8-13-18 Today in the Word

Joseph and God’s Plan JOSEPH: YEARS OF PLENTY Monday, August 13, 2018 | Genesis 41:46–57 Parents of adult children often remind younger parents to enjoy their children while they are young, because “the years just go by so fast.” And some researchers have concluded that most people do experience the perception that the older you get, the more quickly time seems to pass. Our passage includes several time markers. Joseph is thirty years old (v. 46). It has been thirteen years since his brothers had sold him into slavery (37:2). As promised in the dream, seven years of plenty come and go. Joseph had a flurry of activity during these years. He traveled the country, collected the food, stored it, kept records, and finally gave up on trying to keep track of all the grain (vv. 46–49). He demonstrated the practical skill and wisdom necessary for this kind of long-term project. Pharaoh’s faith in him is rewarded. Joseph’s home life has also been busy. His name was changed to Zaphenath-Paneah, and he was given an Egyptian wife (v. 45). How easy it would have been for Joseph to forget about his past life and embrace all that came with being Zaphenath-Paneah, taking on a new identity. Yet, when his children are born, he gives them Hebrew names, not Egyptian ones. In the naming of Manasseh, he expresses gratitude that God has made him forget the years of slavery and the grief at being torn away from his father’s house (v. 51). He named his second son Ephraim as a testimony of God’s blessing in the place of suffering (v. 52). He is not going to wallow in the time and relationships he has lost, but he is not going to ignore them either, as the giving of the name indicates. In the giving of both names, Joseph expresses his thanks to God. APPLY THE WORD Gratitude is not an easy virtue to cultivate. In his success, Joseph did not forget God, and he thanks the Lord for his emotional recovery from trauma. As you reflect and pray today, think of two or three things in your life you are thankful for, both trials and blessings, and praise God for His faithfulness to you in hardship and in success.