Trusting God Series

WHEN LIFE IS THE PITS: TRUSTING GOD

8/20/23 – Garfield

A. Today we conclude our summer sermon series on the Life of Joseph that we’ve titled: “WHEN LIFE IS

THE PITS.”

1. Our lesson today will focus on Genesis 50:15ff, as we look at the importance of TRUSTING GOD.

a. Last week, although you don’t REMEMBER, we were in Genesis 45 and now we are in Genesis 50.

So, you may be wondering what we MISSED.

b. The best thing to do is OPEN your Bible and READ it for yourself, but since we don’t have time for

that let me give you a SYNOPSIS of what happened in the last four chapter.

COMMENT:

We left off with Joseph finally REVEALING who he was to his brothers. After their INITIAL SHOCK, he urged them to go back to Canaan and get their families and their Father Jacob, and return to Egypt where Pharaoh is giving them the finest LAND in Egypt to FARM and RAISE their families.

In Genesis 46, God spoke to Jacob in a VISION, assuring him that He will be WITH him and his FAMILY in Egypt, and that one day his DESCENDANTS will RETURN and POSSESS than land that He had PROMISED his grandfather Abraham.

Jacob was finally REUNITED with his son Joseph whom, for 22-years, he thought was DEAD. After EMBRACING his son and WEEPING over him, Jacob said, “Now I am ready to die…” (Genesis 46:30). Knowing that he was, indeed, NEAR DEATH, Jacob wanted to put a BLESSING upon his GRANDCHILDREN and his CHILDREN.

He first put a BLESSING upon his grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph who were BORN in Egypt. And then in Genesis 49, Jacob BLESSED each of his SONS, which was not only a BLESSING, per se, but a PROPHESY of what God had PLANNED for them in the FUTURE—some GOOD and some NOT-SO-GOOD.

And then JACOB, also known as ISRAEL, died, the last of the Patriarchs who were always LINKED to God’s amazing PROMISE to bless all the NATIONS of the earth in the sending of His Son to SAVE the WORLD. You will find this phrase throughout the Bible that speaks of the WORKS of God among His people: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

2. There FATHER is now GONE, so what is going to happen to the BROTHERS?

B. Last week we saw the ASTOUNDING FORGIVENESS of Joseph EXTENDED to his BROTHERS, even

after all the EVIL they had committed AGAINST him when he was a 17-year-old kid.

1. Genesis 45 presented such a HEARTWARMING REUNION between the BROTHERS and Joseph.

a. They were EMBRACING and KISSING each other.

COMMENT:

The brothers didn’t know for sure how Joseph would RESPOND to them, especially since he was now a RULER of Egypt that wielded a lot of POWER. But Joseph FORGAVE them of what they had done and WELCOMED them with OPEN ARMS.

b. But after their Father Jacob DIES, the PARANOIA of the brothers RESURFACES.

2. Joseph ASSURES them once again that they have no REASON to be AFRAID, and to TRUST that GOD was at WORK using their EVIL DEEDS done toward Joseph for the GOOD of the future Nation of Israel, and ultimately the ENTIRE WORLD.

MESSAGE:

I. JOSEPH’S TRUST IN THE WORKING OF GOD

A. After their father’s death, the brothers begin to WONDER if Joseph will now TURN against them.

1. Genesis 50:15- “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph

holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”

a. According to Genesis 47:28, Jacob and his sons and their families had lived in Egypt for 17

years before Jacob DIED.

COMMENT:

During those 17 years, I think their LIVES were pretty good.

• They lived under the PROTECTION of Joseph, the second most POWERFUL RULER

of the entire KINGDOM of Egypt.

• Joseph had given them the BEST and most PLUSH LAND in all of Egypt (the lands of

Goshen) to FARM and RAISE their vast herds of sheep and goats.

• They had ready ACCESS to Joseph, the Governor of Egypt, with any CONCERN they might have.

b. But now, after 17 years of the GOOD LIFE, they begin to QUESTION the KINDNESS and

FORGIVENESS of their little brother Joseph.

COMMENT:

They are REASONING among themselves, “You know, Joseph has been pretty GOOD to us since we’ve come to Egypt. This whole RECONCILIATION thing between us has been great, but maybe he only did it because our father Jacob was ALIVE and he didn’t want to BREAK the old man’s HEART. But now that he’s gone, the REAL MOTIVES of Joseph will come out, and finally he will exact REVENGE on us for all the WRONGS we’ve committed against him.”