November 5, 2004

Genesis 42-45

FAMILY REUNION

If Joseph was here today, and we were to ask him: “Joseph, what is your favorite verse in the Bible?” what do you think he would say? I think I know.

I think he’d say Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I also think I know what Joseph would say if we asked him to quote his favorite Christian saying. Here it is: “God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.”

I think this verse and this saying would be Joseph’s favorites, because they beautifully summarize his life story. Joseph’s story is a story of the sovereignty of God. It is a story of God working in the life of an individual and in the life of a family to fulfill his plan.

Following Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt and then cast into prison, last week we saw Joseph promoted to second-in-command over all the land of Egypt. In the conclusion of the story today, we must step back and look beyond Joseph’s individual story to the broader sweep of what God is doing in the history of the Jewish nation.

The story actually picks up at the end of chapter 41 in verse 57, where we are told that the famine that God had revealed through Pharaoh’s dream was “severe in all the world.”

This, of course, impacts Joseph’s family back in Canaan. We are told that when the famine became severe, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. And so the day came that Joseph’s 10 brothers presented themselves before an Egyptian official to request the right to purchase grain. Over 20 years have passed. The brothers only see a rather stern official, dressed in Egyptian clothing, probably clean-shaven as per Egyptian custom and speaking the Egyptian language. As they bow down before him, they do not recognize him. But Joseph recognizes his brothers immediately. The fact that the ten of them are together, and still dressed and groomed in typical Canaanite fashion makes the recognition easy for him. As he sees them all there in front of him, faces to the ground, he remembers his dream so many years before in Canaan, when his sheaf of grain stood upright, and his brothers’ sheaves all bowed down to it. What God purposes he is able to fulfill! What he promises, he will do!

Joseph, however, chooses to remain anonymous. He does not reveal himself to his brothers. Instead he accuses them of being spies. They protest their innocence and seek to prove it by giving their whole family history. In their story, Joseph is simply referred to as “one brother is no more.” Joseph persists in his accusation and states that the only way he will believe their story is if they go back to Canaan and fetch their remaining brother Benjamin. After putting them in prison for three days, he presents them with a plan. He will keep one brother in prison. The others will be free to return home with food for the family, and then return with their brother Benjamin.

We might wonder at Joseph’s motivation in acting in this way. I think one possible motive is simply concern for his brother Benjamin’s safety. Remember, Benjamin is Joseph’s only full brother, the only other son of Jacob and Rachel, his favorite wife. The other brothers were all born of either Leah, or one of the maid servants. It was Jacob’s blatant favoritism of Joseph which caused the original jealousy in the family. It is only logical to assume that after Joseph’s disappearance, Jacob had lavished even more care and attention on the young Benjamin. Had this also raised the brother’s jealous hatred? Was Benjamin even still alive? Why wasn’t he with the others? Had the brothers disposed of him as well? He may not have felt that he could take their words at face value. So he sends them back to fetch their brother.

When the brothers return to Jacob, they tell him what has happened. He is deeply distressed by their account, and especially that their brother Simeon has not returned with them. Now he has lost two sons. But he adamantly refuses to allow Benjamin to accompany the other brothers back to Egypt. His love for Benjamin is clear, as well as the fact that he has inherited the role of favored son.

Time passes, and the grain they brought back is used up. The famine is even more severe. Again Jacob instructs the brothers to return to buy more grain in Egypt, but they refuse to go without Benjamin. Judah takes a leadership role, offering his personal guarantee that the boy will return safely, so finally, in desperation, Jacob agrees.

When they arrive before Joseph once again, he immediately gives instructions that they be taken to his house and that lunch be prepared. When he arrives and gets a good look at his brother Benjamin, probably only a young boy when he last saw him, he is so overcome with emotion that he has to go into his private chamber where he weeps. After washing his face he returns and instructs the food to be served. When he gives instructions for the seating, he seats his brothers in accordance to their birth order from oldest to youngest. They are amazed, wondering how he could possibly know this. But then he does something else. He keeps sending portions from his table to his brothers’ table. But whenever he does so, he makes sure that Benjamin is given 5 times as much as any of the other brothers. Now that he knows that his brother is alive and well, he is testing to see what the other brothers’ attitude is toward him. Is the awful jealousy that tore him away from his beloved father still there, targeted now at his younger brother? I’m sure he closely watched the other brothers’ reactions to the blatant favoritism shown to Benjamin.

The next day, Joseph subjects them to one final test. He loads them up with grain and provisions and sends them on their way. But he first instructs that his special, official cup be hidden in the sack of grain that was given to Benjamin. Then, when they had gone only a short distance, he sent his steward after them. The official accuses them of stealing Joseph’s cup. Of course, they deny the charge. But when they each open their sacks, the cup is found in Benjamin’s sack.

While the official only wants to take Benjamin back in chains, all the brothers insist on going back with him. When they appear before Joseph, once again he gives them their freedom. He will only keep the guilty one, Benjamin. The rest of them are free to go.

Think about it! Twenty two years before, these brothers were so consumed by jealousy they were willing to commit murder, and did in fact sell Joseph into slavery to get rid of him. Now, all they have to do to be rid of Benjamin is to simply walk away. Who can doubt what their choice would have been all those years ago? The question Joseph wants answered is simply: “Has anything changed? Are my brothers any different now than they were then?”

As if to answer that question, one brother in particular steps forward. His brother Judah. He speaks eloquently. Let’s read the conclusion of his speech. (Read Genesis 44:27-34).

What a difference! From a brother willing to sell Joseph as a slave, to a brother who is willing to give himself as a slave so that Benjamin can go free.

When he sees this, the text says that, Joseph could no longer control himself. And after sending his attendants out of the room he burst into loud weeping and revealed himself to his brothers. I am Joseph, your brother, the one you sold into Egypt.

Their shock turned to horror. This powerful Egyptian official was their brother! The one they threatened to kill and then sold as a slave! What could they possible expect but some awful vengeance? But Joseph reassured them. He embraced his brother Benjamin and wept over him. And then he went brother by brother, and kissed each of them and wept over them. Then we are told that they talked together.

It is an incredibly moving story. It moves quickly toward its conclusion. They return to get Jacob, almost causing him a heart attack with the news that Joseph is alive and in charge of all the land of Egypt. And in short order the entire extended family is resettled in the land of Egypt.

GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE AFFAIRS OF MEN. If I could write one lesson in large letters over the life story of Joseph, that would be it. God is accomplishing his purpose. That purpose is to provide a Messiah, a Redeemer, through the descendants of Abraham. At the beginning of the story of Joseph, as we pointed out, God faced a dilemma. That dilemma was to find a place where Jacob and his descendants could not only survive the awful famine that was coming on the earth, but also where they could develop into a nation without being either destroyed by the other nations or be assimilated by them, losing their distinct identity. God needed a kind of national womb for the nation’s period of gestation.

Egypt was the perfect place. By bringing them into the land under Pharaoh’s invitation and protection, they were safe from destruction. But what about the problem of assimilation? Here also, God had thought of everything. We are told that the Egyptians of that day were extremely xenophobic. They refused to even eat with “Hebrews” as they referred to foreigners from Canaan. Look at Genesis 43:32, describing the meal they all ate together in Joseph’s house: They served Joseph by himself, the brothers by themselves and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews for that is detestable to Egyptians.

Look down as well at Genesis 46:33. In this verse, Joseph is preparing his brothers to meet Pharaoh. When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our father did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.

So, on two accounts, the family of Jacob was seen as detestable to the Egyptians. They were Hebrews or foreigners, and they were shepherds. Therefore, the Egyptians would refuse to associate with Jacob’s family. The problem of assimilation was taken care of. Not because the sons of Israel were not prone to it. But because the Egyptians would not allow them to assimilate! And yet, because of Joseph’s influence, they would have Pharaoh’s protection, and live in a fertile part of the land. It was the perfect national womb. Do you see the sovereign hand of God at work?

God is sovereign in the affairs of men. And just as he was sovereign in the lives of Joseph and his brothers and in the history of Israel, so he is sovereign in our lives as well. I take great comfort in that truth. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

We may not always understand what God is doing. Remember Joseph’s favorite Christian saying: “God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.”

But as I continued to ponder God’s working in the lives of Joseph and his brothers, it struck me that we have in front of us examples of three different ways that God’s sovereignty is expressed and his work is carried out.

The first is I. GOD WORKS IN SPITE OF US.

We see this clearly in the story in regard to the original intention of Joseph’s brothers. They engaged in wrong actions that grew out of wrong motives. There is no attempt to sugarcoat what they did. But God fulfilled his purpose anyway in spite of them.

Let’s look at a couple verses. Look at Genesis 45: 5. This is Joseph speaking when he first revealed himself to his brothers and he is seeking to reassure them. v. 5: And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…v. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. v. 8 So then it was not you who sent me here, but God.

The sovereignty of God is clearly proclaimed in these verses, but the wrong motives are not excused. Look at Genesis 50. In this chapter, we are told that after Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were consumed by fear again that Joseph would now take his revenge on them. But Joseph again moves to reassure them with these words in verse 20: You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Did you see that? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. God works in spite of man. As Isaiah says in Isaiah 14:27: For the LORD Almighty has purposed and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back.

When God determines to do a thing, he will do it. No wrong motives or wrong actions on the part of human agents can prevent his plan from being fulfilled. He will work in spite of man if he needs to.

Secondly we find that II. GOD WORKS IN US.

We often think of God’s sovereignty as it relates to circumstances and events. But God’s working is oftentimes focused on the invisible realm of character transformation and character change in the lives of his followers.

We see this repeatedly in the pages of this story. We pointed it out a couple weeks ago, when we saw how God used the difficult testing years in Joseph’s life to transform him from a rather cocky, arrogant young man, prone to flaunt his favored status, into a humble servant leader, ready for the godly exercise of great authority.

In the chapters in front of us today, we have seen that something has also happened in the lives of Joseph’s brothers, particularly in the life of Judah. Judah’s strong leadership, and his willingness to step forward and offer himself as slave in the place of Benjamin is a display of remarkable character, completely at odds from the man portrayed earlier in the story. God has been at work.

We might ask: What has happened? What has God used to temper and transform Judah and the other brothers?

I would speculate on at least three experiences that have had a powerful shaping effect in their lives.

First is their experience of the grief of their father Jacob. Back in chapter 37:34-35 we read that when Jacob was presented with Joseph’s blood spattered robe, he 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.

That memory of their grieving father had a powerful impact on Judah and the other brothers. When Judah pleads to be able to take Benjamin’s place, he evokes that memory. He repeats the account of his father’s grief, and then in 44:34, he says, How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father.

A second powerful change agent in the brothers’ lives was the sense of guilt they carried for their sin against Joseph, for over 22 years. It comes out when Joseph, still anonymous, is threatening them and accusing them of being spies. Look at Genesis 44:21: They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.’

Twenty two years is a long time to carry a guilty conscience, isn’t it? Yet when faced with a painful situation, their first thought is: “This is God’s punishment.” When Joseph heard this, he was overcome with emotion, and we’re told he had to turn away from his brothers so they would not see his tears.

Paul tells us in II Corinthians 7:9-10, that there is a sorrow that leads to repentance. He goes on to say, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation…but worldly sorrow brings death.

From the change in their attitudes and actions, I believe that this sense of guilt and sorrow over their sin was one of the ingredients that eventually led to repentance and a change in character on the part of the brothers.

The third ingredient that produced character change was painful experiences. At least some of these were produced by the testing to which Joseph subjected them. He put them in prison for three days. That’s not long compared to the years that Joseph himself spent under guard. But it was enough to get their attention and to cause them to fear more of the same. Then additionally, he subjected them to uncertainty and fear when he kept returning their money to them secretly by hiding it in their sacks of grain. On the first occasion when the first brother found his money hid in his sack he said: ‘My silver has been returned. Here it is in my sack.’ Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’

They also believed in the sovereignty of God, and saw God’s working in the painful and fearful experiences of their lives. All of these ingredients, and possibly others that are not recorded in the text, I believe combined to produce a change in heart and actions on the part of these brothers. Not once in this part of the story do the old jealousies and animosities emerge. These are apparently very different men than the ones we read about in the earlier chapters. God works in a man to effect character transformation.

And then, finally, in terms of the sovereign working of God, we see that III. GOD WORKS THROUGH US.

This is the final and most rewarding experience we can have of the sovereignty of God in our lives, when God does not work in spite of us. But rather, when he has produced substantial character change in our hearts he sovereignly works through us to accomplish his purpose in the world and in the lives of others. It is to this aspect of God’s working that Joseph is able to point when he talks to his brothers.

In Genesis 45:7 he said: But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. Now this is the part I like: He made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.  Then he tells them to quickly go and fetch their father Jacob, and he adds in verse 11: I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.

The same sense of being used by God, and of God working through him is expressed in Genesis 50:20-21: God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid, I will provide for you and your children.

There is no more wonderful feeling in the world than to experience the sovereign working of God through us to bless other people and to fulfill his plan in the world. There is no pride in it. There is only a humble marveling at God’s grace and goodness and his sovereign power.

This is the over-riding principle and truth in the story of the life of Joseph. GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE AFFAIRS OF MEN.

God is sovereign. God is working. He is going to fulfill his purpose. Frankly, there isn’t much you or I can do about it. We certainly can’t stop him. But ponder the different ways he works.

God works in spite of us.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that in my life. I don’t want God to be working in spite of me. His plan may be accomplished, but I shall certainly not benefit from his plan as I could.

God works in us.

Frankly, sometimes I’m not sure I want this one either. Because his working in me is sometimes painful and uncomfortable. But at the same time, I do want this one. Because I want the fruit of righteousness which comes at the end of his chastening. And also because I want to experience his final way of working.

God works through us.

I want God to work through me, for his glory and the blessing of others, just like he did through Joseph.