when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress
came upon us." And Rueben answered them, saying, "Did I not
speak to you, saying, "Do not sin against the boy;" and you
would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of
us." But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for
he spoke to them through an interpreter. And he turned himself away from
them and wept."
The last time
that Joseph saw his brothers was when they sold him to Egypt, many years
ago. The next time he met them again was the time of the fulfillment of
the dreams for which they sold him and the confession of their guilty
for what they had done to him. Now Joseph knew that his brothers had
repented: they confessed it before him! Really, how the Lord arranges it
and hurts and misunderstandings of many years are healed within only
some moments.
Returning to Joseph, he kept
Symeon, while his brothers returned to Canaan to bring Benjamin. After
they brought him, Joseph permitted them to go, only to bring them back
quickly, accusing them that they had stolen his silver cup that he had
intentionally hidden in Benjamin's sack (Genesis 44:2). Because of this,
he requested that Benjamin would stay as a slave in Egypt. Hearing this,
his brothers "fell before him on the ground", pleading him for
Benjamin. (Genesis 44:14-34). Then:
Genesis 45:1-8
"Then Joseph could not restrain himself before
all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out
from me!" So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known
to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of
Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am
Joseph; does my father still live?" But his brothers could not
answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 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. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves
because you sold me here; FOR GOD SENT BE BEFORE YOU TO PRESERVE
LIFE. 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. AND GOD SENT ME BEFORE YOU TO
PRESERVE A POSTERITY FOR YOU IN THE EARTH, AND TO SAVE YOUR LIVES
BY A GREAT DELIVERANCE. 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"
and Genesis 50:20
"YOU MEANT EVIL AGAINST ME; BUT GOD
MEANT IT FOR GOOD, IN ORDER TO BRING IT ABOUT AS IT IS
THIS DAY, TO SAVE MANY PEOPLE ALIVE"
In the above, I
have emphasized the words "for", "in order to" and
"to". These words are words that introduce ANSWERS. They are
words that answer to questions that start with "why". It was
therefore time for answers. It was time for the plan of God, concerning
Joseph and his mission to Egypt, to be opened widely. It was the same
plan that started many years ago in Canaan, with Joseph's two dreams
that caused him to be hated by his brothers that then sold him to Egypt.
However, his brothers and their acts were but tools that God utilized to
bring His will to pass. IT WAS GOD THAT SENT JOSEPH TO EGYPT AND NOT HIS
BROTHERS. IT WAS GOD THAT PLACED HIM IN POTIPHAR'S HOUSE AND GAVE HIM
GRACE BEFORE HIM, AND IT WAS HE THAT TOOK HIM FROM THERE TO PRISON. IT
WAS GOD THAT GAVE THE TWO DREAMS TO PHARAOH'S OFFICIALS AS WELL AS THEIR
INTERPRETATION THROUGH JOSEPH. IT WAS GOD THAT AFTER TWO YEARS GAVE
THOSE DREAMS TO PHARAOH AND WHO THROUGH THE CHIEF BUTLER BROUGHT JOSEPH
TO THE PALACE. IT WAS GOD THAT GAVE THE INTERPRETATION TO JOSEPH AND IT
WAS HE THAT MADE HIM SECOND IN COMMAND IN EGYPT. IT WAS HE THAT BROUGHT
JOSEPH'S BROTHERS TO BOW BEFORE HIM IN EGYPT AND CONFESS THEIR GUILTY
BEFORE HIM. IT WAS HE THAT PRESERVED ALL ISRAEL IN LIFE. Really, Israel
didn't leave from Egypt but only after centuries, with thousands of
thousands and with the way that the Word of God says. God had his own
plans for Israel and ALL THAT HAPPENED TO JOSEPH WORKED TOGETHER FOR
GOOD though it may not have appeared as such from the beginning and
though it may not be understood but only after years.
Tassos Kioulachoglou
Footnotes
1.
In Genesis 37:2 Joseph was 17 years old, while in Genesis 42:6, when the
dreams were fulfilled, he was probably 39 (he was 30 "when he
stood before Pharaoh" (Genesis 41:46) and the year that his
brothers went for second time to Egypt was the second year of famine
(Genesis 45:6)) . (return where you
stopped)
2.
This prison was the prison that the "king's prisoners were
confined" (Genesis 39:20). That's why the king's
butler and baker were brought there. (return
where you stopped)
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