The sorrow that Jacob felt when his son Joseph was reported missing and presumed dead was deep and all-consuming.
“(He) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age.” Genesis 37:3a
Jacob, named Israel, had already experienced the loss of his beloved wife Rachel who had died in childbirth with his youngest son, Benjamin. Rachel…whom he had fallen in love with as she was shepherding her father’s sheep…the beloved wife that he had to work an extra seven years for on top of the seven years that he had already worked. Imagine a man working for a total of 14 years to earn a woman’s hand in marriage! Now his beloved Rachel has died, and one of her two sons, who clearly was the favorite among the twelve he had, is now gone.
“Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” Genesis 37:35
Somehow life moved on around him; his family increased and Benjamin grew up. By the time famine came to the land, I am sure the added sorrow and uncertainty seemed overwhelming to Jacob. The news of grain available in Egypt must have been a welcome sliver of hope in the midst of despair. Jacob sent his sons to get some grain so that his family would be able to eat.
Next we see ten desperate brothers journeying to Egypt, and unbeknownst to them, their lost brother Joseph, who through a Divinely orchestrated series of events, is now in charge of the grain stores in Egypt. As the brothers approach him to purchase the grain, Joseph recognizes them, but does not reveal who he is. The spellbinding story of the grain, the silver and the trip back to bring Benjamin can be found in Genesis 37 through 47. Jacob’s anguish intensifies when his eldest son, Reuben, pledges the lives of his own two sons to be able to take Benjamin back down to Egypt as Joseph commanded.
Think about this with me for a minute through our modern-day trauma lens. We have a man who deceived his father, angered his brother and had to work 14 years for the wife he wanted. Most of his children grew up knowing rejection; their father didn’t care for their mother as much as his other wife and family. There was always the threat of attack from other people groups living around the family of Israel. Two of the brothers had mercilessly slaughtered a whole town in retribution for a young man’s rape of their sister. Jacob’s beloved wife died in childbirth with Benjamin. The Bible clearly says Joseph was his favorite…did that mean he was cold toward Benjamin because of Rachel’s death? That behavior wouldn’t be unusual. Underpinning all of this is the rivalry between two sisters that most surely carried through to their children and grandchildren. I wonder how Reuben’s sons felt when they were used as a bargaining chip for their uncle Benjamin? The mind boggles!
Unwilling to lose Rachel’s other son, Jacob refuses to let him go down to Egypt. Eventually, when the grain stores are depleted, Jacob is faced with an impossible choice. He relents and sends his youngest son down to Joseph, with older brother Judah vouching for Benjamin’s safety.
Studying this story in scripture reveals that there is something going on behind the scenes, but those who were living the story couldn’t see it at the time. Joseph had no tangible means of rescue. Jacob was sure that his son was dead. The family was overwhelmed with the famine that blanketed the Middle East. In desperation the brothers started a long journey. It truly would have been a shock to Joseph to see his brothers approach him for grain.
But, God.
God had been working on a plan the whole time. Joseph had risen up the ranks in Egypt to become very powerful, and to be in a position to actually help his family. God’s timing is perfect to preserve His chosen people; He is keeping His promise. Jacob’s sorrow becomes joy when not only does he receive sustenance for his family, but finds that his beloved Joseph is still alive! I have read and heard about these events many times; it is a favorite Bible story. It has recently become clear to me that while the individuals could only see their struggles at the time, God was painting that sorrow into a bigger picture made more beautiful by the suffering. His plan was to preserve the entire nation and to continue the family line of Abraham. We see this acknowledged in Joseph’s words at the end of Genesis.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Genesis 50:20 NIV
Our time here on earth is filled with many sorrows. There are little ones and big ones. Sometimes the accumulation of little sorrows can be more overwhelming than one big loss. We can live through a life-altering grief such as the loss of a spouse or a child only to have the smallest loss cause us to topple. One of the most difficult questions that Christians and non-Christians alike wrestle with is “Why would a good God let such a bad thing happen?” A short answer is that we live in a broken and cursed world that isn’t what God intended for us. Short answers don’t always bring much relief. I believe that the story of Joseph is a longer answer that can give us comfort. Sorrow upon sorrow experienced at the time were actually a series of events within which God was at work through many people to accomplish His plan.
God still is and always will be in the business of redemption.
”The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.“
Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV
Sister, if you can’t feel or see God working behind the scenes in the sorrows that you are currently experiencing, take heart in the story of how God saved the fledgling nation of Israel. He is the Promise Keeper, and whether in this life or the eternal one, He will sustain you through it to the other side of sorrow.
For further reflection:
Jacob Shown Joseph’s Bloody Coat
Circle of Rembrandt van Rijn
https://www.theleidencollection.com/viewer/jacob-shown-josephs-bloody-coat/
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Sarah Flowers lives in idyllic Chadds Ford, where she is steeped in beauty and connection to the land and its history. She loves coffee and flowers and getting to know Jesus. A lifelong learner, she seeks to follow God’s plan to bring justice to the under-resourced. Sarah is a self-declared serial optimist and melodiphile; there’s always a path to the sunny side and a soundtrack for the journey! She is a mom and wife and a grateful alumna of Northwood University.
Her former iterations include automotive professional and shoe diva. Sarah serves on the Deacon Team at Willowdale Chapel.
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