They hated him. They despised him. They loathed the ground on which he walked. They had “good reasons,” to hear them tell it.
• He was their father’s favorite.
• He didn’t have to work hard as they did.
• He dreamed that in the future his father, mother and 11 brothers would all bow before him and proudly told them the dreams.
• And, worst of all, he was a tattle-tale.
Oh, he had to die. “Let’s kill him and tell father a wild beast ate him.” Instead of killing him, though, they sold him to a caravan of traders who, in turn, sold him as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt. But things got worse.
Because of his evident skills, Joseph was made master over all the servants and business in Potiphar’s home. Potiphar’s wife was attracted to Joseph and “Wunked him a wink” in an effort to have an affair with him.
On the basis of loyalty to Potiphar, to himself, and to God, he rebuffed and refused her enticement. Offended, she lied, saying that he had made advances to her. She was believed and Joseph was stuck in the slammer where, because of obvious skills, he was appointed as Head Prisoner.
Because he rightly interpreted the dreams of 2 prisoners, his name was given to Pharaoh, who had suffered two disturbing dreams. Joseph revealed that the dreams both predicted 7 years of abundant produce and 7 years of famine. He was made Number 2 Mucky Muck over Egypt and established a plan to save up grain in the 7 good years for distribution in the 7 bad years.
The famine hit his homeland hard so his brothers came to Egypt to buy provisions. They did not recognize Joseph, but he recognized them. Over 22 years had passed by that time. So, to test their hearts, he put them through various trials (of which you ought to read in Genesis chapters 42-45).
At last, convinced of the repentance of his brothers, he revealed his identity, and commanded that his father and younger brother, Benjamin be brought to Egypt where he cared for them until he died,
Read with me, “Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, ‘Have everyone go out from me.’ So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come closer to me.’ And they came closer. And he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your childrens’ children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.” Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.’ Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.” Genesis 45:1-14 (NASB).
Here are some lessons for us. SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND IT!
I. LOOK FOR THE HAND OF GOD IN BAD TIMES:
A. Joseph knew that and said, “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
B. But that attitude of quiet acceptance of God’s will and work is not our natural or typical response, is it?
1. Don’t we usually cry out in protest?
a. “Hey! What happened, Lord? Where are You?”
b. “Lord! Why did you desert me?”
c. “Oh, God, what did I do to deserve this?”
2. If that has been your response, you are in good company.
a. Moses said, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me?” Numbers 11:11 (NASB).
b. Jezebel had put a hit contract on Elijah so he ran for his life. “Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.’" 1 Kings 19:9-10 (NASB).
C. I’m not saying to blame God for causing troubled times, only to look for His hand, His work, His presence in that trouble:. He is there, so seek Him.
1. Job, though suffering horrible pain and sickness, knew the hand of God was working in his suffering and said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21 (NASB).
2. The Psalmist sought God’s hand,
D. God doesn’t always get us out of our troubles, but He always get into our troubles with us.
1. “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NASB).
2. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:35-37 (NASB).
E. Note that:
1. His hand never moves too fast. It took about 22 years for God to take Joseph to Egypt, exalt him to a position of authority, second only to that of Pharaoh, and to reunite him and his father and brothers.
2. When his humbled brothers realized who he was, they feared for the lives, but Joseph assured them, “you were really not responsible for me being in Egypt, because, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
F. Let me tell you the story about an old man who was traveling with a donkey, a candle, and a rooster. He went into a city to find a place to sleep and was turned away. “Everything God does is for the best” he said and went to spend the night in a field outside the city. His lamp blew out in the wind. “Everything God does is for the best,” he said once again. His rooster was mauled by a fox. “Everything God does is for the best,” he repeated. Then his donkey was eaten by a lion. Once again, the old man repeated the words, “Everything God does is for the best.”
When he awoke in the morning, he ventured into the city and saw that bandits had attacked it during the night, capturing many people. Had he found a place to stay, he would probably have also been captured. Had the bandits noticed a lamp in a field nearby or heard his donkey or rooster, he might also have been in trouble. Instead, his life was saved by all the “bad” things that happened to him.
Now if God had wanted to save the old man from the bandits, surely He could have let him find a nice room in the city for himself, his lamp, his rooster, and his donkey and let him sleep through the night unmolested. God is all powerful and does all things well, and He can do things in a way that is strange to us, but is also best for us. God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
There is a message here for us. No human being, is without troubles but if we see God’s hand in them they become a means of God blessing and teaching us.
So, Look for God’s hand in your troubles. SEEK IT AND YOU WILL FIND IT.
II. LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DO GOOD:
A. Note Joseph’s compassionate desire.
1. “You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your childrens’ children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”
2. They had sought harm for him; he sought life and providence for them.
B. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, not at all meaning with fond affection, or great desire to be with them.
1. He taught, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” Matthew 5:44 (NKJV).
a. We love them by not returning curse for curse or harm for harm.
b. Three things amount to loving enemies:
(1) Bless them, don’t curse them. Speak honest words of appreciation, not harsh words of accusation.
(2) Go good for them when you have the opportunity and don’t ruin it by boasting about it.
(3) Pray for them. Not that they come down with shingles, but that God would compassionately give them good things and would change their hearts.
2. You will never be more Christlike, more children of God than when you love those who are your enemies.
C. Let God deal with them where wrath or vengeance or discipline is needed.
1. He said, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Romans 12:17-20 (NASB).
2. He also said, “When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7 (NASB).
D. We are here, not just to passively do no harm, but to actively do good. Paul instructed the Galatians, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” Galatians 6:9-10 (NASB).
Let me tell you about a couple of young men who were born in the same town early in the last century. These two boys Joe and Bill, both had abusive fathers. Life for both of them was painful right from the start. After a number of years their fathers deserted their mothers.
Both resolved to be different than their fathers and they both decided to never hurt another person. They were going to live completely different to the example they had been set.
Joe went about living the best he could, but when people would get close to him he would cool the relationship down. There were a couple of girls over the years who had tried to catch his eye, but Joe had resolved that he wouldn't be like his father, so he avoided relationships.
Bill on the other hand, had met a girl in town he fancied. The girl, Diane, worked in the grocery store and for a while gave Bill the brush off. But he just didn't give up. He left chocolates on the handle bars of her bike, with the note "I'll send you the bill later." with Bill underlined just in case she might think they were from someone else. There were cards and flowers, and eventually she fell for Bill.
Diane and Bill married, and tried for a family but with no results. They were determined to have kids so they chose to adopt, and they chose so-called, “unwanted children. The family did well, the kids grew and had their own families, and Bill and Diane had eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren before their lives were over.
Joe lived and died alone, but neither Joe or Bill turned out to be like their fathers. The thing is that simply not harming others is not helping them, either.
Look for ways to do good. SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND IT!
III. LOOK FOR WAYS TO FORGIVE:
A. The fearful brothers expected wrath but received grace. “Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come closer to me.’ And they came closer. And he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”
1. He didn’t put blame on his brothers. They did wrong, but Joseph didn’t focus on that wrong.
2. He didn’t point the finger of accusation, he extended the hand of acceptance.
3. He didn’t banish them. He invited them to draw near.
4. He didn’t tell them the should feel shame, he said, “don’t be angry with yourselves.”
B. Forgiveness
1. Does not mean
a. Forgetting the wrong. It is refusal to keep remembering it.
b. Denying wrong doing or there would be no need for forgiveness.
c. Trusting – the wrongdoer may not be trustworthy. If a dog bites you, you don’t want to stick your hand back into its mouth!
d. Reconciliation – the other party may reject that.
2. Does mean
a. Giving up the right and power to get even yourself and letting God handle it.
b. Not wishing that God would smash the dirty skunk like a bug.
c. Treating offenders as Jesus would treat them, doing good and praying for them.
d. Letting go of the gnawing pain in the pit of our stomach.
C. Sometimes the hardest nut to crack is self pity, self justification, self exaltation and self revenge. But the sufficient nut cracker is the Love of Jesus in our hearts, the grace that He has poured upon us copiously, and the assurance that at the end of the day, Jesus knows all about it and will respond in the right way.
D. What sin in your life has been already forgiven, removed, washed away, blotted out, and totally forgotten by our gracious Jesus? Don’t you think you can forgive others?
E. A wife, slapped savagely by her drunk, no good, louse of a so-called “husband” prayed while he struck her. He asked, “Well, what’s your Jesus gonna do” She said through bleeding lips, “He helps me forgive you.” The beating stopped, he dropped to his knees pleading for her forgiveness, cried out to Jesus, and, in time, became a sober, loving, Christian man and husband.
F. Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone from whom you need to seek forgiveness? The ball is in your court: Romans 12 teaches us, in the Message Version: “Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. ‘I'll do the judging,’ says God. ‘I'll take care of it.’ Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.” Romans 12:17-21 (MSG).
Look for His hand when life hurts, look for chances to do good even to those who have wronged you, and look for ways to forgive and you will be like Joseph – and even better, you will be like Jesus!
