Genesis 37:2-36 - God is not absent in the darkness.

Thursday night, I was walking through the Walmart parking lot, but the security lights didn’t come on.

It was one of the most unsettling things that I had ever experienced.

Not because I’m afraid of the dark, but because I’m cautious about what’s in the dark.

I knew my vehicle was out there somewhere, but I had no light to help me find it.

That same night,

We’ve stopped bundling Eden at night, but she sleeps with her paci until it falls out of her mouth.

I could not find the stupid thing. I refused to turn the light on, so I felt around and all but flipped her crib to find it in the dark,

The paci was not absent.

The last stent in the book of Genesis is about Jacob’s family.

The overarching theme for this narrative is going to be expressed by Joseph himself:

Genesis 50:20 “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.”

Big Idea: God is not absent in the darkness

Context

Joseph was Israel’s baby boy.

Israel watched his others sons grow into men, but Joseph was the freshest.

Joseph was 17.

His brother’s hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

Joseph has a dream and the goober tells his brothers.

First dream: He told them that their sheaves would bow to him.

Second dream: The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him.

Representing his dad, his mom, and his 11 brothers.

Brothers: “Is that right?”

Self-awareness is not a strength for Joseph. He was not great at reading his audience.

Joseph’s brother’s were pasturing the flocks in another town, and Israel is sending Joseph to them.

Stand to read

Genesis 37:18–24 ESV

18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

Joseph knew he was the favorite, but that didn’t produce a thankful humility in him.

He flaunted his father’s love to his brothers.

Israel’s favoritism and Joseph’s dreams antagonize his brothers to the point of murderous intent.

They truly cannot stand their brother.

This jealousy brewed division and animosity.

They see Joseph coming and have already made up their minds to kill him.

“Let’s kill and throw the ‘dream expert’ in the pit and see how his dreams play out. Bet he wont see that coming.”

Reuben doesn’t want Joseph’s blood on his conscience, so he comes up with a plan that makes them look like heroes to their dad.

Let’s push him in a hole, then rescue him and take credit!

Reuben leaves him in the hole and his brothers conspire to get more out of the deal.

Genesis 37:25–28 ESV

25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

They just threw their brother into a massive hole, like a well without water

Then they sit down to eat like nothing happened.

“Alright, whose hungry?”

Judah gets an idea: “Let’s sell him!”

He seems to be compassionate in that he doesn’t want to kill him, but that is overshadowed by his greed.

“Let’s make some cash off this fool.”

Slaves in that time went for anywhere between 15-30 shekels of silver

They got a pretty decent market price for him.

When Reuben gets back, he’s all kinds of distraught.

Genesis 37:29–30 ESV

29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”

Reuben doesn’t give a rip about Joseph.

He was hoping that the plan to come back and rescue him would give Reuben favor in Israel’s eyes, so that maybe he might be recognized as the firstborn and get all the benefits that Joseph was experiencing.

These boys are driven by greed, politics, and hatred.

They are full of darkness.

It all started with their unchecked hatred of their brother.

It festered and festered until the right moment when everything exploded.

Church,

Our darkness (especially hatred) will show

Joseph’s brothers believed that he deserved everything that was coming to him.

We love when people to get what’s coming to them.

What it does, it reveals the darkness in our hearts.

The Lord does not delight in bad things happening to people.

We delight when we think people get what they deserve.

We hang our hope of vindication on it: “They’ll get what’s coming to them.”

Too many Christians live for karma, not grace.

When we live for people to get what’s coming to them, the darkness breeds.

Anger, jealousy, bitterness, hatred.

All these things bubble over

Is this your natural tendency?

What are you not letting go of?

For Joseph, his brother’s darkness was shown when they decided to sell their brother into slavery.

Transition

They go with the second best option and frame it to look like Joseph has been in an animal attack.

Genesis 37:31–33 ESV

31 Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”

Jacob’s sons deceived him like he had deceived his father Isaac into a blessing.

He had covered himself in goatskins to get Esau’s blessing

His sons are now using goats blood to trick him into believing that its Joseph’s blood.

This sends Jacob into gut-wrenching sadness.

Genesis 37:34–35 ESV

34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

The afterlife was not a well explored place of understanding then, but to the Hebrews it was the place of the dead.

The idea of Joseph’s death causes Jacob to believe that his grief will continue after his own death.

“I will never recover from this. I will still be sad about this after I die.”

This is stomach-turning agony.

Some of you understand this feeling—Loss of a child. Be sensative here.

There is a ton of darkness in this story, but the story is only beginning for Joseph.

The passage ends on a high note.

Genesis 37:36 ESV

36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

Joseph is sold to a high ranking official in Egypt.

Though he is sold into slavery, he’s close to Pharaoh’s palace.

This is the beginning of a chain of events that will lead to Joseph looking at his brothers and saying, Genesis 50:20 “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

Somehow between now and Genesis 50, God is going to reveal His plan through Joseph’s suffering.

“I don’t understand why this is happening to me.”

Anthony coming to Graceland.

Grew up in New Albany

Came to Dearborn County and got arrested.

He hadn’t talked to his brothers in years.

His brother’s go to a large church in New Albany where they learned that their church would be starting a church in Dearborn County.

“Dearborn County? Where is that? Why do I care?”

A short time later, he got a friend request from A.

“Starting new in Dearborn County.”

The Lord had been setting up His plan to draw A to Him long before he got here.

Transition

Perhaps you’re like the people of Israel in your life.

Why is this happening? Where is God? Is He sleeping?

Remember our big idea: God is not absent in the darkness.

Why is Moses writing this? Why is this important for God’s people to know?

To comfort Israel with the knowledge that God can use even evil human deeds to fulfill his plan of salvation.

Joseph’s story tells us that no matter how dark the circumstances, the Lord is in control.

He can overrule the evil deeds of people and accomplish His plan of salvation.

Which is extraordinarily good news for people like us…

Gospel presentation

Because you and I are a lot like Joseph’s brothers.

We contribute to and live in the darkness because we are sinful to the core.

We experiment with new ways of evil.

We have betrayed God’s plan for our lives and rebelled.

The good news is, you are not so evil to overcome God’s plan of redemption.

God the Father, sent His Son to take to Himself a human flesh.

He lived perfectly according to the will of the Father.

He revealed to us the way of the kingdom.

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The line from the Reformation was “Out of darkness, light.”

When Jesus came, He came to give light to the world.

His holy life exposed our sinfulness.

When the light reaches the darkness, it gives light to everything,

Jesus revealed that we needed a Savior for our sinfulness.

Jesus laid down His life on the cross to die for your sin and darkness.

The light of the world had submitted to the darkness of our sin and became a curse for us.

By doing so, He overcame our sin and death by victoriously raising to life to show that we have been forgiven!

Jesus ascended and now rules and reigns at the right hand of the Father!

This should give us intense confidence in Jesus because:

Our darkness is overcome in Christ

When we put our trust in Jesus, He takes all our darkness and gives us His light.

“Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

When you turn from your sin and trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us and leads us into godliness.

This is not an overnight change.

This is a lifelong relationship of taking steps toward Jesus in faith and growing in Christlikeness.

Walking in the light is hard, but Christ has overcome our darkness and we don’t have to live in the dark anymore.

If you’re not a Christian, today can be the day you leave the darkness and live in the light

Completely forgiven of all your sin, accepted by God, and made new in Christ.

Let’s start taking steps toward Christ in the light today.

Take the Next Step

Believe that it may be dark, but God is good and He’s still working.

Shine Christ’s light in the darkness

1 John 1:5–7 “5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Invite someone out of darkness.

Invitation to respond, repent, and believe