Day 128 – Acts 7:9-16
But God Was with Him
Scripture Reading – Acts 7:9-16
And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Acts 7:9 KJV
And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Acts 7:10 KJV
Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
Acts 7:11 KJV
But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
Acts 7:12 KJV
And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
Acts 7:13 KJV
Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
Acts 7:14 KJV
So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
Acts 7:15 KJV
And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
Acts 7:16 KJV
Scripture Review
Stephen summarizes Joseph’s life in Acts 7 by placing envy and presence side by side: the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, “but God was with him.” God delivered him from afflictions, gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, and made him governor. Then famine brought the family to Egypt, Joseph revealed himself, and Jacob came down.
Stephen’s brief account keeps the essential lines clear. Envy was the brothers’ motive; presence, deliverance, favor, and preservation were God’s work. “God was with him” does not mean Joseph avoided affliction, because the next phrase says God delivered him out of afflictions. Divine presence is not proved by an easy chapter. It is the settled reality from which deliverance, wisdom, and endurance come in God’s time.
The patriarchs meant to act from envy and remove Joseph, while later generations remembered the family’s descent and burial in Egypt and Canaan.
God meant to remain with Joseph, deliver him, give wisdom and favor, preserve the family through famine, and advance redemptive history.
What this asks of me
I should not judge God’s presence solely by whether affliction has ended. The Lord may be with me in the place from which He will later deliver me. While I wait, I can ask for the wisdom and faithful character that will serve His purpose rather than just for a faster escape.
Consider
- Have I mistaken continued affliction for the absence of God?
- What wisdom or faithfulness might God be forming before circumstances change?