a lesson from 3500 years ago
I had a professor in Israel who loved studying the biographies and stories of godly men. He lead a weekly guys' morning Bible study and took us through studies on godly men of Scripture. One of those studies focused on Joseph. I'm working on reading through the Bible again this year and tonight I read about Joseph being sold to Potiphar, being unjustly accused by Potiphar's wife, and his following time in prison.
I've thought about and been taught about Joseph's moral integrity during the time while he was being tempted by Potiphar's wife. And I've thought about and been taught about how God blessed him in Potiphar's house and in the prison because of his faithfulness to the Lord. But just tonight as I was reading it struck me...Scripture has a way of doing that. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that Scripture is indeed "living and active...it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Scripture is able to speak straight to our hearts. Its amazing how God uses it to speak to us no matter how familiar we may be with the passage.
It struck me...how much I see other people's lives...and I want their life. Because their life seems to be perfectly in line and together. They seem to have it easy. A good job, or maybe they're retired, and they don't have hard work to do. They have all they need and they don't struggle in fulfilling their job or they don't need to worry about finances, they have a nice car and a house. They don't have the worries that I have. Their life is so much easier than mine. If I only had their life, THEN I would be able to serve God better. THEN I could spend more time with Him. THEN I would really live for Him because I wouldn't be distracted by all these things. I wouldn't have a hard life and I would be able to focus on Him and have a better attitude about life in general.
But it struck me...look at Joseph's life! His brothers hated him and wanted to kill him! Instead they SOLD him into the slave trade and convinced his father he was dead. He was sold to Potiphar and had to live in a foreign country and didn't know if he would EVER make it home again, or see his father again. Then he gets somewhat comfortable as he is promoted to basically rule Potiphar's house (but still he's a slave in a foreign country and doesn't know if he'll see his family again). When he gets to that point his owner's wife falsely accuses him of adultery and he is thrown into prison! Prison wasn't nice back then! So what does he do? Complain that his life is horrible? Complain and ask God why He put him there? Compare his life to Potiphar's life and complain and be frustrated? No way. Joseph is faithful. Joseph continues to work hard and to do his work for the LORD. Look at Genesis 39:23, "The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed." When does God give success? When we acknowledge Him in all our ways He makes our paths straight (Prov. 3:6). When we delight ourselves in Him, He gives us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4). Joseph was doing things with the right attitude. He was living for God and serving Him. He was acknowledging God in all things, and delighting himself in God.
I noticed in Gen. 40:8 that Joseph's focus was on God and not on himself. The baker and the cupbearer have dreams and are troubled because they do not have an interpreter to tell them the meanings of their dreams. Joseph responds but he doesn't say, "Well, tell them to me and maybe I can interpret them." No, his focus is not on himself and what he can do. Rather, it is on God. His faith is in God's omniscience (God knows everything!) and His ability to reveal the interpretation to Joseph. Joseph must have had a close relationship with God even through this time. His response is, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me."
In the margin of my Bible I wrote, "your life is easier than joseph's was...look how he handled it."
I've thought about and been taught about Joseph's moral integrity during the time while he was being tempted by Potiphar's wife. And I've thought about and been taught about how God blessed him in Potiphar's house and in the prison because of his faithfulness to the Lord. But just tonight as I was reading it struck me...Scripture has a way of doing that. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that Scripture is indeed "living and active...it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Scripture is able to speak straight to our hearts. Its amazing how God uses it to speak to us no matter how familiar we may be with the passage.
It struck me...how much I see other people's lives...and I want their life. Because their life seems to be perfectly in line and together. They seem to have it easy. A good job, or maybe they're retired, and they don't have hard work to do. They have all they need and they don't struggle in fulfilling their job or they don't need to worry about finances, they have a nice car and a house. They don't have the worries that I have. Their life is so much easier than mine. If I only had their life, THEN I would be able to serve God better. THEN I could spend more time with Him. THEN I would really live for Him because I wouldn't be distracted by all these things. I wouldn't have a hard life and I would be able to focus on Him and have a better attitude about life in general.
But it struck me...look at Joseph's life! His brothers hated him and wanted to kill him! Instead they SOLD him into the slave trade and convinced his father he was dead. He was sold to Potiphar and had to live in a foreign country and didn't know if he would EVER make it home again, or see his father again. Then he gets somewhat comfortable as he is promoted to basically rule Potiphar's house (but still he's a slave in a foreign country and doesn't know if he'll see his family again). When he gets to that point his owner's wife falsely accuses him of adultery and he is thrown into prison! Prison wasn't nice back then! So what does he do? Complain that his life is horrible? Complain and ask God why He put him there? Compare his life to Potiphar's life and complain and be frustrated? No way. Joseph is faithful. Joseph continues to work hard and to do his work for the LORD. Look at Genesis 39:23, "The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed." When does God give success? When we acknowledge Him in all our ways He makes our paths straight (Prov. 3:6). When we delight ourselves in Him, He gives us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4). Joseph was doing things with the right attitude. He was living for God and serving Him. He was acknowledging God in all things, and delighting himself in God.
I noticed in Gen. 40:8 that Joseph's focus was on God and not on himself. The baker and the cupbearer have dreams and are troubled because they do not have an interpreter to tell them the meanings of their dreams. Joseph responds but he doesn't say, "Well, tell them to me and maybe I can interpret them." No, his focus is not on himself and what he can do. Rather, it is on God. His faith is in God's omniscience (God knows everything!) and His ability to reveal the interpretation to Joseph. Joseph must have had a close relationship with God even through this time. His response is, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me."
In the margin of my Bible I wrote, "your life is easier than joseph's was...look how he handled it."
posted by Elias at 00:01
4 Comments:
Oh my gosh, so true!!! Jeremy and I have been talking about some of these same things lately. Like realizing a while back that we were waiting for Noah to be home to do some things, or change some things. Why not do it now? What about him not being home means life should be on hold? Of course we want him home and want to do things with him, but we have 3 children home now to do things with until God's timing is complete.
And I'm with you on the seeing other people's life. It's something the Lord had to teach me. Thanks for the reminder!!
Bro thanks again for sharing what God is teaching you. I am always so encouraged by the teaching an community that God is growing between all of us with our Haiti connections.
wow! good post, e! i love the story of joseph! how strong he was! you're right, we have it REALLY easy! let's excel still more!
yay! Uncle Randy. that was a good time in that bible study. "read bographies... lots and lots of bographies." I still use that quote today.
I remember walking away from the Bible study on Joseph KNOWING that a relationship that seemed to be blooming wasn't going to go anywhere. I remember walking down the little road back to our dorm saying to you and Shep that God was going to take that away and I was going to learn to depend on him. I guess it makes it easier to see it ahead of time.
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