In Joseph’s Story We See the Warp and Woof of God’s Plan for a Positive Outcome
Genesis 45:8-9 . . . 45:25-28 . . . 47:5-10 . . . 47:27-28 . . . 50:15-24 . . .
In a recently discovered document, I learned that shortly after my Scots Irish 3-great grandfather Robert emigrated from Ireland to America and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he gave as his occupation “weaver” - no doubt in reference to the weaving industry so prevalent in Northern Ireland.
As I pondered this week how best to capture the essence of what we have discovered about the life of Joseph, whose story we have focused on for the past six weeks, certain imagery associated with “weaving” kept surfacing, I suppose due to my discovery of my ancestor’s occupation at the time I was reviewing the role Joseph played in the grand design of a pattern being woven by the Master Weaver of our lives.
From the weaving process comes the term “Warp and woof” which I have heard used as a metaphor for describing that which forms the basis of one’s pattern of life or the “glue” that holds it all together, often spoken of as “the fabric of life”.
With that metaphor in mind, it occurred to me that: In the story of Joseph, we see the ‘warp and woof’ of God’s Plan for a Positive Outcome for those who trust the Lord with all their heart! You might say that:
Joseph’s life was but a weaving of the pattern which God planned. So is your life and mine - as simply but eloquently stated by the poet B. J. Franklin:
“My life is but a weaving between my God and me. I do not choose the colors; He knows what they should be; He views the pattern from His, the upper side, while I see it only from this, the underside. Sometimes He weaveth sorrow, which seems strange to me, but I will trust His judgment and work on - faithfully.
‘Tis He who fills the shuttle; He knows what is best; I shall weave in earnest, and leave to Him the rest. Not ‘til the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly will God unroll the canvas and reveal the reason why the dark threads are as needful in the weaver’s skillful hand as the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.”
In such a life – what I choose to call “a Joseph kind of life” – a life that sees God at work in every situation and circumstance – certain characteristics stand out. Looking at the fabric of Joseph’s life, four dominant threads or themes become obvious: In God Joseph consistently trusted. Between his birth and death dates, there was no dash - no straight line. What we see is a vertical zig-zag! Ups and downs!
Favored by his father, envied by his brothers, betrayed, sold and enslaved, proved himself reliable, entrusted with responsibility, yielded not to temptation, falsely accused and imprisoned, proved himself honorable, elevated to a powerful position, governed with such honesty and integrity that every element of society acknowledged and applauded God to whom Joseph gave the glory!
To God, and family, Joseph remained consistently faithful. He understood the big picture. He had more than a clue. He knew what God was up to, inasmuch as he had been born wise as to his role in God’s overall plan of redemption that had begun with his great-grand-father Abraham, advanced by his grand-father Isaac, and uniquely carried forward by a God-allowed turn of events involving favoritism on the part of his mother Rebekah and his father Jacob.
Faithful to God’s promise was Joseph as he became God’s instrument for preserving family members who were to be rescued from the destitute situation in the land of Canaan, relocated to a place of plenty prepared by Joseph, restored to favor with Joseph against whom they had sinned, and received a renewal of God’s promise to bring them to a place where God’s kingdom would be established by a descendant within the lineage of this family.
To God, and country, Joseph remained consistently loyal. Would loyalty to God and his country of origin matter since Joseph found himself in a place beyond his homeland borders, serving people of a different culture and value system where it would be so easy to get caught up in it and become a part of it?
Whether or not it matters depends on one’s degree of devotion to God and family. In Joseph loyalty had been instilled at birth then inspired by a coat of many colors signifying the multitasking that lay ahead of him and the variety of relationships that would test his strength of character and the fabric of his inner being. Would he bend . . . break . . . give in . . . give up . . . succumb . . . overcome?
To God, and himself, Joseph remained consistently true. As impressive as his achievements at the helm of government were, Joseph’s greatest success would have to be his tough-minded yet tender-hearted determination to remain true to his conviction that “God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph never lost sight of God’s intended positive outcome for those who consistently trust in Him.
Sure, Joseph might have succumbed to wishful thinking as did the poet who wrote: “I wish there were some wonderful place called the Land of Beginning Again where all our mistakes, and all our heartaches, and all our selfish desires could be cast like a shabby old coat at the door and never be put on again.” (Hazel Felleman) So might we all!
However, Joseph chose to remain true to God’s Will as revealed to him, and true to his regenerated self – rescued and restored time and time again, he became the rescuer and restorer of others who found themselves in need of redemption! What a forgiving spirit this guy Joseph had!
Such had been the need of his brothers seventeen years ago when Joseph forgave them (45:5-8) . . . Since then, his brothers have lived down the street from Joseph, yet they still wonder if he will seek revenge – a notion that Joseph had laid to rest long ago by forgiving and forgetting (making a promise not to hold it against them and then by keeping his promise). Keeping one’s promise to forgive is God-like!
The fact that the brothers bring it up now can mean only one thing:
They had never forgiven themselves – a mistake made by many. Folks, until we accept God’s or anyone else’s forgiveness as a done deal, we will tend to live out our days in fear of retribution with little or no peace of mind. So: Let it be. Let it go. Give it all to the Lord who forgives because He loves. Do thou likewise!
May these threads (these themes) be looked back upon as having comprised the warp and woof (the fabric) of our lives:
In God we trusted. To God and family we remained faithful. To God and country we remained loyal. To God and our redeemed selves we remained true. All of this we did consistently. We are being rewarded with Peace of Mind, Heart and Soul as we continue our journey to the Promised Land! Amen!
