Daily Thought

‘The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob’. If all we knew about Joseph was contained in the dying words of Jacob, we would conclude that with God’s help, he had triumphed in a battle against tremendous odds. And that is exactly what had happened! Jacob knew that his beloved son had been cruelly treated. Joseph had been ‘sorely grieved’ by his own brethren, and by unjust imprisonment in Egypt. Genesis chapter 42 verse 21 makes it clear how deeply Joseph felt the cruelty of his brethren.

But whilst ‘the archers’ had ‘sorely grieved’ Joseph, they had not prevailed. It might have been a different story if he had stood alone in the battle, but ‘the Mighty One of Jacob’ was with him, Isa. 60. 16. The old patriarch draws a beautiful picture, which F.B.MEYER describes for us in his inimitable way: ‘There stands the weak child in whose slender arms there are no muscles strong enough to draw the string or bend the bow, which he vainly tries to use. They resist his utmost endeavours. Evidently, he has neither might nor strength. But now see, on his weak hands there are laid other hands, mighty hands that wove the tapestry of the heavens, and that hold in their hollows the depths of the seas; one of these is placed where the left hand holds the bow; the other where the right hand plucks the string. And now with what ease those thin hands wield the bow’.

Centuries later, the Apostle Paul was ‘sorely grieved’ and, once again, it was his own brethren who had ‘shot at him.’ He writes to Timothy, ‘This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me’, 2 Tim. 1. 15. ‘At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me’, 4. 16. But there were ‘mighty’ hands to help him too; ‘Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me’, 4. 17. Those same hands reach out to us. The ‘archers’ are still busy, and they use ‘fiery darts’, Eph. 6. 16. We hold the battle-bow with weak and trembling hands, only to hear the blessed Saviour say, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness’, 2 Cor. 12. 9. Christ will enable us to do ‘all things’, Phil. 4. 13.