Of-Intervention-And-Divinity

OF INTERVENTION AND DIVINITY

"Everything works together for good for them that loves God, and for them that are called according to His purpose."

The account of events that led to Joseph the dreamer becoming an Egyptian ruler is contained in the book of Genesis. The story is about Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob. (Jacob is also referred to as Israel). Below is the highlight of events in the life of Joseph.

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the more. He said to them, "Hear this dream which I have dreamed: behold, we are binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf." His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?" So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words........ Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what becomes of his dreams......... Then Midianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt." (Genesis 37:3-8,20,28)

"Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; and he was in the house of this master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. So Joseph found favour in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of this house and put him in charge of all that he had......... the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge; and having him he had no concern for anything but the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and said, "Lie with me,." But he refused........ And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie with her or to be with her. But one day,........ she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got out of the house. And when she saw that she had left his garment in her hand, and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us; he came to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice; and when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled and got out of the house." Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story,........ When his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, "This is the way your servant treated me," his anger was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's care all the prisoners who were in prison; and whatever was done there, he was the doer of it; the keeper of the prison paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph's care, because the LORD was with him; and whatsoever he did, the LORD made it prosper." (Genesis 39:1-8,10-17,19-23)

"After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed......... Then the chief butler said to Pharaoh, "I remember my faults today. When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning. A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard; and when we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. And as he interpreted to us, so it came to pass: I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged." Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon;......... This proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?" So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are; you shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only as regards the throne will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41:1,9-14,37-42)

Joseph's situation represents a case of divine intervention. Ten of his brothers plotted against him, and decided to eliminate him by selling him into slavery where he will be lost (or worked to death), and memories of him long forgotten. Though man plots, the LORD's will prevails any day.

"For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," and again, "The LORD knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." (I Corinthians 3:19-20)

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?........ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are." (I Corinthians 1:20,28)

"He takes the wise in their own craftiness; and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at noonday as in the night. But he saves the fatherless from their mouth, the needy from the land of the mighty. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth." (Job 5:13-16)

"Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision." (Psalms 1:1-4)

Of course, it will be erroneous to think that the plot hatched by Joseph's brothers is the handiwork of God, after all it led to the dreamer becoming a ruler in Egypt.

"For God is not the author of confusion."

That Joseph wound up in a land where he was later to become a ruler can not be attributed to the 'kindness' of his brothers. Of course, if they knew what would become of him eventually, they most likely would have hesitated to sell him into slavery. Why would they want to sell Joseph into slavery when they could have sold themselves instead? Keep in mind, the wish that underlies their actions was negative and evil. But God is merciful and kind, He kept His word"

"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

The good LORD turned their evil intentions into something that is worth praising His Holy Name for. Just like in the case of the Lord Jesus when he was nailed to the cross. So what about Jesus?

"And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above all name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:8-11)

"None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (I Corinthians 2:8)

It can be deduced from the actions of Joseph's brothers that humanity can not be taken for granted. To some extent, mankind can make things happen. If given enough rein, human beings can influence or shape one's destiny to some extent. As of result of this reality, many entertain fear and doubt. Many individuals consider ourselves helpless, and tend to resign ourselves into the hands of the fate, especially when we realize the extent of power that God leaves at the disposal of humanity.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so." (Genesis 1:27-30)

Often times, the reality of who man is overshadows the reality of who God is. Fact is: even though God apportioned power to humanity to a substantial extent, He reserved absolute power to Himself, and none other. Keep in mind that the same LORD God who

".........planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there He put the man whom he had formed" (Genesis 2:8)

The same LORD God

".........sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken." (Genesis 3:23)

Ever heard of upsetting the apple cart, and turning it over with one stroke?

No doubt, God created man with potentials to do and undo - but only to a limited extent. Only God is the greatest. No matter how vast the power the LORD apportions to any of creation, the absolute power always reside with Him. Joseph's situation involved divine intervention but lacks divine initiative. In other words, the LORD intervened in Joseph's circumstances at some point but that does not imply that He was the one who motivated his brothers to perpetrate the crime against their brother. Of course, the LORD has the right to intervene in the affairs of humanity, especially when it comes to situations involving His children. By intervening in the circumstances, He overrode the consensus of ten individuals who decided to eliminate an individual whose Go-given future they neither can withstand nor approve.

"They gather but their gathering is not of me."

Of course, God can intervene anytime He deems fit whether or not it meets anyone's approval. Keep in mind,

"The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof."

This is His universe. The earth falls right within God's territory and jurisdiction. For as long as we live in it, that is one reality we have to face.

God can, and may, intervene if He believes His will and purpose can be jeopardized if He withholds His intervention. Come to think of it. For a God who created us with free will, and respects it, it seems fair and just for Him to add His two cents if and when He believe His own will and purpose is at stake. After all, He is God - Creator, we are human - His creation. Besides, the LORD is sovereign. In other words, He does whatever He deems fit when He deems fit, how He deems fit without consulting anyone.

We learn from Joseph that if our life and circumstances are in alignment with God's will and purpose, we have a powerful God on our side. As God's children, it gives us an edge. Come to think of it, our heavenly Father can intervene on our behalf in as much as we live our lives within the framework of His will and purpose. Our Father will always want to take assertive and authoritative stand on our behalf. It is not easy to destroy a future that originates from God, and not borne of man. It is futile to attempt to destroy a plan that is based not on Joseph's conception but based on divine revelation. That which God revealed, He intended to execute it. By going against Joseph and God's purpose for His life, his brothers inadvertently pitched themselves against the LORD. Many individuals find themselves in this position without being aware of it.

"So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" (Acts 5:38-39)

"No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

"You will not need to fight in this battle; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the LORD on your behalf,....... Fear not, and be not dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you." (II Chronicles 20:17)

"But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, my LORD has forgotten me." Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Your builders outstrip your destroyers, and those who laid you waste go forth from you....... Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captive of a tyrant be rescued? Surely, thus says the LORD: "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,........" (Isaiah 49:14-17,24-25)

It was pointed out earlier that

You know one way to avoid finding oneself opposing God?

"Wherefore be you not unwise, but understand what will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17)

Dear friend, you may want to keep this saying in mind: Contending against God's will and purpose indeed is an uphill and frustrating task. Opposing God's will and purpose? Ah, what a waste of time!

Did you observe something that the LORD just brought to our attention? When Joseph was brought before Pharaoh,

"And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and together is no one interpret it; and I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." (Genesis 41:15)

After Pharaoh had made this statement, Joseph responded. Realise that this was going to be his first statement to the Egyptian monarch - to any monarch, or eminent personality, or political figure for that matter. This is the golden opportunity many will die for. Lots of people will do anything just to get the kind of opportunity being presented to Joseph. If it were to be you in the same situation as Joseph, what would you have done? How would you have responded? What kind of impression would you had left? Of course, first impression matters. What kind of utterances would have characterized your speech? Would your approach bear relation to that of a megalomaniac? Will it be similar to that of a glory-hunter? Or will it be like a true ambassador of God's kingdom? Let's hear Joseph out.

"Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favourable answer." (Genesis 41:16)

Of course, Joseph is a charmer. I doubt if anyone doubted that he is indeed a charmer. But when he charms to whose glory - his or the LORD's? Whatever virtues or qualities we have, when they are perceived by others, whose honour do we reflect - ours or those of our heavenly Father? Paul stated in one of his letters the church,

"Be ye followers of me, just as I am follower of Jesus Christ."

Also, since Joseph did not allude to God's Spirit (he did not attribute the acclaimed ability that brought him before the king to God though), how did Pharaoh realize that Joseph is

".........such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"

Even a pagan king can perceive the activity and ministry of the Holy Spirit! Indeed, the Spirit of God have convincing and charming ways of expressing Himself whether or not direct reference is made to Him.

"And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer to or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." (Luke 12:11-12)

God bless

Yours

'Kunle O. Majek'

H I A F E M

Of impact, quality and excellence

That's the Spirit!

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