Genesis 41:51-52 (KJV)
51And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.[] 52And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
I was to start a series of posts addressing some negative practices against widows last week. But last weekend the Lord laid something so strongly in my heart that i feel compelled to share. Actually it was God's word of encouragement and hope to me. I couldn't sleep and I felt led to read Gn 41: 51-52 the story of Joseph is one of my favourites in the Bible. Reading the earlier verses in Genesis 41 about how Pharoah made Joseph second in command over Egypt I was thrilled all over again. Some of the things He told Joseph were 'you shall be over my house, according to your word shall all my people be ruled, only in the throne shall I be greater than you, I have set you over the land of Egypt, without thee will no man lift up his hand or foot in all of Egypt.Wow, mind blowing to think that Joseph woke up that morning a prisoner and here he was being given so much power, authority and influence, I don't know but I guess he was given a beautiful house probably a palace. We can safely add wealth to the list then a wife so within moments his entire life changed.
Many years earlier Joseph's life had experienced a similar dramatic change but then it was a negative change. He woke up as daddy's favourite son who had the beautiful coat of many colours and went to bed in a strange place among total strangers having been thrown in a pit and then sold by his own brothers. He was only 17 but had no hope of ever seeing his beloved father and family again. Remember he had lost his mother earlier. Not knowing what the future held we can only imagine the thoughts that went through young Joseph's mind that night. The grief, sense of betrayal, hopelessness, no friend, no family just him alone. Where was the God of his fathers he must have heard the different stories of God's dealing with his father, grandfather and great grandfather. He thought of his dreams....will they be fulfilled.? This was definitely not what he bargained for.
You probably have an idea of the emotional turmoil Joseph went through, that gut wrenching feeling you experienced following the death of your husband. You may have asked similar questions. It wasn't what you bargained for when you said 'I do' on your wedding day. You had plans, dreams, hopes, and suddenly they were shattered. You must have wondered what will my future be.? As the story of Joseph unfolds we find that all he had gone through did not break him neither did it kill his dreams. Even at the tender age of seventeen he had an admirable faith in God and a close walk with him.He knew he wasn't alone, God was with him and that's all he needed. He seemed to know God would work even those unpleasant circumstances out for good. So he kept his faith up but the more he tried to live right and do the right thing the more complicated his situation. Accused falsely for refusing to sin he found himself in prison, the butler whose dream he interpreted promptly forgot him. Through it all Joseph remained steadfast knowing God was at work. Beloved child of the Lord, God is not done with you yet He is still at work.
Eventually the day in Genesis 41 that turned his fortunes around came and when God later blessed Joseph with two son's the names he gave them said a lot. Joseph toiled as a slave, servant and prisoner but the blessings pronounced on him that day and the blessings he enjoyed for the rest of his life were so great that he 'forgot' the pains of the past. The pain couldn't compare with the glory. He said God had made him forget his father's house to my mind Joseph must have thought of home and been home sick many times reminiscing about his coat, the privileges he enjoyed he must have wished for home but God brought all his family back to live in Egypt with him so the pain of those memories where taken away. He was fruitful in the land of his affliction the land he came to as a slave, a nobody, unknown and not reckoned with, a despised foreigner ( the Egyptians looked down on the Israelites who were shepherds) yet God made him Prime Minister the most powerful man in Egypt after Pharaoh probably the second most powerful man on earth. He was truly fruitful in the land of his affliction. God made him forget all his bitter yesterday's. The blessing was so much the process and pain seemed to fade. Joseph must have said it was all worth it 13 years of affliction but 80 years of uncommon blessings. He was made Prime Minister when he was 30 and died at 110.
In the first chapter of the book of Ruth, Naomi asked to be called Mara which meant bitter because of all that had happened to her but in the 4th chapter God restored her, he gave her a heir through Ruth and Boaz who was the grandfather of David and an ancestor of the Lord Jesus same goes for Ruth she was married to Boaz and became grandmother of David and is in the lineage of the Lord. Naomi came back empty but lived her latter years in joy and fulfillment. You have been through affliction and you wonder what good can come in your future that can make you forget the pains of the past. You definitely will not forget your husband or loved one but you can remember them with thanks for the time you had together, you can remember them and smile or laugh instead of weeping when you remember things that you did together.Above all God has blessings in store for you that will blow your mind the Bible says when the Lord turned around the captivity of Zion they were like those that dreamed. That's my prayer for you that a day will come when all you have gone through will give way to such blessings you'll wonder if it's a dream. Sorrow will give way to joy, the struggle to raise your children alone will be fruitful, you will rest from your toils and be blessed beyond measure. God will settle you like He did Joseph, Naomi and Ruth.
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