Meant for GoodSample

A Fruitful Forgetfulness

Read: Genesis 41:50-57

Discover

Joseph has two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. As the seven years of plenty give way to the seven years of famine, Joseph wisely oversees the distribution of grain to Egypt and all the countries of the earth.

Learn

There are two powerful pictures of God’s providence in this passage. The first comes from Joseph’s two sons. Joseph names his first son “Manasseh” because “God made him forget all my toil and all my father’s house” (Genesis 41:51). He names his second son “Ephraim” because “God caused him to be fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Genesis 41:52). Manasseh and Ephraim are living illustrations of the key theme of Joseph’s entire story: what was meant for evil, God Himself meant for good. Notice the names are tied to God Himself. Only God could mean the bitterness of betrayal, the desperation of slavery, and the shame of prison for good. In his children, Joseph begins to see the goodness of God amid the suffering he endures.

Additionally, as the countries of the earth begin flooding into Egypt looking for grain (Genesis 41:57), Joseph realizes the two-century-old promises given to Abraham are coming to fruition: “In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Genesis 22:18). For over a decade, Joseph suffers bereavement and defeat again and again, only to see God’s covenant promises come to pass. While the Serpent meant to destroy the covenant family through betrayal and sin, God Himself meant it for the salvation of all the families of the earth.

Apply

Do you trust God’s providence in your life? You may yearn deeply to feel the same fruitful forgetfulness that Joseph did. Maybe you are trying to forget a past of mistakes, sin, and regret – a past that always seems to haunt you. Like Joseph, look to what God has done for you. As God declared through the prophet Isaiah, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). Only in Christ are your sins blotted out, and only in Christ does God remember them no more! Even as you contend against the consequences of the past, you can rest knowing that the blood of Christ has given you victory over the sins of your past!

In what circumstance or season of affliction do you struggle to see fruit? Like Joseph, look to what God promises His people. Again, God declared through His prophet Isaiah, “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD … For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song” (Isaiah 51:1, 3). Only the Lord can grow a garden in the desolate wasteland of our suffering. Continue to pursue the Lord in righteousness; He will bring fruitfulness even to the most barren places.