Perceived Misfortune Might Be a Disguised Blessing

“And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.” (Ge 42:36 AV)

 

Perceived misfortune is often blessings in disguise.  To be fair, Jacob was the biggest loser in the entire Joseph affair.  Joseph faired well.  He endured injustice, but ultimately the LORD placed him in a position of authority and influence just like the visions of God foretold.  Simeon had to spend a few months in lock-up.  But there is no record of abuse towards him.  Benjamin was nothing but his dad’s favorite.  The other ten didn’t fair too bad, either.  Other than living with a guilty conscience for the last decade and a half, the ten didn’t suffer a whole lot for their abduction and sale of Joseph into the hands of the Ishmaelites.  Jacob, on the other hand, continuously grieved for his missing son, presuming him to be dead.  Now Simeon lay in a faraway prison and Benjamin must now part from him.  There was no telling what would befall his family once they all departed for Egypt.  No wonder Jacob felt as he did.  He forgot the promise of God to Abraham, Isaac, himself, and Joseph’s dream.  He forgot it all because the circumstances of life seemed aligned against him.  What he failed to see is perceived misfortune was actually the greatest blessing he would ever receive.

We have all been there.  We think the world is against us.  We see no upside to anything.  All we see are dark clouds and rain.  Currently, California is getting hit rather hard with severe weather.  There are places that will receive up to nine inches of precipitation.  I was watching the Weather Channel yesterday and the commentator made an interesting comment.  He was comparing the rain western California will get with the snow of the eastern half of the state.  He said the rain is the checking account and the snow is the savings account.  The rain is what they will draw on for immediate needs while the snow will melt over time to refill reservoirs.  Even though the western half of the state will no doubt suffer tragedy from all the rainfall and wind, there is an upside.  The drought in California that has persisted over the last few years will be solved by a week’s worth of severe weather.  There is always an upside.  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning of it.

Jacob lost his son almost twenty years prior.  Now he has the potential of losing another.  A third sits, rooting in prison.  It appears his whole life and purpose are failing.  Yet, little did he know, all that he lost would be gained, and then some.  The prophecies regarding Joseph would come to pass.  By Joseph, his family would survive and thrive.  They would fall under the protection of a wise man who knew exactly what to do.  Jacob would go to the grave having his entire family reunited, and with peace in his heart that they had reconciled over transgressions of the past.  What seemed like a world that was against him was actually just the opposite.  That which was against him was actually for him.  It was a simple matter of perception.