“When He summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, He had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what He had said came to pass, the Word of the LORD tested him. The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.” Psalm 105:16-22
Devotional Thought For The Day
We learn more of God’s purposes in the affairs of Joseph and Israel than Moses provides directly in the account in Genesis. Yes, the principal and most important purpose was to deliver Israel from the great famine, but God also intended to bless the Egyptians and other people living in the area. Pharaoh and his leaders were especially blessed with the wisdom Joseph was able to share with them. One would presume that this included especially theological wisdom [Gen. 41], although it is apparent from the history that this wisdom did not prevail. As is typical, earthly blessings and wealth often interfere with one receiving the true riches of spiritual blessing. Often such wealth completely blinds and inoculates a person from spiritual blessings of repentance, joy in God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness, and the wisdom of understanding our obligation to love and serve God by loving and serving others. And along with Israel’s deliverance the Pharaoh was greatly enriched and empowered.
From Joseph’s perspective, all of the negative experiences he endured were real and genuine suffering. Worst of all was the process by which “the Word of the Lord tested him.” You remember Joseph’s dreams. Even more important were the promises of God delivered to Abraham and his offspring, which included Joseph. He knew these words and promises of God, yet his immediate experiences for several years were in direct opposition to those promised blessings. We might think that it was his experiences which tested him, but rather it was the Word of the Lord that was proving and purging and purifying the true heart of Joseph, making him even more a true child of God. It is God’s Word that creates faith within us and preserves and strengthens our faith. Through such faith – all the multidimensional aspects of faith – we are renewed and transformed in the image of God. Joseph revealed this image in the treatment of his brothers, especially in his forgiveness and continued love for those who had occasioned much suffering in his life.
No doubt Joseph came to understand this strange and seemingly incongruous way in which God blesses His people and all of mankind gradually. Generally such faith requires time to grow in perspective and to solidify; it is difficult to grasp that when we are weak God’s power is made perfect. [2 Cor. 12:9,10] The entire process is painful and fraught with insecurity and fear, and even when it appears that we are strong, as when Joseph was elevated, our prior experiences are constant reminders of our vulnerability, that we are always in fact weak. But this is in fact the dynamic of our relationship with God, of our life of faith. We are constantly repenting and acknowledging our sin and guilt; and we are constantly assured of His gracious mercy and forgiveness, that we are “safe” and blessed in Jesus forever. Nothing can separate us from His love [Rom. 8], and His perfect love casts out all fear [1 Jn. 4:18]. Still, such strength and power does not create arrogance and pretense; we remain fully aware of our weakness and that our only security lies in God’s love and His power. It is strange to us, but this is being genuinely human in real and genuine relationship with God, the only True and Living God, our Redeemer.
We pass through many similar experiences, including ultimately death. We too are “tested” by the Word of the Lord, until “what He said comes to pass.” In this way God also provides for our faith to be purified and purged of dross and strengthened, so that in our weakness His power is made perfect. In this way His image is restored in us and we are restored to what He intended in creating us and redeeming us. This is a fuller meaning of the reality, that “the just shall live by faith.” [Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38] Again, this is often not pleasant or painless, although it always yields the greatest blessedness, for us and for others around us. At times it is dizzying and disorienting; consider what Joseph must have been thinking when he “was sold as a slave” and “his feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron.” Our understanding and comprehension are not required; it is in God’s hands. If we know and continue in His Word we know and believe the love that He has for us, and in all things our faith is strengthened and God’s blessings come. The psalmist grasped this and marveled at it, and he invites us to do the same.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, we see in Your humanity this same struggle of faith – Your prayer in the garden about Your cup, and what You learned through suffering. Help us to grow in wisdom through Your Word, especially the wisdom of faith, so that we may joyfully receive the same blessings through our trials, struggles, and suffering. Thank You for the assurance that this is all the work of God in our lives, the blessings of Your love. Amen.