Reunited! Series

No Ordinary Joe: Jacob’s

Genesis 46-47

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

01-30-2022

Family Reunion

I’ve always been jealous of people that made the time and put in the effort to have family reunions.

When I was cleaning out my dad’s house, I found a picture from our last family reunion on my dad’s side. I’m in the front row. I’m four and Mark was two. That’s how long ago it was.

At the funeral, which is basically like a family reunion, only two cousins were there, out of twenty (?), and I had only met them once or twice.

How many of you have family reunions? I know that Gene Wiles attends family reunions.

I’ve always loved the pictures of families that had shirts made up for the event.

This morning, we are going to see a family reunion of epic proportions. This has be building for many chapters. Today, Joseph’s entire family will be back together again after 22 years.

Review from last week

Last week, we saw Joseph putting his brothers to the last, most intense, test.

When the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, the brothers tore their clothes and loaded up their donkeys to head back to the city.

They could have left Ben there and made up another lie to their dad but something was different about the brothers. Their hearts had been changed.

We know this because Judah, in an act of selflessness, offers to take Ben’s place as a slave.

This was too much for Joseph. He bark something in Egyptian and the servants scatter. He then begins to weep loudly. The brothers were confused.

But nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

In perfect Hebrew, the prime minister of Egypt says, “I am Joseph!”

They were stunned, scared, and speechless. But Joseph put them at ease and made it clear that he had forgiven them and that God had used their sinful decisions to save their lives.

We talked about how hard forgiveness is and if you are struggling with forgiveness today I would encourage you to go back and listen to the sermon.

After watching the sermon, a friend of mine from Michigan, went to church and his pastor also preached on forgiveness. He took the hint and sat down and wrote a letter to his brother forgiving him for the bullying that took place when they were kids.

Aslan is on the move!

Maybe you need to write a letter or call or send a text to someone making it clear that you have forgiven them or asking for their forgiveness.

Remember, unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting on the other person to die.

The next two weeks, we are going to zoom out a little and take the focus off of Joseph and zoom in on his aged father Jacob.

Turn with me to Genesis 45.

Prayer

Joseph Sends them back to get their dad

“Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.  And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”

After Joseph revealed himself to the brothers, he told the Pharaoh that his family had come and Pharaoh commanded Joseph to give the ample provisions for their trip.

They rode into Egypt in worn out, dusty clothes. They rode out of Egypt, in shiny new royal robes. Especially Ben, who has given five sets of clothes. (Did he change every five minutes?)

Isn’t it interesting that they were given these royal clothes? Wasn’t a robe much like this the reason why they hated him in the first place?

But all that animosity was gone.

They rode in style in Egyptian carts, turning three month journey into a week.

And behind the carts were twenty donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions.

Can you imagine this group riding past all the starving people along the way?

Joseph knew his brothers well and didn’t want them to rehash everything that had happened and try to blame each other.

He says, “And don’t fight on the way.” They didn’t dare disobey but I’m sure they talked through everything that had happened. And they decided that they would have to be honest with their dad about what really happened to Joseph all those years ago.

Jacob is stunned

“So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”