Genesis 42:1-38
Notes
Transcript
Genesis 42:1-38
Genesis 42:1-38
Last week, in Genesis 41, we talked about Pharaoh’s dreams. Pharaoh had 2 dreams, one about cows coming out of the Nile river. 7 fat and good cows, and 7 gaunt and ugly cows. His second dream had 7 healthy heads of grain on one stalk, and then a second stalk with 7 blighted heads on it.
In those dreams, Pharaoh witnessed the gaunt cows eating the good cows, as well as the blighted grain heads eating the healthy grain heads, and these dreams freaked out Pharaoh. So he called all of his magicians and wise guys to tell him what the dream meant. They couldn’t do it though.
What made the magicians and wise men think twice about interpreting the dreams for Pharaoh? This was bad news. How did the Pharaoh’s of old handle bad news? You didn’t give Pharaoh bad news did you?
We also talked last week that Pharaoh was considered by the Egyptian people to be the bodily incarnation of Horus. Horus’ mom was Isis, who’s human form had wings, but who’s animal form was a cow. Cows were sacred and important for the economy for Egypt, so Pharaoh took this sign seriously and desperately wanted to know what they meant.
So Pharaoh’s cup bearer remembered: there was a Hebrew man when I was in prison TWO YEARS AGO who knows how to interpret dreams. He accurately told me in 3 days I would be released, and my counterpart, your baker, would be hanged. I wonder where he is? So they searched the whole kingdom to find out where this Hebrew man was, right? No,
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
They knew exactly where he was...in the DUNGEON. Living for 2 years, and why was he there? Because he was falsely accused of assaulting Potiphar’s wife. 2 years, forgotten in an Egyptian dungeon. That is where this man Joseph was cursing God for all he had been thru. Stewing his revenge.
No, Joseph was waiting to be used by the Lord again. So they brought him before Pharoah, now 30 years old, and he told Pharaoh that the dreams are one. 7 years of plenty would come to Egypt, then 7 years of famine. And then Joshua told Pharoah, if he wanted Egypt to get thru this, he would need to appoint someone to account for all of the food in the land and portion it properly, saving 1/5 per year back to provide for those 7 famine years.
Pharaoh saw that Joseph would be the man who should be tasked with this, knowing that either Joseph would rise to the occasion, OR he would fail. He ultimately believed in Joseph, though, and trusted him. This was a long time coming for Joseph, though. Thru all he had been thru, he was faithful to the Lord. We talked last week to finish up about Isa 64:8
8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.
We talked last week about the process of a potter, First they make their mold of whatever they are making out of the softened clay. They shape it, then fire it, then paint it, and it’s done, right? Easy.
But, it’s not that easy. There’s a lot of beating, and pinching, and molding, and scraping, and scoring, and waiting, and waiting...and FIRE that’s needed to make something beautiful, durable, and useable. If the processes aren’t completed properly, the pottery will fail quickly.
God molded Joseph with his brothers. Dried him out in Potiphar’s house. Put him thru the fire with Potiphar’s wife, glazed him in prison, then put him in the fire again for 2 years. NOW, he’s usable. This process took 13 years. Joseph went from slave to the 2nd in command of all of Egypt, and in the middle of it all, he never once cursed God for the situation he was in.
Today, we’re going to look at this scripture in a bit of an abstract way from anything I’ve heard before. Not a new take on this portion of scripture, but further bolstering the connection with Joseph and Jesus. Let’s look into scripture today again and see what we can apply to our lives!
1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”
At this time, Jacob is around 125-130 years old, give or take. Does anyone notice what the Bible has done here? What did God change Jacob’s name to? Israel. Why would the Bible call him Jacob now, unless he’s not acting like Israel. What does Israel mean? It means to “struggle with or to be governed by God.”
Jacob was living in Canaan still, so they weren’t under the jurisdiction of Egypt, but they weren’t far from Egypt. During times of trouble, word gets around where to get aid for something.
Famine in the land was common thruout Bible times. Abraham dealt with a famine when he came into the promised land, that’s why he went to Egypt. Did God send Abraham to Egypt? No, he said dwell in this land, but Abraham was afraid and he headed south to Egypt and made a bunch of really bad decisions...
Isaac dealt with famine right after purchasing the birthright from Esau for a bowl of chili. In Genesis 26 we read of a famine in his lifetime. God speaks up this time in Genesis 26:2
2 Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.
Isaac never leaves the promised land, he lives there, but again Egypt was out of the question.
Now, it’s Jacob’s turn for famine. What are they to do? GO TO EGYPT and get food. Why? Genesis 42:2 “ that we may live and not die.””
This phrase unsettles me...is there a difference between living and not dying? Think about it. What is the difference between living and not dying? Have you ever been stress-paralyzed? I have. I used to be petrified to speak to people. I wanted to do it, but I was afraid. The stress was so great, but I didn’t want to let someone down or emberrass someone, especially myself.
In our class on Thursday nights with the teens, we are going thru a book called Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. In the book they tell the story of wanting their own elephant. They wanted it because they wanted to be able to show up all of the other kids on the playground when they would brag about their pets.
As they’re concocting what they would tell their friends, and the reality of owning such a large animal, the thought dawned on them...what if the elephant wanted to go visit the people down the street? How would they stop it? It would pull a car down the street if they tied it up to it.
They did some research, and I did not corobborate this information, but I’m going to use it for illustration purposes, but they found that the elephant is tamed by tying a rope around it’s right hind leg when it’s young, and tying that rope to a stake in the ground. After a few days, the elephant learns that it’s tied up and doesn’t go anywhere outside the circle it was tied up in. After training the elephant, all they have to do is tie a rope around that foot and they can then tie up to anything and once it feels the tug, it won’t wander off.
In the class, we talk about the fact that most of the limitations we face are put on us by ourselves. We want to succeed, but we hold ourselves back out of fear.
Joseph is very concerned about not dying. His whole life he’s been concerned about staying alive, as well has his reputation. So Joseph sees the problem and tells his sons: “Go to Egypt and get some grain for us.”
As we talked about at the beginning, we’re going to see how this points to Jesus, right? What do famines represent in the Bible? Famine was a form of judgement in the eyes of the Jews. It was either a warning, a correcting, or a punishment. Amos 8 tells us of the kinds of famine that God will use:
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.
There is a famine all over the known world. That famine was for grain, but what is grain used to make? Bread. That bread sustains life.
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
What does Joseph tell his sons to do? Go buy some grain for us. Is the Bread of Life able to be purchased? Can you buy your salvation? Salvation is a free gift of God, so that no man can boast.
This is why he’s called Jacob, in my humble opinion...because the Lord had prepared this time for another training for Jacob and his sons. He had become a man of the world again, focused on his own things. Let’s move on, we’ve got to break our own famine today at some point.
3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.” 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
How many sons were sent? 10, to do what? Buy grain. Benjamin was left behind with Jacob.
This shows Jacob has little trust in his sons. How long had it been since he lost his favorite son to a wild animal? 11 plus 2, plus 7 is how many years? 20. Jacob remembers what happened, one of his sons went missing when they were traveling together. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again by sending his youngest son, the only other son of his late wife Rachel.
Who is Jacob talking to? His 10 other sons! He’s saying there may be some “fatal accident” like last time. That’s what this word calamity means here. But, we see here that The famine in the land that Pharaoh saw in his dream wasn’t just a famine for Egypt, it was famine everywhere. Just as Joseph had predicted. So, these 10 brothers set off for a trip that would take them several days to get to Egypt to buy provisions.
Is there a timeframe established for when Jacob recognized that there was a famine? This is actually right at the beginning according to most historians. Jacob was very wealthy, but his family had not prepared for anything past what was right in front of them. So he sends his 10 sons to buy grain from Egypt
6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
Do you think Joseph knew that people from outside Egypt were coming to see him looking for food? You bet he did! Knowing that people from Canaan would be coming, what would he be looking for? A bunch of brothers coming into town.
Do his brothers think they’ll run into their brother in town? No way! Joseph was looking, though. He knew they would come. He’s been thinking about this for 20 years, making his brothers rue the day they wronged him. What does “rue the day” mean for our younger crowd? It means you will regret that decision. Joseph finally had his chance to make his brothers pay.
Joseph barks out orders to them, making sure they do not recognize they’re standing before their brother. They confirm who they are when they let him know they are from Canaan.
9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
Last week we talked about these dreams. Here is the first one again:
7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
His brothers hated Joseph for bragging about his dreams. That’s how they looked at it. Little did they know that this was prophecy back then. Joseph recognizes it though, and knows he must act quickly to make sure they don’t notice him.
As much as Joseph was preparing for this day, he’s not ready to act completely yet. So what does he do? He makes up an accusation that he’s sure will stick. He accuses them of being an enemy recon unit, spying out the land, knowing that they were either vulnerable OR to try to figure out how to steal for themselves what Joseph wisely stored up to provide for the surrounding lands. The Canaanites were not friendly with anyone thruout history, were they?
Joseph knows his brothers are cunning and decietful, but he notices that neither Dad or Benjamin came with them though, and he wanted to find a way to bring them to him. Especially his little brother, he was innocent in this whole scheme against Joseph.
I can’t imagine being Benjamin in this situation either, not being able to play the other reindeer games, not because your brothers don’t want you there...but because dad thinks they’re so careless that they’ll lose their little brother and he’ll be killed.
Joseph expects an answer from the brothers with his accusation, and he gets one:
10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.” 12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”
We are honest, we are YOUR SERVANTS. Just like in the prophecy. Then comes the gut punch, the truth is out. 12 sons, the youngest Benjamin (who was about 30 years old now) was left at home, and one is no more.
The Hebrew is read “and is not.” They’re saying he just vanished. This would be emotional for me. Joseph knows what they did...and so do they. After all of these years, they’ve gotten away with that story and it worked. I don’t know how I would react. This would be a raw moment for me, just like it is for Joseph. And he reacts to protect himself:
14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15 In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” 17 So he put them all together in prison three days.
By the life of Pharaoh. These words further cement in the brother’s minds that this man was nobody to be trifled with. Joseph says “Let me think about all of this, but you must prove there’s another one of you.”
He threatens to send one home to gather his little brother but throws them all in jail to begin with for how many days? 3 days. 10 brothers. Who came with money to buy grain. Some of you are starting to pick up what I’m laying down. Bear with me, we’ve still got a ways to go:
18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.
Sewing fear in the brothers again, after 3 days in prison. Nothing like what he went thru, but it was a little taste, and now knowing that one would have to stay behind, knowing that they had to do what this Egyptian governor told them to do, the stress must have been terrible.
When fear sets in with a group of guilty people, there’s always infighting. The brothers turned on each other:
21 Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
Joseph was speaking to his brothers in Egyptian, not in Hebrew...but he still spoke their language. His brothers just admitted to their crime and opened his eyes to what they’ve been thru these past 20 years. When you carry that kind of guilt that long, it’s stifiling. To hear their perspective tore out Joseph’s heart.
They were aware that God was just, and there would come a time when He would punish them for what they did. They thought one of them would surely not be coming home at all thru this ordeal. They also knew dad would be mad when they got home.
Now, it sounds like Reuben was pretty righteous here, right? He was the one who warned his brothers to not kill him, but told them to throw him into the pit
21 But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
Reuben wanted to rescue his brother...why? Did he have a reason for wanting to do something like this? Reuben greatly shamed Jacob when he slept with Bilhah, one of his step-mom’s, about the same time that his brothers were rescuing Dinah from Shechem in Genesis 34. He may have been wanting to make that up to his dad by saving his favorite son from the clutches of his brother.
Joseph remembers those words though, and what he just said taking the lead as the eldest brother and talking sense into his brothers, so he takes Simeon, the warrior of the brothers, and Joseph makes sure they see that he’s not going anywhere, giving off the feeling that there will be no mercy if they don’t comply.
Before they leave, though, they brought money with them to buy provisions...they probably brought lots of money. Think toilet paper prices during COVID lockdowns...probably thousands of dollars with them to buy all of the food they would need to not have to make the journey again. They had to make sure they returned with what they came for.
25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.
Joseph fills their sacks with grain and has his men take the money they were to pay with inside the sacks. Then what does Joseph do? He gives the men provisions to head home! He provides for these brothers, of whom he’s been treated so poorly.
I believe there are 2 reasons for this: 1) Joseph wanted to make sure they didn’t check the sacks until they were well on their way back home, even at home. 2) because he wanted to show his brothers kindness and mercy, the same that he wishes they had shown him.
Remember too, the Lord plays a role in all of this. All of these circumstances lead to this point in Joseph’s life, for this moment. The brothers thought they could thwart God’s plans. God’s plan WILL ALWAYS COME TO BE. When we think we’ve outsmarted Him, we find out He anticipated that move...like He knew it was coming...So now, the brothers head home for another long trip missing a sibling. This time, not plotting how to hide it, but wondering how they’ll explain it so Jacob will let Benjamin come back with them.
So, the brothers pack up and head home:
26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. 27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
This move by Joseph was quite brilliant. He had accused them of being spies...now, by putting the money back into the sacks hidden inside the grain, he could label them as thieves as well if he needed to, right? Joseph is really laying the guilt on them thick.
What do the brothers think in their panic? WHAT IS THIS THAT GOD HAS DONE TO US? The immediately attribute this to their punishment by God. Why? They feel guilty for what they’ve done. In 20 years, they’ve never been able to get over all of the guilt. They PLANNED to kill their brother. Now they know that God sees even what they did in secret.
Joseph may or may not have had the intention of scaring his brothers further by sending the money back home with the 9 brothers. But, as we’ve been building here, 10 brothers, who came to buy bread that would sustain life, 3 days in prison, 9 brothers return, with all of their money. More lightbulbs are going off, I know it. Some of you could probably come up here and finish this message for me by now. Let’s continue, we have 9 verses left:
2 SLIDES
29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: 30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’
33 Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. 34 And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ” 35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
These honest men, tell an honest story, except the part that one brother vanished. As cunning as Joseph was, to hear that story so many times...wouldn’t you be suspicious? The coat is pretty explicit to even imply and keep the lie going that he was killed by a wild animal.
They are right, Joseph is testing their honesty now that they’ve been dressed down. They realize that their sin has found them out in the eyes of the Lord and the guilt weighs heavy on them...but not heavy enough to tell Jacob what has happened.
But the only way to get Simeon back is how? By bringing Benjamin back with them. The prized son that Jacob would in NO WAY allow to go with them.
So, after getting home and telling dad what had happened, the rest of the brothers empty their sacks and find their money in them too, and they’re SHOCKED. Even Joseph would start to wonder, “What did my sons do this time?” They had a reputation for taking matters into their own hands, didn’t they. Even when Shechem was appealing for their sister Dinah, the boys decided, mainly because Joseph was paralyzed, to concoct an extraction operation to get her out and killed all of the men of the town, while they were yet teenagers!
They couldn’t even go and buy grain right. Jacob was obsessed with his reputation, forever and always. He didn’t want to rock boats, he didn’t want to garner any important positions, he just wanted to be Jacob. Was Jacob a good dad or husband? Not particularly...He was the typical 90’s sitcom dad. Not an integral part of the family, just the father figure that didn’t really engage. Every once in a while, he’d have a profound statement or leadership moment, something to redeem him in the eyes of the audience...but he was nothing special. Ordinary.
Good thing God can do amazing things with ordinary people, especially when they are available when God says “move.” With that said, Joseph still lives in that reputation guarding state:
36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” 37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “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 left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”
Joseph has disappeared, Simeon has “disappeared” and you want me to believe you’ll bring Benjamin back? Is this Jacob reveling in the past? It’s been 20 years! Jacob feels alone again, empty. All of those emotions come flooding back to him.
After 20 years...isn’t he over it? He’s not. Getting over losing someone never happens. We mend, but those scars remain. Jacob takes this upon himself as well...why is God doing this to who? Him right? Why would God allow me to hurt again? Jacob was afraid of hurting again. That’s why he held Benjamin close to himself.
Reuben tries to comfort Jacob as well, offering his 2 sons as payment if they don’t return with Benjamin. As much as Reuben had dishonored his father, he’s the only brother willing to lead. Simeon was the warrior brother, Reuben was the first born, and he wore that role.
As firstborn myself, I was terribly alone when it came to making decisions. I was punished more than my brother, I was scolded and criticized for my decision making more than my brother...but I was charting a course for my parents. The things they learned parenting me, they fixed with my brother.
I know this as a father myself. My oldest son is our guinea pig. His failure rate is high, and so is his frustration. However, there are none of my children that have such compassion for his siblings than him.
Joseph still hurts, though, for his sons. Why do we grieve? What does that word even mean? Grief is a deep sorrow felt from losing someone. Grief is important to us all. Grief is proof of deep love. Sometimes in our grief, we lose sight of what’s right in front of us, though.
Look again at Jacob’s words: Genesis 42:36, 38 “36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”...“38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.””
Jacob is talking to 9 of his sons, BENJAMIN’S BROTHERSSS, not even acknowledging they belong to him. Reuben wants to prove that, even though he’s a disappointment, that he’s Jacob’s son also. Grief is a process that nobody really understands, but God.
He allows it to prove to us that love is real, that He is real, because the Bible says God is Love. I believe God is Love.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Does this say “All things are good?” No, it says all things WORK TOGETHER for good. Like we talked last week, God sees the beginning to the end at once. He knows the good He has planned for us...and the journey is important to us, and to Him, that we walk to get to that point. As we’re passing out communion, we need to remember we’re somewhere in progress. The potter has you somewhere on the chart of being made into the man or the woman you’re supposed to be. He’s working ALL THINGS out for good, in His perfect timing.
As we were going thru the message today, I was drawing your attention to a few things. 10 brothers, then 9 brothers, 3 days, and the brothers were buying grain for life sustaining bread from one man who then put money back into their sacks of grain.
Some of you drew the correlation. 10 brothers, can be correlated with 10 commandments. What is the reason why God gave us the commandments? To show us we are guilty of breaking the law and in need of a savior. Can anyone keep the commandments? No. If you keep 9 of the commandments, but break 1, you aren’t worthy of Heaven.
That’s they symbolism of the brothers in this story. Let me make it more clear with scripture.
When Joshua is about to send his brothers away, he tells them what?
18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:
In the New Testament, a lawyer asked Jesus a question:
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
The man answered Jesus, summarizing the 10 commandments in 2. and Jesus says what? “Do this and you will live.” Joseph gave a commandment telling these honest men to go get their youngest brother and bring it back. Almost as an impossible task as keeping even these summarized commandments, right?
After 3 days in prison, the brothers were sent home with their sacks of grain, right? In those sacks, they found their payment in them. Representative of the fact that the bread of life, which we hold in our hands, is a free gift. It took Jesus 3 days in the grave to prepare a place for our sin to die as we turn our lives over to new management.
Nothing we can do can purchase the Bread of Life. Just as Joseph had stored up grain to provide for all the world, Jesus was prepared as the bread of life for us, and all we would have to do is accept that gift from God and confess our sins and repent. Let’s accept the bread as a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice and the bread of life that sustains us on earth, as well as in Heaven.
Remember the brothers, when they stood before Joseph and argued? What were they doing? They were wrestling with the consequence of their past sin. They had never taken responsibility for it before, and now they were faced with God possibly punishing them for that sin. They could have been brought out and killed, but by the grace of Joseph they were spared.
How did Joseph respond as he’s hearing his brothers confess? He had to step away and weep, didn’t he? When we struggle and release our sin, how do you think he responds? I believe it’s as Joseph did. What happens in Heaven when a sinner repents?
7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
As fathers and mothers, friends, brothers, sisters...when confession happens, it effects us. That’s when Jesus knows the brokenness of his body was worth it, as well, we hold in our hands the juice that represents the blood he poured out for us to cover our sins. Lord, thank you for blessing us with this cup, we rejoice in your sacrifice and walk after you.
Finally, we come to the sacks of grain sent with the brothers. They found their payment returned to them, but it was hidden from them. As we walk with Christ, going thru the gift that has been given to us, we realize that there’s something special that’s been activated, hidden within us. The Spirit has a task for each of us, waiting to be revealed. That revealing takes time...and sometimes that revealing is scary. Very scary.
Being called to be a pastor isn’t something I wanted. I don’t want this position. It takes a lot from me, and from my family. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “things” of ministry that we can lose sight of our family in the process too. There will be times when Hollie and I tell you to wait on us, but it’s out of necessity. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. This scared me and buried me, in my sack. I tried to bury it back in there too.
Some of you have been called to a very hard walk recently too, that’s just as hard, if not harder. Some of you are dealing with loss, like Jacob did. He has been living with the loss of his son for 20 years. Don’t let those losses paralyze you from the good the Lord wants to bring your way. He’s patient, He’ll wait for you to recover fully, but don’t live life Jacob did, shutting out and sheltering.
The enemy wants us to stay in our box. To keep that string tied around our foot and NOT know that if we pull with any strength put into it, we’ll break free and not be held to that bondage anymore. Your guilt, my guilt, is supposed to be emberrassing, but it’s supposed to be in our past. Once set free, we are free indeed! Let’s pray as our worship team comes up and we prepare for a feast!
