This Bible study is all about how bad circumstances can be revealed for our good and to glorify God.
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Joseph went through many bad circumstances during his life. He could have become bitter and resentful. Instead, he chose to keep his eyes focused on Jesus and he chose forgiveness. Joseph’s faithfulness allowed a remnant of God’s people to be preserved – all for God’s glory.
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Read about bad circumstances revealed for good to glorify good, before reading about it below.
Genesis 45-47
The glory of God paralleled in Joseph’s life
The first thing we see in chapter 45 is another foreshadowing of Jesus in Joseph’s life. Joseph’s brothers were afraid to come close to him after he revealed himself to them because they thought he was dead. This mirrors the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10 for when God’s chosen people would see Him after the resurrection.
When you see God – the works of God through His creation and His people – do you draw towards Him? Or are you terrified of His presence (Revelation 1:7)?
Related Post: Embrace the Journey | Bible Journaling Through Genesis
Bad circumstances out in the open
Joseph was not able to contain his emotions because he deeply loved his brothers. He had forgiven them before he saw them in Egypt the first time. After testing their hearts, he knew they had changed. Yet he was not afraid to bring their sin out into the open and address it so that they could all move past it. He was then quick to let them know he forgave their faults and told them to not be angry with themselves.
Is there someone that you need to forgive? Is there something in your life that you need to bring to light, allowing everyone involved to move past it and be reunited in spirit (Colossians 3:13)?
Bad Circumstances used for good
Joseph knew that the hardships of being sold into slavery by his brothers were ultimately for the good of God’s people to bring glory to God. He knew that God’s hand was in everything, even though it was his brothers who made the sinful choice. There is a component of humans acting in complete free will, with God predestining their outcomes.
In christianity, there is the debate between free will and predestination. Which side do you fall on? Why is it important for Christians to have this discussion in an open and honest, but respectful, way (John 1:12-13; Proverbs 16:9)?
Not only was this to save Joseph’s immediate family, but by settling in a land where they were foreigners and the Egyptians would hardly talk with them, much less intermarry, God was preserving the Hebrew line that would be the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah. If they had remained in Canaan, they would have continued to marry Canaanites and they would be polluted with the ways of the world, but God ensured that they would have a land where they could grow in their relationship with God and strengthen their beliefs.
Seeking God first deters bad circumstances
On the way to Egypt, God appears to Jacob and tells him to not be afraid. Jacob remembered the time that his father, Abraham, had gone into Egypt because of a famine and how it led to bad circumstances (Genesis 12:10). He also remembered that God told his father, Isaac, not to go to Egypt (Genesis 26:2). He remembered that God had told Abraham his descendants would be strangers in a land not their own (Genesis 15:13). God spoke through Jacob’s fears and assured him that this time, Egypt was part of His plan.
Jacob had every right to be wary about going to Egypt after God was so clear to Abraham and Isaac to not go. That is why Jacob went to God FIRST. Jacob sought God’s will over his own desires. Do you search God and seek his will (Matthew 6:33)?
Worship to bring glory to God
After Jacob was assured that he would be buried in the promised land, he leaned on the top of his staff and worshiped. Worship is a matter of the heart and can happen anywhere and anytime. You don’t need to be in a church on Sunday morning to worship, but can praise God anywhere.
How do you worship? Is worshiping God relegated to a specific time, or do you praise God anywhere for everything He has done (Psalm 105:1-2)?
Reflect on how bad circumstances in Joseph’s life led to God’s glory
God had a faithful plan with Joseph to reveal bad circumstances for good, even though it meant a lot of hard years for him. Do you believe that God works all things for your good also (Romans 8:28)?
