Advent Journey: December 12th

© Michael Livesay-Wright

Questions and Reflections

QUESTION: Why do you think God would allow one of His children to be sold into slavery?

You have probably heard the story of Joseph before. It's a great one. Isaac eventually had a son named Jacob and Jacob had a bunch of kids, one of whom was named Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his very bitter older brothers and he worked as a slave in Egypt for a long time. Then he was accused of something he didn't do and ended up being thrown in prison. Then he helped out a couple of prisoners by telling them what their dreams meant only to have them forget about him when they were set free (well, one of them died). When he was eventually remembered he is brought before Pharaoh to interpret a dream. And Pharaoh ends up making Joseph second in command over the entire country. Now this story has a blockbuster finish. But we sometimes forget that poor Joseph spent years in circumstances that seem pretty miserable. He was betrayed by his own brothers, betrayed again by his master's wife, and betrayed again when his fellow prisoners forgot about him. He spent years as a slave and years as a prisoner. So, why? Why does he have to go through this? There are plenty of "practical" reasons people have argued: God's story required that the grandchildren of Abraham (known as the Israelites) eventually make their way to Egypt or God was simply preparing for a big finish where Joseph was going to get everything he (literally) dreamed about. But I also think to some extent we just don't know. Slavery is a terrible thing. We don't know what God was doing in the heart of Joseph throughout all of this. But, we do know that, in spite of all of the misery, God didn't ever forget Joseph and He didn't abandon Joseph. Perhaps it may seem unfair. It may seem that God could have worked in another way. But one of my favorite parts of this story is Genesis 39:21, "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love." And this was written about the time when Joseph was in prison. So, I guess the question of why is perhaps less important that the fact that the steadfast love of God never left Joseph.

QUESTION: God was with Joseph and "helped him be brave." Do you need God to help you be brave right now?

We all experience difficult things. Sometimes we feel lonely or scared or we experience deep suffering. Just as God showed His steadfast love to Joseph even in an Egyptian prison, He is with you and ready to show you His steadfast love. And the presence of God will give you courage. Even if you don't understand what is going on around you or why certain things are happening to you, trust in that steadfast love of God and lean hard upon faith that God does not sleep, His promises are always true, and He is always at work, making right what is wrong in creation.
 

QUESTION: Can you guess what savior is coming?

Of course this is something of a trick question. If you know the story you know that God is preparing to send THE SAVIOR, the one who will conquer sin and death. But that is not the savior coming to save God's people from their slavery in Egypt. Of course, we know that God is the one doing the saving, but He is going to use a normal great great grandson of Abraham to do extraordinary things and lead his people into the land God promised to Abraham a long time ago. We will talk more about him tomorrow!