It is written by The Holy Spirit in Psalm chapter 105:
7 HE is the LORD Our God;
HIS judgments are in all the earth.
8 HE remembers HIS covenant forever,
The word which HE commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 The covenant which HE made with Abraham,
And HIS oath to Isaac,
10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
12 When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
There is no variance in FATHER’S Word as HE made a covenant with Abraham, an oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob. HE provided three witnesses to HIS commitment.
13 When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,
14 HE permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, HE rebuked kings for their sakes,
15 Saying, “Do not touch MY anointed ones,
And do MY prophets no harm.”
FATHER actively enforces HIS covenant with us as we walk according to HIS Word. However, when we stray from HIS Divine Intent, we bring forth judgment in some form. Since HE has given us the ability and right to choose, we are responsible for our actions and the resulting fruit- good or bad.
This does not negate HIS Word so out of Agape Love, HE will always provide us with a way to restoration. HIS plan may be obscure to us at the time but as we get a greater revelation of HIS Love, we will be assured of a way out of our trouble. HE knew a famine was coming to the land and HE had been preparing Joseph for such a time. However, Joseph needed to come to the end of himself and walk in a crucified manner as we see in the following passage:
16 Moreover HE called for a famine in the land;
HE destroyed all the provision of bread.
17 HE sent a man before them—
Joseph—who was sold as a slave.
18 They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.
19 Until the time that HIS word came to pass,
The word of the LORD tested him.
20 The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.
21 He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
22 To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.
FATHER will test those whom HE Loves so that they will mature into the fullness of their calling. Joseph’s training lasted several years and he suffered many disappointments during that time. However, he persevered and increased in maturity.
Joseph was tempted by the world on multiple fronts but passed the test in each case. FATHER gave Joseph the dream concerning his future when Joseph was seventeen. As we all know, teenagers “know it all” thus Joseph openly conveyed the dream to his brothers. They were not pleased to hear the dream and plotted to remove their brother from their midst. Was FATHER surprised by their plan? Not in the least.
Later in Genesis chapter 45, Joseph revealed FATHER’S plan to his brothers:
3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Joseph went through an extended time of testing in order to prepare him for his calling. FATHER did not divulge the details of this time of testing for it would have been too much for a seventeen year old teenager to handle.
These times of testing are meant to build up our faith and remove the “chaff” in our lives. Instead of resisting these tests, embrace them knowing that FATHER’S Love exceeds anything you or I must go through.