Title: Joseph Goes Down to Egypt
Contents
I read an article a while ago that, in the case of Korean immigrants, wives with sick husbands still stay with them until the end, but on the other hand, there was an article that husbands with sick wives could not hold on for long and left. There is a difference in degree, but there are not many people who help until the end. Joseph was also
Psalm 68:5, “God in the holy place is the Father of orphans and Judge of widows.”
Psalm 10:14 “You are already a helper of the orphan.”
What we can know from the Psalms is that when we are alone, like orphans, when we are in deep loneliness and trials, then we are not alone, but the Lord helps us from before. There is a saying in the Western proverb that ‘the end of the self is the beginning of God’. When I am alone, God begins to move. It was the same with Joseph.
By the way, there must have been many houses in Egypt, so why did you have to go to Potiphar's house? is to do Where is the answer? It does not belong to myself. It does not belong to body feet. Only the answer lies with God.
As we go through life, unexpected things happen. Kwon Ok-kyung Park died of a cerebral infarction on a Sunday morning. The current language, five sides are uncomfortable. Who knew that Master Kwon, who came to prayer every day at dawn, would be like that?
I work overtime every day 365 days a year, so it's too hard and I can't get a promotion, so I have to quit now, but if God appears in a dream and says, 'Be patient even if it's hard, you'll be promoted to the boss during the spring personnel change.' You will be able to wait. But like Joseph and us, God has no answer. There are times when I don't know why I'm having a hard time right now, or the answer to why I have to go through such trouble. At this point, there is one thing we must believe. I do not understand this situation now, but God has a clear providence and will. In other words, the answer to suffering does not belong to me. It is with God.
Why was it sold to Potiphar's house? This is so that Joseph later becomes a bond with Pharaoh. But Joseph did not know at the time. So are we. What we can know through the Bible today is that we can believe through the Bible that there is God's guidance, providence, and hand behind our lives that I do not know.
When I was in the United States, my studies were almost finished, and my wife's studies had progressed to some extent. So, I was thinking that I should go back to Korea, and one day, my wife got a teaching proposal from school. You should make your choice within two weeks. Time is running out, and even if you meet people and ask questions, there is no answer. Then I decided to go to school. After that, within a month, I interviewed and moved, Yerin put it in a basket and put it in the back of the car, and drove 10 hours a day for 5 days to arrive there. Before I went, I did a regional survey with Intenut, and it turned out that there were hardly any Asians, let alone Koreans. So I thought we were the only ones there and left. This is the information we had so far.
But, where was God's plan and will?
For the sake of the church, God continued to postpone his citizenship for six months until we got to the church.
When we went there, on the surface we went because of the school, but on the inside we went for the church. I found out later. I didn't know then. This was the Lord's predestination and providence for the church. So is Joseph. On the surface, they were sold as a body shop, but on the inside, they were meant to meet immediately and become prime minister. I found out later. I have to believe that there is a hand of God that I do not understand.
Another thing to remember here is, when is my life interpretable?
When I am in Jesus, the past of my life can be interpreted. If you do not believe in Jesus, it is all a coincidence. When I am in Jesus, my suffering, adversity, and the meaning of life are interpreted.
Regarding Joseph, it is expressed as ‘because the Lord is with him’. What we can see here is that suffering itself is not a problem. Our problem is not that suffering is the problem, but the biggest problem is that God is not with us. You are not cursed just because you suffer. The greatest curse is that God is not with us and that God has left us. On the other hand, there is pain, but when God is with us, it is a blessing. I hope that you will be a woman with whom God is with you.
“His master saw that the Lord was with him,” he says. I hope you have this blessing as well. I hope that you will be the ones who hear the saying, ‘You are with God.’
What we can see here is that Joseph did not just work hard to hear these words.
Just because we work hard at the company, the boss doesn't say, 'You're a Christian'. The world these days doesn't see us as Christians just because we come to church on Sunday.
What I'm learning here is that if I say I believe in God and don't show God, other people will despise this Christianity. This is also the reality facing our Korean church today.
What's important here? Potiphar found God in Joseph's life.
Likewise, God bless you to be found in your life and in your home.
At work, I hope that subordinates will see your face and hear the words, ‘Looking at the manager’s face, it is like seeing the face of God’. I hope that when a wife sees her husband's face, she can say, "It's like seeing the face of God."
Now, to hear this, what should I do? The greatest thought is to think of God. If you always think of God, you become like God. Conversely, if you think about money all the time, your face color changes to one color like a 10-won coin.
What do you usually think about? Are you God? is it money?
Looking at Joseph's story, who does the story center around? Are you Potiphar/Pharaoh/Joseph?
We must remember that the world does not revolve around money and powerful people, but always revolves around people who have faith. Money doesn't move the world. You must know that the world revolves around people who have faith.
“I saw that he prospered in all things” (3).
In order for our life to prosper, we must have two things.
1) God's opportunity 2) My preparation
The misfortunes that come to humans are unpredictable. But opportunities always come to those who are prepared. That is why it is important to diligently prepare for each day. What are you preparing? Saints are people who have big dreams, but do their best every day.
The leader of the protesters is a person who sees people. He chose Joseph, the most capable among the slaves, and entrusted his possessions (4-6). What we can see from this figure is that Joseph was capable, but he was also a very sincere man. In other words, Joseph was a service-oriented person, not a power-oriented person. So, when he later became prime minister, he did not wield power, but performed his duties as a volunteer. You must be a service-oriented person, both in the church and in society.
Who is Joseph? He was a person who brought blessings not only to himself but also to others.
When Jesus came to this earth, the sick were healed, the blind were opened, the captives set free, and the poor became rich.
When I share the blessings I have received with others, when I share the gospel with those who do not know the gospel of God, it becomes a real blessing. It is Joseph, and we are called to that role.
The master delegates all possessions to Joseph and does not interfere (6).
Prosperity means that things go well, that one's position is recognized, that a task is given and that it is accomplished beautifully, and that one receives environmental blessings.
Finally, are we prosperous? We are prosperous because we have Jesus who makes us prosper.
We pray that God's blessings will always fill our lives.