Process and Providence: Genesis 37
Good morning! Please open your Bibles to Genesis 37. We are continuing the series we started last week called Meant for Good. We are looking at the life of Joseph in the Old Testament.
I pointed out to you last week that this one narrative takes up 25% of the book of Genesis.
And just as a reminder, the title of the series comes from one verse at the very end of the account. At the end of this epic, years-long story, Joseph looked at his brothers and said,
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
And so as we continue to work our way through this story, we are going to see more and more how God works through those things that we might just blow off as coincidences in order to accomplish his will. And this morning we are going to look at five scenes in the incredible drama of Genesis 37. Keep your Bibles open—we are going to read as we go, but let’s pray first:
[pray]
Scene 1: Resenting the FATHER’S FAVORITE (vs. 3-4)
We talked last week about the dysfunctional family Joseph was born into. One of the biggest causes of trouble in his family, going all the way back to his great grandfather Abraham, was parents playing favorites and the sibling rivalry that resulted.
Abraham favored Isaac over Ishmael, and there has been enmity between Jews and Arabs ever since.
Isaac favored Esau over Jacob, but his wife Rebekah favored Isaac, so she cooked up this scheme to trick Isaac into blessing Jacob.
Jacob favored his wife Rachel over his wife Leah. It was so bad that hundreds of years later God made a law against the practice. In Leviticus 18:18, the law says,
“18 And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister
And now Jacob continues this pattern into the fourth generation. Look at Genesis 37:3-4:
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
Now, we don’t know much about this coat of many colors. It probably wasn’t the multi-colored bathrobe in the children’s Sunday School pictures, and it absolutely wasn’t the technicolor dreamcoat you saw at the Alabama Shakespeare festival.
Some translations render this a “long-sleeved tunic.” I personally prefer this because it demonstrates the status it gave Joseph over his brothers. See, if you were working out in the fields, you would be wearing a plain short sleeved tunic. But Joseph is Jacob’s favorite. So he gets a long sleeved tunic. That means he isn’t dressed for field work. He’s dressed for management.
So whether it was richly ornamented like the CSB says, or multicolored like the ESV, or long sleeved like the NRSV, it distinguished Joseph as the favorite son of the father.
Now, we’ve already established that Jacob was a very flawed human father, so this isn’t a perfect comparison to our heavenly father by any stretch. But let’s take a step back and consider that our heavenly father calls you his son, his daughter. And when we repent of our sins and surrender ourselves to Him, you know what He does? Isaiah 61:10 says He clothes us with the garments of salvation puts a robe of righteousness on us. Think about the prodigal son story. In Luke 15, The son comes to his senses and returns to his Father’s house— that’s repentance. He says, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and against you.” That’s confession. He says, “Make me as one of your hired hands.” That’s surrender.
And what does the father say, “Bring the best robe, and put it on my son.” You aren’t a hired hand. You are my beloved son. (See Luke 15:11-22).
Scene Two: Rejecting God’s Revelation (v. 5-8)
So back to Joseph. One day, Joseph is with his brothers. I imagine he’s wearing his long sleeved middle management tunic and watching them work. Maybe drinking coffee from a mug that says “world’s best boss” Leaning against the fencepost going, Hey, Dan, one of your sheep looks like it really needs to be fleeced. So if you could do that, that’d be great.”
And then he says, “Oh, and hey, let me tell you about this crazy dream I had. One day we were all working in the field together (and his brothers go, “Ha— you working? That is crazy!) Joseph says, (this is Genesis 37:6–8
6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Now, not every dream is a message or revelation from God. Certainly I’ve had dreams because I watched a scary movie, or ate pizza too late at night, or whatever. But I do believe that God can and does speak to us in dreams. They never stand alone; they are always confirmed by Scripture and prayer and the counsel of the saints. But God still speaks through dreams. And in Joseph’s case, we know that the dream is from God because we know the end of the story. We know that eventually Joseph does reign over his brothers, and they do bow down to him.
But the brothers never even consider that this might be from God. And that’s actually the best case scenario! Because if they did believe that this might come from God, then what they eventually do is downright Satanic.
Skip down to Genesis 37:20
“20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.””
Joseph’s dreams revealed God’s plan. They showed how God was going to work through Joseph to bring about deliverance for his people. The brothers knew about the dreams, but they didn’t acknowledge the hand of God. They just thought their brother was arrogant and full of it. But God’s word never fails. even though they didn’t realize it at the time, Joseph’s dreams were a word from God.
And we don’t dare shake our fist at God’s Word and say, “Ha! We’ll see what becomes of that promise. We’ll see what becomes of that warning. God’s word in this area of my life doesn’t apply. Jesus had a word for that. He called it blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. When you look at the work of the Holy Spirit and deny it. Say its all coincidence. Say its all just a human work. Say it was just dumb luck. Jesus called this blasphemy against the holy spirit, and said it was the unforgivable sin. (Matthew 12:31)
Scene 3: Revealing the Source of sin (verse 18-20)
Do you notice just how many times the text notes that Joseph’s brothers hated him?
• Verse 4: they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
• Verse 5: they hated him even more
• Verse 8: they hared him even more for his dreams and his words
• Verse 11: his brothers were jealous of him.
So by the time we get to verse 18, hatred has boiled up to the point the attitude becomes action. Read with me:
Genesis 37:18–20
“18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him 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 will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.””
Do you see the total depravity of the brothers’ hearts? The are nor just planning the murder, they are planning the cover-up.
Please don’t miss the source of sin: The brothers’ sin was in their hearts before it directed their hands.
That’s why Jesus would say in Matthew 5:21–22
“21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”
That’s why Jesus’ own brother James (who don’t you imagine struggled with some sibling rivalry himself?) said in
James 4:1–2
“1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
Brothers and sisters, sin is not just “the bad things we do.” Sin is the passions and desires and covetousness and envy and anger and hatred we harbor in our hearts. And if you have an anger problem, you have a sin problem. Don’t whitewash it and say, “Well, that’s just my personality. I’ve got a short fuse. Fine. But sanctification means being transformed. It’s about lengthening your fuse and thickening your skin and sweetening your speech. Recognize the source of sin.
And recognize that a sinful attitude almost always grows into a sinful action. Look at what happens next.
Genesis 37:23–25
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. ”
They ripped the coat of many colors off of him— the sign of his father’s favor. I can imagine they were beating him and taunting him the whole time. Then they threw him into a pit and sat down to eat lunch.
Does that remind you of anything? How about when the soldiers beat and stripped and mocked Jesus. Matthew 27:27-31
Matthew 27:27–31 ESV
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
A few verses later— verse 36: Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
All of us have an enemy who hates the fact that you are favored by your father. Satan knows he can’t make God love you any less. Satan knows he can’t take the father’s favor away from you.
But he sure can make you think he can. He surely can get you to forget that you are loved by your heavenly father. Get you to focus on the fact that you’re struggling with whatever pit you find yourself in, and get you to wonder if God has forgotten you and abandoned you. He sure can convince you that evil and sin is winning.
Scene 4: Rejecting the Spirit’s Conviction
Here’s another really tragic detail that i think really speaks to how the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. Joseph’s brothers sat there and ate lunch while Joseph pled for his life. They closed their ears to his cries for help. While Joseph is down in that pit saying, “Guys, whatever I did to you to make you hate me so much, let’s talk it out. We’re brothers! What you are doing is wrong!” While he is saying all this, they’re topside going “Hey, who ate the last drumstick? Pass the potato salad”
You might be saying, wait, I don’t see where they ignored his cries. And you’re right— that part is not explicitly in Genesis 37. But we do see it years later, in Genesis 42:21–22. Years later, they finally come face to face with the consequences of their sin against Joseph.
“Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.””
Reuben is in the role of the Holy Spirit here. One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin.
But how often do we ignore Him. How often do we refuse to listen to that still, small voice that says, “Hey, what you are doing is a sin against God. And it’s going to have consequences.”?
And all we say is “pass the potato salad.”
Scene 5: Rationalizing the depth of depravity (vv. 25-28)
Now, it just so happened that while they are passing the bucket of Canaan Fried Chicken, they see off in the distance a caravan of Ishmaelite traders. And so Judah proposes an alternate plan to his brothers. He says,
26 “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.
So they pull Joseph out of the pit, and they sell him to the Ishmaelites, and they carry Joseph off to Egypt. And I imagine the brothers congratulating themselves for being pretty good people. No, we didn’t kill Joseph. We could never do that. He’s our own flesh and blood.
“So we sold him. See, we aren’t bad people. Sure, it was wrong to sell our brother, but at least we’re not as bad as, like, Cain.”
So much of sin is about the lies we tell ourselves. Our rationalizations for indulging that sin in the first place, and the way we make ourselves feel better by comparing our sin to others’, as if God grades on a curve.
Recognizing God’s Providence (Genesis 50:19)
So, where was God in all this? On the surface, it doesn’t seem like he is anywhere. In fact, from Genesis 35:16 to Genesis 39:2, God isn’t mentioned at all. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t actively working. Do you remember last week when we talked about the difference between miracles and providence? We said that miracles are when God suspends the natural order in order to accomplish His purposes. Providence is when God works through natural events and circumstances to accomplish his purposes. So let’s look at some examples of God’s Providence:
Back in verses 12-14. Jacob sends Joseph to Shechem to check on his brothers, but his brothers have already moved on to Dothan.
Now Shechem is about 50 miles away from Hebron, where Jacob’s family lives. And Dothan is about 20 miles away from there.
So how did Joseph find them? Look at Genesis 37:15-17:
English Standard Version Chapter 37
15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And 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 And 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.
He’s wandering around in a field, 50 miles away, and a rando stranger, who has “just so happened” to hear Joseph’s brothers say they are going to Dothan, “just so happens” to find Joseph wandering around in the fields.
I’ll give you another one. In Genesis 37:25, Joseph’s brothers are sitting down to eat after throwing Joseph into a pit. And it “just so happened” that at that exact moment, a caravan of Ishmaelites, who “just so happen” to be on their way to Egypt, rolls by. That gives them the idea to sell Joseph instead of kill him. So after that , it “just so happens” that a caravan of Midianite traders comes by, also on the way to Egypt.
Good grief. It just so happens that Joseph’s brothers were having lunch during Dothan’s rush hour. What are the odds that two different caravans are going to pass by at that exact moment?
Then, the Midianite traders “just so happen” to sell Joseph to a high ranking official in Pharaoh’s cabinet (verse 36), which puts Joseph eventually puts Joseph in exactly the right place at exactly the right time to save the world.
You know, we often look at things like this and say “What are the odds?” But what we really should get in the habit of saying “Where is God.” Because our God doesn’t do coincidences. Our God doesn’t shoot craps. Our God is working all things together for our good and his glory.
Conclusion
I want to wrap this up by speaking a word of encouragement to what I hope is just a small part of our congregation. I say “I hope its a small part of our congregation,” but experience as a pastor tells me its probably more people that I could imagine.
Some of you have been hurt deeply by members of your own family. It might be emotional. It might be physical. It might even be sexual. But you’ve been hurt by someone you thought you could trust. Maybe it wasn’t a family member. Maybe it was a close friend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, maybe even a fellow church member. You feel like you’ve been stabbed in the back. You feel betrayed. Violence has been done to you. People have acted cruelly toward you. And maybe you feel all alone, because you are worried that no one would believe you. So figuratively speaking, you feel like you’ve been thrown into a pit and sold into captivity.
And maybe you feel like, “Well, even if God did have a plan for me, that ship has sailed. I’m damaged goods. God would never want to use someone as screwed up as I am.” It’s over. My life is never going to be what it could have been. Let me speak a word of truth over you:
Nothing anyone else has ever done to you can derail God’s plan. Joseph’s brothers thought they had brought an end to all of Joseph’s talk about how they would one day bow down to him. They were wrong.
God’s word about Joseph proved true, no matter what his brothers did to him.
God’s word about Jesus proved true, no matter what the Romans, or the religious leaders, or Judas Iscariot did to him.
God’s word about you will be proved true, no matter what anyone has done to you.
See what great love the Father has given to us, that we should be called God’s children. And so we are (1 John 3:1a)
When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and the waves will not overcome you. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.
You see, you have always been favored by your Father. He has always called you His son, or His daughter. You’ve got a coat of many colors. So get it out of the mothballs and put it back on again.
