Tawa Baptist

Second Chances

Scripture: Genesis 44

Video Link: https://youtu.be/fZVV72MlMpM

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • A second chance
  • A substitute
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Many of you will remember, from childhood, the nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

couldn’t put Humpty together again.

It’s such a sad nursery rhyme. Why would you say that to a child? For years I have wondered what the point of it is. Humpty Dumpty raises so many questions.  

Is the nursey rhyme a kind of health and safety warning, before health & safety became a thing, teaching kids to be careful how high they climb? Or is it saying that people who are indecisive and sit on the fence (aka the wall) end up worse off than those who pick a side?

Who is Humpty Dumpty anyway and what does he (or she) represent? Did Humpty fall by accident, or was he pushed? And if he was pushed, who pushed him and why? (Robyn says I tend to overthink things. She may be right.)  

Whatever the answers to these important questions, I just wish the consequences for poor old Humpty Dumpty were not so fatal and final.

I wish Humpty Dumpty was given a second chance.

Today we continue our series in the life of Joseph. Joseph’s brothers certainly needed a second chance. They pushed their father Jacob off the wall by selling Joseph into slavery and lying about it. And they cannot undo what they have done.

But through Joseph, God gives them a second chance to make things right and put Jacob together again. From Genesis 44, verse 1, we read…

1 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 2 Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said. 3 As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 5 Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ”  6 When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?  9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.” 10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.” 11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

A second chance:

When Thomas Edison and his staff were developing the incandescent light bulb, it took hundreds of hours to produce the first one. After finishing the bulb, Edison handed it to a young errand boy and asked him to take it upstairs to the testing room.

As the boy turned and started up the stairs, he stumbled and fell. The bulb shattered on the steps. The boy felt terrible. He knew how much work had gone into it and he felt the disappointment of everyone in the room.

He turned to face the famous inventor. But instead of tearing strips off the boy, Edison reassured him. And then told his staff to start working on another bulb.

When the second bulb was completed several days later, Edison did something unexpected. He walked over to the boy, handed him the bulb and said, “Please take this up to the testing room”.

Thomas Edison knew it was a risk, both to himself and to his staff. But he also knew the boy needed another chance. He needed the opportunity to redeem himself. And the boy did just that, delivering the second bulb without incident.

You may remember, from a few weeks ago, that Joseph needed to test his brothers to determine whether they were trustworthy. Well, so far, they have been passing the tests. When Simeon was held hostage, the brothers returned with Benjamin and Simeon was released. Also, they were honest about the silver found in their sacks.

However, these tests didn’t really prove whether Joseph’s brothers had changed. It was in the brothers’ interests to bring Benjamin to Egypt and return the silver. They would have starved if they hadn’t.

Joseph needed a test that replicated the situation (as close as possible) from 22 years earlier, when his brothers had sold him into slavery.

Benjamin, the youngest son and the only other child born to Rachel, was now Jacob’s favourite. What would the brothers do if they had to choose between saving Benjamin and saving themselves?

There was risk in Joseph’s test, to be sure. Just as there was risk in trusting the errand boy with the light bulb a second time. But, like the errand boy, Joseph’s brothers needed a second chance, a chance to redeem themselves.   

Joseph set Benjamin up to look guilty by instructing his steward to place a special silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin’s sack. Then, when Benjamin was found out, the steward gave the brothers a choice.

They could trade Benjamin for their own freedom. They could go home if they gave Benjamin up as a slave.

This was a similar scenario to the one 22 years earlier when they gave Joseph up to slave traders. Only now the stakes are higher.

When the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack the brothers tore their clothes as a sign of grief. It rips them up on the inside to think that harm might come to him.

To their credit all the brothers stand in solidarity with Benjamin, even though he appears guilty. The brothers’ calloused hearts have softened.  

The brothers would rather go into slavery with Benjamin than return home to Canaan without him. This was a pretty big call. The brothers didn’t know if they would ever see their wives and children again.

A substitute:

So what happens next? From verse 14 of Genesis 44, we read…

14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”  16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.” 17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.” 18 Then Judah went up to him and said: “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’  20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’  21 “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’  24 When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.  25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’ 30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’  33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 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.”

There’s a story from Japan about a man called Hamaguchi. Hamaguchi was a highly respected leader of a fishing village.

One day, as Hamaguchi looked out from his house on the top of the hill, he saw the tide receding quickly. The villagers below were running to the beach to look at what was happening.

Hamaguchi realized it was a tsunami. There wasn’t time for him to run down the hill to warn the people of the village, so he set his own crops on fire. When the people saw the smoke, they ran up the hill to help Hamaguchi put out the fire.

They were too late to save Hamaguchi’s crops but, by showing solidarity and coming to his aid, they saved themselves, for the entire village was devastated by the incoming tidal wave. Hamaguchi’s sacrifice brought people together and saved many lives.

Joseph is secretly pleased to see his brothers standing together in solidarity and not abandoning Benjamin. But he doesn’t show this, for the final test is not yet complete.

Joseph says to his brothers, What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”

Some ancients believed they could reveal secrets and predict the future by pouring oil into water and watching the pattern it makes. Kind of like some people today think they can reveal mysteries by looking at tea leaves or reading horoscopes or tarot cards.

The Bible forbids divination. But Joseph doesn’t practice divination in any case. He is just saying this to disguise his true purpose. In a way though, Joseph is using the cup to find out the truth.

Judah takes the lead and responds to Joseph. But it is a different Judah to the one that Joseph once knew. For this Judah, has been through the crucible of conversion. This Judah has lost his wife and two sons. He has humiliated himself with Tamar and been bullied by regret at what he did to Joseph and Jacob 22 years earlier.

This Judah doesn’t try to force his own way and he doesn’t try to deceive Joseph. Instead, he acknowledges God’s justice in their situation saying…

“What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves….”

Judah is making a confession. Even though Benjamin was the one found with the cup, Judah remembers his own sins and stands in solidarity with Ben.   

To which Joseph replies…

“Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you go back to your father in peace.”

Joseph is letting the brothers off the hook. It’s like Joseph is saying,‘Go on – you don’t need to stay. No one would blame you for leaving’.

This is the second time the brothers are tempted to abandon Benjamin. But they won’t budge. They stay loyal to Ben at great risk to themselves.

Judah takes the lead again. Calling himself a servant, Judah intercedes for Benjamin with a speech, the longest speech recorded in Genesis. Much of the speech is a retelling of the plot so far.

What we notice though, in Judah’s speech, is the three things that God requires of people. To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly.

Judah does not beg for leniency from Joseph. He doesn’t ask to avoid punishment. He accepts that justice must be done and offers himself as a slave in Benjamin’s place. As a true leader, Judah takes responsibility.

At the same time, Judah performs mercy for his brother Benjamin. The Hebrew word often translated as mercy is hesed. You may remember that hesed is a life-saving action done for someone you know who cannot otherwise help themselves.

Judah is doing hesed for Benjamin and his father. Judah is preserving Benjamin’s freedom and saving Jacob from further grief.

Thirdly, Judah walks humbly. He approaches Joseph with utmost respect, naming himself in a lower position as Joseph’s servant. Judah is honest, without being rude, and he does not presume upon any entitlement.         

The other thing we notice in Judah’s speech is his affection for his father, Jacob. Fourteen times in these verses, Judah mentions his father.

Judah is motivated by deep compassion for his dad. Judah is willing to sacrifice himself not just for the sake of Benjamin, but also for Jacob.

Judah, the same brother who once convinced the others to sell Joseph into slavery, now offers to become a slave himself, in Benjamin’s place. The transformation in Judah is miraculous. Only God can bring about that sort of change.

By God’s grace (and Joseph’s wisdom) Judah gets a second chance and he makes good on the opportunity for redemption.  

As Bruce Waltke observes, Judah is the first person in Scripture to willingly offer his own life [as a substitute] for another. His [self-giving] love, to save his brother for the sake of his father, prefigures the vicarious atonement of Christ, who by his voluntary sufferings heals the breach between God and human beings.  

Or to put it more simply, Judah points to Jesus by being willing to sacrifice himself to save his family.

Except, Jesus did something far greater than Judah. Jesus actually went through with the sacrifice, even unto death on a cross. And the Lord did it to save not just his family and friends but also his enemies, those who hated him.

Conclusion:

Have you ever done something you regret? I’m not talking about getting a bad haircut or ordering the wrong thing off the menu. I’m talking about serious regret. Regret that haunts you for decades.

Have you ever pushed Humpty Dumpty off the wall and not been able to put him back together again? Have you ever wished you could have a second chance and do things right this time?

Jesus came to show us the way of forgiveness, to release us from our regret and self-hatred.

Have you ever felt like Humpty Dumpty after his fall? Your life, your family, the things that really matter to you, all in pieces, perhaps through no fault of your own.

Jesus came to put our Humpty Dumpty lives and this Humpty Dumpty world back together again. Jesus came to make all things new.

May the Spirit of Jesus give us eyes to see the second chances God provides and the faith to put things right. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What thoughts and feelings does the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme put you in touch with?
  3. Why did Joseph frame Benjamin by putting a silver cup in his sack?
  4. What stands out for you in reading Judah’s speech of intercession for Benjamin?  
  5. Have you ever done something you seriously regretted? What happened? Did you experience God’s redemption in this situation? If so, how?
  6. In what ways does Judah remind us of Jesus?
  7. How might we recognise when God is giving us a second chance?   
Tawa Baptist

Longing

Scripture: Genesis 43:15-34

Video Link: https://youtu.be/d_b3nIfRQfM

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The brothers’ longing
  • Joseph’s longing
  • Conclusion – our longing

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

There is a lovely line on the opening page of Kenneth Grahame’s book, The Wind in the Willows, which reads…

“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house, with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.”

I like the way Kenneth Grahame puts that. Springtime does carry a spirit of divine discontent and longing. Discontent with the winter and longing for the summer.  

Divine discontent is a kind of holy dissatisfaction with the way things are. We experience divine discontent when we are not living according to the deepest longing of our soul.

In The Wind in the Willows, Mole has been doing his spring cleaning and can’t stand it any longer. He must go above ground and roll in the grass and warm sunshine. Spring answers his longing for winter to end and summer to begin.

Today we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph focusing on Genesis chapter 43, verses 15 to 34. In this passage we see the deep longing of Joseph and his brothers rising to the surface. From verse 15 of Genesis 43 we read…

15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon.” 17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.” 19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.” 23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. 26 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”  28 They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed low to pay him honor.  29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. 31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.” 32 They served him 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. 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

The brothers’ longing:

David Augsburger, the late Anabaptist theologian, once wrote…

“Ontologically, chocolate raises profoundly disturbing questions: Does not chocolate offer natural revelation of the goodness of the Creator just as chilies disclose a divine sense of humour? Is the human born with an innate longing for chocolate? Does the notion of chocolate preclude the concept of freewill?”  

As a chocolate lover this quote makes me smile. It’s not often you find a theologian with a sense of humour. David is basically saying that chocolate is hard proof that God exists and God is good.

The reality is, we human beings have many desires and longings which often seem to compete for our attention. Some of those desires we might judge as wrong or evil and others as virtuous or good.

For example, we might judge eating chocolate as bad. I don’t think that, but some people carry a great deal of misplaced guilt about chocolate. Whether you deem chocolate to be good or evil, you have to ask yourself, what deeper longing is my desire for chocolate pointing to?

The very fact that many people love chocolate shows that human beings have a deep longing for God. For if we long for the goodness of chocolate, it logically follows our longing can only be satisfied through a right relationship with the one who made us to enjoy chocolate.

Or, to put it another way, it doesn’t matter how much chocolate you eat, your longing will never be fully satisfied except through an encounter with the living God.

Back, in Genesis 37, you may recall how Joseph’s brothers plotted to get rid of Joseph. They hated Joseph because he was Jacob’s favourite.

The brothers’ desire to kill Joseph was not good in itself but we have to ask ourselves, why did they want to do that? What deeper longing was driving their desire to destroy Joseph? 

Maybe it was the desire to be loved. Maybe, on some level, they thought if we get rid of Joseph, then our Dad will have more love for us. But that is not how love works. Love multiplies with giving. Love does not grow by taking. When the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, they only reduced their father’s capacity for love.

Perhaps the greatest impediment to love is fear. And Joseph’s brothers know all about fear. They have lived with it for over twenty years. In Genesis 43 verse 18 we read…

Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

It’s amazing how fear can distort our thinking. Fear tends to disconnect us from our deepest longings. It makes our thinking smaller somehow, so that all we can imagine is our own harm.   

Why would someone as rich and powerful as the Prime Minister of Egypt be interested in their scrawny donkeys? Surely the ruler of the land has bigger fish to fry.

Moved by a longing for peace of mind, the brothers front up to the steward of Joseph’s house and tell him the truth. We did not steal the silver last time we were here. Somehow it ended up back in our sacks. We don’t know how. Here it is. And the Joseph’s servant says in reply… 

“It’s all right, don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.”

The steward’s opening phrase, “It’s all right”, is just one word in the original Hebrew. Shalom. Shalom means peace, wholeness and well-being in all aspects of your life, especially your relationships.

The brothers are afraid. They long for peace and the steward answers that longing saying, God has given you treasure in your sacks.

One of the deepest longings of the human soul, is the longing to know that God is with us and for us, that he loves us. Joseph’s brothers did not believe that God was with them. They thought God was against them because of what they did to Joseph. They thought God was out to get them. They had been looking over their shoulder in fear for decades.

The brothers have become so alienated by their guilt that they don’t really believe the God of their father Jacob, is also their God. But their wrongdoing does not stop God from being God. The God of their father is still their God.

It’s the same with us. Our moral failure does not stop God being God. Our straying off track and getting lost, in a spiritual sense, does not prevent God from pursuing us with his love. Nor does it derail God’s purpose.

When the steward says, God has given you treasure in your sacks, he is not just talking about silver. The silver is a metaphor for something far more valuable than mere money.

It’s like the steward is saying, God has put treasure in the sack of your soul. The treasure is in you and in your relationships. And the treasure is God’s grace.   

Joseph was Jacob’s favourite. Perhaps that made the other brothers feel less valuable, less loveable, in some way. But they are not less to God. The brothers have divine treasure in them as well, even if Jacob, their earthly father, does not see it or acknowledge it.  

The message to the brothers and to us is clear. No matter how worthless you might feel (because of what you have done or what has been done to you), you are intrinsically valuable because God has made you that way.

Like the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians…

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

It is not your looks or your charm or your achievements or your reputation or your bank balance or anything you do that make you rich. You are rich because you are loved by God. The treasure is in you.

Okay, so Joseph’s brothers had some deep longings. Longings for peace and love. Longings that could only really be satisfied by God. What about Joseph himself, what did he long for?  

Joseph’s longing:

John Ortberg (another Christian author) says this about longing…

“The human longings that are deep inside of us never go away. They exist across cultures; they exist throughout life. When people were first made, our deepest longing was to know and be known. And after the Fall, when we all got weird, it’s still our deepest longing – but it’s now also our deepest fear.”

What John Ortberg is talking about here is intimacy. To know another human being deeply and to be known and accepted by them in turn, is the definition of intimacy. Into me see.

Each of us has a deep longing for intimacy. The desire for physical intimacy points to a deeper longing for emotional intimacy. Intimacy of soul, mind and spirit. A genuine sharing of oneself with another.

Sadly, fear gets in the way of developing intimacy. We get hurt in this life and our hurt makes it harder to risk making ourselves vulnerable. If fear is left unchecked it shuts us down and closes us off from knowing others and revealing our true selves. What if others don’t like who I am.

The longing for intimacy runs deep in all of us but some are more in touch with their longing than others. Certainly, Joseph longed for intimacy. He wanted to know his brothers and he wanted them to know him. The question was, could he trust them or not.

We see something of Joseph’s desire for intimacy in the way he asks after his brothers and father in verse 27…

27 He asked them how they were [shalom], and then he said, “How is [shalom] your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”

Twice more the Hebrew word shalom pops up, this time on the lips of Joseph. In asking after his brothers and father, Joseph is actually inquiring after their shalom, their wellbeing, their peace.

This is more than a simple, ‘How’s it going’. Joseph genuinely wants to know his family is okay. He cares about them. He loves them.

Notice also how verse 27 is framed. In verses 26 and 28, all eleven brothers bow down to honour Joseph. They don’t know it’s Joseph at this point but we, the readers, can see that Joseph’s dream all those years before (of his brothers bowing to him) is being fulfilled.

The interesting thing here is that Joseph does not care about his brothers’ bowing and scrapping. He cares about them and their shalom, their wellbeing. What Joseph really wants (and always wanted probably) is a lifegiving connection with his brothers. Joseph longs for intimacy.

Being Jacob’s favourite had isolated Joseph. It alienated him from his brothers. They hated him for it. Joseph longs for warmth, belonging, acceptance and understanding from his brothers. Most of all though, Joseph longs for his brother Benjamin.

When Joseph sees Benjamin, his only full-blooded brother, he gives Ben a blessing saying, God be gracious to you, my son.  In the Hebrew culture of the time this was no small thing. This blessing carried real weight. It had gravity. But it is also full of affection.

Rather tellingly, in verse 30, we read how Joseph was deeply moved at the sight of his brother Benjamin. Joseph is moved to tears in fact and must run out of the room to compose himself.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you been ambushed by tears in the same way? Quietly going about your day only to be triggered by a familiar sight or smell that somehow puts you in touch with a deeper longing.  

Our spiritual life (to use Ignatian language) is characterized by times of desolation, times of consolation and times of normality.

In times of desolation, we feel like God is absent and our lives seem empty but also heavy at the same time. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Joseph certainly had his times of desolation.

But then come the times of consolation, when we feel God’s presence so close and tender. In those moments of intimacy with God, something shifts inside us and we may be moved to tears. It is difficult to know whether the tears are releasing pain or joy or both.

We only know we don’t want the consolation to end. But we cannot control it. Consolation is visited on us by God’s grace. All we can do is make space for it. Treasure it for the gift that it is. And remember it, especially in the times when feelings of desolation return.    

Joseph’s tears bear a close resemblance to the tears of consolation. He is so in touch with his deep longing for intimacy that he can feel God’s presence and it undoes him in the best way possible.     

Genesis 43 finishes with the brothers feasting and drinking freely with Joseph and each other. Even though Joseph has shown favouritism to Benjamin, by giving him five times as much food as anyone else, there is no hint of envy or resentment.

This is a picture of shalom, the kind of peace which makes room for intimacy. The kind of easy companionship they had all been longing for.

Conclusion:

A few days ago, I felt like eating some vanilla wine biscuits. It happens every once and a while. It wasn’t so much that I was physically hungry. I had chocolate biscuits in the cupboard, but strangely I didn’t feel like chocolate biscuits that day.

I put it down to missing my grandparents. You see, when I was kid, my nana and pop would give me vanilla wines, alongside home baking, whenever I went to visit. My hankering for vanilla wines was really a longing for them in a way. 

What do you long for?

Most of the time we are too busy, too pressured or too focused on a screen to be in touch with our inner longings. If that’s you, then perhaps a better question to ask might be, what’s your vanilla wine?

What simple, ordinary thing do you hunger for? What movie do you keep watching again and again? What place do you daydream about when life feels soulless and draining? What memory do you keep on repeat? What comfort food do you find sanctuary in?

Those seemingly superficial desires may be pointing to a deeper longing within you. Be gentle with your longing. Don’t judge or condemn it.    

When I think about it, my longing for my grandparents is really a holy discontent with death. Deep down we each have a yearning for resurrection. We want the springtime of abundant life to prevail over the winter of loss. We long for the summer of God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.

God understands that about us. God knows our longing, which is why he sent Jesus. In and through Christ, our deepest human longings are fulfilled. What do you long for?

The heart of prayer is longing. Perhaps longing for wholeness. Longing for atonement. Longing for peace. Longing for redemption. Longing for intimacy. Longing for love. Longing for resurrection life. Longing for God.

When the apostle Paul says, pray without ceasing, he doesn’t mean, talk to God non-stop. He means, be honest about your longings. Stay in touch with what really matters to you because that is where you will find God’s purpose. That is where God will answer the longing of your soul with his presence.

May the Lord give you the desires of your heart. Amen.     

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What does divine discontent feel like? Why might we experience divine discontent? What can we do about it?
  • What do Joseph’s brothers long for? 
  • What treasure has God put in the sack of your soul? Why is it there?
  • Why does Joseph weep when he sees his brother Benjamin? What is Joseph’s longing?
  • Can you think of a time, in your own experience, when you were deeply moved? What happened? What longing were you in touch with?  
  • What is your equivalent of wanting a vanilla wine biscuit? What deeper longing do your surface desires point to? 
Tawa Baptist

Attachment

Scripture: Genesis 42:25-43:14

Video Link: https://youtu.be/qdL_nTpVw54

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Fear and attachment
  • Faith and attachment
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When children are young, they often form an attachment to a soft toy, a teddy, a blanket or something else they cannot part with. The attachment gives the child a feeling of security.

Eventually though, the child forms other attachments. They make friends or get a pet and the toy or the teddy is put away. Although the kinds of attachments we make change through the various stages of our life, the basic reason for forming attachments remains the same, security. 

Attachments are important. We need healthy attachments to survive and thrive, much like a plant needs an attachment to good soil. Sometimes though we become overly attached to the wrong things. Things which might make us feel good in the moment but provide no real or lasting security and are actually harmful to our wellbeing, causing us to wither and die.

This morning we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph. Previously, Joseph’s brothers had travelled to Egypt to buy grain. They did not recognize Joseph but Joseph recognized them and decided to test them to see if they had changed for the better. 

Joseph needed to know the quality of their attachments. Were they still attached to the wrong things? Or had they formed more healthy, life-giving attachments? We pick up the story from Genesis 42, verse 25…

25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “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?” 29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’ 33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’ ” 35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.” 38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses we see how fear affects attachment.

Fear and attachment:

Imagine yourself in a room full of gold. The gold is yours to keep if you want it. And you do want it. You’ve got bills to pay and having some money tucked away would give you peace of mind, or so you think.

The problem is this room you are sitting in with the gold is on a ship far out at sea.  And the ship is sinking fast. If you stay with the gold, you will go down with the ship and if you try to take some of the gold with you, in your pockets, the weight will drag you under the waves.

The choice is clear. If you want to live, you must abandon your attachment to the gold.    

Many of us have an attachment to money, although we may not like to admit it. We like having money because wealth gives us a feeling of security. It puts some of our fears to bed and makes us feel safe.

The problem is, having money also awakens other fears. Specifically, the fear of losing our money. Too much wealth can be as bad as too little. Riches, like poverty, tend to isolate us.

But when faced with a crisis, a choice between life and death, most of us would sacrifice the money to save ourselves. The fear of death is usually greater than the fear of poverty. You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.

Joseph had suffered much at the hands of his brothers. They had sold him into slavery for 20 shekels of silver. By doing this the brothers had demonstrated a greater attachment to money than to Joseph.

When Joseph’s brothers leave Egypt to return to Canaan, Joseph orders his servant to put the silver they had paid back in their sacks. Why does Joseph do this? Is the silver a subtle reminder of his brothers’ crime? Or is Joseph being generous and repaying their wrongdoing with good?

Whatever Joseph’s motivation, when the brothers later discover the silver has been returned, their hearts sink and they feel terribly afraid.

They know this is not a good look. It makes them appear dishonest and gives the lord of the land more reason to distrust them.

In fear the brothers say to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?” Their guilty consciences see the returned silver as a punishment from God.

Although guilt doesn’t feel good, it is not always a bad thing. Guilt acts like bolt cutters for an unhealthy attachment. When we are attached to something that is harmful, like drinking too much for example, then (if our conscience is functioning properly) we will feel guilty about it and the guilt will motivate us to break our harmful attachment to alcohol.   

The brothers’ fear and guilt is a necessary step in the process of their redemption.

When the brothers get home to Canaan and explain to their father Jacob what happened, how the lord of the land wants them to return with Benjamin, Jacob is fearful also. He won’t have a bar of it saying…

38 “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

Clearly, Jacob’s attachment to Benjamin and to his own grief is greater than anything he feels for the rest of his family.

Benjamin is no longer a child. He is a young man in his 20’s. Jacob’s attachment to Benjamin is not healthy. It keeps Jacob in a prison of fear and threatens the survival of the whole family.

While it is natural for parents to feel a strong attachment to their children, there comes a point when we need to trust God and let our children go. Not all at once, but gradually and with the support they need. Our attachment to our kids needs to flex and adapt as they grow.

It is difficult for Jacob to do this though because he has lost his favourite son, Joseph, and he is still living with the pain of that loss.

In his book, God of Surprises, Gerard Hughes (a Catholic priest and spiritual director) says this; “The answer is in the pain. We fear whatever causes us pain and try to escape, but in escaping we are running away from the answer… Face the fears that haunt you.” (page 101)

Jacob needs to face his fear of losing Benjamin. But will he find the faith he needs to do this?

Faith and attachment:

We continue the story from verse 1 of Genesis 43…

1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.” 3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’  6 “Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?” 7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?” 8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.” 11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

In these verses Jacob finds the faith to face his fears. Faith plays an important part in the formation of healthy attachments. 

In the movie, The Sound of Music, Captain von Trapp does not enjoy a close or warm attachment to his children. Then along comes Maria who, through love and music, restores the father to his family.

In the middle of the film, the Captain and Maria start to form a romantic attachment. And, as is often the case with romantic attachments, neither of them is really that aware of their feelings at first.

Maria is confused and, after a quiet word from Baroness Schraeder, decides to return to the convent where she stays in seclusion and prepares to take vows to become a nun.

When the mother superior learns that Maria is actually afraid and hiding in the convent, to avoid her feelings for the Captain, she wisely encourages Maria to return to the von Trapp villa to face her fear and look for her purpose in life.

As it turns out, the Captain’s feelings of love for Maria have not changed, except now he has found the courage to admit his feelings to himself and to Maria. Baroness Schraeder sees the reality of the situation and gracefully leaves. Maria and the Captain are then married.

Faith plays an important part in forming healthy attachments. Faith helps us to face our fears and our pain. At the same time, faith enables us to hold things loosely, so we can let go in trust.

By faith Maria was able to put her romantic attachment to Captain von Trapp in God’s hands. She was willing to let God be God.

In Genesis 43, Jacob finds that he must face his fears and let go in faith, or else lose everything. The famine is so severe that the brothers must return to Egypt to buy more grain, or else they will starve. But they can’t return without taking Benjamin with them.

Reuben, the eldest brother, had tried persuading his father by saying that Jacob could put both of his sons to death if he doesn’t bring Benjamin back with him. But Jacob refuses.

If Reuben is that careless with his own sons, why would Jacob trust him with Benjamin. What good would it do to destroy more innocent lives? Reuben’s proposal is not the letting go of faith. It is the reckless letting go of desperation. It shows that Reuben’s attachments are not healthy.

Later Judah tries persuading Jacob by offering himself as guarantor for Benjamin saying, “I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him…”

You may remember from Genesis 38 that two of Judah’s sons had died. Judah understands his father’s pain all too well.

Unlike Reuben, who was risking his sons’ lives, Judah is taking the risk on himself. Judah is saying that he will take the blame if he fails to bring Benjamin back safely. Judah’s proposal is more like the letting go of faith.

This reveals a real transformation in Judah’s character. Earlier, in Genesis 37, it was Judah who had led the others in selling Joseph into slavery. Now Judah takes the role of leader again, only this time he is not serving his own interests. This time Judah makes himself vulnerable and let’s go of his power in order to help others.   

We see a change in the other brothers too. Twenty years earlier they might have ignored Jacob’s wishes and kidnapped Benjamin in order to get him to Egypt to buy grain.

But now, having witnessed the suffering of their father, the brothers let go of their attachment to violence and power in order to honour their father and allow him to decide.

In the end Jacob realises his options are limited. If he does not let Benjamin go, they will all die. So, Jacob finally allows Benjamin to travel with his brothers to Egypt.

But notice Jacob’s advice to his sons. “Take the best products of the land as a gift… Take double the amount of silver with you… And may God Almighty grant you mercy… As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

In faith, Jacob faces his fear of being bereaved. He does what he can to prepare his sons (sending them off with gifts for the man) and then trusts his sons and the success of their mission to God’s mercy. This is the letting go of faith. Jacob is learning to let God be God.

Letting go in faith requires thoughtfulness and courage. We do what is in our power to do and we trust God with the rest.

Conclusion:

Unhealthy attachments can reveal themselves in many ways. The accumulation of wealth, the compulsion to try and control everything, an obsession with what others think, an affair of the heart, overworking, a destructive habit, self-righteousness, becoming too dependent on one person for our security, and so on. These are all signs of an unhealthy attachment to something.   

If we find ourselves holding onto something so tightly that we cannot let go and leave it in God’s hands, then it has probably become an unhealthy attachment. A millstone around our neck. Something that weighs our soul down and will eventually kill us.

What fears do you need to face?

What attachments do you need to hold more loosely?

Or perhaps let go of altogether?

Jesus understood our need for attachment. He also knew the human tendency to form attachments to the wrong things. The Lord says…

‘For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’  

In the end, the only thing that really matters is the quality of our attachment to Jesus.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Why do people form attachments?
  • How does fear affect our attachments? Why do we need to face our fears? What fears do you need to face?
  • What role does guilt play in breaking unhealthy attachments?
  • What role does faith play in the formation of healthy attachments? Can you think of ways that faith has helped you in forming attachments?
  • How might we know when an attachment has become unhealthy? What unhealthy attachments do you need to let go of? Ask God for his grace in doing this.
  • What can you do to strengthen your attachment to Christ? 
Tawa Baptist

Redemption

Scripture: Genesis 42:1-24

Video Link: https://youtu.be/uimjqLmyGj8

Structure:

  • Introduction 
  • Redemption is God’s initiative
  • Redemption requires our participation
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

In the game of monopoly there is one card no one wants to be dealt and that is the Go to jail card. Getting sent to jail takes you out of the game so you can’t trade and you can’t pass Go and collect $200.

But at least the rules provide opportunities for redemption. To be released from jail and restored to the game, you must either throw a double or hand in a get out of jail free card.

This morning we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph focusing on Genesis chapter 42, verses 1-24. The next three chapters of the story show how God used Joseph to redeem his brothers; to release them from the prison they were in and restore their relationships.

To set the scene, famine has spread over the known world and people everywhere are at risk of starving. From Genesis 42, verse 1, we read…

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”  3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. 6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.” 8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.  9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.” 10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.” 12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.” 13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.” 14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 And he put them all in custody for three days. 18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do. 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.” 22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. 24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s Word for us.

In this reading, we see God’s hand at work to redeem Joseph’s brothers. Two things we note here. Redemption happens at God’s initiative and redemption requires our participation. Let’s begin by considering God’s initiative in redeeming Joseph’s brothers.  

Redemption is God’s initiative:

If you get caught in a rip while swimming in the surf, there’s not a lot you can do. The best advice is to go with the current and not fight against it. Otherwise, you might end up exhausting yourself and going under.

In a situation like that, when you are relatively powerless to save yourself, you are dependent on the initiative of the surf life savers to come to your rescue in an IRB.

Likewise, if you are seriously injured or sick in some way, you are dependent on the initiative of the doctors to heal you.

Or if you are lost in the bush with a broken leg, you need land search and rescue to find you and bring you out.    

It’s similar with the redemption of our souls. We cannot save ourselves. Our redemption happens at God’s initiative.

One of the intriguing things about Joseph’s reconciliation with his family is that he does not initiate it himself. Joseph waits over 20 years before encountering his brothers again. And when he does finally meet them, it is not his doing nor is it his brothers’ doing. It is God’s doing. The Lord brings them together, at the right time, through a famine.

For more than seven years Joseph has been the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, next to Pharaoh. Joseph could have gone back to Canaan to find his family and confront his brothers. Joseph could have exacted his revenge if he wanted to. But he doesn’t.

In fact, far from nursing any resentment, Joseph has let the matter go. He has forgiven the past. As we heard last week, in Genesis 41, Joseph named his first-born Manasseh saying, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household’.

It’s interesting the way Joseph acknowledges God’s initiative here in making him forget his troubles. Joseph is able to forgive the past because God (by his grace) has enabled Joseph to let go of the hurt.

Joseph needed those 20 plus years, not only to rise to a position of power in Egypt where he could help his family, but also to allow God toheal him personally. To make him strong enough and wise enough to play a part in the redemption of his brothers.

Joseph may have forgotten the troubles of his past, but his brothers have not. They live with the burden of their guilt every day.

At the beginning of Joseph’s story, his brothers treated him badly. They sold him into slavery and added to their wrong by covering up what they had done so their father thought Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

By committing this sin and lying about it, Joseph’s brothers put themselves in a jail of sorts. Not an actual jail, with concrete walls and iron bars. But rather the mental and spiritual prison created by guilt and deceit. They had been incarcerated in their minds for over twenty years.

As Walter Brueggemann puts it…

The brothers have no room in which to act, no energy for imagination and no possibility of freedom. They are bound by the power of an unforgiven past, immobilized by guilt and driven by anxiety. [1]

That is a truly awful place to be. Perhaps some of you here understand all too well what this is like. The brothers are trapped in their minds and their spirit suffers for it. But God wants to redeem them, just as he wants to redeem you.

There are two aspects to God’s redemption; two arms if you like. Release and restoration. God’s redemption releases and restores.

That is why Jesus came. Jesus came at God’s initiative to redeem creation. Jesus releases humanity from sin and guilt, superstition and fear and all that robs us of life and corrodes our spirit.

At the same time Jesus restores us to right relationship with God and each other so we can love courageously and enjoy abundant life.

The deeds Jesus performed; healing the sick, casting out demons, forgiving sins, restoring sight to the blind, raising people from the dead and so on, are signs of God’s redemption.

As Christians, we believe our redemption will be fully realized when Jesus returns in glory. It’s been a long wait though, 2000 years in fact.

Because redemption is God’s initiative, it happens in God’s time, not ours. Our part is to be ready when God provides the opportunity. For redemption doesn’t happen to us automatically. Redemption requires our participation.

The thing is redemption may not feel all that pleasant at first. The road to redemption can be a bit bumpy. The early stages of our redemption may feel like a trial or a punishment, as it did for Joseph’s brothers.

Redemption requires our participation:

Many people believe the way to test whether a diamond is real or fake is to run it across a piece of glass. If the diamond is real, it will cut the glass, and if it’s fake, it won’t.

Apparently, this test is a myth. It’s just something they do in the movies. In real life, dragging a diamond across a piece of glass damages both the diamond and the glass.

However, there are other tests you can carry out to determine whether a diamond is real or not.

If the gem is unmounted, then try placing it over printed words. If you can clearly read through the stone, it’s not a diamond. Diamonds refract so much light you cannot see any lines or letters through them.

Or you could do the fog test. Just put the diamond in front of your mouth and breathe on it. If it stays fogged for 2-4 seconds, it’s a fake. A true diamond will disperse the heat instantaneously so by the time you look at it, it has already cleared up.

Just as we might know the true character of a diamond by testing it, so too Joseph seeks to know the true character of his brothers by testing them. Redemption tests for truth, because without truth there is no freedom and no peace.

At their father’s prompting, the brothers go to Egypt to buy grain.

And when they get there, they bow down before Joseph. As a boy of 17, Joseph was powerless to stop his brothers. Now, as a man in his 30’s, the tables have turned and the brothers are at Joseph’s mercy.

Remember the dream God gave Joseph, all those years before, when his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowed to his. This is the beginning of the fulfilment of the dream.

We know this but Joseph’s brothers don’t. Verses 7 & 8 tell us that as soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but they did not recognize him.

It is little wonder that Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him. Firstly, it had been over 20 years since they had last seen Joseph and they thought Joseph was dead anyway, so they were not expecting to see him.

Secondly, Joseph was speaking to them through an interpreter and thirdly, Joseph looked like an Egyptian. He was clean shaven and dressed in clothes foreign to the bearded Hebrews.

Why then does Joseph accuse his brothers of being spies? He knows full well they pose no threat to Egypt’s security.

Well, Joseph is testing his brothers’ character. He needs to know whether they have changed their ways. It’s one thing to forgive someone, but it’s another thing entirely to learn to trust them again. Forgiveness is a gift. Trust is earned.

Forgiveness is letting go of our hurt and anger, so that we no longer seek to get even with the person who has wronged us. Forgiveness releases us. Forgiveness is one of the ways we participate in our own redemption. If we don’t forgive, we end up with the other person living rent free in our head.

It is always necessary to forgive others, but it may not always be wise to trust them. Trust is precious and needs to be offered with discernment. Don’t put your pearls before swine, is what Jesus said.  

Some people think that reconciliation is the same as forgiveness. It’s not. Forgiveness is a necessary step in the process of reconciliation, but there is more to reconciliation than forgiving someone.

Reconciliation goes beyond forgiveness and seeks to restore the relationship fully by rebuilding trust. And for trust to be rebuilt, the truth must be faced. Joseph has forgiven his brothers. He just doesn’t know if he can trust them yet.

Joseph tests his brothers by speaking harshly and accusing them of being spies. And the brothers defend themselves against this accusation by explaining that they were twelve brothers from one father. But one of their brothers is at home and the other is no more.

This serves as proof because, if they were spies, their father would not risk ten of his sons. He would have sent just one or two.

Joseph pounces on the knowledge that one son (Benjamin) is still at home, saying, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested… you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here…”

Joseph’s test involves subjecting his brothers to a small taste of their own medicine. Just as Joseph’s brothers had thrown Joseph into a pit and sold him into slavery, Joseph throws them in jail for three days. This is not revenge. This is sowing the seeds of understanding.  

Joseph does not enjoy it. As God’s agent of redemption, Joseph must put his brothers in a situation where they experience what it is like to be powerless and vulnerable.

Joseph wants to see if they have learned empathy and care for each other. Joseph needs to know whether his brothers are ready and willing to participate in their own redemption. Are they truly repentant in other words.

On the third day, Joseph releases his brothers from prison. The third day has special significance in the Christian imagination. The third day is the day of Jesus’ resurrection, a day of redemption. A day of release from death and restoration to eternal life.

Joseph says to his brothers, ‘If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back to your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me…’

This shows us Joseph is not being vindicative or vengeful. Joseph knows it has taken the brothers a week or so to travel from Canaan to Egypt and it will take a week to get back. He does not want his family to suffer. 

Joseph’s test works. The ten brothers say to one another, in verse 21…

“Surely we are being punished for 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.”

This verse marks a significant turning point in the brothers’ redemption. They face the truth of what they have done, making an honest confession of their guilt. They accept what is happening to them as just punishment. Little do they know that God is not punishing them. God is redeeming them.

In verse 22 Reuben says, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”

At this Joseph turns aside to weep. When the brothers own up to their crime against him (albeit unwittingly), Joseph does not gloat. He weeps. These are not tears of bitterness and grief. These are tears of healing and release. Tears of redemption. 

Joseph weeps because, without knowing it, his brothers have shown him they have a conscience and they feel remorse for what they have done. The brothers have taken the first difficult step of participating in their own redemption.

Of course, it is one thing to admit wrongdoing. It is another thing entirely to translate those feelings of remorse into a change in behaviour.

As much as Joseph wants to reveal his true identity, he knows the test cannot end here. The brothers must return to Egypt with Benjamin. Benjamin is Joseph’s only full-blooded brother and Joseph wants to see if they will look after him.  

Simeon alone is made to stay behind as a hostage. Simeon is the second eldest and probably the most disliked and cruel of all the brothers. If they return for Simeon, then this will prove they care for one another.  

Conclusion:

I’m not sure what redemption you crave. I don’t know what holds your mind captive. But I am sure God wants to release you and restore you. He redeemed Joseph’s brothers, so he can redeem anyone.  

In first John chapter 1, verse 9, the apostle writes…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

With the knowledge that God is gracious and wants to redeem, I invite you to pray this simple prayer with me now…

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

May God release you to walk in paths of righteousness and restore you to fruitfulness in his purpose. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is redemption? Discuss / reflect on the two arms of God’s redemption.
  • What does God do to redeem Joseph’s family? How do Joseph’s brothers participate in their own redemption?
  • What is forgiveness. How is forgiveness different from reconciliation? 
  • Why does Joseph speak harshly to his brothers and accuse them of spying? Why does Joseph weep in verse 24?
  • Can you remember a time in your life when you were powerless to save yourself? What happened? How was your life redeemed? What role did God have in your redemption? What did you need to do? How did you feel (before, during and after)?
  • What redemption do you crave? Make some time this week to talk with God about this. What do you need to be set free and restored? 

[1] Walter Brueggemann, Genesis, page 337. 

Tawa Baptist

Fruitful

Scripture: Genesis 41:41-57

Video Link: https://youtu.be/VTF9TNsC2-Q

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • What is fruitfulness
  • How to be fruitful
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today we continue our series in the life of Joseph.

So far it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Joseph. He lost his mother when he was young. Was put on a pedestal by his father. Hated and sold into slavery by his brothers. Promoted to general manager of Potiphar’s household. Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison, before being brought into Pharaoh’s presence to interpret the king’s dreams.

There’s more twists and turns in this story than a corkscrew. From Genesis chapter 41, verse 41 we pick up the story…

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s Word for us.

When you are doing your personal devotions, it’s a good idea to begin by prayerfully reading through a passage of Scripture, asking God to highlight what he wants to say. Read the passage slowly, three or four times, until you sense God’s Spirit drawing your attention to a particular verse or idea.

It’s important not to rush the process. Don’t force it. Don’t try too hard. Let the word of God come to you. Once you have the verse, sit with it for a while. Meditate on it. Make room for the word of God to take root in your mind and grow.

As I was reading through Genesis 41 in this way, earlier in the week, Joseph’s words about God making him fruitful resonated with me. I sensed a certain creative energy stirring within me when I came to verse 52.

With this in view, today’s message explores the idea of God making Joseph fruitful. How does God make Joseph fruitful? And by extension, how can we be fruitful? Before diving into those questions though, we need to ask, what does it mean to be fruitful?

What is fruitfulness:

Well, on one level, fruitfulness has to do with reproducing life. But at a deeper level, fruitfulness also has to do with fulfilling our purpose.

Take wheat for example. A stalk of wheat is fruitful when it produces many heads of grain. The grain is full of life and the DNA of the plant. It can be sown in the ground to reproduce more wheat. Or the grain can be harvested and used for food. 

Wheat is fruitful, then, when it fulfills its life-giving purpose of multiplying itself and feeding God’s creatures.

Joseph is not a stalk of wheat though. Joseph is a human being. So what does it mean for a human person to be fruitful?

Well, our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. To say it another way, we are fruitful when we reflect God’s image. For example, God is creative and life-giving, therefore we reflect God’s image when we are creative and life-giving. God is love, so it follows that we glorify God when we love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

During the week we had an afternoon tea to remember Alison who passed away last Sunday. As I reflect on Alison’s life, I am mindful of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

Alison’s life was fruitful for God’s glory. She reflected God’s image in the way she related with others.

Fruitfulness, for Christians, also has to do with reproducing a life of faith.

We do that, with the help of God’s Spirit, through the process of discipleship. That is, learning to trust and obey Jesus. First Jesus says, ‘come follow me’. Then he says, ‘go make disciples.’ That’s how we reproduce Christian faith.

Returning to Joseph. God’s purpose was to use Joseph to bless the nations. Joseph was fruitful in fulfilling God’s purpose by producing and storing grain in the years of plenty so people would have bread in the years of famine.

In this way, Joseph reflects God’s image as one who provides for people. Lord, give us this day our daily bread. 

To be fruitful then, is to reproduce a life of faith and fulfill our purpose of reflecting God’s image. The next question we might ask is, how can we be fruitful? We get some clues on how to be fruitful by considering how God made Joseph fruitful.

How to be fruitful:

Wheat grows best in warm climates, between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius. Wheat needs a lot of sunshine, especially when the grains are beginning to fill out. Wheat does not thrive when conditions are too damp.

In New Zealand, most wheat is grown in the Canterbury region because Canterbury has cold winters and warm dry summers. You don’t see much (if any) wheat grown in Wellington because the climate is not right.

One thing you need for fruitfulness then, is to plant in the right place at the right time. Keeping in mind God’s purpose to save millions from starvation, Joseph needed to be in the right place at the right time.

If Joseph had stayed in Canaan with his family, he would be in the wrong place to fulfill God’s purpose. Likewise, if Joseph had stayed in the dungeon, he would be in no position to help.

God made Joseph fruitful by getting Joseph into Pharaoh’s palace at just the right time to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Then God gave Joseph favour in Pharaoh’s eyes, so that Joseph was made Prime Minister of Egypt. God planted Joseph in Egypt and Joseph grew in Egypt.

Where has God planted you? Grow where you are planted. The place you are planted could be the neighbourhood you live in or the faith community you are part of or the organization you work for or the vocation you give your life to.   

The place God plants you might be close to family or a long way from home. It might be easy to find, or it might take years to discover. It might feel like your choice, or it might be forced on you. But in the end, when the time is ripe, the place God plants you is the place you are fruitful.

Being planted in the right place at the right time is not enough by itself. Joseph also needed the right tools to be fruitful.  

In verses 41-45, of Genesis 41, we read of all the different tools Pharaoh gave Joseph to get the job done. Pharaoh handed Joseph his signet ring so that Joseph could seal official documents and make things happen.

Pharaoh dressed Joseph in fine clothes, put a gold chain around his neck and had Joseph ride in a chariot with fanfare, to show everyone that Joseph had Pharaoh’s full support.

Pharaoh also gave Joseph an Egyptian name so that other Egyptians would accept him. And Pharaoh arranged for Joseph to marry into a noble Egyptian family, so that he would be well connected.

These things were the tools and gifts Joseph needed to be fruitful for God’s purpose in this situation. And Joseph accepted them.

We are not all given the same tools or the same gifts. This is because we each have a different job to do. So the question becomes, what tools (or gifts) has God given you? Because that’s probably a clue as to what the Lord wants you to do?  

It is not enough to plant in the right place, at the right time. Nor is it enough to have the right tools for the job. To be fruitful you also need to know how to use the tools and grow the crop. You need the right skills to get the most out of the harvest.

God didn’t just take Joseph out of Canaan and plonk him Pharaoh’s palace overnight. No. God gave Joseph the experience he needed to gain the skills to govern Egypt and manage the world’s food security.

More than simply equipping Joseph with the right skills, God developed Joseph’s character. 

Joseph was raised in a complicated, dysfunctional family with all the politics that comes with that. Then Joseph rose through the ranks as a slave in Potiphar’s household, learning the Egyptian culture and some management skills along the way.

Eventually Joseph found himself in charge of a prison, with responsibility for the pastoral care and welfare needs of the inmates. God put Joseph through the school of hard knocks so that Joseph was prepared with the skills and backbone he needed to run the country.

It’s interesting the way Joseph says (in verse 52 of Genesis 41) that God has made me fruitful, in the land of my suffering.

I’m not sure we can be fruitful without suffering. I don’t want to glorify suffering much less try to explain it. Suffering is not ideal, but it is sometimes necessary. Much like pruning a fruit tree or a grape vine is necessary to ensure a good harvest.

Suffering has a way of shaping our character and our perspective, for better or worse. Too much suffering can undermine our character, making us bitter and brittle. Just as too little suffering can make us less resilient and more entitled.

The right amount of suffering though, coupled with the right support, can make you stronger and wiser.

God, in his inscrutable wisdom, deemed it necessary for Joseph to suffer as a slave for about 13 years. This crucible experience not only equipped Joseph with some valuable skills it also formed his character in a good way.

One thing that makes suffering especially hard is that we don’t necessarily know how God is going to use it for good. When you are going through a difficult time, you cannot always see the purpose.

Joseph probably didn’t understand what God was doing during those 13 years of his captivity, but he still trusted in the dream God had given him. Our dream, our hope, is based firmly on the resurrection of Christ. Jesus’ resurrection is what we trust in, through good times and bad.     

Reflecting on your own life. What skills and character-building experiences has God given you? How might you use your skills and experience in service of God’s purpose? 

Returning to our wheat metaphor. To be fruitful you need to clear the ground of rocks and obstacles. It does little good to try and sow seed on hard ground. The soil needs to be receptive to the seed.

Translating that for Joesph (and for us) ‘clearing the ground’ means forgiving the past, letting go of your hurts, accepting yourself. You cannot be very fruitful when you are carrying a chip on your shoulder.   

In verse 51 of Genesis 41, we read how Joseph named his eldest son, Manasseh saying, ‘it is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household’.

It’s not that Joseph literally doesn’t remember what his brothers did to him. It’s more that Joseph has managed, by God’s grace, to let it go.

God has compensated Joseph for the injustice he has suffered, so Joseph is able to stop dwelling on the past and enjoy life in the present.

This letting go of the troubles of his past happens before Joseph talks about God making him fruitful.

What hard ground in your soul does God want to soften? What hurts does the Lord want to heal? What do you need to let go of, from your past?  

The fifth thing required for fruitfulness is doing the work. You can be in the right place at the right time. You can have all the tools and skills you need. You can clear the ground and forgive the past, but if you don’t do the work, there will be no fruit.

In verses 48-49 of Genesis 41, we read how Joseph did the work. During the seven years of plenty he went throughout Egypt gathering grain and storing it.

There was quite a bit of effort and organization in doing this. Joseph would have arranged for silos to be built, grain to be planted and harvested and stored. I expect it was a busy time. But Joseph stuck to the plan. He did the mahi. He did the work. And he did it in a smart way.

Joseph did not put all his eggs (or grain) in one basket, so to speak. Joseph spread the risk by having grain silos throughout the country.

This was wise stewardship. If you put all the grain in one centralized place, then you make that city a target for attack. Spreading the silos also made distribution easier later on. 

Of course, the work did not stop when the seven years of plenty ended. When the famine started to bite, Joseph then had the tricky job of managing demand and supply.

Some of you may be thinking, ‘I can see how saving the excess of the good years was a helpful thing. But why does Joseph then sell it back to the same people in the years of famine? That doesn’t seem fair. Shouldn’t he have given it to them, without charging, since he took it without paying?’

Well, Joseph not only had to stockpile enough food for the famine, he also needed to make sure it lasted. Putting a price on the food enabled Joseph to control the supply in an equitable way.

Just as a bottleneck enables you to pour liquid in a controlled way.

The Reserve Bank do a similar thing to control inflation. If inflation rises, then the Reserve Bank creates a bottleneck on the flow of money by putting interest rates up.

Putting a price on the food made people more honest and realistic about their need. If Joseph gave the grain away for free, he would have no way of knowing whether some people were cheating the system by taking more than they needed.

Charging people not only made the system fairer, it also made the food last longer. Fairness and good stewardship go hand in hand with Joseph’s brand of fruitfulness.

Conclusion:

In talking about how we can be fruitful we must not miss the most important fact that it is God who made Joseph fruitful, just as it is God who makes us fruitful.

It is God who plants us in the right place at the right time to do his will.

It is God who provides the right tools together with the skills, experience and character we need to fulfil his purpose.

It is God who gives us the grace to forgive the past and the strength to complete the work.

Without God we cannot be fruitful. Therefore, it is essential that we take special care of our relationship with God, through Christ. 

In John 15, Jesus says…

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…

Let us pray…

Gracious God, help us to remain in Christ and be fruitful for your glory. Through Jesus we ask. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How has God used you to reflect his image? How has God used you to reproduce a life of faith? (You might want to ask someone who knows you to help you answer these questions.)
  • Where has God planted you?
  • Why does God give us different tools? What tools has God given you? What is it God wants you to do? 
  • What skills and character-building experiences has God given you? How might you use your skills and experience in service of God’s purpose? 
  • What hard ground in your soul does God want to soften? What hurts does the Lord want to heal? What do you need to let go of, from your past? 
  • Why is it important that we take care of our relationship with God? How are you doing this?
Tawa Baptist

God’s Control & Compassion

Scripture: Genesis 41:1-40

Video Link: https://youtu.be/BkeLVZRDzN0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Genesis 41:1-8
  • Genesis 41:9-16
  • Genesis 41:25-32
  • Genesis 41:33-40
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Many of you will know the story of king Canute. Canute the Great was king of England about a thousand years ago. He was a good ruler and the country enjoyed peace and prosperity during his reign.

One day king Canute decided to demonstrate to his flattering courtiers that there were some things outside of his control. To do this he set up his throne on the seashore and commanded the incoming tide to halt.

The tide continued to rise, of course, washing over his legs.

Then the king stood up and said, ‘Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name, but He whom heaven, earth and sea obey by eternal laws’.

King Canute then hung his crown on a crucifix and never wore it again to honour God the Almighty King. 

Today we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph by focusing on Genesis 41, verse 1-40. In this passage, we see that God is in control and God is compassionate. God’s control and his compassion go together.

From verses 1-8 of Genesis 41 we read…

Genesis 41:1-8

1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. 8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In Roald Dahl’s book, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, five children win golden tickets for a guided tour through Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Four of the five kids are used to always getting what they want and because of this they come to a sticky end.

Charlie is the only child who knows what it is to not get what he wants, and he is the only one to make it out unscathed.

You see, the problem with always getting what we want is that it creates the illusion that we are in control when, in reality, we are not.

Yes, we do have choices and we can control ourselves if we put our mind to it. But ultimately, we are limited in what we can do.

There are forces at work in the world more powerful than us which we must submit to. Trying to maintain the illusion that we are in control creates a great deal of stress and anxiety. Ultimately, we function better when we trust our lives to God.   

Unfortunately, Pharaoh is used to having his own way. He is the dictator of the Egyptian empire. He can have whatever he wants whenever he wants. This only serves to strengthen the illusion that he is in control.

For Pharaoh’s own good, God dismantles the illusion by giving Pharaoh a dream. God needed to disturb Pharaoh to get his attention. As king of the land, Pharaoh was not used to being disturbed. A man in his position had assistants who filtered out much of the riff raff and bad news.

But there is no filter for our dreams. We cannot control the great ocean of the unconscious.

Pharaoh’s dreams were frightening. It cannot be pleasant watching a scrawny cow eating a fat cow. Cows are supposed to eat grass, not each other. Same thing with grain. Both dreams depicted something outside of Pharaoh’s control and he did not know how to interpret them.  

Pharaoh was probably also disturbed by the fact that the River Nile featured in his dream. The ancient Egyptians believed the River Nile, and its annual flooding, were the source of life, fertility and prosperity.

Unlike Palestine, which relied on rainfall for successful crops, Egypt relied on the Nile. As long as the Nile watered everything, the people were happy and Pharaoh’s throne was secure. Any threat to the Nile was a threat to Pharaoh’s power.

Pharaoh’s magicians and wise men cannot figure out Pharaoh’s dream either, which only exacerbates Pharaoh’s anxiety. And this is where Joseph comes in. From verse 9 we read…

Genesis 41:9-16

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” 14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

Joseph in Pharaoh’s court reminds us, a little, of Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. When Charlie won his golden ticket, things changed for him, and quite quickly. He was lifted out of poverty and his dreams came true. It was similar for Joseph.

Joseph’s sudden rise from the dungeon to the palace sounds a note of hope for us. Sometimes when we are in the pit, we can feel like we have no future, with nothing good to look forward to. The truth is none of us knows what’s around the corner. God can change things for the better very quickly, so don’t give up.

When we feel down and out, we do well to remember the words of Jesus, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. 

Joseph did not abandon his hope in God. Joseph remained close to the Lord in prison. Then, when his opportunity came, he was ready.      

Standing before Pharaoh, Joseph was under no illusion as to the limits of his power and control. Joseph understands he can no more interpret Pharaoh’s dreams than hold back the tide. Joseph is quick to credit God as the one with the answer Pharaoh desires.

What we notice here, in verse 16, is Joseph’s complete confidence in God. Despite everything he has been through, Joseph is totally convinced that God is in control, not Pharaoh or anyone else. More than this, Joseph also believes God is compassionate.

Joseph listens carefully while the king retells his dreams…

Genesis 41:25-32

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. 28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

Have you ever looked at a puzzle or a problem and not been able to make sense of it? Then someone comes along with the insight you need which unlocks the answer for you. All at once everything makes sense. In hindsight it seems so obvious.

This is what God does for Pharaoh through Joseph. God unlocks the meaning of the dream. Pharaoh does not question or doubt the interpretation. It all makes sense the moment it is explained.

What is perhaps less obvious is the way Joseph repeatedly underlines the fact that God is in control and God is compassionate.

In verse 16, Joseph says God will give the answer.

Then in verses 25 & 28, Joseph says that God has revealed what he is going to do.

And in verse 32 we read that, God has decided the matter, it will happen soon. 

Joseph is speaking truth to power in these verses and the message is clear: ‘Pharaoh, you are not in control of this. You have no say in the matter. But don’t worry. God is in control and God is compassionate.’

That is a brave statement for Joseph to make. Especially to a man who could take his head off.

The idea that God is in control is not difficult to grasp; we see this in the way Joseph says, God will do it soon, the matter is firmly decided.

It’s a little harder, though, to see how God’s compassion comes into it. After all, the seven good years are followed by seven years of famine, so severe that the good years are forgotten. 

Well, we see God’s compassion in the warning he gives. God is not angry with Egypt. There is no call to repentance here. The seven years of famine are not a judgement or a punishment. They are simply bad weather.

God has revealed to Pharaoh what’s going to happen,so Pharaoh can take action ahead of time to save lives. God, in his compassion, gives a long-range weather forecast so the king can avoid a humanitarian crisis.

There was a problem with one of the air forces’ planes during the week which meant our Prime Minister was late to some important meetings in Australia. I kept thinking, how good it was that our air force personnel were on to it and detected the fault before the plane took off.

The flight might have ended badly if the plane had taken off with faulty landing gear. To my mind, God’s control of the situation and his compassion were at work through the care and initiative of the air force crew.     

For some people, the story of Pharaoh’s dream raises a philosophical question. Is the future fixed or flexible? Is the future closed or open? Is the course of history set in stone or more fluid, like a braided river?

Well, I don’t think we can draw any firm conclusions based solely on Pharaoh’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation. It would appear, from a broader reading of Scripture, that God does determine some things in advance but not everything.

The fact that God, in his inscrutable wisdom, predetermined seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, in Genesis 41, does not negate human initiative.

As Walter Brueggemann points out, the fixed purpose of God is no occasion for human abdication. God’s purpose is not the end of human planning but the ground for it.  

Knowing what God has planned is no excuse for throwing our hands in the air and saying, there’s nothing we can do anyway. To the contrary, knowing God’s purpose for the future gives clarity about how to proceed in the present. The choices we make matter.

This is certainly how Joseph sees it. Joseph is confident in God. He does not wait to hear if Pharaoh agrees with his interpretation. Joseph sees himself primarily as a servant of Yahweh, more than a servant of Pharaoh.

With this in view, Joseph offers a prudent response, a plan of action to save Egypt. From verse 33 Joseph says…

Genesis 41:33-40

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

One thing that churches throughout the country are wrestling with currently is the ever-increasing cost of insurance. If we knew when disaster was going to strike, we could prepare for it.

But, unlike Pharaoh and Joseph, we don’t know what the future holds. We live by faith. Thankfully, the life of the church and our salvation are not based on our insurance policy. The future of the church depends on God. And Jesus has said, ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’.

Bearing that in mind, it is still prudent to have insurance if you can afford it. Joseph’s plan is to insure against the coming years of famine by putting aside the overflow of the good years.      

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”  39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Pharaoh, a man who up till that point in his life had trusted in a river, found faith to publicly acknowledge that the ‘spirit of God’ is in Joseph.

And while it is not clear what Pharaoh meant by the ‘spirit of God’, it is clear that Pharaoh trusted Joseph in a very real way. For Pharaoh made Joseph second in command of the entire Egyptian empire.  

Throughout today’s reading we have seen Joseph’s confidence in God. Now we observe Pharaoh’s confidence in Joseph and his faith in God.

Pharaoh is like king Canute in the way he recognizes the limits of his power and control. Pharaoh understands he can no more prevent the coming famine than he can hold back the tide.

By handing Joseph the keys of his kingdom, Pharaoh acknowledges that God is in control and God is compassionate.

Conclusion:

When we look at the world we live in today, a world scarred by war, hunger, injustice, climate change and a whole catalogue of evils, it may be difficult to swallow this belief that God is in control and God is compassionate. If that is true, if God is in control and God is compassionate, then why is there so much suffering in the world?

God has not given us an explanation for suffering. Instead, God has given us his Son, Jesus, who shares in the suffering of the world.

When you are in the thick of it, you don’t need an explanation. What you need is to know that you are not alone and the suffering will not last. The best is yet to come. Jesus’ death and resurrection communicate divine presence and hope in ways that words cannot.

God sent Jesus to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. Whether we can see it or not, the Spirit of Jesus is at work in the world to bring an end to the chaos and violence. Jesus came to make all things new.

Herod could not prevent the birth of Jesus and Pilate could not prevent the death of Jesus. For God had already decided that Jesus would be born human, die on a cross and raised to eternal life. 

It may not be in our power to stop the crisis in Gaza or the war in Ukraine or domestic violence in New Zealand. But it is in our power to put our faith and hope in Jesus. And so that is what we do.    

May God open our eyes to see his control and compassion at work in the world around us. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What sorts of things are outside of our control? What, in your life, can you control? What strategies do you have for dealing with the things you cannot control?
  • Can you think of a time when God lifted you out of a pit? What happened? How does that experience strengthen you to face the future? 
  • Why does Joseph tell Pharaoh that he cannot interpret dreams, but God will give Pharaoh the answer?  
  • In what ways do we see God’s control and God’s compassion at work in Genesis 41? In what ways can you see God’s control and God’s compassion at work in the world today?
  • Why does God reveal the future to Pharaoh? What plans do you have for the future? How do your plans fit with what you know of God’s plans? 
  • Discuss/reflect on the ways Jesus embodies/works out God’s control and compassion. 
Tawa Baptist

Living in Hope

Scripture: Genesis 40

Video Link: https://youtu.be/4goHi0qKgzg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Living in hope
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

The American poet, Emily Dickinson, once wrote…

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without words and never stops at all.

Hope is the enduring belief that something better waits for us in the future. Hope gives our soul wings. It makes the present, with all its trials and difficulties, easier to bear.

Today we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph, focusing on Genesis chapter 40. We see hope woven through this passage. Joseph is living in hope, even while in prison. From Genesis 40, verse 1, we read…

Sometime later the king of Egypt’s wine steward and his chief baker offended the king. 2 He was angry with these two officials 3 and put them in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same place where Joseph was being kept. 4 They spent a long time in prison, and the captain assigned Joseph as their servant. 5 One night there in prison the wine steward and the chief baker each had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were upset. 7 He asked them, “Why do you look so worried today?”  8 

They answered, “Each of us had a dream, and there is no one here to explain what the dreams mean.”

“It is God who gives the ability to interpret dreams,” Joseph said. “Tell me your dreams.”

9 So the wine steward said, “In my dream there was a grapevine in front of me 10 with three branches on it. As soon as the leaves came out, the blossoms appeared, and the grapes ripened. 11 I was holding the king’s cup; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup and gave it to him.”

12 Joseph said, “This is what it means: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days the king will release you, pardon you, and restore you to your position. You will give him his cup as you did before when you were his wine steward. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to the king and help me get out of this prison. 15 After all, I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here in Egypt I didn’t do anything to deserve being put in prison.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the wine steward’s dream was favourable, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too; I was carrying three breadbaskets on my head. 17 In the top basket there were all kinds of baked goods for the king, and the birds were eating them.”

18 Joseph answered, “This is what it means: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three days the king will release you—and have your head cut off! Then he will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh.”

20 On his birthday three days later the king gave a banquet for all his officials; he released his wine steward and his chief baker and brought them before his officials.

21 He restored the wine steward to his former position, 22 but he executed the chief baker. It all happened just as Joseph had said. 23 But the wine steward never gave Joseph another thought—he forgot all about him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Living in hope:

Robert Schuller once said…

Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.

This is about not looking back in bitterness but instead imagining a better future. Not as easy as it sounds. It’s not like you can flick a switch to turn off our hurts and turn on our hope.

Some hurts run deep and long. Some hurts need to be faced and disarmed, like a bomb. Other hurts are smaller though and can be brushed off before they settle in the mind and take root in the soul.

Letting your hopes, and not your hurts, shape your future requires a renewing of the mind. A change of thinking.

Just as you grow a plant by watering it so too you grow an idea by thinking about it. The more you consider your hurts, the bigger your resentment grows and the more turned in on yourself you become.

Likewise, the more you think about your hopes and the good coming your way, the deeper your feelings of gratitude and the more outward looking you are.       

Joseph had suffered some significant hurts. Hated by his brothers. Sold into slavery. Falsely accused and put in prison. The temptation for Joseph was to look back in anger. To feed his hurt with fantasies of revenge.

But Joseph does not water his hurts. He refuses to let bitterness take hold. Joseph chooses to look forward in hope. God has given Joseph a dream, even if to some it seems like a nightmare.

Despite his present circumstances, Joseph believes the good God has promised will come true. Joseph let’s hope shape his future.

What hurts do you need to brush off or disarm?

What hopes do you need to water?

Genesis 40 begins by telling us the king’s wine steward and chief baker had offended the king of Egypt, so Pharaoh threw them both in prison to await investigation.    

The wine steward and chief baker had special roles in protecting the king’s food and hiring reliable staff. They were men Pharaoh trusted with his life. When the text says that these men offended the king, it probably means that one of them behaved in a way that put Pharaoh’s life at risk.

Because of the power and position he held Pharaoh had to be constantly on his guard against those who might try to kill him. It is no small irony that powerful people cannot afford to live in hope. More often powerful people live defensively, viewing others with suspicion.

Joseph does not live in suspicion though. Unlike the king, he has nothing to lose. Being assigned to look after these court officials raises Joseph’s hope.

After some time in prison, the cup bearer and the baker both had a different dream on the same night. They woke up the next day visibly upset.

Contemporary psychology says that most dreams are about the person’s past, not their future. But in the ancient world people were inclined to view their dreams as an omen from the gods; a prediction of things to come. Hence the wine steward and baker’s anxiety. Are their dreams heralding good news or bad news?   

Joseph notices something is wrong and asks why they look so worried. Hopeful people (like Joseph) tend to be outward looking. Hopeful people are not so focused on themselves that they miss the cues other people give. Hopeful people are inclined to show empathy and to offer help.

The two court officials were worried because they had dreams about their future and no way to interpret them.

But Joseph lives in hope and replies, “It is God who gives the ability to interpret dreams, so why don’t you tell me your dreams”.

In this verse we see that God is the basis for Joseph’s hope.

Hope doesn’t just happen by itself. Joseph has cultivated hope in God. He has taken care of his relationship with God. We know this because Joseph’s default setting, his instinctive reaction, is to reach out to God for help. Joseph is confident God will answer him.   

And God does answer Joseph. After listening carefully Joseph explains the symbolism of the dream, reassuring the wine steward that in three days he will be restored and all will be well. Now the wine steward is living in hope too.

Believing in a better future for himself, Joseph sees an opportunity to give his future a helping hand, saying…

But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to the king and help me get out of this prison…”

The word translated as kindness, in verse 14, is Ḥeseḏ in the original Hebrew. Joseph is asking the wine steward to show him Ḥeseḏ.

You may remember from last week that Ḥeseḏ is a word loaded with meaning and history. Ḥeseḏ is an action essential to the survival or the basic wellbeing of the recipient. Given the circumstances no one else can do it. And Ḥeseḏ takes place in the context of an existing relationship.

Ḥeseḏ is pregnant with hope. If someone promises to do Ḥeseḏ for you, then you have a basis for believing the future will be better.  

Some commentators criticize Joseph for asking the wine steward for help. They think he should not have sought to gain from the situation. Perhaps those commentators have never been in a tight spot like Joseph was.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when you cannot help yourself. Joseph did not leverage the wine steward. He did not try to coerce or manipulate anyone. Joseph did not say, ‘I will only interpret your dream if you promise to help me first’. No, Joseph helped the wine steward freely, in hope that the good he did would return to him.

By asking for help Joseph shows humility and trust. Giving is often easier than receiving. It takes a certain kind of grace to accept help.

Hope is infectious. If you spend time with hopeful people, their hope tends to rub off on you. In verse 16 we read…

“When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the wine steward’s dream was favourable, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too…”

This might betray a guilty conscience on the baker’s behalf. The wine steward told his dream first, without fear, indicating a clear conscience – nothing to hide.

But the baker holds back sharing his dream until he hears a favourable response. Perhaps the baker knows he is to blame for their predicament and is somehow hoping to get off the hook.

Whatever the case, the baker’s hope is misplaced. Hope can be a dangerous thing if it is not fulfilled. After listening carefully to the baker’s dream, Joseph gives the interpretation.

In three days the king will release you—and have your head cut off! Then he will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh.

Joseph speaks the difficult truth. The flip side of hope is judgment.

The oppressed are not set free unless the oppressor is removed.

The righteous cannot prosper unless the wicked are stopped.

We cannot expect the future to be better if those who do evil are allowed to continue. We cannot have hope without judgment.

The trick is being on the right side of hope. Jesus came to save us from judgement. Jesus came to give us a future with hope. Receive Jesus, trust in his righteousness, and you will have hope for eternal life.

If you confess with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.      

Three days later, on the king’s birthday, everything happened just as Joseph said it would. The king restored the wine steward and he had the baker executed.

23 But the wine steward never gave Joseph another thought— he forgot all about him.

It would be two more years before Joseph was remembered. God does things in his own way and his own time. The text does not tell us how Joseph felt to be forgotten. We don’t really hear much about Joseph’s feelings until the end of his story.

But, from our own experience, we know that feeling of darkness which settles in the heart when we realize the help we had hoped for is less and less likely to come through.

Francis Bacon once said…

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.

Perhaps what he meant was, hope that remains unfulfilled is not good.

It is helpful to start with hope. Hope sustains you through the morning and afternoon of life. But if, by the end of the day, your hope has come to nothing, you are left feeling emptier than ever.

Sometimes as Christians we pray earnestly and sincerely for someone or something, fully believing that God will answer our prayer as we wish. But, despite our faith, the good we had asked for does not happen and our hope is dealt a savage blow.

We may feel disappointed and angry with God or at least confused and questioning. There is risk with hope, just as there is mystery with prayer. Sometimes God answers our prayers with a yes. Other times with a no. And quite often with wait. Yet we cannot understand why.

We don’t always get what we want in this life. This life is not always fair, but this life is not all there is. God raised Jesus from the dead and so the hope we have in Christ transcends death. God has a way of making things right, if not in this life, then in the next. God’s timing is not always our timing.

The beatitudes of Jesus are statements of hope. Jesus says…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.   

When we put our hope in Jesus we get some comfort, some filling and some knowledge of God in this life, but our hope is not fully realized until Jesus returns in glory. In the meantime, like Joseph, we eat the breakfast of hope.

The early Christian author, Tertullian, once wrote…

Hope is patience with the lamp lit.

Hope is not always invigorating or vibrant or strong. Sometimes hope is muted and fragile, a quiet waiting in the dark, comforting yourself with the warm thought that things will change for the better, even if you cannot imagine how.    

Whatever disappointment Joseph may have felt, he did not abandon his hope. Joseph kept believing in the dream God had given him. He kept waiting to be remembered.   

Sometimes we are like Joseph, feeling forgotten as we wait in the dark of not knowing. Hang in there. Don’t let the lamp of your hope go out. Ask for help if you need it. Be patient and remember, God’s timing is not always our timing.

Other times we are more like the wine steward, forgetting those who have helped us. Remember with thanks those who have been there for you when you were anxious or sad. Do they need your help now?

How can you pay their kindness forward? Who can you light the lamp of hope for?   

Conclusion:

Today, because it is the first Sunday of the month, we are sharing communion. Interesting that this reading, featuring a server of wine and a baker of bread, just happened to fall on a communion Sunday. I did not plan it that way. Was it God’s providence? Maybe.

Communion is a time to remember Jesus.

To remember someone, in Christian thought, means more than simply recalling that person to mind. It’s more than merely thinking, ‘Oh Jesus, yea I remember him. He was that guy who died on a cross 2000 years ago, right?’

For believers, to remember is to make good on a commitment.

To remember someone is to show kindness to them.

To remember Jesus is put into practice his teaching in our daily lives.

We don’t just remember Jesus while eating the bread and drinking from the cup. We remember Jesus by loving God and by loving our neighbour as we love ourselves.

Remembering is both personal and practical. Yes, remembering is meant to happen in church on a Sunday, but we also need to remember throughout the rest of our lives, Monday to Saturday.    

The problem with human beings is that we tend to forget. We get caught up in our own stuff and stuck in our heads. We forget our purpose and we get a bit lost. We need to be reminded of who we are and why we are. That’s what communion is about.

May God’s Ḥeseḏ for us, in Christ, be a lamp of hope for all, through the long dark night of waiting. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is hope? How does hope help us?
  • How might we let go of our hurts and give more attention to our hopes? What hurts do you need to brush off or disarm? What hopes do you need to water?
  • Why is it harder for powerful people to live in hope? When has hope been most real in your life?
  • Discuss / reflect on the relationship between judgement and hope? How can we get on the right side of hope?
  • Who has been there for you? How can you remember them? How can you pay their kindness forward? Who can you light a lamp of hope for?   
  • What does it mean to remember Christ? How do we (you) remember Jesus?
Tawa Baptist

With

Scripture: Genesis 39

Video Link: https://youtu.be/S4Rksw5XlBQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s presence
  • Joseph’s faithfulness
  • God’s kindness
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Sometimes when you are reading a book or watching a movie you come across a story within the story. The smaller story helps to make sense of the bigger story.

The Bible is really one big story, the true story in fact, of God and his people. Today we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph, focusing on Genesis 39. The account of Joseph is one of those smaller stories which helps to make sense of God’s bigger story.

You may remember from two weeks ago how Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers. From verse 1 of Genesis 39 we pick up the story…

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put Joseph in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!”

But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” She kept his cloak beside her until Joseph’s master came home. Then she told him this story:

“That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the jailer. So the jailer put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The jailer paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

There are three parts to Genesis 39. Verses 1-6 emphasize God’s presence with Joseph. Verses 7-19 reveal Joseph’s faithfulness to God. And verses 20-23 tell us about God’s kindness to Joseph.

These three things; presence, faithfulness and kindness, all find connections with the bigger story of God and his people. First let’s consider God’s presence with Joseph.  

God’s presence – vv. 1-6:

Nicky Gumble tells the story of a young boy playing on a piano. The boy didn’t know what he was doing really. He simply banged away at the keys in front of him.

A maestro happened to hear the child and although the boy was making a ghastly sound, he didn’t interrupt. He simply listened. After a while, the maestro noticed that the boy seemed to be following his own rough sort of pattern.

The maestro then sat down beside the boy and began filling in notes alongside the pattern the boy was making. And in moments the noise was transformed into song. The maestro’s presence made all the difference.

Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery to get rid of him and then lied to their father to cover up what they had done. Consequently, Joseph was taken to Egypt. The Lord did not stop this from happening. But the Lord was with Joseph in Egypt.

What does it mean to be with someone?

To be with someone means to be by their side, to identify with them and to stand in solidarity with them. To be with someone means to keep pace with them, not running ahead and not lagging behind. To be with someone means to listen to them.

To be with someone means to join in whatever it is they are doing. To help them and to support them by filling in the missing notes.

God was with Joseph in Egypt. That means the Lord came alongside Joseph and joined in with the work that Joseph was doing. In a sense, it’s like God chose to become a slave with Joseph.

The signs of God’s presence may differ, depending on the situation, but in Joseph’s case the light of God’s presence was evident in the success of Joseph’s work. Everything Joseph put his hand to prospered.

This resulted in Joseph being trusted and given greater freedom to manage Potiphar’s household. Those who are faithful with little will be trusted with much.

Joseph was blessed to be a blessing. Joseph’s success was to Potiphar’s profit. God doesn’t just bless us for our own sakes. God blesses us for the sake of the world.

Jesus talked about putting our lamp on a stand and not hiding it under a bushel. Let your light shine before others.

If the light Jesus is referring to here is the light of God’s presence, then Jesus wants us to put our light on a stand so that others may benefit. Jesus wants us to let people see that God is with us.

Joseph’s faithfulness – vv. 7-19:

Now in associating God’s presence with Joseph’s success (as Genesis 39 does) we must underline the fact that true success (in Christian thought) is defined by faithfulness, not health, wealth or popularity. As we remain in Christ and faithful to God our lives will bear good fruit.

The problem with success is that it often comes with the ball and chain of temptation. And without faithfulness to set us free, it is just a matter of time before temptation puts our success in the ditch of failure.

Temptation can come in many forms but for Joseph it came in the form of Potiphar’s wife. It doesn’t pay to be too attractive.

Apparently, Joseph’s chiseled features, bronzed skin and good teeth were too much and after a while Potiphar’s wife told Joseph to sleep with her. The phrase, ‘Come to bed with me’, in the original Hebrew, is only two words. A very blunt command. Maybe something like, ‘sex now’.

Joseph tells her, clearly, ‘no’. Joseph resists temptation with truth. And the truth is, sleeping with Potiphar’s wife would be a wicked betrayal of his master’s trust and a sin against God. Joseph could not live with himself if he committed adultery. These are the facts.

We might think that would be the end of the matter but unfortunately that is not how temptation works. Potiphar’s wife keeps on trying to seduce Joseph day after day.

Temptation is a siege. With temptation we are surrounded on every side. Temptation wears us down slowly, over time, before making its final assault, often when we are at our weakest.

Joseph is under no illusion. He has the self-awareness to know he is vulnerable. He is a young man in his twenties and, at that age, the male libido is strong. To add to his vulnerability, Joseph is alone. He doesn’t have a wife and is a long way from home.

Who wouldn’t hunger for a little comfort in his situation? But Joseph doesn’t take the short cut offered by temptation. Joseph seeks refuge in the Lord who is with him.

What about us? What can we do to resist temptation? Not just sexual temptation but any kind of temptation? Whether it is the temptation to gossip or lie or feel sorry for ourselves or whatever. Three things…

Firstly, be completely honest with yourself. Have the self-awareness to understand your points of vulnerability and put safeguards in place.

For example, if alcohol is a weakness for you, then don’t go to the pub. Put distance between yourself and temptation. Sometimes an accountability group is necessary for keeping you honest. Like AA or Celebrate Recovery.

A second thing you can do to resist temptation is think about the outcome if you were to give in. How is this action going to affect the people I care about? How will this affect my own personal wellbeing? Could I live with myself if I did this?

Thirdly, find a life-giving alternative to temptation. For example, spend time with people who respect you and care about you. Take a holiday somewhere nice. Or, if reading is your thing, then enjoy a good book.

Whatever is decent, whatever is noble, whatever is true, think about that. Whatever fills your spiritual tank and keeps you grounded, do that. Remember to pray.

As a slave Joseph is trapped. He can’t resign and get another job. He can’t even take a holiday. Nevertheless, Joseph successfully resisted the siege of temptation by standing firm in his resolve and keeping out of her way.

Now it needs to be acknowledged that Genesis 39 isn’t just about resisting temptation. It’s also about sexual harassment. Potiphar’s wife was sexually harassing Joseph. Joseph wanted her to stop but she wouldn’t.  

Joseph was a slave and slaves are often exploited for sex. Potiphar’s wife thought she was entitled to Joseph’s body. But she wasn’t. Your body is sacred. It is holy. Your body belongs to you and to Christ. No one else has a right to it.

Avoiding Potiphar’s wife works for a while but eventually she gets Joseph alone and grabs his cloak. At this point her prolonged sexual harassment of Joseph threatens to become sexual assault. It is unusual for a woman to do this. More often it is men who assault women.

If we think about this from Joseph’s point of view, we realise he has three options. He could give in to her and let her have her way. He could hit her in self-defense. Or he could run. Freeze, fight or flight.

Joseph flees. He runs for his life, leaving his cloak in her hand. It is the only righteous option available to him. By running Joseph shows respect for everyone concerned. Unfortunately, it makes him look guilty.

Potiphar’s wife uses Joseph’s cloak to frame him. She blames Joseph for her own crime. This shows us that she did not love Joseph. The inclination of love is to give and protect. First, she seeks to consume Joseph and when she can’t do that, she tries to destroy him.  

We know that Joseph is innocent because the text makes it clear he did no wrong and because sexual abuse is about power. You can’t abuse someone when you have no power over them. Joseph is a slave. At no point did Joseph have any power over Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar’s wife holds the power over Joseph.

Sadly, not everyone who is sexually harassed is able to run or defend themselves. If you are a survivor of abuse, then you need to know, it’s not your fault. You are not to blame. What was done to you was wrong but that does not make you wrong.   

If you ever find yourself in the position of being harassed, then you don’t have to put up with that. You are not a slave. You have options. You can ask someone you trust for help and formulate an escape plan.

But in asking for help, please understand that (depending on the situation) other people or agencies like the police or Women’s Refuge may need to be involved. If you want to escape an abusive situation then you will need help and that means some people finding out.

Of course, in a room this size, there may be some who are guilty of abusing their power. If that’s you, what can you do?

Well, you can stop and be honest with yourself. Don’t make it worse. Don’t double down. Admit your wrongdoing and repent. That means stepping aside from positions of power and seeking help. Seeking God’s mercy for your soul.

Split Enz have a song from the 1980’s. The chorus reads: History never repeats, tell myself before I go to sleep. Don’t say the words you might regret. I lost before, you know I can’t forget.

We like to tell ourselves that history never repeats but deep down we know that is not always true. The time, the place, the people may all be different, but sometimes we get hurt again in the same way we’ve been hurt before. And we can’t forget.

History repeats itself for Joseph. Just as Joseph’s brothers took his cloak from him, so too, Potiphar’s wife strips Joseph of his cloak. And just as Joseph’s screams from the pit were ignored by his brothers, so too Joseph’s voice is silenced by the accusations of his master’s wife.

Verse 19 tells us how Potiphar burned with anger on hearing his wife’s version of events. It is unclear, though, exactly who Potiphar was angry with. Was he angry with Joseph or was he angry with his wife?  

Potiphar is no fool. Potiphar knows his wife’s character and he knows Joseph’s character too. In all likelihood, Potiphar suspects Joseph to be innocent but in order to save face and keep peace with his wife he has to punish Joseph in some way.

God’s kindness – verses 20-23:

Potiphar could have had Joseph killed on the spot. But he doesn’t. Instead, he puts Joseph in the king’s prison.

Although it probably doesn’t seem like it, being put in the king’s prison was a kindness really. Not only was this the most lenient punishment Potiphar could hand Joseph, it also meant Joseph was free from further harassment by Potiphar’s wife.

Sometimes the thing we fear most is the very thing God uses to set us free from our fear.

Verse 21 says the Lord (Yahweh) was with Joseph (in prison); he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden.  

The word translated as kindness is actually hesed, in the original Hebrew.

Kindness doesn’t do justice to the full meaning of hesed. Loyal love or steadfast love is a better translation.

Katherine Sakenfeld, who did her PhD on this subject, outlines the three main criteria of hesed… [1]

Firstly, the action is essential to the survival or the basic wellbeing of the recipient. So it’s not something you do to entertain a whim or a fancy.  

Secondly, the needed action is one that only the person doing the hesed is in a position to provide. Given the circumstances no one else can do it.

And thirdly, hesed takes place in the context of an existing relationship.

Examples of hesed might include donating a kidney to save a loved one’s life. Or adopting the child of a friend who has died. Or paying off a significant debt for a family member so they are not in poverty.

In Genesis 39, the Lord God did hesed for Joseph in a number of ways. The Lord saved Joseph from being killed. The Lord was with Joseph in prison, so that he was not harmed. And the Lord gave Joseph favour with the prison warden, so that Joseph was trusted to run the place.  

It’s interesting that God did not prevent Potiphar’s wife from maligning Joseph. But the Lord did not abandon Joseph either. God joined Joseph in prison and worked it for good, as we will see in the coming weeks.   

It’s good to remember that. When we are going through a hard time, God is with us in that experience.

Conclusion:

I said at the beginning of this message that the account of Joseph is one of those smaller stories in the Bible which helps to make sense of God’s bigger story. You have probably figured it out already but, if not, let me explain…

What happened to Joseph foreshadows what would happen to the people of Israel. Just as Joseph was a slave in Egypt, so too the people of Israel became slaves in Egypt.

And just as Joseph was raised to a position of honour, before being thrown into jail, so too Israel was exalted for a time among the nations, before being thrown into exile in Babylon.

But whether they were exalted or humiliated, God stuck with his people through thick and thin. The Lord showed hesed (loyal love) to Israel.

Sadly, the people of Israel were not always as faithful or righteous as Joseph. The nation of Israel was more like Judah, who we heard about last week.

Nevertheless, Joseph points to Christ who resists temptation and remains faithful to God. Jesus fulfils God’s purpose for Israel in an even greater way than Joseph.    

Let us finish with one other connection, from Psalm 139…

7 Where can I go from your Spirit, O Lord? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

May we be aware of God’s presence with us this week and always. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What does it mean to be with someone? In what ways are you aware of God’s presence with you? How might you let people see that God is with you?
  • Why does Joseph refuse to sleep with Potiphar’s wife? Why do you resist temptation?
  • What temptations are you particularly vulnerable to? What strategies do you have for resisting temptation?
  • What can you do to escape a situation of harassment or abuse? How can you help someone who tells you they are being harassed or abused?
  • What is hesed? How does God do hesed for Joseph? How has God done hesed for you? Who can you do hesed for?
  • In what ways does the smaller story of Joseph illuminate the bigger story of God and his people?

[1] Katherine Doob-Sakenfeld, Ruth, page 24

Tawa Baptist

Changing Spots

Scripture: Genesis 38:1-26

Video Link: https://youtu.be/SHr5xYlysAQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Genesis 38:1-11
  • Genesis 38:12-23
  • Genesis 38:24-26
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Let me ask you a question. It’s a rhetorical question, so you don’t need to answer. Can a leopard change its spots?

The Lord God posed this question to his people through the prophet Jeremiah many centuries ago. It’s a question that is still relevant today. Can a leopard change its spots? It’s like asking, can people change their ways? Can bad character be re-formed into good character?

Today we continue our sermon series on the life of Joseph by focusing on Genesis 38. Last week we heard how Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph into slavery and then deceived their father into thinking that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

This week, the focus shifts off Joseph and Jacob and onto Judah. Judah was Jacob’s fourth son and Joseph’s half-brother. It was Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery. Judah was the opposite of Joseph. Joseph was sincere and virtuous, while Judah was calculating and immoral.

Among other things, Genesis 38 addresses the question of whether a leopard can change its spots. It shows how God re-formed Judah’s character.   

Genesis 38:1-11

Genesis 38 begins with Judah leaving home. If the home environment you grew up in was violent or toxic, then sometimes the best thing to do is leave. Nothing changes if nothing changes. But you need to leave to something better. Otherwise you may be jumping out of the fry pan and into the fire. 

Judah’s family was dysfunctional and Judah contributed to that dysfunction. Unfortunately, when Judah left, he did not leave to something better. Judah went to live with the pagan Canaanites.

As Bruce Waltke observes, “Judah’s geographical descent from Hebron’s heights to Canaan’s lowlands mirrors his spiritual condition”. [1]

Judah makes a moral decline. He has little regard for God’s ways or God’s purpose. Far from having a positive effect in the world, Judah conforms to the Canaanite way of life against the purpose of God. He marries a Canaanite woman and has three sons: Er, Onan & Shelah.

After some time, Judah found a Canaanite wife for his eldest son Er. Her name was Tamar. We are not told what Er did, only that his conduct was so evil in the Lord’s sight that God put him to death.

God, who sees the heart, must have known that Er would never change his spots and, perhaps as a way of protecting others from harm, God took back Er’s life.

Now, we need to be careful in reading a verse like this. We cannot make a formula out of Er’s death. Just because someone dies young or experiences some kind of misfortune, it does not automatically follow that God is displeased with them or punishing them.

There are plenty of bad people in this world who live long and prosper. Just as there are many good people who suffer injustice or die young. Next week we will hear how Joseph was sent to prison for doing the right thing.

Jesus was without sin and he was nailed to a cross. The test that someone has found favour with God is not health or wealth in this world. Rather it is resurrection to eternal life. Yes, Jesus died a horrific death at just 33 years of age, but God vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead.

When it comes to suffering in this life, there is no formula for explaining it. Sometimes life is fair and sometimes it isn’t. The challenge of faith is believing that God is fair, even when circumstance is not, and that God can redeem suffering. He can work it for good.

Er died without fathering any children, so Judah said to his second son, Onan…

“Go and sleep with your brother’s widow [with Tamar]. Fulfil your obligation to her as her husband’s brother, so that your brother may have descendants.”

This is called ‘Levirate marriage’. Levirate marriage was a practical way of taking care of the family. By marrying the dead man’s wife and giving her children, the living brother was giving his dead brother descendants. And he was providing food, shelter & children for the widow, so that she wasn’t destitute. It was a form of social security.

Levirate marriage may seem strange to us. Probably there are some women here who would prefer not to marry their brother-in-law. But in the culture of Genesis 38 it was considered the honourable thing to do.

In effect, Judah was asking Onan to take Tamar into his household and get her pregnant. If Tamar gave birth to a boy, then that boy would be considered Er’s son, not Onan’s son. In other words, the boy born to Tamar would receive Er’s inheritance (as first born) which means there would be less for Onan.

Onan did not like this idea, but he did not want to lose face either, so he faked it. He slept with Tamar in a way that ensured she did not get pregnant. Coitus Interruptus. Onan repeatedly took advantage of Tamar and only pretended to do the right thing.

What Onan did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.

Let’s reflect on the bigger picture for a moment. Judah had robbed his father Jacob of his favourite son Joseph. Now Judah learns what it is to become a father and lose two sons. Judah is reaping what he sowed.

Sometimes God allows us to experience the consequences of our actions as a way of preparing us for change. Consequences don’t necessarily effect immediate change, but they can lay the groundwork for long term change.    

The loss of two of his sons does not change Judah for the better in the short term. All it does is make Judah more fearful, more self-interested. What if Tamar is bad luck? Or worse, what if she is a witch? Judah doesn’t want to risk his third son. Fear has Judah running from change.

We notice a certain obtuseness from Judah here. He is spiritually insensitive. Judah seems blind to his sons’ wrongdoing. Instead of facing the fact that his sons were not good people, he superstitiously suspects that Tamar is to blame. 

Judah kicks for touch, he plays it safe and sends Tamar back to her father’s house in mourning, telling her to wait until his youngest son Shelah is old enough for marriage.  

This was another act of deception on Judah’s part. He had no intention of giving Tamar to his youngest son in marriage.

Judah’s spots don’t show any sign of changing at this point.  Judah denies Tamar the freedom to marry anyone else but at the same time he doesn’t provide for her through his son Shelah. Judah’s deception of Tamar is cruel, just as his deception of Jacob had been cruel.

Genesis 38:12-23

After a long time, Judah’s wife died. When it became clear that Judah had no intention of letting Tamar marry Shelah, Tamar came up with her own plan of subterfuge.  

Tamar changed out of her widow’s clothes, covered her face with a veil and sat down at the entrance to the town of Enaim, knowing Judah would pass that way.  

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, so he went over to her and said, ‘Come now, let me sleep with you.’ He had no idea who he was talking to.

Tamar said, ‘What will you give me to sleep with you?’ Judah doesn’t realise it, but this is a loaded question. Tamar is hoping he will give her children.

Judah replies, ‘I will send you a young goat from my flock’. This shows that Judah is acting on impulse. He has an itch that needs scratching. He didn’t come prepared to hire a prostitute, but he also doesn’t have much self-control.

The fact that Judah is unprepared plays right into Tamar’s hands. She asks for Judah’s seal with its cord and the staff he is carrying.

Men in the ancient world carried a seal around their neck on a cord. The seal was the shape of a cylinder with unique markings on it which could be rolled over soft clay to authenticate a transaction.

The staff Judah carried was a symbol of his authority, also with unique markings to identify that it belonged to him. In today’s terms Judah was basically giving Tamar his credit card and driver’s licence as guarantees of payment.

Judah is a victim of his own lust and ego. If you give away your moral authority, like Judah did, then you tend to lose other forms of personal authority also.

Judah hands over the symbols of his power and authority to Tamar without realising what he is doing. Once again, Judah is reaping what he sowed. Just as Judah deceived his father Jacob, now Tamar deceives Judah.      

There is a significant difference in Tamar’s deception though. Unlike Judah who deceives for his own selfish ends, Tamar deceives with the more honourable motivation of preserving the family line. Some call it a faithful deception.

After Judah sleeps with Tamar, she becomes pregnant by him. Later Judah sends the young goat he promised but Tamar is no longer there. She has changed back into her widow’s clothes and returned home.

So Judah lets the matter drop. He doesn’t want to become a laughingstock.  

Judah is more concerned with his reputation than he is with doing what is right.

About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death.”

If Tamar was guilty then Judah would be expected to respond like this to preserve family honour. But even so, natural justice requires him to test the facts first. Judah is quick to condemn Tamar without a fair trial.

His callous response reveals an ulterior motive. Judah sees this as a convenient opportunity to get rid of his daughter-in-law so that he doesn’t have to give his son to her in marriage. Judah thinks he has found a way to avoid his responsibility while keeping up appearances.   

As readers we can see the double standard. Why is a man called a stud, but a woman is called a slut? Why is it her fault when he is the one who is angry?

Why can’t Judah see what lurks in his own shadow?

Genesis 38:24-26

As Tamar was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law.

“I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognise whose seal and cord and staff these are.”

‘Do you recognise your own credit card and driver’s license, Judah?’ Mic drop.

In the original Hebrew, Judah literally says, ‘She is righteous, not I.’

Now we might ask, ‘How can the Hebrew Bible say that Tamar is righteous?

She tricked her father-in-law into sleeping with her and, according to the Bible, sex outside of marriage is a sin. Well, Tamar’s example does not give us a licence to deceive people and sleep around.  

Tamar is declared righteous because she acted in faith and loyalty for the well-being of Judah’s family.  

When we consider how risky Tamar’s plan was, we realise that God was helping her every step of the way. There was so much that could have gone wrong but didn’t.

What if someone else tried to solicit Tamar before Judah came along?

What if Judah ignored Tamar as she sat disguised by the side of the road?

What if Judah had not given Tamar his seal and staff?    

What if Judah had recognised Tamar?

What if Tamar had sex with Judah but didn’t get pregnant?

What if Judah had denied any wrongdoing and accused Tamar of stealing his seal and staff and lying about it?

Tamar acted in faith, taking some huge risks to her personal safety, all so she could do the right thing by Judah’s family. Tamar risked her life to give life.    

Returning to the question we started with, can a leopard change its spots? Can a person like Judah change their ways?   

Well, Judah changed his environment and went to live with the Canaanites but that didn’t make him better. If anything, it made him worse. Becoming a husband and a father didn’t change Judah either.

And when he suffered the loss of two of his sons and his wife, there was still no positive change. If anything, these losses only made Judah more fearful and more self-interested.    

A leopard may not be able to change its spots, but God can. Judah could not change his ways, but God did change Judah. God reformed Judah’s character by grace and God’s grace came in the form of Tamar, a Canaanite woman from the wrong side of the tracks, the one no expected.

We can rightly call Tamar the heroine of this story because she saved Judah from himself. God used Tamar’s brave faith as the catalyst for Judah’s repentance and transformation.

The tipping point for character change is honest confession. Judah’s humiliation (at being found out) goes hand in hand with his honest confession and the first steps of his conversion. Nothing changes until Judah is honest with himself.      

God rewarded Tamar’s faith with twin boys (Perez & Zerah) to replace the two sons Judah had lost. This is the grace of God. Tamar literally gives birth to the grace of God for Judah. She mediates God’s grace to Judah.

One thing to note here is that we don’t always reap what we sow. Judah had been quick to condemn Tamar to death for prostitution. By that measure Judah himself should have been killed also. But God in his grace does not punish Judah. God blesses Judah when Judah has done nothing to deserve it. 

When Judah realises that he is the father of Tamar’s babies he knows that God is giving him another chance. And in response to God’s grace, Judah repents. He acknowledges Tamar’s righteousness, and he does not sleep with her again.

God changes Judah. We don’t see all the changes in Genesis 38. But, towards the end of the Joseph story, we see what real character change looks like.

By his grace God changes Judah from being deceitful to being truthful.

From being insincere to being authentic.

From being powerful to being vulnerable.

From being hypocritical to being humble.

From being sexually promiscuous to being self-controlled.

From being callous to being compassionate.

Perhaps the greatest transformation to Judah’s character though was the change from self-interest to self-sacrifice. 

In Genesis 44, when the brothers go to Egypt to buy grain, Judah (the former slave trader) offers himself as a slave in Benjamin’s place. Judah offers himself as a sacrificial lamb to save his family.   

Conclusion

Both Tamar and Judah are mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy (in Matthew 1).

Each of them points to Jesus in different ways.  

Tamar points to Jesus as one who mediates God’s grace to sinners.

And Judah points to Jesus who offers his life on the cross to redeem creation.  

What spots is God changing in your character?

May the Lord guide us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Can a leopard change its spots? Can a person change their ways? Can bad character be reformed?
  • In what ways does Judah reap what he sowed? Can you think of a time in your life when you reaped what you sowed? (Whether good or bad.) What happened? Can you think of a time in your life when God (in his grace) saved you from reaping what you sowed? What happened?
  • Why does Judah say, “She is righteous, not I”? Why is Tamar considered righteous in this situation? Why is honest confession necessary / important for character change?    
  • What changes does God bring about to Judah’s character? How does God change Judah’s character?
  • Looking back over your life, so far, what changes has God brought about to your character? How did God effect these changes?
  • How do Tamar and Judah point to Christ?

[1] Bruce Waltke, ‘Genesis’, page 510.

Tawa Baptist

Connection & Consequences

Scripture: Genesis 37:12-36

Video Link: https://youtu.be/dOELw8qLQqU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s providence
  • The brothers’ deceit
  • Joseph’s innocence
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying…

Learn how to see. Realise that everything connects to everything else.

There is truth in this statement I believe. Everything on this planet is connected. We are part of a complex eco system, part of a global economic system, part of a diverse human culture, part of a long history and part of a web of relationships that is all inter-connected.  

And those connections have consequences. For example, if we put plastic into the ocean, that plastic gets into the food chain which eventually gets into our bodies and affects our health.

If there is a natural disaster in New Zealand or overseas, then we feel an outpouring of compassion for those who have suffered loss. We also feel pain in our pocket as our insurance premiums go up.

If there is a war on the other side of the world, countries are inevitably forced to choose sides. Then before long food and oil shortages drive up commodity prices, making life tougher for everyone.

If someone in your family gets sick or goes to prison or dies, then that places more stress and pressure on the rest of the family. And if the family buckles under the pressure, then the fabric of the community suffers for it.

There are also spiritual connections. Connections we cannot see or understand that have real consequences. Without the sustaining connection of God’s Holy Spirit, life as we know it would collapse.    

I could go on, but you get the point. Everything is connected. What happens to one part has very real consequences for the other parts.

Today we continue our series on the life of Joseph, focusing on Genesis 37:12-36. This passage is full of connections and consequences. We just need to learn to see. From Genesis 37, verse 12 we read…

12 Now Joseph’s brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied. 14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “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.”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “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. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing – 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 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. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 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. 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekelsof silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”

31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 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.”

33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 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.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianitessold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s Word for us.

Last week we heard about God’s election and God’s revelation. This week’s reading shows us a series of connections and consequences.

In particular, the text draws connections with God’s providence, the brothers’ deceit and Joseph’s innocence. Let’s begin with God’s providence.

God’s Providence:

Some years ago, at the Wellington airport, there was a portrait of Peter Jackson made out of 2,000 pieces of toast, all organised to make a coherent image. Every piece of toast, even the burnt ones, found a purpose in the hands of Maurice Bennett, the artist.

Although we cannot see the artist in the picture, we know there is an artist because the picture makes sense. Toast cannot arrange itself in a meaningful pattern like this. The presence of the artist is revealed in the way the details are connected.  

Although God is not mentioned in today’s reading, we know God is present because, when we zoom out to look at the bigger picture, we see God’s providence.

God’s providence is a term that refers to God’s care and provision for creation. God works with the choices we make (both good and bad) to provide for his creation. God has a way of connecting the dots to give meaning and coherence to our lives.

Augustine has a lovely quote: Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love and the future to God’s providence.

We may not be able to see it right now, but God is at work putting things in place and creating connections that will provide for our future.  

We see many providential connections in Genesis 37, which God’s uses to get Joseph to Egypt where the Lord will use Joseph to save millions from starvation.

In verse 12 we read how most of Jacob’s sons had gone with their father’s flock to Shechem.

Now Shechem was a strange place for Jacob’s sons to go really. It was like returning to the scene of the crime. For it was at Shechem that some of Jacob’s sons had massacred a number of people.

Naturally, Jacob would be feeling a bit anxious about his sons returning to a place where they had made enemies. So, Jacob sends Joseph to check that his family are okay.  

In his providence, God uses Jacob’s anxiety as part of the process of getting Joseph to Egypt.  

We see another seemingly random connection in verses 15-17.

Jacob sent Joseph from Hebron to Shechem, which would have meant roughly a four day walk for Joseph. And when Joseph gets to Shechem his brothers are nowhere to be found.

So, there he is, walking around in a lonely part of the countryside when a complete stranger finds him and asks what he is looking for. Joseph says he’s looking for his brothers, and guess what? The stranger just happens to know where Joseph’s brothers are.

We have to ask ourselves, what are the chances of that happening? Pretty slim I would think. Half an hour either way and Joseph probably wouldn’t have met this joker.

By including this detail of Joseph’s ‘chance’ encounter with the stranger the writer means for us to see the hand of God at work here, making sure connections are made.

When Joseph’s brothers see him coming in the distance, they conspire to murder him. They hate Joseph and want to kill his dream. But Reuben intervenes to save Joseph.

Reuben was the eldest son. He had made the mistake of sleeping with one of his stepmothers, that is, one of his father’s wives. So there was a cloud hanging over him. But God still used Reuben to save Joseph’s life, even though things did not go exactly the way Reuben planned.  

While Reuben is gone, Judah suggests selling Joseph to some merchants.

It’s interesting that the slave traders turn up at just the right moment, on their way to Egypt. Interesting also that these merchants just happen to be Ishmaelites and Midianites, cousins of Jacob. Another connection.

God, being the artist he is, chooses to weave other descendants of Abraham into his broader plan of salvation. In today’s terms, it would be like God getting Jews and Arabs to work together to save the Americans.  

God’s providence keeps popping up throughout the Joseph story, but Joseph and his family were not aware of it until after the fact. God’s providence is often only visible in the rear vision mirror.  

As you look back on your life, so far, can you see God’s providence?

Can you see the connections the Lord has made to provide for you?

Are you aware of the consequences of those connections?

Of course, we need to avoid extremes. On the one hand it is not helpful to try and read God’s providence into every little thing that happens. On the other hand, we don’t want to deny the possibility that God is at work in the very things we think are hopeless.  

The Brothers’ Deceit:

Right alongside God’s providence, in today’s reading, we have the brothers’ deceit. After Joseph was sold into slavery his brothers come up with a scheme to hide the truth from their father.

They kill a goat, like a sacrifice, or a scapegoat for themselves and they dip Joseph’s robe in the goat’s blood. Then they show it to their father Jacob.

Notice how crafty the brothers are in doing this. They don’t lie directly to their father. They simply show Jacob the blood-stained coat and allow him to draw his own conclusions.

And Jacob figures the most likely scenario is that Joseph was mauled to death by wild animals.

Like most parents, Jacob reveals a certain blindness here. Jacob does not think for a moment that his sons could be to blame for Joseph’s disappearance. Which is extraordinary. Does he not remember what they did at Shechem? Does he not realise how much they hate Joseph.   

So often we see what we want to see. We deceive ourselves by making the connections we want to make. It’s a self-protection thing.

Those who are familiar with Jacob’s origin story may see a connection here. Jacob is reaping what he sowed. Just as Jacob had taken advantage of his father Isaac’s physical blindness in order to steal the birthright from Esau, so too Jacob’s sons take advantage of their father’s emotional blindness in order to hide what they have done to Joseph.

Connections come with consequences. But not all connections are the same. The closer the connection, the more deeply we feel the consequence. They say a parent is only as happy as their unhappiest child. If your son or daughter is suffering, then you feel it too.

The brothers did not see this connection or realise the consequences for their father. By leading Jacob to believe that Joseph was dead, the brothers put their father in another kind of pit. The pit of grief. Jacob entered into a long depression, refusing to be comforted. Our words and actions have very real consequences for those around us.

The brothers remind us of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Pretending to be one thing when all the time they were something else. Jesus was scathing in his rebuke of their hypocrisy.

Jesus understood the damage deceit can cause. Dishonesty destroys trust and trust is essential to abundant life. Trust is the foundation of right relationship. Without trust our relationships collapse. Without trust we feel alone and anxious.     

Joseph’s Innocence:

Like a light in the darkness, Joseph’s innocence stands out against the backdrop of the brothers’ deceit.  

One of the qualities of light is silence. Light makes no sound. You can see it and feel it, but you cannot hear it.

Strangely, the text gives more attention to the brothers’ deceit than it does to Joseph’s innocence. How often is that the way. The naughty kids get most of the attention while the good kids are overlooked.

We see Joseph’s innocence in the way he obeys his father in going to look for his brothers. And we see his innocence in the charges the brothers bring against him. Joseph’s only crime (and it is no crime at all) is being the favourite and having a dream.

Once Joseph catches up with his brothers, we don’t hear a word out of him. The writer of Genesis leaves Joseph’s ordeal to the reader’s imagination.

Joseph was quite young, still a teenager. He was outnumbered by grown men who, to his complete surprise, mug him, strip him of his clothing and throw him into a pit in the ground. He is left there, in the dark, confused, sore, thirsty, terrified and crying for help.

We know that Joseph was distressed in the pit because later in the story, in chapter 42, Joseph’s brothers recall how they had ignored his cries for help. All those years later they could still remember it.  

By silencing Joseph, at this point, the author is highlighting Joseph’s powerlessness. The boy has no say in the matter. He is forced. Joseph is innocent. He has done nothing wrong and yet he is being severely mistreated. This is a circumstance outside of his control.

It is a well-documented fact that most abuse happens within families. Joseph’s experience mirrors that of millions of innocent children down through the ages. And millions more who have been trafficked and sold into slavery.

If you are not safe with your family, then where are you safe?

If you cannot trust your family, then who can you trust?  

Joseph’s ordeal at the hands of his brothers draws some clear connections with Jesus’ suffering…

Like Joseph, Jesus was the subject of a murder plot.

Like Joseph, Jesus was betrayed by those close to him.

Like Joseph, Jesus was sold for a bag of silver.

Like Joseph, Jesus was innocent.

Like Joseph, Jesus was stripped of his robe.

Like Joseph, Jesus cried out.

And like Joseph, Jesus went down into the ground.

Unlike Joseph though, Jesus didn’t just die in people’s imaginations. Jesus actually died, physically, and was raised to life again.

Conclusion:

Who do you identify with most in this story of Joseph and his brothers?

What connections do you draw with your own experience?

Perhaps like the stranger in the wilderness you are oblivious to the part you play in God’s providence. May the Lord give you eyes to see that your life has consequence. What you do matters.   

Or maybe, like Joseph’s brothers, you have done some terrible things. Things you wish no one to ever find out. Things you now regret. May the Lord hear your confession and help you to make amends.

Or perhaps, like Jacob, you have dared to love greatly and are paying the price in grief. May the Lord heal your pain and restore your joy.   

Or maybe, like Joseph, you have suffered great injustice at the hands of people you should have been able to trust. May the Lord lift you out of the pit and set you free. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Discuss / reflect on the quote: ‘Learn how to see. Realise that everything connects to everything else’. What connections and consequences are you aware of at the moment?  
  • What is providence? How might we recognise God’s providence? Can you think of an example of God’s providence at work in your own life? What happened as a consequence?  
  • What are the consequences of the brothers’ deceit? E.g. the consequences for Jacob? And the consequences for the brothers’ themselves?
  • Why is deceit so damaging? What is the remedy for deceit?
  • Discuss / reflect on the ways Joseph’s experience connects with Jesus’ experience.
  • Who do you identify with most in Genesis 37:12-36 and why?