Joseph was one of the ancestors of the Israelites in the Old Testament. His life can be said to be ups and downs, very exciting. He was favored by his father from an early age, and later, despite all kinds of hardships, he eventually became the prime minister of Egypt, and his two sons became two tribes of Israel, and his life can be said to be a life of love. Today we will start with his birth, what three kinds of love he had in his life, and how these three kinds of love are different.
First, the love from the father
James's account reads as follows: Joseph was seventeen years old and shepherded sheep with his brothers. He was a boy who was always with his father's concubines, Pyrah and Sippa's sons. Joseph reported the evil deeds of his brothers to their father. Israel used to love Joseph too much for his sons, because Joseph was born in his old age, and he made Joseph a colored garment. ”
This passage from Genesis speaks of Israel (Jacob) loving Joseph more than his sons. It shows that Joseph was particularly favored by his father.
There are two reasons for this.
One is that the father loves his wife Rachel the most, and therefore loves rachel's son the most. This is the expression of AiWu and Wu.
Second, Joseph's own actions made his father love him even more. This is also what we should focus on.
These include:
1. Be industrious from an early age.
At the age of seventeen, he herded sheep with his brother. It shows that Joseph worked diligently and actively from an early age.
2. Conduct with integrity.
Scripture speaks of Joseph's brother having evil deeds, but Joseph did not. It shows that Joseph's behavior was more upright. We can also see from Joseph's later performance.
For example, when he was sold to Egypt, when confronted with the beauty temptation of the mistress of the chief guard's house, he could firmly refuse, saying, "How can I do this great evil and sin against God?"
Just like a child who does not lie, does not steal, is very obedient, reads very seriously, and is naturally more pampered.
3. There is no room for sin.
"Joseph reported his brothers' evil deeds to their father."
Joseph saw his brothers' evil deeds and told his father about them. This gives him more love from his father.
Of course, this behavior is worth exploring. Is such an act appropriate?
First, it is right to point out the evil deeds of men.
Paul also pointed out the mistakes that people make. Such as pointing out the mistakes made by Peter; Point out the mistakes of the Corinthian believers.
Second, when pointing out human errors, pay attention to the way.
Joseph told his father directly about his brothers' evil deeds, so that he could please his father, but he also offended his brothers.
But Joseph did so, by and large, without problems. Because evil deeds, which represent very bad behaviors, need to be informed and disciplined by the father.
Of course, it may be better to remind him in person to repentance.
At the same time, pray more for those who sin.
Second, love from mothers
Joseph's mother, Rachel, was previously attacked and ridiculed by Jacob's other wives and concubines because of her inability to have children.
Later, she was blindsided and finally gave birth to Joseph, and got the precious son she had been waiting for for a long time.
Although the text does not talk in detail about Rachel's love for Joseph, we can imagine that for Rachel, who had a son who had a son so hard, she must have given all her love to Joseph and pampered her.
Unfortunately, Joseph's mother, Rachel, gave Joseph a very short-lived motherly love, because she later died in childbirth due to the birth of Grace.
"They started from Bethel, and there was still a long way to go before Effac, and Rachel's delivery was very difficult. In the midst of the difficult times, the midwife said to her, 'Don't be afraid, you have another son.' She was nearing death, and when her soul was about to go, he named her son Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin. ”
Mother's love is one of the greatest in the world. But for Joseph, such love was too short-lived.
Therefore, for Joseph, his life was also flawed, that is, he could not fully enjoy the love from his mother.
For most people, maternal love will one day cease to exist, because relatives will always have a day to leave.
This also gives us two insights.
First, there are always shortcomings in life.
Joseph's flaw was that maternal love was too short for him.
And each of us will have different shortcomings. In the face of these shortcomings, we must learn to face them calmly and believe that God has sufficient grace so that our hearts can be satisfied.
The second is that love in the world is short-lived, and only the holy love of the Most High is eternal.
Whether it is the love of the father, the love of the mother, the love of the spouse, the love of the brother, it is limited and short-lived.
As John Sr. said, "The world and the lusts in it will pass, and the only one who does his will will will last forever."
Third, love from God
"The ancestors were jealous of Joseph and sold him to Egypt. But The Revelation was with him, saving him from all suffering, and giving him grace and wisdom before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh sent him to be the prime minister of the kingdom of Egypt and to oversee the whole family.
One of the Seven Deacons, and the first martyr Stephen, mentioned in his speech that Joseph's life was full of love from above.
Although Joseph was sold to Egypt because he was jealous of his brothers, one of them was with him.
With the presence of the Supreme One in heaven and the unforgiving love, what else was Joseph afraid of? Even though he went down to prison and experienced suffering, this love came upon him and made him overcome the suffering, to become the prime minister of Egypt, to become a blessing to the family, and to the people in the midst of famine.
Throughout Joseph's life, he had a particularly rich set of hobbies.
1. Make him a son especially loved by his parents.
He was the eldest son of Rachel, the beloved wife of his father Jacob, and was therefore greatly favored.
2. To enable him to grow through all kinds of suffering and have a good life.
Whether he was sold to Egypt by his brothers, or sent to prison in Egypt, or all sorts of other sufferings, there was a special intention that would allow him to be tested and grow better in his suffering.
As Joseph himself said:
You used to mean to harm me, but his intention was good, to save the lives of many people and to achieve the state of the day.
3. To equip him with special wisdom to interpret dreams.
While in prison, Joseph can solve the dream of drinking and eating, and has the opportunity to get out of prison.
After his release from prison, he was also important to the Egyptian pharaoh because he could interpret dreams.
4. Make him the prime minister of Egypt and bless more people.
When Joseph was sold to Egypt, he became a slave to man. But he was exalted, making him the prime minister of the Egyptian pharaohs, above all men under one man. And by becoming prime minister, the problem of famine can be solved and many people can benefit.
5. Make his position from low to high.
Joseph was originally his father's eleventh son, at the end of the line. But it occupied two seats among the twelve tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh.
The Israelites had only the eldest son to receive double the inheritance and blessings, and Joseph's two sons had only two shares, which was equivalent to receiving the title of firstborn son.
In our own way, we are all like Joseph, loved. Although we are not as wise and wise as Joseph, as gifted as Joseph, and not as noble as Joseph, love from heaven is still full and rich.
By contemplating the great love that Joseph had been met with, we see that in Joseph's life there was love from his father, love from his mother, and special love from heaven. From this, we can learn from Joseph to live a good life, a performance of hard work, integrity, and intolerance of sin, in order to gain more love from his parents and elders. It also allows us to see that man's love for man is limited, limited by time and space, and only holy love is eternal. The Most High loves Joseph, and He loves every one of us today. As long as we are willing to look up to Him, believe in Him, and do As He will, we will have an abundance of love and grace in our lives, just as Joseph did.