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In Genesis 38–40, we see that righteousness and sin are not always the determining factors of God’s blessing. The consequences of sin are real, but trials are not always a punishment for wrongdoing—they are always part of God’s refining process.

Many of Joseph’s brothers disqualified themselves from Jacob’s end-of-life blessing due to their sinful actions. Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father’s wife, and Rachel’s maidservant, disqualifying himself from the firstborn blessing (Genesis 35:22). Simeon and Levi's vengeance for Dinah’s rape, dishonored their father and brought trouble on him (Genesis 34:25–30). Judah intermarried with Canaanite women and failed to care for his family properly, particularly in the situation with Tamar and the kinsman-redeemer obligation (Genesis 38). The sons of the maidservants—Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher—may have been disqualified due to their birth status, like Ishmael, who was born to Hagar instead of Sarah. But even if that hadn't disqualified them, the brothers—save Reuben—all took part in selling Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37:26–28).

Joseph, in contrast, lived righteously. When he was young, he may have naively shared his dreams without tact, but that was not a sin. He remained pure and faithful while serving in Potiphar’s house. In prison, Joseph remained honest, diligent, and righteous. Yet, despite doing everything right, Joseph suffered betrayal, slavery, false accusations, and imprisonment. Though he found favor in his circumstances, he was forgotten and treated as a criminal.

As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote,

“Into each life some rain must fall.”

Joseph, like Job, endured suffering that was not due to his sin. Yet, God used those difficulties in the same way He used trials for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to develop him into a God-dependent, faithful leader.

Whenever we face difficulty, it is wise to ask,

“Have I done anything that has gone against the ways of God?”

However, in the end, whether we have or haven’t, we must be ready to embrace the experience as an opportunity to grow. Every trial is an invitation to draw closer to God, trusting that He is shaping us into the spiritually mature people He desires us to be.

Trials do not always mean punishment—sometimes, they are preparation.