The Ominous Side of His Promises

It’s a funny thing how Joseph, in the Old Testament, had two super clear dreams and promises from God that he was going to be elevated to a place of leadership and outstanding influence. Joseph really got the message and began enthusiastically (and somewhat naïvely) telling his brothers and father all about ‘God’s Word’ to him. He was so energetic to that end that even his dad told him to rein it in a little bit.

You would think that it was now all set. A great word from God and Joseph is saying to himself, ‘Now I know why I’m alive and what I’m heading into! Just a few weeks now and I’m going to be in an amazing place!’

But a short while later Joseph experienced a level of familial rejection and abandonment that was unimaginable to this favoured son among twelve siblings! He ended up in Egypt, sold (by his brothers) as a slave.

However, he held on to his integrity and walked in faithfulness and God gave him a place of influence and he became the head man in the house of Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. Surely God was going to fulfil His Word now.

But no! Through no fault of his own, except walking in purity before God and the captain’s wife, he is wrongly accused and ends up in a hellish prison. There too he gains favour and ends up interpreting the dreams of two of the Pharoah’s main servants. He asks them to remember him when they get out of prison. IS it now God will fulfil His Word? But no! The men forget him and he has to wait two more long years … in prison.

The Bible’s commentary on this is immensely helpful:

“Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him” - Psalm cv 19

GOD’s time finally arrives and His Word to Joseph is fulfilled in its entirety. But here’s the rub. Before he sees God’s Word to him brought to pass he is taken the opposite direction and in the depths of prison and facing unmerited shame the Word of God “tried” (or tested) him!

There are times in life, like when I heard Him speak multiple times over a period of five months in 1980 about a calling over my life (that He has yet to fulfil!), that God seems to do the exact opposite in our lives to what He has promised, and appears to lead us away from that promise or make it so ‘removed’ from our lives that it would appear impossible.

It’s exactly in that time, when your feet are in the stocks in the deep, dark prison, and you feel abandoned and all alone, that God’s Word is testing you.

I called it the “ominous side of His promises” this morning as I thought about the several occasions in the past ten days when He has brought His Word to me - the same verse about holding my hand, not to be afraid and that He will help me (Isaiah xl1 13). Now I’m wondering what I’m heading into, why I might be afraid, need my hand held and His particular help!

However, I’m also totally relaxed and at peace that He’s got this, like He always has. And I’m holding on tight to that ‘word’ He gave me!