All the
evil meant for Joseph turn to good by God
18 And
his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we
be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am
I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil
against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to
save much people alive; Gen: 50:18-20.
Joseph’s
brothers were given a chance to repent from their evil ways and they were
extremely sorry and repentant of the evil they had done in plotting and
betraying Joseph. We find here that Joseph did not hold any resentment or
grievances against his brothers but with grace stated that ‘what they meant for evil, God intended for
good, to save many lives’. Joseph not only did hold anything against his
brothers but assured them that he will provide for them so that they will not
perish during the famine. This is again an awesome picture of our Lord Jesus
Christ who was betrayed and was planned to do Him harm. The whole picture of
the life of Jesus was pointing towards those who did evil, and for the lost
humanity God intended to do good. God loved this world so much that He gave His
Son Jesus Christ to die for the whole world in order to save the world from
perishing.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world,
and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their
fullness? 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the
apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14 If by any
means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some
of them. 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling
of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? Rom:
11:12-15. The millennial blessings that will come upon the Jewish nation after
they genuinely accept Jesus Christ are the fulfillment of this type and Paul is
mentioning this in the Scriptures. Joseph
from his betrayal at the hands of his brothers, to his exaltation and authority
over the Egyptian empire; from his taking of a gentile bride, to his final
reconciliation with his Jewish brothers; all is a glimpse from God of past,
present and even future history!
As parents we learn for Joseph’s story not to show
favouritism towards one child, because it can have effects on other children as
well as on the child to whom favouritism is showed.
Joseph’s story can be used how to flee from sexual
temptation because God’s faithfulness is unfailing; Gen: 39:3, 5, 12, 21, 23;
as the Lord was with Joseph He will be with us whoever who calls upon Him
genuinely. 22 Flee also youthful
lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on
the Lord out of a pure heart;
2 Tim 2:22.
This story may be applicable to some of us where we are
dealt unjustly and never understood, but God’s faithfulness in all situations
are unchanging. Joseph showed mercy to his brothers who did unjustly and God of
mercy requires mercy above all other sacrifices we may offer Him in our live; 6 For I
desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings, Hos: 6:6. Joseph’s story
presents amazing insight into how God sovereignly works to overcome evil and
bring about His plan.
There is a Divine and human element in every successful
life and the trials and experiences we face are meant to prepare us for greater
success. Faithfulness in little things are preparations for greater things and
we really cannot control our situations but we can control how we react to
situations. One who serves faithfully to God with supreme devotion will serve
man faithfully and we see that in the life of Joseph. There will be different
sorts of famine in our lives but, God in Christ has plenty to offer and His
resources and grace for different situations never run dry.
What is the
Gospel application through Joseph story?
Jesus came to this earth to suffer and die to save the
world and He seeks us before we seek Him. It is important we come to the knowledge
of our sin, and acknowledge that to Him, to have Him in our life. We should be
genuinely sorry and remorse for the evil we have done and the desire to do the
good deeds must follow. Jesus come to us and He is willing to abide with us,
supply our needs to save us from the spiritual famine of worldliness. Salvation
is for the whole world, our family, friends, neighbours and in a nut shell for
all those who are lost. We are called to go forth as demonstrations of God’s
Divine abundance and invite whom God brings in our path to accept Christ as
Saviour.
End Notes:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins
The seven deadly sins,
also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classification of vices
... such as jealousy (closely related to the sin of envy).
...
Topics: Killing Sin; ... vulnerability, and the
possibility of deep pain and betrayal.
And yet, human jealousy is
unique in that it contains insecurity, ...
Bible study focused on the
types of Jesus in the Old Testament character of Joseph. ... Jesus in
the Life of… Joseph – The Suffering Servant . by I Gordon .
Website References:
1. What
should we learn from the life of Joseph?
... as we learn from the account of
Joseph’s life, by
remaining faithful and accepting that God is ultimately in charge, we can be confident that God will
reward ...
How many of life’s lessons have you ... Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have
dreamed: For, behold, we were
... I produced a series called Lessons
from Joseph.
What should we learn from the life
of Jacob? ... What should we learn from the life of
Joseph? What should we learn from the life of Elisha?
bibleseo.com/old-testament/joseph-bible-character-study
What can we learn about Joseph
in the bible? ... Lessons learnt
from Life of Joseph: God’s plans and purpose are
greater and better than ours!
tafj.org/2009/12/24/lessons-from-the-life-of-joseph
Lessons
From The Life Of Joseph. As we consider ... viewpoints are
opportunities for us to learn
from ... the life of Joseph, we will find our hearts ...
The Bible
tells us that Joseph and
Benjamin are the sons of Jacob's second ... However some new scientific
evidence helps to support the case of a historical
Joseph.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_(son_of_Jacob)
For the New
Testament Joseph, ... There have
been many attempts to trace the story's redaction history ... In the Bible,
Joseph discloses himself to his
...
Bible study focused on the types of
Jesus in the Old ... So let’s look at some of the clearer pictures in Joseph’s
life that have their fulfilment in the life ..
Book
References:
1. Allender, Dan and
Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream.: Tyndale House
publishers, 1995.
2. Jay E. Adams. Critical Stages of Biblical
Counseling, Finishing Well, Breaking Through, Getting Started. New Jersey: Zondervan, 2002.
3. Jay E. Adams. How to Help People Change, The Four-step Biblical Process. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
4. John F. MacArthur, JR. Wayne A. Mack & The Master’s College Faculty. Introduction To Biblical Counseling, A Basic Guide To The Principles And Practice Of Counseling. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.
5. Jay E. Adams. Lectures on Counseling. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p.192-203.
3. Jay E. Adams. How to Help People Change, The Four-step Biblical Process. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
4. John F. MacArthur, JR. Wayne A. Mack & The Master’s College Faculty. Introduction To Biblical Counseling, A Basic Guide To The Principles And Practice Of Counseling. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.
5. Jay E. Adams. Lectures on Counseling. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p.192-203.
6. The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Women of
Destiny Bible. Women Mentoring women Through the Scriptures, A Spirit Filled
Life Bible. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.
7. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream: Tyndale House publishers, 1995; pgs, 301, 346.
7. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream: Tyndale House publishers, 1995; pgs, 301, 346.
8. Allender, Dan and
Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream: Tyndale House
publishers, 1995; pg331.
9. David A. Norris. Lasting Success; Quality
Decisions, Relationships and Untamed Emotions. Ames, Iowa: Alpha
Heartland Press, 2003.
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