Disappointed: Day One

Our story begins on the pages of Genesis 37 and continues through chapter 50. For the sake of time, we will focus in on the verses that deal most specifically with our lessons but I will do my best to fill in the gaps for you. However, it might help to read the whole story in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the characters and the overall direction of Joseph’s life. It is a nail biter for sure!

(As a side note, chapter 38 does not follow Joseph’s story line so in order to avoid confusion you might choose to skip over that chapter and pick up in chapter 39.)

When we meet Joseph, he is 17, his father’s favorite, an interpreter of dreams and despised by his brothers. You might say that Joseph had lived a charmed life up to this point and was an easy target for his brothers’ hatred and envy. You may be most familiar with Joseph in the story of the coat of many colors. Even though he may have been spoiled, scripture never records a time when Joseph sinned. That’s not to say that he never sinned but his character was regularly above reproach.

Let’s pick up in Genesis 37: 12-17.

Where are Joseph’s brothers originally going to shepherd the flock?

Where did they end up?

Let’s take a little detour here for a minute. We often hear people talk about the sovereignty of God but many of us do not fully understand this concept. The sovereignty of God is defined this way by theopedia.com: “The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God’s rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission.” In other words, to say that God is sovereign is to say that God is God and nothing takes Him by surprise. He not only has the right to rule and control but He also has the power to rule and control all things. (Eph. 1:11; Ps. 115:3)

Joseph’s brothers starting out for Shechem and ending up in Dothan is an example of God’s sovereignty. Dothan was about 15 miles north of Shechem and was located along the main trade route to Egypt. This made it more convenient for contacts with merchants traveling to Egypt. Keep this in mind as you read on in verses 18 – 35.

Whose idea was it to sell Joseph?

What did they do as a cover up for their betrayal?

Remember the little bit of trivia we learned about Dothan in the last paragraph? Had Joseph’s brothers stayed in Shechem the plot to sell him into slavery would not have worked. If we look on the dark side, he may have ended up dead as was the original plan. If we look on the bright side, this gave Judah a way to suggest how to dispose of Joseph without murdering him. We have no indication in scripture why they moved to Dothan but we do know that this was not simply a decision they made for one reason or another. It was all part of the providence of God in their lives.

It is interesting to think that there are times when we make logical decisions based on a need or responsibility and God is using those decisions to bring us to a Dothan in our own lives. God is always a thousand steps ahead of us. Scripture says, “He knows the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). That will always be a dividing line for us as believers and unbelievers. The flesh chaffs at that thought but the spirit comforts in a God who filters all of our days through His hands. Beloved, you are held tightly in the palm of the hand of an Almighty God and there is nothing that will happen to you apart from His purposes.

Scripture is clear that NONE of God’s plans can be thwarted (Job 42:2)! So our enemies and our ENEMY can try as they may to harm us but nothing happens without His permission! Did you realize that? Look at Job 1:6-12. Satan had to ask permission from the Lord before he had the ability to test Job and even then God placed certain parameters on that testing.

Read Luke 22:31. What does Jesus tell Simon Peter?

So you see, nothing happens to us apart from the watchful eye of El Roi, the God Who Sees! Ladies, we will have to come to grips with this and accept it by faith in order to move on in our walk with the Lord. God’s sovereignty is never separated from who He is and you will continue to bump into this for the rest of your life as long as you serve Him. We will see it over and over in the life of Joseph. It is something that the finite mind cannot completely grasp but that which the spirit knows is right. It is a hard saying but either we believe when it comes down to it that God is good or He isn’t. And if He isn’t then we have to ask ourselves why we are serving, submitting and promoting a God that wants to harm us. If we say that isn’t correct either, then we have to begin to live what we believe…otherwise we are hypocrites.

As we finish up day one we see the unfavorable turn of events in Joseph’s life. I am struck with a few questions to ponder as I try to imagine what Joseph must have felt. How complicated his feelings must have been as he journeyed to Egypt; as he went from anger, to hurt, to fear, to betrayal and back again. Joseph was just doing what his father had asked him to do. He was being obedient for goodness sake! How is it that God would allow this to happen not as a result of sin in his life but to fulfill his purpose? That is hard to swallow is it not? He didn’t fall in among thieves or find himself attacked by strangers. He was betrayed by those whom he had grown up with, trusted, and felt a sense of security. What would happen to him?

Do you suppose that on his journey he ever asked God, “Why?” In between prayers for protection and peace do you think the thought crossed his mind to wonder? Scripture doesn’t tell us so we can only speculate. I imagine if Joseph did not question God’s goodness at that point that he would before long. Sometimes at the outset it is easy to trust the Lord. A few days into the circumstance, our faith wanes, God delays and we begin to wonder, “God, what are you doing?” It is in that moment we have a choice. We can choose to believe that God is good based on the authority of His word that proclaims it is so. Or we can begin a slow mental descent into a pit full of lies.

One thing we know, as trouble doubled over trouble in Joseph’s life, he chose to believe God, to trust him even when he couldn’t see how this could all work out…do you?