Godward Thoughts

God is with us as we wait. Joseph spent two difficult years working in the prison, but he held to his faith and did what he could to serve others. The experience helped to “put iron into his soul” (Psalm 105:17–22). If the Lord controls us, it makes little difference who commands us. The fact that Joseph could interpret the dreams of the baker and butler indicates that he understood the meaning of his own dreams. He knew that one day his eleven brothers would have to bow before him. What an encouragement that was to his faith!

Explanation. For two years, Joseph was forgotten by the chief butler, but he was not forgotten by the Lord. It is disappointing to depend on people, for often their help never comes (Psalm 60:11; Psalm 146:3). Speaking to the world’s greatest ruler, Joseph was careful to give all the glory to God (Genesis 41:16, 25, 28, 32).

Exaltation. God always exalts the humble “in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). Joseph started as a servant, but then God made him a ruler ( Matt. 25:21 ). He experienced suffering before God gave him glory (1 Peter 5:10). God invested thirteen years in making a man out of Joseph; when it comes to building character, God is never in a hurry.

Expectation. Joseph’s new name probably means “the one who furnishes nourishment to the land.” He married an Egyptian wife, and she bore him two sons who were given significant names: Manasseh (“one who forgets”) and Ephraim (“double fruit”). Joseph determined to forget the past and live for the future. In the Bible, forgetting means “not holding it against another.” Joseph certainly did not forget what his brothers did, but he did not hold it against them. Instead, he concentrated on living a fruitful life to the glory of God.

The rest of Genesis will focus on the story of Joseph. As you read the life of Joseph, you see in him a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph was greatly loved by his father (Genesis 37:3; Matthew 3:17), hated and envied by his brothers (John 15:25; Mark 15:10), plotted against, sold as a slave, arrested unjustly, and made to suffer. But he went from suffering to glory and became the savior of the people who had rejected him.

Tamar’s purpose was good, but her plan was wicked. Leaving the signet and staff was like leaving fingerprints, because each man’s was distinctive. Judah was quick to condemn Tamar for sinning, but what about his own sins toward Joseph and Tamar? Why is this sordid chapter in the Bible? For one thing, we see the contrast between Judah’s sin and Joseph’s victory (Genesis 39), and we realize the importance of purity. But the main reason is to add another link in the Redeemer’s family tree (Genesis 38:29; Ruth 4:18–22; Matthew 1:3). How gracious God is to mention a prostitute like Tamar in the genealogy of the Savior!

The key to Joseph’s conduct was his godly character, and the basis for that character was his recognition that he belonged to God and served Him (Genesis 39:9). “The LORD was with Joseph” is often repeated (Genesis 39:2, 3, 21, 23). The Lord is with us as we work, and we should do our work as unto Him (Ephesians 6:5–8). He is with us when we are tempted and will show us the way to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must keep away from temptation (Romans 13:14); and if it gets too close, we must run away (2 Timothy 2:22). It is better to flee and lose your garment than fall and lose your character.

Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and lost his daughters, and Jacob moved too close to Shechem and lost Dinah. Why did Dinah go out? Ignorance? Defiance? Whatever the cause, the result was tragedy. Note the twofold attempt at deception in the aftermath: Simeon and Levi deceived Hamor, and Hamor thought he deceived them. Jacob’s sons had learned much from watching their father! When the men of the city were unable to fight, Simeon and Levi killed all the men and took everything for spoils. Sadly, in the end, Jacob was more concerned about his safety and his reputation than he was the character and conduct of his ruthless sons.

“And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.” At this call, Jacob decided it was time to clean up his act. The household is ordered to remove all their gods and cleanse themselves to worship the Lord. Three deaths are recorded in chapter 35, for death is one of the facts of life. Jacob’s obedience to God did not prevent him from experiencing trials. He lost a friend, Deborah; a favorite wife, Rachel; and then his beloved father. (In spite of what he said in Genesis 27:2, Isaac lived for forty-three years after that!) Perhaps the greatest sorrow of all was the sin of his firstborn son Reuben. Sin is expensive, and this one cost Reuben the birthright (Genesis 49:3–4; 1 Chronicles 5:1).

Jacob again tries to do the right thing in the wrong way. This time it is his departure from Laban. He doesn’t want to solve the problems with his father-in-law; he simply wants to escape them. The two men never did agree, and their problems were not solved. Instead, they declared a truce and made a pile of stones the boundary beyond which neither would pass. It was called “the heap of witness” to remind Jacob and Laban that God was watching both of them. (The word Mizpah means “watchtower.”) The two deceivers could only stop by saying they would not come near each other and by reminding themselves that God was watching their actions! How sad!

Genesis 32 still finds Jacob trying to escape – this time he is still trying to escape his brother Esau. If you don’t deal with problems, they rarely just go away! They will be waiting for you when you come back. One minute Jacob prayed for God’s help, and the next minute he devised some new way to appease his angry brother. He reminded God of His great promises and then acted as though God had never spoken. This is the conduct of a believer who needed to be broken before God. He prayed to be delivered from Esau (Genesis 32:11), but his greatest need was to be delivered from himself. Jacob was broken to be healed and weakened to be strengthened. When he surrendered, he won and became a “prince with God.” His limp would be a constant reminder that God would be in control of his life.

In spite of God’s hand obviously at work in the life of Jacob, he trusts to his old scheming to deal with Esau. We find Jacob bowing (Genesis 33:1–7), bribery (Genesis 33:8–11), outright lying (Genesis 33:12–16), and then moving off in another direction (Genesis 33:17–20). Esau went south and Jacob went east! It would still be some time before Jacob goes to Bethel where he needed to be…

When Isaac realized that God had overruled his scheme to confer the God-ordained birthright of Jacob upon Esau, he “trembled very exceedingly” (Genesis 27:33). He called Jacob back and blessed him, charging him not to marry a Canaanite woman (Genesis 28:1-3). Esau was quick to blame Jacob for his trouble (Genesis 27:36). Esau is typical of sinners who irresponsibly blame someone else for their failures.

Jacob was literally between a rock and a hard place. He discovered that God was with him and working for him and had a perfect plan for his life. Jacob may have been separated from home, but he was not separated from heaven.

Jacob’s family and fortune were built by the house of Laban. Laban tried to trick Jacob and make him poor, but God overruled and made Jacob a very wealthy man. In fact, God even blessed Laban because of Jacob, and the old trickster admitted it (Genesis 30:27)! It was God’s blessing and not Jacob’s schemes that increased the flocks. God was keeping the promises He had made at Bethel (Genesis 28:13–15). When we are in difficult situations, we can trust God to care for us.