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       III. USING FAMILY TO HEAL FRACTURES (GENESIS 41:50–52)

      The children who were born to Joseph before the predicted years of the famine were evidence of the economic prosperity Egypt enjoyed. The names of his two sons represented the mind Joseph had regarding his new life in Egypt. The naming formula, which included the explanation for the name, is well-documented in Genesis 3:20; 4:25; 26:20. Commonly, the Israelite mother assigned the name of the child based on her interpretation or sentiment of the event (Gen. 4:25; Ex. 2:10; 1 Sam 1:20). Joseph, however, gave his sons Hebrew names that conveyed his response to his Egyptian experience. The name of his firstborn Manasseh, or “he who makes someone forget,” implied that the joy of his son had made him forget the sadness he experienced in his father’s house, a sadness he had not forgotten but had carried for a long time. That he made no attempt to learn about his family even after his rise to power confirmed not that he forgot his past but rather was trying to forget his past. He also had forgotten the hard trail in Egypt that it took to get to this point. Though his life had changed for the better, his bitterness remained and impeded his ability to forgive those of his past. While he recognized the Lord’s faithfulness in making him fruitful in the land of his affliction, the name he gave his second son Ephraim, or “to bear fruit,” conveyed his attempt to build a new family on top of the hurt from the past of the old. The names of his sons stood in contrast. Joseph forgot even as he was fruitful. His most difficult moments placed him in position to become his best self. That which he attempted to forget was also what caused him to be fruitful. It was the gift and curse of pain that was both blessing and blight.

      Ironically, the births of his sons caused Joseph to consciously remember the pain he had experienced. He did not mention his father’s household or allude to his painful experiences until they were born. Even as he forgot, he remembered. The only thing that could heal his wounds were not the trappings of success, but family.

      THE LESSON APPLIED

      Joseph had legitimate reasons to be bitter, given all he had endured before securing a position in the king’s palace. But he also had good reason to be encouraged. Despite the thirteen years of a hardening heart that had become weathered by the toxic winds of betrayal, abandonment, and injustice, the Lord was still with him (Gen. 39:2, 21). His role in Potiphar’s house and his service in the king’s prison helped prepare Joseph to fulfill his destiny as the instrument of God to preserve and reposition the posterity of His people.

      As a slave in Potiphar’s house, Joseph learned how to be an administrator, managing the day-to-day operations of the master’s household. This prepared him on a smaller level for what he would do for the economy of Egypt on a much bigger scale. Because the prison he was in was the king’s prison, Joseph’s time was spent interacting with and learning from individuals who would have been knowledgeable of the customs and practices in Egypt. By practicing these, Joseph became a more amenable subject before the king.

      For every negative experience, there is a positive to match. We only have to search for it. Through the crucible of life, our gaze can become sharpened to recognize Christ hidden in the midst of a crisis. The love we have for the Savior enables us to see past the haze of bitterness and look toward a hope for something better.

      LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

       When you examine your life and all of the great things you’ve been blessed to achieve and accomplish, do you appreciate all it took to get where you are? It’s easy to reflect on with delight all of the positive features of your journey. But what about the pitfalls, setbacks, and failures. Do we reflect on them too? Do we celebrate the worth of those experiences with the same enthusiasm?

      While we don’t like to think about the negative experiences in our lives, sometimes they are what God uses to bring out the best in us. Through Him we learn how to appreciate the purpose for the pain and realize our purpose in the pain. This is part of what it means in Romans 8:28 when it says God works all things out for His good and holy purpose.

      The reason our ancestors risked life and limb time and time again to emancipate other enslaved people was not just because they themselves knew the pain of slavery. They were driven by a sense of purpose. Living by the light of our purpose enables us not only to endure the pain from hardship but to grow as a result of it. Hardship helps break up the ground of the heart so we can be exposed before God. At the point of Joseph’s deepest despair, he discovered purpose in his pain. While in prison, Joseph encountered and used his gift for the king’s chief butler, through whom he eventually was granted an audience with the king. Through the crushing of Joseph’s spirit, the gift God planted within was given room to flourish.

      We all are born with purpose, though we may not be aware of it. Buried beneath the layers of our hurt from life experiences, we learn to ignore the gift God has put within. Just as it took prison to liberate Joseph toward his destiny, it sometimes takes being broken to be whole in our purpose. Let us come to accept our pain and to use it redemptively.

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       SEPTEMBER 14–20, 2020