September 16

Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall. The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility. Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, — Gen 49:22-24 BSB

One might have thought that Joseph, being a fruitful vine, could have looked with a sense of calm, almost with holy scorn, at the archers who shot at him. But it wasn’t like that; "they severely grieved him." To be sold into Egypt by his own brothers, to have the dreams and visions God had given him mocked, to be falsely accused and cast into prison as an ungodly man by the very person who tempted him to sin—these arrows pierced his heart deeply.

It was because Joseph had the fear of God, because his heart was tender, that these arrows found their mark. Had he possessed a heart of stone or a soul of steel, the arrows would have fallen blunt and harmless. But his tender feelings, living conscience, warm affections, and godly fear provided a place for these arrows to stick. This is why the archers not only hated him, but shot at him and severely grieved him.

But did these arrows destroy him? Did they drain his life? Did he, like a wounded animal, fall and die? No. "But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel." Joseph had a bow, too. He could shoot arrows—but not at his enemies. Instead, he took the arrows shot at him, pulled them from his own wounded heart, and, rather than shooting them back, he turned them into prayers. He aimed his arrows upwards, toward the throne of God, turning bitterness into petitions.

So, when you are shot at by the archers, don’t shoot back. Take your arrows, your wounded feelings, your groans and sighs, and bring them before God. Pour out your heart to Him who hears and answers prayers, and you will find peace and comfort.

The world will outshoot you if you engage them in battle. They can use words you cannot, and they will defeat you in a war of words. A person of honor and education, drawn into a quarrel with a street fighter, cannot compete; he must pass on. Likewise, you must not return evil for evil. Let them shoot their arrows, but instead of shooting back, direct your bow upward in prayer, and in time, sweet answers of mercy and peace will come.

Joseph’s bow "remained steady." All the arrows of his enemies neither broke his bow nor struck it from his hand. He directed his arrows to heaven, not toward those who grieved him. And in this, we see the fruitfulness of Joseph, the source of his strength, the persecutions that grieved him, and the ultimate victory he gained. May God lead our souls into the same path, applying His truth to our hearts, that our bow may remain steady, and our hands strengthened by the Mighty God of Jacob.