Gospel FoundationsSample

God Redeems Joseph’s Adversity 

Jacob spent the night wrestling with God, and he emerged changed with the new name “Israel,” a name that would become synonymous with the blessing and ongoing work of God. And then, to his surprise, Jacob was reconciled with his brother, Esau. Jacob then continued on his way to Shechem in the land of Canaan—the land God had chosen for Abraham’s descendants to inherit. 

Jacob obeyed God’s command to return to Bethel, where he built an altar to the Lord, and then he set out toward Bethlehem. But on the way, Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, who was pregnant, began her labor and died during childbirth. Before her death, she delivered one last son for Jacob, Benjamin. Jacob was now the father of twelve sons, and the family took up residence where his father, Isaac, had lived. 

Joseph’s life reads like an elevator, with constant ups and downs. He showed his integrity in the house of Potiphar only to be imprisoned. His faith in the continuing promises and work of God was the only way not to become bitter at these twists and turns in life.

Jacob did not learn from his parents’ mistake of showing favoritism toward their children, and he loved one son more than all the others. The favoritism that Jacob extended to Joseph caused a rift between Joseph and his brothers. This combined with the way Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers resulted in Joseph’s brothers being so consumed with anger that they threw him in a pit, sold him into slavery, and let Jacob think that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. But God’s work was not hindered in the betrayal, for God was beginning to position Joseph to play a significant role in His redemptive plan.

God took the evil deeds of Joseph’s brothers and used them for His greater plan of providing salvation from the famine. Though his brothers clearly wronged him, Joseph acknowledged the continuing ability and willingness of God to take evil and injustice and work it for good. The ultimate example of this is the cross, as God used the evil of those who crucified His Son to bring about His master plan of providing salvation from sin and death.

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