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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Many Bible students believe that Joseph’s life foreshadows God’s promised Deliverer, who we will soon study in upcoming chapters of The HOPE. In fact, the similarities between Joseph and the promised Deliverer are truly amazing.

Consider that both Joseph and the promised Deliverer …
were sent by their fathers to their brothers – Joseph’s brothers hated him and sought to kill him, and the Deliverer’s own kinsmen rejected Him and sought to kill Him (see Genesis 37:13, John 7:3, Luke 20:47), had a robe that was taken from them (Genesis 37:23-24, John 19:24), spent time in Egypt (see Genesis 37:25-28, Matthew 2:14-15), were sold for the price of a slave (see Genesis 37:28, Matthew 26:15), were bound in chains (see Psalm 105:18, Genesis 39:20, Matthew 27:2), were tempted (see Genesis 39: 7-10, Matthew 4:1-11), were falsely accused (see Genesis 39:16-17, Matthew 26:59), were placed with two other prisoners, one of whom was saved and the other lost (seeGenesis 40:2-22, Luke 23:32-43), began their ministries at the age of thirty (see Genesis 41:46, Luke 3:23), were exalted by God after a season of suffering (see Genesis 41:41-43, Philippians 2:9-11), forgave those who harmed them (see Genesis 45:1-15, Luke 23:34), were sent by God to save many (Genesis 45:7, Matthew 1:21, Mark 10:45), understood that God turned evil into good (see Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28), and brought reconciliation, one to his family, the other to the world (see Genesis 45:7-10; Romans 5:10).

In Joseph, we recognize the evidence of a purposeful divine influence guiding the events of his life. Like a leaf that has fallen into a great river, Joseph’s life was moved by the powerful flow of a divine current. And with each event that came into his life (even the difficult ones), Joseph submitted to that flow rather than resisting it. God used Joseph’s life to accomplish exactly what He had planned beforehand, bringing good to Joseph and to others, and glory to Himself.

For additional study and insight, check this out, from The HOPE Project online study guide.

BIG IDEA: God is at work, even in hard times.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Genesis 37, 39-50
Genesis 50:20
James 1:2-4

SECTION VERSES:

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:3

LESSON VERSE:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

PRAYER:

Pray that God would help you see how He is at work around so you can join him in his work.

DISCUSSION STARTERS:

• Was God with Joseph when bad things happened? How? When?
• How do you see God working in the story even when people make evil choices?

LIVE IT OUT!

• Think of way you can bless a person or family that is going through a hard time and then follow through.

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ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.