This week, most people are celebrating Hanukkah and/or Christmas. Both holidays have evolved over time with a variety of cultural traditions. They both are celebrating historical events that took place in times of great distress for the Jewish people. But as we know in these times of great distress, God provided deliverance in unexpected ways!
Our Torah portion this week begins with Joseph languishing in prison and his family enduring a famine. The portion ends with Joseph having a high and influential position in Egypt and engineering a plan for his family to be saved from the famine. The story itself is interesting and entertaining. We see decisions made by Joseph, as well as the brothers, playing out in unexpected ways.
At the beginning, Joseph is waiting for two years to be released from prison. It must have seemed like an eternity. He thought that he would have been released much sooner. As for the brothers, they simply wanted to buy grain and return to Canaan. They all had certain expectations about the way things were supposed to have worked out. But what none of them understood was that God was at work bringing events to pass that would fulfill His purpose and be beneficial for everyone. This is a great lesson in understanding that there is always more going on than meets the eye! The events of life sometimes have us on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. We can wonder why circumstances are the way they are. We might ask why life seems so difficult, or why things have not worked out the way we desired.
In this narrative, you have to feel bad for Jacob. Everything seems so bleak to him. He thinks his favored son is dead and that he may lose his youngest son. Things certainly have not worked out the way Jacob expected. If we read this portion of the story without any kind of presupposition about the hand of God, it would be a tragic story of immense proportions. But, we do not read the story that way. We read the story with the presupposition of the hand of God at work. Therefore the story is not tragic, but rather an amazing story of preservation, redemption, and deliverance!
This is a wonderful reminder for us that the hand of God is at work in all of our lives, both individually and communally. It is vitally important that we view our lives in two ways. Certainly, we see the reality on the ground. But then it is imperative that we see what is not seen by the naked eye. By faith we trust that our circumstances and lives are part of the bigger picture of God’s redemptive plan. As Messiah followers, we are part of the grand story of redemption in this world. We may never understand all the “whys” of life, but we do understand that there is a redemptive reason for all events—even if they do not make sense or we do not understand those events. This does not mean that there is no sadness or pain. What it does mean is that sadness and pain are not random and/or meaningless. When we place the vision for our lives in Yeshua, and recognize the calling on our lives to demonstrate the life of Yeshua, our trust in God will deepen and we will be a powerful witness of the reality of God.
This week as we celebrate Hanukkah, we are reminded that the sufferings of the Jewish people play an important role in the plan of redemption. Hanukkah reminds us of the heroism and faithfulness of the Maccabees, and the favor of God upon Israel. Every year on Hanukkah, the Haftarah portion contains these words: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). Even though the situation of the Jewish people was bleak, God would bring His will to pass. This also reminds us of Yeshua. He was wrongfully arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. The situation was horrible, but more was going on than meets the eye! The result was redemption. Peter explains this in Act 3:17–18, “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But, the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Messiah would suffer, He has thus fulfilled”.
Let us be encouraged to know that God is involved in all our circumstances! “Let us remain faithful and be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard
"Preservation, redemption and deliverance" ...beautiful jewels in the crown of salvation...I recently came across this quote of Aristotle, "Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." Patience was put to the test for Joseph in prison and Jacob for the safety of his children, but the reward was great! Romans 8:28 reiterates this truth. Thanks for the encouragement that what faith we have and work we do according to His will is not in vain! In fact, it's a light to the world.