Gen #28 42-45
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Northside Church
Gen #27 Gen 39
Jamey Mills
4/21/24
Good morning, My name is Jamey Mills and I am the lead pastor here at NS. Hope you had a great week…
Tuesday is teacher appreciation day…
And we wanted to take just a moment to say… “Thank you” to all of our teachers. We realize that it’s a tough job in a tough time… and we are so thankful for you… we know that caffeine is key… so NS has a gift card for all of our teachers today… You can get that from Daniel at the welcome table after the service.
Could we get you all to stand… Thank you guys for what you do. If you guys could remain standing… I’d like to pray over you…
God, we want to pray for this group of wonderful people who have chosen to spend a good portion of their days… investing in, walking with, leading… our students. We pray that you’d give them the patience that is required to do it well… the wisdom to see what each student needs… and the encouragement to realize… it is an investment… The biggest dividends come with time. God would you guide them in your truth… and help them know exactly how to walk well with their students…
We are so thankful for them,
In Jesus name, Amen
We are in our 28th week of a sermon series on the book of Genesis called Bringing Chaos to order…
Genesis is the beginning… and it really does lay that foundation of understanding… super important stuff. In fact, I’m not sure that you can understand God, Jesus, sin, or the rest of the Bible without understanding Genesis…
There is some difficult and important truth in Genesis that I think brings us to this question… When Genesis or the Bible confronts things in our life… or when it seems to stand contrary to my preferences or desires… What will I do?
Really what we're asking is what kind of leadership do we give God and what kind of authority do we give His word in our life?
One thing we see in Genesis is God’s desire to bless humanity… Even though the Bible makes it clear… He’ll bless who, how, when and where he wants… that He sends the rain on the just and unjust…
There is an aspect of God’s blessing that is found in honoring Him… His truth… His design… it’s the mindset of… God not my way but yours… not my will but yours… in every area of my life…
It’s the same sin that Eve struggled with in the Garden… to be like God… to decide for herself what’s right and wrong… and it’s 100% connected to our sinful nature… this pronation we have toward sin.
It’s really asking the question… who is the Lord of your life?
And the truth is… at least for me… it's hard.
Today we’re gonna do something I’ve never done… We are going to try and tackle four chapters in one day… 42-45
We’ve been talking about Joseph…
You can go all the way back to Genesis 12…
And you see God call Abram… out of his land and life and to a land and life that God will show him… and God gave these incredible promises… of Land, Linage, and pointed to the coming of Jesus through His line..
It was passed on to his son Isaac and to His son… Jacob…
Joseph, is Jacob’s favorite son… his brothers hated it… sold him into slavery at the age of 17. His dad assumed he was dead from then on… while in slavery, he was falsely accused and sent into prison where he was forgotten for years.
But now, Joseph is the #2 in all of Egypt…
Ch 41 tells us he is now 30 years old… that he got got married in Egypt and has two sons…
Manasseh; God has made me forget my troubles and everyone in my fathers family.
Ephraim; God has made my fruitful in the land of my grief…
What do we see in that?
There is deep pain here.
Joseph is and has been hurting.
But it happened just the way that God revealed to Joseph it would…
Egypt experienced 7 years of bumper crops…
And Joseph oversaw the storing of food, which was so great, they couldn’t keep track…
But it was followed by 7 years of the worst famine the world had seen.
While the surrounding areas suffered, there was plenty of food in Egypt.
People came from everywhere to buy it… and had to deal with Joseph.
Just two years in, and things had gotten bad in Canaan where Joseph’s family was… Jacob, the father… sent the 10 oldest brothers to go and buy food… but he wouldn’t let Benjamin… the youngest… and the only full blooded sibling of Joseph go…
It says eventually they arrived in Egypt… and found themselves before Joseph where they bowed down… it says that Joseph remembered the dream he’d had so many years ago about that…
Genesis 42:7 (NLT)
Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We have come to buy food.”
7 Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We have come to buy food.”
He recognized them, but they didn’t recognize him… It says he treated them like strangers… speaking to them through an interpreter.
Can you imagine… in the moment… face to face… with the ones who sold you into slavery… and it's here that we realize Joseph literally begged for his life… but they ignored him… and now… their life is literally in your hands.
It had been over 15 years… That’s a lot of time to think about it.
It says he accused them of being spies, looking for ways to infiltrate Egypt, but they said no, we are brothers… honest men… there are actually 12 of us, the youngest is with our father and the other is no longer with us… (speaking of Joseph)...
But Joseph was insistent… if your honest, prove it. I will keep 9 of you here, then one can go back and bring the younger brother back…
I swear by the life of Pharaoh, if you don’t return, you’ll never leave this place.
Genesis 42:17–20 (NLT)
So Joseph put them all in prison for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live. If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families. But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die.” To this they agreed.
17 So Joseph put them all in prison for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live. 19 If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die.”
After some time to think, Joseph kept only one of them, Simeon…
They didn’t realize Joseph could understand them and they began to talk…
And it's the first time we see it. Maybe it was just under the surface but it rose to the top in a hurry…
Joseph's brothers were carrying heavy guilt and regret for what they did to him.
The anniversaries and birthdays… the pain of their father… the years hadn’t erased it…
That old saying, time heals all things…
Maybe at times it can give perspective, but time itself… doesn’t heal all things… without taking care of it, it leads to infection.
They said, God is punishing us for what we did…
And as soon as they said it, it pierced Joseph’s heart. It says he turned away from them and wept.
It says that Joseph kept Simeon there, gave them supplies for their journey, had their sacks filled with grain but secretly put the money they’d paid back into their sacks.
Somewhere along the way home, they realized the money was there… and it says their hearts sank and they were terrified… why??
Because if they were accused of being spies, now for sure they’d be accused of being thieves… They couldn’t go back…
Did they just lose Simeon forever?
They got home and told their father Jacob everything…
And he was terrified and sad…
It was his oldest but not most trusted son Ruben that said… Let us take Benjamin back with us… and if I don’t bring him back, you can take the lives of my sons…
But Jacob said, there is NO way, Benjamin is going, his older brother is dead, he’s all I have left.
Ch 43
But the famine continued to ravage the land…
And it got bad. Jacob told the bothers you have to go get more food, but this time it was Judah that stared his father down…
“The man” said if Benjamin wasn’t with us we’d never see his face… you need to send the boy with us… or we, you, and our little ones will die… 3 generations…
Judah said, I’ll personally take responsibility. If I don’t bring him back, you can blame me forever.
And Jacob gave in… he sent them with the nicest gifts Cannan had to offer and double the money… in case it was a mistake last time…
Then Jacob said…
Genesis 43:14 (NLT)
May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it.”
14 May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it.”
This was a desperate situation…
They arrived in Egypt… with the money, the gifts and… with Benjamin.
Joseph told the manager of his house to take them in, prepare a feast, they’ll be eating with me…
And when they heard that it says they were terrified… surely it was to blame them for stealing money… but the manager said…
Genesis 43:23 (NLT)
“Relax. Don’t be afraid,” the household manager told them. “Your God, the God of your father, must have put this treasure into your sacks. I know I received your payment.” Then he released Simeon and brought him out to them.
23 “Relax. Don’t be afraid,” the household manager told them. “Your God, the God of your father, must have put this treasure into your sacks. I know I received your payment.” Then he released Simeon and brought him out to them.
Joseph came home and it says the brothers bowed before him two more times… they presented the gifts… as Joseph asked about their father and addressed Benjamin…
Not only his only full brother, but also the only one who had nothing to do with him being sold into slavery.
You can’t help but wonder if all of this wasn’t Joseph’s way of seeing if they’d changed… Is Benjamin still alive? Is He gone too?
After seeing Benjamin, it says
Genesis 43:30 (NLT)
Then Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his private room, where he broke down and wept.
30 Then Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his private room, where he broke down and wept.
He pulled himself together… came back and they ate…
And they were amazed as Joseph had them seated in order from oldest to youngest… it says he gave Benjamin 5X more than the others…
As they prepared to leave, Joseph had the manger fill their sacks with grain and all the money they brought… but then he said… put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest…
After they’d been gone a while, he sent his men to catch them and ask why they'd repaid his kindness with evil… and they brothers said…
If you find your cup in any of our sacks, that person should die…
So they searched… from the oldest to the youngest… and they found it in Benjamin’s sack…
So the brothers packed up… and headed back to the city.
Genesis 44:16 (NLT)
Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”
16 Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”
Joseph said, no, that's not how it works, only the youngest would stay…
But thats when it happens…
Judah… the one who had the idea to sell Joseph…
Judah… the one who lied to and deceived his daughter in law
Judah… the one who thought his daughter in law was a prostitute an got her pregnant…
Stood up and said… our father had two sons from his favorite wife.
One is dead, Benjamin is all he has left…
I had to force my father to bring him… and I promised I would be responsible… and I cannot do that to my father…
Judah said…
Genesis 44:30–31 (NLT)
“And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life. If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.
30 “And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life. 31 If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.
Genesis 44:33–34 (NLT)
33 “So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”
I cannot see the one my father loves ripped from him… so take me instead. Let me suffer in his place…
Judah’s example points to Jesus and what’s called substitutionary atonement… Jesus, taking our place.
… on the cross… making a way for us to return to the Father…
As soon as he heard this, Joseph kicked everyone else out of the room and broke… he wept so loud that Egyptians heard him…
These men… had changed.
They no longer showed this crazy hate and contempt for their brother… or toward the father…
They were willing to give of themselves… to protect the one and honor the other…
He told them it’s me, your brother Joseph, is my father alive.
But they couldn’t even talk…
The years of pain and guilt… of regret… of hiding, of broken relationship and broken lives…
And I do think we are supposed to connect the dots… finding healing… in sight of this example God used in Judah… that clearly points us to Jesus…
The intentionality and symbolism that God uses in Genesis is mind blowing.
Its says that Joseph sent them to get their father… and to bring him back…
Can you even imagine that conversation… Dad… uhhh… good news…
But even then I think
We are supposed to connect the dots; the example of Judah, pointing to Jesus is also pointing to the dead being brought back to life… New life/restoration
that is brought to life… new life/restoration.
We are supposed to connect the dots; the example of Judah, pointing to Jesus, is also the dead being brought back to_____________.
And so what do we do with this…
I think there are a few things we need to take away…
These brothers lived for years in deep guilt and regret. Impacting their hope, their relationships, and even their view of themselves…
It was like a rain cloud that followed them wherever they went… and I’ve been there.
I want you to know that there is an aspect of guilt and shame that I believe intended to point us toward repentance… feeling it for a time I think can be healthy… but far too often it becomes the stick that we allow Satan to beat us and keep us down with…
Jesus mean it when he said…
Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT)
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all (that sounds all inclusive) of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
I can’t help but think there are many of us this morning that have that cloud that follows us whenever we go… pain and regret that… that impact the way we see life, others, God and ourselves…
Stop fighting… God to him… there is rest… freedom… release…
It's time to take it Jesus… take it to the cross and leave it there… be led by Him…
Joseph’s brothers spent those years in grief and guilt… while it says Joseph spent them in God’s presence… but that doesn’t mean it was easy… or that it didn’t hurt… but it did prepare him to do something unthinkable.’
He could have made them pay and no one would blame him… but he chose to forgive.
And I think its something we are supposed to see… healing not only comes in receiving forgiveness, but in giving it.
Did Joseph have a lot of people to forgive? One preachers said… it was a parade of people…
And God used this situation to help us understand the scope and difficulty of forgiveness… It’s really messy… and really hard… this was life robbing, crushing stuff.
The bible teaches us that one of the tangible results of walking and understanding the depth of our forgiveness is… forgiving others.
Jesus said
Matthew 6:14–15 (NLT)
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Forgiven people are forgiving people…
We may never be more like Jesus than when we forgive others… It’s not easy, but with God’s help and Christ’s example… and with others to walk with us we can get there.
One author said it this way..
You won’t experience all God has for you if you don’t forgive those who hurt you.
And so… are there things holding you up… are you walking in captivity because of unforgiveness? In your marriage, your home, your parents, lost opportunity, things people have done?
Freedom and forgiveness is possible… but that doesn’t it's easy or that these people will watch our kids or be invited into my inner circle…
It’s risky… there is a sense of opening yourself to be hurt again… and I do think it's something we are supposed to see and feel.
Lastly and quickly…
Real change is possible
… and walking in forgiveness and forgiving others play a role…
There was a lot of heavy heavy things in this family…
With dad… with sister… with mom…