God Has a Plan

Dear Friends,

In Genesis 37:12-36, there are some important Christian truths which emerge that are very important to grasp. Joseph is sent by his father to see if all is well with his brothers. He goes to Shechem but doesn’t find them there. Instead, a stranger meets him who explains that his brothers have gone on to Dotham. At Dotham, the brothers plot to kill Joseph, but one of them (Rueben) persuades the others not to. At the same time, some traders going to Egypt pass by and Joseph is sold into slavery in Egypt.

This all seems random, but we know the end of the story. We know that Joseph is sent ahead to Egypt to preserve God’s people (Genesis 50). Also, in Genesis 15:13, Abraham is told that his descendants will be enslaved in a foreign land for 400 years. God has told us the end of the story so that we know there is no such thing as coincidences in God’s purposes. God has a plan and watches over every detail. Joseph teaches us to trust God in whatever circumstances we meet.

The second major theme is that Joseph’s brothers are terrible and reject him. They are sinful. This reminds us that we all need a saviour to rescue us from sin because we are all sinful. May God encourage you through the story of Joseph.

God’s blessing, David O’Mara

From the AM Pastor’s bulletin, 3 October 2021