Gen #29 Ch 46-47
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Northside Church
Gen #29
Jamey Mills
5/12/24
Good morning, My name is Jamey Mills and I am the lead pastor here at NS. So good to be with you guys.
We are in our 29th week of our sermon series on Genesis… Bringing Chaos to Order… and the end is in sight. Feels like we need to celebrate somehow… I’ve really enjoyed wrestling through Genesis with you. It’s one of the healthiest things I’ve done for my faith in years…
Genesis brings so much clarity… to everything else the Bible has to say.
In week one I made this comment… God lays it all out in Genesis, and then uses the rest of scripture to sort of walk it out…
Clarity on God, the rest of the OT, The NT, Jesus… and even the real issue with sin…
Relational separation from God.
Sin is often defined as “missing the mark” and there are a lot of good teaching points there… but any concept of sin that doesn’t encompass relationship is at best incomplete and absent of what the real sting of sin is.
That clarity reminds me of this passage…
James 1:17 (NLT)
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
God doesn’t change… Where He is found… doesn’t change. His truth… His design doesn’t change to fit the culture of even my own preferences and desires… He is not allusive. He is not a moving target. He is consistent… dependable… trustworthy… faithful…
God, where He is found, His truth, His design doesn’t change to fit the culture or even my own desires.
My circumstances change… culture changes… people around me… change… economic stability changes, my health… changes… what people think about me changes…political climate, the opinions of people…
And in a world that is so full of change and unpredictability… God is the rock that does not move… does not change… does not send mixed signals… the only firm foundation.
There is a lot to be thankful for in Genesis… inside of that clarity… I see the true God who in the midst of all that changes and is unstable… cares… who wants to be known to and by me, who brings clarity, value, meaning, and purpose to my life… who is incredibly patient with me… turns out I’m not all that consistent myself.
We’ve been looking at the life of Joseph…
Who was sold into slavery by his brothers, was falsely accused, thrown into prison and forgotten…
And there are a couple of points I want to emphasize…
Joseph chose forgiveness when it seemed like he had every right not to.
Joseph chose to set the issues aside in order to work on the relationship
And I’m not gonna lie, there is something in me that wants to fight that… but we need to realize two things…
This is Jesus and you… God chose to set aside the issue for the sake of relationship… with me.
This doesn’t mean that all of sin’s consequences go away… that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want to lead me to real life and real freedom… but
God knows the context where that kind of change happens… relationship.
God pushes all of His chips to the middle of the table… shows you all of his cards and says… I am all in.
We realize that it’s also a clear challenge to be an instrument of that same forgiveness to those who sin against us… we talked about that last week.
One thing that radically changed Joseph's life and experience was his ability to give God what was His.
He trusted God and didn't waste a lot of time with things that were outside of His control.
Being sold into slavery…
Being bought by Potiphar
The unwanted attention of Potiphar's wife…
Being thrown into prison
All of that was out of his control.
Joseph took responsibility for those things that were entrusted to him
His attitude, integrity, work ethic, putting in a good word for God in real life situations, living in and acknowledging God’s presence…
He was blessed by God… and a blessing everywhere he went. Even among people who knew and cared little for God.
God;s forgiveness was never intended to stop with you.
God’s blessing was never intended to end with you…
And there is something powerful for you and I in that if we’re willing to hear it.
So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called.
“Here I am,” Jacob replied.
“I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”
So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons took him to Egypt. They carried him and their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them. They also took all their livestock and all the personal belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. So Jacob and his entire family went to Egypt—sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters—all his descendants.
So Jacob (Israel) set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. 2 During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. 4 I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”
5 So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons took him to Egypt. They carried him and their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them. 6 They also took all their livestock and all the personal belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. So Jacob and his entire family went to Egypt—
Jacob’s sons arrive at home… tell him his son is not only alive but is #2 in the land of Egypt and wants them all to come there so he can take care of them…
So at 130 years of age… Jacob packs up everything and everyone (66 people) and heads to Egypt… a route that was likely 400+ miles…
This is a massive life and family transition…
And along the way we see Jacob do something I think we’ve only seen on other time… stopped to worship God along the way… to connect with, seek and offer sacrifice… at Beersheba… to the God of his father… Isaac.
It was at this site that Isaac… Jacob’s father built an altar to God and where God reminded Isaac that He is the God of Abraham… (26:23–25).
A father on his way to see his son… pauses to worship the God of His father… in the very place where God reminded Isaac that he was the God of His father Abraham…
Jacob… hadn’t shown a lot of motion toward God… his character was pretty rough… His name means deceiver… and he did… deceive his father and his brother…
Jacob recognizes the necessity of spiritual preparation for his journey… and we should too.
The hard truth is… Jacob should have seen the necessity of connecting with God everyday… for strength, perspective, guidance and direction, for encouragement, anchoring in truth… but he didn't. And… his day to day life seemed to bear the fruit of it… and we should learn from it.
I used to tell our students this every morning at camps, retreats, and mission trips…
You aren’t fully ready to live the day until you’ve met with the one who created it
… Do you believe it? What needs to change so that it's a reality for you?
But here I think Jacob understands some things that we might miss…
God had been trying to get this people the promised land… and they’d pretty much fought him the whole way… and now… Jacob is picking up and leaving… and so he goes to God… He seeks God and God responds…
It’s okay Jacob… go… Don’t be afraid… I am with you… and I’m still working out these promises that I gave your grandfather Aberaham… your father Isaac… and now you.
#1 repeated promise in scripture is what? God is with you - His presence
#1 repeated command is what? Fear not (more than 150 times)
I wonder if they are connected.
A couple things we learn here…
The best place you can be is right in the middle of God’s will.
It’s not always the safest, but it is a big part of where His blessing is found…
Joseph accepted what it is that God had for him… even though at least on paper… there isn’t anyone signing up for that… Sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into prison, forgotten… but in the end… do you think that Joseph was glad that he took it seriously… sought to honor God in it… and content with what God did in and through it… No doubt.
I think there is a part of God’s will that is universal… meaning… for all of us… but there are also aspects that aren’t. God’s will in this season seems to be different for Jacob that it was for His father…
Discerning God’s will for your life and for your family… and teaching your kids to do that for their life as they get older… is incredibly important.
How do you do that?
Reminds me of what is says in
Romans 12:1 (MSG)
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering (sacrifice). Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
How do we discern God’s will for our lives?
Submitting to Him as a living sacrifice
Praising God for all that He has done for you
Be intentional
Give him authority in your life
Let him transform the way you live and think…
Drawing near to God… submitting to Him… following Him… getting to know Him… turns out is pretty big in discerning what His will is for you.
Side note… a lot of times as parents, as parents of older kids it’s easy to think that God’s will for our kids is exactly the same as it is for us… or… that we know.
The truth is, God may use you to provide some wisdom toward that… and so we need to make sure your relationship has the health and girth for God to use us if we wants… but I think the most loving/God honoring thing you can do is teach them how and where to Find God’s will for them…
More important than a great shot… a great swing… how to play guitar… or even the secret behind award winning taco meat.
How do we know if it’s really God’s will or if its just “Taco Bell”?
Test by scripture
Communicate with God in prayer
Seek wise counsel.
Trust God to direct your steps
Godly counsel… People who are mature in their faith and that you know will be honest with you, even if its not what you want to hear.
Know that God will direct your steps… Proverbs 16:9 talks about how man plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps…
NS… Brandi and I Began to sense God was leading us to a lead pastor role and we thought we knew where… and it was tough when it didn’t work out the way we thought it should… but let's just say we clearly see it and get it now.
Jacob seems to be moving his family toward God’s will for this season…
And give us a genealogy of sorts as to everyone that's on the journey… there are quite a few of those in the Bible and it’s easy to sort of gloss over them… but we learn at least two important things from them…
God knows you by name.
There is a place/role in His plan for you.
It says that as they got close, Jacob sent Judah on ahead… and as they arrived it says Joseph prepared his chariot and went to Goshen… where they’d live to meet them.
20 years… 20 years of thinking his son was dead… 20 years of wondering if his father was alive… 20 years of covering a lie… it’s one of the most emotional reunions we see in scripture…
It says when Joseph arrived, he embraced his father… the language literally says… hung from his neck… holding him for a long time.
Then Jacob said…
Finally, Jacob said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen your face again and know you are still alive.”
30 Finally, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen your face again and know you are still alive.”
And then Joseph shows incredible leadership and wisdom…
As he prepares them to meet with Pharaoh, he says tell them that you are humble shepherds… thats its all you know and all you’ve done…
There is truth to it… but its none threatening… it meets a practical need…
Joseph took 5 of his brothers to meet with Pharaoh, who’s first words were… what do you do?
They responded just as they were told… we are shepherds… driven here by the famine… we request to live in Goshen…
Pharaoh said to Joseph… your family has come to you, the land of Egypt is before you… let them settle in the best of the land… in Goshen… and put them in charge of my own flocks.
And then… Joseph brought in Jacob… his father…
It says he blessed Pharaoh twice…
Then Joseph brought his father in to meet Pharaoh… and it stays that Jacob blessed him twice…
And then Joseph took them out and helped them get settled… provided food and all that they needed… its says the people of Israel expanded rapidly…
It goes on to say that
Meanwhile, the famine became so severe that all the food was used up, and people were starving throughout the lands of Egypt and Canaan. By selling grain to the people, Joseph eventually collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and he put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury. When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. “Our money is gone!” they cried. “But please give us food, or we will die before your very eyes!”
Joseph replied, “Since your money is gone, bring me your livestock. I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
13 Meanwhile, the famine became so severe that all the food was used up, and people were starving throughout the lands of Egypt and Canaan. 14 By selling grain to the people, Joseph eventually collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and he put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury. 15 When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. “Our money is gone!” they cried. “But please give us food, or we will die before your very eyes!”
16 Joseph replied, “Since your money is gone, bring me your livestock. I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
Joseph in wisdom that I think comes from the Lord… knew where this was headed… that eventually… people would be trading their livestock for it… and even their land.
Their role grew… the need for them grew…
Job security… favor… Joseph shows wisdom.
It says he provided seed for them to plant… with the understanding that ⅕ belongs to Pharaoh… And it says the people recognized Joseph for his wisdom… in this dire moment… God used him to save their lives.
Jacob lived another 17 years… doubled the time he had with his son Joseph who was sold at 17… lived for a total of 147 years.
As the time of his death drew near, Jacob called for his son Joseph and said to him, “Please do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh and swear that you will treat me with unfailing love by honoring this last request: Do not bury me in Egypt. When I die, please take my body out of Egypt and bury me with my ancestors.”
So Joseph promised, “I will do as you ask.”
29 As the time of his death drew near, Jacob called for his son Joseph and said to him, “Please do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh and swear that you will treat me with unfailing love by honoring this last request: Do not bury me in Egypt. 30 When I die, please take my body out of Egypt and bury me with my ancestors.”
So Joseph promised, “I will do as you ask.”
He still knows where home is…
And with that… the final patriarch dies.
The great promises of God are clearly seen and in progress…
God’s patience and faithfulness on full display…
And I feel like this passage leaves us with two clear things…
God did just something astounding and important.
Something… even bigger is coming.
CONC.
I think there are a couple of things we can take away…
How are we doing when it comes to giving God what’s His? Not wasting our time, energy, and resources trying to control things that are His…
How are you doing being responsible with those things that are yours… working hard, with integrity as if for the Lord, seeking him…
How are we doing at being open and sensitive to God’s will in your life? Am I praying into it? Watching for it with an open heart and ready hands?
Do I take God seriously as to where His will is found… He told you. Trust He will reveal it at just the right time.
Submitting to Him as a holy sacrifice in my everyday ordinary life.
Living with praise and gratitude with all God had one.
Being intentional… not allowing culture to have its way
Giving God real authority…
Do I understand the value in leading my kids to do that same… knowing that God might lead them to different spaces and places… really what we are asking is…
Do you really believe God’s will is the best they can do… and… do you really want that for them not matter what it means or where it takes them?
Remember that just like God’s forgiveness wasn’t intended to stop with us, neither is his blessing.
God wants us to be a blessing in ways that point people to Him.