Vengence is mine

Genesis 37:18–35 NIV

But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed. So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?” Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.

Jealousy will Destroy you! Envy will rot your soul!

Look at these noble men. Children of the infamous Israel. Set apart by God but at war within themselves.

Why? Because they allowed Jealousy and sin to rule in their hearts.

Now don't get me wrong, ultimately the seeds of this disaster lay in Jacobs hands. He sowed this crisis and he is reaping the harvest.

We see in this moment just how destructive blind rage becomes.

Jealousy has led to resentment, resentment led to rage and rage led to Violence.

You can see the same rage and Jealously within the church oftentimes. It destroys churches all the time.

When you and I let jealousy rise in our hearts we not only ruin ourselves but we destroy others around us.

Exodus 20:17 ESV

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

There is an entire commandment outlining this sin!

Steer clear of Jealousy my friends. It will ruin you.

At its core jealousy, is telling God, you are not enough! I deserve more!

May we get off our thrones and praise the living God for his marvelous blessings and may we learn to rejoice when others are blessed! and No long allow envy to rise within our hearts.

Today is a day of freedom my friends. Let the king of glory shatter the sin of Jealousy off your back forever.

May justice rest within the hands of the Lord. Not ours!

Romans 12:19 ESV

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

I want you and I to learn from this disaster. These brothers plot to Sin only a little. They decide to only throw him in a pit, but small sin carried them into the sin of slavery.

Lets look through this: They want to kill Joseph, Reuben talks them out of it. When Reuben is gone, the rest of them decide to sell Joseph into slavery.

They planned to just teach him a lesson, but once sin gets rolling it is hard to stop! Jealousy, led to slavery. not just for Joseph, but for themselves.

WE see at the end of this journey in Egypt the pure agony that these men and this family walked through for many years.

We see in Verse 34 the pure horror these jealous infantile men drag their father through

Genesis 37:34–35 ESV

Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 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.

Guard against the Sin of Jealousy my friends. You and I are not justified in it. We are in Sin when we entertain it.

May the grace of Heaven restore unto us, years lost in Jealousy, rage, and bitterness.

Genesis 37:36 ESV

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

At this point these brothers have spent years in the trap and sin of hatred, bitterness and Jealousy. There Sin finally culminates in this moment when they betray their own own brother, selling him into slavery.

In all their sin and all their rage Gods hand was on Joseph and his brothers. In the midst of their Sin God was preparing their Redemption.

You see Joseph was a type of Christ. He was a foreshadowing the work of Jesus.

God saw that Jacobs family was a disaster. He saw that the first family in this new nation was crumbling at its inception. He chose to use Joseph to bring forth His redemption.

Joseph brothers completed the disastrous fall of Israel. But through Joseph God would bring deliverance. Not only for Israel, but for the entire world.

God takes the rage of man, and through it brings . God did this with Joseph and he did this with Christ!

Through the rage of Man God brought forth His redemption. Through the crushing of Joseph, God would restore a family, but through the Crushing of Christ He would restore Humanity.

Closing

This morning Do not allow the Sin of Bitterness, rage and Jealousy to ruin you any further. Let Christ Free you! Let freedom Reign!

This morning, I want to give you the opportunity to walk in freedom

Prayer for the Lost

Prayer for those in Sin.