Thus far, we shared stories about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They all had flaws but they became the ancestors of faith. We will share the story of Joseph in the next few weeks. We are encouraged, comforted, and be touched when Joseph turns the worst circumstances to his best. We all face a crisis. Crisis is not a problem. Turning the crisis into a blessing is important. Through these crises, Christians end up experiencing God’s presence.
There is a certain characteristic in Joseph’s life: Joseph does not blame his environment or his ancestors. Our common characteristic is blaming our environment and our family line. Joseph never blamed God even in unfair circumstances. He also did not hold a grudge against those who wronged him. We are touched by this. Joseph was an honest person. Loss of honesty in our society is a crisis today. I pray that your children will have this temperament and character. Some people are born with characteristics of being fraudulent. No matter the amount of effort, they have a hard time changing their characteristics of being fraudulent. Joseph’s father Jacob was fraudulent. How can someone like Joseph be born from someone like Jacob? It seems impossible. The name “Jacob” had an underlying meaning of the deceiver. Jacob stole his brother’s birthrights and blessings. He fled from home spent and wandered in the wilderness. The fact that someone like Jacob came from someone like Isaac and the fact that someone like Joseph came from someone like Jacob is surprising. For this reason, we cannot blame our parents for our characteristics. We can be like Joseph. Even if you suffer because of your parents’ bad example, remember that you can overcome. Take a look at Joseph; he overcame his circumstances. Joseph had a completely different characteristic from his father. God must have given him the characteristics of honesty.
It is written on Genesis 37:1-2 1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the account of Joseph. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
The Bible does not introduce Joseph at a young age but when he is in his youth, at the age of 17, and in his most sensitive age. According to the Bible, Joseph lived in the land of promise with his father and brothers. This probably built the foundation of faith in God’s promise in Joseph’s heart. The environment children grow up in is important. Joseph lost his mother at a young age. His mother Rachel died when giving birth to Joseph’s brother Benjamin. Joseph had many brothers, but they were all half-brothers. In this environment, he grew up to the age of 17. However, Joseph did not have any scars. When the circumstances are dark, people tend to get hurt. For example, if the parents are not the ideal parents, the children tend to get hurt. For this reason, they develop unhealthy personalities; they act impetuously, display jealousy, and lie. Take a look at Joseph. Even in his circumstance, Joseph grew up straight; this is a miracle. His father did not raise him this way for Jacob was a deceiver. Even if the circumstances are difficult and the parents are bad models, children can grow innocently without harm.
Recall verses 1 and 2 of today’s passage. One of Joseph’s characteristics was not being able to tolerate dishonesty and lie. Joseph tended sheep with Bilhah and her sons. One day, he saw their dishonest behaviors and was unable to ignore them. So he told his father. In one aspect, he is a tattletale and not loyal to his brothers. I wondered whether Joseph did the right thing. Eventually, I realized that Joseph was born with the nature of not being able lie. Tattling would bring harm to him, however, he could not lie. There is evidence that Joseph did not tell on them because he did not like his brothers. When Jacob told Joseph to take food to his brothers, he obeyed. If Joseph did not like his brothers, he would not travel far for his brothers. When he did not find his brothers, he asked around in search of his brothers. Joseph told on their brothers because of characteristics of being honest. We face crisis when we are dishonest. We tend to think that we will face a loss when we are honest. For this reason, even though we know we pretend to not know and even though we see we pretend to not see. The greatest crisis in the churches is not in believing in Christ improperly but in dishonest Christians. For this reason, non-Christians comment that Christians are no different.
The second factor we find in Joseph’s life is his father’s extreme love towards him.
It is written in verses 3 and 4: 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4 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.
Joseph was not the problem, his father was the problem. Jacob favored Joseph. When he dressed his son in richly ornamented robe, Joseph’s brothers envied and were jealous of him. They did not speak kindly towards him. Jacob favoring Joseph is understandable. Among his four wives, Jacob loved Rachel the most. Jacob loving the son born from the woman he loved is understandable. Since Rachel died early, as the father, he especially took care of Joseph. For this reason, the Bible said that Jacob loved Joseph more than any other sons. However, the consequences were jealousy of Joseph’s brother and disharmony in the family. Jacob wanted Joseph to be loved. However, his behavior led Joseph to be hated by Joseph’s brothers. We learn two things here. First, favoritism leads to tensions among children and disharmony in the family. Because parents are also human, they can specially love one more than the other. However, parents must learn from this verse to not favor children. Parents must give equally. In the perspective of Joseph’s brother, Jacob’s favoritism made them unhappy. However, in Joseph’s perspective, it is a surprising event. Joseph was treated specially. Joseph probably thought he would be forgiven if he ever made a mistake. Joseph was certain of and never doubted his father’s love. This is very important. Parents must give their children the belief that they will be forgiven and that they will always be loved. Nothing is more important than knowing that one is being loved. Our tragedies are result of feeling rejected. One’s personality faces a crisis when he or she is not loved by parents, when nobody trusts him or her, and when one believes he or she is being used. In the other hand, when one believes that he or she is loved, he or she grows to be special. Joseph was certain that his father loved him. Joseph was loved as he grew but, Joseph’s brothers grew up with distrust in their father’s love. This can be seen symbolically to salvation. God’s love is favored. Even though we are not worthy to be loved, God one-sidedly loved us enough to kill his one and only son. Even when we declined God’s love, He waited until we turned back. God’s love never ceases. For this reason we melt before God’s love. Do you know that you came this far because of God’s favored love? Believe in this. God overflowed us with immeasurable love. I pray that your children will grow up with your love and depend on you.
Third, Joseph grew up with his dreams. This is a characteristic of youths. Joseph’ grew up honestly, with love, and with dreams.
It is written in verses 5-10: 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”
Joseph’s greatest characteristic was being a person with a vision. He lived with dreams. When he was 17, he dreamt a dream he would never forget. He was able to survive his crisis and troubles because of this dream. Those with a dream have a future. There are two types of dreams. One type of dream, humans make up. The other is a dream of God. There is a great difference between my own dreams and dream from God. Joseph’s dreams were not his own dreams but a dream by God. First, Joseph and his brothers were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly Joseph’s sheaf rose and stood upright, while his brothers’ sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. The dream does not fit with common sense. However, it is the truth; the dream turned into the truth 13 years later. People generally cannot understand God’s dreams. It foretells the events of the future. Joseph’s second dream consisted of stars. The sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to Joseph. What nonsense! In the perspective of Joseph’s father and his brothers, his dreams are difficult to understand and difficult to take in. Dreams given by God sometimes seem nonsense. Joseph was at the age of understanding common sense. He was able to judge for himself whether he will be harmed or gain benefits for telling his dreams. He knew he would be rebuked. However, Joseph honestly told his dreams.
God’s dreams are difficult to hold inside. Take a look at Jeremiah. When he received a revelation that his nation would be destroyed, he spread the news. Jeremiah did not want to prophesy because of the pain he would receive. However, the fire inside him prevented from being silent. This was the dream similar to that of Joseph. This is the Gospel. It is the story of Jesus. If you believe in Christ but are okay not talking about Christ, you did not meet Christ. If you are able to sleep comfortably without spreading the word of the Gospel, you did not receive the Gospel. You must not be able to stay silent. You must cry out “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can go to heaven except through him” even if you know you will be persecuted. When Joseph talked about his dreams, his father and brothers rebuked him. Then the brothers began to hate him. People with God’s dreams are lonely for they are rejected. Still, they live with the dream. Noah had the dream to build an ark. No one would rebuke Noah if he built an ark by the ocean. However, because he built an ark on the mountains people did not understand. Noah only held onto the dream and built an ark for several hundreds of years. What is your dream? What is the dream given to you by God? We do not live by food but by dream. A characteristic of animals is the lack of dreams. If we do not have dreams and visions, we are no different from animals. Even in moments of death, people who can talk about the dream, people with faith, and people with revelations open their future. They change the world. Jesus had the dream to carry the cross. Jesus did not protest when he carried the cross. He stood boldly in front of it. Because he carried the cross, he saved humanity.
There is a reason for not being able to hear God’s voice. If one’s own voice is loud, listening to other’s voice becomes difficult. Those with their own thoughts, own dream, and own plans cannot hear God’s voice. However, if you let go of yours, you will be able to hear God’s voice. I pray that you will live by God’s dreams.
No comments:
Post a Comment