The Backdrop
Probably one of the biggest beefs people have against God can be summed up in this question: Why do bad things happen?
It’s a fair question and a logical conclusion given the nature of God that we know: God is all-loving. God is all-powerful. So, if a loving God is all-powerful, shouldn’t He protect us from the bad things? You’d think so, but as you know, that’s not always how it works.
You might know about Joseph in the Old Testament. He’s the guy whose dad gave him a multi-colored coat. The events of his life give perspective on the bad things question.
The What
The Scripture references below contain a few highlights of Joseph’s life. Print these verses out from a Bible website such as BibleGateway.com. As you read the passages, draw a smiley or a frowny beside the verse reference to depict how Joseph must have felt about life at that particular point in time.
One other thing: Make note of any mention of God—keep track of what He’s doing!
The Word
Genesis 37:3-5
Genesis 37:23-24
Genesis 37:36
Genesis 39:2-4
Genesis 39:19-21 (This is minutes after the wife of Joseph’s boss cooked up a false story to frame Joseph.)
Genesis 41:39-41
Genesis 50:18-20
The So What
How many smileys did you end up with? How many frownies?
What do these smileys and frownies tell you about Joseph’s life?
Based on these highlights, how would you describe Joseph’s life to a friend?
At what point do you think Joseph might have been asking: “Why do bad things happen?”
What did you see of God throughout these highlights?
Joseph had good reason to adopt a woe-is-me attitude, but did he? The last verse captures Joseph’s attitude toward God and his circumstances. What does that teach you about life when bad things happen?
Seal the Deal
What bad things do you or your friends have happening in your life/lives right now?
Did you notice that God was with Joseph in the frowny, as well as the smiley situations?
How can you apply Joseph’s attitude noted in Genesis 50:18-20 to the bad things happening in your life? Write a statement of resolve that will help you look for God in the bad and the good situations.
This cross-section of Joseph’s life shows us that even biblical characters had a rough journey at times. At any point in his journey, Joseph could have felt completely abandoned by God. However, as we see, God was continuously with him. Joseph’s life shows us a few things about bad things in life. We’ve listed a few, but close by adding a few more:
• We should not expect everything to turn out the way we planned.
• God is with us in the bad and the good times.
• God will use the bad for good.
