God's Glory Church

God sent me before you.

How to respond to difficulties in our lives? What to do when problems that seemed to end soon still do not leave our lives? How to react to injustice on the part of people close to you?
Sometimes we don’t have the answer to all these questions. We can see one interesting example in scripture that can help you and me get the right answers to these and similar questions for ourselves.

In Genesis 41 we read:

“Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, bore to him. And Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, because [he said] God made me forget all my misfortunes and all my father’s house. And he called the name of the other Ephraim, because [he said] God made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”(Genesis 41:50-52)

There are a lot of situations and even people that we would like to forget about and not remember again. This was the case in the life of Joseph, who faced the betrayal of his own brothers. It was because of them that he spent 13 years in slavery and of these 13 years, about 12 he had to spend in prison. These were not the best years of his life and it is quite understandable that Joseph wanted to forget about these years as quickly as possible. That’s why he named his first son Manasseh, which means forgetter. Forget what? Forget the pain of the betrayal of your brothers, forget the hardships experienced in slavery and prison, forget human ingratitude when they forget about you and leave you alone with the problem. Have you been betrayed? I think they betrayed me. Have your closest friends abandoned you? I think that this happened in your life.
Was Joseph able to forget everything he experienced after being sold and enslaved by his own brothers? I think not. Maybe it seemed to him that everything was in the past and here was a new life without hardships and painful memories. Maybe he thought that the birth of a son would fill his inner emptiness and displace the pain of betrayal. Perhaps he thought that a new life had begun for him and that he would no longer have anything to do with his family. But looking ahead, I want to say that he didn’t succeed. His brothers themselves came to him and reminded him of his past.
Joseph gave the name Ephraim to his second son, born after Manasseh, which means fruitful. Probably everyone dreams of being successful in the business they are involved in. Most people want to have good wealth and security, and this was the case in Joseph’s life. After 13 years of slavery, he was finally able to live freely. He was able to build his life, do the work he loved and spend time with his wife and children. Naturally, the contrast in Joseph’s life was colossal. To have nothing and not even to control your own life, and then to gain freedom, gain recognition from people, have the highest paid position in Egypt and also find a wife and children – this is probably the ultimate dream of many. That is why Joseph, seeing all these blessings, gave such a name to his second son. But this did not come naturally into his life. He paid for it through years of suffering, humility, and trust in God.

But let’s talk about everything in order.
We all come to God with a certain background. For some it is better than for others, but for others it is filled with pain and disappointment. Joseph had a similar past. I had a happy and carefree childhood with a loving father and brothers nearby. And then there was a brutal collision with reality. With a reality where your brothers hate you and want to kill you, and your father is far away and can’t help you. With such a background, Joseph found himself in Egyptian slavery. Then there was the slander of Potiphar’s wife and prison. Prison is not for a crime, but for loyalty to God and one’s master. Then there were many years without prospects and hope, and when there was hope to get out of prison, another disappointment came – Pharaoh’s cupbearer forgot about Joseph. I forgot for two long years. In fact, Joseph served for each of his brothers and another year for himself. I don’t even know how many times he changed his mind during this time. This was Joseph’s past and he thought that with the birth of his son, God would let him forget all the pain and suffering. But was it so? Did Joseph forget about his brothers and the pain they caused him? No, I haven’t forgotten.
In Genesis chapter 42 we read:

“And the children of Israel came to buy grain, along with the others who came, for there was a famine in the land of Canaan. Joseph was a ruler in that land; he sold grain to all the people of the earth. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them; but he showed that he did not know them, and spoke to them sternly and said to them: where did you come from? They said: from the land of Canaan, buy food. Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.”(Genesis 42:5-8)

There are situations that we have experienced, but the pain associated with them has never been forgotten. We can stop thinking about it, we can remember it less often, but it is simply impossible to erase it from our memory. You can only survive this pain and forgive those who caused it. Is it easy? No. It’s very difficult. Do you and I need this? Definitely necessary! Otherwise, we will never be able to see why this happened to us and why God allowed it.
It took Joseph time to test himself and his brothers to understand that he had actually forgiven them. Was it easy for him? No! He struggled with himself and with the desire to take advantage of the situation to show what it was like to be slandered and betrayed. Twice he tested his brothers and twice he experienced pain with them, remembering how he was left alone with the Ishmaelites and sold into slavery. Was Joseph able to forget what his brothers did to him? No! But could he forgive his brothers? I see from the scripture that I could.

In Genesis chapter 45 from verse 3 we read:

“And Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph, is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him, because they were embarrassed before him. And Joseph said to his brothers, Come to me. They came up. He said: I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt; but now do not be sad and do not regret that you sold me here, because God sent me before you to preserve your life; for now there are two years of famine on the earth: [there are] five more years left, in which they will neither yell nor reap; God sent me before you to leave you on earth and preserve your life with a great deliverance. So it was not you who sent me here, but God, who also made me a father to Pharaoh and lord over all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”(Genesis 45:3-8)

Why was Joseph enslaved? Why was he thrown into prison for many years? Why did he become the second person after the pharaoh? In order to save his brothers and many other people from starvation.
Why did you go through something that even today it hurts you to remember? Why did God allow all these disappointments and betrayals in your life? Why did you suffer because of undeserved accusations and slander? To serve others today. For those who are just facing similar challenges in their lives and who do not have answers.

Joseph received a revelation from God that it was He who sent him to Egypt before his brothers. The Lord allowed betrayal on the part of the brothers, He allowed him to be sold as slaves and then placed in prison. And if you look at each of these moments separately, you can’t understand why God allows this. But when you see the whole picture, you begin to understand, as Joseph understood, that it was God who placed you in all these circumstances and gave you the strength to survive them.
For some, even today’s quarantine is a test, but for others it is a normal way of life. This is why I believe that God is now giving us the opportunity to reconsider many of our values ​​and see the value of life. The value of the life of a specific person next to us. It is for the salvation of others that God allows us to undergo certain life schools. For what? So that we can then say: “God sent me before you to preserve your life.”