Transforming Evil into Good - Day 23 of Through the Bible

Crabtree Falls off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Celo Church - a favorite hike

Lessons I learned from Today's Readings

1) The Sovereignty and Providence of God - Joseph told his brothers to not be angry with themselves for selling him into slavery because "God sent me before you to preserve life...to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, to bring about a great deliverance." Gen. 45:5,7). Joseph never blamed God through all his trials and oppression.  He obeyed God in all things and left the consequences to Him."So now it was not you who sent me here, but God, and He has made me father...ruler...lord over all Egypt." (Gen. 45: 8)

2) The Machinations and Manipulations of Man - When I get discouraged, I recall the length of time it was before God acted on behalf of two of his most blessed servants:  David's anointing to his crowning as king - 7 long years of horror; Joseph - 12 + years before the tables were turned on his brothers.  I now underline this length of time as I study the Bible-  the 400 years (Jews in Egypt), the 40 years (Moses in the desert), 20 years (Jacob serving Laban), etc - to keep my own patience in waiting for "the LORD's arising".  Of course, as Dr. Stanley points out in his "Answers to Life's Questions", this wait may be our own sin or waiting on God's own plan or purposes.  Either way, He has not forgotten.A warning - from today's Proverbs (4:4-1) Do not enter the path of the wicked..do not walk in...avoid it...do not travel on...turn away from...pass on...from the wicked...for they do not sleep unless they have done evil, and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.  For they eat the bread of wickedness,and drink the wine of violence.For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise, says the LORD.  I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.  Psalm 12:5 from our Readings today.

3) Transforming Evil into Good  - one of the first and great lessons in Genesis (which, of course, means "beginning") is that believers have to understand that this world has dimensions/meanings/purposes beyond the here the now.  What happens to God's people is part of His overall plan - with Joseph "to preserve a posterity."  This is the line of Christ (Judah) being saved as we will see again and again throughout our year of study.  (Recall the promises God made to Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph - they are all being fulfilled.) BUT this is certainly no "easy believism" - not in these saints' lives or in ours. But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.  (Genesis 50:20)

4) But God...I heard a sermon on these two words once, and it changed the way I read and understood the Bible.  Man has one way of doing things, but God has another and has interceded throughout the malevolent history of man to bring man back into a relationship with Him - here using Joseph to preserve and restore his sinful brothers...to preserve and restore us as sinners later through Jesus Christ. For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 53: 8-9

5) Origin/Importance/Impact of Words - we saw the impact and difference of the words from Joseph's brothers at the time of the crime, their words in repentance now, and Joseph's words of braggadocio as a young favored son juxtaposed to his words now as a godly and tried soul before God.  Our Psalm, Proverb and Matthew Readings all deal with the impact and origin of words and why we should be careful before we speak.  Even more importantly, our minds and hearts have to be transformed, renewed by our study of God's Word (Romans 12:2) before our words and actions will be in obedience to God. They speak idly everyone...with flattering lips and a double heart they speak...speak proud things..who said with our tongue we will prevail our lips are our own...the words of the LORD are pure words..You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. (Ps. 12:1-8);  These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.  (Jesus quoting Isaiah) Matt. 15: 8-9 Hear and understand, Jesus says, not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth - this defiles a man...but those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.  Matt. 15: 10-16


Out of the heart proceed . . . — Matthew 15:18-20

We begin by trusting our ignorance and calling it innocence, by trusting our innocence and calling it purity; and when we hear these rugged statements of Our Lord’s, we shrink and say – But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart. We resent what Jesus Christ reveals.  Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest