Promises of a 24 Year Old

Genesis 50:15-26

  

“Debbie, with these friends and with God as our witness, I make these promises to you: That I will love you as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. That I will take the responsibility of making decisions concerning us and that these decisions will be in the best interest of our relationship with God. I will not impose my will over yours, but God’s will over both of ours. To Him we will both submit that through our relationship others might see Christ’s love. That I will love you, and be concerned for you all of our lives together. I will never leave you, for as God commanded “Whoever I have joined together let no man put asunder.”

 

These were the promises that I made to my wife over 41 years ago. I’m pretty sure I haven’t kept them all. But Joseph lived his life based on a promise. It was a promise that he never saw fulfilled, but he knew that it would be fulfilled someday because he knew that God was faithful. Let’s see what today’s passage has to say about this.

 

First we read that Joseph’s brothers asked for his forgiveness. And what is Joseph’s response? ^20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives”.

 

Later Joseph makes reference to God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. ^24 “Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”.

 

Joseph was 17 when his brothers sold him into slavery. This passage took place shortly before his death at the age of 110. Joseph did not live an easy life, but for 93 years he knew that God was faithful; he knew that God would fulfill His promises.

 

Jesus made promises to his bride, the church. He promised that he would return for her. He promised that he would leave his Spirit to strengthen and comfort her. He promised that he would make her holy without blemish. He promised that nothing could separate her from his love. These promises still hold true for us.

 

“Debbie, I love and need you, but we must both first love Jesus. All these things I can promise you not through my own strength, but through the strength of God’s Spirit, by whom all things are possible.”

 

This is the final paragraph of my vows. Pretty idealistic for a 24 year old, but I did get one thing right. God is faithful, and it is through His strength that we remain faithful, not only to our spouse, but also to Him.

 

 

 

 

Survivor

Genesis 47:13-26

 

Survivor is a popular TV reality show in which contestants try to “outwit, outplay and outlast” the other competitors in order to win the grand prize of $1 million. Participants have been willing to go to almost any lengths to win including lying, stealing, manipulating and back-stabbing.

 

The people in Egypt and Canaan found themselves in a survival situation, only it wasn’t a game. The famine became so bad that the people were starving. At first, they spent all their money for grain. When that ran out, they traded all of their livestock. Finally, they traded not only their property, but their very bodies. They became slaves to their desires, and as a result to Pharaoh.

 

But, let’s examine Joseph and Pharaoh for a minute. As a result of the famine, they accumulated tremendous wealth at the expense of the people. Because of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, they were like inside traders who knew what the stock would do. Instead of telling the masses the future so that they could get ready, they planned and prepared so that when the time arrived, they could prosper at the expense of others.

 

At times, we all fall into one of the above groups: victim or victimizer. What are we willing to do to survive? Would we throw our principles out the window to get what we want? It is human nature after all. What if you are in power? Would you do what is best for you or for others? Would it come down to “it’s him or me”? Whichever side of the coin you find yourself, there is a message for you from Survivor.

 

The title of Survivor this season is Second Chance because each person on the show has played in a previous season and lost. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a God of

second chances. God gave Joseph a second chance to provide for his father and brothers, thus taking another step towards fulfilling His covenant to make a great nation out of Abraham.

 

And now, through Jesus Christ, we have a second chance to be a part of that same covenant. Not a second chance to just survive, but a second chance to live our lives for Him; to follow Him; to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. God has given us a second chance so that we might share THE Second Chance

with others.

 

“And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you [abundantly], And make your name great (exalted, distinguished); And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];”            Genesis 12:2 AMP

 

 

 

 

 

A Pretty Wild Ride

Genesis 41:46-57

 

 

Up to this point, Joseph’s life has been like a rollercoaster.

 

He started out as a confident, but arrogant teenager. As a result, his brothers sold him into slavery. He was then taken to Egypt where he was bought by Potiphar who realized how God was blessing him, so he put him in charge of his household. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of trying to rape her, resulting in him being thrown into prison.

 

The warden, like Potiphar, also recognized Joseph’s leadership abilities, and appointed him the head of the prison. This led to Joseph being in a position to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams who then made him second in command in all of Egypt. All in all, a pretty wild ride.

 

It would have been easy for Joseph to wallow in self-pity, anger and resentment while

blaming his brothers or Potiphar’s wife for all the pain and suffering he had endured. But he didn’t. Even when life was at its worst, he continued to believe and have faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, his father.

 

The passage today is mostly about how Joseph administers his plan to deal with the years of abundance followed by the famine. But, in the middle of this story is a paragraph that almost seems out of place.

 

^50 “During this time before the arrival of the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of the sun god Re of Heliopolis. ⁵¹ Joseph named his oldest son Manasseh (meaning “Made to Forget”—what he meant was that God had made up to him for all the anguish of his youth, and for the loss of his father’s home). ⁵² The second boy was named Ephraim (meaning “Fruitful”—“For God has made me fruitful in this land of my slavery,” he said).” 

 

The names that Joseph gave to his sons are significant because they reflected his relationship with God. The meaning of those names applies to our faith as well.

 

As Paul wrote to the Philippians,  ^“Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it (the prize); the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.” And to the Romans Paul wrote, God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.” 

 

Joseph is a good example for us to follow. If we forget the past and keep our eyes focused on the prize; if we allow God to use our gifts for His purpose; then God just might take us on a pretty wild ride too.

 

 

 

Why God?

Genesis 39:13-23

 

In this story, Joseph finds himself between a rock and a hard place. If he gives in to the aggressive advances of his bosses’ wife, he betrays the trust of Potiphar and sins

against God. On the other hand, if he resists Potiphar’s wife, he runs the risk of finding the truth of the saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”.

 

From the text we read that he did indeed resist her, but with apparently disastrous consequences as Potiphar’s wife makes up a boldface lie. Here’s how the Living Bible states it.

 

¹² …she came and grabbed him by the sleeve demanding, “Sleep with me.” He tore himself away, but as he did, his jacket slipped off and she was left holding it as he fled from the house. ¹³ When she saw that she had his jacket, and that he had fled, ^14-15 she began screaming; and when the other men around the place came running in to see what had happened, she was crying hysterically. “My husband had to bring in this Hebrew slave to insult us!” she sobbed. “He tried to rape me, but when I screamed, he ran, and forgot to take his jacket.”

 

 

Joseph was in a situation where he could have easily cried out, “Why God? Why did you

let me be thrown into prison even though I was being faithful to you? Why did you let my brothers sell me into slavery bringing me to this god-forsaken place? Why have you turned your back on me? Why God?”

 

You may have cried out like this yourself at some time.


“Why God did you let our child die? Why did I lose my job when I have a family to provide for? Why did you let my marriage fall apart? Why did our house burn to the ground? Why did my spouse contract cancer? Why do I struggle with this addiction? Why God?”

 

And yet, being thrown into prison was not the end of the story for Joseph. Although he could have responded by turning away from God or dwelling on his desperate

circumstance, he didn’t. Instead he remained faithful to God, and was eventually placed in charge of the whole prison. God didn’t forget him. God didn’t leave him. God had a plan even in the midst of hopeless circumstances.

 

Therefore, the next time you find yourself in a situation where you are crying out “Why God”; remember this. God is in control and He is always at work in your life drawing you towards Him. He is always with you. He loves you unconditionally and nothing can separate you from His love.

 

 

He has a plan for your life and is faithful.