So they came near to Joseph’s house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food, and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full. So we have brought it back in our hand. We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.”
When you start taking it upon yourself to find the causes and purposes of why certain things happen to you rather than seeking God’s explanations you are somehow handicapped. For example, once you exhaust your own mind’s capability for solving the mystery, you only have other people to turn to. This of course could be a disastrous move if you turn to people who have a very different worldview than your own. If you turn to those who are without a relationship with God, you will get answers that not only may be wrong, but they may even be harmful. You may end up doing things that could ultimately cost you your peace, your relationships, and your life.
On the other hand, part of the process of seeking God’s answers often requires that we not only seek His input in our hearts and minds and also search His Word for guidance, but that we seek out men and women who we know (by their spiritual fruit) have a solid and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ, and live it to the best of their abilities. We are to seek godly persons who may give us some incredible insights into what God is doing. But even then we are to check that input against the Word of God, making sure it does not contradict it.
In our story of Jacob’s sons, we find them turning to Joseph’s house steward to both seek answers and plead their case. They tell him truthfully what happened and about their innocence. And this section of scripture seems to leave them in the hands of the steward. Was he the right one to approach? Can he do anything? Would he understand?
For now, though, let us grasp the need for us to stay focused on God, His Word, and those He has put in our paths that are His, when seeking answers to the curveballs that life throws our way. That is my prayer for us as we reflect on these four otherwise non-earthshaking verses in Genesis; verses that once examined carefully we see are rife with important indirect instruction for us.
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