-overlay%20(2)%20(1).jpg){kind=spacer}
Yellow: Direct Answer.
Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.
Light Blue: Additional Points.
“Jehovah was with Joseph and […] made sure that everything he did turned out well” (GEN. 39:3).
1, 2. (a) Why don't tests take us by surprise? b) What will we talk about in this article?
TO THE servants of Jehovah, trials do not take us by surprise. to). We know what the Bible says: "We have to go through many difficulties to enter the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). And we also know that some of our problems will only be definitively resolved when we live in the new world, where “death will be no more, there will be no more sorrow, nor sorrow, nor sorrow” (Rev. 21:4).
2 Jehovah does not prevent us from experiencing trials, but he does help us endure them. Let's look at something the Apostle Paul said to the Christians living in Rome. After mentioning the trials that he and his brothers were going through, he wrote to them: “Thanks to him who loved us, we emerged completely victorious from all these things” (Rom. 8: 35-37). This means that Jehovah can make us succeed even during a trial. b). Let's see what he did so that José did well in everything and how he can help us today.
WHEN AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE OCCURS
3. How did Jose's life change overnight?
3 It was no secret that the patriarch Jacob loved his son Joseph very much (Gen. 37:3, 4). That's why Joseph's older brothers began to feel jealous of him. And when the opportunity arose, they sold it to some Midianite merchants. Those men took Joseph to Egypt, which was hundreds of miles away. And there they sold him again, this time to Potiphar, head of Pharaoh's guard. Joseph's life changed overnight: he went from being a beloved son to being a slave in Egypt (Gen. 39:1).
4. What situations similar to José's could we face?
4 The Bible says: “Everyone has a bad time” (Eccl. 9:11). Sometimes we face what is common to all people, that is, problems that any human being can have (1 Cor. 10:13). Or we may suffer ridicule, opposition, or even persecution simply for being a disciple of Jesus (2 Tim. 3:12). In either case, Jehovah can make us successful. Let's see how he helped Jose.
5. What did Potiphar realize? (Genesis 39:2-6).
5 (Read Genesis 39:2-6). Potiphar saw that Joseph was a competent and hard-working young man. And he understood why he was like that. He realized “that Jehovah was with Joseph and that Jehovah made sure that everything he did turned out well for him.” Later, Potiphar made her his personal assistant and put her in charge of his entire household. As a result, this man received many blessings.
ILLUSTRATION
Potiphar buys Joseph to be his slave. Jehovah made things go well for Joseph even when he was sold to Potiphar to be his slave. (See paragraph 5).
6. How must Jose feel?
6 Let's try to put ourselves in Joseph's place. What was he most wanted? Get Potiphar's attention to reward him? Surely, what he wanted most was to be free and return to his father's house. After all, no matter how many privileges he had, he was still the slave of a man who worshiped other gods. Jehovah did not make Potiphar release Joseph. And on top of that, things were going to get much worse.
IF THE SITUATION WORSE
7. Why can it be said that José's situation worsened? (Genesis 39:14, 15).
7 As Genesis chapter 39 explains, Potiphar's wife noticed Joseph and tried to seduce him on many occasions. But he always rejected her. She got so angry that she accused him of trying to rape her (see Genesis 39:14, 15). When Potiphar found out, he put Joseph in prison, where he spent some years (Gen. 39:19, 20). What were the conditions there? The Hebrew word that Joseph used to refer to prison can be translated as "pit" or "cistern." This suggests that it was a dark and depressing place (Gen. 40:15; note). Furthermore, the Bible indicates that for a time Joseph's feet were shackled and his neck was chained (Ps. 105:17, 18). His situation went from bad to worse: he went from being a trusted slave to being a common prisoner.
8. What can we be sure of even when things get worse?
8 Have we had to go through a distressing situation that was getting worse even though we prayed a lot? That is something that could happen. Jehovah does not prevent us from undergoing trials in the world that Satan controls (1 John 5:19). Now, we can be sure that our Father is very aware of everything that happens to us and cares about us (Matt. 10:29-31; 1 Pet. 5:6, 7). Furthermore, he has promised us: “I will never leave you and I will never forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). With Jehovah's help we can endure situations that seem to have no solution. That was just what happened to José.
9. What shows that Jehovah was with Joseph during his years in jail? (Genesis 39:21-23).
9 (Read Genesis 39:21-23). Jehovah made Joseph successful even in that darkest time of his life. What happened? Just as he had done with Potiphar, Joseph earned the trust and respect of the prison warden, who soon put him in charge of all the prisoners. In fact, the Bible says that "the head of the prison cared nothing for what he had put in Joseph's care." Thanks to that, José now had his mind occupied with something productive. Isn't it surprising that such authority was given to a man accused of attempting to rape the wife of a court official? There is only one possible explanation. As Genesis 39:23 says, “Jehovah was with Joseph, and Jehovah saw to it that everything he did turned out well for him.”
ILLUSTRATION
José gives orders to other prisoners. Jehovah was with Joseph even during his years in jail, so he was put in charge of all the prisoners. (See paragraph 9).
10. Why is it likely that José did not feel that everything was working out for him?
10 Let's put ourselves in Joseph's place again. Let's think: did he feel that everything was going well for him while in prison because of a false accusation? What did José want most? Was it perhaps the prison chief liked him? Surely what he wanted is to be acquitted and set free. In fact, he asked a prisoner who was going to be released to tell Pharaoh about him so that he would be released from that horrible prison (Gen. 40:14). However, because the man took a long time to talk to Pharaoh, Joseph had to spend two more years in jail (Gen. 40:23; 41:1, 14). But, thanks to Jehovah's help, Joseph continued to do well. How is that possible?
11. What gift did Jehovah give Joseph, and how did this contribute to the fulfillment of Jehovah's purpose?
11 While Joseph was in jail, Jehovah caused the king of Egypt to have two troubling dreams. Pharaoh was eager to know the meaning of it. So, when he found out that José had the gift of interpreting dreams , he sent for him. With Jehovah's help, Joseph not only explained the meaning of the dreams, but also told him how he should act. And this greatly impressed Pharaoh. Realizing that this young man had Jehovah's support, he made him the administrator of food for all Egypt (Gen. 41:38, 41-44). Years later, a long time of famine arose, affecting not only Egypt, but also Canaan, where Joseph's family lived.Thanks to the position that Joseph had, he could now save his own, who would become ancestors of the Messiah over time.
12. What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well?
12 Let's think about the turns that Joseph's life took. Who made Potiphar notice him, when he was just a slave ? Who made the head of the prison put him above the other prisoners ? Who caused Pharaoh's disturbing dreams and gave Joseph the gift of interpreting them ? Who was behind appointing him as Egypt's food administrator ? (Gen. 45:5). It is clear that it was Jehovah who made everything he did work out for Joseph. In the end, Jehovah turned the evil plan of Joseph's brothers into a means to accomplish his will.
WHAT DOES JEHOVAH DO TO GO WELL FOR US?
13. Does Jehovah intervene in every situation we face?
13 The account of the life of Joseph teaches us something important. Does Jehovah intervene in every situation we face? Does he direct everything that happens to us so that something good comes out of something bad? The Bible does not support that idea (Eccl. 8:9; 9:11). But there is one thing we are sure of: when we go through a test, Jehovah is very aware of everything and listens to our cries for help (Ps. 34:15; 55:22; Is. 59:1). And not only that. He helps us successfully face difficulties. How does he do it?
14. How does Jehovah help us in difficult times?
14 Jehovah gives us comfort and encouragement, often at the right time (2 Cor. 1:3, 4). This was seen with his own eyes by Eziz, a brother from Turkmenistan who was sentenced to two years in prison for his beliefs. He recounts: “The morning of my trial, a brother showed me Isaiah 30:15, which says: 'Your strength from him will depend on your remaining calm and confident.' Those words helped me at all times to be calm and trust in Jehovah. Thinking about that verse gave me strength the whole time I was in prison.” Can you think of a time in our lives when Jehovah sustained us by giving us comfort and encouragement when we needed it most?
15, 16. What do we learn from Tori's experience?
15 We often don't realize how Jehovah has helped us during a trial until we leave it behind. A sister named Tori proved this to be the case. Her son, Mason, passed away after battling cancer for six years. Not surprisingly, Tori was devastated. She says, "I don't think a mother could go through anything more painful than this." And she adds: "Surely all parents would agree with me that it is worse to see a child suffer than to suffer yourself."
16 Although it was a very painful situation, some time later Tori began to think about all that Jehovah had done to help her. She says: “When I think back to that time, I can see that Jehovah lovingly sustained me the entire time Mason was sick. I remember that even when my son was too weak to receive visitors, the brothers would travel two hours to come to the hospital. There was always someone in the waiting room, ready to support us. And they also helped us financially. Even in the most difficult moments, we always had what was necessary”. Jehovah gave both Tori and Mason what they needed to get through (see the sidebar “Jehovah Gave Us Just What We Needed”).
“Jehovah Gave Us Just What We Needed”
Mason was diagnosed with cancer when he was seven years old, and he bravely battled this disease for six years. Because of cancer, he was hospitalized several times. But the brothers noticed that he always did the same thing when he left the hospital: he went to preach right away. Until he had the strength, Mason loved to talk about Jehovah with other people.
When Mason died, more than 700 people attended his funeral, including teachers and classmates. A teacher who went to see him shortly before he died said that she would like his children to have as much faith as he did. She also commented that, in the five years that she had lived in the area, she had not been visited by the Witnesses. Just the day after that visit, two Witnesses came to her house, and she said that she would go to the meeting.
Tori, Mason's mom, said: “Thinking about Jehovah not performing a miracle to save my little boy sometimes made it hard for me to see that he was actually helping us succeed. He was there, by our side. Jehovah gave us just what we needed when we needed it . ”
LET US LOOK AT THE BLESSINGS THAT JEHOVAH HAS GIVEN US
17, 18. What will help us see and appreciate Jehovah's support when we experience a trial? (Psalm 40:5).
17 (Read Psalm 40:5). The goal of a mountaineer is to reach the top. But along the way there are plenty of places where you can stop and take in the views. In a similar way, we must often stop and think about how Jehovah is helping us to face a trial successfully. At the end of the day, let's ask ourselves: “What blessings from Jehovah have I received today? Although the test is still there, what is he doing to help me endure? Let's try to find at least one blessing from Jehovah every day.
18 It is understandable and appropriate that we ask Jehovah to put an end to the test we are going through (Phil. 4:6). But let's not lose sight of the blessings we have now. After all, Jehovah promises to give us strength and help us endure. So let's always appreciate the support he gives us. If we do, we will see that Jehovah is helping us to do well even during trials, just as he helped Joseph (Gen. 41:51, 52).
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well during the time he was a slave in Potiphar's house?
Jehovah was with Joseph and Jehovah was in charge that everything he did turn out well for him.”
Jehovah made Potiphar notice him, when he was just a slave.
What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well in prison?
Jehovah made Joseph successful even in that very dark time of his life.
What is Jehovah doing today so that things go well for us?
Jehovah promises to give us strength and help us endure. So let's always appreciate the support he gives us.
Comments
Post a Comment