Hakuna Matata!

Genesis 50 essentially recaps the life of Joseph and also his father, Jacob.  It summarizes the high and low points in their lives and it clearly demonstrates how faithful God is throughout their years on earth.  Both father and son lived peacefully and in the circle of God's grace and mercy.

Joseph did not dwell on the negative events that happened in his life.   He did not bear any grudges against his brothers for selling him into slavery.  He did not fault the cupbearer for conveniently forgetting all about the aid he extended to him, aid which restored him back into the graces of his employer, the king.  Instead, Joseph focused on his faith in God and His promises.  He believed that God had a role for him to play in the overall fate of, not just his family, but the entire country.  Joseph believed that the dreams he had as a young boy and the dreams he interpreted for the cupbearer and the baker were confirmation of God's purpose for his life.  The fact that whatever pit and dungeon he was thrown into, God somehow found a way for him to be freed from those circumstances and consequently be noticed, appreciated, promoted and recognized.  He believed that all the events that happened in his life, all led exactly to where God wanted him to be.  Whether he got there in a circuitous route, in a convoluted turn of events, did not matter, at all.  God was totally in control of his life.  

Therefore, fear not, my friend, the circumstances that you are currently in.  Instead, rejoice!  Through you and in spite of you, God will bring about something beautiful and totally unexpected.  If you feel downtrodden, forgotten, overwhelmed, tested, disappointed and discouraged, do not worry because God is in control.  Continue to look to Him for your protection, thank Him for your provision, worship and honor Him with no reservation, for in His perfect timing, He will bring you up and out of your current circumstances.  Like Joseph, simply believe.  God has not left the cockpit.  He is still flying your plane.  

Our Alpha and Omega

Genesis 43:1

“Now the famine was severe in the land.”

Jacob and his sons did not foresee the present calamity that they are in.  A severe famine is upon them and all of Egypt, and they need food to survive. None of them could have foreseen God’s Hands in the midst of their present circumstances.  None of them has a clue that God has already preplanned how their present crisis is going to be addressed.  Decades ago, one of their own, unbeknownst to this family and even to the one that was wrenched away from their midst, God was already preparing the “current” answer to this family’s prayer.  Joseph, the son Jacob lost and the brother his siblings have sold to slavery, has become and has been groomed to be the source of God’s answer to this family’s plight.

If your current situation seems dire and God seems quiet or slow to answer your prayers, fear not and worry not.  Your prayers have not  gone unheard.  Just like Jacob and his family, God already preplanned how to address your present circumstances. He was already working on the answer to your prayers long before you were even aware that you are going to need it.  This passage in Genesis simply portrays God’s magnificence, God’s faithfulness, God’s omnipotence and God’s omniscience! 

Be Positive!

Genesis 39:21New International Version (NIV)

21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Joseph was first sold by his very own brothers into slavery.  He manages to survive that when he impresses Potiphar and secures employment in his household as a trusted household manager.  However, he finds himself wrongly accused of rape when he refuses Potiphar's wife's advances. In both of these unfortunate events, Joseph seems to maintain an admirable inner strength.  He does not quickly give up and succumb to hopelessness.   Admirably, he could have chosen to be a victim, but he does not.   Instead he does his best in the simple tasks assigned to him. While he is incarcerated, his positive attitude and diligence does not escape the attention of the warden, who rewards him with a promotion to prison administrator.  In both circumstances, as a slave and as a prisoner, Joseph finds himself cast down to the bottom of society.  But like foam displaced to the bottom of a lake, Joseph, through God's grace, always resurfaces to the top.

Are you facing a hopeless predicament at home, at school or at work?  Follow Joseph's example by taking each small tasks given to you and do them well.  Remember how God turned Joseph's situation around. He will see your efforts and can reverse even overwhelming odds.  I know, He has done it for me, more than a few times.

Careless Disregard

Genesis 38

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”
²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.


This chapter talks about how Judah deceived his daughter-in-law, Tamar.  He refused to follow the custom of giving Tamar, his eldest son's widow,  the right to establish herself as part of his household by withholding her marriage, as dictated by Jewish law, to his last remaining son.  However, Tamar outsmarted her father-in-law by seducing him so that she can produce an heir through him, thereby securing her standing in the family.  Consequently, Judah, who is later quick to condemn and judge Tamar for prostitution is convicted of his guilt when he realized that it was he who actually wronged her.

The moral of this story is that faithfulness to family obligations is important.  We cannot just ignore those obligations because it is an inconvenience.  Secondly, the sins we try to cover up are probably the very ones that anger us most when we see them in others.  If you become indignant at the sins of others, you may have a similar tendency to sin that you don't wish to face.  When we admit our sins and ask God to forgive us, forgiving others becomes easier.

Avoid Keeping Score

Genesis 37

¹⁹ They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. ²⁰ Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.^[a] Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”



Ten grown men were willing to kill their younger brother over a robe and his dreams.  Their deep-seated jealousy completely consumed them.  It totally dictated how they behaved towards their younger brother.  Their hatred of him blinded them so much that they actually proceeded with a plan to permanently get rid of him. 

Jealousy can be difficult to recognize because our reasons for it seem to make sense.  However, left unchecked, jealousy can grow quite rapidly and can lead one to commit some serious sins.  The longer one entertains jealous feelings, the harder it is to get rid of them.  The time to deal with jealousy is to immediately nip it in the bud.  When you notice yourself keeping score of others' recognitions, awards and achievements, quickly check yourself.

Playing Favorites? Not Recommended!

Genesis 37
  ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate^[f] robe for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.


How Rebekah treated him, so also Jacob treats Joseph.  Like his mother had done towards him, Jacob also openly shows his love to his favorite son, Joseph.  He singles him out from the other ten sons, by wrapping him in a robe his brothers would have thought is fit for royalty.  As expected, their father's special treatment of the boy strains the relationship between him and his brothers, like it also strained the relationship Jacob had with his brother Esau.

Favoritism in families is unavoidable but its divisive effects can be minimized.  Parents may not be able to change their feelings towards their favorite child, but they can change their actions toward the others.  Moreover, parents have to always be mindful how they treat their children.  Always model the behavior you want them to learn.  Avoid making the mistake Rebekah and Jacob made.

An Act of Faith

Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 
- Genesis 30:37-39

Have you ever made a senseless, illogical choice, but with full confidence that everything will work out? 

There's no scientific proof that showing peeled branches to the mating flock actually produces speckled or spotted young. Today, at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Pastor Sharon mentioned this is a miracle of God that was manifested as a result of Jacob's act of faith. Jacob simply believed that if he peeled the bark of trees and showed them to the mating flock, the females would have speckled or spotted young. More importantly, Jacob believed that God would act justly and pay him proper wages that he deserved from Laban. Think about it. If Jacob only got to keep speckled or spotted livestock, how many years would it taken for him to have enough to move out of the house? It would have taken years, maybe another decade. Jacob would never have received all the payment he deserved in due time. Jacob's story reminds us that if our hearts are right with God, we don't even need to say, "Lord, please make it right! Show justice!" He already knows the injustice that has been dealt with us. If we have the intimate relationship that Jacob, Isaac and Abraham all shared with the Lord, we can simply act on our faith and trust that God will be our redeemer and friend. That act of faith can be as crazy and senseless as showing peeled branches to the mating flock, and totally expecting they would give birth to speckled or spotted young.

Who is Really In-Charge?

Genesis 25:23, Genesis 27

Some people are natural born initiators.  They are those who manage, implement and supervise events, and generally make sure that things are carried out to completion.  They are also good at anticipating problems and finding solutions before any problems arise.  Rebekah is just that kind of a person.  Earlier, she demonstrates this trait when she offered and impressed Eliezer by single-handedly taking care of providing him and his camels water.  However, she also utilizes this same trait to "help God" fulfill the prophecy; the prophecy that says her younger son will be more successful than her older one.  In doing so, she employs deceitful and cunning tactics to achieve her goal.  For her, the end justifies the means.  Although she truthfully believes that she is acting out God's will for her son, she essentially usurps God's power over her son's circumstances and gives the indication that she does not fully surrender her will to His Lordship.  She essentially takes charge,  confidently takes control of present circumstances and sadly fails to patiently wait for God's direction.  
                                               
I can relate to Rebekah because I feel (or maybe, I delude myself into thinking) I have the gift of perception and most of the time, I am also quite impatient.  So, I see myself, a lot, falling into the trap of justifying to myself that I am acting in concert with God.  However, sometimes, despite myself, (or maybe through the Holy Spirit's prompting), I stop to wonder whether I am actually helping or unnecessarily hindering God's Hand on the situation.

Do you ever find yourself in a similar situation as Rebekah did wherein you are truly convinced that God is steering you towards something and you can clearly see the end result.  However, His timing seems to be too slow for your liking so you try to "help Him" by stepping in and taking charge of the whole situation?  Stop and think.  Is this way of dealing with circumstances edifying to those around you?  Is this an effective way to witness to others?

At the end of the day, I realize that I have to humble myself in the sight of the Lord, submit to His Divine will (not mine), learn to wait for Him and His perfect timing, engage in more quality prayer time with Him so that I can grow in my knowledge of Him, build my faith and my trust in Him and remember (because I seem to always forget and need constant reminders,) that He only wants what is best for me.  Simply put, I need to stay out of His Way (surrender my control issues) so that He can bless me more effectively.

After the Honeymoon

"Happily ever after" is not automatic and eternal; it needs work.  Married couples know this.  It takes buckets of sweat and tears to make it happen.  Anyone, who is committed to a successful relationship, realizes, no sooner than after the honeymoon is over, that the vow needs to be followed by some serious hard work.  An uncle shared a joke at a wedding once.  In a marriage, there are three rings: the engagement ring, the wedding ring and the suffering.  Of course, everyone laughed, but it is the truth. 

What struck me in reading (Genesis 24:61-67) the passage about Isaac and Rebekah is that, in their early years, love reigned in their relationship.  They seem to be consumed with their love for each other.  However, in the latter years, romance seems to have dissipated.  In their household, conflict is palpable (Genesis 25:27-28). Each of them chooses one son to be a favorite; Isaac for Esau and Rebekah for Jacob.  Obviously, the couple's line of communication has broken down.  Rebekah demonstrates this when she conspired with her favored son to usurp her husband's power and secure Esau's blessing, so that her favorite, Jacob, can have it.  Clearly, she can only do this if her love and respect for her husband has long cooled off.  (Genesis 27).

Jesus declares that we, the church, are His bride (Ephesians 5).  You, dear one, are His bride.  He has continually shown through His actions, to the point of sacrificing His life on the cross in order to declare this, His love for us.  Everyday, He showers us with His affection through the beauty of His creation, His presence through our family and friends (and even strangers) and sends us love letters through His Word.  He works really hard to earn our love and attention.  For our part, do we take the time to reciprocate?  Do we show Him our appreciation or do we simply take His blessings for granted, be an ingrate and act like some entitled brat?  Are we aware of His presence all throughout our busy day?  Do we schedule a few minutes, from the 1,440 minutes in our day, some quality time with Him? Yes, our relationship with Him takes some commitment, some time and conscious effort.  Let us not allow our intimacy with Him to turn sour or to grow cold, much like how Isaac's and Rebekah's love for each other did.  We owe it to ourselves to keep the fires burning for our Heavenly Groom.  Let us stoke the fires daily.  After all, He is a huge part of our "happily ever after".