God’s Glory through famine

Genesis 37, 41-7, Acts 7, Psalm 105

When we look at the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, we see hardship after hardship in his life. 

Joseph was his father’s favorite son, the firstborn of the wife Jacob loved, and because of this Joseph was hated by his brothers. This hatred ran so deep that the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, and he eventually became the servant of Potiphar in Egypt. There, he was falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned. 

But in spite of this, Joseph was not forgotten. God saw him, knew what he needed, and had a plan to provide for him. While in prison, Joseph was given the ability to accurately interpret the dreams of his fellow prisoners – a gift that later on led him to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. These dreams foretold a season of great plenty, followed by a season of severe famine. Not only did Joseph correctly interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, but he also offered a plan for how the people of Egypt could successfully handle such a trial. He suggested that leaders be appointed who would carefully store up enough food in the years of plenty to last the country through the years of famine as well.

Stephen summarized it best in Acts 7, in his speech to the Sanhedrin, just before he was martyred: 

9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.”

God never left Joseph. Not through slavery, imprisonment, or famine.

In spite of all that was working against him, Joseph was blessed with great wisdom and favor. Because of Joseph’s proposal, he rose to great power and influence, and was placed in charge of the whole land of Egypt to carry out his plan himself. And it was through this rise to authority that God would deliver his people, his chosen nation of Israel. Eventually, Joseph’s own family would be drawn to Egypt to find food, be reconciled to Joseph, and continue to be a part of God’s great plan of redemption for the world. It is because of Joseph’s wisdom that the ancestral line of Jesus Christ himself would survive. 

 We can see from this that God intentionally used the suffering that the famine caused. He used the famine to bring His people into Egypt so that he could continue the story He was writing – a story that would hundreds of years later lead to the birth of our Savior. The severe famine was no accident. There was a greater plan at work all along. Joseph was a deliverer for his people, a picture of the greater Deliverer who was to come. While Joseph was an instrument of providing for the physical needs of his family, Christ would someday provide for the eternal spiritual needs of the whole world. 

 Just as Joseph prepared for the great famine in Egypt, how can you store up spiritual food to carry you through your own seasons of want? If we are walking faithfully with the Lord and learning daily to trust in Him more and more, we will be more able to recognize how He is sustaining us through hard times. 

May we stand in awe of God’s bigger plan, even when – or perhaps especially when – it doesn’t play out how we would have expected. Even when we are in a season of famine, may we trust in the goodness of God to provide exactly what we need in His timing, to know our hearts and our longings, to see our true needs and meet them as He sees fit. 

Wonder:

What sort of famine are you experiencing in your life? Where do you have a great longing or lack? Allow this emptiness to reveal to you your need for Christ and your dependence upon Him, not only for your physical needs but your spiritual needs as well.