God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 6

We have finally  come to the last instalment of our series on Genesis, yet this is only the beginning of God’s unfathomable Grace! Today, we will examine Joseph’s understanding of God’s Grace, how the inward working of God’s Grace in his life revealed itself through his actions and conduct.

There are many times in our lives when we think that we have been dealt the short end of the stick, a raw deal or an unfavourable hand. It is in times like these that we can relate to someone like Joseph. Joseph experienced some of the worst things that life in all its unfairness could deal a person, and he experienced it from the tender age of 17. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, uprooted from his family and culture,  condemned to a strange land, then cast into prison when he had done nothing wrong, he had every reason to be angry and resentful. However, he did not allow himself the luxury of self-pity. He did not languish in the dungeon, although it seemed that both God and man had forgotten him. Instead, he chose to busy himself doing whatever work his hands found to do and God honoured his positive attitude and willingness to serve.

He never once cursed God, neither did he blame others for his situation. He used the talents God gave him and gave all credit to God. Joseph’s deep experiental and living understanding of God’s Grace is revealed through his conduct after being reunited with his brothers. He did not exact revenge on them in their helpless state, when they came to him with no bargaining power in his position of authority.  He sought only to test them to see if their characters had changed, if they remembered what they had done to him and showed any remorse (Gen 42:18-24, Gen 44:16-34). Once convinced that they realized that what they had done was wrong, he immediately embraced them and forgave them, explaining that it was God’s design to send him ahead of them so that their whole family would be preserved!  What they had meant for evil, God had used for their good. (Gen 43:30, Gen 45)

How often do we see our circumstances, difficult as they may be, as another way that God is showing His Grace to someone else? Or do we mostly view opposition and adversity from the standpoint of selfishness, of how it affects just us? I think the latter is more often the case than the former. Only one who has a real, deep and true understanding of God’s Grace can look outside himself and see how God is using even his adverse circumstances for the good of others and his own long-term benefit.

Joseph’s brothers thought that his graceful conduct would end with the death of his father, Jacob. They thought that he was reserving judgment for them and would visit it upon them after their father died. When Jacob died, they were terrified! Joseph was an example of God’s Grace at work in a human life (Gen 50:16-21). He spoke kindly to his brothers, promising to look after them and their families. God preserved the nation of Israel through Joseph and fulfilled His Promise to Abraham.

Joseph’s life had many parallels to Christ, confirming that same Grace that worked in Christ’s life was at work in him.

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 5

As we continue our journey of  exploration into God’s Grace, we learn some important truths. The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings, but also a book of revelation. It is a revelation of God’s Grace at work, how He meets with us in the depths  of sin, makes us a Promise, keeps His Promise and forever changes us.

Jacob was the first Patriarch to verbally affirm the effectual working of God’s Grace in His life. Joseph took this a step further. He was able to live out God’s Grace, despite the adverse circumstances that manifested through most of his youth.

As a young boy in the house of his father and a son of Jacob’s most loved wife, Rachel, it was a well-known fact that he was his father’s favourite son. His honest disposition did not help the situation as it created a clear distinction between him and his brothers. At 17 years of age, he was sold into slavery by his brothers and found himself in the household of  Potiphar, a high ranking official in Egypt.  (Gen 37)

Throughout his experience, God was always with him and Joseph never doubted or questioned God. Despite the hard times and afflictions of slavery, he honoured God first and foremost.  When Potiphar’s wife sought to commit adultery with Joseph, Joseph’s first regard was to God. He realized that by complying with her wishes, he would be sinning against God. He did not use his difficult circumstances as an excuse to engage in sinful practices, but rose above them thus maintaining a clean conscience. (Gen 39:1-9)

Sometimes doing the right thing comes at a price, however honourable our actions may be. Joseph’s situation seemed to get progressively worse. For refusing to sin against God in adultery, he was cast into prison yet even in prison, he refused to renounce his God. God rewarded his faithfulness not with freedom, which he must have desired with all his heart. God rewarded him with His Presence. God was with Joseph and so he prospered despite his circumstances and blossomed like a tender root sprouting out of dry ground. He was soon promoted to manager of the prison. Yes, no matter how terrible the place, you can be a manager there too! (Gen 39:18-23)

Just when it seemed that things couldn’t get any worse, Joseph experienced the pain of being forgotten. One of the prisoners whose dream he had interpreted promised to remember him and bring his case before Pharoah should his dream of being reinstated to office come true. However, once he was reinstated, he forgot all about Joseph! The Lord gave Joseph the interpretation of dreams. Many people having such a gift would have used  it to their advantage, taking credit for themselves but Joseph always gave credit to God.

He did the same even when eventually called upon to interpret Pharoah’s dream. God honoured Joseph and gave him his freedom, making him prime minister of Egypt and second in charge to Pharoah. (Gen 40-41, Phil 2:4-14)

Looking Back, Pressing Forward

So many times, I thought all was lost,

That all was for naught

But you always led me home…

Looking back, pressing forward;

My life’s like a puzzle,

But I know You’re leading me…

I can count on You!

Heaven’s fiery Lion,

My eternal Champion!

Jesus, Lord of All…

Looking back, pressing forward;

I know You’re watching over me!

I’m no longer chasing the wind

And life’s no longer an impossible dream…

The flower of Your Grace opens wide before me!

The power of Your Love totally surrounds me!

Like a brilliant torch, a new day is dawning;

Your Grace is at work, and Your Grace is enough…

Looking back, pressing forward,

Your Word opens the way for me;

Like a star, Your Grace shines free

And I know I’m not alone…

Anchored in the strength of Your Grace,

Waiting for the Day when we’ll meet face to face;

I’m looking back, always pressing forward… (this line x2)

The message that inspired this song: “Looking back” in this song doesn’t refer to looking back in doubt or nostalgia for the past. No, it’s not looking back in the sense that Lot’s wife did, for she turned into a pillar of salt. “Looking back” refers to the sense you get that when you review the events of your life and take stock of your past, you can see God in it…always waiting, always watching, always with you. It’s like He is making the whole Universe conspire to ensure your success. God is rooting for you. He is on your side, and that makes you UNSTOPPABLE…This is a song of encouragement to those who have seen God lead in the past; He will take care of your future! To those who can’t seem to see Him in your past, look more carefully…because He is there!

The Scriptures behind this song: Phil 3:10-14, Rom 8:28-31, 2 Cor 12:9-10

NOTE: The last instalment of the series on Grace in Genesis will continue next week.

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 4

Genesis is a book which shows us that God is, and always has been, a God of Grace. We have a distinct advantage over Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the other Patriarchs in Genesis. They were journeying with God, discovering His Grace one day at a time in a period when no written record of His Grace yet existed. Today, although we still journey through life experiencing God’s Grace one day at a time, we can also look back into the pages of history as recorded for us in the Bible and see God’s gracious dealings with people in bygone eras.

As we journeyed through the pages of Genesis the last three weeks, we have observed that God’s Grace is unconditional. Abraham did not do anything that made him worthy of God’s Grace, yet God nevertheless showered His unconditional, unlimited Grace upon him and not just him, but his whole family! In fact, it is recorded that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed!  (Gen 12:1-3)

Abraham’s son Isaac, did nothing to merit the extension of God’s Grace to him but he received it because God made a promise to his father which He intended to keep, for God is not a man that he should lie. Isaac made the very same mistakes his father made in trying to preserve his life by lying that Rebekah, his wife, was his sister yet God still blessed him and extended the covenant promise to him too. (Gen 26:3-4, 6-13)

Jacob was worse than his father and grandfather! His very name meant “deceiver”. He was a self-absorbed character who stole his brother’s birthright and deceived his uncle Laban by  using selective breeding and attributing his gains to the blessing of the Lord! He was a “wheeler and dealer” by nature. Everything to Jacob was a business deal. He was so used to haggling that he even tried to bargain with God, making vows that God would only be his God if He would feed him, clothe him, preserve and protect him and bring him safely to his father’s house. If anyone was audacious, it was Jacob! After all, who would dare bargain with the Almighty? (Gen 25:28-34, Gen 27:1-36, Gen 30:31-43,  Gen 31:7-12, Gen 28:20-22)

Jacob made mistakes and some of them were premeditated, yet we see no dimunition in God’s grace to him. God sent angels to protect him and allowed him to see them! In Bethel, he was given a vision of a ladder that reached to Heaven and angels ascending and descending on it. The more Jacob sinned and let God down, the more it seemed God’s Grace increased! Sin could not overcome Grace. (Gen 28:12-15, Gen 32:1-2)

In Genesis 32:10-11 and 33:5 and 11, we see the result of God’s Grace. Jacob was the first Patriarch to verbally affirm God’s Grace. After wrestling with God and with men, his name was changed to “Israel” which in Hebrew means “a prince who prevails with God and men.” God showed Jacob that he could get away with bargaining and deceiving men, but he couldn’t do the same with God. Jacob saw the face of God and his life was spared (Gen 32:30). His day of reckoning happened to be his greatest experience of God’s Grace, which changed him forever. (New Testament ref: Romans  5)

God's Grace in the Old Testament -Part 3

In Gen 15:9-21, God made a covenant with Abram while he slept, signifying that He alone would do everything to bring the covenant to pass. God alone passed between the slain animals, signifying the cost of the covenant. It would cost the life of His Son to ensure that our salvation was sealed.  Just as the pitch  (black tar-like substance) that God instructed Noah  to paint the Ark with prevented the vessel from sinking, so it would be Christ’s blood which would seal our atonement (Gen 6:14). All Abram and his descendants had to do was to bear the sign of the Covenant i.e. circumcision (Gen 17:1, 10-11).

In Gen 15:6, we read that Abram believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. His righteousness was by faith, and good works naturally followed. In fact, Abraham’s faith was so strong that not enough his love for his only son, Isaac, could surpass it! Did you know that Abraham believed God could raise the dead long before the Lord had raised anyone from the dead?

In Gen 22, we read the story of how God commanded Abraham (previously “Abram” until God changed his name) to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on Mt Moriah. Isaac was the son given to Abraham and Sarah in their old age through the promise of God that Sarah, previously barren, would bear a child. God had promised that through Isaac, he would bless Abraham and make him the father of many nations yet now He asked him to sacrifice his only son! Abraham may have lied and doubted God on many occasions, but this time his faith did not waver. He clung to the Promise God had made to him, even as he walked with his young son to the foot of Mt Moriah. He told his servants in Gen 22: 5 to wait for them, that they would return after worshiping God. Abraham had faith that both he and his son would return home. God would provide the lamb for the sacrifice, and even if He didn’t and Isaac had to die, that God, by His Grace would raise him from the dead just to fufil the Promise that was made and confirmed so many times to Abraham.

We know the rest of the story. God did provide a lamb for Abraham’s sacrifice and Isaac’s life was spared. We see a picture of salvation in this story, salvation by God’s grace alone. Isaac was the son of promise, but he was not the promised Messiah (“seed of the woman”) of whom God spoke of in Gen 3:15. Through Isaac, Abraham would be a father of many nations, but through Jesus Christ would come the provision for every one of those nations to be saved from their sins.

In John 1:29-36, the Baptist upon seeing Christ cried: “Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world!” On Mount Calvary, a Father and a Son fulfilled what was only a picture at Moriah. Jesus carried the wood of the cross up Calvary as Isaac did at Moriah. He was and is the Lamb whom God provided through His Grace,  the Saviour of those who trust in Him. He died the death we deserve, so we could live a life honouring God for His marvelous Grace. (Jn 3:16)

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 2

God’s grace is revealed in Gen 12 when God chose Abram and made him a promise that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Abram did not choose God, neither was he immediately the man of faith that Hebrews 11 refers to.

It was a gradual transformation as Abram learned to trust in God’s grace. In Gen 12, God instructed Abram to leave  his country, kindred and father’s house and journey to a land which God Himself would show him. Abram obeyed God, but not totally. Instead of leaving everything he knew behind, he took his nephew Lot with him (Gen 12:1-4).

Many times Abram doubted God’s Promise. In Egypt, he was fearful and sought to preserve his life by lying that Sarai, his wife was his sister (Gen 12:13). Abram was still learning to trust in God. God was gracious, preserving King Abimelech from sin because He could see the integrity of his heart when he took Abram’s wife into his royal court. God was patient with Abram, blessing him with great riches, honour and favour despite his failures. When Lot chose the best land for himself, God in His grace reaffirmed His Promise to Abram. Abram became a generous and respectful man. He respected the property rights of others even though he knew that God would give his descendants the whole land. God’s grace was already changing him (Gen 13:10-18). He was learning that it was God’s great grace that made him a prosperous and successful man and he gave God all the glory for his success, attributing none of his success to others or to himself (Gen 14:22-24).

In Gen 15, God affirmed His Promise to Abram yet again. Abram had a crisis in faith, as he had no idea how God planned to fulfil the Promise; all he knew was that he remained childless and he couldn’t  see past his  circumstances. God was patient with Abram, conceding to his request for a sign or assurance that God would indeed give him the land as promised. God asked Abram to prepare some sacrifices and Abram fell into a deep sleep as God revealed in prophetic vision to him the things that would befall his nation.  The 400 years of oppression under Egyptian rule was revealed to him as well as the glory of the exodus from Egypt. God’s grace to the Amorites was also revealed to Abram; God was giving them time to turn to Him and repent of their evil. While Abram’s descendants were yet to possess their inheritance, the Amorites would have opportunity to turn to God.

God Himself passed between the slain animals. The Almighty Himself condescended to make a covenant, binding Himself on pain of death as an earthly king would bind himself when making a covenant with another. The difference was that it was a one-sided covenant. Abram did not pass between the animals for it was God alone who had made the Promise and He alone who would see it to completion through His plan of redemption by the blood of His own Son, “the seed of the woman”. Abram could not break the covenant for he had no part in the making of it. Neither his good works, nor the lack thereof could change the Promise and God’s plan to fulfil it. God’s grace was, and still is, beyond comprehension.