End of The Spear (and Joseph)

   In Romans 8:28 it says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

   So why, if everything works for our good, do so many awful, horrible thing happen?

   The answer lies in two stories. 

   The first is documented in the book, End of The Spear, by Steve Saint. When Steve was a boy, in 1956, his father and four other missionaries were speared by men of the Waodani tribe in Ecuador. His mother and several of the wives of the other missionaries brought their children to live in the jungle, as they taught the Waodani to "walk God's trail". In 1995, when Steve's own children were in highscool, God told him to go back to Ecuador and live with the Waodani. When his family came back to the United States a few years later, they brought with them two men, Mincaye and Tementa. Mincaye was one of the men who speared Steve's father; Tementa was the son of another. Together with Steve, they traveled, telling people how "We acted badly, badly until they brought us God's markings. Now, seeing those markings and walking Waengongi's (God's) trail, we live happily and in peace." 

   The second story is found in Genesis. Many, many years ago, a man named Jacob had two wives who were sisters. Between them and two concubines, he had twelve sons. His favorite was a boy named Joseph, who was the firstborn of the two sons of his favorite wife. Now Jacob was a very clever business man-if he wanted something, he usually got it. But he didn't have much tact as far as family goes. He made it plain as day that Joseph was his favorite, giving him a splendid coat and teaching him reading and writing, which were not common skills in those days. He was also rather proud of the fact that Joseph had a gift for interpreting dreams. Joseph had had several that indicated that one day he would be a great ruler. 
   Needless to say, Jacob's favoritism did not make Joseph popular with his ten older brothers. They hated Joseph so much that when they were away from home on a trip, finding pasture for their sheep, they sold Joseph as a slave and took his beautiful coat home to their father, covered in blood, and told Jacob that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.
   Joseph was sold to a man named Potiphar, who was a very important Egyptian official. Joseph worked so hard and so well, that Potiphar put him in charge of everything he owned, and never bothered checking up on him. Now Joseph was a very handsome young man (he was 17 when he was sold by his brothers), and Potiphar's wife decided that she liked him-a lot. She got horribly mad when Joseph ran away from her after telling her that he was not about to sin against his master and God by returning her affections-mad enough that  she accused him of trying to rape her. Potiphar, of course, believed her, and Joseph was thrown into prison.
   While he was in prison, Pharaoh threw his cupbearer and his chief baker into the same prison. They both had dreams, and when they asked Joseph what they meant, he told them that in three days Pharaoh would restore the cupbearer to his former position, but the baker was going to be hanged. Two years later, when Pharaoh had a dream his wise men couldn't interpret, the cupbearer remembered Joseph, and told Pharaoh about him.
   When he was told the dreams, Joesph said that the dreams were from God; God was warning Pharaoh that the next seven years were going to have bumper crops like no one had ever seen before, but the seven years following were going to be a severe famine. He then told Pharaoh that the wisest thing he could do would be to appoint someone really smart to take all of the extra food from the bumper crop years and ration it out for the famine years, so that Egypt didn't starve. Pharaoh thought that Joseph was in such good standing with God that he was the only person who could possibly do the job right, and appointed him second in command over all Egypt.
   Seven years passed, famine hit, and back in Canaan Jacob and his family ran out of food. Hearing there was food for sale in Egypt, Jacob sent his sons to go buy some so that they wouldn't all starve.
   Now if I were Joseph, after going through all that, the minute I clapped eyes on my brothers I probably would have had them all beheaded. But Joseph obviously had learned a whole lot more than I have, because instead of having them killed he tested them, to see if they were sorry and had changed. When he found out they had, told them to bring Jacob and all of their families to live in Egypt. He got them settled in the delta land of the Nile, and everything was peaceful. 
   Joseph's brothers were obviously still on edge, because when Jacob died a few years later, they all came to Joseph and told him, "Just so you know, dad said that when he dies you aren't to take revenge on us for that incident when you were 17, 'cause we're really sorry for what we did then."
   Joseph got so frustrated that they didn't understand that he started crying, and he told them,"Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive". 
   
A lot of the time God lets really bad, horrible things happen so that through them really amazing, wonderful things can happen. If Nate Saint and his four friends had not died trying to teach the Waodani to "walk God's trail", many, many people would have missed God's call for their life, to go out and share His love with others who don't love Him. If Joseph's brothers had not sold him into slavery, then thousands of people would have starved to death in the famine. Although both of these things were horrible, God used them in amazing, wonderful ways.

   And that's what Romans means when it says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."


Rapunzel