What the Puritans Got Wrong

Genesis 46:3, Exodus 1

“So he said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will surely put his hand on your eyes.” – Genesis 46:3

I have never had God come down and speak to me directly. Some people have had those surreal experiences, but God has always made His will clear to me in more concrete ways. For example, one Monday morning four years ago, after returning from a weekend of job interviews, I prayed a very specific prayer. I prayed, “God, please let a principal call me today. Give me some hope that I’ll get a job.” Sure enough, at 3:49 pm I got a call from a Social Studies department chair in Northern Virginia. Ok, it was not technically the principal, but I had hope. It seemed like God was moving…

In Genesis, God tells Jacob to get up and go to Egypt. With God’s blessing Jacob and his caravan set out for this unknown land. God assures Jacob that going to Egypt is part of His will. He does not tell Jacob that his descendants will end up enslaved under oppressive pharaohs. He also does not tell Jacob about the harrowing and glorious exodus that awaits the Nation of Israel.

Jacob is merely a piece of the story.

Could following God’s will mean we are getting ourselves into something uncomfortable and downright messy?

Yep.

We often expect that following God will ensure physical and material blessing. Our American forefathers, the Puritans, said that if you work hard and serve God he will bless your life. Conversely, those without such blessings were deemed unspiritual and judged for their state of misfortune. In fact, this “Protestant ethic” became so entrenched that made its way into our AP US History curriculum. Every September I teach that unit. Every September I can't help but think that I would have made a great Puritan.

I must ask myself: Am I guilty of judging people for making “poor life decisions?” If things aren’t going well for someone do I assume it’s because they just “suck at life?”

Sometimes God makes our paths very clear. Sometimes God’s direction makes sense. However, we may be called to do impractical things for the Gospel. Sometimes the path is difficult and hard to see. We might end up enslaved, imprisoned, or impoverished. Perhaps God’s plan is larger than our solitary lives. Perhaps those hardships are pieces of the story. We do not see the whole picture.

I wonder, would Jacob have gone to Egypt if he had known what was in store?

Restoration - Joseph Part II

…The real point of the story is this:

“Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” – Joseph, Genesis 50:21

The real point of the story is restoration.

Genesis 45 is a beautiful chapter. Here, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. He assures them that he holds nothing against them; God’s will has triumphed over their sin. He inquires about his father and commands his brothers to restore the family by bringing Jacob to Egypt.

The rest of the book is full of hope. It is such a welcome respite from the Genesis tragedy. I love the part where Joseph meets his father at Goshen and weeps in his arms “a good while.” [Gen 46:29] Finally, the family is together again. They are not a perfect family, but they have come a long way. If you pay attention to Jacob’s speech and demeanor throughout the remainder of the book you can sense that he has deepened his relationship with God – or at least his understanding of the important legacy his family carries.

Soon Joseph is busy implementing communism (Don’t believe me? Read Genesis 47:13-26) and things seem to be going well. In time Jacob dies, but not before his epic blessing on the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, at the very end of the book we begin to see that latent insecurities have plagued the brothers for years. They still question Joseph’s forgiveness, but Joseph won’t stand for that kind of thinking; in fact he is moved to tears once again: “Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore do not be afraid, I will provide for you and your little ones.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” [Genesis 50:20-21]

Joseph’s speech is full of grace, yet it does not gloss over wrongdoing. I am sure that the brothers walked away from that conversation feeling a mixture of regret and relief. Joseph’s forgiveness was genuine; they did not deserve such grace.

Forgiveness, grace, justice – this is all part of the restoration at the end of Genesis. Joseph not only preserves the nation of Israel and thus the line of Christ, but his example provides a glimpse of the Shalom that will come.