“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph

“The Father Who Blesses” Genesis 48

“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph

Sermon Series

Genesis 48

“The Father Who Blesses”

Introduction

Seventeen years has passed since Jacob and Joseph’s brothers have settled in Goshen, Egypt. Joseph has returned to his duties as “second only to pharaoh,” but has left word to send for him if his father’s health changes. It was custom among the Hebrew people that before death, the patriarch would give a blessing to his children.

In Hebrews 11, what is often called the Faith Hall of Fame, the great leaders of God’s people are remembered, and they are introduced with the phrase, “by faith . . .” Hebrews 11:21 “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.” What is it, that makes the blessing of Joseph’s sons an act of faith? “Jacob, being near to death, knew that he could not see the promise fulfilled. In faith he saw that Ephraim and Manasseh would not remain in Egypt but, departing with the Israelites, would be the founders of two tribes in Canaan.”[1] God’s people were about to enter into 400 years of slavery; Jacob gives them a true vision for a positive future. The tribes would return, Canaan would be a land promised to the tribes.

Prayer

Remembering the Promise of God (vv. 1-7).

After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph,

“God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’

5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

“As in the earlier patriarchal narratives, the blessing of the father is passed along to the next generation . . . The blessing was a gift bestowed to those who could not claim it as a right.”[2] It’s the gift of a future. “The blessing” is one generation passing on a positive future to the next generation.

Jacob’s remarks to his son and grandsons, as part of the blessing that is to come, begins with saying, “God Almighty,” The blessing upon your children for generations to come is the story of how God has worked in your life. “He wished his sons to have, as their last memory of him, the scene in which he gave God all the credit, all the glory. This would enable them to stand firm in the days of slavery and the furnace of judgment.”[3]

(v. 3) Jacob recounts the event of when God appeared to Him earlier in his life, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you,” God had made him a promise, and now Jacob is showing how God has now brought that promise to be. Just as Joseph’s dream came true, God in Jacob’s life will ultimately bring about all that he has promised. The blessing is a promise that will be fulfilled.

In his entire life there are two events that he brings up at this time of blessing – these would be what he wanted them to remember and know about him – 1) his vision at Bethel where God blessed him, and 2) the death of his beloved Rachel. These were the two things that made him what he was; the two influences that shaped his entire life (his relationship with God, and his wife).[4] When it’s time to die, these two stand out – faith and love.

(v. 5) Jacob says, “Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine.” – Joseph’s sons are taken into Jacob’s family and treated as his own. They, along with the other brothers, would inherit the promise of Abraham. Later, Ephraim and Manasseh would become very important tribes of Israel.

What is the promise of Abraham? Genesis 15:5-6 “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”

Galatians 3:29 “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Abraham is linked to Isaac, who is linked to Jacob, who is linked to Joseph, etc… and those who by faith believe in Jesus Christ will inherit eternal life – they will receive the promise of eternal life.

Characteristics of A Blessing (vv. 8-22)

The Blessing of Physical Touch and Affection (vv. 8-14)

8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).

Jacob is 147 years old and his eye sight is gone, so Joseph brings his two sons close. Then Jacob kissed them, embraced them, then he placed his hands on their heads. All of this involves physical tough.

“In 1989 Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu was overthrown, and the world discovered that 170,000 children were being raised in Romania’s impoverished institutions. As the children’s plight became public, Fox, Nelson and Zeanah realized they had a unique opportunity to study the effects of early institutionalization.

The trio launched their project in 2000 and began by assessing 136 children who had been living in Bucharest’s institutions from birth. Then they randomly assigned half of the children to move into Romanian foster families, whom the researchers recruited and assisted financially. The other half remained in care as usual. The children ranged in age from 6 months to nearly 3 years, with an average age of 22 months.[5]

Over the subsequent months and years, the researchers returned to assess the development of the children in both settings. They also evaluated a control group of local children who had never lived in an institution.”[6] While Jacob’s embrace and kiss were ceremonial, they are a profound example to those wanting to bless the lives of those they love – physical touch and affection actually affects the person to the very wiring of their brain.

The Blessing of the Words of a Faithful Father

15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,[7] 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Jacob blesses Joseph his son, by in turn blessing his sons. The two sons who are being blessed are linked to the previous generations of men who walked with God in faith, “Abraham and Isaac (and now Jacob and Joseph).”

“let my name be carried on,” – Jacob identifies Joseph’s two sons as his own. They would receive the same inheritance Joseph and his brothers. He is saying, “you belong to me; you are one of us.” The boys never knew Canaan, they lived their entire lives in the palace in Egypt.

Genesis 43:17 “They served him (Joseph) by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.”[8] Genesis 46:33 “When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.” There are two cultures clashing here – one of faith, and one of the world; Jacob as grandfather is saying to his grandsons, “We are the people of the one true God, and you are one of us.”

“let them grow into a multitude . . .” Words of affirmation are powerful. “The Pygmalion effect describes situations where someone’s high expectations improves our behavior and therefore our performance in a given area. It suggests that we do better when more is expected of us.”[9]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTghEXKNj7g&t=201s “The kids were smarter when they were expected to be smarter by their teachers.” (1:48 to 3:28)

Bruce Wilkerson in his book, The Seven Laws of a Learner gives a helpful template that someone wishing to speak positive words to a young person can use. He uses this formula in the context of helping a child grow in an area you want them to blossom in:

Examine the person you want to blossom – watch for opportunities to speak to them about a behavior you wish to continue.
Expose what the person did. “You just did _________.” You describe what you saw them do. (past)
Describe your Emotion about what the person did. “That makes me feel __________.” You tell them how you feel about what they did. (present)
Tell the person what you Expect of him in the future. “I believe you are becoming _________.” (future) “The real issue isn’t sharing your dream but finding his dreams!”
Endear yourself to the person through appropriate touch.[10]

The Blessing is Not Based on Birth Order (vv. 17-20)

17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

“Cain was older than Abel, but Abel’s sacrifice was preferred. Ismael was Abraham’s first-born son, but the voice of God said to Abraham, “through Isaac shall your offspring be named (21:12).” Esau was older of Isaac’s twin sons, but Jacob, not to Esau, was the promise given. In every instance, as men looked back, it appeared to them that the unseen Hand had been at work.”[11]

“Over and over in these narratives, the answer to the question “who receives the blessing,” has been the same. Receiving the blessing that God offers does not rest on one’s natural status in the world. On the contrary, the blessing is based solely on God’s grace.”[12] Who receives the blessing, is not the person who is supposed to receive it, according to the world.

The Blessing Involved Remembering God’s Presence (vv. 21-22)

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

“In Genesis 28, after Jacob had been forced to leave home because of Esau, God appeared to him at Bethel and said, “I am with you” (v. 15). In chapter 31, where God appeared to Jacob to send him back to his own land from Haran, God said, “I will be with you (v. 3)” Two verses later, where Jacob is reflecting back over his experiences of God’s blessing at Haran, he says, “God . . . has been with me (v. 5).” He says the same thing in chapter 35: “God . . . has been with me wherever I have gone” (v.3).”[13] And here in chapter 48, on his deathbed Jacob takes these same truths and shares them with his son and grandsons.

There were times in Jacob’s life when he felt all alone, and it was God who was there to comfort him. “I am with you.” He know the generation needs to hear this, and to know from the experience of the previous generation that God keeps his promises, that God is with us. When Jacob was a trickster and deceiver – God was with him. When he rededicated his life in the wilderness God was with him. When he turned back to his old ways again, transitioning from numb heart to revitalized heart – God was with him. God’s presence was not dependent upon Jacob – God made a promise and He keeps His promises.

Every generation has to learn what it means to have faith and to trust God. The blessing we give to our children is to testify to them of the Lord’s faithfulness, grace, and mercy.

Also, the blessing of the next generation is so important because the people would have asked, “what are we to do, Abraham is dead?” “if Abraham dies, there is Isaac; and if Isaac dies, there is Jacob; and if Jacob dies, there is Joseph; and if Joseph dies, Ephraim and Manaseh survive. God is with us. He will always raise up champions for the next generation – let us invest in them, let us bless them.

How do we know that God is with us? As Jacob went through ups and downs, times of being faithful, and times when he went back to being “the deceiver,” there would have been times when he may have thought that God was with him no longer. But throughout his life, God kept coming back to him saying “I am with you.” If you are in a season of asking this same question, then look to the promises of God (who is forever faithful). Dueteronomy 31:8 says, “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Take him at His word. We don’t base our faith on our feelings (as in it doesn’t feel like God is with me), but ours is a trust based on faith – taking Him at His word.

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[1] H. Orton Wiley, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Kansas City, Missouri; Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1984) 328.

[2] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1990) 269.

[3] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1987) 248.

[4] George Arthur Buttrick, General Editor, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1952) 814.

[5] Suggested reading for further study on the development of a child’s brain; Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, The Whole-Brain Child (New York, New York; Bantam Books) 2012.

[6] https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/06/neglect

[7] This is the first time that the image of God as a shepherd is mentioned (Boice, 257).

[8] Even though shepherds were considered an abomination to the Egyptians, Joseph had such an impact on their country that Jacob (his father) was able to bless the pharaoh, “And Jacob blessed Pharaoh . . .” Genesis 47:10.

[9] https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/the-pygmalion-effect

[10] Bruce Wilkerson, The Seven Laws of the Learner (Sisters, Oregon; Multnomah Publishing, 1992) 110.

[11] Buttrick, 815.

[12] Sailhamer, 272.

[13] Boice, 263.

“I am Joseph!” Genesis 45

“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph

Sermon Series

Genesis 45

“I am Joseph!”

Introduction

Prayer

There is a Good Plan Before You (vv. 1-8)

Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.[1] 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

“But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.” – This whole drama started with needing to go to Egypt to get food, for there was a famine – and they all sat around and looked at each other (in guilt). Then through a series of events they cried out, “In truth we are guilty” (Genesis 42:21). They have repented of their sin against Joseph “For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father” (Genesis 44:34). But now everything, all of it is brought to the surface, Joseph has all the power over them, and they are terrified.

This is the same realization of a person who has come to the true understanding that he has offended an all-powerful, holy God. They are without excuse, and completely without hope. All that anger of being sold into slavery, having lived in prison, mistreated and falsely accused, for over twenty years – now can, having absolute power to have his vengeance upon them – and they would deserve it, they “could not answer him, for they were dismayed.”

The great preacher of old, Jonathan Edwards once said, “Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God.”[2]

Does the hammer fall? Does Joseph have his revenge? No. Grace abounds. During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell. Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A worker or two fell into the net but were saved. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net.[3]

(v. 5) “for God sent me before you to preserve life” and (v. 7) “7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth” and (v. 8) “So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” “Joseph’s words pull back the narrative veil and allow the reader to see what has been going on behind the scenes. It was not the brothers who sent Joseph to Egypt, rather it was God. And God had a purpose for it all.”[4]

God took these men through a lengthy gut-wrenching journey so that they would repent of their sin and turn to God, and it is through these brothers (the sons of Israel) that the world would be turned upside down with the gospel. They would be redeemed, and so would the world. These lying, deceitful, hateful, wicked men would give their lives to God and through them millions would be saved.

(v. 5) “do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here” – Don’t focus on the past, or how you once were lost. Now is the time to focus on preserving other people’s life. They are the beginning of a long story of redemption. Moses is coming, and Joshua, and the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant, Samuel, and King David, and Esther, and Ruth, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel – the story of redemption is coming.

And there will be a voice crying out in the wilderness, a man named John who will point us to Him, the promised one who will save the world from their sin by dying on a Roman cross – Jesus. The story of redemption is coming! Then the disciples and Paul, and the church spreads out. Today the story continues with you! And one day Jesus will come, with a shout, and we will meet him in the air. Eternity will begin and our redemption will be complete. Today, the story is not complete, there is one more who needs to hear your story of redemption and she needs to hear it from you. Have you ever asked, “why am I here?” There are two answers, 1) you need to hear the story or 2) you need to tell the story.

A Renewed Picture of a Promised Land (vv. 9-20)

9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ 12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. 16 When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ 19 And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

The book of Genesis begins with everything being good, 1:31 “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” And now (at the end of “the Beginnings”) everything is made right again, where there was destruction and famine, now God’s people would live in Goshen, a special place where they would be safe and be provided for. “The picture of Joseph is a picture of restoration – this was a restoration of the blessing that was promised through the offspring of Jacob.”[5]

After the fall of Adam and Eve we see a promise. Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” There is a promise of one who will come to defeat sin and death and restore all things to the way God created them to be.

(v. 10) “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen” – This was a land set aside for Joseph’s family. Genesis 47:11 “Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.”

It is in this area that the tribe of Israel will grow into a nation of people. Later, it was there that God showed grace to His people once again, “Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail” (Exodus 8:22, 9:26). This is a picture of the Garden of Eden, Adam having to leave because of sin, now there is restoration and at the end of “the beginnings,” now a return back to a land of safety and provision.

The Numb Heart and the Revived Heart (vv. 21-28)

21 The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. 23 To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.” 25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

(v. 25) we see again, “So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob.” Jacob means “deceiver, trickster” but Israel was his covenant name, the name God gave him when they wrestled in the wilderness. Whenever we see Jacob turning back to a lack of faith, a numb heart, back his old ways he is called Jacob. Look at the transition, “the spirit of their father Jacob 28 And Israel said, . . .” By Genesis chapter 47, Jacob is 137 years old. Jacob had spent his entire adult life (since wrestling with God) being a man of faith, and then a man of doubt – up and down, back and forth.

You may say, “yeah but Jacob had a hard life.” His father favored his brother Esau over him. His uncle Laban treated him harshly, Genesis 31:40 “by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house.” He had a dislocated hip. His beloved wife died giving birth to Benjamin, and his son Joseph was killed by wild animals (or so he was told). But look if we were compare Jacob with his son Joseph – Joseph was mistreated and hated by his brothers, sold as a slave, lied about so that he ended up in prison, forgotten. But through all that Joseph endured – he never waivered in his faith.

Throughout the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) at key sections, at major mile markers, in the story of God’s people there is an emphasis on whether they respond in faith, or a lack of faith. Where there is a lack of faith, there is a numb heart. Where there is faith shown, there is a revived heart.

Jacob, his entire life has wanted the blessing of God. As his brother was being born, he grabbed his heal as if to pull him back in to the womb so he would get the blessing. Then He tricked his father to falsely get him to give him the blessing. Then in the wilderness he wrestles with God and demands him for a blessing – His entire life Jacob has perused the blessing of God.

Let’s go back to Genesis 32:32 this is where Jacob wrestles with God. They have wrestled through the night, The man “Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,6 for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

The man Jacob is wrestling with says, “what is your name?” Jacob has to say his name which means deceiver, trickster “grabber of the heal.” God is saying “You have tried to receive God’s blessing your entire life – your way.” You have tried to steal it, to trick people for it, to wrestle it away.” But God changes his name to Israel which means “God fights.” After a long night of wrestling with God, “And there he blessed him.” Once Jacob quit fighting, trying to do it his way – God fought for Him, and he was finally blessed.

Stop fighting God, and let Him fight for you!

God will let us know His will, we will know Him personally, and our sin will be remembered no more. When you stop fighting God, and let Him fight for you, look what happens: Jeremiah 31:33-34 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel (those following after Israel who put their faith in God) after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Our stone, Numb, hard heart is changed.

Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Psalm 51: “Create in me a pure heart, o God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

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[1] Ad astra per aspera “through hardships to the stars.”

[2] To read the entire sermon, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/edwards_jonathan/Sermons/Sinners.cfm

[3] https://bible.org/illustration/net

[4] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1990) 256.

[5] Sailhamer, 257.

“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph Sermon Series Genesis 43:26-34-44:1-34 “The Big Turn; The Brother’s Second Journey to Egypt” (Con’t)

“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph Sermon Series

Genesis 43:26-34-44:1-34

“The Big Turn;

The Brother’s Second Journey to Egypt” (Con’t)

Introduction

In The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones must pass three tests to reach the Holy Grail (with the stakes raised as his father, played by Sean Connery dying from a bullet wound and in need of the healing waters from the grail to survive).

The first test, called “the Breath of God” is the one worthy of our focus today. Indiana hasn’t figured out the puzzle, but as he approaches with what could be his last steps, he whispers over and over again the one clue: “Only the Penitent Man Shall Pass.” As the wind (breath) begins to blow through the chamber, Indy has only a few moments to pass the test. At the very moment he needs to figure it out (cue high drama) he gets it. Here’s the actual words from the film:

The penitent man is humble before God. The penitent man… The penitent man is humble. Penitent man is humble… [kneels before God] KNEEL!!

The second he kneels, two massive circular saws emerge from the wall, just missing Indy’s head and his famous fedora. As I said earlier, the theology would not pass muster in any seminary, but it does get one thing right: the journey of faith, even for the hero, begins with repentance.[1]

Prayer

Being Loved and Known (Genesis 43:26-34)

26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

What does God do to draw the heart of men to Himself? For the brothers, “he had used a pinch of material want, the pain of harsh treatment, the press of an enforced solitude, the proof of his presence in small things, and last of all, the pattern of an ordained necessity.”[2] At these things, the brothers admitted their sin, at least to one another. In this passage, we see that God adds another step, genuine affection.

Then he invites them to Joseph’s house for a special meal (prepared in the middle of the day). Then they are “given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder.” They are invited into the home of the most important man in all of Egypt, for a specially prepared meal. They are shown kindness.

(v. 33) “And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement.” – The (Egyptian) man had the brothers seated by their birth order (oldest to youngest). But how did they know? “There are no less than 39,917,000 different orders in which eleven individuals could have been seated.”[3] The odds are 40 million to one that the stewards would place the brothers in this orde They don’t know how, but they are known. God knows everything about us, sometimes He reveals that knowledge as a way to draw someone to Him.

Being known by God. Luke 12:6 says “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” God knows all about you; He knows your thoughts, your concerns, your desires, your temptations, your physical ability, everything – but in spite of our sinful and depraved hearts he wants a relationship with us. The story of Joseph and his brothers is a picture of restoration. It is a picture of men who are far from God being drawn to the Lord.

What God wants is a relationship with you – which involves our relating to Him in obedience. God as Creator determines the terms of the relationship. Matthew 7: 23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Then there was another test, “Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.” Joseph sends portions from his table to the brothers, but Benjamin receives five times more than the rest of the brothers. He had the seat of honor at the table, and he received much more than the others. Joseph is trying to figure out if this special treatment would manifest resentment toward Benjamin. They hated Joseph because of his father’s favoritism and giving him the coat of many colors. It doesn’t seem to bother them, “And they drank and were merry with him.”

Genesis chapters 42 and 43 gives us an example of where God sets things into motion actions that draws the brothers toward him and shows us the love He has for His creation. Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God again and again shows us, displays to us the love He has for us. These signs of grace should draw us to Him.

Repentance is Required (Genesis 44:1-34)

The Trap is Set (vv. 1-12)

Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, 2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’” 6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. 7 They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.” 10 He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” 11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.”

Sorrow Over Guilt (vv. 13-17)

13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city. 14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. 15 Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?” 16 And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” 17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

The brothers did not steal the cup, Joseph had put it there in Benjamin’s sack, but they still say, “God has found out the guilt of your servants.” Why would the brothers confess guilt to something they knew they did not do. They had a guilty conscience.

We see here with the brothers, men who were full of hatred, violence, and deception are capable of repentance. No one is too far gone, no one has done any actions for which God is not ready to forgive him, “and cleanse him from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)” But he has to repent of his sin.

Repentance is defined as, to be filled with remorse, as it leads to a change of mind, specifically dealing with sin.[4] Joseph knows the brothers have sorrow over how they treated him, but is it a godly sorrow or a worldly sorrow. Let’s look at the difference.

Godly Sorrow v. Worldly Sorrow

On the night before the Cross, one of Jesus’ disciples betrayed Him, and one denied Him. All sins are acts of selfishness and are grievous offenses to a holy God. Both of these sins were against the person of Jesus Himself. The Bible records how Judas and Peter responded later. Judas “repented himself” (Matthew 27:3), and the very word that Matthew used (metamelomai) to describe Judas indicates that his regret and remorse were completely self-centered. He was sorrowful, but not even for the plight of Jesus.

He was only sorry for himself. Matthew did not choose the more common word for repentance (metanoeo) used throughout the New Testament that means to change one’s mind and behavior for the better because of hatred for one’s sins.

The Gospels tell us that Peter went out and wept bitterly. The word means to wail in great agony and grief. Was his sorrow godly or worldly? We can only tell from the results. Judas immediately went out and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). When next we see Peter, he has returned to his brothers. When he heard word of the Resurrection, he ran in search of the Lord against whom he had sinned. Later that same day, Peter was completely restored.

One man’s sorrow led to death. The other’s led to salvation and life. That is the difference between worldly and godly sorrow.[5] 2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Repentance is not just a feeling guilty for bad behavior – It involves three things:

Intellect – “Repentance is that change of a sinner’s mind that leads him or her to turn from evil ways and live. Intellectually, human beings must apprehend sin as utterably heinous, the divine law as perfect and binding, and themselves as falling short of the requirements of a holy God.”[6] If you are genuinely repentant of a sin, they cannot be emotionally indifferent to sin.
Emotions – “It is possible to have a knowledge of sin without abhorring it as something that dishonors God and ruins humanity: the change of view may lead only to a dread of punishment and not to the hatred and abandonment of sin.”[7] True repentance involves not only a conviction of personal sinfulness but an earnest appeal to God to forgive according to His mercy. (Ps. 51:1ff, 10-14).
Will – The original language words for repentance “emphasize the will, the change of mind. Several places in Scripture shows that putting on sackcloth, putting ashes on your body – outward actions to show repentance do you no good if your heart, your will is not changed.

Matthew 5:3-6 helps us to see the process a person goes through from being lost to being saved. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 1) There is consciousness of spiritual poverty dethroning pride, 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 2) A sense of personal unworthiness producing grief, 3) 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 4) A willingness to surrender to God in genuine humility, 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 5) A strong desire developing into spiritual hunger and thirst, are all part of the experience of one who abandons sin and fully turns to God who then gives eternal life.

Throughout this study of Joseph’s brothers we are asking, are they any different than when they sold him into slavery and hated him twenty years before? So yes they have changed, they are genuinely bothered by their sin, and they understand that they are dealing with God as a consequence of that sin – but is the sorrow they are expressing a worldly sorrow or a godly sorry?

In vv. 18-29 Judah gives an overview of everything for “the (Egyptian) man.”

Taking Steps To Stop the Pain (vv. 30-34)

30 “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

Judah said to the (Egyptian) man, “I told my father “‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

Judah is appealing to “the (Egyptian) man” by stating how a father loves his son, and to be separated from his son would cause so much anguish and sorrow that it would crush him. Judah takes actions pleading to take the place of his brother, so that his father would not die. The same father who doesn’t love him, like he loves Benjamin – he’s ok with that, he doesn’t want to hurt his father any further. He is convicted of his sin.

Judah has seen what his previous sin had caused to his father, he will do anything to not cause that pain again – that is a godly sorrow, he has repented of his sin, his mind is changed, he does not want to do that again. “This is the point in the story at which the brothers are actually born again. Before, this they were unregenerate. From this point on they are transformed individuals.”[8]

Joseph put the cup in Benjamin’s sack to see where the blame would fall. Would the brothers try to save their own worthless skins, or would they stand there and watch Benjamin go off into slavery? Would they tell dad that wild animals had devoured him too? There was not one of them that didn’t wish the cup was in their bag instead of Benjamin’s. They all returned to Egypt. Judah says, “I fear to see the evil that would find my father.” – He intellectually, emotionally, and in his will – doesn’t want to see any harm come to his youngest brother, or his father. This is a powerful change in his heart.

The call to repentance is not a call to just feel the remorse of your sins.

It’s a call to turn around so that God can do something about them. It is an action.

If you are trying to run from God and have pushed away his gracious intervention in your life, you need to know two things:

God will always uncover your iniquity. Usually, he discloses iniquity in this life. But even if He does not do so here, he will certainly do it in the life to come. The Bible says, “Your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). All things hidden will be brought into the light from darkness. There is no way for you to escape except in the scared arms of Jesus.

It is not what you achieve in this life that matters, but what God in righteousness chooses to do through you. Does God have your heart? Repent this morning from your sin, and give Him your life.

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[1] https://thepastorsworkshop.com/sermon-illustrations-2/sermon-illustrations-repentance/

[2] Boice, 150.

[3] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1977) 610.

[4] It is an onomatopoetic term that implies difficulty in breathing, hence “pant,” “sigh,” “groan.” Naturally it came to signify “lament” or grieve;” when the emotion was produced by the desire of good for others it merged into compassion and sympathy, and when incited by a consideration of one’s own character and deeds it came to mean “rue,” “repent.”

[5] https://www.purelifeministries.org/blog/recognizing-godly-sorrow-vs-worldly-sorrow#:~:text=He%20writes%3A%20%E2%80%9CGodly%20sorrow%20brings,it%20will%20lead%20to%20real

[6] Geoffrey W. Bromiley, General Editor, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume Four, Q-Z (Grand Rapids, Michigan; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988) 136.

[7] Bromiley, 136.

[8] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing; 1987) 159.

“God’s Tactics to Draw Men to Himself; The Brother’s Second Journey to Egypt” Genesis 43

“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph

Sermon Series

Genesis 43

“God’s Tactics to Draw Men to Himself;

The Brother’s Second Journey to Egypt”

Introduction

This morning we will be looking at tactics that God uses to draw us closer to Him. One of those tactics is to place in situations where we have to turn our lives over to Him, to give him control.

Prayer

Three Things You Cannot Control (vv. 1-7)

Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” 3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’” 6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” 7 They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

There are some situations in life that no matter how hard you fight, no matter how much you want something to change, no matter what you do – there is no changing it. For Joseph’s family they are facing three things that they cannot change.

The Power of Nature, “Now the famine was severe in the land” – Jacob and brothers had no control over the fact that a famine was upon them. They could sit around and pretend it wasn’t there and they would starve; or they could recognize the dire situation, take appropriate steps and live.

In 2010 a flood struck Bellevue and many people lost their homes, precious material possessions, and some even their lives. Who could stop the flood? Who because they wanted the water to stop rising could cause it to stop? Only one man can stop the storm, and calm the sea (Jesus). The rest of us can only react to the darkening clouds on the horizon and react to it.

Every year there are natural disasters where local emergency services and municipalities will tell people they have to evacuate – but there are always people who says, “I’m just going to ride out the storm.” Sometimes they live, but often times they are killed in the disaster because they wouldn’t give up control.

The Will of Man, “The man solemnly warned us” – In the brother’s mind, “the (Egyptian) man” was not going to change his mind, or his instructions no matter how much Jacob wanted him to. The brothers told him again, and again, “Benjamin has to go with us when we return to Egypt.” You cannot change someone else’s mind, their opinions, their beliefs – you can try to persuade them, but when it’s said and done, you cannot change another person. Women marry men, and there are things about them they don’t like, so then they spend years trying to change them into another person.

The Circumstances of Life, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” The brother’s told “the (Egyptian) man” that they had a father and a younger brother. They had no way of knowing what would happen next’ Judah even says, “Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” There are circumstances and situations that you find yourself in to where it does you no good, to go back and rehash and dissect past events – your life situation is what it is, and dwelling on the past, and past decisions does you no good – it won’t help solve the problem you are in now. You say, “if only I had said this, or done that, then things would be different now.” But when you finish saying those things, your life is still in the situation.

There is a quote by writer and philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” So, yes in the future, you may can make decisions differently, but now (in the present), in your current situation – you can change it; you can only react to it.

“Miss Havisham is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations (1861). She is a wealthy spinster, once jilted at the altar, who insists on wearing her wedding dress for the rest of her life. She lives in a ruined mansion with her adopted daughter, Estella. Dickens describes her as looking like “the witch of the place”. . . “Humiliated and heartbroken, Miss Havisham suffered a mental breakdown and remained alone in her decaying mansion Satis House – never removing her wedding dress, wearing only one shoe, leaving the wedding breakfast and cake uneaten on the table, and allowing only a few people to see her. She also had the clocks in her mansion stopped at twenty minutes to nine: the exact time when she had received Compeyson’s letter.”[2] You cannot control the circumstances you find yourself in – but you can take steps to deal with the situation.

Salvation Requires a Heart Change (vv. 8-13)

8 And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.” 11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

Throughout the story of Joseph encountering his brothers, we are asking the question, “Are the brothers the same as when they hated Joseph, threw him in the pit, and sold him as a slave, or has their heart changed?” In chapter 42 we saw that God has orchestrated a famine, which drove them to Egypt, they have been treated roughly, thrown into prison, seen their brother bound and thrown into prison.

All of this was designed to force them to face the sin they had committed. Joseph saw that it was working, they said, Genesis 42:21 “Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

We do see a change, (In chapter 43) first in Judah (one of Joseph’s brothers), and then in Jacob (his father).[3] We have seen a similar change in Reuben already in chapter 42. Rueben had pledged his own sons as security for Benjamin, Genesis 42:37 “Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” Now Judah, says, “If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.” Judah is putting others needs and welfare above his own.

Remember, Judah was one of the brothers that hated Joseph, mistreated him, threw him in a pit, and sold him as a slave. In between that event and today’s passage, Judah’s daughter-in-law had been accused of getting pregnant outside of marriage, so Judah orders for her to be burned to death, Genesis 38:25 (Judah and Tamar) “As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” 26 Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” Judah will go on to become a great tribe as a part of the nation of Israel, but he has to have a heart change first.

Then there is Jacob, the dad. He has been called Jacob throughout the story, but now suddenly, he is called Israel. This was his new or covenant name, and it linked to his using the phrase, “God Almighty.” Genesis 32:27-28 “And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,6 for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

When Abraham’ s name was changed from Abram to Abraham, his old name was not used again, because in that moment there was a significant character change. “The new name represented a profound and permanent growth in his character.”[4] This is not true for Jacob; he had wrestled with God (was given a new name Israel), but as time went on Jacob went back to being the same trickster and deceiver he had always been. Now, there seems to be a heart change, where he says, “And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

“Jacob is now in extreme old age, and he is about to be left alone so far as the companionship of his sons is concerned.” All of his sons are away. Up to this point at least one of his children had been by his side, but now, he is all alone. He has trusted God before, now he has to trust God again, so he calls upon “God Almighty.” Jacob has returned to being a man of faith, so he is called Israel once again. But that drawing back to God for Jacob meant solitude, loneliness, and a being separated from loved ones.

This is a similar test that Abraham faced, when God told him, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Both of these men would lose the child they deeply loved, leaving them only with their relationship with God.

God’s Tactics to Draw Men to Himself (vv. 15-34)

15 So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” 17 The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24 And when the man had brought the men into Joseph’s house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 25 they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

Provision, Reuniting, and Fellowship (vv. 15-25) (v. 18) “And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house,” – This is the second time that we see the brother’s afraid. Before, when they discovered that their money had been returned to them after they had left to go back home on their first journey to Egypt. Joseph’s only intention was good, but here they are afraid, “he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” They knew what they would do if they had the power, so they assumed others would act as they would.

The servant of Joseph does a series of things that puts the brother’s minds at ease. He tells them not to worry about the money, (v. 23) “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then they release Simeon from prison and brings him to the other brothers. Which would have shown them that “the (Egyptian) man” was a person of his word.

Then he invites them to Joseph’s house for a special meal (prepared in the middle of the day). Then they are “given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder.” All these blessings, upon hospitality, upon provision – never knowing that it was Joseph all the time. God is using these things to draw the brothers closer to Him.

There is a theological term called “common grace” – “When we walk down the street and see houses and gardens and families dwelling in security, or when we do business in the marketplace and see the abundant results of technological progress, or when we walk through the woods and see the beauty of nature, or when we are protected by government, or when we are educated from the vast storehouse of human knowledge, we should realize not only that God in his sovereignty is ultimately responsible for all of these blessings, but also that God has granted them to all sinners who are totally undeserving of any of them! These blessings in the world are not only evidence of God’s power and wisdom, they are also continually a manifestation of his abundant grace.”[5] Matthew 5:45 “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Romans 2:4 “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” points us to ask the question, “Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience (God’s common grace)?” Yes, you do, we all do.

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Another Test – Portions given to Benjamin (vv. 26-34)

26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

What does God do to draw the heart of men to Himself? For the brothers, “he had used a pinch of material want, the pain of harsh treatment, the press of an enforced solitude, the proof of his presence in small things, and last of all, the pattern of an ordained necessity.”[6] At these things, the brothers admitted their sin, at least to one another. In this passage, we see that God adds another step, genuine affection.

(v. 33) “And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement.” – The (Egyptian) man had the brothers seated by their birth order (oldest to youngest). But how did they know? “There are no less than 39,917,000 different orders in which eleven individuals could have been seated.”[7] The odds are 40 million to one that the stewards would place the brothers in this orde They don’t know how, but they are known. God knows everything about us, sometimes He reveals that knowledge as a way to draw someone to Him.

Then there was one final test, “Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.” Joseph sends portions form his table to the brothers, but Benjamin receives five times as much as the rest of the brothers. He had the seat of honor at the table, and he received much more than the others. Joseph is trying to figure out it this special treatment would manifest resentment toward Benjamin. It doesn’t seem to bother them, “And they drank and were merry with him.”

Genesis chapters 42 and 43 gives us an example of where God sets things into motion actions that draws the brother toward him and shows us the love He has for His creation. Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God again and again shows us, displays to us the love He has for us. These signs of grace should draw us to Him. Do you know Him today? Have you given your life to the merciful and gracious God?

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[1] https://thepastorsworkshop.com/sermon-illustrations-2/sermon-illustrations-control-2/

[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Havisham#:~:text=Miss%20Havisham%20is%20a%20character,the%20rest%20of%20her%20life.

[3] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1987) 146.

[4] Boice, 147.

[5] Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine, Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1999) 279.

[6] Boice, 150.

[7] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1977) 610.

Genesis 42 “There Comes a Reckoning; The Brothers First Journey to Egypt”

“Wilderness” The Life of Joseph

Sermon Series

Genesis 42

“There Comes a Reckoning; The Brothers First Journey to Egypt”

Introduction

Our growth as Christians does not take place primarily in comfortable situations. Many characters in the Bible find themselves in the wilderness right before God uses them to make a huge impact. God knows that we grow most through tough trials, serious testing and difficult circumstances. It is in these places we find out God is always with us and he is working in us off the grid. This study of the life of Joseph is a perfect series to empower you to face hard times and to grow.

Circumstances and Providence force Joseph’s brothers to face their past. Each leg of the journey makes them deal with decisions and moral failures of their lives. Their journey leads us to ask the question, “is it possible to get out from under the weight and shame of a moral failing from our past?” Does God want us to be miserable because of our sinful decisions? Does God punish us because of our past?

In order to understand what is going on in today’s passage, we have to understand Joseph’s family.

Isaac and Rebekah

Jacob and Esau (Laban)

Leah and Rachel (Gen. 29:31ff.)

Prayer

The Obvious Step (vv. 1-5)

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

The famine had reached a point in the life of Jacob’s family that they were close to being in a critical position, “for the famine was in the land of Canaan.” There was food to purchase in Egypt, and there were dwindling supplies of food in Canaan. But there were also, people who needed to have a relationship with God (the sons of Jacob), so the famine forced them to take a step they never would have otherwise.

Why do we so often struggle with the obvious answer to, “that we may live and not die” – the answer to continuing to live is to go the Egypt and buy grain, but the brothers stare at each other (or “why do you delay”), each waiting for the other to take some kind of action (or “what are you waiting for?”), all while the family begins to struggle. We have the answer to eternal life, and Jesus as the “bread of life,” yet we look around as if there may be some other answer. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” yet when hard times comes, we look around and stare, as if there is some other way to live this life.

But there may have been another reason of why the brothers react to Jacob’s suggestions, as “Why do you look at one another?” – It was to Egyptian slave traders that they had sold their brother (Joseph) many years before (Gen. 37ff.). They had intended to kill Joseph, but just as they were about to, slave traders came by, on their to Egypt. So every time Egypt came, up, or Joseph’s name came up, Reuben would look at Simeon, and Simeon would turn and look at Zebulen, and on and on as they would have been reminded of Joseph’s pleas “don’t sell me please, . . .”[1]

This is not God’s plan for mankind – that we live our lives in guilt and shame. The second thing God uses to get the brother’s attention, is their own conscience. They have to go to the place where their guilt resides. They have to face their sin. God loves these brothers enough to drive them to face their sin, and deal with their shame and guilt.

We are not sure why all ten brothers needed to go. The food may have been rationed where an individual was only allowed to purchase a set amount. Or perhaps there was safety in a larger number. Jacob did not allow Benjamin, who would have been around twenty, to go, “for he feared that harm might happen to him.” – there was another time when all the brothers had gone off with one his favored sons, and bad things happened.

The Observant Satrap (vv. 6-11)

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”[2] 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”

“Joseph was governor over the land” – governor is a strong Hebrew word for complete mastery. The emphasis is on the absolute power Joseph held (over his brothers).[3] When Joseph was younger the older brothers had power (physically stronger) over him and they used it to take out their anger and frustration by throwing him in a pit and selling Joseph off as a slave – to get rid of him. Now the situation is reversed. Joseph now has absolute power over the brothers. So, this is a question of once a person has power (everyone wants to rule the world), how will they use that power? How will Joseph use his new found power with his estranged brothers?

The brothers appear to be the same, just older. Joseph easily recognizes them. But Joseph is very different than when they last saw him, “the intervening years have left no outward sign of his origin. He is thoroughly Egyptian in rank, name, and speech; he is communicating with the petitioners through an interpreter (v. 23).”[4] We see that Joseph seems to want to be reconciled with his brothers, but there has to be a heart change on the brother’s part, “the path to reconciliation must pass through this deep valley.”[5]

(v.9) As his brothers are bowing down before him, Joseph “remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them.” It was the dreams that drove his brothers to hate him when he was a kid. Joseph, many years before, told his brothers, Genesis 37:7-8 “Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”

For Joseph, the dream was a promise from God – this is going to happen. The fulfillment of the dream was incomplete because it included all the brothers, and his father. The dream from God guided Joseph on what to do next. Joseph also, wanted to see how his brothers treated the new favored child.

The Observation of Sin (vv. 12-17, 18-21)

12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers,[6] the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

Joseph does not wish to punish the brothers, because he is second only to pharaoh and could have them killed with a motion of his hand, or a nod of his head. Instead, he wants to test Were they the same brothers who threw him in a pit, and sold him as a slave or have they changed; are they different? All the brothers are there except Benjamin (the only other son of Rachel) – have they done the same thing to him, that they did to Joseph? He needs to have them all together – including his father.

Let’s look back at Genesis 37:12ff. Joseph seems to be reenacting the day he was sold into slavery. It was the last time he saw his brothers. Are they the same men? Has their heart changed? Look at how they describe themselves, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers,” In Gen. 37:19 they called him the dreamer, “They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.” But now they call him brother, later in v. 22 he “the boy.” There is a tenderness now, that was not there before.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another,

“In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”

The brothers talk in their Hebrew tongue, they don’t think Joseph can understand what they are saying. They admit they are guilty of how they treated their brother, “In truth we are guilty” and they fear God is now judging them. Twenty years has passed and they are carrying the weight of their sin. So they finally admit it, 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Joseph doesn’t know the condition of his father, his other brother, and all the wives and children of his other brothers – they may be starving. So, he changes the plan, so that all the grain can get back safely home.

The Ongoing of Severity (vv. 23-25)

23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.

Why did Joseph weep? His brothers were showing signs that their hearts were changed. When our loved ones, whose eyes are blind and hearts are hardened toward the Lord, begin to show signs that God is at work in their souls – we weep. There is hope for the lost, no matter how many years it has been.

26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

The money is replaced into the sacks and when they discover it, they are terrified. “Joseph’s replacement of his brother’s money in their sacks is to show that they were his guests; it is a sign of his deeply veiled love which makes them so great a gift.”[7]

Throughout the passage, God is mentioned. Joseph says, “for I fear God,” and here the brothers say, “What is this that God has done to us?”— We are asking the question, are the brothers different, are their hearts any different now, than when they mistreated their brother the years before? There is a deep sense of guilt, and admission that they were wrong, and here a fear of a holy God and His judgment against sin.

However, “This is the first time in the entire story, beginning with the birth of the first of the sons of Jacob in chapter 29, that any of Joseph’s brothers is said to have mentioned God.”[8] Joseph talked about God regularly, but not the brothers. The brothers are acknowledging that God is controlling a specific, important circumstance of their lives. God has seen the sin, God is not forgetting their sin, God is intervening, God remembers.

They are feeling the thumb of the Lord being pressed against their hearts. These brothers grew up in the home of a man of God – they were the sons of Jacob. God had brought Abraham, their great grandfather, out of Ur. God appeared to their father at Bethel and had wrestled with him at Jabbok. They knew all about God – but they did not know God personally.

(v. 28) It wasn’t the famine, nor the being thrown into prison, nor the harsh treatment, or seeing Simeon bound up and carried to prison that deeply affected them; it was not these things that caused “their hearts (to) fail(ed) them,” or for them to tremble; What got the guys messed up was a sign of grace and love.

These men knew and understood harshness and cruelty, but what caused them to collapse in fear was gentleness, love, and compassion – they didn’t understand it. All they had known their entire lives was favoritism, hatred, family drama, anger, guilt, and shame. But here, God does something good for them, for the Lord is good. Romans 2:4 “. . . God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

“The reason was that they knew they did not deserve generosity and so they could not believe it. . .Their record had its foundation in rottenness, and therefore they were fearful that any accident might bring the structure of life tumbling down.” Earlier (v. 18) Joseph said, “for I fear God,” but the brothers did not have a holy and saving fear of God – they have a shameful fear. The foundation of their lives were rotten, and they feared could collapse at any moment (a guilty conscience).[9]

The Obligation of Sons (vv. 29-38)

29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” 35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

Jacob has a total of 12 sons, one he thinks is lost (Joseph), one is being held captive as a guarantor (Simeon), but Jacob says, “he is the only one left.” Even though Jacob is old, he still needs a heart change – God has blessed him with 12 sons (not two).

35 says, “they were (all) afraid,” Why was Jacob afraid? There had been a time before, when the brothers had lost a brother, and returned with money – now here again, a brother was gone, there is a wild story, and they have grain and new found money. Does Jacob see through the brother’s story, is he doubting they are saying the truth? The family is still a mess and needs God to intervene.

But it is a family who had been given a promise by God. Earlier in Genesis 28:14-15 God promised Jacob and his, “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

There is only one answer to their problem – A loving father has to give up his only son, that he loves dearly so that those that sinned can be saved. There is a reckoning coming to all “who have sinned and fall short” of God’s requirement for entrance into heaven. Before we stand before our creator as sinners, there must be a heart change.

We have to give God our messed up lives, our messed up families, our messed up marriages, and receive His promise for our lives. Give God your fear and failures, and receive His promise of eternal life, forgiveness, purpose, and calling.

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[1] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary, Volume 3 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1987) 115.

[2] “to see the nakedness of the land,” was a forceful way of saying ‘to pry into all our private affairs.’” Derek Kidner, Genesis, An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity Press, 1967) 199.

[3] As being “the one who sold to all the people of the land” probably involved fixing the price at which the grain should be sold, determining the quantities to be allowed to purchasers, and examining the companies of foreigners who came to buy. Thomas Whitelaw, The Pulpit Commentary, Genesis (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdsman Publishing Company, 1978) 474.

[4] E. A. Speiser, The Anchor Bible, Genesis (Garden City, New York; Doubleday & Company, 1986) 324.

[5] Claus Westermann, Genesis 37-50, A Commentary (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1986) 106.

[6] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52298/we-are-seven William Wordsworth, “We Are Seven.”

[7] Gerhard Von Rad, Genesis A Commentary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Westminster Press, 1952) 379.

[8] Boice, 133.

[9] George Arthur Buttrick, Commentary Editor, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1952) 787.