Weekly Devotional 2-24-14 God’s Engagement
Joseph, Jacob’s eleventh son, was hated by his brothers. In jealousy they sold him to the Ishmaelites who in turn sold him to an officer of Pharaoh’s guard (Genesis 37:20-36). After several years his brothers came into Egypt where Joseph had risen to great prominence. They were called to appear before him. We join the narrative of this record at verse 3 of Genesis 45: “3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph; does my father still live?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come near to me.’ So they came near. Then he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.’”
Joseph realized that the hand of God was on him and that God had a purpose in all that had happened to him. He came to understand that purpose as being the preservation of his brothers, the patriarchs of the nation of Israel that would issue from them. However, his brothers were blind to this. Being estranged from God they were unable to see His hand in all that had happened. But, God worked through their sinful lives to bring about His good.
We can also see God’s invisible hand in the salvation of the Ethiopian Eunuch. Consider Acts 8:6-39, “6 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, ‘Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot.’ 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ 31 And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.’ 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘ ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’ 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ 37 Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.”
Certainly God was involved in Philip’s life and the life of the Eunuch. And, from Romans 8:28-30 we learn that God is earnestly involved in lives of those He calls to Himself. “28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
What an encouragement to know that God is an involved God. He is actively engaged in bringing persons to salvation i.e., the Ethiopian Eunuch. He is involved in the preservation of His earthly people i.e., Israel’s (Jacob’s) children. And, He actively holds all His called ones (His children) securely in His hand, Romans 8:35-39. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Even though we may suffer many things, even the death of our bodies, we can be confident that God is actively engaged in the lives of we who have been called, and He is preserving our souls for the enjoyment of heaven.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
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