THE DEEPER WORK Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children . . . . But his brothers hated Joseph . . . Genesis 37:3-4 (NLT) Josephs biblical biography begins on an ominous note. Were told that he was his fathers favorite son and that this fact wasnt lost on his ten older brothers. Eventually, Josephs brothers decided enough was enough. They took out their frustrations on him by throwing him into a pit, and when a caravan of traders passed by, they decided to sell their brother off. It was a transaction that would signal years of imprisonment, hardship, and suffering for Joseph (Genesis 37 and 39). But fast forward several years and a few things have changed. A famine had gripped the region, and Joseph had risen to prominence in Egypt-where there was an abundance of grain. Through a series of events that could only be described as God-o-inces, Josephs brothers were forced to kneel before him and beg for food. What followed was a true tale of redemption and restoration as Joseph was reunited with the brothers who had once hated him (Genesis 40-45). It may not seem obvious at first, but this account offers us an insight to suffering. If Joseph had never been sold into slavery, he would have avoided a lot of hardship, but there would have still been strife between him and his brothers. But the season of suffering that he went through opened the door for the deeper work of reconciliation to take place. In many cases, God has prescribed a season of suffering because He knows that it will accomplish a deeper work that would never happen if things stayed status quo. Such seasons dont always make sense to us at the time. But in the long run, we can see their wonderful worth.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 10:36:57 +0000
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