Genesis 42-45 God's in on it
These chapters are prelude of the climax of Genesis right before Israel's whole household moving to Egypt and the old man's reunion with his long lost son, Joseph. The story consists of lots of conversations and interaction between Joseph and the brothers and between the brothers and Jacob. So it was very easy to read through them.
In the beginning, Jacob told his sons not to keep sitting there looking at each other, while he heard they had grains for sale in Egypt. When famine is severe and food is running out, hunger is the first challenge at hand needs to be deal with. Food is human basic needs for living. So Jacob urged their sons to take actions instead of sitting around. And it is a great principle for me to learn from as I have been in financial problem and I need to be able to feed myself in order to live. Actions needed to be taken. I bet the brothers were full of doubts before and during the trip to Egypt. They must have been unsure what was to come being in a foreign land that might have been hostile to Hebrews and whether they would have let them buy the grains they needed. But still they obeyed their father and went on the journey.
Little did they know that the Egyptian governor was their own brother, Joseph, who was playing some tricks on his brothers, so they could taste their own medicine. However, as a kind and just man, Joseph was only testing them and no real harm was done to them. All he wanted was to be reunited and reconciled with his family. For he knew that everything that happened to him had a purpose. Even though they wanted to harm him, the situation turned out to be used by God to preserve their lives.
Through this story, I see how important it is to communicate between family. I wish I could have that kind of communication with my family. And many things could've been avoided if we got the skills for it. Furthermore, I see that not only Reuben was being a responsible oldest brother but also Judah, who suggested to sell Joseph and also had done a few other wrongdoings on his part before, took up the responsibility for his youngest brother's safety. He was willing to take Benjamin's place to be a slave in Egypt. Judah was a very different man than before and he himself through conversation with Joseph revealed his guilt for what they all did to Joseph before. I am not sure what has made him change. But people do change for better or worse. Perhaps he's learned something through his wrong treatment of his daughter-in-law and perhaps he saw that how brokenhearted his father had became once he learned about Joseph's death and maybe the change of Israel himself had influence over his children.
The God-turns-bad-things-into-good-things situation can be found throughout the Bible as well as in everyone's life. Sometimes we feel upset or discouraged when something seemingly awful happens in our life but later it turns out that there were just no any better ways for things to come along. It is all a mystery. Because life is a mystery. I no longer like the saying, it is all in God's plan. Because it puts God in the responsibility for the wrongdoing despite He makes things work in our ways later. I see that as our human way to explain situation when bad things turn into something good. Some people might argue that the wrongdoing was done by evil or the devil himself. Even though I do know there are evil deeds and thoughts exist, but I no long believe there is an evil persona out there constantly trying to plot against us. But luck and chances don't really apply either. They are just words we use when we cannot explain something. All I know is that I surely glad that I am where I am now, because of the corona virus ordeal. It could've been worse if I were in another country with no health insurance. That's something to be thankful for. I suppose that's why we tend to say that it is all in God's plan. I can't really figure everything out but I shall just keep trusting and being thankful.
In the beginning, Jacob told his sons not to keep sitting there looking at each other, while he heard they had grains for sale in Egypt. When famine is severe and food is running out, hunger is the first challenge at hand needs to be deal with. Food is human basic needs for living. So Jacob urged their sons to take actions instead of sitting around. And it is a great principle for me to learn from as I have been in financial problem and I need to be able to feed myself in order to live. Actions needed to be taken. I bet the brothers were full of doubts before and during the trip to Egypt. They must have been unsure what was to come being in a foreign land that might have been hostile to Hebrews and whether they would have let them buy the grains they needed. But still they obeyed their father and went on the journey.
Little did they know that the Egyptian governor was their own brother, Joseph, who was playing some tricks on his brothers, so they could taste their own medicine. However, as a kind and just man, Joseph was only testing them and no real harm was done to them. All he wanted was to be reunited and reconciled with his family. For he knew that everything that happened to him had a purpose. Even though they wanted to harm him, the situation turned out to be used by God to preserve their lives.
Through this story, I see how important it is to communicate between family. I wish I could have that kind of communication with my family. And many things could've been avoided if we got the skills for it. Furthermore, I see that not only Reuben was being a responsible oldest brother but also Judah, who suggested to sell Joseph and also had done a few other wrongdoings on his part before, took up the responsibility for his youngest brother's safety. He was willing to take Benjamin's place to be a slave in Egypt. Judah was a very different man than before and he himself through conversation with Joseph revealed his guilt for what they all did to Joseph before. I am not sure what has made him change. But people do change for better or worse. Perhaps he's learned something through his wrong treatment of his daughter-in-law and perhaps he saw that how brokenhearted his father had became once he learned about Joseph's death and maybe the change of Israel himself had influence over his children.
The God-turns-bad-things-into-good-things situation can be found throughout the Bible as well as in everyone's life. Sometimes we feel upset or discouraged when something seemingly awful happens in our life but later it turns out that there were just no any better ways for things to come along. It is all a mystery. Because life is a mystery. I no longer like the saying, it is all in God's plan. Because it puts God in the responsibility for the wrongdoing despite He makes things work in our ways later. I see that as our human way to explain situation when bad things turn into something good. Some people might argue that the wrongdoing was done by evil or the devil himself. Even though I do know there are evil deeds and thoughts exist, but I no long believe there is an evil persona out there constantly trying to plot against us. But luck and chances don't really apply either. They are just words we use when we cannot explain something. All I know is that I surely glad that I am where I am now, because of the corona virus ordeal. It could've been worse if I were in another country with no health insurance. That's something to be thankful for. I suppose that's why we tend to say that it is all in God's plan. I can't really figure everything out but I shall just keep trusting and being thankful.
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