WHEN LIFE IS THE PITS: FEARFUL HEART
A. We are continuing our study on the Life of Joseph titled: “WHEN LIFE IS THE PITS.”
1. Today we will be studying the “FEARFUL HEART” that is EVIDENT in Jacob and his SONS.
2. The GENERATIONS of Jacob, also known as Israel, began in Genesis 37. There are two overarching
PURPOSES that God is accomplishing in the Life of Joseph.
a. First: God is working through these events to bring the Israelites, the family of Jacob and his sons,
to Egypt in fulfillment of the Word of the Lord to Abraham- Genesis 15:13-14 (READ).
COMMENT:
By taking them to Egypt, God will REMOVE Israel from the EVILS of Canaan for a time and UNITE them as a PEOPLE.
b. Second: God allowed Joseph to go through all the PERILS (PITS) that he went through to
ultimately SAVE his FAMILY from the deadly FAMINE and bring them to EGYPT.
COMMENT:
Joseph and his BROTHERS will become the HEADS of the twelve tribes of Israel—a GREAT NATION—in fulfillment of the PROMISE God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that through
their OFFSPRING all the Nations of the World will be BLESSED.
The coming of God’s Son Jesus Christ, born to the tribe of Judah, was the ultimate fulfillment of that PROMISE. We, too, are RECIPIENTS of that PROMISE, having given our LIVES to Christ.
B. But before all of that can take PLACE, this FAMILY needed RECONCILIATION.
1. Joseph’s brothers had SINNED against him, against their father Jacob, and, most of all, against God.
a. Before there can be genuine RECONCILIATION, there has to be REPENTANCE—a turning
away from SIN and turning to God.
b. For over 20-years, the brothers had been carrying this horrible SECRET and GUILT of what they had done to Joseph, and now it has begun to RESURFACE.
2. God has been in the PROCESS of LEADING these brothers to REPENTANCE through several STEPS.
a. The PHYSICAL FAMINE has pointed to their SPIRITUAL FAMINE and HOPELESSNESS.
b. Joseph’s HARSH CONFRONTATION and TESTING has AWAKENED their GUILTY
CONSCIENCE.
c. Their CONFINEMENT in PRISON for three days led them to finally CONFRONT and then
CONFESS the SINS they COMMITTED against Joseph—at least to themselves.
d. Their DISTRESS is heightened upon their RETURN HOME when they discover their SILVER that was used to PURCHASE the GRAIN in their SACKS and realized God’s HAND at WORK.
3. Yet, God is not DONE using Joseph to TEST these men.
a. Not only does God use HARDSHIP, TESTING and TIME to awaken our CONSCIENCE, He also
LAVISHES His GRACE and GOODNESS on us to lead to REPENTANCE.
b. Paul reminds us in Romans 2:4b that “the kindness of God leads you toward repentance”.
COMMENT:
Our TEXT today bounces back and forth between the FEARS of JACOB and his SONS and the unbounded KINDNESS and PROVISION from the hand of Joseph.
MESSAGE:
I. THE FEAR OF JOSEPH’S FAMILY
A. Jacob’s FEARFUL HEART.
1. The brothers head back home to Canaan with orders from Joseph, the Governor of Egypt, to return
with their younger brother, or else Simeon, who was RETAINED in custody, will DIE.
a. “On the way back, one of the brother’s discover the SILVER that he gave to purchase the GRAIN from the Egyptians in his SACK of GRAIN. Trembling with fear they ask each other,
‘What is this that God has done to us?’” – Genesis 42:27-28.
COMMENT:
After arriving home, they told their father Jacob about the HARSH CONFRONTATION they had with the Governor of Egypt and how they must return with Benjamin or else Simeon will not
be released from PRISON.
b. “Then as the brothers were EMPTYING their SACKS of GRAIN that they had purchased to FEED their FAMILIES, each one found his POUCH of SILVER in his BAG, and they were FRIGHTENED”- Genesis 42:35.
c. Their father then said, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon
is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”- Gen. 42:36.
COMMENT:
Even though Reuben, the oldest brother, PLEADED with his father to allow them to return to Egypt with Benjamin, and even offered to have his own sons KILLED if he didn’t return Benjamin back safely, Jacob REFUSED to let him go.
2. But the FAMINE continued to RAVAGE the LAND, and the GRAIN they had purchased from
Egypt has RUN OUT- Genesis 43:1-14.
a. Out of dire NECESSITY, Jacob says to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food”- v. 2.
COMMENT:
God’s DISCIPLINING PROCESS continues for Jacob’s family. And, I’m sure that they have been PLEADING with God to stop the FAMINE and send RAIN in the LAND. I can hear Jacob saying to his family, “Next week, it will be better. Let’s just hang on a little longer.”
Little do they realize that this FAMINE is going to last SEVEN-YEARS.
They begin to RATION the GRAIN to make it LAST a little LONGER. But the family is getting HUNGRIER and HUNGRIER, and now they have EATEN all the GRAIN and there is NO MORE. The only SOLUTION is to go back to Egypt and BUY more FOOD. But the brothers
KNOW that they cannot RETURN without Benjamin.
b. Judah tries to REASON with his Dad- vv. 3-10 (READ)
COMMENT:
“Judah is the brother who came up with the brilliant idea of selling Joseph into slavery in the first place”- Genesis 37:26-27. He so quickly wanted to get RID of Joseph, but here is he is willing to put his LIFE on the LINE to PROTECT Benjamin. And he reminds his Dad that if only he would have ALLOWED them to RETURN to Egypt with Benjamin when they first REQUESTED, that they could have been there and back TWICE.
Did you notice in v. 8 that the NIV refers to Benjamin as a “boy”. It makes us think that Benny is just a KID around 7 or 8 years old. According to Hebrew scholars, a better translation would be “young man”. In fact, we have indication that Benjamin is a “Dad” in Genesis 46:21. So, he’s probably in his late 20s or early 30s, but Jacob is still so PROTECTIVE of him.
3. It is FEAR for his younger SON that is preventing Jacob from letting him GO. He’s already LOST
Benjamin’s brother Joseph, and he’s AFRAID of LOSING him, too.
a. Although Jacob doesn’t UNDERSTAND what is going on, it is God at WORK here.
COMMENT:
God IS NOT going to ANSWER Jacob’s PRAYER about ENDING the FAMINE, not for several years, yet. But if only Jacob could see that God is about to ANSWER his most heartrending PRAYER of all time, and that is for his son Joseph to be ALIVE and to SEE him again.
b. Finally Jacob RELENTS- vv. 11-14 (READ)
COMMENT:
Jacob has come to the REALIZATION that he has to let Benjamin go with them, or else they all will STARVE to DEATH. In essence he is saying, “I don’t want to, but I have to TRUST God, here.” Sometimes God puts us in DIRE SITUATIONS where we have no other
CHOICE but to RELINQUISH everything to Him.
Jacob uses the name “El Shaddai” in reference to God—“God Almighty”. This is the “name by which God had come to his grandfather with the promise to give Abraham a son through whom all the nations would be blessed”- Genesis 17. Jacob is going to send ALL of his SONS to Egypt, and so he is calling upon the MERCY of “God Almighty” to PROTECT them.
But then he concludes, “if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” In other words, “if I lose all my
children, then so be it.”
Was Jacob’s FAITH remiss with DOUBT? Yea, I think so. Like ours, sometimes. But ultimately, Jacob put his TRUST in God to let His WILL be done.
B. The brothers’ FEARFUL HEARTS
1. The predominant THEME of these VERSES can be summarized by two words: “FEAR” and
“WORKS”.
a. The brothers’ FEARS, like their father’s, are completely UNFOUNDED.
b. And they sought by the WORKS of their hands—“the gift of HONEY, SPICES and MIXED NUTS”—to WIN Joseph’s ACCEPTANCE and FAVOR.
2. As the BROTHERS return to Egypt, Joseph WELCOMES them into his HOME- vv. 15-18 (READ)
a. Although Joseph is merely wanting to be NEAR his brothers, especially Benjamin, the brothers
are FRIGHTENED by the thought of entering Joseph’s house.
COMMENT:
They come to the conclusion that Joseph wants to “attack and overpower them and make
them SLAVES and take their DONKEYS.”
I CAN’T RESIST! This LINE about the “DONKEYS” strikes me as HUMOROUS. What FARMERS these guys are—they’re just simple FARM FOLK. It’s not ENOUGH to be CONCERNED about being FORCED into SLAVERY, their going to “take their donkeys”, too.
b. Their FEAR is prompted by the thought that they are being PUNISHED because of the SILVER
that was found in their SACKS.
COMMENT:
As they explain to the STEWARD how they discovered the SILVER in their sacks and they were back to RETURN every cent, the steward replied, “It’s all right. Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver”- v. 23. He did receive the SILVER, but then Joseph ordered him to RETURN it, and he did.
c. The steward then brought their brother SIMEON out to them.
COMMENT:
Everything the brothers were FEARFUL of has not HAPPENED. They are not being ATTACKED and FORCED into SLAVERY. Their DONKEYS are not being TAKEN AWAY; in fact, they are being FED (v. 24). They are allowed to KEEP their SILVER. And their brother Simeon has been RELEASED.
3. “Joseph finally APPEARS before them and they give him their gifts of MIXED NUTS, and, once
again, they BOW DOWN before him”- v. 26.
a. Look what happens when Joseph finally sees his bother Benjamin- vv. 29-31 (READ)
COMMENT:
Joseph is so EMOTIONAL by this encounter that he can’t even control his TEARS. Benjamin is his only FULL BROTHER, and no doubt, the one that he was CLOSEST to, and he
is so grateful to finally be able to SEE him again.
b. Joseph then gave the COMMAND to “SERVE the FOOD”.
4. Now, there are some PECULIAR things happening here during LUNCH- vv. 32-34.
a. “Joseph is eating at a table by himself, the brothers are eating by themselves, and the Egyptians
are eating by themselves because it would be detestable if Egyptians ate with Hebrews”- v. 32.
COMMENT:
Even with the lofty position that Joseph has in Egypt—second only to Pharaoh, the Egyptians would not eat with him and his brothers because they were Hebrews. Now, this is truly
the WISDOM OF GOD at WORK.
God is going to bring this entire family from Canaan down to Egypt so they can stay for 400 years (and, yes, I know that many of those years they’ll be SLAVES). But they are going to be in the midst of a SOCIETY that doesn’t want to have anything to do with them or inner marry with them, so they can MULTIPLY and remain their OWN PEOPLE with their own BELIEFS
and TRADITIONS, and not ASSIMILATE with an IDOLATROUS NATION.
If they stayed in Canaan they would ASSIMILATE. If they went to Babylon, they would ASSIMILATE. But if they stay in Egypt where no one wants to have anything to do with them, they will REMAIN the pure SEED LINE of Abraham and God’s CHOSEN PEOPLE. God ordained to take this LARGE FAMILY and make them into a SMALL NATION over 400-years.
And by the time Moses comes to set God’s CHOSEN PEOPLE free from Egyptian SLAVERY who would then be “RULED by a King who doesn’t KNOW Joseph” (Exodus 1:8), there will be close 3-million Israelites.
b. “The brothers are seated in the order of their ages from the oldest to the youngest”- v. 33.
COMMENT:
The brothers are astonished that this Egyptian governor that they’ve only MET for the second time knows their BIRTH ORDER. They’ve got to be thinking there’s some VOODOO going on.
c. “Joseph has Benjamin’s plate filled with five-times the food of his brothers”- v. 34.
COMMENT:
Joseph may be TESTING his brothers to see how they would REACT when their youngest brother is obviously FAVORED over them. They didn’t act so NICE when Joseph was favored over them by their father. In order for there to be true RECONCILIATION, Joseph wants to see the HEART of his brothers toward one that is FAVORED over them. So far, everyone is HAPPY.
II. HOW TO OVERCOME OUR FEARS
A. The command “Fear not!” or “Do not be afraid!” is repeated more often in the Bible than any other
COMMAND.
1. FEAR is the opposite of FAITH and TRUST in God.
a. Paul reminded Timothy that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity [fear or cowardice], but a
spirit of power, of love, and self-discipline”- 2 Timothy 1:7.
b. FEAR does not come from God, it is a TOOL of the DEVIL.
2. Satan knows if he can keep us FEARFUL, then we will make very little IMPACT for God because we will be too AFRAID to STEP-OUT ON FAITH.
B. What are some ways we can do to OVERCOME our FEARS?
1. Turn your FEARS over to God in PRAYER.
a. 1 Peter 5:7- “Cast all your anxiety [cares] on Him [God] because He cares for you.”
COMMENT:
God already knows our FEARS—He knows our TROUBLES and our WORRIES. So, lay them out before God seeking His STRENGTH to help us MOVE BEYOND our FEARS and put
our TRUST in Him.
b. Prayer is an active REMINDER that: God is with me. God is watching over me. God cares for me. God has a sovereign plan for me. God’s strength and Spirit is with me. God is trustworthy and faithful.
2. Read in GOD’S WORD how He used ORDINARY PEOPLE to accomplish His WILL.
a. Throughout the Bible God used people to accomplish AMAZING things for Him, but they were NORMAL people just like you and me. There was nothing SUPERNATURAL or INHUMAN
about them.
b. Hebrews 11 is packed full of ORDINARY people that God used to do EXTRAORDINARY
things: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, David, Samuel, and so many more.
COMMENT:
But we also know they weren’t PERFECT. They struggled with SIN, they had DOUBTS, they QUESTIONED God, they HESITATED. But when God needed them, they stepped-out on FAITH despite their FEARS.
And the same POWER and STRENGTH that they had, is AVAILABLE to us if we are only willing to ALLOW God to use us.
3. LIVE OUT your FAITH even when it’s not POPULAR.
a. 2 Corinthians 5:7- “We live by faith, not by sight.”
b. When I break down my FEARS, I find that they are caused by one of three things: the UNKNOWN, UNCERTAINTY, and a DISCONNECT between God’s WORD and what
the WORLD’S WISDOM says.
COMMENT:
The WORLD’S WISDOM is ENTICING. It’s POPULAR, it’s ACCEPTED, and a lot of people FOLLOW IT. In fact, WORLD’S WISDOM wants us to believe that God’s WORD is OBSOLETE, and to LIVE BY IT in today’s CULTURE makes us BIGOTS and HATERS.
c. For this reason, many CHRISTIANS and CHURCHES do not STAND UP FOR and LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH for FEAR of ADVERSE REACTIONS.
COMMENT:
In recent years, we have seen well-known PREACHERS who once STOOD FIRM in the INERRANT Word of God to CHANGE IT to FIT the ever-shifting CULTURE around them. They were AFRAID of LOSING an AUDIENCE that is GUIDED more by the WORLD’S WISDOM than by the WILL OF GOD.
d. Romans 12:2- “Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
CONCLUSION:
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
