Scripture: “When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ‘Get up!’ the angel said. ‘Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and returned to the land of
Hundreds of years had passed since Isaiah had spoken of the one who would redeem Israel. The people had waited for the Messiah, and Joseph had no doubt waited for the Messiah too. The people had expected a conquering king to deliver the people from Roman oppression. Where was God in all of this? In God’s silence, He had not forgotten His promise. Matthew 1:1 started with the account of the people who were in Jesus’ lineage…
Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery in his youth, and Joseph experienced being falsely accused, thrown in jail, forgotten and overlooked, and then elevated to the second highest rank in Egypt. Joseph’s story was full of twists and turns, but God was working everything together for good. Instead of carrying bitterness and resentment in his heart, he understood that God was ultimately guiding him. When the famine hit Canaan, Joseph’s family came to Egypt searching for food. Joseph was gracious to them, and they relocated to Egypt and all their needs were met. When their father, Jacob, died, the brothers were concerned. These men were the same people who had mocked Joseph, thrown him into a well to die, and sold him into slavery. Was Joseph carrying anger and revenge in his heart all of these years?…
Standing before Pharaoh would have held an uncertain outcome at best. If God had not helped Joseph interpret the dream, then he could have lost his life. He didn’t know that this moment with Pharaoh was his ticket out of jail, but God did. If God had not been weaving people’s stories together, then the outcome could have been quite different. Joseph in jail was known by the cupbearer to Pharaoh. If he had not been in jail, the likelihood of their paths crossing might have been low. God was weaving good into each season, even the ones with challenges and difficulty. God knew the preparation that He had been doing in Joseph’s heart as the years passed, while Joseph was overlooked and forgotten. God had not overlooked him. In the place of his greatest despair, God was raising up an influencer who would change nations….
When Joseph was sitting in the jail cell forgotten, he very likely thought he had missed his moment. Even greater, it may have felt like God had forgotten to fulfill the promise He had planted in Joseph’s heart years earlier. While Joseph waited, God worked. It would have seemed that Joseph’s moment was when he was working for Potiphar before he was falsely accused. However, it just didn’t turn out the way he probably thought it would…