Dreams, Deception and Slavery –
OMG is it Wednesday again, you ask. Why do bad things keep happening to me? Is it bad luck? Believe me things could not absolutely be any worse. Everything I have tried -and done not to get to this point- has failed. Why me?
Today we are going to examine a fraction of the life of a young man (seventeen years old) called Joseph. As we dissect the account of his life up to this point, we are going look at how his dreams spoke about his future and to that of a whole nation. We will seek to understand what could have possibly caused a family (chosen by God) to disintegrate; leading to attempted murder and later into one the greatest tale of deception recorded in the Holy Bible. Yet, it doesn’t stop there. We will pause to consider the motive not just of his brothers in trading Joseph into slavery – but also God’s plan for the life of such a young man.
The account in Genesis 37 is not just about Joseph’s ordeal. In fact it is as much about Joseph as it is about Jacob and the sons of Jacob. I believe it gives us a snap shot of what happens in a slightly dysfunctional family –it is remarkable how God uses the least likely subjects to fulfil the most unlikely destinies – ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats.
To prepare a message on Genesis 37 is a difficult prospect. It is even more difficult if you examine it by itself. Even if you tried to look at the chapter by itself you would be tempted to want to know more about this family – all that there is to know does not lie within the scope of this single chapter – so pardon me if I give flash backs and future glances in the book of Genesis to make the story told more comprehensible.
It begins in the first couple of verses by setting the stage of where the story happens and to whom it is happening. Jacob lived in the land where is father stayed, the land of Canaan. This is a most interesting start to the chapter bearing in my mind that in chapter 32 Jacob’s name was changed to Israel after battling a whole night with an angel. I think that there is a hidden intent here in the deliberate use of the name Jacob. The Hebrew meaning of the word Jacob is translated “heel/ leg puller”. Today’s understanding of the word leg puller suggests a practical joker.
In Jacob’s time it was a name that not only described how he was born (hanging on to the heel of his brother Esau) – names also were an indication of an individuals personality/nature/character. Names were prophetic. In fact the name Jacob in Hebrew is also translated deceitful:
(Genesis 27:36 ESV) Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
See also Genesis 30 Jacobs increases his personal flock while tending to his Uncle Laban’s flock by trickery.
Jacob’s life was a life littered with deception and he only begins to shake off this notoriety when he wrestles with an angel and gets renamed Israel (meaning with God and with men). But not only had Jacob been deceptive in some of his dealings – he was also a victim of deception (deceived by his uncle into marrying Leah before Rachel - Chap 29).
So we start off by being introduced to a master of deception - a man that would do anything to get himself out of trouble – do anything to get on top or succeed. Yet sadly, it was not a trait that was foreign to Jacob’s children either. Maybe it was a value system passed on to the boys inadvertently – I really can’t say – but it is to me, more than a coincidence that in Chap 34 two of Jacob’s sons deceived a whole nation called the Shechemites to restore the honour of their sister Dinah.
This leads me to my first point; Deception will catch you up. In this narrative - Jacob’s sons with the exception of Benjamin (because he was too young) planned the most hideous deception children could ever do on their parents. Jacob was told that the apple of his eye – the firstborn of the wife he loved most was dead. He was said to be eaten by ferocious animals – evidenced by the remains of the torn, mangled, blood splattered Technicolor robe of Joseph. The bible speaks of Jacob’s abject misery when he learns of the demise of his precious son. Yet, this deception though cruel and heartless was not to be permanently hidden in the dark. When we go to chapter 45 we see the brothers terrified in the presence of a brother who they thought was either dead or a slave in some foreign land.
They had been caught out, just like Jacob himself when Esau found out he deceived him of his birth right and blessing or when Laban sons began to suspect that he was making himself rich at the expense of their father’s trust.
The bible teaches in Luke 8:17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
I know of no circumstance in which things are hidden/concealed that does not eventually come to light. If you dare to say - well I have a secret which I will take to my grave- bear these words of 1st Corinth 4:5 in mind.
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
In other words if you are not exposed in this life you will be in the next. I tell you the truth this is probably the most self introspecting revelation I have ever had to face. I ask which of us here this morning can speak of all their deeds. Who dares to bear their whole life to the microscopes of the world? Would we be caught out at any time? Would we be able stand up to the permanent scrutiny and judgement of others? Would the life we outwardly live match up to the secret life we so carefully guard?
Now make no mistake I am not suggesting that all the deeds of your life should be an open book. James 5:16 commands -Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
And David prays in Psalm 51:3-4 - For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
And John says in 1 John 8:1 - If we say we have no sin then we deceive ourselves …
Implicit in these three verses of scripture are salient truths about deception (sin).
1. Deception is sin and if we say we have no sin then that in itself is deception. John says not only do we deceive ourselves but the truth is not in us.
2. There are some sins that may indirectly affect others or maybe you think this only affects me, which only I alone know. We are taught/encouraged/commanded to confess these to God – so that according to the psalmist David, God may be justified in his words and blameless in His judgement.
What words of God are being justified here – let’s turn to Proverbs 28:13 – “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” The word of God says we will not prosper if we hide our wrong doing – but it also says God is merciful to those who confesses and forsakes them.
3. When our deception affects others we must confess our sins to the person or people we have wronged so that we can be healed. I don’t think that needs much explaining but if you don’t get it – say sorry, mean it and do something about it.
Now that leads me to the next point about deception. Deception can only be forgiven with a heartfelt genuine confession. This type of confession is the test of whether or not we are truly sorry for what we have done. If we are truly sorry it must show in our actions. This action may either demonstrate itself instantaneously or it may be a slow working progress in you – God’s Holy Spirit working new thoughts and new desires in you. Its instant coffee vs slow brew.
Now Joseph’s brothers deception was abominable. But if we look closely at their attitudes after their deception we get a glimpse into how two wrongs can’t make a right – even if it has good intent, but we also see the beginnings of a change of heart.
In verses 12 – 27 Joseph is sent by his father to go up to Schechem from Hebron to look for his brothers who should be tending sheep there, just to see if all was well. He did not find them there, so he was directed onto Dothan where he found them. Now just for a reminder Schechem was the same place the brothers Simeon and Levi carried out a most barbarous deception and retribution for the raping of their sister Dinah – it was a perfect place to carry out a second brutal plan.
Yet the plot for murder was first assuaged by Rueben who tried to buy Joseph some time so as to rescue him later. The impression here is that initially we are led to believe all the brothers were in agreement to kill Joseph when they saw him from afar. Yet, Rueben whose name translates to mean “God saw my needs and blessed me” recognised Joseph’s need to be saved and had a change of heart.
But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”(Genesis 37:21 ESV)
Sometimes we need to hear our sins out loud before we recognise it as sin. I think that we have been such a politically correct society that we no longer call a spade a spade in fear that it will unearth us. Rueben heard the plan to murder but was not at ease with its consequence. Have your deceit ever been pointed out to you by anyone else. I can tell you -it is not only uncomfortable and probably embarrassing –it also prompts you to act –to try to put things right. Rueben demonstrates the first act of confession and that is to admit that what I am doing or about to do is wrong.
Judah however tried to further right the wrong by convincing his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery. It was to be a masterful intervention because it saved Joseph’s life but we can see no genuine regret on Judah’s part after that. It is Rueben again who demonstrates deep regret by renting his clothes when he discovers that Joseph was not in the pit where he had left him. He is now forced play an active role in the cover up of the truth. The repentance for this greater deception was not to be realised until Chapters 42 -45 when Joseph tests his brothers to see if their attitudes had changed.
How hard it must have been for Joseph’s brothers to carry that deception day in and day out – for roughly 22years. Watching their father pine away for the loss of a much loved son –knowing too well it kills him daily. I can imagine hushed conversations of genuine consternation wondering -is he alive?- is he dead? I can imagine serious self examination – could I have done more?-should I tell the truth? But I can also imagine that as time drags on the thought of the deception becomes a buried lie - and maybe a callous joke expressed - I wonder what is the dreamer dreaming of now?
Sometimes, we get away with our deceptions so long that we fail to confront it. It gets buried in our little closets –into the caverns of minds –far from reality –so far away from everyone. Every now and then something reminds us of it but no one knows about it – so we ignore it - we bury it again until we are reminded again. The challenge to us this morning - we don’t have to hide from the reality of our guilt. The bible says we have all sinned and have come short. We are not able to measure up to God’s holy standard. But I feel comforted by the words of St John… we have an advocate that intercedes on our behalf not just for our sins but for the sins of the world. One song writer puts it this way “what a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and grief to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
Joseph’s brothers were tested by Joseph to see if they had indeed changed. Chapter 45 tells us that not only had they changed - they were also forgiven. Now I don’t want get into too much detail about forgiveness – that - I believe - is another sermon in itself. But what I do think is important to understand is that -when one demonstrates change -forgiveness becomes a lot easier. Could Joseph forgive his brothers without seeing a change? He probably could… but was it likely - after all he had been through as a result of their wickedness. Joseph now counted his experience as good – God’s hand working out a greater good. But I am certain it took him some time to get to that opinion.
Forgiveness is a virtue every Christian must possess – it is commanded of us to forgive because we are forgiven –we are commanded to forgive our enemies as we would our friends –we are told to forgive 490 times if needs be. Forgiveness is a garment every Christian must put on- it is not only a consequence of repentance – it is also a path that leads to repentance.
But am I missing the bigger picture? Am I putting the proverbial chicken before the egg? We probably now need to put the client “deception”to lie in that big leather chair. We need to get to the root of its problem. Is it systemic? Or is it superficial?
Let us look back at where this all began. Joseph was a little tattle tale – the bible tells us in verse 2 that Joseph brought a bad report about his brothers to their father. The bible further tells us that Jacob made Joseph a robe of many colours (signifying honour). And still yet even further, Jacob openly loved Joseph more than the others.
In any normal family all these are enough of a recipe for disaster. In the eyes of Joseph’s brothers he was tattle tale, a show off, and daddy’s favourite. If Joseph was like most teenagers – all this attention probably went to his head – he probably even wound them up for a laugh. It is clear that Jacob played favourites and the brothers hated Joseph. I warn you if you are a parent here today - playing favourites is something you should steer clear of doing. If you want to cultivate envy and strife in your home start choosing sides –start playing favourites.
(My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. (James 2:1 ESV))
Yet the problems all really began with a dream. A dream is a powerful method of communication – especially when God want’s to do the talking. Often times we communicate with God through prayer – we are expected to pray. But when we do pray we find it near impossible to listen – we almost forget that we are talking with someone who wants to talk to us. Sure, you may argue that he speaks to us through the bible. Yes I will agree, but that doesn’t stop God from talking to us in any other way he chooses.
Dreams give God the opportunity to do the talking. You need to listen. Joseph had two dreams -and from what we can make of the dreams they both pointed to him being some kind of ruler -firstly over his brothers and secondly over his brothers and father and mother. The dreams were so clear that it did not need a seer to interpret them - they were self explanatory. His father rebuked him but thought long and hard about it. Jacob was acquainted with dreams of such nature- and probably thought there was some great truth to this dream. Joseph’s brothers on the other hand became jealous and probably hated him even more.
Lesson here, you do not have to always publicly share your dreams. Sometimes, God speaks a secret to us for our own understanding – for our own growth – for our own development. Joseph had enough stripes against him why add insult to injury? He was insensitive to his brothers and they hated him for it. We can learn a valuable lesson here - you can cause envy and strife if you are not humble with the prospects and gifts God has in store for us. I sometimes wonder if Joseph’s ordeal was God’s way of humbling him – refining him into the leader and representative of the kingdom he needed to be. What is your blessing or your gift this morning that you keep showing off? – is it causing envy or strife? Or are you humbly ministering with your talent/blessing?
Romans 4:2
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
Our boasting is a manifestation of our sinful desires. It is our carnal substitute for justification. But Paul says to us, if it was all about works –then our talents expressed to its fullest potential – our blessings shared to its nth term does not impress God. Joseph had to learn to be humble and learn that it would be his obedience to God that would be counted as righteousness and not his position.
Can you remember Jesus asking Peter – do you love me? Not once but three times Jesus asked the same question to which Peter responds increasingly agitated; yes! and Jesus repeatedly and firmly responds – feed my sheep. We are called to obey. Obedience is a strange construct in a world bent on anti-establishment, anti –norms and anti-values. It is radical and hip to go against the grain of societal expectation. It is even so much more hip to go against the system of belief, the ethics and moral codes of religion - especially if that way of life points us to the cross of Jesus. We are called to be humble and in our humility to serve in obedience to God.
My final point this morning examines Joseph’s enslavement. It is briefly mentioned in verses 28 and 36 hence I will treat it with equal brevity. It was a common thing to have slaves in biblical times – it was not too long ago that slavery was abolished and is probably still a feature in some closed societies today. Slaves were bought and sold like life-stock they had no rights, no claim - no freedom. Joseph was torn from a world where he dreamed of being a ruler to world where he was servant. Many people have ambitions to become leaders – we feel we have all the answers – we want all the power and prestige that comes with being a leader. Joseph may have harboured such intentions but he was not ready yet. Jesus puts this point across succinctly to us in Matthew 20:25-28
“But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be firs sit among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Are we rulers so we can boast and satisfy our egos – in fact this kind of leadership may be described as slavery to sin. Genuine leadership comes from God – it humbles us to servitude- it relegates us to the back of the line- as leaders of God we are slaves to doing what is right in God’s eyes.
So what if it is Wednesday. It is just another day – a day that God has made. It is a time that is the fruit of the days before. Are those days filled with un-confessed deception – were they days in which you had dreams yet unfulfilled – are they days in which we have been humbled and now ready to serve?
Believe me it is not a matter of luck. Failure is not an option- it is an academy of learning. Why me you ask? God loves us and He wants us to be the best we can be. Just as he worked it out for Joseph he can for us. There might be someone here this morning who has heard this message – you might have given up hope-you maybe thinking that my failures are too many –my past is too dark-my dreams unfulfilled – a slave to sin.
I entreat you -there is room at the cross for you. If you are that person here today don’t be afraid to identify yourself after the service – now if you so wish. I would be happy to help to guide and answer any questions you may have.
