Joseph – Reflections (4) Redemptive Suffering

 

 

“And He called for a famine upon the land; He broke the whole staff of bead. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters, he himself [his soul] was laid in irons; until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him” (Psalm 105:16 – 19).

 

“He sent a man before them.” God has a funny way of sending, does He not?

 

Suppose you and I were observers of Joseph and his brothers in Canaan. Suppose we saw the brothers plotting against Joseph, suppose we saw them throw Joseph into the pit and then sell him into slavery.  What would our thoughts have been?

 

Suppose we saw Joseph gain favor with Potiphar, only to be thrown into prison.

 

At any time during our observations, would you have said to me, or would I have said to you, “God is sending Joseph ahead of his family so that his family might be saved”? Would we have seen the redemptive hand of God in the betrayal of Jospeh and in his sufferings?

 

During the betrayal, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, would we have said, “God is sending Jesus ahead of us so that we might be saved and become the sons and daughters of the Living God”?

 

Suppose Joseph had become bitter? Suppose a seed of hatred had been planted in Joseph, suppose that hatred grew and became Joseph’s very nature?

 

The Scriptures teach us that we are to share in the sufferings of Christ for others (1 Peter 4:13; Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24; 2 Cor. 1:6; 4:12). They also teach us that when we suffer that we are to commit ourselves to God:

 

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:21 – 23).

 

“Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Peter 4:19).

 

We simply cannot rely on appearances in discerning the will of God, in understanding why certain things happen…or why they don’t happen. As with Joseph, as with Jesus, what appears to be evil (and indeed is evil) is not the entire story, for God’s purposes are worked through unspeakable evil, through heartache and suffering; without us seeing the entire picture, perhaps without us getting even a glimpse of the picture in this life.

 

What we do know is that we can trust our heavenly Father, our faithful Creator, our dear Lord Jesus who has suffered more than we will ever experience. What we do know is that suffering, in Christ, is redemptive – we know this, but we cannot understand this, and so we must trust, we must surrender ourselves into the arms of God.

 

I am afraid that our American brand of Christianity is opposed to the Cross and suffering, we teach our congregations how to be successful and affluent, we insulate ourselves from the suffering of those around us – in our own country and beyond. Yes, yes, there are exceptions to this, but they are exceptions.

 

We seek to tame the Cross, rather than allowing the Cross to work its Way of Life within us. We force the Cross to submit to us, rather than submitting to the Cross of Christ.

 

The One whom we are called to follow, is the One of whom it is written:

 

“He will not quarrel, nor cry out; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory. And in His name the nations will hope” (Matthew 12:19 – 21).

 

Is this the testimony of the professing church in our nation?

 

What is our response to difficulty, to suffering? Do we offer these things to God? Do we submit ourselves to our Lord Jesus in the midst of difficulties and pain and suffering and distress? Do we ask Him to form us into His image? Do we plead with Him to use our suffering for the blessing of others?

 

Do we consider that just as God sent Joseph before others for their deliverance, that God may be sending us before others for their blessing and deliverance?

 

We can’t possibly see all of these things in our own lives, but we can trust our Father and Lord Jesus in all of these things. As Paul writes, “In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

 

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29).

 

Do we see that this is our calling? Is it possible that we are so shackled with pleasure and self-indulgence that we no longer have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying?

 

The calling of Joseph is our calling. The calling of Jesus is our calling.

 

We will all have opportunities, I think, to be sent by God ahead of others for their salvation and blessing. We may all be thrown into a pit. We may all be considered dead by others. We may all be sold into slavery. We may all know types of prisons.

 

Whatever our pilgrimage may be, whatever the vicissitudes of life may bring us as we live in Christ, we can be certain that a Day of Ascension awaits us, exaltation in Christ to the right hand of the Father – for this life is but a portal through which we enter that Great Life to come – yes, an important and critical portal to be sure…

 

“He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev. 3:21).

 

What in your life might you offer up to God right now?

 

How might God be using you to prepare a place of deliverance and safety for others?