“Seek Good Anyway”
August 13, 2023
Seminarian Henry Norkplim Anyomi
Lectionary Passage: Gen. 37:1-4, 12-28; Rom. 10:5-15
Opening Prayer
Merciful God, You loved us even before we found ourselves. Thanks that no matter what we may each be dealing with, You know our struggles altogether, and You are ready to grant us the grace to come through them. Mighty God, bless us with Your peace and help quiet our minds, so we may listen for what You’ve got to say to us. Encourage us; edify us; renew us that we may live for You. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Message
“What are you seeking?” Such a spot-on question! It’s perhaps one of the most-frequently-asked questions in our human experience. And it isn’t always a stranger asking this – it could be self-asked or asked by our family, friend, mentor, mentee, among others. And the answer may be as clear as day or elusive, depending on our circumstances, state of mind, or assignment. The elusive bit tickles me somewhat, because I know this tends to happen to me, especially during rush hour or busy times. I would get up to pick up or address something, only to go blank on reaching it. Whew! That can be quite annoying!
Anyway, so “what are you seeking?” the stranger asked Joseph. This question goes to the very heart of Jacob’s instruction to Joseph: “see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring word back to me” (verse 14).
And Jacob’s answer tells us how well he retained his father’s words – in verse 16, he mentions his “brothers” and the “flock.” He knew exactly what it was that he was pursuing! Not some free time away from his father’s watch; not some playtime with his friends, but his brothers and the flock, nothing more, nothing less. This may sound quite straightforward, but here’s what I’m getting at – the fact that Joseph clearly understood his errand. And that didn’t happen in a vacuum, he had to not merely hear his father, but to incline his ear well enough to perceive what his father needed. In other words, Joseph made sure to deduce his deliverable (what he was to provide) from his dad’s instruction – his was to return to his father with a message as to the health of his pastoralist brothers and their flock.
Clearly understanding what his mission was about led him to not only unlock their location, thanks to the kind stranger, but it also enabled him take the initiative of going further to Dothan. Notice that his father’s errand sent him only as far as Shechem and it may have been perfectly fine for him to have returned to him with news that he hadn’t found them. Joseph, however, showed leadership in choosing to go the extra mile (all the way to Dothan)! I doubt putting it this way does the effort required justice. Having come some 50 miles from home (the valley of Hebron), travelling to Dothan from Shechem required an extra walk of about four to five hours. And for someone who had already walked some 15 to 17 hours, an additional four to five was a lot to ask! But that wasn’t Joseph’s fixation, he wanted to go all out for his family, or even better, he wanted to follow through with his errand (of ascertaining the health of his brothers and the flock).
Friends, the talk about leadership and the pursuit of good on the part of Joseph is super encouraging, but did he think of what lay in store for him in Dothan?
Perhaps, he did, being daddy’s favorite and a dreamer, but maybe only as much as being pushed around or spoken to unkindly (verse 4). But possible homicide or enslavement? No, that may have never crossed his mind – too cynical; too wicked; too unbecoming of family! So, what may have made Joseph go over and above on this errand? He may have had his reasons, but we may infer from our text the pureness of his heart. In the hostile and jealousy-laden environment created by his older siblings, the lure of bitterness must have been inescapable for him. He may have felt like matching them boot for boot or giving them a taste of their own medicine. But no! He managed to guard himself against corruption – his brothers’ rage wouldn’t seep into his heart, no! So, with this pure state of heart, he came into his brothers’ midst in Dothan, only to be met with injustice – first, met with a near-death experience and then chained and manacled as an Egypt-bound slave!
But the pure in heart aren’t without help. Joseph wasn’t helpless. The very God who had twice revealed his future to him in a dream was with him. The God of his ancestors was with him (the same God who met Jacob, his father, in Bethel was with him, and so on and so forth). And just like his father Jacob, that God was with him to “keep” him wherever he went, to “bring [him] back” to the land of his ancestors, and to do all that God had promised him (Gen. 28:13-15). So, yes, Joseph had been sold into slavery, but neither his enslavers nor his brothers (who sold him off) would have the last laugh, God would. The pure in heart, as Jesus would teach in the Sermon on the Mount, will see God (Matthew 5:8)! And we know how Joseph’s story ended in Egypt – God’s presence was with him in his master’s house, in prison, and as prime minister. These aspects of the narrative, I’m sure, will be the subject of our meditation in the coming weeks. So, we may leave it here for now – but hold on to the thought that though enslaved, Joseph had God.
We come to our Romans reading now. And a pivotal assurance Paul gives us here is we won’t be put to shame if we believe in God. With Joseph’s story, it is a familiar narrative and so we are spared things like anxiety and suspense when we look at it. But how about our day-to-day experiences – moments when we face injustice, trial, or uncertainty. Sometimes, it very much seems like we can’t wait on God any longer or we may well wish to take matters into our own hands. Sometimes, it even may begin to appear like there’s no salvation coming from anywhere for us, almost like being stuck in a rut or some vicious cycle. But in Romans 10, Paul does well to call to memory our journey of faith – specifically, how we came to believe. He reminds us that our hearts believed in Jesus and our lips confessed his Lordship. And friends, that was sufficient to remove all barriers (including sins and religious and legal boundaries) between God and us. With our eternal salvation provided for in Christ, we can rest assured that the God who went to all lengths to guarantee us that is also able to grant us every godly end we seek. As Paul reminds us, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (verse 13).” And this reminder needs to stick with us as we navigate different situations of life. That way, we can prove what the Reformed theologian, Robert Charles Sproul, says is the issue of faith – that “we believe the God we believe in.”
Friends, as believers, we should count ourselves blessed indeed – mainly because we have a personal relationship with Jesus and the God of all creation. But not everyone is able to enjoy this very blessing we enjoy – and sometimes through no fault of theirs – they simply haven’t heard the message of Christ! Oh yes, there are still people the gospel hasn’t reached. Often, we give to mission projects and evangelistic campaigns both at home and abroad. Great, that’s one way of sending forth the message. However, God needs us all to be missionaries and evangelists on the go.
How do I mean? Living out the gospel on a daily basis is a very potent way of reaching others for the Lord. That means we need to take seriously Christ’s word to love our neighbours as ourselves – doing to them exactly as we will have them do unto us. That means we need to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God as the Prophet Micah urges. That’s what it means to actualise the gospel, because in Jesus, God’s word becomes flesh and dwells among us (John 1:14). Believing in God means seeking good, reflecting Christ to our world. And that’s God’s will for us, dear friends.
Sadly, many believers often don’t want to open up about their faith beyond the walls of the church (and this isn’t to fault or call out anyone as different factors may inform this decision). But one thing that is commonplace in some of the instances I’ve encountered is fear of rejection. Many of us are scared of being cancelled, having the door shut in our faces, or even losing family and friends. And that’s true, such things may happen. But Paul, quoting the Prophet Isaiah, says our feet are beautiful when we bring God’s Good News! And it’s not called Good News for nothing – it uplifts, redeems, and transforms. Especially, in our human and earthly experience where there could be so much despondency, despair, and unforgiveness, the message of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, brings peace, pardon, and comfort. And we needn’t have to go door to door, sharing tracts and a sermon per se (though that has its place in God’s work in the earth), we have only to seize little opportunities to explain the reason for believing as we do (1 Peter 3:15-16). It could be something as little as giving credit to God, following a compliment, or saying grace before a meal, to mention a few. These things have ways of provoking curiosity in others and our patient clarification may be our way of seeking good in their lives.
I say these things knowing full well it’s not easy to be different. Joseph paid a prize for being distinguished from his siblings; for dreaming. But his God and his ancestors’ God was with him and his pure heart and pursuit of good came together nicely in the end. Our calling in Christ calls on us to “believe in the God we believe” and to do as God’s asked of us – to seek good in the earth, no matter what others think or do to us. May God’s Spirit empower us to do according to God’s will. Amen!
Closing Prayer
Loving God, thanks for revealing Yourself to us through Your Son, Jesus. Thanks for the Good News we have through his sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross. We ask that You fill our hearts with Your unconditional love for Your work among creation. May our actions and our words build up; not tear down. And may Your beauty and joy reverberate from us wherever we go. In Jesus’ name. Amen!