JOSEPH’S FAMILY REUNION Genesis 46:28-47:12
Intro: As you move through the book of Genesis you are confronted with the horrors of family life.
• Lamech,who lived before the flood, was guilty of polygamy.
• Ham mocked the nakedness of his father after the flood.
• Abram engages in an adulterous affair with Hagar.
• Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed because of homosexuality.
• Lot commits incest with his daughters.
• Abraham tempts Abimelech to commit adultery with Sarah.
•Isaac favors Esau over Jacob.
•Jacob has thirteen children by four different women.
•Judah commits incest with his daughter-in-law Tamar.
Joseph’s family was very dysfunctional. There was rampant sin, open hatred, favoritism and wickedness of every kind!
These verses remind us that there is hope for the family. They teach us that there is hope for your family.
LET’S SEE WHAT THE LORD HAS TO SAY TO OUR CHURCH AND OUR FAMILIES. I WANT TO TRY TO PREACH ABOUT JOSEPH’S FAMILY REUNION.
I. 8-27 JOSEPH AND A BLESSED FAMILY--These verses talk about the people who came down into Egypt with Jacob to meet Joseph.
A. V. 26 THEIR NUMBER –God took a solitary man by the name of Jacob and brought through him the nation of Israel. What appeared to be a family riddle and ruined by dysfunction and tragedy was actually a picture of God’s grace in the making.
1. Who would have thought that a fugitive would lead a family of 70 into Egypt? It was the work of God!
2. Who would have guessed that 400 years later Moses would lead two million or more out of Egypt? It was the work of God!
3. Who would have imagined that from this little band that included Jacob, his 12 sons, 1 daughter, 52 grandchildren and 4 great-grandsons would one day come the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who would give His life a ransom to redeem His people from the slavery of their sins? It was an incredible, amazing work of Almighty God!
Now, consider your own family. I would remind you that God has a plan. The truth is, God was working all the time, and He is working in your family too. Keep praying for them. Keep walking right in front of them. Keep trusting the Lord to do the right thing. He will!
B. V. 10-11 THEIR NATURES – These people might have been part of God’s eternal plan, but they were not perfect. In fact, they were a long way from it! Still, there is a glimpse of the grace of God at work here.
1. In vs 10 we are given the names of Simeon’s sons. The last phrase tells us that one son was born to “a Canaanitish woman.” The Canaanites were an accursed people; marriage to them was forbidden.
2. In verse 12 we find listed the offspring of Judah. His first 3 sons, Er, Onan and Shelah were by his wife, who was also a Canaanite, Gen. 38:2.
a. There is no mention of this sin in Judah’s life. Why? Judah had stood before Joseph and made a full confession. As a result, he was pardoned and forgiven by God, Gen. 44.
b. Simeon had continued in his sin and had never repented and his sin is remembered. God had put away the sin of Judah and remembered it no more.
Note: That teaches us when confession is made, sin is forgiven, And, when sin is forgiven, sin is forever forgotten, 1 John 1:7-9.
C. V. 26 THEIR NAMES – The Lord knew every detail and every connection within the family of Jacob. He knew who belonged to whom and He knows who was where. He knew every detail of Jacob’s family. He knew every individual, every sin, every problem, every fear, and every worry.
Note: He knows everything about your family too! He knows every secret you are trying to hide. He also knows about all the needs in your family. He knows every lost soul. He knows everyone that has turned away from Him and His ways. He knows the pain in your heart. He knows the joy in your soul. He knows and He cares, Heb. 4:15-16!
II. 28-47:12 JOSEPH AND A BELOVED FATHER--This passage deals with the family, but it also focuses in on Joseph’s relationship with his father. The way he treated Jacob reveals much about Joseph’s character. These verses also have something to say to us about our relationship to those who grow old around us. The way we treat them is a window into our own character.
A. 46:28-30 HE GAVE HIM ATTENTION –Jacob favored Joseph above all his sons and had picked him to be the head of the family after his death. He signified this choice by giving Joseph a “coat of many colors”, Gen. 37:3. That coat identified Joseph as the head of the family. It told his brothers that he was their ruler. Of course, that coat caused trouble in the family, but it was a clear statement of a father’s live for his son.
Joseph goes out to meet Jacob, to insure that all Jacob’s needs are met. Joseph sets a good example for children to follow. He made every effort to care for the people who cared for him.
B. 46:29-30 HE GAVE HIM AFFECTION – When Joseph saw Jacob for the first time in over twenty years, he could not contain his emotions. He made no effort to hide his love for his father. Here he is, the Prime Minister of Egypt and he is weeping like a child as he hugs his father. What a scene this is!
That is the way we should all be around those we love. We should not be ashamed to display our love for our families.
C. 46:31-47:10 HE GAVE HIM ACCEPTANCE – Joseph wants to present his family and his father to Pharaoh. Joseph knows that the Egyptians despise shepherds. They consider them unclean and worthless people. Joseph knows how the Egyptians feel, but he is not ashamed of his father. He brings him in and presents him to Pharaoh. Jacob may have been weak in the eyes of the world, but he was powerful in the eyes of the Lord. Pharaoh was merely an earthly king while Jacob was a child of God. Joseph knew that his father was a man of God and he was proud of his dad.
D. 47:11-12 HE GAVE HIM ACKNOWLEDGEMENT – Jacob is in a position where he needs to be cared for. He acknowledges his responsibility to take care of his father.
III. 47:27-31 JOSEPH AND A BITTER FAREWELL--Here we are called to the bedside of old Jacob. He believes that the end of his journey is near. He has a few things to say to Joseph before he dies.
A. 47:29-31 A FINAL PETITION – Jacob simply asks his son not to bury him in Egypt. He wants his body taken back to Canaan so that he can be buried in the same place as his fathers, Gen. 23. Joseph promises to carry out his father’s wishes.
B. 50:1-13 A FINAL PRESENT – These verses talk about the fulfillment of Joseph’s promise to his father. In fact, Pharaoh had such respect for Jacob that he ordered a royal funeral for him. Joseph took his father’s body, along with the rulers of the land of Egypt, and they traveled to Canaan to mourn Jacob’s death and to bury his body. The funeral made an impression on the inhabitants of Canaan.
Conc: Joseph was a man who had his priorities in order. He loved his family and he loved his father. He was also willing to protect his heritage.
It may be that the Lord has spoken to you on some level of your life. If He has, you should come to Him as He calls right now.
Maybe your relationship with your family needs work. Maybe your relationship with your parents needs work. Maybe you need to get with you children and let them know they are loved.
There is work to do in our homes today. We are way behind and this is a call to get busy dealing with the things that matter.
