For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Gen. 40-41
Joseph had a lot of just cause for bitterness and anger against others in his life. His brothers – his own flesh and blood – threw him into a pit then sold him into slavery out of spite. Potipher’s wife then wrongly accused him and had him thrown into the dungeon – another pit! Then Pharaoh’s cupbearer forgot him, leaving him in that dungeon for another two years. Mistreated, wrongly accused, forgotten. But Joseph didn’t let the actions of others define him. Instead, he simply served God with all his heart from wherever he was.
I don’t know if Joseph knew at the time what he later acknowledged. But we certainly have the benefit of hindsight to see that what others meant for harm in his life, God used for good. God didn’t give us this story simply to show us what He is capable of or what He did for some guy who lived a long time ago. He gave it to us to show us who He is and what He does. He gave it to show us:
- He is God – there is no other.
- He is working out His plan, which is more certain than the rising sun.
- Other men are not in control of our lives. God is, and His plan for us is good.
If all those bad things had not happened to Joseph, right down to the cupbearer’s ungrateful forgetfulness, Joseph would not have been in the position to rise to second in command over all of Egypt. It was his struggle that led to his elevation and ultimately the salvation of his entire family. There is so much more I could say just about that. But for now, I just want to remind myself that God is in control. I don’t need to let negative circumstances or other people’s bad intentions define me or affect my behavior. All I need to do is focus on wholeheartedly serving God from wherever I am because I know He has a sure plan for me. And it is good.
Gen. 42
Joseph recognized his brothers. Rather than reveal himself to them, though, he chose to treat them harshly. Best I can figure, he did this to test their hearts. It had been over twenty years since his brothers sold him into slavery. He had no idea if or how those years had changed them or their attitudes toward him. Since Joseph is one of the many characters in the Bible through whom God reveals Jesus to us, my mind makes a correlation between what Joseph did to his brothers and what Jesus does with us.
When we come to Jesus in faith He gives us the salvation we seek, but He also tests our hearts. This means that we are certain to face struggles and hardships in our life. We will encounter situations that make us question God’s goodness and our faith in Him. And He will ask us to sacrifice the things we love the most. When we expect these things, we are far more likely to face them as the challenges they are rather than allowing them to defeat us. And we are far more likely to notice God’s caring hand providing for us along the way.