The Wise Appeal - Genesis 47:1-12 Series

…is positioning his family well. Not only they'll have the best land, but they'll be kept separate from everything else that' s going on. So they won't be embraced into the culture of the Egyptians, all the religious festivals, all the things that are going on there. They’ll be separate. And so we talked about that separateness.

So now Joseph gave the instructions, he laid out the plan. In chapter 47, we see that plan implemented. Look with me at Genesis 47:1. It says there – So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan.” So this is his presentation before Pharaoh. “They are now in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. I don't know why he only took five of his brothers. And I don't know which ones he chose. I just think back in the last verses of 46 where it says that shepherds were detestable. And I'm thinking, well, what did he do? Maybe he took the ugliest five guys in there before Pharaoh. I don't know. Maybe he took the ones that could keep their mouths shut, who wouldn’t be running off at the mouth? I'm not sure. But he chose five of his guys, his brothers and they're going into Pharaoh. Watch the wise appeal unfold here in this passage.

Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” Kind of a kind way to say, “Okay, you're coming in. How can we help you? What do you do for a living?” That's what was expected. And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

On your paper, I want you to write one, two, and three, because there are three parts to the wise appeal that you want to know.

The first part of the wise appeal, you can write this. It says to the authority, “I understand you want me to because…” Write that down. “I understand you want me to because...” The first goal that you have in your appeal is to help the authority feel like they're being understood or feel like they're not threatened. Sometimes when children bring requests to their parents, it's like, “[grumbling] You never do….” And they feel threatened. So what do you think parents want to say? “No.” Right? Same thing with bosses. Same thing with teachers. It's the presentation that's so important. So when you come to your parent, you have a request, then you want to present it in a way that uses, I would suggest even using those exact words, and filling in the blank. “I understand you want me to because…” You might say, “Mom, I understand you want me to not have a snack right now because we're eating dinner in a half hour and sometimes I don't eat my dinner.” Now you haven't presented your request yet, but you're preparing the way and the authority is feeling like they're being understood.

Let's see how it takes place in our passage in Genesis 47. And they said to Pharaoh (this is in verse 3), “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land.”

There’s two things they say. One, we’re shepherds. Pharaoh’s asking them, “What do you do?” Now if they would have said, “We're an army,” I think he might have felt a little threatened. If they're executives and they want to take over the land, I think he would feel… Do you think he felt threatened by them being shepherds? No, he's not threatened by them at all.

The second thing they say is, “We've come to sojourn in the land.” The New International Version says “We’ve come to stay for a little while in the land.” So now as the authority, he doesn't have to say, “These guys are coming in and they're now going to live here forever.” You know, whenever you have visitors over, it's good for them to know when to leave. And these guys are already saying we're only staying here for a little while and then we're leaving. Again, setting the stage for the request that's about to come.

The first part of the wise appeal is strategic because it prepares the way. It sets the person at ease in preparation for the request that's coming. The second part of the wise appeal… You can write these words down, young people. Write it down. Get ready. The second part of the wise appeal is to say “I have a problem with that because…” “I have a problem with that because…” “Mom, I have a problem with that because I didn't eat any lunch today and I'm really hungry.” Now you're expressing your presentation of your problem in a respectful way. Not just whining, complaining, and blaming the problem to other people, but you're doing it in a way that's respectful. “I have a problem with that because...”