God's Purpose
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Introduction
Introduction
Just as a construction company devises blueprints before constructing a building, and a civil engineer takes detailed measurements and computes angles and stress points to guide the erection of a new bridge, so did God have a magnificent plan from the very beginning. In Genesis 1-11, we learn of God's great patience. reveals God's promises. And in , God makes known His purpose.
God's purpose included not only the general flow of history, but also the particular details of people's lives. God has a purpose for our lives, established before the foundation of the world (; ). Our sovereign God reigns with absolute authority over all circumstances, people, and powers, forever.
engineer takes detailed measurements and computes angles and stress points to guide the
Each chapter of our study accentuates this very point:
-
· Isaac is provided a wife by the hand of God ().
· Jacob is promised to dominate over his brother before he comes out of the womb (Genesis 25:21-23).
25:21-23).
· Joseph is given dreams from God that will be fulfilled despite seemingly impossible circumstances ().
1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” “Very well,” he replied. 14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?” 17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” 21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed. 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?” 31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” 33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
The destiny of Jacob's sons are predicted by God's Spirit, the fulfillment of which has been and is being accomplished ().
As we contemplate the workings of God through the pages of the Scriptures, we cannot help but exclaim with the Apostle Paul,
33 O the depth of the riches
and the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments!
How unsearchable are his ways!
34 For, ‘Who has known the mind of Adonai
Who has been his counselor?’
35 Or, ‘Who has given him anything
and made him pay it back?’
36 For from him and through him
and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever!
Amen.
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
33 O the depth of the riches
and the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments!
How unsearchable are his ways!
34 For, ‘Who has known the mind of Adonai
Who has been his counselor?’
35 Or, ‘Who has given him anything
and made him pay it back?’
36 For from him and through him
and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever!
Amen.
Each chapter of our study accentuates this very point:
·
· Jacob is promised to dominate over his brother before he comes out of the womb (Genesis
·
Isaac and Jacob ()
Isaac and Jacob ()
Our sovereign God delights in painting His purposes on the background of human experience. When Isaac's mother, Sarah, died (), God provided Isaac a wife (Rebekah) for his comfort (). But God had an even greater purpose in the union of Rebekah and Isaac, just as God has purpose in each marriage beyond the comforts and enjoyments of those so united. The Messiah would eventually come through Isaac's lineage.
In , we find sorrow and joy mixed once again. Isaac loses his father, Abraham, who was "gathered to his people" (). In the same chapter, we read of the joyous birth of twins for Isaac and Rebekah. Even before these boys leave the womb, the Lord declares His sovereign purpose for their lives: "The LORD said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two people from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger' " ().
This prophecy begins its fulfillment in the same chapter, as Esau gives to Jacob his birthright for a single meal (). This birthright involved more than a physical or tangible inheritance. It was tied inseparably to the covenant promises and the Messianic lineage waiting to be carried on from Abraham and Isaac. When God has a plan or a purpose, it will be accomplished through ordinary, sinful human vessels.
The name Jacob means, "He grasps the heel" ( - implies, "supplanter," or "deceiver"). In the womb Jacob wrestled with his brother Esau, then out of the womb he eventually manipulated and supplanted Esau for the birthright () and deceived his father to obtain the blessing ().
Almost immediately, Jacob, who violated the trust of those at home, would lose the comforts of home as he fled to a distant land (). This same Jacob, a master at deceiving others, would himself be deceived by his uncle Laban into years of labor to gain a wife ().
God had purposed not only for the fulfillment of His promises to the world through the covenants, but for the finishing and polishing of Jacob's character. The same God, who met Jacob at Bethel on his escape from home (), would call him back to the same site many years later, a changed man (). Through encounters with life, confrontations with his own weaknesses, and wrestling with God, Jacob became Israel, a "prince with God" ().
Joseph ()
Joseph ()
There is probably no story in the Bible, outside the Gospel accounts of Christ Himself, that demonstrates so clearly and wonderfully the sovereignty of God. Joseph's life breathes life into the often quoted verse, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" ().
Joseph was hated by his brothers and sold as a slave (). He was framed by Potipher's wife in Egypt and thrown into prison (). One whom Joseph had helped-who could have sought his release from prison-forgot him ().
But God did not forget Joseph. On the contrary, God had a purpose for Joseph's downward journey. It is in the place of suffering that God forges strong saints. It is through trials that God builds character. Thirteen years after Joseph had been rejected by his own family, God raised Joseph from a prison to a palace. From suffering to glory! From defeat to victory! All in a single day.
God's purpose was not only to bless Joseph, but also, to build a nation. Through Joseph, God provided a red carpet entrance for the small Jewish family into the protective environment of Goshen (). God's ultimate purpose was to provide the world with the Messiah through the tiny nation of Israel.
Jacob’s Last Days ()
Jacob’s Last Days ()
When Joseph learned that his father was ill, he took his two sons with him to Jacob's bedside. Jacob rallied his strength, sat up, and reminded Joseph of God's purposes as promised in the covenant given first to Abraham, then to Isaac, and finally to himself ().
Jacob declared that Joseph's sons would be his (). Jacob was adopting Ephraim and Manasseh as his own, that they might receive the inherited blessings of Jacob's other sons.
It is astonishing to read about the blessings received by God through Jacob to each of the boys. The Word of God is proven once again not to "come back void." It accomplishes all that the sovereign God has purposed ().
The birthright naturally given to the oldest son, Reuben, would be lost because of an earlier sinful act (). It would be granted to Joseph () and thus to Joseph's sons ().
The Spirit of God laid out the future of each son and their descendants with details that only He could know. For example, Judah, the one so wayward for a time (), proved himself willing to give up his life for his brother (). Through Judah would eventually come the Messiah from whom salvation would be offered to all who believe.
Final Thought
Final Thought
God does not always tell us what the future holds, in order that we might trust Him who holds the future. Spurgeon wrote, "When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart." God never makes mistakes. What seems to us as a world out of control is always in God's control. Our darkest valleys are as light to God (), and our most difficult trials are designed by God as opportunities for our growth (). The Lord reigns as (King over all (), and His love dictates the circumstances of our lives. He has a purpose! Let us trust Him!
Final Thought
Final Thought
Devotion ( Personal Study)
Devotion ( Personal Study)
Issac and
Read the commentary portion of this study guide. Write down one insight that was especially challenging or encouraging for you.
2. Read . What does this story tell us about God’s sovereign oversight regarding marriage and other relationships?
Do you believe God governs the affairs of your life? What part do you have in that process?
do you have in that process?
3. Read .
a. God clearly foretold the destinies of Esau and Jacob (). Is Esau, therefore, absolved of responsibility for his foolish behavior, which became a stepping stone toward fulfillment of his destiny (; see )?
b. Our human tendency is to rail against the idea of God knowing the future. If God did not know the future, would He be God? Let us remember that when God showed favor to Jacob, it was part of His master plan of salvation, whereby the grace of God might be made available to the whole world. Read (especially ), and compare with (especially ), noting the progression of Paul’s logic. Thank God that He is both sovereign and merciful.
Discussion (Small Group Study)
Discussion (Small Group Study)
4. Consider some of the rich stories found in our reading for this week. Pick one of your favorite stories and tell why it is a favorite (e.g.: What does that story say to you?). Stories include: The marriage of Isaac, the birth of Jacob and Esau, Jacob’s deception for the birthright, Jacob’s dream at Bethel, Jacob’s wives, Jacob wrestles with the angel, Joseph sold into slavery, Joseph in Egypt, and Jacob blessing his sons.
5. Turn to the story of Joseph, beginning in . From , what is the danger of parental preference among children? Answer: “In the family in which I grew up, preference manifested itself in this way...”
If you have children, tell of your struggles and successes in treating the children equally.
6. From , discuss the sibling rivalry found here. What kind of sibling rivalry did you grow up with?
If you have children, is this an issue for your current family?
How did God eventually melt down the rivalry in Joseph’s family ()?
How might God overcome rivalry between brothers and sisters in the context of your immediate or extended family?
7. reveals some of the sinful tendencies of Judah, through whose ancestors the Savior would eventually come. What were his weaknesses and shortcomings as found in this chapter? Discuss: “The Bible must be inspired by God, because it is not the kind of book humans would write about themselves.”
What is the danger of today’s church leaders not ever showing their feet of clay (weaknesses)?
8. shows how the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God works even through trials to accomplish His ultimate and great purposes. gives us proof of God’s sovereignty through Joseph’s words. Read . How does this verse relate to the story of Joseph?
God’s sovereignty through Joseph’s words. Read . How does this verse relate to the story of Joseph?
To get the full context of the verse, read . How should these truths effect our lives? Thank God through prayer and praise for his goodness.
Digging Deeper (Further Study)
Digging Deeper (Further Study)
9. What insights or questions from your study this week would you like to pursue further in discussion or study?
10. In , Joseph blesses his sons. Contrary to tradition, the younger son (Ephraim) received the greater blessing (). In fulfillment of this prophetic blessing, Ephraim later became a prominent tribe. We have also seen that God’s earlier choice to bless the younger in the case of Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Joseph over Reuben. Is this still God’s tendency ()? Why?
11. In , Jacob blesses his sons. Notice the blessing to Judah (), while recalling the shortcomings of Judah (question 9 above). What is the good news here for us?
For what reasons does this cause you to give praise to God?