Genesis 41.41-51; Acts 7.9-10
Genesis 41.51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Acts 7.9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.
Forget=
to deprive, to cause to forget
Rescue=
to pluck out, draw out, i.e. root out
to choose out, select, one person from many
to rescue, deliver
to take for oneself, to prefer, choose
to choose by vote, elect to office
plus
out of, from, by, away from
For Joseph, in the beginning his sufferings had to do with him. He was 17.
Looking back over the centuries, God had much greater plans, greater than Joseph's time, all the way into our time and beyond. Joseph in his adult life came to understand the plans of God. In Genesis 50.20 he lets us know he understood.
It is amazing that Joseph did not become bitter and angry with his brothers for what they did to him. It was a horrible ordeal and after he got to Egypt it got worse.
Joseph had put a period when it came to his troubles and his family, calling them his father's household. The door was shut or so Joseph thought. But God puts commas where we out periods and He loves to write last chapters.
As far Joseph knew from the time his brothers sold him into slavery until he met up with them when they came to Egypt his relationship with them was over.
Each time he would think about how he got to Potipher's house or how he ended up in prison for a crime he did not commit his mind would go back to that day when they threw him in the pit and then pulled him out and sold him into slavery.
He had no idea he would see them again. When he was released and promoted he felt that sealed the deal. He looked at his new family and his new position and forgot his brothers. But God had other plans. God always does.
1. It is Natural to want to forget our bitter times.
For Joseph it was
Being hated by his brothers
Psalm 105.17b Joseph, sold as a slave.
18They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons
Sold as a slave to go down to Egypt by his brothers.
The Ishmaelites were their cousins!
Their grandfather Isaac and Ishmael were both sons of their great grandfather Abraham.
His dreams were gone (or so he thought).
He ended up serving well and then being falsely accused.
He ended up in prison.
Genesis 39.20b But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Joseph handled the injustices in his life very well. He made the best of a horrible situation. We do not hear him complaining. There is no resistance. He doesn't even proclaim his innocence when he is falsely accused. He submits to the whole process. Quite an amazing man.
When we react in that way, we leave the door open for God to work...
2. It is Supernatural for God to use the bitter times for His Glory.
David and Joseph were teenagers when they got the "Word" they would be leaders of the nation and rule supremely.
David by anointing by Samuel
Joseph by dreams
Both experienced suffering which resulted in separation from family. God called them aside. He worked inside their hearts. He allowed their hearts to be broken.
I firmly believe that David and Joseph being separated from their families at such a young age caused them to depend upon the LORD more, to lean on Him and taught them to learn how to stand alone.
God always has higher purposes in our sufferings.
Let's go with the Supernatural. That does not mean being taken out of suffering but rather God working through it producing His fruit in us, making us what He wants us to be.
3. It is God's Way to Rescue us, but not always immediately.
"LORD, don't You care if we are going to drown?" Mark 4.38
Joseph had given up on his dreams. His family bowing down to him.
He had given up on his family.
"all my father's household."
God had not given up on them.
God had not given up on Joseph.
God has not given up on you.
God has not given up on this church. Next week our DS will be here. It will be a very unique service. Let's hear what God is saying.
4. God is the God of the Ultimate.
In loving us. He has lavished His love upon us.
In maximizing His purposes in our suffering.
In using us for His glory.
It wasn't just about Joseph and David. It was about God's people... and they grew to love the people of God, to forgive, to be an example.
And not just for their generation but for generations to come...
Psalm 71.18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
God takes those who are broken and places them in positions and places where He can work His will and wonders out for His glory.
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