47 Days of Justice 2024 - Day 45: Sometimes the blessing of the Lord is because you have been mistreated.
- araratchurch
- Jul 14, 2024
- 3 min read
“During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.””
Genesis 41:50-52 NLT
There’s an interesting account in the Bible about the interactions between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban. If you’re familiar with the story, you know that Laban deceived Jacob in terms of who he was marrying, and continued to practice that type of deceit throughout Jacob’s time there with him.
For example, Laban would say that a particularly patterned animal from the flock would be Jacob’s wages: speckled or striped. But when that type of animal was abundant, Laban would change his mind and say that the other kind would be his wages. Amazingly, the Lord always prospered the portion Laban relegated to Jacob.
When Jacob decided to leave the house of Laban he described all this to his wives:
“You know how hard I have worked for your father, but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.”
Genesis 31:6-9 NLT
Even as Laban was trying to cheat him, the Lord did a transfer of wealth from Laban to Jacob!
It’s hard to see how injustice could work for our good. But, if we are under the Lord’s blessings, subject to the Lord‘s favor, He can make us prosper in spite of our grievous circumstances.
Now, it’s easy for us to think that what happens to us is completely dependent upon our circumstances. In other words, we might believe that our circumstances would have to be conducive for the good things we desire to happen. But, as we have discussed before, the favor of the Lord, far outweighs any circumstantial advantage.
What Laban did was wrong; but the Lord—within that context—blessed Jacob. The angel of God had even told Jacob that the Lord was prospering him BECAUSE He had seen how Laban was treating him!
But there’s more to that story about Jacob that I will have you consider. As mentioned, Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah, the older daughter, first. Apparently Leah was not as attractive to Jacob, as was Rachel. But the Lord saw Leah’s grief, and gave her children by Jacob far before Rebecca was able to do so. Indeed, the Lord had closed Rachel‘s womb.
“So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.”
Genesis 29:30-31 NLT
Rachel did eventually have sons by Jacob; and we have been looking at the life of one of them, Joseph, as we have been discussing the issue of justice. But before getting back to Joseph, it is good for us to note that God cared for Leah and the pain she felt in being rejected by Jacob.
In our opening scripture we see that Joseph is now prospering as he rules over Egypt. He is overseeing the gathering of the abundant harvest that would last for seven years.
In the naming of his sons, Joseph is acknowledging that God has more than made up for any injustice he had received at the hands of people.
Child of God, don’t allow your circumstances to cause you to doubt the promises of God.
Remember, man’s injustice cannot, and will not, stop the blessing of the Lord. And yes, sometimes, His blessings are BECAUSE of the unjust way someone may have been treated!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
Comments