Education: Some College
Occupation: Attorney/Professor*
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?! It's kind of like: "something isn't quite right here..." While you can be both an attorney and a professor. You can be neither of them with just "some college." It just doesn't make sense.
But...sometimes in life, things don't seem to fit. So I started to wonder how Joseph's ChristianMingle account would be set up (we're sticking with Joe Manganiello as Joseph):
How did he get here?! Three weeks ago he was in Bon Temps, I mean, prison and now he's the Vizier/Prime Minister of Egypt?
Back to Genesis.
Two years after the chief baker was freed/restored to his position, Pharaoh had a dream that couldn't be interpreted. And suddenly we're here. And, I honestly don't know what it feels like to suddenly be at "your moment" but Joseph is in his moment. Thirteen years (13 years!) he's been either a slave or a convicted criminal. In that situation, what would your opinion be of God? For 13 years he believed and declared God to be "good" and faithful, when it didn't make a ton of sense. The bible repeatedly says Joseph had favor, but he was a highly favored slave and convict. That context matters...doesn't it? But I digress.
Pharaoh has a wild dream, and the chief baker finally remembers Joe. So they bring him in and Pharaoh says:
“In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; and behold, seven cows, fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such as I had never seen for ugliness in all the land of Egypt; and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. Yet when they had devoured them, it could not be detected that they had devoured them, for they were just as ugly as before. Then I awoke. I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” - Genesis 41:17-24 But Joseph, empowered by God, interpreted the dreams to be about a famine. That there would be 7 years of awesome plenty, and then 7 years of tragic, debilitating, Great Depression x 1000 famine. And he just made a few suggestions about how to prepare for this economic and climactic disaster.
Pharaoh was floored.
Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you. - Genesis 41:38-40
And that's how Joseph came upon a really weird, but really awesome ChristianMingle profile. But it made me think of two NT scriptures that are really encouraging. Joseph's life really sucked. Majorly. this is not up for dispute, but God can change your situation so completely...in a crazy way.
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong
- 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
How did those magicians feel when they brought this guy out from the dungeon to do what they couldn't do?
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21
I bet all Joseph wanted was to go home! All Joseph wanted was to not be in prison! But man...look at how much more God had in store for him. Thirteen years in the making. Something beyond his wildest dreams.
*I talked to that guy, and he said that was a mistake. He laughed and said: "yeah, I did 'some college' and then some more!" Careful on those profiles fellas.
Great series of posts and lots of good points along the way. How would you summarize them? And, how would you explain suffering in the context where there is no happy ending? Is it still somehow part of God's plan, as you seemed to suggest in your earlier post? I don't mean to sound like an a**hole by asking these questions, by the way. They are questions that I have trouble answering . . .
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ReplyDeleteSorry I posted twice! Don't know how that happened. Back button I think . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! "...how would you explain suffering in the context where there is no happy ending? Is it still somehow part of God's plan?" is a really great question. And I had not considered addressing it as part of the Hebrews 11 (w/ Joseph detour) series. But I will. I have a thought that I will attempt to express in the coming blogs. That's not something I could just throw out in the comments section (and it be coherent...at all). :)
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