Rescue – Acts 7:9-10

Acts 7:9-10 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him ¹⁰and rescued him from his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

Every now and again we hear of US Special Forces rescuing a hostage in a foreign country. They swoop into the area in the middle of the night and bring out the captive. Our hearts rejoice in the rescue. The family here rejoices.

But there is an element that often gets overlooked. The hostages were in very difficult circumstances before they were rescued. Many were tortured, deprived of life’s essentials, held against their will, often on false charges. They were cut off from all that was familiar. Theirs was not a life to be desired.

Our text today comes from Stephen’s defense. He has been arrested and brought before the religious leaders because he has been preaching and healing in Jesus’ name. And the authorities just don’t know how to stop him from doing that. So they ave arrested.

These leaders make a mistake by allowing Stephen to speak. They don’t realize that the Holy Spirit will be guiding his words, so they think this is a human conflict. But as Stephen begins to give a summary of the history of the LORD with the nation of Israel, his words begin to take hold in their hearts. In the end, they are so convicted that their anger is given full vent, and Stephen is stoned to death.

Our text highlights one of the chapters of God’s dealing with Israel. Joseph had been sold as a slave to Egyptian masters. But then the LORD lifted him up and he became number two in the land of Egypt.

But the rescue is only part of the story. Joseph had to live for at least two years as a prisoner. Most of the times that this story is retold the emphasis is on the rescue, but without the prison from which to be rescued, there would be no story of God’s grace at work.

I think we often short-circuit the Gospel by not telling the ‘before’ story well enough. We don’t want to share the depths of sin into which people are held captive. We want to skip ahead to the rescue. Unless we understand the ‘before’ picture, we won’t appreciate the ‘after’ result.

Joseph was rescued from his troubles. That means he had to live in the troubles. There was no rapid response unit of angels that came and pulled him out. He had to live as a prisoner. For two years he endured the results of a false charge.

Next time we are in a rough spot, don’t expect the LORD to answer immediately. Instead, take the time in the middle of the trouble to listen and learn. There are lessons to be found right in the middle of the trouble that can’t be learned anywhere else. So enroll fully in the LORD’s school and give it your best.

Our best would include having a servant attitude, not repeatedly claiming our ‘rights’ to better conditions. It means enduring with a grace-filled attitude, in order that some might see that grace and desire to know the LORD.

We are not treading water when the troubles come. The troubles are not something to be endured, but something to be embraced. God will use them to exalt His Name and bring glory to Himself through us. The way we embrace the troubles will have a very powerful message that others will hear.

The sad thing was the Joseph’s brothers had done all this to Joseph because they were jealous of their father’s attention and love. Their jealousy led to their deliverance from a famine that was about to hit their land. But their jealousy led ultimately to their humiliation.