Joseph: An Obedient Servant of God

Introduction

• The central theme of Josephs life is what we read in Genesis 50:20. (As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.) God had a greater plan than to let Josephs brothers’ evil plans prevail. He had a GOOD plan for Joseph and his brothers.

- As Josh touched on last week, Josephs brothers have a hatred towards their brother. We read in chapter 37 how his brothers seek to kill him, then they choose to just throw him in a pit.

- This leads us into the jealousy his brothers have for him. Their hatred comes from watching Jacob favor Joseph.

• Jealousy of Josephs Brothers

- I love how Josh says it in his notes, “Jealousy grips us when we aren’t content with the life God has given us or the person God has made us to be. Jealousy is – at its root – a revolt against God’s will.”

- In Genesis 37:3-4 we see the beginning of his brother’s jealousy and hatred.

- In spite of their jealousy God had a plan and used their evil deeds as a way to really rescue them.

• How many of you in this room have jealousy eating away at your heart?

- This is certainly not something Christians are somehow exempt from. Many of you in here are jealous right now as I speak. And just like Josephs brother’s you have a hatred forming inside of you.

- Last thing I will say on this is this, we have begun to believe that if only we had what that other person had we would be better off. This isn’t true, all we ever need is Jesus and this is something that his brothers didn’t grasp as they formed a hatred for their brother.

Main Point

As we face the many ups and downs of life, we must remain obedient to the One who has always been faithful!

- Joseph’s life as Josh showed us last week was a roller coaster and yet he remained obedient to the Lord, and the Lord never swayed away from faithfulness to Josephs life.

- Joseph recognized that he wasn’t put in the positions he was, to take advantage or live wild. He, as we will see soon, was going to be the one who rescued his family (who hated him) from the famine that struck the land.

- One of the prime examples of Joseph’s obedience and God’s faithfulness was in Genesis 39 as Potiphar’s wife began to, as the scriptures say, “cast her eyes” on him. She wanted to commit a sexual sin with Joseph, and she kept coming after him. But Joseph stayed obedient to God and because of that Potiphar’s wife lied and accused Joseph of hurting her. This got Joseph thrown into prison…but as we learned last week, God was faithful as He always had been in the life of Joseph! (And in the lives of all Christians everywhere)

Last week Josh left off as Joseph was blessed with the position of basically second in command.

(Read 41:37-45)

This leads us into tonight’s passage as we will look at three key themes in our remaining passages.

1. A Desperate Family

Genesis 42:1-38

- In these verses we begin to see Joseph’s family trying to survive the famine and as they do this they begin to unfold

v.1-2)

- We immediately see Joseph’s family in desperation

- Jacob tells his sons to go to Egypt and buy grain so that they wouldn’t die.

- Can you imagine the dark depths they were in? The brothers living with the guilt of Joseph, Jacob hurting over “Joseph’s death”, and now a famine of all things to make it worse. This isn’t a good time for this family and yet they don’t have any idea that Joseph is in Egypt leading a mighty nation (basically) or should I say maintaining it.

• How many of you in this room have found yourself in a place of desperation?

- If we are being honest most of us have been there and done that. I remember when covid hit, how it seemed like the whole world became desperate. We were fighting over toilet paper and other groceries! It wasn’t a famine that necessarily hit our world, but a virus. We see the effects of it, mental health issues keep rising, neighbor hates neighbor and we fight to be the ones who get things like that toilet paper.

- I imagine that in this place and time things were very similar, a nation desperate for food to survive. Neighbors fighting against neighbor, families at odds with each other, they were most likely worn out.

- But don’t forget this, Joseph was in Egypt preparing for all of this.

v.3-11)

- Instantly we see Jacob unwilling to send Benjamin, because he couldn’t bare the thought of any harm happening to him.

- Beginning in verse 6 we see how what his brothers meant for evil, God meant for good and now it has come full circle and the dreams Joseph had are now happening. But the brothers have no idea, however Joseph knows.

- One interesting thing about all of Joseph and his brothers’ encounters is how Joseph begins to treat them as strangers and even begins to accuse them of being spies. Full well knowing that they aren’t.

- At this point in the story the brothers are confused, Joseph is essentially getting back at them and now Benjamin is going to have to show up.

v.12-28)

• Through this story we get to see human nature in all its brilliance. How often have you been hurt, mistreated or exiled and chosen not as a response of love, but of hurt and anger?

- This is something we fall prey to all the time! When we have the choice, how will we respond.

- Now, Joseph’s story isn’t exactly one with a lot of visible blemishes, however I believe we are seeing one here in verses 14-17. The truth is Joseph’s brothers hurt him and threw him away like he was nothing and now they come face to face. His response is one of the pains he felt knowing that they once chose to leave him. It was in v.13 where all that pain rushed in as they told him that one brother was NO MORE!

- In verses 21-25 we see Joseph’s brothers admit to the guilt of their past and with so doing Reuben chimes in and reminds them how he stopped them from killing Joseph and now he believes there is a reckoning for his blood.

- As the scriptures state though Joseph understands what they are saying through the interpreter. And as he hears what they are saying he has to turn away and weep as all the pain they had caused him puts him in this moment right now.

• Summarize Genesis 42:29-36 through 43:34

- After Joseph sends his brothers back home to get Benjamin one of them sees that the money, they gave Joseph for the food was put back.

- As I was studying this not only through this did Joseph show love for his brothers, but he gave this money back as a test of his brother’s honesty. Would they bring the money back or not? Most of the time our choice would be to keep the money.

- Now a quick final summarization of this passage; the brothers came back to Jacob to tell him what they were told and obviously this wasn’t what Jacob had hoped for. He had lost Joseph, he lost Simeon, and now he is supposed to give up Benjamin. Jacob is like absolutely not! He won’t take this anymore.

- Through the next several verses in 43 we see Jacob and Judah going back and forth on whether or not to take Benjamin. Because at this point the famine was getting worse and worse. But finally, Jacob relents and lets them take Benjamin back to Joseph with them.

- When the brothers get back Joseph throws them a big meal and celebrates the fact that they came back and brought Benjamin with them. They get reunited with Simeon and then in verse 30 once again we see Joseph unable to hold it in, so he runs away again for his compassion was growing.

This leads us into our second point for today

2. Joseph Tests His Brothers Character

Genesis 44

- Here in chapter 44 the testing from Joseph begins. Now at first glance this seems to be a little rash on Joseph’s part. He keeps going on with his brothers and I am like how long can you maintain this?

• How often do you when you are hurt or mistreated choose to act out?

- This may have been a harmless test for his brothers, but all it really did, as we will see, is tear both sides apart inside.

- We as humans often choose to lash out on the people that hurt us, it is the easiest response, but I wouldn’t say it is the right one.

- Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:43-44 to love our enemies. This isn’t our normal response, but it is what we should do! The big question is, are you?

- If we are going to remain obedient to the Lord, we need to choose a response that is in line with His word. And looking at Josephs response here that isn’t exactly what we see, but it does serve a great purpose in this story.

v.1-13

- Joseph immediately makes a plan to test his brothers and the brothers think they are finally going home safely. However, Joseph has his silver cup put into Benjamin’s sack.

- Of course, we all know that this is going to upset and ruin the brothers and Jacob, and Joseph knows this beforehand. Thus, why he does it.

- Here begins the true test of the brother’s character. How will they react?

- In verse 13 the brothers chose to tear their clothes and they returned to Egypt. Obviously, this wasn’t a great time but the thought going through their heads at this point was, we need to make sure we get Benjamin back home or else we might as well not go home.

Summarize verses 14-34

- From this moment until the next chapter, we begin to see Joseph’s brother’s plea to him on behalf of their brother.

- What makes it worse is they all commit to being Joseph’s servants, but Joseph tells them that only Benjamin will stay and be his servant. The rest of them will go in peace to their father.

- Judah begins to point out how Jacob will surely die if they come back without Benjamin and ultimately this leads us to our last point!

3. Joseph Provides

Genesis 45

- This is the moment we have all been waiting for, through Joseph’s obedience to a Faithful God, he finds himself at his final breaking point. Now it is time for the story to find its resting point if I can put it that way.

v.1-15

- For the final time with his brothers, Joseph broke down. Except this time he did it in front of them as his way of unveiling that it was him the lost brother.

- A couple things about this) first, I cannot imagine Joseph was a pretty crier considering many of those outside could hear him. That had to be one loud cry session! Second, can you even imagine that moment as he reveals himself to his brother’s? As this passage says they were dismayed, in that moment they couldn’t believe their eyes.

- Joseph chose to give his family more than they could have possibly imagined. With the knowledge that the famine would last another 5 years and through Pharaoh being pleased about this reunion, Joseph’s family was gifted a place in the land of Goshen where Joseph would provide for them.

- Now for each of Joseph’s brother’s, they held the guilt of what they had done and so even as happy of a moment as this is they are now face to face with the one they had hurt….thus it causes a sort of pain. I mean who knows what Joseph would do, he could have them sentenced to death if he wanted.

- But that isn’t what he does, he embraces them and reminds them that even though they intended evil on him, God had a plan!

• How many of you are letting the guilt of your past define who you are today?

- Joseph’s brothers for 20 years had let the guilt of what they had done shape them. However, we as humans today have the hope of what Jesus did on that cross as a reminder that our guilt and our shame do not define who we are. God wants a relationship with you and I and He wants us to recognize that He is the One that defines who we are!

- This story culminates with Jacob finding out his son is alive and well and that he (Joseph) is going to bring his family to Egypt to live and to prosper. Joseph continued to lead as Pharaohs right hand man, and it was through God’s plan that Joseph kept many people alive!

- As we have taken time to learn about Joseph I want to go back and remind us all of the main point. As we face the many ups and downs of life, we must remain obedient to the One who has always been faithful!

- Joseph lived this out in his life. He had so many highs and lows and through his obedience we see God’s faithfulness shine through!

Now as I conclude this sermon, I want to leave yall with 2 Truths!

1. God is faithful, and all He asks of us is to turn our eyes to Him in ALL TIMES!

- You may be going through some difficult times right now or you may be having a really good season of life. Let us never forget the Lord’s faithfulness in every high and low.

- Joseph and his brothers did things very differently. Joseph as we have learned remained steadfast and obedient to the Lord. However, his brothers chose to hate, to plot against and to be jealous. They didn’t understand that God had a plan and if they did they didn’t like it.

• Psalm 91:1-4

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say[a] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

2. God Always provides and His ultimate provision is through His Son Jesus

- In the life of Joseph we see God’s provision time and time again.

- Many of you today are struggling to believe that the Lord provides.

Share how this has been a struggle for you.

- We often look to money and material things as how the Lord provides, and yes He does do that for us. However, I believe through this story and everything we have read so far, there is something greater He wants us to see.

- That is His Son! Joseph had a brother who was named Judah, and for those of you who don’t know, Judah is in the genealogy of Jesus! I believe this is important because without God’s faithfulness in Josephs life, and through Joseph rescuing his family from the famine, who knows where Judah would be. But this is God’s plan!

- He uses all of scripture to show us that one day His Son will come, and He will die the death that we deserved!

- Through Jesus we are provided life!

My hope and prayer for each and every person in this room is to take hold of this truth! To be obedient to our Faithful Lord!