Day 32 - Month 2 Week 5 Day 4 God Sent Me -Joseph's Big Reveal
Genesis 44,45
Isaiah 27
Matthew 21:23 - 46
Thoughts of the day
Today’s reading in Genesis is Joseph’s big reveal. Before the big reveal, Joseph gave his brothers a very scary ride. Who knows how long Joseph would have let the story play out, but he became overwhelmed by emotion. By ordering his house steward to plant his silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin’s sack, Joseph made it appear that Benjamin had stolen from the most powerful leader of Egypt (Joseph). Benjamin was Joseph’s little brother and together they shared the same mother, Rachel (the favorite wife of Jacob). We can imagine how, after making vows to return Benjamin safely to his father, Judah made his impassioned request to Joseph: “Please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.”
Even though his brothers had been so cruel to Joseph, he still loved them. To see your older brothers groveling at your feet, it would be understandable for Joseph to continue the cruelty—but he didn’t. Instead, he was overwhelmed and wept. He did not just cry; he wailed loudly, to the point that the whole house of Pharaoh heard him.
There was one time in my life when I wailed like that. I am happily married to Sylvia, and we have a wonderful marriage that is now in its 26th year. At some point in the future, I’ll share how we ended up together—it was orchestrated by God. Before I met Sylvia, I had been married once before. It was not an easy marriage, probably because it was not orchestrated by God. But God did cause good to happen in that marriage and we have a son whom I love very much.
When my former wife came to me one evening and told me she wanted to separate, I was numb. I felt like I’d been hit by a 2x4, but there was no emotion. I was stunned because I believed that Christian marriages should not end, no matter how bad they may be. Notice that I was more concerned about the “Christian” marriage than the marriage itself.
The next morning, on my way to work, I started to cry. It was not a little crying—I had to pull my truck over, and I sat on the side of a busy highway crying loudly. I cried for about 45 minutes. After a long period of wailing at the side of the road, I continued on to work.
When I arrived at work (I worked at a church), I asked to see the pastor. When I stepped into my pastor’s office, it happened again. The pastor just sat there and let me. Like a child, I cried, completely broken: “She(I used her name)… wants… to… se…par…ate.” It went on and on. I arrived at work at 9:00 a.m., and I stopped wailing at about 11:00 a.m.
I had never exhibited that kind of raw emotion before, and never have since. Certainly, I’ve experienced great joy since then, and in this case, what I experienced as bad, God used for good. After some intense counseling and four years of Jesus reaching out to me, I met Sylvia. That’s what I call God using bad for good. I can confidently say that if this experience had not happened, I’d still be living the lukewarm life of a “Christian” and not writing about my exciting life as a Jesus follower.
Through that experience, I can understand the extent to which Joseph wailed and cried. Something to note: Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 45:5, “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life,” and in verse 7, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” Also notice that in verse 24 he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the journey.” I can imagine that if he had not said that, there would have been a lot of blaming on the way back.
Moving to our reading in Matthew, Jesus is confronted once again by the chief priests and elders of the people. This time, they ask “by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” They were trying to trap Jesus, and Jesus responded with a trap of His own. However, He continues to tell stories (parables) that answer the question indirectly. What He basically says is this:
In the story of the two sons, God came for those (tax collectors and prostitutes- the worst sinners of the day) who first rejected Him but later accepted Him, as opposed to the religious leaders who claimed to represent God yet rejected Jesus.
In the story of the landowner, the story represents God (the landowner) who sent many prophets to redirect the religious leaders towards the heart of God, yet in the end, they killed the Son of God.
Jesus then quotes the prophecy from Psalm 118:22–23: “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone; this came about from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” The definition of cornerstone - “the primary foundational stone laid at the corner of the building to ensure structural alignment, strength and stability.”
Jesus is that cornerstone. What the religious leaders intended for their version of what is good, God turned around and used for good in His plan.
We can choose to serve our own purposes, or we can serve God. Remember, whatever bad happens to you, if you are willing, you can turn it into a “God sent me.” if you trust him. It happened with Joseph, it happened with me and it can happen with you.
Have a great day,
Steve
Genesis 44,45
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2044%2C45&version=NASB1995
Isaiah 27
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2027&version=NASB1995
Matthew 21:23 - 46 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2021%3A23-46&version=NASB1995
To await HIS timing, we develop patience and resilience! Thank you for this wonderful reading today…
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