The Soil of Suffering

“God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”   Genesis 41:52

“Sir, you have another son.”  Joseph smiled and settled back to catch his breath.  The speed of life was moving faster than he could have ever imagined.  One moment he had been in prison. The next he stood in Pharaoh’s court, interpreting a royal nightmare.  Seven years of feast would be followed by seven years of famine, and Egypt better be ready.  Pharaoh knew a good (and Godly) man when he saw one, so Joseph had been appointed Prime Minister to prepare for the coming catastrophe.

With the position came a nice wardrobe, new wheels, and a wife.  God added to the bounty by blessing the couple with two baby boys.  Little Manasseh arrived first, helping Joseph forget his past troubles as he focused on his precious family.   And now, today, Asenath had given birth to a second son.

Joseph named the baby Ephraim, which means “twice fruitful” in Hebrew, and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering”(Gen 41:52).  Egypt had been a place of pain for Joseph.  The hurt of betrayal had been layered with the indignity of slavery, the struggle of temptation, and the sting of injustice.  The consequences of others’ choices had caused him years of grief, and he had suffered much for their sins.  

Yet, right there, in Egypt, in the place of Joseph’s pain, God made him fruitful. The squirming newborn in his arms was a loud and clear reminder that God delights in reshaping and refilling broken hearts.

Just because you’re down doesn’t mean you’re out.  Your place of anguish can become your place of abundance, for God’s grace grows best in the soil of suffering. 

Let Him fix you up, fill you up, and make you fruitful.

Right where you are. 

But God...

“‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’”  Genesis 41:16 

Pharaoh’s dreams had him troubled, but the wise guys couldn’t tell him why.  Why did the skinny cows feast on the fat ones?  Why did the thin grain swallow up the good?  And why were there seven of everthing?  No one seemed to have answers for Pharaoh’s angst until the butler suddenly remembered the Hebrew who had helped him out.  (Two years earlier, Joseph had interpreted the butler’s dream of release from prison and restoration to Pharaoh’s court; however, until that moment, the butler had forgotten all about him.)  

The king was seeking solutions, no matter the source.  “So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon”(Gen 41:14).

The most powerful man in the world looked at the lowly convict who stood before him and said, “I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it”(Gen 41:15).  What more could Joseph have asked for?  This was his big break, his perfect chance, his one shot to shine, so he took a deep breath and calmly replied, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires”(Gen 41:16).

I doubt Joseph paused very long between the announcement of his inability and the assurance of a divine answer—no need to cause Pharaoh further concern, but his words reveal a great man who understood a great truth.  When we can’t, God can.  (And even when we can, that’s because of God too.)  It’s good to know your limits, but it’s better to know God is limitless.

A flood destroyed everyone on the earth, “but God remembered Noah”(Gen 8:1).
King Saul searched intently for David, “but God did not give David into his hands”(1 Sam 23:14).
Jealous Jews put Jesus to death on the cross, “but God raised him from the dead”(Acts 2:24).

“But God…”  Two small words.  Many big results. 

When given the opportunity, humbly state what you can’t do, and gladly state what God can do.  Unlike Joseph, you probably won’t end up running a country, but like Joseph, the outcome will be amazing and will always be best.

 

“But God…”

 

Pen Pal

“Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison.”   Genesis 39:20

William Congreve was right.  “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” and Potiphar’s wife was living proof.  Angered by Joseph’s refusal to rendezvous, she accused him of attempted rape and submitted his coat as evidence.  Since slaves had no rights of defense and the deed appeared undeniable, Joseph was slung in the slammer. 

Where was God when Joseph was unjustly punished?  What was He doing as Joseph did time for an uncommitted crime?  Is this the way God treats His faithful children?  Prison seems a poor reward for choosing right over wrong.  

But the jail cell was just where God wanted Joseph.  In prison he was protected from Mrs. Potiphar.  She couldn’t sink her claws into his cloak or his conscience while he was behind bars.  And although Joseph was locked inside, God wasn’t on the outside.  “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him”(Gen 39:21).  In the injury of injustice, he was never alone.  God was his constant companion and comfort.

God was in control, using Joseph’s jail time to prepare him for future responsibilities. “The warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in prison”(Gen 39:22).  The administrative skills he learned at Potiphar’s house were sharpened and strengthened as he managed angry and afraid inmates.

The distress of those incarcerated with him became an opportunity for Joseph to show compassion.  “When Joseph came to [two of the prisoners] the next morning, he saw that they were dejected”(Gen 40:6).  He connected with their concerns because of the ache in his own soul, and he showed them he cared.  “So he asked them, ‘Why are your faces so sad today?’”(Gen 40:7)

Eventually, God used the contacts made in prison to provide Joseph’s way out of jail and into Pharaoh’s court, but his days in custody made a difference for the rest of his life.

Our prison days have a purpose.  A miscarriage of justice doesn’t mess up God’s plan.  He is sovereign and sure of what He allows.  When you suffer because of someone else, don’t cower in your cell under a blanket of bitterness.  You might pay a penalty you don’t deserve, but there can be gain in the pain.  God’s presence will become more precious.  He can use the isolation of your heart to insulate you from further anguish, and He will prepare you for the next part of His plan.  Your distress can give you empathy to reach out and relate to others whose hearts are also hurting.  And in His timing, God will provide the way out by His gracious work in you and through you.

God can do a lot when we’re doing time.

Don’t get tough.  Let Him make you tender. And always trust.

Why Not

“How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”   Genesis 39:9  

Desire dangled from every word of her sultry proposition, and few would fault him for accepting.  His brothers’ betrayal had landed Joseph on the Egyptian auction block, and the favored son was now Potiphar’s slave.  His master noticed his good work.  His master’s wife noticed his good looks.  “Now Joseph was well built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’”  (So much for being subtle.)

“Why not?” he could have said.  His brothers wanted him out of their lives; she wanted him in her arms.  He wasn’t paid for his hard labor, so she would be an easy bonus.  And technically, since her husband was his boss, Joseph should obey her as well.

But instead he said, “I can’t. You belong to Potiphar, and although I’m totally in charge, you’re the one thing I can’t touch.  How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”(Gen 39:9) 

Don’t lessen the lesson by assuming Joseph was some eunuch or by thinking that saying no was no big deal.  Joseph was a red-blooded, full-hormoned, all-grown-up guy.  His physical urge for satisfaction was strong and unfulfilled. Saying yes and waltzing to the bedroom would have been much easier than walking away and waiting on God, but Joseph knew that being faithful was far better than just feeling good.  So he turned her down.  And turned and ran.

When temptation seizes you and demands an answer, your relationship with God should be the bottom line.  Realize that giving in is a sin against the One who gave everything for you.  That’s reason enough to just say no.

Refuse when you need to.

Run when you have to.

It’s always better to lose your coat than your character.

Dealing With Disdain

“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”  Genesis 37:4

Everyone has one—a person in life who is hard to love and easy to loathe.  For ten of Jacob’s sons, that not-so-special somebody was their baby brother, Joseph.  Born to Rachel when Jacob was nearly ninety, Joseph was boldly and brazenly heralded as father’s favorite.  Being “Papa’s Pet” wasn’t his fault, but Joseph did himself no favors by tattling on his brothers’ bad deeds and telling them about his big dreams.  None of this settled well with his siblings and neither did the beautiful robe presented by Jacob only to Joseph. 

“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him”(Gen 37:4).  Given Jacob’s lopsided love and Joseph’s loose lips, the brothers’ jealousy can be understood, but their actions can never be justified.

One day Jacob sent Joseph to check on the family and the flock, and as soon as his brothers saw him coming, they started scheming.  A suggested murder plot was lessened to simple terror and misery, so they grabbed Joseph, jerked off his special coat, and shoved him down a dry well.  Then they sat down to munch their lunch.

In the distance a trading caravan was making its way through the desert.  “Since we won’t get anything good for killing him, let’s simply sell him,” one suggested.  They pulled Joseph from the pit and began bartering.  He pleaded for his life, but they closed their ears, pocketed the pay, and walked away—slightly richer but so much poorer.

To cover their crime, they slaughtered a goat, spread its blood on Joseph’s coat, and said to Dad, “Look what we found.  Check and see if it belongs to you-know-who.”  In one rash act roused by jealousy, Joseph was gone, Jacob was grieved, the brothers were guilty, and for many years, all suffered severely because of the sin.

Be careful.  Dislike quickly becomes disdain, and soon you will despise.  While you can’t control the actions of others, you do choose your own attitudes.  If you let your feelings determine your follow-through, everyone involved will end up in a painful pit from which escape is never easy. 

So if you can’t stand someone, don’t knock them over.  Kneel down yourself.

God will help you handle your hate before all get hurt.