Genesis 42-50, God’s Good Purposes

Introduction

Good morning, beloved! It is a great joy to once again open God’s Word together. We are finishing our overview of Genesis this morning. So, if you have a Bible, please open with me to Genesis 42. A couple of weeks ago Pastor Tyler began leading us through the story of Joseph. This morning we will look at its climax and conclusion. Before we dive into the text, let us go to the LORD in prayer together.

PRAY

Why do we experience suffering and hardship in life? How we understand and answer that question matters. Answering it wrongly will lead to a deficient view of God or, even worse, a total rejection of Him. I’m sure many of us know of someone in our lives who has rejected the LORD because of suffering and hardship. They say things to you like, “How can a good and loving God allow evil and suffering in the world?” Perhaps you’re here and wrestling with that yourself, even right now.

If we answer that question rightly and biblically, then our faith will be encouraged all the more. We will be prepared to endure anything by simply understanding who God is and His ways in the world for His own glory and the good of His people. Thus, we will trust Him and gladly receive all that He brings us through in this life this side of eternity. I believe our text this morning, by God’s grace, will lead us to such an understanding.

Real quick, I want to make clear the foundational reason we experience suffering and hardship. The answer is Genesis 3––humanity’s sin and rebellion against our Creator God. We dealt with that several weeks back at the beginning of this series. The root of all suffering and hardship this side of eternity is man’s rebellion against God. It is the consequence of our disobedience and defiance before God.

Even with the reality of the Fall in Genesis 3, God still has a good and redeeming purpose for the suffering and hardship we experience in life. That’s what we’re dealing with this morning in the text before us. In spite of our sin and disobedience and the curse on this world because of the Fall, God’s good purposes for His own glory and the good of His people cannot be thwarted.

Up to this point we’ve seen Joseph rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery. We’ve seen him rise to power and fall from grace in Potiphar’s house. He was thrown in prison based on false accusations of an immoral woman. Then we saw him rise to power in Pharaoh’s house after interpreting Pharaoh's dream about the coming famine. This morning we will see that in spite of all the evil and wrong done to Joseph, God was working through all of it to bring good.

Furthermore, God does not just prevail over evil, but He brings about His good purposes in spite of evil. When evil circumstances are at hand you can know with confidence that God is working through it for the good of His people and for His glory. In light of what we will look at this morning, my encouragement to you, both now and for the rest of your life, is to...

MAIN POINT––Know that God works all things for the good of His people because he is good and sovereign.

Defining Terms

Really quick, what does it mean that God is good? To say that God is good means that He always does what is right, true, and good. There is no evil in Him. God’s very nature is goodness and He cannot contradict it. He always acts in perfect justice and righteousness. He is the standard of what is good. He is good and, in accordance with His nature, always does good. God is good all the time; all the time God is good.

Now, what does it mean that God is sovereign? We considered this together several weeks ago. When we speak of God’s sovereignty we speak of his right to rule over all things and his power, or ability, to do all that he pleases. He rules and controls all things. Nothing happens apart from His will and purpose. Why do we need to remember both God’s goodness AND sovereignty in the midst of suffering?

If we remember that God is good, but forget that He is sovereign, we might be tempted to think that He is powerless against evil and unable to help us in our suffering or bring about the good He desires. We might unwittingly think of God as if He’s doing the best He can rather than acknowledging He is the ruler of all things and works everything according to His purposes for His glory and the good of His people.

I think people can too often view good and evil as if they are two evenly matched powers at work in the world battling for supremacy. Especially when we are suffering or we have been wronged, it can be especially difficult to remain hopeful or to see good and trust God. We let culture and movies shape our thinking about good and evil, rather than what God has revealed in the Scriptures.

We see the Avengers fighting against the powerful Thanos in this sort of evenly matched cosmic battle over infinity stones and no one knows who is going to win. We see the Jedi and the resistance fighting against the powerful Dark Side and the Empire (or First Order) and we’re on the edge of our seats wondering if good will prevail over evil.

But our God is not locked in some evenly matched cosmic battle against evil. He is unmatched in His power and might and always prevails over evil. Psalm 2 tells us that when the nations rage and people plot they do it in vain because God sits in the heavens and laughs at them. Psalm 115:3 tells us “Our God sits in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

On the other hand, if we remember that God is sovereign, but forget that He is also good, then we will fail to trust and love Him as we ought to. Even worse we may accuse God of evil and go on living a life of rebellion against Him. As we remember both God’s goodness and sovereignty, we will better know that God works all things for the good of His people. When you know that truth it will affect the way you live your life. We’ll consider three things you can do in light of this reality:

You can entrust others to the LORD

You can forgive those who sin against you.

You can always trust the LORD

You Can Entrust Others to the LORD

The first thing I want us to consider in light of knowing God’s goodness and sovereignty is that you can entrust others to the LORD. We left off in Genesis with Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dream, by God’s grace and power. Thus, he is raised to second in command over all of Egypt behind Pharaoh. Just as he said would happen, a famine came over the land after several years of plenty and storing up goods. Thus people from all over were able to come to Egypt to buy grain. That’s where we pick up the story.

Let’s READ GENESIS 42:1-28

The famine was severe and widespread. It was affecting the land of Canaan–where Joseph’s father and brothers were–and they were now in a bad way. Desperate for help, Jacob heard there was grain in the land of Egypt and he sent Joseph’s brothers there to buy grain so they could survive. Once there they found themselves having to stand before the man in charge of the grain–their younger brother, Joseph, whom they had betrayed many years before.

Just as Joseph predicted, his brothers bowed before him. They did not recognize him, but he recognized them. You can imagine all of the emotions and thoughts that must have been running through his mind. But Joseph restrained his emotions in front of his brothers and treated them like strangers. What we see here and again in Genesis 44 is that he tested his brothers to see if they had changed and if they would repent of what they had done to him.

Joseph would not wait long for some initial evidence of sorrow in them. After three days of confinement, he instructed them to go home and bring back their younger brother Benjamin while one of them stayed behind in confinement. It is there beginning in Gen. 42:21 that we get the first glimpse of them recognizing their guilt. They see what is happening to them as a “reckoning” for what they had done to Joseph many years before.

There’s more to be seen, though, in regards to the heart transformation God was working in Joseph’s brothers. They left Simeon in confinement in Egypt and journeyed back home. Joseph had their money replaced in their sacks along with the grain they acquired. Once home, they shared what happened with their father, Jacob, who was very reluctant to send them back with Benjamin. He’s lost Joseph. He’s determined not to lose Benjamin, even at the expense of Simeon, who remained in Egypt.

Let’s READ GENESIS 43:1-15

We’re tracing this thread of heart transformation in Joseph’s brothers. The grain they had purchased had run out. It was time to go back to Egypt to buy more. But they knew they could not return without Benjamin. As Jacob continued his resistance to sending Benjamin with them, we see an incredible act of selflessness on the part of Judah. We see it beginning there in Genesis 43:8. He offered himself as a substitute for Benjamin. If any harm were to come to Benjamin, Judah would bear the blame and punishment for the wrong done.

Fast forwarding a little bit, they made their return to Egypt, Benjamin tagging along this time. They arrived and when Joseph saw that they had Benjamin he provided a feast for them. But Joseph wasn’t done examining them. So he orchestrated things in such a way as to make Benjamin look guilty of theft as they were leaving the next day. They were chased down and brought back before Joseph.

Let’s READ GENESIS 44:14-34

We have this incredible display of selflessness on Judah’s part. Clearly what he had said to his father was not mere lip service. He had changed so much that he was willing to lay down his own life and freedom to ensure that his father Jacob would have Benjamin back. The same man who once led the plot to sell Joseph into slavery––who once used Tamar for his own pleasure––now offered himself as a substitute for Benjamin (Gen. 44:33). A remarkable change of heart.

The change in Judah, a remarkable work of God’s grace, would lead to later blessing upon him and his descendants. Later in Genesis 49, as Israel lay on his deathbed, he would pronounce blessings upon each of his sons and their descendants. In Genesis 49:8-12 he blessed Judah, who was the third son. Though he was not the firstborn, Judah received the greatest blessing from his father.

Let’s READ Genesis 49:8-12

As the rest of the Bible bears witness, it is from Judah that King David would descend. Then, even greater, the LORD Jesus Christ would come from the line of Judah. This man who had so selfishly wronged his younger brother among others, would be the one through whom all the nations would be blessed in the coming of King Jesus.

Beloved, when you are sinned against by others or when you see friends and loved ones who are running away from the LORD in rebellion, you can entrust them to a good and sovereign God. Joseph didn’t need to seek revenge. He didn’t need to manipulate things to make everything right. He simply entrusted himself to the LORD who judges justly.

At the same time, that meant entrusting those who had wronged him to the LORD as well. It is the LORD alone that brings about the kind of transformation and heart change we see in Judah. As long as there is life and breath in them this side of eternity, we pray and entrust them to the LORD, knowing that He can bring about great things in their life for His glory.

The sorrow and change Joseph was looking for was now evident. Joseph was no longer able to contain his emotions and revealed himself to his brothers. In all of it, his posture toward them is made all the more clear. Joseph was in a posture of forgiveness toward his brothers. He was willing to forgive them if and when the occasion presented itself. And in God’s kind providence, the opportunity came.

You Can Forgive Those Who Sin Against You

That brings us to the second thing you can do in light of knowing God’s good purposes are at work all the time––You can forgive those who sin against you.

Let’s pick back up reading in GENESIS 45:1-15

Joseph forgave his brothers for the wrong they committed against him. What we see in the text, in Joseph’s own words, is the reason why he was able to forgive them. He was able to do so because he recognized something extremely profound. Here’s a tricky question for you. Who sent Joseph to Egypt? God did! (Gen 45:5, 7, 8)

His brothers were absolutely guilty of selling him into slavery in Egypt. That’s what we saw way back in chapter 37. Joseph affirmed that reality here in chapter 45:4-5. But the profound truth that Joseph recognized was that it was ultimately God who sent him to Egypt. God sent Joseph to Egypt for a purpose–to preserve life. Through all of these events and circumstances God was working for the good of His people in order to preserve them.

Understandably, Joseph’s brothers were “dismayed”. They didn’t know what to think or expect in those moments. So, Joseph told his brothers not to be afraid of him. He forgave them, he had compassion on them, and he cared for them by bringing the whole family to Egypt in order to save them from the famine. Yet, in spite of the forgiveness expressed here, Joseph’s brothers would later still struggle with fearing Joseph.

Let’s READ GENESIS 50:15-21

Joseph had forgiven his brothers, but after Jacob died their fear of Joseph getting back at them surfaced again. I think we can resonate with this same sort of fear today. Have you ever done something wrong, been forgiven by the person you wronged, and then still struggle with feelings of guilt and condemnation? Maybe you walk around as if you are just waiting for them to finally get revenge on you or remind you of your failure.

Maybe you’ve actually experienced that sort of treatment from someone you’ve wronged. You’ve sought their forgiveness with godly sorrow and yet they still hold it against you. Or maybe you’ve been wronged by someone and you are struggling to forgive them. Perhaps you hold a grudge or imagine getting revenge for the wrong done to you.

Well that’s not how Joseph handled the situation. Joseph displayed the kind of forgiveness toward His brothers that God displays towards His people. Joseph revisited the same profound truth that he recognized earlier. Though his brothers acted with evil intent, God meant it for good. Joseph understood this profound mystery and because of it he was able to forgive his brothers. God saved and preserved His people and he also brought about reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers.

God cares for His people and works all things for their good. He cares both about the big picture and the finer details–the forest and the trees. In spite of their sin against God and Joseph, God brought about family reconciliation through Joseph’s forgiveness toward His brothers. He also used their evil betrayal of Joseph for the salvation and preservation of His people.

Joseph’s story is not the only place that we see God’s good purposes brought about despite the evil intentions of man. In fact it is just a foreshadowing of what happened in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God sent Jesus into the world to save His people. Jesus lived in this fallen world and experienced suffering and wrongdoing as we do. Yet He did so without sin. He obeyed the Father perfectly. In spite of this, evil men plotted against Him, arrested Him, put Him through a sham of a trial, and killed Him.

But what evil men intended for evil God meant it for good. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, God worked salvation for His people the world over. If you are a Christian, then that evil act on the part of wicked men two thousand years ago was actually meant by God for your good. By His wounds you are healed. By His blood you are cleansed, washed, and sanctified. By the blood of Jesus you’ve been adopted into the family of God. You have a Heavenly Father who is sovereign and good and He is working all things for your good.

God has brought this good in the lives of countless millions in spite of the evil intentions of men. In Acts 8 we see that severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem led to the spread of the gospel throughout the entire region of Judea and Samaria. The Apostle Paul was imprisoned numerous times. While in prison he writes to the Philippians, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” (Phil. 1:12-13)

If you are not a Christian then I want to call you to repent–to turn from your sin–and trust in Christ. Perhaps you are facing some sort of difficulty or suffering in your own life. Could it be that God has brought about your challenging circumstances for the very purpose of bringing you to Jesus so that you would trust Him for the forgiveness of your sins. I know that is the testimony of some in our church family who are here this morning.

You Can Always Trust the LORD

The last thing I want us to consider together in knowing God’s good purposes is the reality that you can always trust the LORD.

To see that, turn back with me to Genesis 46. After revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph sent them back to get their father and all the rest of their family so that he could provide for them in the land of Egypt. Now, this would have seemed contrary to what they should have done. They’ve been promised the land of Canaan as an inheritance. Shouldn’t they trust the LORD and stay there? Is Joseph leading them to sin?

Let’s READ Genesis 46:1-7

On the way to Egypt, Israel came to Beersheba and worshiped and sought the LORD. And the LORD confirmed for him that he should continue on to Egypt. That was indeed part of His good and sovereign plan for them. That he would there become a great nation and that the LORD Himself would go with them and also bring them out again to the land He had promised. So Israel trusted the LORD and continued on to Egypt.

What the rest of the passage bears witness to on this is God’s faithfulness. When they arrived in Egypt they were 70 in number (Gen 46:27). In Genesis 47, once they’ve made it to Egypt, Pharaoh himself provided them with good land for living and shepherding their livestock. The famine continued and even got worse. So bad that the Egyptians were selling their land to Pharaoh in exchange for provisions. Amidst all of that, God blessed Israel and multiplied them and they became even greater in number (Gen 47:27).

Let’s READ Genesis 47:27-31

As we draw to the end of Israel’s life, we can see plainly that God is faithfully preserving His people in the land of Egypt. More than that, he was multiplying them abundantly. But what about the land promise? Israel was about to die, but he was still in the land of Egypt. Has God’s promise to him failed? By no means. Israel certainly didn’t see it that way. That much is clear as he made Joseph promise to bring him back to Canaan for burial. That’s exactly what they would do.

When Israel died, they carried him back and buried him with his fathers––Abraham and Isaac––in the same plot that Abraham had purchased in the land of Canaan. Placed in the ground with the sure hope that one day they would all inherit the land God promised them in His good and perfect timing. Fast forward again to the end of Genesis and we see that they are still in Egypt.

Let’s READ Genesis 50:22-26

So we come to the end of Joseph’s life and the end of Genesis and the people of Israel still remain in Egypt. Yet, like his father, Joseph still knew that God would faithfully fulfill His promise to His people. And so he also made them promise to bring him up out of Egypt when the LORD fulfilled that promise. And He did many years later. He raised up Moses and delivered the people of Israel from Egypt and brought them to the promised land.

Now, we await the day when Christ comes again in full power and glory to establish the new heavens and the new earth. On that day He will fully and finally deliver His people from the curse of the Fall to live and enjoy Him forever in a renewed cosmos all to the praise of His glory. We do not know when that day or hour will come. But we know it will come, because He has said that it would. Like Israel and Joseph did in their last days, we can confidently say that Christ is coming again, even if he delays it and we experience death before he comes.

Beloved, no matter what circumstances you face in this life, good or bad, you can always trust the LORD. We are not guaranteed our best life now. But we know the best is yet to come. We’re not guaranteed that restoration and reconciliation will happen this side of eternity when we are wronged. But we do know that in the end all things will be made right and all things will be made new again. Time and time again throughout the Scriptures we see Him demonstrate His own faithfulness to His promises.

Therefore, we can endure all things, even unto death, this side of eternity and conclude the same thing Paul concluded in Romans 8:28––“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Conclusion

If you’ve gleaned nothing else from our study of Genesis, beloved, remember at least this much––God is faithful. He will see to the fulfillment of all His good purposes in Christ for His own glory and for the joy of His people. Because of that, we can live with great hope, endurance, and joy this side of eternity in all of life’s circumstances.

Beloved, Know that God works all things for the good of His people because he is good and sovereign.