The God Who Changes the Title to Good
Contents
The main character of today's text is Joseph. Looking at the life of Joseph, it's just unfortunate. Today's text, Genesis 50:20, confesses, "God has changed it for good."
Suffering of the Righteous
Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob and the son of his beloved wife Rachel. So the father put on colored clothes for Joseph and gave him special love. There was a good reason for Joseph to monopolize the love of his parents and to have the love of God in one body. According to the Bible (Genesis 37:2), it seems that the brothers were herding their father's sheep, and when the merchants came, they secretly tried to sell the sheep and eat them. But Joseph did not take part in what his brothers were doing and always insisted on being just. This was the first reason the brothers hated Joseph. Also, Joseph's high vision, that is, a dream given by God, became the object of envy and jealousy of his brothers. This led to Joseph being sold into a foreign country at the young age of seventeen and enslaved. Even if you face hatred, jealousy, and various difficult challenges and tribulations while you live on this earth, if you have suffered hardships trying not to become compromisers of injustice that prevails in the world in order to live honestly, it is shameful and regretful. It's not something you have to do. Rather, it should be pride, joy, and pride.
Suffering is a God-given opportunity
It is because God was with Joseph that he was able to triumph even in the midst of suffering. Joseph leaves his beloved parents at a young age and is expelled from his homeland. The clothes are slave clothes, and the name is called slave. However, Joseph, who lived faithfully in his place, was blessed by God and became a steward of a household that a slave could not even imagine. But behind success lies temptation. To Joseph, Potiphar's wife seduces him every day. When you are living your life of faith, the environment is difficult, failures are continuous, and persecution is severe, so the life of faith is sometimes difficult, but it is when you find comfort and ease in the less frightening environment. At that time, your prayers will grow cold, your loyalty will grow cold, your zeal will grow cold, and the smell of human smoke will start to smoke. That is a temptation and a test. Joseph had an opportunity to be recognized by God by not selling his vision to lust and not defiling his faith in the face of the temptation of gold. And that prison is blessed to eventually become the prime minister of Egypt.
God turned suffering into good
Thirteen years after Joseph was sold to his brothers, the scene on the stage changes. Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt, the great empire, and the brothers went to Egypt to find food, and knelt before Joseph instead of the prime minister. Knowing that Joseph has become prime minister, the brothers are gripped with fear. Then Joseph tells his brothers that he came here because God sent me before you to save the lives of all of us. Phenomenologically speaking, it is true that Joseph was sold. However, if you look through the eyes of faith, it is from God. Behind the hardships you are experiencing, there must be a cause. Let go of resentment against that person. You are in God's plan to turn suffering into good. My brothers tried to harm me, but I confess that God sent me to give good things.
We know that to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose,
All things work together for good (Romans 8:28).