God's trial - Chapter 12

Continue to believe in God's protection and guidance

Some time later the King of Egypt's steward and his chief baker offended the King.He was angry with these two officials and put them in prison ････.They spent a long time in  prison, each had a dream,and the dreams had different meanings.When Joseph came to them in the  morning,he saw that they were upset.He asked them, ”Why do you look so worried today?” They answered , “Each of us had a dream,and there is no one here to explain what the  dreams mean.” ････ Joseph said. “Tell me your dreams！”

【Genesis40:1～8】

Even as we go through the valley of the shadow of death

Potiphar, the Egyptian who bought Joseph as a slave, was the house of the captain of the  guard Egyptian king,Pharaoh,who guarded him in house,a senior official like the  commander of the Kings-guard.He also served as the Commissioner of the Internal Police, who was in charge of controlling various crimes that occurred in the court and forcibly  imprisoning criminals by order of the king.

Therefore, in the case of Joseph,Potiphar could unilaterally imprison Joseph,even though it  was a private incident.I have no idea how many years the biblical statement "Some time later"(verse 1) is referring to,but even if we assume a few years,he was in a situation where  he did not know when he would be released from prison.During that time,he is mentally and  physically torn apart,and suffers from unreasonable thoughts such as "I didn't do anything  wrong, but  ････".

The prison is a small space where only darkness covers,where the situation continues  without end.If he had a fixed term of imprisonment,he could manage to be patient until the  time of his release.But in his case,it is a life imprisonment-like sentence due to Potiphar's  personal resentment.Why did he not lose his faith under such a terrible situation? Perhaps  because he was a person too,he must have wailed and prayed to God many times.

As a matter of fact,through the inexcusable imprisonment due to the false accusation,God  intervened strongly in Joseph and handled him more than before,revealing his refined and  sanctified character.One of my favorite verses in the Bible,Psalm 23,says, "Even if I go  through the deepest darkness,I will not be afraid,Lord,for you are with me.Your shepherd's  rod and staff protect me." (verse 4), a wonderful Davidic song.

David's experience as a shepherd led him to say to himself,"Even when the worst comes,I  will continue to walk step by step in the reverence of the Lord God alone! Not only will the  Lord God always be with me and walk with me,but He will also continue to protect me and  guide me,so I don't need to fear any disaster!

Relying on God's Protection and Guidance

The secret of this verse is that the reason why I don't need to be afraid of anything is that  (1)God's protection and (2)God's guidance always dominate my entire life and hold my  hand like a baby.That's right! God our Father continues to watch over us day and night, guiding us to the right path.

In fact,Joseph's experience of darkness was not the first time,but because of the first  experience,the handling of God that he learned at that time was spiritually beneficial.The  experience of being thrown into a cave by a sudden trap,or even assassinated,by his  brothers whom he respected and adored,was a trauma that he could not wipe away.But  then,through God's amazing intervention,he was redeemed from the deep water of death  and sold to a high-ranking Egyptian official,where he learned through the work of his hands  that God was with him.

So this second experience,even more so spiritually than the first,was a one-sided false  judgment by the master,and the wounds in his heart were even deeper.However,even  though he did not know when he would be released from prison,he did not think of revenge. He continued to do his duty faithfully as before.A few years later,two high-ranking officials  were imprisoned.

So what was Joseph's stronghold in life? It was to live by the firm faith that the Lord is the  God of Immanuel,the one who is always with him,who will surely (1)protect his life and (2)guide him to the right path!

However,how human beings,relying on what they can see,become ignorant and weak,as if  they were worshipping visible idols! The disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power  Plant showed us this.For example, a world where we live in, we think "If we have this, we will  be fine!” is based on the capitalist economy,or money.

However,as soon as a drop of plague fell into this global flow of money,it immediately froze  all flows and stalled all movements.Only the fear of distrust prevailed,and the economy  stopped running.

The spread of radiation following the nuclear accident and the spread of the new  coronavirus are not on the same physical level,but from the perspective of a sudden  disaster,they teach us something very similar.Perhaps in the case of the new coronavirus, once the vaccine is developed and actually started to be administered,the situation will  gradually come under control.However,we must not let the lessons of the Fukushima  Daiichi nuclear accident fade away.If we had learned the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi  nuclear power plant accident and kept them alive,we might have been able to take  preemptive measures of the corona disaster.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant(1F) was completed in March 1971 and started  supplying electric energy.Not everything was made in Japan,and the plant construction  technology was provided by the American company General Electric.At the time,the people  of Fukushima Prefecture rejoiced: "There is no other clean electric energy like this,and  the huge economic benefits will enrich the local people indefinitely!” They believed it.

However,40 years later,on March 11,the unprecedented East Japan Great Earthquake  struck,flooding Units 1 through 5 with tsunami and causing a meltdown.Unit 1 to 3 to unit  4,each unit buildings were broken off by hydrogen explosion,and radioactivity began to  leak in large quantities. While Fukushima nuclear power-plant workers were concentrating  on preventing an explosion in the Unit 2 building,the Prime Minister muttered,"Japan is  finished !"

But then something strange happens.As the air pressure inside the Unit 2 building swelled  due to the meltdown,just before a hydrogen explosion was about to occur,a part of the  outer wall of the building was broken off without the help of human power,allowing the  expanded air to escape through the opening,thus preventing a hydrogen explosion.After  listening to the report,the Prime Minister couldn't help but let out a few words. "There was  a blessing from God! “

Foreseeing the Next Turning Point

When the two high-ranking officials were imprisoned,what kind of attitude did Joseph have  toward them? In particular,in their case,since they were court officials under Pharaoh, their arrogant behavior did not change even though they were imprisoned.However,Joseph  conversed with them politely and humbly as he did with other prisoners,and treated them  with a soft manner,and they gradually came to trust him.

One day,both of them had a strange dream at the same time.The next morning,seeing both  of them in a state of depression,Joseph spoke to them. "What's the matter with you two?  You don't seem to have slept at all, ・・・・". They were reluctant to speak, but began to tell  them about their dreams. Then Joseph closed his eyes for a while and prayed. "Thank you, Lord,that I was there for this moment.Please show me the meaning of the dream they had, through your wisdom! “

Joseph had been given the heavenly gift of foreseeing the next turning point.This turning  point is never about the time of man,but about the time of God's movement.Joseph knew  well enough that he was protected and guided in many ways by this divine movement, and  he was convinced that there was a divinely intended movement in the dreams of these two  officials !

So will we also be given that heavenly gift?This question does not mean that we are to be  like prognosticator who can foresee the future! It is a gift of faith that requires a certain  amount of patience,to quietly watch for God's moves and only act through the guidance of  the Holy Spirit,beginning when God gives the "go-ahead" and never relying on our own  moves.

That's right! We Christians are a people who praise the Lord and keep moving forward, believing that God's protection and guidance is always with me(you)! Therefore,we must  continue to believe that God's protection and guidance is always with us! I pray in the Holy  Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you will be blessed with the gift of heaven,which will  enable you,like Joseph,to foresee and understand the next turning point,even in this time. Amen! (Message on 22/Mar/ 2020)