Diamond From the Dust

Genesis 37:23-26 New International Version (NIV)

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

Genesis 50:20 New English Translation (NET Bible)

20 As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

It's late on a Sunday for me.  I've been working on a video for Youtube, "Diamonds" by Hawk Nelson.  It's had me thinking of Joseph, a hero of the Old Testament.  His life was a good example of how God can make a diamond out of dust.  So cruelly treated by his brothers, he still was able to accept God's purpose in it all.  I don't gratefully, gracefully receive suffering from my Lord.  I fight it instead, wasting much effort in the process.  Thankfully, God still works in my life, bringing beauty from the ashes, a diamond from the dust.

A God Beyond Our Understanding

"Joseph's Coat Brought to Jacob", (c.1640), Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari (1598–1669).

Then Jacob tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He mourned deeply for his son for many days. Gen. 37:34.

As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. Gen. 50:20a

Just prior to the first verse, Joseph's brothers had sold him into slavery, then presented his father his coat dipped in animal's blood. Jacob formed the conclusion hoped for by his brothers, that is, that Joseph had been mauled to death by an animal.

Certainly Joseph's brothers didn't anticipate how cruel this was to their father. I'm certain they didn't want to hurt Jacob. They merely wanted to cover up their wrongdoing with a timely lie. After all, it was surely going to stir things up if they came clean and admitted their hatred of Joseph had led to their actions. The truth would hurt everyone. Instead Jacob's damaged emotions were collateral damage. Joseph was his favorite son, not just a son, but the favorite. Cruel indeed, was the collateral damage.

In light of this, it is striking to consider Joseph's conclusion in Genesis 50. Good came out of the brothers' evil, but Jacob was still lied to, hurt, and lived without the comfort of knowing his favorite son was doing right well in the long run. Would it have been possible for God to just lead Joseph by legitimate means to Egypt? Why couldn't God have just appeared to Jacob, explained that Joseph had a job to do in Egypt, but that he would have a grand reunion someday? Instead, we have this dark side of human nature show up, which God uses, but doesn't protect Jacob from.

God's sovereign plan is sometimes a head scratcher.
beanscot's husband