Week 4

Another week finished, and another one begins. How many of you are current, near current, or have fallen behind and need a little encouragement to catch up?


Topics of interest:

* God’s prophecy in Genesis 15:13 that Abraham’s descendants “will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years” begins fulfillment in Genesis 46 and completes in Exodus.

* We've discussed symbolic representations in the previous weeks. There are several parallels between the life of Joseph and of Jesus. Please feel free to post ones you can see.

* The Akkadian empire (2350-2150BC) was coming to a close during the life of Abraham.

* The Egyptian kingdoms and dynasties were well hundreds of years old by the time Abraham was born.

* The approximate years of birth for Abraham (2160BC), Isaac (2060BC), and Jacob (2000BC)

* Ur, Abraham's birthplace and the capital of Sumer, was destroyed by the Elamites around 2000BC.


Point to consider:

During weeks one, two, and three, we read about the trials of Job. He suffered loss of possessions, loss of family, loss of friends, loss of social status, and loss of health. He virtually lost everything but his life. Job began blaming God for his losses, but God directly challenged his complaints - the essence of His message being that He is greater than anything Job can do, know, or experience and therefore should be trusted to protect His own. We know, from the epilogue, that it was no sin of Job's that brought his trials, but it was the testing of his faith. Job, who did not sin against God (despite his complaints), was then rewarded richly by the Almighty by having a new family, those who abandoned him return, and more wealth than before.

This week we will read about Joseph. We will see the hardships that he went through: being hated by his brothers, being sold into slavery by them, and even being imprisoned for many years in an Egyptian prison. These were not simply tests of Joseph's faith as what happened with Job, but they were part of God's larger plan for a greater good. We see by the end of Genesis that Joseph has a full understanding of his ordeals when he tells his brothers:

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

Paul would later write in Romans 8:28 - We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Although it seems the two men handled themselves differently, they still did not sin against God. In both men's cases, God was with them during their ordeals and brought them through to a greater end. An end that blessed them and glorified God.

So, when we find ourselves in situations that have turned against us, whether we are having our faith tested or if God is using our situation in order to bring about a greater good, how are we going to handle it? Will we be like Job and complain because we think we are undeserving of it? Will be we like Joseph and make the best of our situations and give God credit for our accomplishments during our trials? Will we be like them both and still trust God in all His greatness for deliverance? Or will we be unlike them by sinning and cursing God as Job's wife suggested?