Joseph And The Throne Of Grace Series

About a year ago the world’s slowest police chase took place in Washington County Oregon.

Jesse Shawin was wanted on three separate arrest warrants, one being grand theft auto and when Police located him they found him sitting in a construction excavator.

As they arrived, they ordered him out but instead of complying he decided to add an additional charge of resisting arrest resulting in a Police pursuit.

Yet, the pursuit was by Police on foot, and Jesse fleeing on the excavator. It was reported that construction excavators highest rate of speed is a tortoise-like two to three miles per hour. Therefore, the police pursued on foot walking behind the fleeing rig until Jesse gave up a mile and one half later.

Knowing he could not escape the police cam video showed the arrest as an officer laughed and walked next to excavator in pursuit yelling: “Turn off the engine and climb down son. You’re surrounded. We can do this the easy or hard way. It’s your choice.”

Jesse finally gave up realizing that the pursuit was futile.

Explanation:

Running from God is like running from the cops on an excavator. You can’t possibly outpace God. Even if you could, where would you hide?

The Psalmist affirmed this saying: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me...Where can I flee from your presence” Psalm 139:7

Genesis 43 is all about a pursuit. God was pursuing the brothers of Joseph. He had moved deeply in the heart of Joseph and grace surfaced and shined through the heart and life. Nowhere is it seen more than in the way he received his brothers in Genesis 43 as they returned to Egypt.

In his response we get one of the clearest pictures of grace in the Old Testament, as well as, an understanding of what grace does in our lives.

Joseph’s grace without a doubt provides a complete picture of the grace that comes from God’s throne and is offered to us; and as the Prime Minister of Egypt; it is likewise seen as that grace is transferred from Joseph’s throne to his brothers.

Transition: Today, through Joseph’s throne I want us to answer one question: “What’s so amazing about grace?”

Transitional Sentence: What’s so amazing about grace? It is amazing because:

I. It Is Forgiveness and The Gift of Starting Over

vs. 1-3- Now the famine was severe in the land. So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt that their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little food.”

Explanation:

As we join Joe and his brothers in chapter 43, we discover that a new chapter opens up in the life of Joseph and his relationship with his brothers.

In this chapter God has prepared Joseph’s heart to extend grace to his brothers and we find him in Egypt waiting for his brothers to arrive like the Prodigals Father awaiting the return of his boy coming home.

As they prepare to return we find that Judah resurfaces in the narrative. When we saw Judah last we find that he had left home. He had married a Canaanite, been widowed, and through deception had relations with his daughter-in-law (Tamar) resulting in the birth of twins. (Ephraim and Manasseh)

Yet, something happened between chapter 38 and 43. Judah had returned home and back into fellowship with his brothers and his patriarchal family. Obviously, when he returned home, grace had been extended.

Judah, in turn responded to the grace responded to their problem of being out of food. Verse 2 tells us that “when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt” Judah stepped up to speak to his father about the requirement of Benjamin going to Egypt with them.

If you read the passage from verse 3-15 the speech of Judah and the preparation to go on their “grocery store” visit to Egypt.

What I love about Judah’s return is the reminder that Judah was the one who brought up the idea of selling Joseph into slavery in the first place. (Genesis 37:26) Yet, God was at work in Judah’s life. Grace had deeply impacted Judah’s life. He was stepping up and acting more like the Lion that his tribe would be called.

It seems appropriate that Judah would be the one who would initiate the journey to Joseph’s “throne of grace” because ultimately it would be one of his family members; Jesus Christ who would become the Lion of the Tribe of Judah – who would lead us to the ultimate throne of grace! (Amen?)

Sometimes it’s the person who has been forgiven the most who does the most to lead others to grace.

He knew what grace was. He lived it. He experienced it. He knew what grace is: “It is forgiveness and the gift of being able to start over.”