January 26, 2012 … God’s Real Deal

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Genesis, Chapters 43-45 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Genesis 45: 4-7: … [God’s Providence In Our Relationships] ... 3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping.7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

My Journal for Today: Don’t you just love the way the Bible paints God’s providence and His planning … by telling REAL stories about REAL people in REAL life. And that’s what we glean from the story of Joseph, where God’s book takes more space in telling his story than most of the other characters in the Old Testament. Only Moses in the OT gets as much written space as does Joseph. But, of course, and it’s Moses who’s telling this story about the history of God’s people, like Joseph, in God’s Book of the Law – the Torah.

But I digress. My main point here today is to note how the story of Joseph, revealing himself to his brothers, as in today’s segment of his story, is a picture of Christlikeness in the OT. In fact there are many parallels in Scripture which show us that Joseph’s life in the OT is a character type and a pre-incarnate picture of Jesus in the New Testament. And in today’s focus passage, copied above, we read of how Joseph so compassionately told his brothers of God’s plan in allowing them to do what they did to him, their brother, and how all of it was God’s plan for all of His children, including Jacob and his family.

If we look back at our own lives, we may very likely be able to see events and circumstances which have taken place where we certainly would not have planned our lives the way things unfolded; but we now recognize that God’s plan – i.e., His providence – was for our good and for His purposes in the shaping of our lives. I certainly can see that … from the many years I walked in bondage to habitual sinful living and how God used those weaknesses to show me how much I needed a Redeemer and how that Redeemer could only be Himself … as my LORD and Savior.

And I’m not going to belabor this point here today. If you’ve been reading along with me about the life of Joseph, all of what has been written about him in Genesis paints for us a picture of the character and future life of Jesus, The Christ; and we can certainly see this in how Joseph shows compassion to his brothers, who had such evil in mind for him, selling him into slavery in Egypt. But, … God knew Joseph was the one – and only one – who could go ahead of his own family to Egypt to save so many people – including Joseph’s own family – from famine, … as well as to show them God’s character in the life and forgiveness of Joseph for his own brothers. And Moses writing about Joseph in The Torah (i.e., Genesis) tells all of mankind about the character of our loving, forgiving, and redeeming God. And that’s a story … HIStory … we need to read.

Don’t you just see the character of Jesus shining through in Joseph? Don’t you just hear Jesus, through the life of Joseph, saying, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

And though I would have never put me through my history … the way it unfolded, I now recognize that it was God’s plan, in His timing, and in His way for my good and His glory. So … once again I say, from my heart, Hallelujah; and thank you, Lord, for where I’ve been and what I’ve done.!

My Prayer Today: … Praise You, Lord, for every bit of my life. Amen