No.11: Sold Into Slavery

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Feb 20 |00:00 AM


Day11_Rory

Name & Bio
I’m Rory McClure. I have been a Christian for over 12 years, and come from a very secular background. I’m the Assistant Minister at Carnmoney. I love reading and films, and look forward to getting back on my bike again!
Bible Passage
Genesis 37:1–37:36
What did you learn about God today?
Like everyone in this Jacob’s family, I can make a mess of just about every good gift God gives me. Jacob longed for a son from his true love; Rachel, and got 10 sons from three other women instead. Finally, he got his longed for son in Joseph and alienated his other sons by showing him favouritism. Joseph abused his gift of understanding the future through dreams to get back at his brothers. They abused the gift of family and allowed their jealousy to try to destroy Joseph’s life. The amazing thing about God is that he went on to turn all this mess into an even greater blessing for Jacob’s family. Only God can transform shame and regret into hope. Only God could have turned the stupid things I’ve done and transform them into a blessing. 

How is this relevant to you today?
What’s Genesis 37 doing in the Bible? It reads more like a plot from EastEnders. A dysfunctional family at war with itself. A father with four wives. Brothers and half-brothers ganging up on the misfit brother. Reuben wants to throw him in a pit and rescue him later, Judah wants to make some easy money by selling Joseph into slavery, and the rest just want to kill him. They all lie to their dad, and while grief cripples him, unspoken guilt and shame hangs over the family for years to come. Some people seem to think the Bible is a book that just condemns bad people for being bad and makes good people hypocrites. Thankfully, it is not. This chapter reminds us that the Bible is about a God who is powerful and loving enough to get stuck into the very worst mess of our lives and bring deliverance and hope.
Name & Bio
I’m Rory McClure. I have been a Christian for over 12 years, and come from a very secular background. I’m the Assistant Minister at Carnmoney. I love reading and films, and look forward to getting back on my bike again!

Bible Passage
Genesis 37:1–37:36

What did you learn about God today?
Like everyone in this Jacob’s family, I can make a mess of just about every good gift God gives me. Jacob longed for a son from his true love; Rachel, and got 10 sons from three other women instead. Finally, he got his longed for son in Joseph and alienated his other sons by showing him favouritism. Joseph abused his gift of understanding the future through dreams to get back at his brothers. They abused the gift of family and allowed their jealousy to try to destroy Joseph’s life. The amazing thing about God is that he went on to turn all this mess into an even greater blessing for Jacob’s family. Only God can transform shame and regret into hope. Only God could have turned the stupid things I’ve done and transform them into a blessing.

How is this relevant to you today?
What’s Genesis 37 doing in the Bible? It reads more like a plot from EastEnders. A dysfunctional family at war with itself. A father with four wives. Brothers and half-brothers ganging up on the misfit brother. Reuben wants to throw him in a pit and rescue him later, Judah wants to make some easy money by selling Joseph into slavery, and the rest just want to kill him. They all lie to their dad, and while grief cripples him, unspoken guilt and shame hangs over the family for years to come. Some people seem to think the Bible is a book that just condemns bad people for being bad and makes good people hypocrites. Thankfully, it is not. This chapter reminds us that the Bible is about a God who is powerful and loving enough to get stuck into the very worst mess of our lives and bring deliverance and hope.

 

 

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#1 Eddie Fleming 2012-02-20 13:49
I find Rory's understanding of this interesting, as I always had Joeseph as the victim of his brothers jealousy. But when you think about it he had his part to play also. We as families can be like this too and we must guard against the temptation to put ourselves over and above others. We need to remember that the gifts we have are from God for his Glory and Honour.
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