Fruitful Day 10 The Goodness Of God: Digging Deeper

1) After Jacob’s death and burial, Joseph’s brothers were concerned Joseph still held a grudge and would attempt to even the score. After all the kindness Joseph showed them, why would they think this? (verses 15-18)
For backstory, Joseph was his father’s favorite of twelve sons. For this favoritism, the eleven brothers hated Joseph. (Genesis 37:3-4) They mistreated him at every opportunity, eventually plotting his death, but then decided to sell him as a slave. The Lord remained with Joseph and gave him favor, even granting him the position as second in command in Egypt. As famine swept through the land, Joseph was able to extend kindness to his estranged brothers when they came to Egypt looking for food. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he consoled them by telling them their plotted evil was used by God for great good, “And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5) He showed his brothers love, “Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept, and afterward his brothers talked with him.” (Genesis 45:15) Joseph sent them home with food, clothing, money (Genesis 45:21-23), and wagons to transport Jacob (his father) to Egypt. (Genesis 46:5-7) After such kindness, why would the brothers fear Joseph still held a grudge? Firstly, they likely felt guilty for their treatment of him. Secondly, perhaps they didn’t fully believe Joseph truly forgave them. They likely felt Joseph showed kindness to please their father. Now, in light of Jacob’s death, Joseph may get even. Yet, if they reflected on all Joseph had done, they would recognize genuine love and compassion in his actions. As Warren Wiersbe explains, “What the men should have done was to sit down and calmly review all that Joseph had said to them and done for them. In many tangible ways, Joseph had demonstrated his love and forgiveness and had given them every reason to believe that their past sins were over and forgotten. They really had nothing to fear.”

2) Joseph spoke kindly to his brothers and told them God used their evil for good. What does this say about God? (verses 19-20)
God disclosed to Pharaoh, not in one, but two distinct dreams of an impending famine. Then, the Lord gave Joseph the ability to interpret the dream, which God used to give Joseph favor in the eyes of Pharaoh. Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon.” (Genesis 41:32) Despite the oncoming famine, God displayed His goodness through Joseph and the skill set He had given him. Joseph’s plan involved storing up seven years of prosperous grain to dole out carefully when the famine would come and last an additional seven years. Joseph’s leadership not only saved Egypt from starvation, but also the surrounding areas impacted by the dearth of food, including Canaan where Joseph’s family resided. When the brothers arrived in Egypt to buy food, Joseph did more than supply them with necessities, he brought them to Egypt to live. (Genesis 46) Thus, Joseph saved the family-line God had made a covenant with that reached backwards to Abraham, to whom God had vowed to make a great nation from his offspring. Jacob’s family was a pivotal family in that lineage. (Genesis 12:2-3) Joseph’s presence in Egypt was not haphazard, though the circumstances under which he got there were terrible. Still, God was with Joseph, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.” (Genesis 39:2) God didn’t abandon Joseph despite injustice and suffering. He was faithful to bring about His rescue plan. God is sovereign, operating outside of our human timeline. God holds all wisdom, ensuring that every action He takes is perfectly orchestrated and wisely performed. No human action, even if it is evil, is beyond God’s ability to use for His divine purposes.

3) Joseph promised to care for his brothers and their families. What does this say about Joseph? (verse 21)
Joseph suffered immense injustices at the hands of the ones who were supposed to love and care for him with utmost loyalty. Joseph was kidnapped (Genesis 40:15), accused falsely (Genesis 39:10-20), imprisoned (Genesis 39), and neglected for years (REF). There may easily have been points in his life where he held hatred and bitterness toward his brothers for their cruel treatment. Yet, God used even the seemingly un-ending years in prison when he had been unjustly abandoned, forgotten by those who promised to remember him (Genesis 40:23), to slowly teach Joseph to trust the Lord and wait for His timing. This lesson of waiting for the Lord is one King David learned as he too waited many years for God to fulfill His divine purposes through him. (Psalm 27:13-14, Psalm 138:8) Joseph must have learned what the Lord God wanted him to learn about trusting Him, because when Joseph was finally released from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph acknowledged God as the one who interpreted the dreams, not himself. (Genesis 40:8, Genesis 41:15-16) While Joseph waited, God opened the eyes of his heart (Ephesians 1:18), enlightening Joseph to His providence and teaching him to trust. Because Joseph had experienced God’s tenderness and care, he was then able to genuinely forgive and care for his brothers. Joseph came to recognize that his suffering was more about his own heart attitude toward God, and learning to submit to God’s purposes, than it was about his comfort.