Devotion 9.23.26

Genesis 37

"2 These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

"5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more."

(Joseph is then sent by Jacob (Israel) to check on his brothers.) 

"16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan."

"18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits"

...you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good... Genesis 50:20

Joseph suffers from youthful innocence it appears. He clearly doesn't know he's really rubbing his brothers the wrong way. His dad, Jacob (Israel), doesn't help either. He's an old man, and his youngest is the apple of his eye.

You know the story: Joseph gets a multicolored coat as a gift from dear old dad. If that isn't enough, he has dreams of himself ruling over his brothers, and is too young to know that telling them really... makes them mad. In short, they've had it with Daddy's little boy. Spoiled brat.

In an instance, he goes from apple of dad's eye to being in a dry cistern, a pit, then is sold into slavery and passed off for dead to dad. His life will continue to be a pit as he lives in slavery in the captain's of pharaoh's guard home.. Though living a life of comfort, he is sentenced to prison by the captain of the guard after a false accusation from his wife (who, as the bible notes wanted him really bad, but he did not want to sin against God).

We have all been are tested to varying degrees in our own lives. Some more so than others. It is a story of biblical proportion to each of us because it reflects people we meet in scripture whose lives are found at varying times in hardship for various reasons. A partial list includes Joseph, Ruth, Job, Jonah, David, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, and Christ himself. Joseph is no different than us in meeting hardship, but he is resilient in handling it. Consequently, we can learn from him.

What can we learn from Joseph? Resilience in the face of demoralization, personal tragedy, and humiliation is one lesson. Knowing how to live each day as a gift from God and seizing the moment as it arises (timing) is another by turning to God and his Word. James tells us: "2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." THAT is resilience, and that is Joseph in a nutshell.

These lessons in life point to one fact: God is there for us in good times, bad times and all points in between - the dull, non-eventful times known as the plateau we find ourselves in at most times. Tedious, day-to-day, each day looking the same as the day that passed and the rhythms of life producing the same results each day. It's called life, but in life, God places opportunities in front of us. 

How will we respond to the challenge or how have we responded to the challenges we have faced already? How prepared are we when we are tested?

Pray for a posture of acknowledging God in all we do. Pray that we turn to God every day in humility with a posture that is ready to meet the day and its routines, or challenges, with an attitude that is resilient.

Retreat in Mason

For more on this, come to our retreat as you learn about a man no different from you and me, until life dealt him what most would consider a bad hand, but as he noted in his revelation to his brothers of who he was, what they had meant to do in terms of evil God made for good. He gives us the same ability each day in our daily bread.

Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.