Vayeshev: Gen 37:1-40:23
In the opening 4 chapters of the life of Joseph, we see this descent from a position of great favour with his father Jacob to being thrown into a dungeon in Egypt. And I'm sure that in the middle of this experience, Joseph was thinking: 'this isn't like the dreams God showed me. I'm not being exalted above my family. What's happening?' He could have concluded that he wasn't to be part of the promise made to his great-grandfather, or maybe gotten angry at God for allowing this to happen. Although we know through the benefit of hindsight that this wasn't the end of the story; that God was leading and guiding Joseph's life to being him to a position where he could preserve the 'line of promise' during a famine in Canaan, Joseph didn't. Nonetheless, he remained faithful continuing to walk in God's ways. We see this through his rejection of Potipher's wife's advances. Also, by giving glory to God by acknowledgement that He is the one who interprets dreams. He had the opportunity to make himself famous, or even lie to get himself out of prison. But instead, he waited on God and trusted Him.
We also see God fulfilling promises through difficulty in the subsequent bondage of the Israelites in Egypt to provide time before the conquest of the land, "for the iniquity of the Amorites [was] not yet complete" (Gen 15:16). God could have skipped Joseph's tribulation, the famine, the slavery, the rebellion and all the mess that comes with the remainder of the Torah, and gone straight to occupation. He is God and could of made it happen. But for His purposes, of which there are a multitude of layers: the judgement of the Canaanites, the sanctification of Joseph, the purging of Israel, and probably 100 more we cannot fathom... God chose this path. He is not the "God of Smooth Sailing" (a term used by JD Greear in a sermon I listened to recently). To fulfil His promise to Joseph that he will become great, and to Abraham that He would be the father of great nation who will occupy land, God took His people through hardship and difficulty. It seems that is the way He often does it.
We see this idea repeated in the apostolic writings. First, we see in the person of Christ who endured great suffering and hardship that He might provide the fulfilment of the promises to send a saviour to redeem the world from the curse as the one by whom all nations would be blessed. And again later through the apostles, we see that we would share, in part, in this experience too when they wrote things like:
"...we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28)
Beyond the God of Smooth Sailing
This weeks portion commences one of my favourite narratives in the Tanach: the story of Joseph. Behind David and Moses, Joseph's life is one of the longest and most detailed. But more than that, we see in in Joseph such an extensive foreshadowing of the person of Christ. And I will look at the similar patterns more extensively next week, but this week I want us to look at the descent of Joseph into the dungeon and see what it says about how God fulfils his purposes and promises.
Earlier this year I was having a coffee in the 'cafe section' of McDonald's and there was a whole lot of different phrases painted on the wall. But one in particular jumped out at me, like it was talking to me, announcing its message to me: 'you are now here.' But what seems like a mere tautology to most carried deep significance to me because I knew the 15 years that preceded it. Joining the Army straight out of High School, but never really fitting into the culture of discipline and fitness; being discharged on medical grounds and pursing what I believed to be a divine calling into pastoral ministry, but never really flourishing and having doors of opportunity closed on me, (all the while living raising a young family on a student's income and facing an uncertain future); until finally going to university and beginning a journey towards secondary education. Although mixed with a number of highs, those 15 years had many lows in them too. But when I saw that sign on the wall was on my first day of working in a school. God had promised to take care of us, and on the other side of that season of trial: 'I was now here.' Of course I would continue to be refined through trials, but the point is I did not get taken along the electricity path. God did not lead me through the path of least resistance. I do believe that was largely the result of many of my choices, but somehow within the divine mystery where the sovereignty of God meets the free will of humanity, God was leading my path. And many of those experiences have prepared my character for my faith, family, and career. And it's because of this, that I cannot accept that 'unless it just happens, it's not God.' Nor can I believe that just because there's any resistance, God has abandoned me, or maybe doesn't even exist. Now, sometimes it is like that and things just happen, and our family has experienced it, but it's not only like that. And that's what we see in the story of Joseph.
We also see God fulfilling promises through difficulty in the subsequent bondage of the Israelites in Egypt to provide time before the conquest of the land, "for the iniquity of the Amorites [was] not yet complete" (Gen 15:16). God could have skipped Joseph's tribulation, the famine, the slavery, the rebellion and all the mess that comes with the remainder of the Torah, and gone straight to occupation. He is God and could of made it happen. But for His purposes, of which there are a multitude of layers: the judgement of the Canaanites, the sanctification of Joseph, the purging of Israel, and probably 100 more we cannot fathom... God chose this path. He is not the "God of Smooth Sailing" (a term used by JD Greear in a sermon I listened to recently). To fulfil His promise to Joseph that he will become great, and to Abraham that He would be the father of great nation who will occupy land, God took His people through hardship and difficulty. It seems that is the way He often does it.
We see this idea repeated in the apostolic writings. First, we see in the person of Christ who endured great suffering and hardship that He might provide the fulfilment of the promises to send a saviour to redeem the world from the curse as the one by whom all nations would be blessed. And again later through the apostles, we see that we would share, in part, in this experience too when they wrote things like:
"...we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28)
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you" (1Pet 4:12).
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)
As we have seen, that God uses trials is not just something the Apostles draw merely from the experience of Christ, although his story is a great example. Rather, as we see in the story of Joseph, that God isn't the god of smooth sailing is an instruction - or Torah - we find way back in Genesis.
So what does this mean for us? It doesn't mean that we deliberately find the path of most resistance. Instead, it means that when we seek God's will and walk in His ways, asking for wisdom along the way, and we encounter opposition because we are pursuing righteousness (and not because we're being a jerk), we remember that God hasn't abandoned us, or hates us. We remember that God is a God who will use difficulty and challenges to achieve his purposes, and like Joseph continue to remain faithful to the God who promises to be faithful to us.
Next week's portion is Genesis 41:1-44:17
JD Greear, "Gods that Never Existed to begin with", The Summit Church, 23 Apr 2017:
https://www.summitrdu.com/message/gods-that-never-existed-to-begin-with/
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