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“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?
Because as Acts 14:22 says, we are already warned that we have to go through many difficulties to enter the Kingdom of God.
The tests do not take us by surprise because we know what the Bible says. In addition, texts like Acts 14:22 warn us that Jehovah's servants have to go through many difficulties to enter the kingdom of God. Therefore we know that our problems do not have a definitive solution while we live in this evil world, since only the Kingdom of God has the power to free us from sadness, crying, pain and death, as Jehovah promises us. in Revelation 21:4.
1, 2. b) What will we talk about in this article?
In this article we will see that Jehovah does not prevent us from going through trials, but he does help us to endure them. He can even make us succeed during trials. To understand it better, we will analyze what Jehovah did so that everything went well for Joseph, and how he can also help us today.
Well, we are going to see the example of Joseph who, as Jehovah, helped him to do well in everything despite the tests he had to go through and also how he can help us today.
WHEN AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE OCCURS
3. How did Jose's life change overnight?
Since Joseph was Jacob's favorite son, his brothers became jealous of him, and when the opportunity arose they sold him to some Midianite merchants. These merchants took Joseph Alexander to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the head of Pharaoh's guard. So overnight, Joseph went from being a much loved son, to making a slave in Egypt as Genesis 39:1 shows.
Well, Joseph was a very beloved son of his father and for that reason his brothers hated him, so as soon as they had the opportunity to sell him to some Midianite merchants they did so, they took him to Egypt and then in Egypt they returned to him again. to sell and went to Potiphar's house, so he went from being a son very loved by his father to becoming a slave in Egypt.
4. What situations similar to José's could we face?
Situations that any of us could pass as ridicule or opposition for being Jehovah's Witnesses and even being persecuted for carrying out the work of the Kingdom.
Ecclesiastes 91, says that a bad moment comes to all of us. So we can sometimes face ridicule, opposition or persecution, for the simple fact of being a disciple of Jesus, as 2 Timothy 3:12 shows.
And this is something that should not take us by surprise, and the apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy in chapter 3 verse 12 the final part said that as Christ Jesus said that we would also be persecuted, so perhaps at some point in time of our Christian life because we all have to face this type of circumstance just like Joseph did and we must try to overcome it by all means.
5. What did Potiphar realize? (Genesis 39:2-6).
That he 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 was in charge that everything he did turn out well for him.
Potiphar realized that Joseph was a competent and hard-working young man. he also understood that this was because Jehovah was with Joseph and that he was in charge that everything he did turn out well for him. From there, Potifar later appointed Joseph his personal assistant and also commissioned the entire house from him.
And the paragraph note says that although the Bible presents in a few verses what happened to the life of Joseph in the first stage, a few verses, surely these events took place over a period of several years.
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?
Well, although José now had many privileges, he was still the slave of a man who worshiped false gods, for which reason, surely, what José wanted most was to be free and return to his parents' house.
Although Joseph now had many privileges, he was still the slave of a man who worshiped false gods. Therefore, very surely, what José wanted most was to be free and return to his father's house.
If at first he is telling us, let's try to put ourselves in José's place, perhaps when we go through a difficulty, a problem, an adverse circumstance, the answer to our prayers is not what we want, because perhaps, as José is commenting here, what he wanted it was to be free, however Jehovah continued to bless him despite the circumstances and that is what we have to value, the blessings that Jehovah is giving us regarding some problem or bad circumstances that we are going through.
IF THE SITUATION WORSE
7. Why can it be said that José's situation worsened? (Genesis 39:14, 15).
Well, as we have just read, Potiphar's wife looks at Joseph, tries to seduce him on several occasions and when she finds herself rejected, she gets angry with him, so what she does is accuse him of trying to rape her, so this situation was going to get much worse. for Jose.
Joseph's situation worsened because his master Potifar's wife tried to seduce him on many occasions. And faced with Joseph's repeated rejection, this woman became angry and accused him of trying to rape her, as described in Genesis 39:14-15. Given this, Potiphar put Joseph in prison for several years. This prison was possibly like a dark hole in which Joseph's feet were shackled and his neck was chained. As we can see, José's situation now went from bad to worse. From being a slave, he became a common prisoner.
So, as we can see, his situation continues to worsen because he went from being a trusted slave to being a common prisoner.
The situation is quite complicated for him because he was not in a normal cell, he mentions in the same paragraph that they shackled his feet and then chained his neck, which if we put our feet at home with a chain around our necks It is very uncomfortable how we are going to be able to live like this, because that is the time that José was in that cell with that hole.
8. What can we be sure of even when things get worse?
That Jehovah is very aware of everything that happens to us and cares about us.
Even if things get worse, we can be sure that Jehovah is aware of everything that happens to us and cares about us, as 1 Peter 5:6-7 assures us. Furthermore, as Hebrews 13:5 says, we can be confident that Jehovah will fulfill his promise to never leave or abandon us and that with his help we will be able to endure even situations that seem to have no solution.
There are times when one thinks that things cannot get worse and yet they get much worse, however in distressing situations we can meditate on the words of Jesus that make us see how important and valuable we are to Jehovah, he said that no sparrow falls to the ground without his father knowing it and that in our case Jehovah knows everything about us nothing escapes him because even the hairs on our heads are numbered, so that is why he told us not to be afraid that with his help We can endure and get through it all.
It was a distressing situation. If we put ourselves in that situation, sometimes we see that situations do not improve and we see that what happens to us worsens, but before I had read the text of the first of Peter 5:6 and 7, the last part says to cast your concerns all your concerns about him, when the situation is really hard and difficult and you cast your concerns on him, it is true that the situation will not change, but it will change your feelings, your attitude and you will feel that Jehovah is close to you you.
9. What shows that Jehovah was with Joseph during his years in jail? (Genesis 39:21-23).
This is demonstrated by the fact that José was successful in gaining the trust and respect of the prison warden, who soon put him in charge of all the prisoners. In this way, José had his mind occupied with something productive. The fact that Joseph was given such authority within the prison as Genesis 39:21-23 shows, is proof that Jehovah made sure everything worked out for him.
Well it seems that it is impossible that a man who was accused of trying to rape the wife of a court official would be given any kind of authority while in prison, however Jehovah did this so that Joseph would have his mind occupied with something productive, so he earned the trust and respect of the head of the prison and was able to spend those years calmer.
Yes, it surprises us more because this prison chief was Potiphar's subordinate, that is, how was he going to do something that the chief had commanded him for an act that was false, but well, it was a very strong accusation regarding Joseph, that is, we see that Jehovah was moving matters because there are inexplicable things that we do not understand.
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).
And also that that time in prison allowed him to take on functions as an administrator, so perhaps learn to be a leader over a group of people and we know that later on that would serve him to take the reins second after Pharaoh and be a leader and a director for an entire nation.
10. Why is it likely that José did not feel that everything was working out for him?
It's likely because although his situation had been improved by the prison warden liking him, he was still in jail on a false charge. We know this because Genesis 40:14 shows that Joseph asked a prisoner who would be released to tell Pharaoh about him so that he would release him from prison. But that did not happen immediately. Instead, José had to spend two more years in jail.
Because you have to think that he was in jail for a false accusation, so surely for him the important thing would be the one that will be freed that they remove that accusation although inside jail he was doing the best possible but his feelings would surely be the wanting him to be acquitted and free.
11. What gift did Jehovah give Joseph, and how did this contribute to the fulfillment of Jehovah's purpose?
While Joseph was still in jail, Jehovah gave him the gift of interpreting dreams. Then he had Pharaoh have two disturbing dreams and had Joseph interpret them AND tell him what he should do. Pharaoh was so impressed that he made Joseph manager of all food for Egypt. Years later a famine broke out that spread to Canal, José's family land, but thanks to his position as administrator, José was able to help them. So by protecting the ancestors of the Messiah, Joseph contributed to the fulfillment of Jehovah's purpose.
Well, he gave him the gift of interpreting dreams like this with the help of Jehovah because he not only explained the meaning of those dreams but also told him how he had to act that impressed Pharaoh so much when he realized that he could count on Jehovah's support that he appointed him administrator of food for all Egypt.
12. What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well?
That first Jehovah made Potiphar notice Joseph when he was a simple slave, then he made prison put him above the rest of the prisoners.
Jehovah made Potiphar notice Joseph when he was a simple slave, Then he made him put above the rest of the prisoners in prison. He also caused Pharaoh's disturbing dreams and gave Joseph the gift of interpreting them. As if that were not enough, he had Pharaoh appoint Joseph as administrator of the food for all of Egypt. In this way, Jehovah not only made things go well for Joseph, but also turned the evil plan of Joseph's brothers into a means to accomplish his will.
So, in short, Jehovah did everything necessary throughout Joseph's life so that things went well for him and now seeing that after all his life is very easy but living with that every day because perhaps for Joseph it wasn't so simple, that is a great example for us, Jehovah throughout our lives will do everything necessary for us to go well even though it may not seem like it to us.
WHAT DOES JEHOVAH DO TO GO WELL FOR US?
13. Does Jehovah intervene in every situation we face?
There is something we are sure of is that when we go through a test, Jehovah is very aware of everything and listens to our cries for help.
Ecclesiastes 8:9 and 9:1, shows us that Jehovah does not direct everything that happens to us, so that something good comes out of something bad. On the contrary, the quoted texts clearly say that man has dominated man to his own evil, and that a bad moment comes to all of us from time to time. However, when we go through a test, Jehovah is aware of everything and hears our cry for help and helps us to face difficulties successfully.
We also know how Jehovah acts at all times, Isaiah 59:1 says that Jehovah's hand is not so short that it cannot save us and his ear is not so short that it cannot hear us, we know that no matter how difficult the situation is true that you have to go through it that you have to suffer but Jehovah is always behind all our suffering.
14. How does Jehovah help us in difficult times?
Jehovah helps us by encouraging us. This was seen with his own eyes by a brother named Eziz from Turkmenistan who was sentenced to two years in jail because of his beliefs. He recounts that on the morning of his trial, a brother showed him the text of Isaiah 30:15 and these words gave him strength and helped him to be calm all the time he was imprisoned, because they reminded him that his strength would depend on his continuing to trust in Jehovah and to remain calm.
Yes, the truth is that the question that comes at the end of the paragraph is very interesting because it says, a moment in our lives comes to mind when Jehovah supported us giving us comfort and encouragement when we needed it most, the truth is that when one meditates it occurs He realizes that in many moments that when we were most bad, Jehovah was there giving us comfort in many ways, encouragement from the brothers and this makes us see that Jehovah never abandons us even in the most difficult moments of our lives.
15, 16. What do we learn from Tori's experience?
We learn that we don't always realize how Jehovah has helped us during a trial until we leave it behind. We also learn that Jehovah during a trial can help us in many ways. In this case, for example, the Brothers traveled two hours to visit little Mazon in the hospital and there was always someone in the waiting room ready to give Tori and Mazon their support, and even helped them financially. This shows how lovingly Jehovah gave Tori and Mazon what they needed to endure and he will do it for us too.
Well, as we can see, no one gets rid of going through such hard times, perhaps like this sister who explains the paragraph that her son spent 6 years fighting cancer and finally died, but she realizes when she looks back that in that moment of pain Perhaps you did not see how Jehovah helped them, but looking back over time you realized that he helped them in many ways.
If the sister completely mentions the fact that there were brothers willing to travel for hours, two hours to go to the hospital, maybe she couldn't even see the little one because he wasn't there to receive visitors but they were there in the waiting room to give her support for the family and that is something that the sister realized, once all the final outcome was over she remembered these things and then she was able to reach that conclusion of what we are talking about that Jehovah had been helping her throughout that process.
“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).
Something that will help us to see and appreciate the support that Jehovah gives us when we go through a trial is to stop and think frequently about how Jehovah is helping us to face a trial successfully. And we do well if at the end of the day we ask ourselves: “What blessings from Jehovah have I received today? Although the test is still there, what is he doing to help me endure? surely we would say like the Psalmist: If he tried to narrate them and talk about them, they would be too much, more than I can count.
Thinking about how Jehovah is successfully helping us to face these tests, asking ourselves at the end of the day what blessings we have received from Jehovah, it is true that the test may not go away and we will continue with it, but we can see each day a blessing from Jehovah.
Yes, what he says about how Jehovah helps us to endure is very interesting and something that I think we all do because hard things happen to all of us in this system, is to ask Jehovah to give us strength and we are constantly asking him and Jehovah constantly It is giving strength and more as we can, we are holding on until the time comes when all these hard things will end.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well during the time he was a slave in Potiphar's house?
Because Jehovah was with Joseph, He made sure that everything he did turned out well for him. Therefore, Potiphar made her his personal assistant and put her in charge of his entire household. So Jehovah made Joseph a competent, hardworking, and trustworthy young man.
We can see how he intervened so that everything would turn out well, everything he did and that Potiphar will pay attention precisely to him and his results, so he put him in charge of his entire house and Potiphar recognized that Jehovah was with Joseph.
What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well in prison?
In Genesis 39:23 it says that Jehovah was with Joseph and Jehovah made sure that everything he did turned out well. So, 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. Also, thanks to the support of Jehovah, the gift that he had given him purely to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh, for this reason, he appointed him administrator of the food of all Egypt and thanks to the position he had, he was able to save his own family that they converted with him. passage of time in ancestors of the Messiah.
Well, he also blessed everything he did so that it turned out well, so once he reminds us that when we are in a bad situation we have to do things so that Jehovah has something to bless as he does with Joseph.
What is Jehovah doing today so that things go well for us?
Although Jehovah does not intervene in every situation we face, he does give us comfort and encouragement, often at just the right time. For example, he uses our siblings to support us emotionally or financially. And the truth is, many times, we don't realize how Jehovah is helping us during a trial until we leave the trial behind. That is why we must be sure that Jehovah promises to give us strength and help us endure so that we can successfully face the trials.
Despite the fact that Jehovah will not miraculously remove it from us when we are suffering a test, what he will do today is give us the strength and help to be able to bear it in the best possible way.
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