Wednesday, December 4

SOMEONE PLANS: JOSEPH’S DREAM

Genesis 45:1-8       Genesis 50:19-20

     From the beginning of creation, God's plan was to send His sinless Son into an evil generation, where He would be mistreated and put to death, taking upon Himself, the sin of the world. This was God's plan so that we, through worshipping and obeying the Lord, and asking for forgiveness, would be forgiven and receive life with Him for eternity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

     At an early age, Joseph was given God's plan of forgiveness for His family and for the world through a dream. The plan involved Joseph and his faithfulness to God, whether he was ruling over Egypt, or whether he was being sold into slavery. He trusted in God no matter what. Trusting in God and knowing His plan, enabled him to forgive his brothers for all that they had done.

     The similarities between Joseph's life and Jesus on the cross are unavoidable. Both Jesus and Joseph were persecuted by their people; Jesus by the Jews and Joseph by his brothers.  Both had great atrocities done to them.  Both according to God's plan, were sacrificed in order for others to live; Jesus on the cross for people's sins, and Joseph being sold into slavery so that his people would have food to survive during the great famine. Both Jesus and Joseph offered forgiveness to anyone who was remorseful of their sin.  Both Jesus and Joseph revealed themselves after they saw the desire to be forgiven.  The forgiveness that Joseph had was the same that Jesus had while on the cross when he said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Luke 23:3

     After looking over all of Joseph's life, and seeing how poorly mistreated he was by his brothers, we find that Joseph has total forgiveness for his brother's evil actions.  Even though Joseph was mistreated by being sold into slavery, he still was able to forgive his brothers for their sinful deeds.  This forgiveness was all part of God's plan.  After years of slavery in Potifer's household, and a respect gained by Pharaoh, Joseph was appointed to oversee the distribution of all the food in Egypt.  Shortly after Joseph was appointed to this position, there was a severe famine in which all of Egypt and the surrounding countries were affected.  Even Joseph's family in Canaan was out of food and went to Egypt to buy some.  It was there that Joseph gave them the provisions that they needed in order to live. You see, with out Joseph's willingness to forgive, his family would not have survived.  You might ask, "what does Joseph's forgiveness of his family have to do with God's plan?"  And I say, "everything,” because without Joseph's forgiveness and provision for his family there would be no forgiveness offered to us—God’s plan of forgiveness preserved the line of Jesus who came through Joseph's brother Judah hundreds of years later.

~ Ryan Ward