But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.
Genesis 39:21
They say, ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder,’ but at Christmas, distance can be horrible. It could be one of the hardest seasons to be alone and far from home. Small physical distances but huge relational distances can be just as hard, or even harder. The grief of separation through death can feel overwhelmingly unbearable, all the more so when everyone around is joyful and celebrating.
I’d guess that when most people think of Joseph in the Bible, they either think of Mary’s fiancé, or the guy with the fancy jacket. Today we’re looking at the second one, but his story is about much more than special clothes. It’s one of great distance, and great pain.
Joseph was the favourite of Jacob’s 12 sons, but he was hated by his older brothers. When God gave Joseph dreams that showed something of their future, particularly Joseph’s place of authority and influence, Joseph openly shared it with the family. The brothers didn’t take too kindly to that.
So, after giving Joseph some time in a pit, they decided to spare his life, sold him as a slave, he was whisked off to Egypt, and put to work in the house of an Egyptian officer called Potiphar. He was doing well, but Potiphar’s wife took a fancy to Joseph and tried her best to win him over. When Joseph repeatedly repelled her advances, she accused him of assault, and her husband had him imprisoned.
What a nightmare rollercoaster.
It kept going for Joseph, things went well in jail and with God’s blessing he helped some inmates by interpreting their dreams, only to be forgotten about again. Eventually remembered, he was brought out, again interpreted dreams but for head honcho Pharaoh this time, and landed a sweet job as Pharaoh’s right-hand man, overseeing 7 years of abundance and then 7 years of famine.
Eventually, his brothers, and then his Dad and all the family ended up with him in Egypt, bowing to his authority and influence as God had first promised.
The journey was far from straightforward, but God was with him each step.
There must have been deeply harrowing moments for Joseph. We can only imagine the loneliness and pain he felt on many occasions. There were moments where he was abandoned, betrayed, hungry, used, forgotten, wrongly accused and wrongly punished.
But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.
Genesis 39:21
Joseph was far from home, and far from hope, but he was never far from his God.
In older times, it was thought that gods were territorial. That is, each nation or tribe would have their own god, who ruled their own land. But the one true God rules all people, of all time, over all places.
Whether in the despair of the pit, or the darkness of the prison, Joseph was never alone. The Lord was with Joseph.
Joseph would later say to his brothers:
You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result - the survival of many people.
Genesis 50:20
Despite the wickedness of his brothers, the Lord was with Joseph, and was working through this whole ordeal.
This Christmas, we may be far from loved ones, but even if we are completely alone, we are not on our own because the Lord will be at work.
We may feel the pain of distance, the grief of death, or the strain of broken relationships.
But if our hope is in Jesus, then no matter how far we feel from others, we are close to the Lord, Emmanuel.
Rejoice!
Written by Pete Bell
A thought to remember: Emmanuel is there, wherever we are
A bit more to read: Genesis 39
A question to ask: How might it comfort you to know that God has you in the right place today?
A song to sing: Psalm 23