Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.” Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.“
(Genesis 47:5-7)

“Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected
    was made the head of the corner.
This was from the Lord.
    It is marvelous in our eyes’?”
(Matthew 20:25-28)

Joseph was a TYPE of Jesus. A shadow of Messiah. A person we can look to and say this is the kind of thing attuned to God’s moral character. Joseph was a model or pattern that was fulfilled in the life and mission of Jesus. Joseph was rejected by his brothers. He was rejected by his owner. Yet what happened? The Lord used Joseph. Joseph was made the second-in-command of a great and mighty nation. He was placed in authority over his brothers and his parents and his former master. Joseph was rejected, but was raised high above them all. What did he do in his new position? He blessed them. He saved the brothers that had rejected them and gave them the best of the best. He enabled his father to bless Pharaoh. Pharaoh honoured them because of who Joseph was as a person, his moral character. Joseph saved the people of Egypt who had bought him as a slave and put him into prison. Joseph saved all their lives. They all had rejected him at one point, but then they turned around and embraced him. They accepted him.

It was the Lord who did this. Who made it come to pass. If it hadn’t been for His attention to Joseph, His lessons to Joseph, His faithfulness to Joseph; then Joseph would have become a VERY different person. The events of the famine would have played out VERY differently. But the Lord prepared and the Lord prepared well. The Earth has been undergoing a famine since the Fall. A famine of God’s presence. It’s getting worse. The world is pretty gaunt. But the Lord prepared and the Lord prepared well. When we come to the end of ourselves, Jesus is waiting. When the world gets to the end of itself, Jesus will be waiting. And those who once rejected Him, but then received Him as Lord and Saviour will be BLESSED.

Summary

Jesus didn’t come to us to judge us or to punish us or to smite us. He came to give us the opportunity to turn around. To leave a land of famine and hardship. To enter a land of blessing and opportunity. A chance to leave toil and embrace work. A chance to be in the Kingdom of Light, not the ignorance of darkness. Those who choose to embrace Jesus as Saviour and Lord have a chance at real life. Abundant life. BLESSED life. Because everything pertaining to life and godliness is found in Jesus and Jesus alone.