Filled or Empty Series #2:Filled With Plenty, Filled with Famine

Empty

#2

    Today I am going to bring attention to a very dysfunctional family.  Most families are dysfunctional, some more than others.  Having an imperfect family does not disqualify a person from being valuable to God and capable of achieving great accomplishments.

   Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, is the father in this dysfunctional family.  He had twelve sons by four different women.  These twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.  After a heart wrenching competition of who can give the husband the most sons, the favorite wife, Rachel, finally gives Jacob two favored sons, Joseph and Benjamin.  Jealousy gets way out of hand and favored brother Joseph is sold into slavery by revengeful uncaring brothers.  Israel is allowed to believe that Joseph had died.  

   The days ahead are hard difficult days for Joseph, but God is with him.  We find him now in prison after being falsely accused of attacking his boss’s wife. While he was there, it was discovered among the prisoners that Joseph had the ability to interpret dreams.  He'd had this ability from childhood.  It got him in trouble with his jealous brothers.  They really didn't like his cocky prediction that someday they would bow down to him.

   In Genesis 41 we learn that the Pharaoh was troubled.  He had dreamed a dream that disturbed him. He learned that a man named Joseph in the prison could interpret dreams, so Joseph was cleaned up and brought to him. 

     It turned out that the Pharaoh's confusing dream about cows and corn was a prediction the years to come. There would be seven full years and seven empty years.  It starts to make sense why God allowed Joseph to be positioned where he was with all the ups and downs it took to get him in position.  We like the ups of life but not the downs, but maybe those downs are serving a purpose to position us.  Joseph was put in charge and he was able to store grain from the seven years of plenty so there would be food in the seven years of drought.

   I like the song the orphans sing in the movie Annie.  “It’s a hard knock life for us…Empty belly life…rotten smelly life.” Unfortunately there are children with empty bellies, empty futures. Maybe God has positioned you to bring relief to someone’s emptiness. Just a thought.

   The best part of this story is yet to come.  The drought and famine spread over a large area and people were forced to go to Egypt to buy grain.  Joseph’s brothers came looking for food unaware of who was in charge of food rations.  Another kind of emptiness was about to be filled.  Joseph had a very lonely empty home, empty of family.  God orchestrated a wonderful blessed reunion. Joseph forgave his brothers.  God cares about restoring relationships.  He went to great lengths to restore relationship with us. Forgiveness is powerful and reconciliation is sweet.  Blessings to you.