112306 Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day

In the Land of Our Suffering

Genesis 41:41–42:2

 “The second son he [Joseph] named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering’ ” (Gen 41:52).

Now think about this verse: How can it possibly apply to people when they experience sorrow or tragedy? A person might even think, “This isn’t the way life is supposed to be.” That thought is entirely correct. God created this world, and when He finished His work it was perfect. The man and the woman were perfect with respect to their relationship with their Creator. Even so, even with that perfect start, man sinned and corrupted the whole world.  Now, living in a world corrupted by sin, living in a world destined to decay, living in a world where mankind’s relationship to God is severed, is it any wonder that we long for things to be as they should be?

1.

So, when we come to that time of the year known as Thanksgiving, how is it possible to celebrate it with gratitude for the good things and the blessings in our lives—especially in a time of sorrow and tragedy? Well, let me try something here. Can you all think of at least one grand thing that has happened in your life? Some of you might even be able to say “Life is really enjoyable.” But, is that the way life is supposed to be—enjoyable? What I mean is this: We do live in a fallen, broken world cursed with sin—that’s a given. So, is it not illogical that there should be any joy at all in this fallen world?

Okay, looking at Joseph’s life situation—the son of Jacob, not the Joseph of the Christmas story.

2.

This kid had ten older brothers who really disliked him—mostly because Jacob seemed to treat this son more favorably than the others. He even gave him a multi-colored robe that made the others jealous. Not only that. Joseph had these dreams in which his brothers all bowed down to him and paid him honor. In this fallen world, the brother’s hatred was so intense that they decided they should kill Joseph. But, God be praised, they changed their mind and sold him into slavery. That is not a very good example of brotherly love, is it?

At age 17, Joseph was hauled off to Egypt, and then as events unfolded there, he was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. For thirteen long years, Joseph was a slave and prisoner—though, all of it was undeserved and terribly unfair.

During his time of imprisonment in Egypt, the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had a dream. Someone told him that Joseph could interpret it. That is the point that began a new chapter in his life. Go figure! Joseph woke up in a dungeon, but went to bed in a palace; he woke up wearing rags but ended the day wearing the robes of a prince; he began that day as a dirty, forgotten prisoner but ended the day as the leader of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. Isn’t that a great rags-to-riches story? It surely could be. But life with God is more complex than that.

You can catch what I mean right here in our text: We see it in the way Joseph named his first son. Scripture records that “Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh [the name Manasseh means “to forget”] and said, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.’ ” Thinking about this makes me wonder if this isn’t something that would make Joseph think, “This is the way life is supposed to be.”

3.

But even with all that Joseph now had, he must have realized that all this wealth, power, and honor was not vindication. Good fortune is not the essence of life. This deepened understanding is reflected in the name Joseph gave to his second son, Ephraim (the name Ephraim means “fruitful”). This is when Joseph said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

4.

The point I’m trying to make is this: Joseph realized that it was illogical that he should have power and wealth in Egypt, the land of his suffering. But God in his grace made these things the way they should not be in a broken, unfair situation. And this is exactly the lesson I hope each of you will take home with you today. I pray that we all might be able to see and know in our hearts that …

God Has Made Us Fruitful in the Land of Our Suffering.

As I said earlier, Joseph was given grace to see that God used a bad situation to save his family from an even worse fate. But something Joseph could only see dimly at that time—and this was more important than providing food for his brothers’ hungry children—was his connection to the future birth of Jesus Christ and Jesus’ connection to the world’s salvation. Jesus was a son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Joseph’s brother Judah—the brother, by the way, who came up with the idea of selling Joseph into slavery. We must admit it’s illogical for God, who insists on justice and holiness, to be kind to us and bless us with good things. What causes God to see us sinners in a different light? Jesus does, because he offered himself as a substitute, a sacrifice; he died on the cross. And because of that one act, which transcends all time, our sins are not counted against us, no matter what those sins have been. Through the cross God sees you as the perfect creation he originally intended you to be. And this is precisely why Paul is able to say with certainty: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

5.

I hope that through the story of Joseph you understand that the happiness and material security we have now is not simply for our own entertainment. It is not just for ourselves as destiny for a single generation. No, God has in mind the welfare of our children and our children’s children. But more than anything, the events of our life now, both the good and the bad, God has connected integrally with salvation. Yes, today we say, “Thank you, God, for making us fruitful in the land of our suffering.” But remember, this is a broken, fallen, cursed world—and God wants something better for us. Our future is not here in the land of our suffering, just as Joseph’s home was not in Egypt. Our real home, and homecoming will be in heaven. The assurance and guarantee of that is to be found not in ourselves, or our circumstances, but in the truth that Jesus died for you and even now lives for you.

So, thank God that God has made us fruitful in the land of our suffering. And thank God that even now we have the assurance that, for Jesus’ sake, we will be taken from our land of suffering to live forever with God in our heavenly, perfect home. Amen.