HOW DOES GOD BRING GOOD OUT OF EVIL? WEEK 13 FROM “THE KINGDOM OF GOD: WHAT IS IT” BY DAN FOUNTAIN

I realize that last week, week 12, didn’t get posted. Maybe next time around.

taken from THIS book.
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Reading for today is Genesis 24-50! No small amount, that.

“God had to work through many dysfunctional aspects in the life of Abraham and his descendants to try to mold them into the people of this Kingdom. He wanted to preserve among them their knowledge of Him, their worship of Him, and their dependence on Him as their only God. He wanted to keep them separate from the surrounding nations so they would not be seduced into polytheistic idol worship and the corrupt morality that goes with it. (and I would add He desired for them to be the light to all nations that would draw all peoples to Him)

Highlighting Jacob and his family, Dr Fountains points out that God worked through the evil events in this family to bring good through them. A dysfunctional family (Jacob had 2 wives AND 2 concubines) produced 12 sons one of which was favored, leading to Joseph’s pride and then hatred toward him from his brothers, who sold him into slavery. Joseph, through his uprightness in Potiphar’s household, was given ever increasing responsibilities but was brought down when his uprightness clashed with the moral corruption in Potiphar’s wife. And of course the rest of the story ends with Joseph in charge of managing the great famine in Egypt which reunites him with his family and ultimately reconciles Joseph with is brothers. Unfortunately this leads to Israel’s enslavement but that’s a story for a later time. It does illustrate that God works in us to accomplish His goals in spire of the imperfect aspects of our lives.

This illustrates God’s goals for His people:

1. He wants us to be free from all that keeps us from living as He wants us to live.
2. He wants us to be righteous, which means to have right relationships with everyone, including with God himself.

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Some questions:

1. How did God bring good out of the evil that the brothers did to Joseph?
2. What lessons to you see in these accounts that can help us to live effectively in the Kingdom of God and under His rule?