God Redeems Betrayal
The Gospel Project V2:U4:S1 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 205 viewsJealousy, hatred and strife can shatter a family, but God works even through the sinful choices of humanity to bring about His good - Sovereignity!
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Introduction
True And Better (3 min)
Tension
Joseph is a perfect example, picture of Christ.
More on Joseph than any other Biblical Character than Jesus
Author Pink said there are 101 different correlations between Joseph and Jesus
Story has been told in many colorful but wrong ways? Technicolor dream coat
Ever wonder what
Tension
Good Morning, How are we doing this morning?
I wanted to reintroduce you to the truths found in that video because we are returning to our initiative called the Gospel Project. The Gospel Project is an initiative where we are looking at everything in the Bible through the lens of the Gospel.
Do you know what the Gospel is? It is a title that has been thrown around a lot but at it’s core the Gospel is
“The Good News of Jesus the Christ and what He has done for us.”
or maybe many of you remember a definition that I liked to use when we were studying Galatians. It is from author and pastor Tim Keller and he says it in a way that is helpful for those of us who have become maybe a little too comfortable with the term. He says that...
“The Gospel is the message that we are more evil than we ever dared imagined, but at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Christ then we ever dared to hope.” - Tim Keller
So when looking to endeavor into something called “The Gospel Project” you would think that we would primarily be looking at the story of Jesus when he was here on earth. In fact the four accounts that we have on Jesus’ life, Matthew Mark, Luke and John are collectively called “The Gospels”.
But what we have been learning is that the message of the Gospel is not in any way limited to those books of the Bible. In fact, the message of the Gospel is not even limited to the New Testament. Over the past several months we have been uncovering the message of the Gospel as it is laid out for us all the way at the beginning of the Bible.
We have been finding it in the book of beginnings, the book of Genesis.
So we have been experiencing exactly what that video was talking about. And haven’t we found this to be true, from Adam on we keep hitting on this truth that we, mankind, are more evil than we than we ever dared imagine and in the midst of all of our discoveries of the depravity of our species we find a God that loves us more than we could ever dare hope.
So I thought that the video would help to set back on the path of the Gospel Project as we pick up today in Genesis with the story of a man named Joseph.
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Tension
Of course we are talking about the Joseph of Genesis here not the Joseph of the Gospels who was Jesus’ earthly father. This Joseph was one of the sons of Jacob. Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” and his 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. So this Joseph is a pretty important character in the history of God’s people.
In fact, one of the commentators that I read said that with the exception of Jesus, there is more written of the story of Joseph than any other person in the Bible. The entire rest of the book of Genesis is focused in on his life and story and it ends with his death.
And what is so incredible is that in all of these narratives about Joseph there is not a single mention of him doing anything sinful. That is not to say that we should think he was sinless - he certainly wasn’t. But in contrast to the stories that we have been reading of his father, grandfather and great grandfather which are filled with epic flaws and horrible unfaithfulness, the vast Biblical record on the story of Joseph includes nothing where he was grossly out of line.
What the Biblical record does show on Joseph is a countless number of similarities between the story of Joseph and the story of Jesus. Even as I say “countless” I am reminded of the many theologians that have set out to list out the many comparisons. The most lengthy of these comparisons is from the 19th century author and Bible teacher Arthur Pink who used 68 pages of his work Gleanings in Genesis to lay out 101 comparitive points between Joseph and Jesus.
So I am not going to hand out score cards on this or anything, but as we study the life of Joseph over the next several weeks I invite you to be listening for any connections that you hear between what we discover about Joseph’s story and what we know about Jesus’ story.
So I am not going to hand out score cards on this or anything, but as we study the life of Joseph over the next several weeks I would like to just encourage you to on your own look for comparative points between what happens to Joseph and what happened in Jesus’ life.
The reason that I think this will be such a helpful thing for us is that I am certain that in our search for comparisons between Joseph and Jesus’ story, we will find areas of comparisons in our own stories. There may be chapters in our stories that we believed no one else understands, but then we find that Joseph or Jesus himself experienced something similar and it can give us the hope that we have been aching for.
You see I believe when
Let’s open together to , (p. 31 in the Bibles in the chairs) I’ll pray and we will dive back into the Gospel Project together.
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 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.
Genesis 50
a comparison. so his descendants actually became two different tribes of Israel. We will dive into that later, but we are going to meet Joseph today as a teenage boy who was also the “little brother” Joseph. Jesus
I wanted us to all Reintroduction to the Gospel Project - story of Jesus throughout the BIble
Joseph is a perfect example, picture of Christ.
More on Joseph than any other Biblical Character than Jesus
Author Pink said there are 101 different correlations between Joseph and Jesus
Story has been told in many colorful but wrong ways? Technicolor dream coat
Truth
Truth
:
An unjust cry of “Favoritism”
An unjust cry of “Favoritism”
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
(they thought they were better than Joseph so they were angry at him - contempt)
(they thought they were better than Joseph so they were angry at him - contempt)
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.
2.These are the generations of Jacob...
The land of Canaan is the promised land, the land that God promised to give to the descendants of Jacob’s grandfather Abraham. God’s people do not reign over this land yet however, Jacob and his sons are just living there on the outskirts of a city called Hebron. Eventually all of Canaan will become the land of Jacob, or the land and nation of Israel, but for now they are nomads, dwelling in tents and grazing their flocks wherever they are allowed.
And then Verse 2 start out with “These are the generations of Jacob” and a little bell should probably go off in your head on this as this marks the beginning of a new and final division in the book of Genesis. The word translated Generations here in the ESV is the word “tol- e-dote” and there are 11 different “tol-e-dotes” in Genesis all marking the beginning of the story, account or family activity of a certain major character. As is the case with several others, the “tol-e-dote” of Jacob is the story of the son that will one day become leader of the family. What is unique about Joseph’s story is that he is appointed this leader even though he is not the first born son of Jacob. This is where the tension in his story is introduced.
I watned to again point out the “Generations” is tol e dote
Joseph brought a bad report of his brothers to his father. This changes the story for me!
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
So here in Joseph’s story the tension is introduced not because of something that Joseph did, but because Joseph was the favored son of Jacob. When it came to the power, authority and blessings of the father it usually went primarily to the oldest first and then down the line. As the younger brother, Joseph should have been at the end of the line. He should have been given the least recognition, but instead he was the most favored, the most loved. The text here says that he was favored because he was born to Jacob in his old age, but probably even more so because he was the son of Rachel, the wife that Jacob loved the most. It would just make sense that he would most love the son of the wife he loved most, but this caused a great amount of Jealousy from his other brothers, and jealousy like this leads to Contempt.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
1. Jealousy leads to Contempt (1-11)
1. Jealousy leads to Contempt (1-11)
We all know what Jealousy is right? It’s believing that someone else has something that we think we should have. We could also use the word “envy”. But the word “Contempt” is not as common. Contempt is a form of anger or bitterness directed at a certain kind of person.
Professor Robert C. Solomon a philosopy professor at the University of Texas places contempt on the same continuum as resentment and anger, and he argues that the differences between the three are that “resentment” is anger directed toward a higher-status individual; “anger” is directed toward an equal-status individual; and “contempt” is anger directed toward someone you fee is a lower-status individual
I gotta tell you that as many times as I have heard the story of Joseph, growing up in the Church as I did, I never remember being impacted by this phrase: “Joseph brought a bad report” like I was this past week. This seemed to flavor this story for me in a new way.
I had heard this story many times with inferences that Joseph was out “flaunting” his favor with his father - but there is no Biblical backing for that view. And as we look at the character of Joseph in the rest of his story it seems very inconsistent. This was not an incident where the “little brother” was just trying to get his big brothers in trouble, but more that Joseph did the right thing in bringing the report, and that caused his brothers to be angry with him. This is closer to a case of “No good deed goes unpunished” or as Jesus called it in the beatitudes:
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew
Joseph was not in the wrong here, but still his brothers hated him. Why? Because from their perspective of jealousy and contempt he didn’t have the right to say anything. He was the younger brother, his place was at the back of the line, so if he is going to come out to the fields with the big boys then he should just keep his mouth shut and the big boys handle the big boy issues.
We come up against this all the time today. If you stand up for something that is right at work or school, the immediate response is not typically a defense for their behavior the right thing to do but a strong “Who do you think you are to tell me that I am doing something wrong”. Anyone else ever be on one side…or the other of this experience? This is the attitude of the older brothers toward their younger and favored brother Joseph.
“Stay in your lane rookie, you don’t have any right to send a bad report out on me.”
“It doesn’t matter if I did something wrong, what right do you have to say anything about it.”
“You not so perfect yourself”
Your just did this because you are the bosses or teachers favorite”
But the issue is no longer the issue - but your right to say anything is. And their cry of “Favoritism” breeds a Jealousy that leads to contempt. An anger towards someone you consider less significant than yourself.
And they were so full of contempt toward Joseph they couldn’t even say anything peacefully to him, so that made it so hard to hear about the visions that God had given to Joseph.
This is not an uncommon situation in our day. Notice you don’t hear the brothers arguing against the truthfulness of Joseph’s report. It is not that Joseph lied about what they were doing
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Genesis 37:8-
We have to stop for just a moment and handle the meaning and symbol of what is translated as the “coat of many colors”. The giving of this coat was about much more than Joseph having a fancier coat then the other brothers.
The truth is, we don’t even know if that it was colorful. It certainly wasn’t “techni-color dream coat”. The meaning of the Hebrew here is a bit of a mystery. While the word for coat or cloak is clearly there, the descriptive of the coat is closest to the word for ankles or wrists. This has led many to believe that the coat was just long in either the sleeves or the bottom or both.
The truth is, we don’t even know if that it was colorful. It certainly wasn’t “techni-color dream coat”. The meaning of the Hebrew here is a bit of a mystery. While the word for coat or cloak is clearly there, the descriptive of the coat is closes to the word for ankles or wrists. This has led many to believe that the coat was just long in either the sleeves or the bottom or both.
Either way, the big idea here is that this coat stood out as a coat for an executive in charge more than a worker out in the field.
Cloaks that you wore out in the field were typically short sleeved for easy manuvering and not very ornate. This cloak was designed to be worn by the man in charge of the men wearing the other cloaks. That is why the brothers took such offense at this. Were talking blue collar vs white collar and they just found out that the brother with the least seniority was just promoted to the front office. It was much more than their baby brother being spoiled with a fancy new gift.
meaning behind the coat was not that Jacob just wanted Joseph to have a nicer more fancy coat than the other sons. We can all see the error of that kind of favoritism, but the true issue here was that a coat like came with a role.
sleaves
Then on top of Jacob giving him a position of authority over his brothers, his dreams claimed that even God was giving him that kind of authority. You can see how Joseph isn’t winning any votes here, and his second dream went even further...
caused in Jacob’s family. Unfortunately the story of Joseph’s coat has gotten much more press than it deserves and typically it isn’t even understood as the symbol that it really was. We just think that
9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
It was one thing for Joseph to share a dream that made it seem like his brothers would one day bow to him, now his dream seemed to say that his father and mother, the sun and the moon would also bow. This is where Jacob draws the line and then rebukes him. For Joseph to say that he will be greater than all his brothers was on thing, but to say you would be greater than your father the patriarch was another.
But was it Joseph that was saying these things?
All Joseph was doing was sharing the dreams that he had and then he found out that his family didn’t like what they heard in them. We might ask why Joseph would even share these dreams seeing how his family responded, but maybe Joseph didn’t even know how they would respond. Maybe he was truly surprised to learn the meaning of the dreams and how offensive they were to his family.
Since we have the whole story we might wonder why Joseph even shared the dreams. Couldn’t he have just kept them to himself? Bu
What we do know is that the whole family took the dreams seriously. In fact they were dead serious about these dreams.
It brings to mind a good question. Why did Joseph even tell them the dreams. Why not keep them to himself? Why risk adding fuel to the fire of an already tension filled family relationship?
The only answer we have is that God gave him the dreams and so he couldn’t keep them to himself. Since we know the rest of the story and how it plays out, we know that when the family bows down to Joseph it will be to rescue them from certain death. But right now all the family can see is that the little brother is stepping out of his place and the jealousy of the brothers fills their hearts with contempt.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Genesis 37:1-
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
no good deed goes unpunished
1. Jealousy leads to Contempt
1. Jealousy leads to Contempt
Contempt leads to betrayal ()
Contempt leads to betrayal ()
2. Contempt leads to Betrayal ()
2. Contempt leads to Betrayal ()
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
Quick map here to show you the land of Canaan and how Joseph traveled a great distance to meet up with his brothers. If you are wondering where you have heard of the city of Dothan before, we talked about it on Christmas eve as it will become the hometown of the prophet elisha that was surrounded by the armies of Syria who were in turn surrounded by the flaming armies of God. You can read about that in 2 Kings if it peaks your interest.
Anyway, Joseph finally finds his brothers and the families flocks to “check on them” and then bring a report back to his father. And we know how well that went last time, this time it will be much worse.
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
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.
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.
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.”
You can see that they were dead serious about these dreams. They knew that there was something to them, something more than just a silly dream that you and I might have some night. Have you ever had a serious dream like this? I have many dreams that are just silly and ridiculous but then there have been other times when I knew that God wanted me to pay attention to this dream. I am certain that this is kind of understanding that both Joseph and his family had over his dreams. They were offended by them because they believed that their was something to them. That God had given this message to Joseph in some way.
I am certain that this is kind of understanding that both Joseph and his family had over his dreams. They were offended by them because they believed that their was something to them. That God had given this message to Joseph in some way.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I dream some of the weirdest things. You can ask my family. Sometimes my children ask me in the morning if I dreamed anything last night because they are so funny and I rarely put any stock in them, believing that they are just my mind somehow rebooting or something.
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
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.
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.
But once in a while I have a dream that I know is more than just a brain dump. I can feel the weight of it, and I know that God wants me to respond in some way. I am certain that this is kind of understanding that both Joseph and his family had over his dreams. They were offended by them because they believed that their was something to them. That God had given this message to Joseph in some way.
So when the brothers say, “we will see what will become of his dreams” what they were really saying is:
We don’t care what our little brother says, our Dad says or even what God says! We will make our own destiny!
We don’t care what our little brother says, our Dad says or even what God says! We will make our own future!
Then the oldest brother, Rueben, steps in to try and talk some sense into the raging contempt of the group of brothers...
and that Well one of the brothers, the oldest brother actually, steps in so that it does not become as bad as it could at this point...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
25. Then they sat down to eat.
Are you getting a picture of the long term effects of contempt in ones heart? The depravity that a jealous and contemptuous heart will bring someone to. These brothers see Joseph coming and seeing no one to stop them they make their plan to muder him. Then one brother comes to his senses just enough to stay Joseph’s exucution by throwing him into a pit.
Then they sat down to eat.
We don’t learn this until many chapters later but while they were filling their stomachs with food, Joseph with filling their ears with his cries for mercy. We can almost see the evil contentment on the brothers faces as they enjoy their food and their power over the one who dared to believed a dream God had given him.
Genesis 37:12-22
It is a great example of being “more evil then we dare imagine”.
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
And then as they are disgustingly enjoying the taste and sounds of their dinner, they see an even greater opportunity for selfish gain:
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.
Genesis 37:25-
At the height of their contempt they change their plan to include some financial kick back, as they betrayed their own brother into the hands of pagans for some pieces of silver.
Jealousy leads to Contempt
Jealousy leads to Contempt
Contempt leads to Betrayal
Contempt leads to Betrayal
Betrayal leads to Great Sorrow (9-36)
Betrayal leads to Great Sorrow (9-36)
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?”
Genesis 37:
Genesis 37:29-36
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?” 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.” 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. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
As the oldest brother, Reuben would have been entrusted with the safety of all the other brothers. The problem with Reuben’s response is that he never boldly stood up for what was right. He only tried to manipulate things behind the scenes in such a way that he would not have to risk being challenged by the rest of his brothers. This failed. It usually does. And so we now find him going along with the second half of their plan, to lie to their father.
be His half-hearted attempt to manipulate the results of the events toward good did not work.
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.” 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. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Genesis
The brothers were jealous of the love that Jacob showed to Joseph and they assumed, wrongly, that if they got rid of him then Jacob’s love for them would increase. Instead, the betrayal of Joseph brings great sorrow to the entire family as no one in the family can comfort their father Jacob.
Jealousy leads to Contempt
Jealousy leads to Contempt
Contempt leads to Betrayal
Contempt leads to Betrayal
Betrayal leads to Great Sorrow ()
Betrayal leads to Great Sorrow ()
Gospel Application
Gospel Application
Gospel Application
So lets get out our score cards and see how you did identifying points of similarity between Joseph and Jesus. Just kidding, but I hope that you were able to get glimpses of the Gospel message through this first part of Joseph’s story. We can see many connections even in our three main themes.
So lets get out our score cards and see how you did identifying points of similarity between Joseph and Jesus. Just kidding, but I hope that you were able to get glimpses of the Gospel message through this first part of Joseph’s story. We can see many connections even in our three main themes.
Jesus endured jealousy
The jealousy of the religious leaders over Jesus’ popularity is a common theme in Jesus’ life and ministry. One of the places where it is declared the clearest is when these Jewish Brethren delivered Jesus up to the pagan governor Pilot. Even this pagan Roman governor with self-serving interests could see why they wanted to be rid of Jesus:
18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.
Jealousy - verse on religous leaders being jealous
Matthew
Jesus endured Contempt:
And earlier that same night these Jewish leaders, the “Sons of Israel” brought Jesus before the evil King Herod...
12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate.
Contempt -
Luke 23:
Jesus endured betrayal
And we can barely mention betrayal without thinking of Jesus’ lost disciple Judas who betrayed our Lord with a kiss
48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:
And seeing the effect of what he had done, Jesus’ betrayer was overcome with Great Sorrow
Betrayal - betrayed by Judas
Great Sorrow - Judas was so bitter he killed himself!
Matthew 27:3-6
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.
The message of the Gospel is pointed to throughout the stories of the Old Testament and we will continue to find evidences of this in the continuation of Joseph’s story over the next couple of weeks.
Landing
So this is just the first part of Joseph’s story and I am trying really hard to not jump to all the great resolutions at the end of the story, but I can’t just leave us here. I can’t just leave us dwelling on the impact of Jealousy, Contempt and Betrayal all week. We need the message of hope that this story does bring. It is the same message of hope that the Gospel brings. So at the risk of spoiling the end for you, let me just hit you with the good news of this story.
In his Sovereignty, God redeems our Jealousy, Contempt, and Betrayal
In his Sovereignty, God redeems our Jealousy, Contempt, and Betrayal
God is not blind to what is happening to Joseph, it is all a part of his sovereign plan to rescue his people. Joseph eventually comes to an understanding of this, but he goest through many trials before he sees clear to this truth. All I will tell you this week is that there comes a point when Joseph’s brothers do bow like the sheaves and the stars in the dream, and instead of delivering the judgement that his brothers deserve - Jacob forgives them. Listen to what he says.
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.
And just as God sovereignly rescued many people through all that Joseph suffered, He has provided a rescue for all people through all that Jesus suffered.
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
And just as God rescued many people through all that Joseph suffered, He has provided a rescue for all people through everything that Jesus has suffered. God used even the misdeeds of these brothers to rescue many people - even the brothers themselves.
Many people were rescued
: 4-8
This is the best news for us from the Joseph story. God used the betrayal of these brothers to rescue many people - including the brothers! You see, typically we read stories like this as if we are the hero, as if we are the “Joseph” when the truth is we are the brothers. We are the Judas. At best some of us might be a Ruebens or Pilot, but in the end we are all deserving of judgement, “for we are more evil than we ever dared imagine, but the good news of the Gospel is that at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Christ then we ever dared hoped.
In the end we are all deserving of judgement, “for we are more evil than we ever dared imagine, but the great news is that at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in what Christ did for us then we ever dared hope.”
After Joseph’s father Jacob dies the brothers think Joseph will take vengence on them...
Are you trusting in that today? Are you trusting in work of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? If not then what hope could you have? As the writer of Hebrews says: “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” () It was our sin and betrayal that put Jesus on the cross, and in his sovereignty God uses that cross to free us from the effects of our sin and betrayal.
3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,
That is the good news. That is the Gospel. In Genesis. Are you trusting in it? If not then you have no hope... for
It is free gift, you cannot earn it. Reuben tried to rescue and it crushed him. “Where shall I go?”
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I invite you to consider the weight of these words as I pray and we prepare this morning for communion
There is no other name under heaven by which you can If you sense that God is calling you towards more of him won’t you com
And just as he rescued people through all that Joseph suffered, God has rescued people.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 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.
“The irony of the gospel is that the only way to be worthy of it, is to admit that you are completely unworthy of it” - Tim Keller
I invite you to consider the weight of these words as the worship team comes forward and I pray.
