Friday, January 22, 2010

Trials and Tribulations

Trials and Tribulations

We've been studying about this and I posted a couple of devotions I read today about it already.  I'm also currently reading Genesis again and today's reading just happened to be about Joseph.  This is a great story to learn about trials and tribulations from if you'd care to read it.  Let me quote a couple of passages from what I've been reading today.  I'm sure it will jog your memories about what is going on in this story:

Genesis 42:18-21 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do. They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.”

Genesis 42:27-28 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

We have already seen that one way that God disciplines us is with trials.  I'd like to point out something in the above passages.  Notice in both passages that the brothers immediately realized that they were being punished by God and did not blame other people or circumstances for what happened to them.  Although quite obviously another human being had put the silver in their sacks, they knew it had been done because it was God's Will and so did not place any blame on the other person at all.

How different that is from how we have all been taught to view things today.  Usually not more then a half a second goes by before we're angry at the person(s) or circumstances that have us down or that have hurt us in some way.  Rarely do we instead search our hearts for any sin that may be in us, much less asking the Lord to search us and reveal to us any sin that may be in us!

Later after Joseph had again put their silver back in their sacks along with his own cup in Benjamin's sack, the brothers confess their guilt still not realizing that Joseph is their long lost brother:

Genesis 44:16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”

Again the brothers have accepted that this trial has come on them because of their sin against God and against their brother Joseph and their father.  Finally though after hearing a heart rending plea from his brother Judah, Joseph finally relents and tells them who he really is and explains what happened to them:

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

Genesis 45:5-7 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. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

So in this story we see two very different reasons for trials and tribulations, for if you read the earlier part of the story, you see that Joseph had a great deal of tribulation while he was in Egypt before he was finally appointed by the Pharaoh to over everything.  He even spent two years in prison!  Remember, that Joseph's father was also undergoing Trials and tribulations because he thought his son was dead all this time.  So for each of these people involved in this story, even though they are all interconnected, there are different reasons that they underwent the trials they did.  For some it was due to their sins and for others it was simply part of their life that they had to trust God to get through, knowing He was in control and would work all things to their good.  I'd also like to share what one of my commentaries says about this:

Joseph was an OT type of “Christ … who … when He suffered … committed Himself to Him who judges righteously … that we … might live”
1 Peter 2:20-24 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
The Open Bible

This has already gotten much longer then I intended so I'll end it now.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about this story too though!

 

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