Now Is Not The End Part 4
Scriptures: Genesis Chapter 42-50; Exodus 13:19
Introduction:
This morning I will complete this series I’ve titled “Now Is Not The End”. During the past three weeks we have followed Joseph’s trials and tribulations as he was sold into slavery. During each and every trial, Joseph walked with God even though he did not know where it would take him – his end. Joseph’s focus was to ensure that his every step was in line with God and through that, he was able to come into the position that God had prepared for him some thirteen years before. As we come to the end of this series, I want to focus on his revelation to his brothers and what he said about everything that happened to him. This morning I want to complete this message by examining his confrontation with his brothers and his final message upon his death bed. In this message this morning we come to understand how we can release anger, bitterness and past hurts/offenses as we recognize what God has done/was doing through everything we experienced. This message is about forgiveness which comes through knowing when God is working something out – in us and in others. Let's begin with his first meeting with his brothers.
I. Jacob Meets His Brothers
In chapter forty-two of the book of Genesis, the seven years of plenty was over and the famine had begun. Joseph’s family had run out of grain and his father Jacob directed his sons to go to Egypt for bread because he had heard that there was bread in Egypt. (Remember, only Joseph and the leaders of Egypt knew how long this famine would last. No one outside of Egypt was prepared for this famine because they did not know that it was coming.) Jacob told his sons that they had to go to Egypt in order for them to live. Neither Jacob nor his other eleven sons understood that their lives now rested in Joseph’s hands. The ten older brothers of Joseph (his younger brother Benjamin did not accompany them) left for Egypt to purchase grain for their family. Let’s begin at verse six. “Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, ‘Where have you come from?’ and they said, ‘From the land of Canaan to buy food. But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him. Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them and said to them, ‘You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of the land.” (Vss. 6-9)
When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them immediately, but they did not recognize him. Remember, Joseph at this time looked like an Egyptian in the way he was dressed and with his clean shaven face. When Joseph was sold into slavery he was a teenager while his brothers were grown men. Joseph would have changed a lot more than his brothers during the last twenty-two years. So he recognized his brothers even though they did not recognize him. When his brothers bowed down to him Joseph remembered the dreams that he had and understood fully at this point that God’s hand had been with him through everything. God had established him for this time period to save the lives of many, including those of his family.
Have you ever had the experience of moving away from home and then returning home and using what you learned for the benefit of others? Or maybe you just learned something that seems meaningless at the time only for it to become important later as you used the information to help others? There are times when God will place within our grasp things that we will need later, only sometimes we do not recognize that it is God who is behind everything. This is similar to where Joseph was at this moment. When he saw his brothers as they came to purchase food so that they might live Joseph understood why he was in Egypt and why he had gone through everything that he did. He now understood the fullness of his journey to Egypt and that God had revealed it to him as a teenager.
Things were playing out just as God had revealed to Joseph in the dreams. Joseph, having recognized his brothers, decided to test them. Maybe he wanted to see if their hearts were as hard as they were when they sold him into slavery. Maybe he was hoping that the years had softened them. To test them Joseph accused them of being spies. They explained to him that they were not and that they were only there to purchase food for their family. Joseph in the test asked that they bring their youngest brother to Egypt to prove that they were not spies. He put them in prison for three days before releasing them to take grain back to their family, but one of the brothers had to stay behind. Immediately the brothers believed that what they had done to Joseph was now coming back on them. As they discussed their situation they were not aware that Joseph understood everything they were saying. He was now gaining an understanding of their hearts. Joseph was so overcome with emotion that he turned away from them and cried. When Joseph sent them on their way, he had given them their grain for free.
If you continue reading the story, you will discover that Joseph’s brothers returned to Egypt with their youngest brother. Joseph revealed himself to his brothers which caused his brothers to become afraid. Turn to chapter forty-five and we will begin reading at verse three. “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.” (Vss. 3-8)
What Joseph had just revealed is very important to this story. Joseph was approximately 39 years old when he revealed himself to his brothers. It had been almost 22 years since they had last seen him and they were dismayed when they realized who he was. Before Joseph calmed their fears, I am sure they experienced a wide range of emotions and concerns. Fear, anger and immediate anxiety are all possibilities based on Joseph’s response. They understood that Joseph could have spoken a simple word and they could have been placed in prison just as they had done to him. They had seventeen years of hating him and it was plausible that he would have had twenty-two years to hate them for what they did to him. But this is not what happened.
After Joseph revealed himself and saw the reactions of his brothers, he told them to not be dismayed or angry at themselves. In verse five he tells them that “…..for God sent me before you to preserve life.” In verse seven he repeats this statement. But verse eight contains the real revelation. It states “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” We are not told when God revealed this to Joseph, but Joseph was now giving credit to God for him being in Egypt and not blaming his brothers. Twenty-two years earlier his brothers sold him into slavery thinking this would end any chance of his dreams coming to past and in doing so they were actually setting in motion the dreams coming to past. By selling Joseph into Egypt, they saved their own lives.
There are a couple of points I want us to consider as we think about this situation. Joseph is on the other end of his trials and tribulations at this time. He can now look back and see how God had been working in his situation. Joseph chose to give God the credit for what he had gone through versus blaming his brothers. Joseph gave God credit for being sold into Egypt; for being purchase by Potiphar; for being accused by Potiphar’s wife of trying to rape her; for being placed into the king’s prisoners’ jail and for coming before the king of Egypt. He gave God credit for all of it. He did not reveal everything he had gone through to his brothers at this time, but from what he said, we know that he understood that God had established his footsteps and he had fulfilled what God had called him to do. I want this to sink in. Joseph did not examine each little “now” experience, but the end. When he saved his family, everything else that he had gone through ceased to be important. His time being in slavery nor his imprisonment compared to what God had accomplished in using him to save his family.
The second point I want to stress is that once he accepted this, he held no grudges. He did not return to anyone what they had given him; not Potiphar’s wife; Potiphar; the cupbearer; and now his brothers. He came to understand that God was doing something and he was part of God’s plan. The things that had happened to him played out according to God’s will. He believed that God had orchestrated everything. That may be difficult for us to accept, but consider this: what would have been the results had Joseph not been sold into Egypt? His family would have starved to death because there would not have been food in Egypt. What would have happened if Joseph had been sold into Egypt, but Potiphar had not purchased him? His family would have died because there would not have been any food in Egypt because the king would not have known that Joseph could interpret his dream. What would have happen if Potiphar’s wife had not accused Joseph of trying to rape her? Joseph’s family would have died because Joseph would not have been placed into prison and therefore would not have met the cupbearer and interpreted his dream. Each situation, as bad as they were, led to another that eventually got Joseph right where God wanted him to be. But everything relied on Joseph being willing to honor God in every decision he made and every step he took. God used every situation that Joseph was placed in to bring him ultimately to where He had planned for Joseph to be.
I want us to consider what is happening in our lives. In Joseph’s situation God could not let Jacob’s family die because He had made a promise to Abraham. God knew twenty years in the future that a massive famine was going to wipe out the land and kill everyone. If he did not do something, His promise to Abraham would have gone void. Some believe that God caused the famine and therefore planned everything but I am not convinced of this. Remember, at this time Satan was the god of this world and could do whatever he wanted. I choose to believe that God knew what was going to happen and He chose (had to actually) to take steps to ensure that His promise to Abraham would be fulfilled. God chose Joseph to play a key role in His promise being fulfilled – but have you ever wondered why Joseph? What was so special about him that God chose him over his brothers?
II. God’s Choice
Joseph had ten older brothers who God could have chosen to take on this responsibility but He chose Joseph. God knew which of the brothers would be able to walk through this fire and come out on the other side still walking with Him. You see, there are some things that God can use us for that others cannot handle. The same is true for each of us. There are things right now that God knows that we are not ready to handle and therefore others are tasked with the responsibility. Joseph’s brothers were not able to handle this responsibility. Even when you consider how they treated Joseph you will find that they are more aligned to how we would respond in Joseph’s situation. They would have taken out their revenge if they came into power and they would have been so angry with God that they probably would have turned their backs on Him. My point is that there are times when we wonder why God uses those that He does and the reason is that He can see things that we cannot see. Remember the story of when David was anointed king? Although David was just a teen, God saw what the prophet could not see. He knew David’s heart. In the case of Joseph, God knew that he was the one who could get this particular job done. He was the one who had the character; the ability to forgive a wrong done to him; and the wisdom to understand when God was speaking to him. Joseph was chosen for this job because he was the one who could get it done. Are there jobs going undone or half done because truly you’re the only one who can do it and you’re not? There are two other points I want to make before I close.
III. Jacob
As many times as I have read this story, I have not thought about how this impacted Jacob. Remember, Joseph’s older brothers told their father that Jacob had been killed and that they had found the coat that he had given Joseph as proof. Now that Joseph was alive, Jacob had to wonder what really happened. I am sure he asked his sons to tell him the truth and I believe that they did. They also recanted to him everything that Joseph had shared with them about the famine and what God was doing. (Gen. 45:25-28) Chapter 46 tells us that Jacob had concerns about going to Egypt, but God told him that it would be okay and that through their time in Egypt, God would make him a great nation. God also told Jacob that one day He would bring them out of Egypt (Gen. 46:1-4) and we know that Jacob shared this with his sons because of as promise that Joseph made his brothers take. Jacob after not seeing his son alive for more than twenty years left his home to go to Egypt. Jacob was ready to die after being able to see his son. I want to close with a final look at Joseph and the promise he asked his brothers to make to him before he died.
IV. The End
I shared with you at the beginning that this message today is about forgiveness. Joseph forgave his brothers. He did not hold against them what they had done to him. Everything that he had experience in his mind was God’s will because God brought him to a place where he would be able to save not only his family, but everyone within the region. When their father died, Joseph still remained to his brothers what he was when he first revealed himself to them. Every step that he took was to demonstrate to them that they were forgiven. They were forgiven because Joseph understood that God was working. Because God used that situation to save the lives of many, Joseph was not bitter towards his brothers. Joseph understood that had he not experienced what he had his life would have been lost also. He looked at the big picture. But this was not the end. Turn to Genesis 50:24-25. It reads: Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.”
Joseph died at the age of 110 after living in Egypt for 90+ years. Before he died he made the sons of Israel promise to take his bones up from Egypt when God brought them out. Joseph knew that God would fulfill the promise that He had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He knew that Egypt would not be the final home for the children of Israel because God had revealed this to Jacob before he came to Egypt. Joseph wanted it known that when they left Egypt, they were to take his bones with them. He was not an Egyptian and as his work there was finished he wanted to be laid to rest with his people. So even though he had completed what God had called him to do, he knew that God was not finished. He knew that he would not live to see the final result, and he was okay with that. He had faith that what God said He would do would definitely be done. So jump forward some 350+ years to Exodus 13:19. It reads: Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, ‘God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” Now Joseph had reached his end. He did not live to see it, but he wanted it to be known what he wanted done. Word was passed down through the generations for some 350+ years that they would leave Egypt and they were to take Joseph bones with them. Joseph’s journey started when he was a teenager and ended some 400+ years later because of the hand of God.
Conclusion
We often think about our current situation. When I started this series, I told you that our ‘now” situations does not mean it is the end. Everything that we go through has the potential to lead us somewhere – somewhere God is taking us if we choose to follow Him and listen to Him. We are constantly making decisions that affect our lives, but can we say those decisions are in the will of God. God’s word tells us that if He delights in us, He will make it His business to order our every step, to ensure that we do not fall into any traps. As we walk with Him, His blessings will hunt us down, even in the worse of our circumstances, His blessings will find us. We just need to do our parts.
So I close with this question: What are we allowing God to work out in us with the situations we are experiencing today? It does not matter what we are dealing with, are we allowing God to help us? Are we depending on Him? Are we listening to Him? Now is not the end! Even though we do not know what our ends are, if we are walking hand in hand with God, when it is all said and done, we win!
I hope this series of messages has encouraged your spirits. God bless.
