Introduction:
A. The story is told of two long-time golfing buddies who decided one day that they would play the ball where it lies, no matter what! (Golfers sometimes move their ball to a better location.)
1. On the 14th hole, one of them sliced his drive and it ended up on the cart path.
2. As he reached down to pick up his ball to get relief, his friend said, “Wait a minute! We agreed that we would not improve our lies! Remember? No matter what!”
3. The first player tried to explain that he was entitled to this relief, that it was in the rules of golf.
4. But the second fellow would not allow it.
5. Throwing up his hands in disgust, the man went to the cart and grabbed a club.
6. As he stood near his ball, he took a few practice swings, each time scraping the club on the pavement and sending out showers of sparks, leaving scratches on the bottom of his club.
7. Finally, he took his shot.
8. The club hit the path again, sparks went flying, but his ball shot straight towards the green, landed and rolled to a stop - two inches from the cup.
9. “Great shot!” his friend exclaimed. “What club did you use?”
10. The man gave him a smile, “Your 7 iron!”
B. Extending grace is always the best policy!
1. Today as we continue our series on the life of Joseph, we will see him showing some grace that his brothers desperately needed.
2. Grace is something that all of us need and it is something that we must learn to receive and extend.
I. The Story
A. As we begin this segment of Joseph’s story, we remember that Simeon is still being held hostage in Egypt, and Joseph’s brothers are on their second trip to Egypt.
1. This time, their youngest brother, Benjamin is in tow.
2. Their mission was fourfold:
a. To show their good faith.
b. To prove they are not spies.
c. To ransom Simeon.
d. And, to buy more food.
3. They were also bringing back the original money that had been returned in their sacks on the first visit, and they brought double the money and some special gifts for the prime minister.
4. Finally they arrived, full of questions and concerns.
a. Would the Egyptian prime-minister release Simeon?
b. Would he look with favor on them for returning the money?
c. Would he let them all return to their homeland?
B. Let’s begin reading where we ended last week. The Bible says: 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. (Gen. 43:15-17)
1. Our story quickly shifts from the worried brothers to the eager and excited Joseph awaiting their return.
2. At long last he was relieved to witness their return to Egypt.
a. He had probably been waiting and watching, wondering if they would accept his challenge or leave Simeon to his own fate, as they had him so many years before.
b. But finally, there they were; they had returned.
3. Joseph forced himself to stay calm.
a. He looked over the group and found Benjamin.
b. How Joseph’s heart must have pounded in his throat when he saw Benjamin, who had been just a boy when Joseph had been swept away from his family.
4. Joseph ordered his steward to have a meal prepared and to bring the men from Canaan to his home.
5. I have often wondered what Joseph’s steward must have thought about all this.
a. It must have seemed strange, to say the least.
b. Why would the prime minister invite this dusty, dirty tribe of Hebrew nomads to a feast?
6. But the steward obeyed his master.
C. And the story continues: 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.”
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.” (Gen. 43:18-22)
1. I’m sure that Joseph’s brothers were really beside themselves with fear at this point.
2. What in the world was going on?
3. It appears that their guilt was magnifying their anxiety.
a. It must be about the money, they thought to themselves.
4. So they began stumbling over themselves, trying to explain it all to the steward.
5. Notice what it was that they feared: “He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves.”
a. They had sold their own brother into slavery, and now that was what they feared for themselves.
6. Though they were standing before an unnamed, soft-spoken servant from Egypt, whom they had never met, they poured out their confession.
a. “We don’t know how the money got back in our sacks when we came here to buy food last time, but we’ve brought it all back and more.
D. Look at the steward’s response: “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. (Gen. 43:23)
1. The steward did his best to reassure them.
a. “Be at ease,” he told them.
b. The steward, who knew their language, used their word for peace – “Shalom.”
2. Amazingly, this steward even witnessed to them about their God.
a. “Your own God is the one who put the treasure in your sacks. Nobody thinks you stole it. I know what happened, I was the one who put it there.”
b. How did this steward know anything about the God of their father? Joseph must have told him all about God.
3. Joseph’s brothers had never thought to relate the return of their money to the abundant grace of God.
a. Why? Because their guilt had kept them from seeing God’s hand of grace in their lives.
b. Nevertheless, the unmerited favor of God had come in abundance to them – an abundance of grain, and abundance of money, and the restoration of Simeon – God was so good!
E. So, what happened next? The Bible says: 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. (Gen. 43:24-25)
1. This strange situation must have had Joseph’s brothers totally confused.
2. They had come bearing money and gifts, hoping to buy the good will of the Egyptian prime minister.
3. More importantly, they had brought Benjamin, as the man had requested.
4. Instead of being asked about any of this, however, they had been taken to the prime-minister’s home for a feast. What was going on!
F. The story continues. The Bible says: 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?” They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor. (Gen. 43:26-28)
1. Suddenly, their brother, the prime minister arrived on the scene.
2. His brothers hurried to present their gifts to him and they bowed down to him – remember the dreams.
3. Joseph was not especially interested in the gifts.
4. He was much more interested in them and their father.
5. Joseph asked, “How are you?” “And how is your aged father?”
6. His brothers seemed happy to report that their father was alive and well.
7. But despite the official’s good humor and sincere interest, I’m sure the brothers were uneasy and anxious.
8. They must have been wondering – “Okay, what is going on here? We came to show off Benjamin, get Simeon and some food and hightail it back to Canaan. We didn’t come here to chat and become friends!
G. Finally, the attention turned to Benjamin.
1. The Bible says: 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.” (Gen. 43:29)
2. Here we have one of the most eloquent sentences in Scripture and one of the most emotional: “He lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin.”
3. Here’s his only full-blooded brother whom he had not seen in 20 years.
a. All his other siblings were half brothers and sisters.
b. But Benjamin was his only full-blooded brother, and his only connection with his deceased mother, Rachel.
4. Choking back tears, Joseph asked a question that he knew the answer to: “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?”
5. His brother’s must have nodded yes, and Joseph blessed him.
6. Suddenly, this powerful, efficient prime minister, who had been through so much in his life, could no longer control his emotions.
H. The Bible says: 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. (Gen. 43:30)
1. Have you ever been so overcome by emotion that you had to withdraw to a private place and let it all come gushing out?
2. I wonder what he was thinking about as he wept.
a. Did the past 20 years sweep through his memories?
b. Was it the loneliness, and the loss?
c. Was it the loss of all the seasons and birthdays and significant occasions without his family?
3. Like the breach of a dam, his tears gushed out with great sobs.
a. All of the sudden he was no longer a grown man, but was a boy who missed his father and family.
4. Picture what the brothers were doing while Joseph was off composing himself.
a. They must have looked at each other and said, “Awkward.”
b. “Did we say something to upset him?”
c. Maybe they echoed the line Dorothy uttered in the Wizard of Oz: “My! People come and go so quickly here!”
5. So the brothers were again left in great confusion and anxiety.
I. And then, rather matter-of-factly, the Bible tells us that Joseph washed his face, got himself under control, rejoined his brothers and ordered the servants to serve the meal.
1. That’s when things really got interesting.
2. The Bible says: 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. (Gen. 43:32)
3. When you step back from this scene, it seems a bit comical.
a. Joseph was eating by himself, the brothers were at a table of their own, and the other Egyptians were eating by themselves.
b. All these people were sharing lunch in the same place, but they were all at separate tables, in their own little cliques.
J. Now comes the most peculiar thing of all that must have really brought wonder and fear to Joseph’s brothers.
1. The Bible says: 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. (Gen. 43:33-34)
2. Author and scholar, Henry Morris had this to say about these verses: After they were assigned to seats at their table, the eleven brothers noted a remarkable thing. They had been seated in order of age, from the eldest through the youngest. If this were a mere coincidence, it was indeed marvelous. One can easily show…that there are no less then 39,917,000 (thirty-nine million, nine hundred-seventeen thousand) different orders in which eleven individuals could have been seated!...Evidently, this man knew a great deal more about their family than they had realized; or else he had some kind of supernatural power. They had no answer, and could only wonder about it.”
3. Joseph’s brothers must have been astonished at the way they were being treated.
a. They had expected a number of things to happen to them, including imprisonment and death, but certainly not this.
b. Now here they were, eating with the prime minister, in his private residence, and they were seated according to their age.
4. And what a feast it was! Steak, Lobster, Lasagna…is anyone getting hungry?
a. And it was being served from the prime ministers table!
b. And look what he did for Benjamin! Why did prime minister give Benjamin portions five times bigger than that given to the other brothers?
c. Maybe Joseph was just so overjoyed and ecstatic at seeing Benjamin that he just kept piling the food on Benjamin’s plate that he didn’t realize what he was doing.
K. Amazing, isn’t it, how Joseph’s acts of grace freed up everyone around the tables.
1. At the outset, there were feelings of anxiety and dread as guilt held the brothers in its clutches.
2. Their fear knew no bounds as they returned to Egypt, wondering what they would face.
3. Amazingly, things didn’t go as expected.
a. Surprisingly, they found themselves being treated kindly, sitting around a banquet table loaded with food, in a time of famine, and eating with royalty.
4. What a relief! Better yet, what grace!
a. They were recipients of favor they hadn’t earned and kindness they didn’t deserve.
b. And they were overloaded with an abundance of provisions they could never repay.
5. This great man, though not as yet known to them as their brother, was determined to show them grace.
6. This reunion was really a banquet of grace and all because Joseph was a man of faith, integrity and grace.
II. The Application
A. As we ponder this segment in Joseph’s life, I believe we find a very simple yet profound analogy.
1. Joseph’s life offers us a magnificent portrayal of the grace of God expressed in the person of His Son, Jesus, who came to our rescue.
2. So many of us come to the Lord like Joseph’s guilty brothers, feeling the distance and fearing the worst.
a. Yet when we come to the Lord, we are surprised by grace as God demonstrates incredible generosity and mercy toward us.
b. Instead of being blamed, we are forgiven.
c. Instead of feeling guilty, we are freed.
d. And instead of experiencing punishment, which we certainly deserve, we are seated at His table and served more than we can ever take in.
B. For some of us, God’s grace is too good to be true, and so we can’t hold on to it.
1. Rather than just accept the gift of grace, we try to desperately plead our case, only to have the Lord speak kindly to us – promising us peace.
2. We then try to fend off His anticipated anger by bargaining with Him, hoping that somehow our hard work and sincere efforts will make up for all those past evil deeds.
C. But God tells us that there is no need for any of this – Christ’s work on the cross is enough and it’s already finished.
1. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins and accomplished our forgiveness in the process – Isn’t it amazing?
2. Paul put it so straight and simple in Ephesians 2. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (2:8-9)
3. Will we allow God to be graceful and to save us by grace?
4. Will we realize that God has gracefully prepared His table, and it is loaded, and He is smiling, waiting for you and me to sit down and enjoy the feast He has prepared for us?
D. Let me end with this reading from Frederick Buechner: After centuries of handling and mishandling…most religious words have become so shopworn nobody’s much interested any more. Not so with grace, for some reason. Mysteriously, even derivatives like gracious and graceful still have some of the bloom left.
Grace is something you can never get but only be given. There’s no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth.
A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There’s nothing you have to do. There’s nothing you have to do. There’s nothing you have to do…
There’s only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you’ll reach out and take it.
E. The very first day that salvation in Christ was proclaimed, the crowd asked the apostle Peter, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)
1. The Bible says: Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (vs. 38)
2. Verse 41 concludes: Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
F. Today is the day of salvation. God is presenting the gift of grace to us, will we receive it by faith, with repentance and confession and baptism?
1. How could any of us reject a gift so wonderful, and hope-full, and grace-full?!
Resources:
Joseph: A man of Integrity and Forgiveness, by Charles Swindoll, Word Publishing, 1998
