Stripped: Trusting God When He Allows Others to Hurt Youনমুনা

WHAT WAS GOD’S PURPOSE?

As I read chapter 37, I realized I could not interpret their actions without the context of that backstory. Chapter 37 is a devastating continuation of the pattern that was the norm for this family.

I don’t think Joseph was sharing his dreams with his brothers innocently. He was repeating the pattern learned from years of family drama. A family used to constant lying, jealousy, lack of self-esteem and worth, and fighting for the affection of their father. Please note that I am in no way justifying the actions of the brothers or blaming Joseph for inciting them to harm him. For me, the importance of this realization came later.

I mentioned before that our stories must be considered in the context of the interconnectivity with people around us. Our actions affect our lives, the lives of those close to us, and the lives of people we will never meet. When I realize that God has to work each of those stories in a way that aligns with His plans for my life, His plans for the people around me, and even His plans for the world, the way I approach situations gradually shifts. It does not take away the hurt, but it helps me see things in a different light and understand why some things take a long time, no shortcuts available.

What then was God’s purpose in this story? Why this family? Let’s look at the picture with the wide angle lens and consider God’s words to Abraham:

“... Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3, NIV)

Did you notice that you and I are in that prophecy? “ALL the peoples on earth…” Furthermore, as the story progressed, God added more details about His purpose through Abraham’s descendants.

Then, God introduced something new, a request for Abraham:

“... I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (Genesis 17:1-2, NIV)

In that encounter, God revealed His desire for righteousness in the life of Abraham, “walk faithfully before the Lord and be blameless.” There’s more in verses 5-8:

“… I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:5-8, NIV)

Oh, friend, can you see it? There is but one timeline in God’s view. One history. His story. The story that began in the Garden of Eden and that will end when sin is finally defeated and His perfect design for humanity is fulfilled. And you, I, and our stories are part of that timeline. We are in His story. We are in that very promise. His ultimate purpose is to draw His children back to Him. His desire is expressed from the very beginning, He wanted to be their God!

If there was nothing particularly special about Abraham when God called him, why was it him? God’s purposes are made clearer as He continues revealing and reminding Abraham of the promise:

“For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.” (Genesis 18:19, NIV)

God was not only interested in blessing this family, He wanted to teach them how to live. He wanted to be their God, and thus show the world how to live in righteousness, and not in their own interpretation of what was right or wrong. God would use this family to effect change in individual hearts, nations, and all around the world (that’s where we come into the story).

However, God was going to do that through the incredible complexities that our sin and humanity brought into the picture, and within the immutable attributes of a perfect, just, unchanging, and loving God.

Such was His purpose: that through this family, flawed as they were, thousands of years later, He would take the form of a human through His son Jesus, to once and for all, become the sacrifice that would take all of our mess ups and exchange them for the promise of a glorious outcome.

Up to chapter 37 of Genesis, Abraham’s family was not mastering the “doing what is right and just” part. What we read between the lines of what happened with Joseph and his brothers is clear evidence they were in dire need of help in that department. So far, this was a family characterized by everything but righteousness. They were jealous, greedy, violent, murderers (see Genesis 34), deceivers, liars, and everything in between. Not quite the purpose God had revealed to Abraham yet, right?

God didn’t just want to build a nation, He wanted to build a different nation. There were a lot of patterns that needed to be broken in this family, and brokenness can often be the path or trigger to broken patterns.

Are there any patterns in your life or family that need to be broken? Maybe there’s been a pattern of alcoholism in your family that has paved the way for painful situations like abuse, domestic violence, or financial turmoil. Your stripping might be an example of the devastation caused by that pattern in action.

Maybe in your family there is a pattern of deceit. Lying is so deeply ingrained into the family dynamics it’s impossible to trust anyone. People have tricked each other, debts have gone unpaid for years, and the friction and tension between relatives has even become physical. You may have invested in a business venture a family member convinced you was safe, only to lose your life savings and discover it was a scam.

Other patterns that can be repeated include infidelity, abuse, false doctrines, religiosity (many have been hurt by people who claim to be His disciples, but deny it with their actions), stealing, laziness, addictions, and many others. As terrible as being stripped is, you and I have the opportunity to choose to break patterns and alter the trajectory of our lives and the lives of future generations.

Do we react to being stripped by repeating those patterns or will we choose a different path, the path of righteousness?