YOU CANNOT KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN (2023 version).
Text: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Genesis 37:1-4 Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. (2) This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. (3) Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. (4) But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
Genesis 37:12 - 28 (12) Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. (13) And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." He answered, "Here I am." (14) So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. He came to Shechem, (15) and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, "What are you seeking?" (16) "I am seeking my brothers," he said; "tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock." (17) The man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. (18) They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. (19) They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. (20) Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams." (21) But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life." (22) Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. (23) So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; (24) and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. (25) Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. (26) Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? (27) Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers agreed. (28) When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
"Ida Eisenhower, mother of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, was asked in an interview if she was proud of her son. She answered, "Yes, I am very proud. Which son?" (Robert H. Spain. How To Stay alive As Long As You Live. Nashville: Dimensions For Living, 1992, p. 29). Based upon her answer to that question, we can conclude that Ida Eisenhower loved all of her sons equally. She had six sons in all. Dwight was her third son.
I know of a father who got in a disagreement with one of his daughters. His oldest daughter Thelma said in anger, “I bet Priscilla is your favorite daughter”. Her father Mortimer responded, I have three favorite daughters” as he called out their names in birth order “You---Thelma are my favorite first daughter, Priscilla is favorite second daughter, and Mary Anne is favorite third daughter. I love and favor them all! Any questions?” he retorted.
Jacob was the father of twelve sons. He loved them all, but he favored his son Joseph. "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more" (Genesis 37:3-5 ASV). Joseph’s favoritism caused friction among the other sons and how they treated Joseph.
Joseph's brothers conspired together against him to get him out of the picture. The brothers threw Joseph in a pit----a cistern. Only Judah and Reuben were opposed to killing him. Reuben wanted to take him back to his father. Judah wanted to make Joseph disappear and profit from it at the same time, so they sold him into slavery.
Today we will explore betrayal, motives and honor.
BETRAYAL
Are you, your brother’s keeper?
1) Toxic jealousy: That question is prompted by Cain who was jealous and killed his brother Abel in what was the first recorded murder in the Bible. We are our brother's keeper (Genesis 4:9).
2) Plausible denaibility?: After Cain had killed his brother Abel and God asked what happened to Abel, Cain asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?" A keeper in this context is a watchman or a guard. Cain's question implies ignorance. Even though Cain did not openly confess to God he could not hide his sin any better than his parents who tried to hide from God after they had messed with the forbidden fruit.
3) Siblinghood: There is a degree to which we are the keepers of our brothers and sisters whether they siblings by blood or siblings in the Body of Christ because they are our neighbors. Jesus tells us that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves which makes us our brother's keepers.
4) Inescapable responsibility: Clovis G. Chappel once said, "You are responsible for the life that you live and for its influence upon those that you touch. … You can be just as cruel in your selfish neglect as Cain was in his deadly blow". (Clovis G. Chappell. The Village Tragedy. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1925, p. 76).
What about betrayal?
1) Both sides of the fence: We have all been the villain or the victim of betrayal at one time or another.
2) Justifiable: Is it ever justifiable to betray another? Have you ever heard the expression “UGLY, you ain’t got no alibi, cause you’re ugly”?
MOTIVES
What were Joseph’s motives?
1) Missing puzzle piece: One thing about the lectionary text from the Old Testament section for today is that it leaves out verses 5 -11. Those verses are important because they are big part of the story.
2) Explanation: Those verses explains Joesph’s dreams and also display how he seems to be naive as well as arrogant! After all, he was only 17 at that time.
3) Operating system: Our motives are to us what an operating system is to a computer. Good or bad, our motives come from our hearts.
4) Heart: Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (10) "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." (NIV). Oftentimes, God actually gives to us better than we deserve!
What were the motives of his brothers?
1) Motives: There are four reasons Joseph’s brothers hated him.
A) Snitch: He was a tattle-tale- a snitch. We all know that “snitches get stitches right?”
B) Favored: He was Daddy’s favorite son which caused jealousy among his other eleven brothers.
C) Coat of many colors: Someone (Walter Bruggemann) equates this coat to enthronement. Naturally, since there is a “pecking order” the younger favorite,”enthroned” son creates a huge amount of jealousy among the other ten of eleven older brothers. (Walter Bruggemann. Interpretation: Genesis. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982, pp. 300- 302). Seeing him wear that coat, “flaunting that coat” is like a match on a powder keg.
D) Arrogant dreamer: “….the brothers did not dismiss Joseph or his dream; they took them seriously and hated Joseph for both having them and then boasting about them” (Dennis Prager. Genesis: God, Creation and Destruction. Renery Publishing, Washington DC, 2019, p. 426). He dreamed that his brothers would bow to him (verses 5 -11).
E) Breach of brotherhood: The breach in brotherhood happened when the conspired to get rid of Joseph and use his coat to deceive their father with a “ruse” to conclude hat Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. They threw him in a pit where nine of the eleven brothers were ready to leave him to starve to death. Only Reuben and Judah dissented from leaving him to that fate. (Prager, 435).
F) Accomplices: A fifth thing we could add was that they were accomplices. The brothers agreed that they would sell Joseph as a slave. According to Exodus 21:16 what these brothers did could have been a death sentence!
HONOR
Where was the honor in this story?
To answer that question we have to hit fast forward and cut to the chase. Joseph became Potiphar’s slave (Genesis 39).
1) Potiphar’s wife: Potiphar’s wife took notice of the eye candy handsome-well-built GQ image of Joseph and tried to seduce him. But when he would not comply she accused him of making advance at her and got left with his cloak that she grasped while trying to seduce him. She capitalized on the accusation using the cloak ad “alleged evidence”.
2) Joseph’s morals: Joseph refuses her in Genesis 39:9 : No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (NIV).
3) Joseph avoids another pit: Proverbs 23:27 “for an adulterous woman is a deep pit, and a wayward wife is a narrow well” (NIV).
4) Side note: Have you ever noticed how Joseph’s cloaks got him in trouble?
Joseph was also an honorable prisoner who was good at interpreting dreams.
1) Pharoah’s dream: When it was discovered that he could interpret dreams, he was advanced from prisoner-slave to second man in charge. His insight into Pharoah’s dream prompted his promotion. That insightful interpretation of Pharoah’s dream explained that there were seven years of famine in the future.
2) The famine prompted a reunion: Joseph got reunited with his brothers because of this famine. Joseph had been placed in charge of rations that saved many lives, including that of his own family because they had to meet with Joseph for grain to live.
a) He tricked them into returning with a silver cup in the first grain transaction in order to make it look like it was stolen (Genesis 44).
b) Joseph sent someone to catch them with the “missing silver cup”. He toys with them about its discovery and they beg for mercy and ask to be his slaves.
c) He later tells his brothers who he is (Genesis 45). He gets reunited to his father.
d) Jacob and his boys move to Egypt (Genesis 46).
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e) After his father Jacob died, Joseph forgives his brothers who said or claimed that it had been their father’s wish that they would be forgiven (Genesis 50:17).
f) Genesis 50:18 tells us that Joseph’s dream of his brothers bowing to him had come true (see Genesis 37:7). They bowed down and swore to be his slaves.
g) Gen 50:20 "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (NIV).
h) Do you hear an echo of Romans 8:28?
i) More importantly, do you see God’s hand in how everything played out?
