FROM FAMINE TO FEASTING
Text: GENESIS 43:1, 16, 31
Genesis 43: 1 "Now the famine was still severe in the land."
Genesis 43: 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 a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”
31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”
Today, we will continue our study on the Book of Genesis chapter 43.We have been looking at the life of Joseph, the Dreamer and how his dream has been realized and fulfilled.The Lord prepared and groomed his personality and his character to become the second highest in command of Egypt.He went through a lot of hardships and difficulties but eventually, after much waiting, his promotion came from the Lord.Several weeks ago, we examined how he was tested on the way he used his power and authority.In this chapter, we will learn the next step of his journey to achieving his dream when he welcomed and invited his brothers for a special family dinner.Think of it, in spite of the great famine in the land, Joseph was hosting a feast and an abundance of food for his beloved brothers. On one side, the famine was so severe, it was serious and relentless while on the other side, there was a celebration, a reunion and a happy occasion all within one chapter of Genesis.
"Slaughter an animal and serve the food."
There are people who are going through famine right now.
There are people going through feasting at the same time.
What made the difference? It is in our outlook at life that matters.
It is the way we use the vast spiritual resources that God has given to us.
It is the way we discover God's spiritual truths from the Bible.
Some Christians don't have any idea at all that they are rich in Christ but still they live in spiritual famine and poverty.
That is a great irony but it is true.
There were three characters who were involved. Each one acted differently and individually from each other.
These three important characters that we will study are: Jacob, Judah and Joseph - the three J's.Each of them was faced and confronted with a problem and had to make some major decisions in their lives.But each one looked and reacted at the problem separately and uniquely according to their individual personalities. We can see ourselves from these three characters and learn some valuable spiritual lessons from their lives.
THREE REACTIONS TO PROBLEMS:
1. JACOB: He reacted with pessimism, with despair and gloom.
Genesis 43: 1-2, 6, 13, 14 "Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
6 Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty[a] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
He looked at this problem as a great trouble - a source of anxiety, of great concern and danger.
Twice, he declared: "I am bereaved, I am bereaved."
As if he internalized the problems in his heart.
He incorporate this difficulty within himself.
Jacob represents the man who is easily overtaken, overwhelmed and engulfed when faced by a simple problem.
The problem was there was famine in the land.
There was no food to eat.
Probably, there was not enough water to irrigate the lands.
And so, Jacob commanded his sons to go back to Egypt to buy more food.
But he knew that this decision would require some self-sacrifice and anguish on their part.
He had to decide whether to allow Benjamin to go with them or not.
He knew that if he allowed Benjamin to go with them, he might not see him again.
His heart was heavy on the events that are being unfolding before his sight - it seems that he had to face one problem after another.
Many years ago, he lost his favorite son Joseph.
He has not yet recovered from the lost and still grieving and felt deep distress in his heart.
Then lately, his son Simeon was left in prison during the first trip to Egypt.
Then, this famine that threatens and endangers the lives of his family.
And now, Benjamin had to leave him.
It seems that his problems are compounding too much and becoming unbearable.
But just then, his son Judah stood up and spoke to him arguing and convincing him to allow Benjamin to go with them to Egypt.
Judah assured him that this is the best decision for the sake of the survival of the entire family from famine.
He also guaranteed his father that he will personally take care of his brother.
After hearing this, Jacob changed his heart.
He agreed to let Benjamin go with them.
He made a difficult and painful decision.
He told them to put some of the best products of the land and bring them to the man as gifts.
He sent them off with a prayer that God Almighty will have mercy upon them and go back home with all of them intact.
Yet, in spite of this, Jacob looks at life with gloom and darkness.
"I am bereaved, I am bereaved."
His heart was full of anxiety.
His heart was apprehensive, disquieted and full of concern.
He sees his life as in a state of mourning, of sorrow and misfortune.
He failed to see the light.
He did not comprehend the over-all plan of God in all the events that are happening to his family.
He did not know that this is the beginning of something good that is forthcoming.
"I am bereaved. I am bereaved."
Just like Jacob, there are people today experiencing famine.
That hunger, drought or misery is not of food or of water but of God's Word.
In fact, that famine for God's Word is WORST, more unpleasant and more severe than the famine for food or water.
Amos 8:11 (NIV) "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land-- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD."
Notice the three things that this verse talks about:
1. The Reality of the Prophecy: "The days are coming"
2. The Description of the famine:
It is NOT of food or a thirst for water
It is a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
People do not hear nor read God's Word.
People do not receive, do not meditate and apply God's Word.
Hence, these people don't have God's Word to guide, to teach or lead them.
They have no godly wisdom to solve their problems.
And so, when they face insurmountable problems in life like Jacob, they do not know what to do next.
Their hearts are afraid, unconcern and uneasy.
Many homes here in the US have a Bible somewhere, even in cell phones, mostly unused, idle and untapped.
Few read it, and fewer still understand its spiritual meaning and apply its principles in everyday lives.
They have the rich spiritual treasures right there but they do not use this.
And so, they look at life with pessimism, with gloom, with melancholy and despair.
They look at their situations as if they are hopeless and in a state of bereavement.
"I am bereaved, I am bereaved."
They are in spiritual famine and poverty.
Just like Jacob, there is sadness and darkness in their hearts.
Their vision is blurred, obscured and darkened to the over-all plan of God in their lives.
They could not see beyond the present situation.
They hesitate to make some major decisions in life.
They need a little push from people who are close to them.
But once they have been inspired to decide, they will go all the way but the anxiety is still there.
Are you such an individual like Jacob?
Do you often look at a problem as if you are facing a great mountain to conquer and somehow never been able to take a step forward?
Do you always see difficulties whenever you make those decisions in your life?
It is time to grow, to evolve and to advance your faith and trust in the living God.
You need to believe, accept and consider that God has something good ahead of you.
Of course, you cannot notice and recognize it right now, but God looks and observes the end from the beginning.
You only view and witness the obstacles and the issues at hand.
But you are not able to comprehend and distinguish the solution to your problem that is coming.
All you have to do is to believe and trust God.
You must reject the feeling that God has abandoned, deserted and left you all alone.
The truth is, God has no left you a single minute.
God is actually at the background, working out on situations that will come about in due time.
God wants to bring you out from that mountain of despair and hopelessness so that He can grant your deliverance.
So, trust Him today, depend upon Him and rely on Him for the rest of your life.
When we do this, He has promised:
Phil. 4:19 " And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
Here is the condition for receiving His blessings:
Matthew 9:29 "According to your faith let it be done to you”
Illustration:
According to the latest news analysis, Governor brown has declared a Statewide drought emergency and is asking all Californians to reduce their water use by 20%
That means California is experiencing a very serious drought.
Actually, last year 2013 was the driest year in recorded history for many areas of California and current condition suggest no change in sight for this year.
On January 3, the state conducted its first snow survey of the wet season and found more bare ground than snow.
Statewide, the snowpack water content is just 20% of average for this time of year.
River levels are low around the state.
Along the North Coast, the Russian River, and the upper Sacramento River, levels are at their lowest ever for this time of the year.
That means we must pray more than ever that there will be rain for California.
How about you?
Are you suffering a double drought phenomena?
The drought on rain water in California and spiritual drought for God's Word.
Do you have a regular intake of God's Word?
Some of you are in a state of spiritual drought right now.
Just like in the time of Jacob, the famine was so severe.
But he said: "Buy us a little more food.
Just a little more food.
I hope you will have an abundance of food, not just a little food.
My prayer is the you will overflow and feast on God's Word.
Let us look at the second character:
2. JUDAH: He reacted with a clear vision in mind.
Genesis 43:3-5 "3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”
Judah was a man with a keen eye and a clear vision able to see the solution to the problems he is facing.
His vision was not blurred, obscured or muddied by the famine in the land.
He was not affected even when his father Jacob lost his faith and became discouraged.
He was not dismayed and disheartened even if his brother Simeon was left in the prison cell of Egypt.
He knew that there is still a way out to escape from these dilemma.
The only way to resolve this difficult situation to overcome and defeat one problem at a time.
First, if they had to buy food from Egypt, they have to bring his brother Benjamin along just as the man in charge in Egypt requested.
And so, he negotiates, bargains and discusses to his father imploring to allow Benjamin to go with them.
Verse 8 "Then Judah said to Israel, his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once..."
That means, "Allow him to go with us so that we can hasten and buy food in Egypt.
Benjamin is the key and primary person so that they will live and not die from famine.
He assures his father that he will do everything possible for the safety, security and protection of the child.
He even made a pledge that if he was not able to bring Benjamin back safely, he will take the blame, the criticism and the condemnation for as long as he lives.
This was the greatest form of self-sacrifice and self-denial that a person does for the good of all.
He was focused on the goal and will not allow the problem to blur his vision.
There are people who will always be at their best even in the most critical and demanding times of life situation.
They have keen eyes in approaching problems of life.
They do not blame others.
They will not allow discouragement to overtake them.
And they are ready to make great sacrifices in life just to accomplish a certain goal.
They are born leaders, ready to make some critical decisions.
They are able to maneuver themselves even in the darkest storm.
We need more people like Judah who will stand in their own personal convictions when they know that it is true.
We need people who will solve problems not create conflicts.
Are you such a man like Judah?
How do you look at a simple problem ahead of you?
How do you face people when they are in the midst of hopelessness and pessimism?
Do you blame people or do you look for a solution when problems come?
It is easy to blame, condemn and chide others but it will not help and assist the solution to the difficulty at hand.
These questions are critical in determining your personality when you are facing difficulties in life.
God wants us to be men and women of faith like Judah.
Nothing must blur our vision to be able to reach the goal.
We must hold on to our faith, allow it to grow and use it for the common good.
Here are some suggestions to be men and women of faith:
2 Corinthians 10:5-6(NIV) "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."
Three things to take note in this verse:
1. Demolish arguments - It means to annihilate, to dismantle, obliterate or pulverize every disagreement, controversy or doubts that we entertain in our minds. Because these things will hinder the growth of our faith.
2. Take captive every thought - It means to imprison, to bound or to put in custody all negative, unfavorable, adverse and pessimistic thoughts that we have used to believe.
3. Punish acts of disobedience - It means to correct and discipline every form of misbehavior in our lives that do not honor Christ.
When we do these things, we are assured that we can grow, cultivate and develop our faith.
1 Peter 1:13 (NIV) "Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming."
Three things in this verse:
1. Alert Mind - It means that we need to have a mind that is watchful, active and bright. Because sometimes, we are careless, we are dull and foolish in our decision making. This should not be so. We need to cultivate and develop an alert mind.
2. Sober Mind -It means a mind that is serious, restrained and calm. This is the mind that is steady and clear-headed as opposed to people who are agitated and irrational.
3. Set your hope - It means to establish, to determine or confirm our longing and our dream on Christ and his grace upon us.
Illustration:
Just before Jacob died, he gave his blessings to each of his twelve sons.
These twelve sons represent the twelve tribes of Israel and Jacob's blessings has a prophetic information regarding the future of each tribe.
When Jacob blessed Judah, he declared: "Your brothers will praise you, your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub. You are like a lion that couches and lies down. The scepter will not depart from Judah..." Genesis 49:8-12.
That means Jacob's brothers would praise him.
His name signifies praise and was given him by his mother, her heart was filled with praises to God during that time.
The strength and the power of the tribe is foretold in the imagery of both a lion and a lion's cub to portray the tribe of Judah.
That means, Judah was comparable to a young lion for his strength, courage and vitality.
While Judah is like a mature lion due to prominence and kingship including David and Solomon.
The scepter will not depart from Judah is a Messianic prophecy.
There is an abundance of riches that would belong to the tribe of Judah.
In the same manner, there is an abundance of spiritual riches that is available to us in Christ.
His blessings is overflowing because of the love of God.
Lastly, let us learn from the life of Joseph:
3. JOSEPH: He reacted with optimism and celebration.
Genesis 43: 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 a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”
29 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.” 30 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.
31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”
Joseph was a man who was in the position of power and authority.
He had earned and achieved peace and prosperity for himself and for his kingdom.
Now, he wanted his family to receive, obtain and secure the best of what the land can offer.
When he recognized his brothers particularly his younger brother Benjamin after many years of absence, he decided it is time to celebrate this joyous and heartwarming reunion with a special feast.
He commanded his stewards to slaughter an animal and prepare a meal for his brothers.
There will be a great celebration and festivity in the land.
This is a sign that life under the leadership of Joseph is one that is prosperous, stable, peaceful and abundant.
Joseph has obtained such stability because of the way he used his God given wisdom.
Although there was famine all over but he was not affected by it.
He is at peace in the midst of the calamity, hardships and misfortune around him.
God gave him wisdom and he was able to use his wisdom well while others are having great difficulty in solving a simple problem.
Brothers and sisters, this is what Christian life is all about.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come."
When you are in Christ, you are a new creation.
When you are in Christ, you can rise above difficult situations while others are still struggling with anxiety.
When you are in Christ, you will have have the spiritual eyes to look beyond a challenging situation and persevere knowing that something good is about to happen.
When you are in Christ, you are gifted with balance mind and a peaceful heart.
When you are in Christ, you are emotionally and spiritually strong when others are weak and fainting.
Christ can do that to you and more because you belong to His family.
Hence, you will learn to love your own family as well and care for them.
You will learn to rejoice with them and enjoy their company.
You will want the best for them.
You will have an emotional attachment with them.
This is the kind of character that we see in the heart of Joseph.
He is in great authority, and yet he easily weeps because he missed his family deeply.
The text says: "Deeply moved at the sight of his brother..."
It means he was passionately, immensely and genuinely affected by the reunion.
The mere look at his younger brother generated those feelings of love and devotion to his family.
And then, after he washed his face, he said, "Serve the food."
Give them food to eat.
Let us break the famine in the land.
Joseph then is a symbol of the person and character of Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Someday, when we will be in heaven, the Bible says that Christ will receive us with Him by hosting the great marriage supper of the Lamb.
This is a great day of celebration, a time of festival and a family reunion with all the redeemed of the Lord who have gone ahead of us.
Remember that Christ took all our sins away by dying at the cross and paying the penalty that was supposed to be ours.
And then, He gave us the Holy Spirit to live with us forever.
He wants us to repent from our sins and turn away from our wicked ways so that we will enjoy the fellowship of other Christians who are living holy lives.
We see Jesus in the life of Joseph, reigning, caring, loving and forgiving.
When we will be in heaven, there will be a great celebration, a great feast, and a never ending party waiting for all of us because this will be our homecoming.
We will rest from all our labors.
Christ is the host of the party.
He has invited many people to attend that great dinner.
The party is ready, but the people who have been invited have not responded.
They were not able to make it.
They are so busy with their businesses and the worldly things around them.
And so, Christ has opened the invitation to the people in the streets, in the market places and whosoever want can come and attend.
You have been invited, encouraged and persuaded to that wedding feast.
The question is: Are you coming? Will you attend?
Or you are too busy with the cares of your life that you have no time for the things of God.
How can you be invited?
Receive Christ in your heart.
Make Him as your Lord and Savior.
Then, you will become a child of God and when our lives are over, Christ will have a great feast waiting for us in heaven.
But when you attend that great feast, you have to wear and be clothed with the wedding garment.
That wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ.
You must always put it on, cover yourself and display Christ's garment wherever you go because that is your passport to heaven.
In ourselves, we have no righteousness of our own.
We are sinful through and through.
But with Christ, He takes away that old sinful nature and replaces it with his own righteousness so that we will be fitted for heaven.
Here is the Scripture for the Marriage supper of the Lamb:
Revelation 19:6-9 (NIV) 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Consider the different things we can learn from these verses:
1. There will be rejoicing in heaven - "Let us rejoice and be glad." - that means heaven is a never ending glory and triumph for all Christians. We cannot be upset or sad in heaven.
We need to be cheerful and beaming with joy always.
Don't let that joy depart from your heart.
Influence others with your joy.
2. There will be a marriage celebration in heaven - "For the wedding of the Lamb has come." - that means we will be united with Christ for all eternity.
We will be married to Christ forever.
That is why it is important for us to learn his character, think like Him and become like Him.
3. We will be wearing fine linen in heaven - "Fine linen, bright and clean" - It means that we must always live holy lives because our enjoyment in heaven depends on living holy lives on earth.
Take away that anger, that bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart.
These attitudes will not do you any good.
How could you possibly be happy in heaven if you have not been holy on earth?
Ephesians 5:27 (NIV) "and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
