Preserved for Purpose Part 2

God’s Preservation Process

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “preservation” as the process of keeping something valued alive, intact, or free from damage or decay.

This is exactly Father God’s intent for your relationship with Him through living a holy and righteous life.

So, what is the preservation process? Well, it depends on what your trying to preserve and why. If I am preserving food it is one process. But if I am preserving digital data it will involve a different process.

Sometimes, preservation and conservation are used interchangeably. However, they are not the same. Conservation involves preservation but deals primarily with planned management.

Regardless of what we are trying to preserve, one key question in any preservation or conservation process is, “Whats growing in it.”

Again, this is exactly one of Father God’s biggest questions for us, “What is growing on the inside you?” Father extremely values you. He valued you so much that all things were created to sustain you in the natural realm. All things were sacrificed to sustain you in the eternal realm. Father wants you to not only be alive but to know life in Him abundantly.

John 10:10 ESV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

There are several words in Hebrew for “abundantly” that define God’s intent here:

rbh רבה implying increase, to grow up, to become something great.

rav רַב implying to become numerous; to be multiplied.

rov רֹב implying to move towards God, away from sin, into His presence, and live in the plenty of His grace.

sba’ שׂבע implying to be satisfied, filled, allowing God to be enough for you.

Father wants your entire being healthy and fully intact in connection with all of His benefits. Father desires to preserve and protect you from the damage and decay of sin and eternal separation from Him.

Speaking of Joseph, Genesis 37:4 states,

Genesis 37:4 ESV

But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

Now why did Josephs brother hate him so much? In Genesis 37:3 it says,

Genesis 37:3 ESV

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.

We have to have some understanding here. There are several cultural things we need to know.

1. When it says Israel יִשְׂרָאֵל (Jacob/Yaqov יַעֲקֹב) loved him more, it reflects preferential treatment. But why?

2. If you recall, Joseph still had a younger brother. So, when it says that Joseph was the son of his father’s old age it means that Joseph was the one chosen to be a caregiver for his father. Thus, he was not required to work as the others. As a result, the father spent more time with this chosen son imparting into him increased learning.

3. What is this robe of many colors. The word for “colors” is פַּס passim. It’s definition is simply the hand and sole of the foot. It is reference to a tunic extending to the wrists. Basically, it was a special tunic for serving not for working in the fields as a laborer. However, there is more.

“The letters in the word are an acrostic for the word, Potiphar (פוטיפר), the merchants (סוחרים), Ishmaelites (ישמעאלים), and the Midianites (מדינים) . These are all allusions to his misfortune. All the above owned Joseph at one time or another from the moment the brothers sold him” (Rabbeinu Bahya Commentary Author: Bachya ben Asher; A commentary on the Torah written by Rabbi Bahya ben Asher, 1255-1340; and Rashi; Sefaria; Genesis Rabbah 84:8, Sefaria).

“Colors” is an acrostic for:

P’SIM פס

Potipher פוטיפר

Merchants סוחרים

Ishmaelites ישמעאלים

Midianites מדינים

What relevance is this? This was not just any tunic. Based on Joseph’s role in the house of his father and the assignment given him, the robe is said to have been designed more like that of a priestly garment. And if you consider the ordination and consecration process God required of the priest to be able to commune with Him in an intimate way, that no one else could, you can imagine the process that would be required no less of Joseph to fulfill his sovereign purpose.

Priestly ordination and Joseph’s process involved:

Humility, void of all pride and ego.

Consecration, not conservation, void of all selfish preservation and ambitions.

Unwavering obedience to the way of the Lord, internally and externally.

Now, in Genesis 37:6-11 Joseph has a series of dreams. And the sum of these dreams is all of his family bowing to him. You see, Joseph had a dream but no understanding. Dreams void of understanding can lead to mis-appropriation of divine information.

Biblical examples are the benchmark or model of understanding and interpretation for life application of divine knowledge. In these God provides instruction and training for godly living. (Ex: A plumber who cannot plumb; a Christian who does not follow Christ). Who are you without truly following Christ?

God spoke to His prophets mostly through visions. He spoke to others through dreams. Visions carried messages of direction and instructions. Dreams carried warnings and assignments. Dreams were often foretelling (predictions). Where visions are forth-telling (public declaration). Visions are often symbolic needing little to no interpretation. Dreams are parabolic (telling like a story) begging interpretation. Dreams offer prophetic words of wisdom (understanding). Visions offer words of knowledge (revelation).

Bottom line is, God did not get Joseph thrown into a pit or slavery. Joseph did. But, had Joseph continued in his arrogance of God’s plan for his life, he would have blown it. Purpose void of God’s plan leads to despair.

Proverbs 13:12 ESV

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

I remember ministering in Mexico one year. I was praying for a large number of people at the altar. One young lady walking with a palsy stood at the altar wanting healing. She spoke no English nor I Spanish. But I lay hands on her and prayed in faith as she stood there crippled up and weeping. She fell out under the power of the Holy Spirit and lay on the ground crippled and weeping. Nothing happened beyond that. But I am no healer. Mine is to pray and leave the results up to God. So, I continued down the prayer line. As I got close to the end of the line the Holy Spirit said, “Look back at here.” So I did. And what I saw amazed me. Her arms and legs straightened out. She stood up and walked away healed. God revealed to me that had He done that while I stood before her, myself and others very well may have assumed some sense of credit for what only God could do. God’s knows the ego of a man. God knows the flesh of our hearts better than we.

If you want to fulfill God’s purpose, obedience to God’s plan is a must. But obedience must come from a place of humility. You will never humble yourself to that which you do not see the desperate need for.

Humility is the first step in God’s process of purpose preservation. The greatest enemy to humility is pride. Pride will alway cause you to forfeit God’s purposes for a counterfeit proposition from this fallen world.

So, God takes Joseph’s self-affliction and uses a process of preservation for purpose. That process involved:

1. Brokenness for humility.

2. Separation for consecration.

3. Trust without immediate answers.

4. Obedience in the face of adversity and opposition.

5. Resolved integrity and uprightness regardless.

6. Absolute surrender to the process for complete restoration to the purpose.

7. Walking in the assignment in wisdom, understanding and grace for others.

Sometimes, if you will trust God, you will discover His preservation in the midst of your affliction and He will reveal His purpose.

With the first dream, Joseph had no clue of neither what the real assignment was nor the process required. But by the end of the process, God has used him to not only deliver Israel but restore God’s family plan. In the process, Joseph gained family, gained abundance, gained favor, and set the stage for generations and God’s plan of deliverance, restoration and preservation for us all.

You too are destined for great things. God has preserved you for such a time as this. But you must embrace the preservation process.