#DailyDevotion God Can Use Even Brats

Lent day 20 Wednesday

Read Gen 37:1–36

Gen 37:26-34  Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?  (27)  Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.  (28)  Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt…  (32)  And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.”  (33)  And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”  (34)  Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

 

God rarely uses the best, brightness and nicest people in the world to get His work done.  Indeed, you probably could not find a bigger brat in the Bible than Joseph.  If you read the whole lesson you are probably reminded how God would reveal things to Joseph, in particular how He would use Joseph in the future to fulfill God’s purpose and promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  But Joseph being the kind of person he was would lord such things over them and they hated him for it.  Who wouldn’t?  Even his dad who loved him more than the others would have to think twice about him sometimes.

 

But God would use his bratness to get Joseph where he needed him.  It stirred up his brothers to despise him enough to want to kill him.   Instead at the suggestion of Judah, they spared his life but would sell him into slavery.  What a favor, right?  We will see later how the Lord would use this to their benefit.

 

But now note how Joseph is a type of Christ.  Sold for 20 shekels of silver as Jesus was betrayed for 30 he is handed over to the land of Egypt, which means misery.  Jesus would experience the misery of Joseph while enslaved and in fact Jesus experienced our slavery to the fear of death, sin and the power of the devil as he underwent his innocent suffering, the shedding of his blood and ultimately death.

 

His righteousness which covered him was torn to pieces and stained with his blood.  It was shown to the Father who declares his Son as dead.  A fierce animal, Satan like a lion looking for someone to devour struck out at Jesus’ heel and mortally wounded him.  And as the sky grew dark on that Good Friday we see the Father mourning the death of His only begotten Son.

 

But Christ is also the lamb.  He shed his blood for us.  Our righteousness which is but filthy rags is now through faith in Jesus is covered with His blood and His righteousness.   His blood purifying us from our sins and His righteousness covering us like Joseph’s splendid coat.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, continue to pour out your blood upon us that we might be clothed with your righteousness through your grace and faith. Amen.