20 years ago, Leigh and I took our daughters to the Del Coronado in San Diego. Beri and her family were there last week.

Covenant Keeper 

Joseph, lesson 17 

The purpose of the story of Joseph goes back to God’s covenants with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To Jacob, (Joseph’s father), God said: 

‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.’ Thus, he called him Israel. God also said to him, ‘I am God almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.” Genesis 35:9-12. 

The covenant given to Abraham, Isaac and continuing with Jacob involves the blessings of a great nation, great land and royal descendants. Now, flash forward to the time Joseph rises to the top of the Egyptian nation. Jacob and his family are living in Canaan and are a large family clan. An extreme famine is coming in seven years and it will threaten the existence of this clan. UNLESS God orchestrates a plan to save them, bless them and allow them to multiple. The story of Joseph is God’s plan to redeem Jacob’s family from extreme drought and fulfill His covenant. 

I suppose God could’ve just said the magic words, ‘Abra Cadabra’, and ‘puff’, food appears and saves the family of Jacob. But what’s the lesson in that? There is a moral lesson for the devious brothers to learn. The dream that Joseph told them about how someday they’ll bow before him, is going to come true. God wanted to teach them a lesson. What about God’s man, Jacob? The story indicates that he really wasn’t that great of a person, husband or father. God will humble him as well. 

God fulfills His promises, but He’s not in the habit of ‘pulling a rabbit’ out of his hat. He magnificently accomplishes His overall purposes in this world through the intimate events of all our lives. And through it all, He is teaching us, humbling us, lifting us up, and strengthening us, His children, all because He intimately loves His precious followers. His skills to orchestrate the events and circumstances of everyone in order to accomplish His macro-purposes while perfectly accomplishing his specific purposes in each individual life; is, well, mind-blowing. 

God accomplishes His purposes. God keeps His promises. God keeps His covenants. He ALWAYS does what He says He will do. Even when it seems the circumstances around us are insurmountable. Today’s lesson isn’t a moral lesson for us to do more of this or do less of this. The lesson is: God will fulfill every promise he has made to us and while doing it, He will cultivate our spiritual growth accordingly. This is the fulfillment of Paul’s teaching in Romans 8:28, All things work together for good… That is what He is doing in the story of Joseph, which is really the story of Jacob’s family in the on-going events that God is orchestrating in order to fulfill His Covenant promises. Next time, we’ll take some time to look at the covenants He has made with us today. 

May my cry be always, Only Jesus! Only Jesus! 

In Him is freedom from condemnation, fullness in his righteousness, eternal vitality in His given life, indissoluble union in fellowship with Him. 

If I backslide, let me like Peter weep bitterly and return to him; 

If I am tempted, give me strength enough to trust in him; 

If I am weak, may I faint upon his bosom of eternal love; 

If in extremity, let me feel that He can deliver me; 

If driven to the verge of hopelessness and to the pit of despair, grant me grace to fall into His arms. 

From the Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan prayers & devotions