Fruitfulness Through Faithfulness

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Origins

Fruitfulness Through Faithfulness

(Genesis 41:39-57)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In 1940, Clarence Jordan founded Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia, as a haven for racial unity and cooperation. In 1954, the Ku Klux Klan burned every building on the farm except Jordan's home.

 

In the midst of the raid, Jordan recognized the voice of a local newspaper reporter. The next day, the reporter showed up for a story about the arson while the rubble was still smoldering. He found Jordan in a field, planting seeds. He said to Jordan, ‘I heard the awful news of your tragedy last night, and I came out to do a story on the closing of your farm.’

 

Jordan just kept planting and hoeing. The reporter continued his prodding, with no response from Jordan. Finally, the reporter said, ‘You've got two Ph.D.'s, you've put 14 years into this farm, and now there's nothing left. Just how successful do you think you've been?’

 

With that statement, Jordan stopped hoeing. He said to the reporter, ‘You just don't get it, do you? You don't understand us Christians. What we are about is not success, but faithfulness.’”

 

Source: Kevin Conrad, "Wisdom for Faithful Living Today," SermonNotes.com.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2005/november/16222.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Gardening

        • Judy and I enjoy gardening, but it takes a lot of work

        • We have to be faithful in watering and weeding in order to have a garden that is fruitful

    • Spiritual growth

        • We have found the same to be true in our spiritual growth also

        • If we want to experience spiritual fruit, we have to be faithful in watering our walk and weeding out sin

        • If we want to see friends and family believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, then we have to be faithful in watering those relationships with God’s Word

 

  • WE

    • Gardening

        • How many of us have or are gardening?

        • What is your favorite part of gardening? (watering, weeding, harvesting)

        • What happens when we are not faithful in watering or weeding? (no harvest)

    • Spiritual growth

        • How many of us are faithful in watering our walk with the Lord?

        • Are we currently weeding out sin in our lives?

        • Are we watering relationships with family and friends, so they will hear the Gospel and believe in Jesus for salvation?

 

Last week we learned that the Spirit of God was with Joseph, so that he was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. ​​ Joseph had faithfully watered and weeded his relationship with God, so that he would experience fruitfulness in God’s time. ​​ We once again learn from Joseph’s example that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – God blesses those who are faithful to Him.

 

Let’s pray

 

We are going to see how Joseph was fruitful in his profession, with his progeny, and during paucity.

 

  • GOD (Genesis 41:39-57)

    • Profession (vv. 39-49)

        • Pharaoh’s approval (v. 39)

          • Pharaoh recognized God’s hand at work in Joseph’s life

          • God had given Joseph wisdom and discernment in interpreting Pharaoh’s dream

          • Pharaoh wanted someone with the spirit of God in them to help run Egypt

        • Pharaoh’s appointment (vv. 40-45)

          • First appointment

            • Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of his palace and everyone in the palace

            • The only thing that would separate Joseph from Pharaoh, as it pertained to greatness, was the throne that Pharaoh sat on (Joseph would not have access to that)

            • Pharaoh was still in control, but he delegated the daily responsibilities to Joseph

          • Second appointment

            • Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole land in order to accomplish the plan that Joseph had shared with him

            • Pharaoh’s seven steps to proclaim Joseph’s position and power [Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 334]

              • “A verbal appointment by Pharaoh.”

              • “The giving of a signet ring.” (Joseph would have the power to validate documents in the name of Pharaoh, to do business with Pharaoh’s authority)

              • “The dressing in robes of fine linen.” (it was the “byssus” or Egyptian linen; notice again that Joseph is being honored with special clothing)

              • “The placement of a gold chain around his neck.” (in addition to the fine linen robes, the gold chain would identify Joseph’s rank, status, and office)

              • “His public display in a chariot.”

              • “The verbal charge to the Egyptians to Make way! before Joseph.”

              • “The assignment of a new name to Joseph.”

                • Zaphenath-Paneah (tsof-nath’ pah-nay’-akh/sof-a-nath pah-nay’-akh)

                • This Egyptian name may mean “treasury of the glorious rest” or “God speaks and lives” or “the god has said: he will live”

                • “That the narrator does not interpret Joseph’s name means that Joseph’s Egyptian name—whatever the best translation—assumes no significant role in the narrative.” ​​ [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 508]

            • Joseph was now in charge of all of Egypt

              • He went from being a royal prisoner to second in command

              • No one would do anything without Joseph’s word

              • “The expression ‘hand’ and ‘foot’ is a figure (merism), meaning that every activity must meet with Joseph’s approval.” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 763]

            • Joseph also received a wife from Pharaoh

              • Asenath (aw-se-nath’/awh-say-nath’) means “belonging to the goddess Neith”

              • She was the daughter of Potiphera (po-tee feh’rah)

                • His name means “he whom the Ra gave”

                • He was the priest to the sun god Ra and served in the city of On (one/own)

                  • “At this time the priest of On officiated at all major festivals and supervised lesser priests who served the sun god Re in the temple city of Heliopolis.” [Gangel & Bramer, 334]

                  • On was also known by the Greek name Heliopolis, which means “city of the sun”

                  • “The city ‘On’ was the prestigious religious center of Re and Atum, the Egyptian solar deities.” ​​ [Mathews, 764]

                  • Heliopolis/On was seven miles northeast of Cairo [show map]

              • Joseph’s status in Egypt was firmly established when he married “into the elite of Egyptian nobility.” ​​ [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 534]

            • Joseph went throughout the land

          • We see Joseph’s achievements as he travels throughout Egypt

        • Joseph’s achievement (vv. 46-49)

          • Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving under Pharaoh

            • He has been a slave in Egypt for 13 years

            • He was probably imprisoned for 3 of those 13 years

          • We see again that Joseph went out and traveled throughout Egypt

            • He was probably traveling to the various cities doing two things

              • Appointing commissioners in each city

              • Setting up storehouses in each city

            • During the seven years of abundance, Joseph collected all the food produced in the fields surrounding each city and then had it stored in the city

              • When the seven years of famine would come, the commissioners in each city would distribute the food to the individuals in their area

              • The Lord’s plan through Joseph was so successful that he stopped keeping records, because it was immeasurable

          • God’s abundance

            • I skipped over verse 47 because I wanted to come back to it, so we could discuss God’s sovereignty, power, and control at work

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is in control!

              • God provides for His plan in Egypt

                • During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully (Gen. 41:47)

                • “Years of average production are replaced by seven abundant years.” ​​ [Hamilton, 511]

                • God is the One who gave Joseph the plan to ensure that Egypt would not be ruined by the famine

                • God then provides abundantly for them

              • God provides for His plan in our lives

                • When we are faithful to the Lord and follow His plan, He will provide for that plan

                • How have you seen that worked out in your own life?

                • How have we seen that worked out in the life of the church?

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Worship God for being in control of His plan in my life.

        • Joseph was fruitful in his profession, because he had been faithful to God

        • God blesses those who are faithful to Him.

    • Progeny (vv. 50-52)

        • During the seven years of abundance in Egypt, Joseph also saw fruitfulness in his family

        • Joseph’s two sons

          • Joseph and Asenath (aw-se-nath’/awh-say-nath’) had two sons

          • Manasseh (men-ash-sheh’/men-esh-eh’)

            • His name means “causing to forget”

              • Joseph gave his firstborn this name, because God had made him forget all his trouble and all his father’s household

              • “Joseph didn’t forget his family or the events that occurred, but he did forget the pain and suffering that they caused.” [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Pentateuch, 150]

              • We know that Joseph had not forgotten his family or heritage, because he gives both of his sons Hebrew names

              • “The reason of this forgetfulness and silence can only be found in the fact, that through the wondrous alteration in his condition he had been led to see, that he was brought to Egypt according to the counsel of God, and was redeemed by God from slavery and prison, and had been exalted by Him to be lord over Egypt; so that, knowing he was in the hand of God, the firmness of his faith led him to renounce all willful interference with the purposes of God, which pointed to a still broader and more glorious goal (Baumgarten, Delitzsch).” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 227]

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – God enables us, through His grace, to wipe out the pain and bad memories of the past, so we can make a new beginning. ​​ [Wiersbe, 150]

              • God’s grace means that we get something that we don’t deserve, which is forgiveness of our sins and salvation through Jesus Christ

                • Because of God’s incredible grace, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, can and should extend grace to others

                • That’s exactly what Joseph is doing here in naming his son Manasseh, and will be evident when he confronts his brothers

              • Application

                • Hurts of the past

                  • How many of us have hurt from the past that we are still dealing with?

                  • Have we extended grace and forgiveness to those involved?

                  • “. . . grudges are like weeds in a lovely garden or germs in a healthy body: ​​ they just don’t belong there.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 150]

                  • “While the Bible depicts forgetting mostly in dire terms related to apostasy, it also presents some instances when it is a blessing. There are some things we should forget. We do not want to be like the fifty-five individuals in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with hyperthymesia, also known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, HSAM. These people spend an excessive amount of time thinking about their pasts and display extraordinary ability to recall specific events.

                    Alexandre Wolfe is one of the fifty-five. In an interview for National Public Radio, she described how she remembers every detail of a mundane activity like driving to Target for groceries which occurred more than ten years ago. She remembers what she wore and ate every day for the past decade. She remembers if the fan in the bedroom was running on this date last year. Sometimes this extraordinary ability is an advantage, but at other times—many other times—it is a curse.

                    One interviewee in the NPR report says that he remembers all the wrongs done against him and all the wrongs he has committed, and that very scenario is the basis of an episode from the television show                     House. A middle aged character with hyperthymesia remembers everything she said and did since the onset of puberty. She also remembers the wrongs people have done to her and those memories haunt and harass her. The episode demonstrates, as the NPR story states, that ‘we need to forget as much as we need to remember.’”

                    Source: Alix Spiegel, "When Memories Never Fade, The Past Can Poison the Present," NPR (12-27-15); House, Season 7, Episode 12, "You Must Remember This."

                    [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2017/february/8020617.html]

                  • We certainly need to extend grace and forgiveness to past hurts, but we also need to do the same with current hurts

                • Hurts of the present

                  • Perhaps we are currently dealing with some hurt that needs to have grace and forgiveness applied to it

                  • Don’t let another day go by without extending grace and forgiveness

                • We can make a new beginning!

                  • Philippians 3:13-14, Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. ​​ But one thing I do: ​​ Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

                  • Read Ephesians 4:20-32

                  • Read Colossians 3:1-17

                • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Strive for a new beginning by allowing God’s grace and forgiveness to be extended to my past and present hurts.

              • That is exactly what Joseph did

            • “If the name of Joseph’s first son (Manasseh) focuses on a God who preserves, the name of Joseph’s second son (Ephraim) focuses on a God who blesses.” ​​ [Hamilton, 512]

          • Ephraim (ef-rah’-yim/ef-rye’-eam)

            • His name means “double ash-heap: ​​ I shall be doubly fruitful” or “made me fruitful”

            • Joseph gave his second son this name, because God had made him fruitful in the land of his suffering

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – God still blesses in suffering.

              • It can be difficult to see and understand when we are going through suffering

              • Many times, after we have come through the suffering, we are able to look back at the suffering and recognize God’s blessing in and through it

              • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Worship the Lord for His blessing in my suffering.

            • Joseph recognized God’s blessing in his life

        • Joseph experienced fruitfulness with his progeny, because he had been faithful to God

        • God blesses those who are faithful to Him.

        • Finally, Joseph experienced fruitfulness even when things got scarce

    • Paucity (vv. 53-57)

        • Paucity means the condition of having very little or not enough of something, scarcity

        • The seven years of abundance came to an end, just as the Lord had said through Joseph when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream

        • The seven years of famine began, and it didn’t stop just in Egypt, but spread to all the other lands

        • Because Pharaoh listened to God’s plan through Joseph, there was food in Egypt

        • We don’t know how long it took for the Egyptians to feel the pinch, but when they did they cried out to Pharaoh for food

        • Pharaoh pointed them to Joseph

          • He told them to go to Joseph and do whatever he told them

          • Joseph didn’t open the storehouses immediately, but waited ​​ until the famine spread over the whole country

          • When he did open the storehouses, he sold grain to the Egyptians

          • He also sold grain to all the other countries

        • Joseph experienced fruitfulness even when there was scarcity of food in Egypt, because he had been faithful to God’s plan

        • God blesses those who are faithful to Him.

 

  • YOU

    • Do you need to worship the Lord for being in control of His plan in your life?

    • Is it time for a new beginning? ​​ Are you ready to extend God’s grace and forgiveness to someone who has hurt you?

    • How has God blessed you even when you are suffering?

 

  • WE

    • We can worship the Lord for being in control of His plan and for blessing Idaville Church

    • Whom do we need to extend God’s grace and forgiveness to as a body of believers?

 

I am grateful that God blesses those who are faithful to Him.

 

CONCLUSION

“George Lucas’ 2012 film Red Tails provides a dramatized version of the true events behind a group of World War II soldiers called the Tuskegee Airmen. Formally, they belonged to a 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The nickname ‘Red Tails’ was coined after the group painted the tails of their aircraft red.

 

The Tuskegee Airmen became famous for two reasons. First, they were the first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces. But the Red Tails hold a special significance in American history, not just racially, but militarily. In the European air war, U.S. bombers were getting shot down at increasingly alarming rates. The problem arose when the enemy attacked. Fighter pilots, protecting the bombers, would leave the bomber to engage enemy aircraft. Though this seemed like the obvious response, it meant leaving the bombers vulnerable to attack. Each lost bomber carried a crew of 10 or 11 Americans.

 

The Tuskegee Airmen were brought in and given a different strategy: Never leave the bombers. Never. Regardless of what was happening around them. When the enemy attacked, stay the course and defend your charge. The result of their steadfast devotion? Only 25 of the hundreds of bombers they protected during the war were lost. Their stellar reputation became legend: If you flew a bomber, you wanted the Red Tails with you. On the movie screen, the Tuskegee Airmen gather around each other on an airstrip in a foreign land and shout their motto: ‘The last plane, the last bullet, the last man, the last minute, we fight!’

 

The Tuskegee Airmen are celebrated, not just because they were excellent pilots, but because they never wavered from their duty; they never left their charge. No matter what happened, they stayed faithful to their calling.”

 

Source: Wayne Drash, "A Midair Courtship: Tuskegee's Historic Love Story," CNN.com (1-22-12).

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2012/march/6030512.html].

10

 

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Too Soon To Quit!

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Origins

Too Soon To Quit!

(Genesis 41:1-38)

 

INTRODUCTION

“According to the Encyclopedia Americana and other biographical material, the following facts describe a man born February 12, 1809:

 

  • Age 7—His family was forced out of their home on a legal technicality.

  • Age 7—He had to go to work cutting trees, plowing, and harvesting to help support his family.

  • Age 9—His mother died and his family lived almost in squalor.

  • Age 12—His new mother, a widow with three other children, sought to have him receive some formal schooling, but he attended school less than a year.

  • Age 22—He worked as a store clerk in a failing business, then joined the army for eight months.

  • Age 23—He ran for the Illinois legislature.

  • Age 24—He bought a store on credit with a partner.

  • Age 25—He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives (and again at ages 27, 29, 31).

  • Age 26—His business partner died, leaving him with a huge debt that took years to repay.

  • Age 27—He obtained a license to practice law.

  • Age 28—Legend claims that after courting a girl for four years, she refused his proposal of marriage.

  • Age 29—He was defeated for speaker of the state legislature.

  • Age 31—He was defeated for elector.

  • Age 33—He married.

  • Age 37—On his third try he was elected to U.S. Congress.

  • Age 39—He was defeated for reelection to Congress.

  • Age 41—His four-year-old son died.

  • Age 46—He was defeated for U.S. Senate.

  • Age 47—He was defeated for vice-presidential nomination.

  • Age 49—He was defeated for U.S. Senate again.

  • Age 51—He was elected President of the United States.

  • Age 56—He died April 15, 1865.

 

That’s the record of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. It is a brief history of a man whom most consider to be one of the greatest leaders in the history of this country.

What if Abraham Lincoln had quit at 22, or 31, or 49? We would have been deprived of the privilege of having one of the greatest presidents this country has ever known. God’s timing is his timing and is seldom known to humans until after the fact. But it’s always too soon to quit pursuing what is right and good.”

 

[Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 331-32].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Judy and I have trusted the Lord for His timing, wisdom and plan . . .

        • When I have transitioned from one position to another and one ministry to another

        • When we moved from one state to another

        • When we bought our first home and then sold our first home

        • When Judy stayed home with our children and when she returned to teaching

    • We knew we could trust God to guide and provide

 

  • WE

    • Individuals

        • All of us can probably look back over our lives and see how God provided His perfect timing, wisdom, and plan for us

        • Because of His faithfulness in the past, we can trust God to do the same in the future

    • Idaville Church

        • We have trusted the Lord for His timing, His wisdom, and His plan

        • We have trusted the Lord in those three areas when looking for a pastor, when needing finances, when deciding on what missionaries to support, when determining what mission trips to take, when we added on the gym, when we will expand again, etc.

 

Joseph had been trusting God since being sold into slavery by his brothers. ​​ He trusted God when he was falsely accused and then incarcerated. ​​ He trusted God to give him wisdom in interpreting the dreams of the chief cupbearer and chief baker. ​​ He waited patiently for God’s timing to be released from prison, especially since the chief cupbearer forgot about him. ​​ He trusted God for His plan even while he was in prison. ​​ Joseph will once again trust God for His timing, wisdom, and plan, as we will see today. ​​ Through Joseph’s example, we realize that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – God can be trusted.
(He can be trusted with His timing, His wisdom, and His plan)

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 41:1-38)

    • God’s timing (vv. 1-14)

        • Time stamp (v. 1a)

          • Two full years have passed since Joseph interpreted the dreams of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker

          • Joseph has now been in prison for ten years

          • Joseph had trusted God during those ten long years

            • While it may have seemed like an eternity, Joseph could trust that God’s timing was perfect

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s timing is perfect!

              • How many of us would have been impatient and critical of God?

              • The Israelites struggled to trust God when they were wandering through the desert

              • They complained often about the leaders that God had placed over them, the lack of water and food, and much more

              • Is there a situation you are currently going through that seems like it will never end or ever happen?

                • Are you still waiting for Mr. or Mrs. Right?

                • Is that injury or illness still plaguing you?

                • When will school ever be done?

                • Will I ever find a job?

                • Will I ever have get out from underneath this debt?

                • I wish we could buy a house

                • I’m tired of constantly dealing with drama in my family

                • Will God ever answer my prayer about salvation for my . . . (spouse, child, grandchild, parent, coworker, neighbor, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.)?

              • As we wrestle through those scenarios, we can trust that God’s timing is perfect

              • Don’t doubt His sovereignty or timing—trust Him!

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Trust God’s perfect timing to accomplish ________ in my life.

            • God can be trusted!

          • Joseph was still waiting to be released, since he was innocent of the chargers brought by Potiphar’s wife

          • Everything was about to change

        • Pharaoh’s dream (vv. 1b-7)

          • In Pharaoh’s dream, he was standing by the Nile River

          • What Pharaoh saw first would not have been unusual

            • There were seven sleek and fat cows that came up out of the water and started to feed on the reeds

            • In the hot climate of Egypt, cows would submerge themselves in the river to cool off and to escape the insects

            • When they got hungry, they would come up out of the water and eat the reeds along the bank of the river

          • What Pharaoh saw next was unusual

            • Seven more cows came up out of the river, but they were ugly and gaunt

            • They didn’t start feeding on the reeds, but instead stood by the seven sleek and fat cows

            • Then something completely bizarre happened!

            • The seven sickly cows ate up the seven healthy cows

          • Perhaps the scene that Pharaoh just saw startled him enough that he woke up, but he didn’t stay awake

          • When he fell asleep again, he had another dream

            • Seven healthy and good heads of grain were growing on one stalk (that symbolized abundance)

            • On the same stalk, seven other heads of grain sprouted that were thin and scorched by the east wind

              • “Resembling the Palestinian sirocco, the Egyptian khamsin blows in from the Sahara desert (see Hos. 13:15) in late spring and early fall and often withers vegetation (see Isa. 40:7; Ezek. 17:10).” ​​ [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 530]

              • Judy and I experienced something like this in Southern California – they are called the Santa Ana winds and are warm, dry winds that blow in from the desert during the fall and winter months

              • The Santa Ana winds are always a concern, because they can contribute to the fast moving wild fires

            • The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads of grain

          • Pharaoh woke up again, probably because the dream was so disturbing

          • By God’s providence Pharaoh and his magicians and wise men did not understand the significance of the dreams

            • With hindsight we understand the importance of the symbols represented in the dream

            • “For the cow was the symbol of Isis, the goddess of the all-sustaining earth, and in the hieroglyphics it represented the earth, agriculture, and food; and the Nile, by its overflowing, was the source of the fertility of the land.” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 225]

            • “The river was the source of Egypt’s—and so Pharaoh’s—power, fertility, and life (cf. Ex. 7:15-18).” ​​ [Waltke, 530]

          • We have the whole story, so we know what the Nile, cows, and grain represent, but Pharaoh and his magicians and wise men did not

        • Egyptian magicians and wise men (v. 8)

          • Pharaoh’s mind is troubled

            • Pharaoh probably understood that something fantastic had taken place in his dream

            • He may have even understood that the dream had something to do with the plentiful resources of Egypt, but he didn’t know what it meant

            • So, Pharaoh calls in the magicians and wise men of Egypt

          • Magicians and wise men

            • It was part of the culture of Egypt to have “magicians” that would interpret dreams

            • “The training center for the craft was the ‘House of Life,’ where guidebooks for dream interpretation were produced. ​​ These ‘dream books’ are known from the twelfth dynasty, which involved the interpretation of dreams by discerning puns and symbolic images.” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 757]

            • So, the magicians were trained while the wise men were educated and intellectually capable – perhaps experts in logic (they were probably able to discern what made sense and what didn’t)

            • Having both magicians and wise men working together would be very beneficial

          • God’s perfect timing had arrived

        • Chief cupbearer (vv. 9-13)

          • Confession time

            • The chief cupbearer was probably in the court while Pharaoh shared his dream with the magicians and wise men

            • When he realized that the magicians and wise men could not interpret the dreams for Pharaoh, a light bulb lit up in his head

              • He remembered that Joseph had interpreted his dream and the chief baker’s dream

              • He probably also remembered Joseph’s request

              • Genesis 40:14, But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.

              • Now that he remembered Joseph, he mentioned him to Pharaoh

            • He mentions his shortcomings to Pharaoh

              • It is important for us to remember our shortcomings too

              • When the Holy Spirit brings to mind something we have done wrong or something we have neglected to do, it is important that we confess that shortcoming to the Lord and to those we have wronged

              • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is pleased when we confess our sins.

                • James 5:13-16, Is any one of you in trouble? ​​ He should pray. ​​ Is anyone happy? ​​ Let him sing songs of praise. ​​ Is any one of you sick? ​​ He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ​​ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. ​​ If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ​​ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. ​​ The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

                • 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

                • Hebrews 10:19-23, Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ​​ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

              • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess my shortcomings to the Lord and to anyone I have wronged.

            • After the chief cupbearer confessed his shortcomings, he tells Pharaoh what happened to him two years ago

          • Remembering

            • He reminds Pharaoh that he and the chief baker made Pharaoh angry

            • Their punishment was to be imprisoned in the house of the captain of the guard (Potiphar’s house)

            • They both had a dream the same night

            • Both dreams had their own meaning

            • A young Hebrew, who was a servant of the captain of the guard was there with them

            • They both told Joseph their dreams and Joseph interpreted them

            • Both interpretations turned out exactly as Joseph had said

              • The chief cupbearer was restored to his position

              • The chief baker was hanged

          • This was just the news Pharaoh wanted to hear

        • Joseph’s release (v. 14)

          • Pharaoh sent for Joseph

            • This was what Joseph had been waiting for

            • God can be trusted for His perfect timing

            • “Never think you could do something if only you had a different lot and sphere assigned to you. ​​ What you call hindrances, obstacles, discouragements, are probably God’s opportunities.” ​​ [Horace Bushnell cited by Gangel & Bramer, 330]

          • Joseph got ready to meet Pharaoh

            • He changed out of whatever clothing he was wearing to probably nice linen clothes

            • He also shaved, which probably meant both his hair and beard

              • This would have been part of the Egyptian culture, perhaps for hygiene purposes

              • Most Hebrews would have had hair and beards as part of their culture

              • To shave the head and/or the beard was reserved as an insult (2 Sam. 10:5) or to show deep grief (Isa. 15:2; Jer. 41:5) [Mathews, 758; Gangel & Bramer, 333]

              • Joseph was able to be clean shaven, like the Egyptians, without compromising his beliefs, just as Daniel was able to do the same in the Babylonian empire

        • Joseph is ready to meet Pharaoh

    • God’s wisdom (vv. 15-32)

        • Pharaoh tells Joseph what he has heard about him

          • First, he tells Joseph that he had a dream and no one could interpret it

          • Second, he tells Joseph that he was told that when Joseph hears a dream, he is able to interpret it

        • Joseph sets Pharaoh straight

          • Joseph is not afraid to correct Pharaoh, because he knows he does not have any ability to interpret dreams

            • He had not trained as a magician and did not have any “dream books”

            • He was not highly educated and intellectually capable like Pharaoh’s wise men

            • Joseph knew that God could be trusted to give him wisdom and understanding

            • Joseph also knew he could not accept recognition for something God did

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – Humility brings glory to God.

            • Biblical background

              • James 1:16-17, Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. ​​ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

              • Proverbs 2:6, For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

              • James 1:5, If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

              • Matthew 23:12, For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

            • Joseph knew that God was the One who is the source of dreams and their interpretation [Mathews, 759]

              • Joseph witnessed for the true and living God before a king who ruled over a culture that was polytheistic (they worshiped God’s creation, but not Him)

              • He witnessed in a very humble way, by simply pointing to God and not himself

              • That was going to bring glory to God, when Pharaoh acknowledged Joseph’s God as the interpreter of his dream

            • Application

              • Where are you today?

              • Do you recognize that God is the One who has given you specific gifts and abilities, or are you taking the credit yourself?

              • Are you exalting yourself?

              • Do you need to humble yourself before a great and mighty God, who created you and gifted you?

              • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Humbly acknowledge that God has gifted me, so that He receives the glory.

          • Joseph did, what we all should do, and pointed Pharaoh to the source of all dreams and interpretations

          • God would give Pharaoh the meaning of his dream

        • Pharaoh’s dream retold

          • Cow dream

            • Pharaoh recounted the dream he had about the cows

            • He shared about the healthy cows and the lean cows both coming up out of the water

            • He added that he had never seen such ugly cows, in all of Egypt, as the second set of seven cows that were scrawny and lean

            • He shared again that the scrawny, lean, and ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows

            • He also added that even after the lean cows gorged themselves on the fat cows that you could not tell a difference in their appearance—it had no effect

          • Grain dream

            • He explained again about the seven full and good heads of grain growing on a single stalk

            • They were swallowed up by the seven withered and thin heads of grain that sprouted on the same stalk

          • Pharaoh had told his magicians, but they could not explain the dream to him

          • Joseph then explained that both dreams were one and the same and that God was revealing to Pharaoh what He was about to do

          • God can be trusted with His wisdom

        • The interpretation

          • Number seven explained

            • The seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years

            • The seven lean, ugly cows and the seven worthless heads of grain represent seven years

          • Condition of the cows and heads of grain explained

            • The seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain represented seven years of great abundance

            • The seven lean, ugly cows and the seven worthless heads of grain represented seven years of famine

              • The seven years of famine would be so great that the seven years of abundance would not be remembered

              • The Egyptians would not remember “the good old days”

              • They would be so consumed by the hardship and difficulty of the famine

              • As we will see, the seven years of famine would strip them of everything they had, including their freedom

          • Once the meaning of the dream was explained, Joseph also explained why Pharaoh had the dream in two forms

        • Purpose of two forms of the dream

          • It was firmly decided by God that there would be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine

          • God would do it soon

          • PRINCIPLE #4 – God is sovereign!

            • Joseph tells Pharaoh twice that God has revealed to him what He is about to do (vv. 25, 28)

            • Joseph also tells Pharaoh that God will do it soon (v. 32)

            • The sovereignty of God is that He has the right to rule and He rules rightly

            • God had determined that there would be seven years of abundance and then seven years of famine

            • As the narrative about Joseph unfolds, we will see that his family travels to Egypt to get food, which opens the door for restoration and forgiveness

            • God is orchestrating everything in His sovereignty to accomplish His plan and purpose for Joseph and ultimately Jacob’s family

        • Joseph knew that God could be trusted to give him wisdom about the dream

        • Finally we see God’s plan communicated through Joseph

    • God’s plan (vv. 33-38)

        • Overseer

          • Pharaoh needs to appoint a wise and discerning man to be in charge of the land of Egypt

          • He would oversee the commissioners as they executed the plan

        • Commissioners

          • The commissioners would be accountable to the overseer

          • They would collect a fifth of the harvest during the seven years of abundance

          • They would store the food in the various cities and then distribute it during the seven years of famine

          • This would ensure that Egypt would not be ruined by the famine

          • God knew what He was about to do, but He was not going to leave the Egyptians, or the other nations around them, without hope or a plan

          • Joseph knew that God could be trusted with a perfect plan

          • God can be trusted to help us with a perfect plan to deal with the difficulties we are currently experiencing

        • Pharaoh’s approval

          • Pharaoh and his officials thought the plan sounded like a good idea

          • Pharaoh then asked his officials if they could find anyone like Joseph, who had the spirit of God in him?

          • Pharaoh realized that he did not have any wise and discerning men in his court, because none of the magicians and wise men could interpret his dream [Waltke, 532]

          • “Pharaoh wisely receives God’s words and responds accordingly.” ​​ [Waltke, 532]

          • Had Pharaoh not received God’s words, Egypt would have faced God’s judgment—the famine would have wiped them out

 

  • YOU

    • What do you need to trust God’s perfect timing for in your life?

    • What shortcomings do you need to confess to the Lord and others?

    • Where do you need to humbly acknowledge God’s gifting in your life, so He will receive the glory?

 

  • WE

    • What do we need to trust God’s perfect timing for in the church?

    • What shortcomings do we need to confess before the Lord?

    • Where do we need to humbly acknowledge God’s gifting in our church, so He will receive the glory?

 

CONCLUSION

“I have a friend who has done a very interesting thing. He has lived frugally and saved sacrificially in order to have a cash account larger than his yearly salary. I'm not going to tell you the interesting name of his account. But here we'll just refer to it as his good-bye-to-you account. When he had finally accumulated more money than a year's pay, he took his bank statement and showed it to his boss. He explained it as his good-bye-to-you account. He wasn't quitting his job; he was just saying if ever the boss doesn't treat him right or if things ever go wrong, he's not dependent upon the boss. He has this money, and he can say good-bye. He has independence.”

 

Source: Leith Anderson, "The Lord Is My Shepherd," Preaching Today, Tape No. 136.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1997/august/2561.html].

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In Plain Sight

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EASTER SUNDAY 2023

In Plain Sight

(Luke 24:13-36)

 

INTRODUCTION

Judy and I moved to Florida after graduating college. ​​ She started teaching at a Christian school where her friend from grade school was teaching. ​​ At first, they were our only friends. ​​ As we continued to develop relationships, we started hanging out with a couple who were both teachers. ​​ The wife worked at the same school as Judy and the husband worked at another Christian school.

 

In an effort to expand our friend base, we decided to invite other friends to a get together at the other couples house. ​​ Unfortunately, Judy and I were not able to have any other friends come, but the other couple was able to have a husband and wife come (they were both schoolteachers at the husband’s school).

 

As we began to share information about our backgrounds, I was surprised to find out that I already knew the husband and wife that we just met. ​​ All three of us were shocked and excited to realize that we had worked together for several summers at a Bible conference in New Jersey as high school students.

 

Judy and I immediately connected with them and developed an incredibly deep relationship with them.

 

It was amazing that we were so close geographically, but had no idea that we were.

 

BODY

  • ME

    • In plain sight

        • I enjoy playing with my grandkids and one game that my oldest granddaughter and I play is hide and seek

        • Because she is only three, my hiding places are mostly in plain sight (in a corner, behind a chair, in her play tent, etc.)

        • She does the same thing – hiding in plain sight (under the table, under the piano bench, on the stairs, in her play tent, etc.)

        • While she finds me pretty quickly, I act like I don’t know where she is hiding (that produces a lot of laughter)

        • The longer we have played, the more I have started hiding in places that are not in plain sight

 

  • WE

    • In plain sight

        • How many of us have “lost” something only to realize that it is plain sight?

        • The reason that we can’t find it is because it is not in the location that we normally put it

        • We rush around the house looking for it and get frustrated when we can’t find it

        • How many of us have experienced losing our glasses only to be informed that they are on the top of our head?

 

We will see today that Jesus was in plain sight, but two of His disciples did not recognize Him at first. ​​ They were not alone in this, because earlier that morning Mary Magdalene was in the presence of Jesus and did not recognize Him (she thought he was the gardener). ​​ These two disciples went through three stages as it pertained to hope. ​​ First, their hope was ravaged, then hope was revealed, and finally their hope was restored. ​​ What we can learn from this passage today is that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Jesus brings hope!

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Luke 24:13-36)

    • Hope Ravaged (vv. 13-29)

        • Same day (v. 13)

          • We have to look back to v. 1 to understand what day it is

          • It is the first day of the week, Sunday

          • It is also the same day that Jesus rose from the dead

          • We don’t know the hour that He rose but it was sometime before 6 am, because that is probably the time when the women went to the tomb with their spices and perfumes

          • There were two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus

          • They left sometime after the women and Peter and John had returned from the tomb

          • It was probably sometime in the afternoon when they started their journey

        • Jerusalem to Emmaus (v. 13)

          • Emmaus was about 7 miles west and a little north of Jerusalem

          • Since they were walking, it probably took them about 2 ½ hours to make the journey

        • Conversation with each other (v. 14)

          • These two disciples are discussing everything that happened over the past week

          • They were probably discussing what went wrong from the time of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem to His crucifixion and burial

          • They were probably trying to figure out what happened to Jesus’ body, since the tomb He was in was empty and no one knew where the body was, including His closest disciples, Peter, James, and John

          • “We get the impression that these men were discouraged and disappointed because God did not do what they wanted Him to do. ​​ They saw the glory of the kingdom, but they failed to understand the suffering.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 278]

          • We know their demeanor was one of sadness (v. 17, their faces were downcast)

          • The outcome of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was not what they had hoped for

          • Their hope was ravaged

          • Jesus was supposed to rule over them as king and remove the Roman rulers from among them, but now He’s gone

        • A stranger starts walking with them (vv. 15-16)

          • As they are walking along the road to Emmaus this guy starts walking along with them

          • They don’t recognize Him, but they’re cordial enough to allow Him to continue walking with them

          • “Jewish travelers would not consider it unusual for a stranger, who is also a fellow Jew, to join their small company walking for some distance, especially if they assume him to be a Passover pilgrim on his way home.” ​​ [Keener, IVP, Bible Background Commentary, 256]

          • We have the benefit of knowing that it’s Jesus who is walking with them, but the two disciples were kept from recognizing Him

          • You and I can miss Jesus in our lives, because we’re discouraged and angry that God didn’t do for us what we wanted Him to do

            • This is a part of our selfish, sinful nature that we think we know what’s best for us, our family, our state, our nation, and maybe even the world

            • But God is sovereign – He has the right to rule and He rules rightly

            • God is the Creator – He knows everything about this world and the people living in it

            • God is omniscient – He knows everything

            • God knows what’s best for you

            • When you’re feeling discouraged and angry with God, you don’t want to be around other believers, but they are the ones who can help you see that Jesus is right there with you – in plain sight

            • They can help you see that Jesus brings hope!

            • Are you feeling discouraged and angry with God today?

            • Here’s a few steps to take:

              • First, acknowledge your discouragement and anger with God – tell Him how you’re feeling – you’re not going to make Him upset or cause Him to turn His back on you – Heb. 13:5b-6

              • Second, as a follower of Jesus Christ, recognize that He’s right here with you – verbalize it, hear yourself say the words

              • Third, surround yourself with fellow believers and allow them to encourage and comfort you – we are here for you, just reach out, we want to help

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Take time this afternoon to tell God why I’m discouraged and/or angry and that I know Jesus is with me.

              • Reach out to a brother or sister in Christ so they can encourage, support, and comfort you

          • As Jesus and His two disciples are walking along, Jesus asked them a couple of questions

        • Jesus’ two questions (vv. 17-19a)

          • What are you discussing?

            • Jesus already knew what they were discussing, but this was His way of joining in the discussion

            • He wanted to be included in the conversation so He could teach them some valuable truths [BBC, 612]

            • Here we are given the name of one of the disciples, Cleopas

            • Cleopas obviously assumed this Jewish stranger walking with them had been in Jerusalem over Passover and should have known what was going on

            • “News spread quickly by word of mouth, and public executions at a feast would be widely discussed.” ​​ [Keener, IVP, BBC, 2256]

            • If this stranger was a Jew and had participated in a Passover feast, Jesus’ trial and execution would have been the topic of discussion

          • What things?

            • Jesus asks His second question to encourage these two disciples to discuss what they knew about Him

            • “He wanted them to give Him enough information to permit Him to teach His truths from their subject.” ​​ [BBC, 612]

            • When your child comes to you to tell you something that happened to them, but your spouse already told you the story, do you turn them down? ​​ No, you enthusiastically listen to them as they share it. ​​ You patiently listen to the excitement in their voice and you rejoice with them. ​​ If it’s something sad, you comfort them and cry with them.

            • Jesus already knows everything that’s going in your life, but He desires to hear them from you

              • Jesus is saying to you today, “Talk to Me – about that trouble at work, about that feeling in your heart. ​​ I already know all about it, but I want to hear it from you.” ​​ [Courson, 422]

              • Jesus is so patient with you as He listens

              • He is our Great High Priest and sits at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for you (Rom. 8:34)

              • Because of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection you can come boldly before God’s throne and pour out your heart to Him

              • Hebrews 4:14-16, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ​​ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ​​ Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

            • So, Jesus wants these two guys to open up and share what they know about Him

        • Their response (vv. 19b-24)

          • Now we see the content of their conversation – it is Jesus of Nazareth

          • What did these two know about Jesus of Nazareth?

            • They knew His name and where He was from

            • They knew He was a Prophet

            • They knew He was mighty in deed and word

            • They knew He was crucified

            • They knew He promised to redeem Israel

            • They knew others had said He rose from the dead

          • The verdict was still out from the perspective of these two disciples

            • They knew Jesus body was not in the tomb, but they had yet to believe that He rose from the dead

            • The testimony of the women seeing the empty tomb and hearing the message given to them by two angels wasn’t enough

            • The testimony of Peter and John seeing the empty tomb with Jesus’ grave clothes lying there undisturbed wasn’t enough proof

            • “Jesus wanted to know from them what He wants to know from (you) today: ​​ can (you) believe without seeing with (y)our own eyes? ​​ Can (you) believe based on the reliable eyewitness testimony of other people?” ​​ [Guzik, 6]

            • I heard a story from a young man who when he was a young boy wanted to know if God was real. ​​ As he lay in bed one night at his grandmother’s house he asked God to prove that He existed. ​​ Almost immediately the blankets that were pulled up to his chest and not hanging over the edge of the bed were pulled down. ​​ He believed!

            • If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you have believed the reliable eyewitness testimony of other people – you’ve believed the testimony of the Apostles and the other biblical writers, some of whom were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection

        • Jesus’ sermon (vv. 25-27)

          • He calls them foolish

            • The Greek word translated foolish actually means, “lacking in understanding.”

            • It’s not the negative way we use the word fool today

            • It’s not the same word that’s used in Matt. 5:22, that we are forbidden to say to our brother

          • Heart issue not a head issue

            • They knew what the prophets had said, that’s probably why they were so excited about Jesus in the first place

            • They hadn’t understood all of what the prophets had said

            • They only remembered the good parts

            • “They did not believe all that the prophets had written about the Messiah. ​​ That was the problem with most of the Jews in that day: ​​ they saw Messiah as a conquering Redeemer, but they did not see Him as a Suffering Savior. ​​ As they read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 278]

          • Jesus shared scripture with them

            • Jesus asks them if they remembered that the prophets foretold that the Christ would have to suffer these things and then enter his glory

            • Don’t you wish you could have been there to hear Jesus Christ open up the scriptures from Moses to the Prophets

            • That would have been an incredible sermon

            • “The ancient Greek word for expounded (explained) has the idea of sticking close to the text.” ​​ [Guzik, 8]

            • He probably talked about these things

              • The first promise of the Redeemer in Genesis 3:15

              • Abraham placing his son on the altar in Genesis 22

              • The first Passover in Egypt

              • The Levitical sacrifices

              • The Tabernacle ceremonies

              • The Day of Atonement

              • The serpent in the wilderness

              • The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53

              • The prophetic messages of Psalms 22 and 69

              • He shared with them all that scripture said about Him

            • How did He do this?

              • Did He have all these scrolls tucked under His arm?

              • No, He knew the scripture by heart

              • “Sometimes you might think, I don’t need to study the Word because I’ve already studied it. ​​ I already know it. ​​ Do you? ​​ Can you walk along the road and discuss Genesis 37-50, Ezekiel 44, Luke 21-24, Romans 5-8? ​​ Until you’re at that place, you need to be where the Bible is taught consistently.” ​​ [Courson, 422]

              • “The key to understanding the Bible is to see Jesus Christ on every page.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 279]

              • No matter what kind of Bible teaching you do (Sunday school, youth worker, small group leader, etc.) your job is to look for Jesus in every part of God’s Word ​​ [Courson, 422]

        • Stay with us (vv. 28-29)

          • When they were approaching Emmaus, Jesus acted as if He was going to continue His journey

          • The two disciples urged Him strongly to stay with them for the night

          • This was part of the culture of the day to extend hospitality especially as night was getting close

          • Jesus will not force His way into your life

            • He is waiting for you to invite Him in

            • He reveals Himself to you through other people, His creation, and life circumstances and then He waits for you to respond

            • Your sin

              • God provided the Ten Commandments not as a way to be made right with Him, but to show you that you needed someone to help you with your sin

              • Rom. 3:23 – all have sinned

            • God’s justice

              • Rom. 6:23 – wages of sin is death

            • God’ love

              • Rom. 5:8 – demonstrates His love

            • Jesus’ sacrifice

              • 1 Cor. 15:3b-4 – Christ died, was buried, was raised on third day according to the Scriptures

            • God’s promise

              • John 1:12-13 – received Him, believed in His name, become children of God

          • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Invite Jesus into my life by receiving Him and believing in His name, so I can become a child of God.

    • Hope Revealed (vv. 30-32)

        • Jesus’ actions

          • As He sat at the table with them He did something He had done at the Last Supper

          • He took bread

          • He gave thanks

          • He broke the bread

          • He began to give it to them

        • Their eyes are opened

          • Whatever had caused them not to recognize Jesus was removed

          • Their eyes were opened to who this stranger was, that they had been traveling with

          • They had been sharing with Jesus about Jesus!

          • They had been taught on the road by Jesus!

          • As soon as they recognized Jesus, He was gone

            • This resurrected body of Jesus was different than a human body

            • He was able to appear and disappear

            • He was able to move through locked doors

        • Hearts burning

          • Their hearts were greatly moved as Jesus was teaching them about Himself from Moses through the Prophets

          • They were probably remembering all they had learned from Jesus during His ministry here on earth

          • They were missing Him and His presence with them

          • Little did they know He was right there with them

    • Hope Restored (vv. 33-36)

        • They returned to Jerusalem

          • They left immediately to return to Jerusalem

          • They couldn’t wait to tell the other disciples what had happened to them

        • Jesus had appeared to Simon/Peter

          • When they arrived, they had to wait to share their story

          • Hope had already been restored in Jerusalem

          • Jesus had appeared to Simon/Peter

          • The Eleven and the others with them were joyfully announcing and believing that Jesus had risen from the dead

        • They share their experience

          • These two finally got a chance to share how Jesus had walked with them on the road to Emmaus

          • They shared about how they recognized Him after He had broken the bread and giving thanks for it and gave it to them

          • While everyone was rejoicing together and reveling in restored hope, something incredible happened

          • Jesus appeared with them and encouraged them with, “Peace be with you.”

        • “What a difference it would make in our church services if everybody who gathered came to tell about meeting the living Christ! ​​ If our services are ‘dead’ it is probably because we are not really walking with and listening to the living Saviour.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 279]

 

  • YOU

    • Hope ravaged, revealed, and restored

        • You may be experiencing your hope being ravaged today

          • You may feel discouraged and/or angry with God

          • Those emotions are real and they don’t offend God

          • He wants you to talk with Him about what you’re feeling

        • He wants you to know that Jesus is right there with you – this is hope revealed

          • After Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide, illumine, and comfort you and me

          • His plan was never to leave us alone without help or hope

        • He wants you to know that He has placed brothers and sisters in Christ alongside you to help you

          • This is how your hope can be restored

          • Satan wants you to think that you are alone without anyone to encourage you or help you through the discouragement or anger

          • We are here for you

    • Finding hope

        • Your hope comes through Jesus Christ and Him alone

        • The first step in experiencing the hope found in Jesus Christ is to submit yourself to Him and His authority

        • It’s repenting of your sins, turning away from them and not looking back

        • It’s recognizing and admitting your sin to God

        • Believing in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for you

        • Calling on God to be a part of His family

 

  • WE

    • As followers of Jesus Christ we are witnesses to His resurrection power

        • While we were not there to see Him after His resurrection, we have experienced His healing power in our lives

        • We have been set free from the bondage to sin and self

        • We have hope for the future resurrection of our bodies when Jesus returns a second time

        • We are called to share that freedom and hope with others

CONCLUSION

“Florida Highway Patrol troopers were surprised and delighted to find that the alleged drug traffickers they pulled over had made their jobs so much easier than they anticipated. Among the materials found in the vehicle was a bag marked in bold text with the words “Bag Full of Drugs.”

 

Similar bags have been sold for years at novelty shops alongside other gag gifts, but troopers said this bag really did contain a variety of illegal narcotics, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, MDMA, and GHB.

 

The Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office issued a statement, warning potential lawbreakers that not only can their drug-sniffing canine units smell drugs, but they can also read.

 

Possible Preaching Angle:

1) Sometimes the truth is hidden in plain sight; we must not be so enamored with being clever that we miss the obvious. 2) Secrets do not remain hidden for long. The truth will ultimately be revealed.

 

Source:

Cox Media Group, “Florida Highway Patrol finds bags full of drugs in ‘Bag Full of Drugs,’” Dayton Daily News.com (2-4-20).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/march/drug-traffickers-caught-with-novelty-bag-full-of-drugs.html]

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Basic Training

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Basic Training

If you were thinking about joining the Marines and you went to their website, this is what you would read about their boot camp or basic training: There are few reputations more storied and none more deserving than that of Marine Corps Recruit Training. The difficulties this process presents to every recruit are as deliberate as they are legendary, as physical, mental and moral toughness are prerequisites to fight among our ranks. During these 13 weeks of intense battles, it is not enough to simply endure, you must prevail. Pushing through surrender’s pull. Pulling together to prevent all from falling apart. Tapping into the purpose that brought you there. There is no room in our ranks for those who fall behind. Because of this, we constantly and continually take recruits to the brink of exhaustion in ways that test their toughness physically, mentally, and even ethically. What doesn't stop them only makes them more purposeful. And the hardships they overcome together only makes them more resilient. It is a demanding process, but also an exacting one.

This story is from sermoncentral.com: There was a Marine Sergeant who was recuperating from wounds he received when an explosion damaged multiple vertebrae, his left hip, and parts of his legs. His entire left side absorbed a large portion of the blast, and his fellow Marines, who were also injured, pulled him out of the vehicle to safety. He had difficulty standing or sitting for long periods of time, and usually had to alternate between those positions as the pain increased. He was told he would suffer from chronic pain for the rest of his life. While he was in the hospital, they had their annual POW-MIA 5-K Run. This sergeant completed the run, shuffling through the three miles with his cane in about 52 minutes. To this sergeant, and many others, being a Marine means completing the mission despite any obstacles, pushing yourself past where others would quit, always keeping the goal in mind and pressing ever forward, one small step at a time until you reach victory.

When I think about the training required to be a marine and the mentality of that sergeant, I think about Joseph. Joseph must have been physically and mentally tough and we know from last week’s message that he was morally tough. He was thrown into a pit, by his own brothers, for who knows how long and was then sold into slavery by them. He was morally tough in refusing the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife, was wrongfully accused by her and thrown in jail. He must have been faithful and obedient to the Lord because the Lord was with him and to Potiphar because he was put in charge of his entire household. He continued to trust in God despite all the obstacles that came his way and was patient waiting on God to deliver him, never quitting or giving up. He knew that God had something great in store for his life and kept pressing forward, one small step at a time until his mission and purpose came to fulfillment.

Every experience, every hardship and every adversity he went through, was basic training or boot camp, if you will, in the Lord’s Army. For those who have faith in God and in his purposes for their lives, they will experience his testing which is designed to develop a physical, mental, and moral maturity that puts steel into faith so that it becomes steadfast and mature. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Today, we will learn that Joseph continues to be incarcerated and two officials of Pharaoh's court are put in jail with him. He is assigned to attend them and when they both have dreams on the same night, he is able to interpret them with God’s help. Both dream’s interpretations come true, and Joseph hopes to gain his release from jail, but he is forgotten and the testing of his obedience, patience and faithfulness continues. Which brings us to our big idea that God tests his people through adversity to mature them in obedience, patience and faithfulness.

Before we dive into Genesis 40 this morning let’s ask the Holy Spirit to illumine our hearts and minds to what he wants us to learn and what he wants us to apply to our lives today. Dear Awesome God, as we open your Word this morning, we ask for your Holy Spirit to open our hearts and our minds to this passage. As we learn about going through basic training in your army, Lord God, I pray that we would allow you to mature us in obedience, patience and faithfulness even when it means going through adversity and trials of many kinds. Help us to persevere, becoming mature and complete, not lacking anything, for your honor and your glory, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are three points this morning. The first is Incarceration and is found in Genesis 40:1-8. Follow along as I read those verses. This is what God’s Word says, “Sometime later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

We begin with the timestamp, “sometime later” which means that Joseph was in prison for a considerable amount of time before the cupbearer and the baker offended their master. Their master was the “king of Egypt” who was the Pharaoh. That title was used when referencing his servants. The cupbearer and the baker were probably foreigners who had been previously enslaved and were now trusted officials in Pharaoh's court. This reminds us of Nehemiah, the cupbearer of King Artaxerxes while in exile in Persia, who was a man of influence and ability. These were important positions of power, temptation and danger. If someone wanted to assassinate Pharoah, one way would be to poison his food or drink. These officials would have been the first to come under suspicion. They are also called the chief cupbearer and chief baker, meaning they would also have the responsibility of ensuring that their respective staffs were wholly trustworthy as well.

Both of these officials “offended” Pharaoh. The word used translates to “sinned against.” We aren’t told what their specific offenses were meaning that God in his sovereignty was probably orchestrating these events. The phrase “sinned against” is probably to connect and contrast the last chapter where Joseph was thrown into prison for refusing to “sin against” God and this chapter where the officials were thrown into prison for “sinning against” Pharoah. Pharoah was angry, or “enraged.” Wenham says that Pharoah “lost his temper” but it would not have been an overreaction or over something trivial. He put them under “house arrest” in the house of the captain of the guard, pending an investigation into the charges against them.

By God’s sovereignty, they were confined in the same prison that Joseph was confined in and he was assigned by the captain of the guard to attend to them. Potiphar is not named here but it makes sense that Joseph, who was once in charge of his household, and who was now in charge of and responsible for all that was done in the prison, would be assigned to attend these officials. This reinforces the overarching theme of the Joseph story – the providence and sovereignty of God. God is in control of what is happening to Joseph. If Joseph is not put in charge of Potiphar’s house he doesn’t have the opportunity to be wrongfully accused by Potiphar’s wife and he doesn’t get sent to prison. If he is not in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, and if God isn’t with Joseph and grant him favor in the eyes of the prison warden, then Joseph is never assigned to attend to the prisoners, and he never hears and interprets their dreams. We can praise the Lord this morning because He is sovereign and his sovereignty is amazing. Only God can work all things out perfectly, even though it brings trials and adversity to his people, for his purposes. Only God in his infinite wisdom can use these trials and adversity to bring his people to maturity in obedience, patience and faith, and all for his glory and honor. (Big Idea)

Again, we see a timestamp, “after they had been in custody for some time.” We don’t know how long before they had their dreams. It seems that God was giving Joseph time to work on being patient. We are told that the cupbearer and baker both have dreams on the same night and each dream has a meaning of its own. The following morning when Joseph comes to attend them, he notices that they are dejected or sad. The word translated “dejected” is used for a “raging sea” giving us the sense that they were distraught. Seeing themselves as participants in a dream where no one is speaking would have been unnerving and would have added to their feeling of dread. Joseph, instead of ignoring them, inquires why their faces are so sad. We should also be aware of the “faces” of those we come in contact with. God may be wanting us to reach out to them to comfort and care for them as Joseph did here. This brings us to our first principle this morning which is “God is pleased when we notice the hurt in others and try to comfort them.” We see this in the following verses: Philippians 2:3b-4: “Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:4: “(God) comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Joseph was not so preoccupied with his own struggles that he didn’t notice that they were struggling as well. Instead of ignoring their faces, which would have been easy to do, he went the extra mile and inquired as to what was happening with them. I believe God wants us to go the extra mile when we notice someone is having a bad day or struggling with something. All it takes is asking “why” or “what” and being ready and willing to listen and help in any way we can. Which brings us to the first next step on the back of your communication card. My next step is to notice those who are hurting, not ignoring them, but listening to and comforting them.

They both answer they are sad because they have had dreams and there is no one to interpret them. There was no one to interpret because they were in prison. It would have already been a bad omen they both had dreams on the same night but to not have access to someone who could interpret them would make it worse. They would have thought their dreams were about their futures and not having an interpreter would have upset them more than being in prison in the first place. Hamilton says, “A dream without an accompanying interpretation is like a diagnosis without a prognosis.” And I would add “a diagnosis without a treatment.” Egypt was well-known for having magicians who could interpret dreams. They believed that dreams came from the gods, but interpretation came from human beings. They had “dream books” that would have contained sample dreams along with the keys to interpreting them. These books would contain thousands of dreams, the symbolism used in them, and the interpretation of those symbols to tell what the dreams meant. These magicians would use the symbols, an understanding of the person who dreamed the dream, and current events to interpret the dream.

Next, we see the faithfulness of Joseph. How do we know he was faithful? Because he is in prison for being wrongfully accused and still he puts his faith and trust in God having full confidence that he will give him the interpretation. Why? Because God has done it before. Joseph’s relationship with God has not waned or wavered. He knows God will give him the interpretations of their dreams because he had already proven faithful by giving him the interpretation of his dreams. Joseph also believed that God was all-powerful and had authority over all things. Joseph was humble as he told the officials that it was only God who could interpret dreams and not himself. He then asked them to tell him their dreams, putting himself in a position to be used by God. Which brings us to our second principle this morning which is “God is pleased when we allow him to use us to fulfill his plans and purposes.” This is a principle we have seen all throughout our study of the book of Genesis. Joseph, even though he is in prison, is obedient, patient and faithful as he allows God to use him to fulfill his plans and purposes. (Big Idea)

That brings us to our second point which is Interpretation found in verses 9-19. This is what God’s Word says, “So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”

The first dream Joseph hears and interprets is the cupbearer’s dream. In his dream, we notice that the cupbearer is fulfilling his occupation. He was responsible not only for opening and tasting the wine but also for the quality of what he put in Pharoah’s cup. This would include the production of the wine seen in the budding, blossoming, and ripening of the grapes. Next, we notice some sets of threes. There is a vine with three branches on it. There are three actions of the branches - budded, blossomed and ripened. We see that the cupbearer is holding Pharoah’s cup, squeezing the grapes into Pharoah’s cup and putting the cup in Pharaoh's hand. “Pharoah'' is referred to three times and “cup” is mentioned three times. Joseph immediately after hearing the cupbearer’s dream starts to interpret it. The immediacy proves that Joseph is truly interpreting the dream – he is not faking it. The rapidity with which the actions happen show that the dream’s fulfillment was imminent. The three branches stood for three days meaning the interpretation would be realized in that time. The ripening of the grapes, the cupbearer’s interaction with Pharaoh and the three-fold mention of Pharaoh, shows their close relationship. The interpretation of “lift up your head”, in the case of the cupbearer, meant that he would be “restored” to his position in Pharaoh's court. He would be putting Pharaoh’s cup in his hand just like he used to.

Joseph then takes the opportunity, after giving a favorable interpretation, to ask a favor of the cupbearer. This showed his confidence in God’s interpretation and was smart on Joseph’s part. One of the best times to ask a favor of someone would be after giving them good news. He asked the cupbearer that once he got released, to “remember him and show him kindness” by putting in a good word for him with Pharoah, so he could get out of this prison. He must have realized at some level that he is there because God wants him there but that doesn’t mean God wants him to stay there. His own dreams prove that he would not wallow in prison forever. We may debate whether Joseph was patient and waiting on God or putting his future in the hands of a man. The phrase “remember me and show me kindness” is more common to divine than human action so maybe Joseph felt that through this true and favorable interpretation given to him by God he would gain his release. Ultimately, he was right but he would have to be patient a little while longer and wait on God’s perfect timing for his release. Joseph gives two reasons why he wanted to be released. First, he was forcibly carried away from his homeland – the land of the Hebrews. Second, he has done nothing wrong to be in this dungeon – he is innocent. The word “dungeon” is the same word for “pit” or “cistern” reminding us of the pit his brothers threw him into. Notice he doesn’t mention his brothers or Potiphar’s wife or blame them for his present state.

When the baker hears Joseph’s favorable interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream he proceeds to tell Joseph his dream. Again, we notice that the baker is fulfilling his occupation having three baskets of bread on his head. In the top basket is “all kinds of baked goods” for Pharaoh but there is no mention of him giving the bread to Pharaoh. In fact, it’s not Pharoah who eats the bread but the birds. This would have been a picture of impending doom for the baker. Again, immediately after hearing the dream, Joseph interprets it. As in the cupbearer’s dream the three baskets stood for three days. And like the cupbearer, Pharoah will “lift up his head” but this time instead of “restoring” him, he will “lift up” the baker’s head meaning the baker would be beheaded and his body would be impaled on a stake. The meaning of the birds eating Pharoah’s bread was that the birds would feast on the baker’s impaled body. This picture may have reminded the first hearers of Abraham fighting off the predator birds in his dream in Genesis chapter 15. The birds of prey signified oppression which Abraham was able to fight off, but the baker will not. This would have been a harsh punishment relegated to the worst kind of criminal. The Egyptians believed that the soul in the afterlife was dependent on the body and this kind of damage to one’s body would have major repercussions. Goldingay says, “While impaling shames a person and dissuades others from imitating the offense the birds suggest that the punishment continues after death. There will not be enough to bury and he will not be able to rest with his ancestors.” This vivid picture shows that Joseph was certain his interpretation would come true.

That brings us to the third point this morning which is “Implementation” found in verses 20-23. Here we see the fulfillment of the interpretations of the dreams. This is what God’s Word says, “Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand—but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

We start this section with another timestamp. The fulfillment of Joseph’s interpretations on the third day would coincide with Pharaoh's birthday. This could have been his physical birthday or the anniversary of the day that he ascended to being Pharoah. It was not uncommon that the celebration of Pharaoh's ascension be accompanied by granting amnesties. The celebration included a feast given by Pharaoh for all his officials. We see the fulfillment of Joseph’s interpretations as Pharaoh “lifted up the heads” of the chief cupbearer and chief baker in the presence of his officials. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so he could continue to put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, and he beheaded and impaled the chief baker just as Joseph interpreted. The exact implementation of the dream’s interpretations showed that they came from God. The punishment of the baker indicates that his sin or offense against Pharaoh was grave. The text does not recount their reactions or why one is set free while the other is condemned to death. This silence I believe continues to show the sovereignty of God. He has the right to rule and he rules rightly and was in control of all that happened to the cupbearer and baker. Then we are given this final caveat. The chief cupbearer, knowingly or unknowingly, did not remember Joseph and in fact he forgot him. The cupbearer’s neglect is doubly emphasized by the verbs “did not remember” or “ignored” and “forgot.” We know that God was with Joseph because he spoke through him to interpret these dreams. He has been forgotten by man but not by God. Joseph will continue in prison for another two years until Pharoah has his dreams and the cupbearer finally remembers him.

Earlier, one of our principles were “God is pleased when his people are faithful in adversity.” The following comes from Gangel & Bramer’s commentary. What will be your response to unfairness, mistreatment, and misfortune? In the eyes of the skeptical world, the manner in which a believer meets difficulties by means of the grace of God is a powerful apologetic for faith in God. F.B. Meyer said, “The child of God is often called to suffer because there is nothing that will convince onlookers of the reality and power of true religion as suffering will do, when it is borne with Christian fortitude.” William Sangster, a well-known British pastor of the last century, was told by a doctor that he had progressive muscular atrophy; his muscles would gradually waste away, his voice would finally fail, and he would lose the ability even to swallow. He made the following resolutions and stuck by them for the rest of his life: I will never complain, I will keep the home bright, I will count my blessings, I will try and turn it to good. Sangster devoted himself to the work of British home missions, figuring he could still write and he would have even more time for prayer. He wrote articles and books and helped organize prayer cells throughout England. He turned misfortune into triumph because he believed in the God of the Bible. Someday we may also be called upon to face unfairness, mistreatment or misfortune. Will we respond with faith and faithfulness or with complaint and compromise?

As Christians, some time or another, we will have adversity in this life. So the question before us today is how will each of us face those adversities. How will we face our own unfairnesses, mistreatments or misfortunes? Hopefully, we will face them like Joseph did. That brings us to the second next step on the back of your communication card. My next step is to face adversity with obedience, patience and faithfulness. When we do this God will bring us to Christian maturity and we will be better equipped to notice the hurting and bring them comfort and to allow God to fulfill his plans and purposes in us and through us.

As the praise team comes to lead us in a final song and as the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings, let’s close our time in prayer: Lord God, by the power of your Holy Spirit help us not to leave this place the way we came but to be transformed by your Word. Give us your eyes to see the hurting in our world and to not ignore them but to comfort them. ​​ Mature us in obedience, patience and faithfulness for your honor and your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

/by

Loyal, Strong, and Faithful

, ,

Origins

Loyal, Strong, and Faithful

(Genesis 39:1-23)

 

INTRODUCTION

“Here are ten ways you can tell it’s going to be a rotten day:

  • You start brushing your teeth with muscle relaxant cream.

  • You see the 60 Minutes news team in your office.

  • You realize the hair spray you just used was really your new can of hair-removal spray.

  • You turn on the news and they’re showing emergency routes out of the city.

  • You come out to find your car parked right where you left it, but there are no tires on it.

  • Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell’s Angels on the freeway.

  • Your boss tells you not to bother to take off your coat.

  • Your income tax refund check bounces.

  • You get passed on your morning jog by a little old lady with a cane.

  • You look down to see you have on one black shoe and one brown shoe and you remember seeing another pair just like them in your closet before you left home.

 

[Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 321].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Loyalty

        • I worked for Child Evangelism Fellowship for ten years

        • I probably would have worked their longer, but I got laid off

        • I was very loyal to that ministry and I am grateful for everything the Lord taught me through ministering with them

    • Strength

        • The Lord has been developing this character quality in my life

        • I wasn’t always strong, especially when it came to certain things

        • I had to have accountability in order to overcome a weakness

    • Faithfulness

        • Through all of the difficulties in my life, I have remained faithful to the Lord

        • I know He is the One who will carry me through

        • He will never leave me or forsake me, so I can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper!” (Heb. 13:5-6)

 

  • WE

    • How many of us have been loyal (brand, employer, person, team, school, etc.)?

    • All of us are strong in certain areas and weak in others. ​​ How has God developed strength in us?

    • When we experience hardship and difficulties, have we remained faithful to the Lord?

 

Joseph experienced the Lord being with him and enabling him to prosper and be successful in everything he did. ​​ Because he knew God and His character, Joseph was able to remain loyal to his master, strong in the face of temptation, and faithful to Him when things appeared bleak. ​​ Joseph is a great example and model of how . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Our character should reflect loyalty, strength, and faithfulness. [Gangel & Bramer, 326]

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 39:1-23)

    • Loyalty (vv. 1-6a)

        • The narrator reminds us of what happened to Joseph

          • He was sold to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar one of Pharaoh’s officials who was captain of the guard

          • It is close to what the narrator said in Genesis 37:36

          • There was this little vignette about Judah, sandwiched in between

          • Now the narrator is ready to continue the Joseph story

        • The Lord was with Joseph

          • This statement is also found in verses 3, 21, and 23

            • I am certain that Joseph already knew the Lord was with him, because He had rescued him from his blood thirsty brothers

            • The same is true of us as followers of Jesus Christ

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – The Lord is always with us.

              • Biblical background

                • Isaiah 41:10, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. ​​ I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

                • Deuteronomy 31:6, Be strong and courageous. ​​ Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

                • Matthew 28:20, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. ​​ And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

                • Hebrews 13:5b-6, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ​​ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. ​​ What can man do to me?”

              • The Lord is always with you

                • When you are feeling alone, anxious, and depressed – the Lord is with you

                • When you are feeling angry and frustrated about a relationship – the Lord is with you

                • When you are struggling with finances and wondering where the money is going to come from – the Lord is with you

                • When you are scared about the future – the Lord is with you

                • When you don’t know or understand what is happening to you physically – the Lord is with you

                • In every circumstance that you face, as a follower of Jesus Christ, you can have confidence that the Lord is with you

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim the truth from God’s Word that the Lord is always with me.

            • Some pretty amazing things happened for Joseph as a result of the Lord being with him

          • What happened because the Lord was with Joseph

            • He prospered

            • The Lord gave him success in everything he did

            • He got promoted

            • Caution!

              • I want to caution us today that what happened with Joseph is not universal for all people at all times

              • God was accomplishing his perfect plan and purpose through Joseph

              • He was going to use Joseph in Pharaoh’s household in order to save the Egyptians, other nations, and even Joseph’s family

              • The Lord is always with us, but that does not mean we will always prosper, be successful, or get promoted

              • He is with us even when we are struggling and having difficulties

          • It is amazing that Potiphar recognized that the Lord was with Joseph

        • Potiphar’s recognition of the Lord being with Joseph

          • When Potiphar recognized that the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did, he promoted him to his personal attendant – second in command in his household

          • Potiphar’s smart move of placing Joseph in charge of everything paid off

            • The Lord blessed his household

            • The Lord’s blessing wasn’t reserved for just part of Potiphar’s holdings, it was for all of his holdings, both in the house and in the field

            • “In the house and in the field” is a merism to explain everything (it is two contrasting parts of the whole that refer to the whole)

          • It was because of Joseph that Potiphar’s household was blessed

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – God keeps His promises!

              • Genesis 12:2-3, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ​​ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

              • Genesis 22:17-18, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. ​​ Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

              • Genesis 30:27, 30b, But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. ​​ I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”… The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been.

              • As part of the line of Abraham, Joseph’s presence, in Potiphar’s household enabled his household to be blessed

              • God still keeps his promises today, so we can trust Him no matter what

            • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Thank God for keeping His promises.

          • Potiphar left everything in Joseph’s care and didn’t worry about anything, except what he was going to eat

        • Joseph showed incredible loyalty to Potiphar as he handled all of his affairs

        • In our work environment and volunteer positions, we should also reflect the character quality of loyalty

        • Joseph’s loyalty would also be coupled with his strength in resisting temptation

    • Strength (vv. 6b-19)

        • Joseph was a good looking guy (some scholars believe he got this attribute from his mother – Gen. 29:17, …but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful)

        • Potiphar’s wife’s proposition

          • Potiphar’s wife noticed that Joseph was muscular and handsome

          • I used to be the same way – most of us were in our 20’s

          • She asked him to come to bed with her – she wanted to be intimate with him

        • Joseph’s refusal

          • Joseph gives her three great reasons why he can’t do what she has asked

            • Proper view of responsibility [Gangel & Bramer, 322] – breaking trust – Potiphar had entrusted everything to Joseph, except his wife

            • Proper view of marriage [Gangel & Bramer, 322] – violation of marital rights – Potiphar was her husband and therefore he had the marital rights to intimacy, not Joseph

            • Proper view of sin [Gangel & Bramer, 322] – falling short of God’s expectation – adultery is a sin

          • Joseph’s refusal did not stop her

        • Potiphar’s wife’s persistence

          • She asked him the same question every day

          • Her persistence does not pay off like she had hoped, because Joseph doesn’t even want to be with her or be around her

          • So, she probably sets the stage for her next attempt

            • It is likely that she released the other household servants or told them to leave the house

            • With the house empty, surely she will be able to seduce Joseph into being intimate with her

          • She doesn’t just ask Joseph to come to bed with her, but grabs him by his cloak

          • Perhaps she is directing him towards her bed or a couch

          • Proverbs warns young men about a wayward wife and her temptations (Read Proverbs 6:20-35 and Proverbs 7:10-20)

        • Joseph’s flight

          • Joseph knew exactly what to do, because he had probably determined, in advance, what action he would take if something like this happened

          • Joseph left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – “Our ability to overcome temptation depends more on character than on circumstances.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, 326]

            • “Temptation is not a part-time experience of the believer. ​​ Calvin commented, ‘Holy Joseph, therefore, must have been endowed with extraordinary power of the Spirit, seeing that he stood invincible to the last, against all the allurements of the impious woman.’” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 734-35]

            • 2 Timothy 2:22, Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

            • Galatians 5:24, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

            • Joseph knew not to put himself in a position to be tempted – he didn’t even want to be around her – and he knew that if the advances progressed, he would flee

            • This showed Joseph’s character of strength in resisting temptation

            • Our character should reflect strength in resisting temptation

              • There are all kinds of temptations bombarding us today

                • Adultery and affairs (physical & emotional), pornography, premarital sex, same-sex attraction, etc.

                • Addictions (smoking, vaping, drugs, alcohol)

                • Overspending, oversharing, overeating, etc.

              • Success in resisting temptation comes when we have a plan in place before the temptation comes

                • What will I do when sexual temptation comes? ​​ (flee, put protective software on all of my devices, not be alone with my boyfriend or girlfriend, etc.)

                • What is my plan when confronted with smoking, vaping, drugs, and alcohol? ​​ (flee, say no, don’t attend certain parties, etc.)

                • How will I avoid overspending, oversharing, and overeating? ​​ (don’t go shopping or work with a budget, hold my tongue, walk away from the ​​ table, only prepare a regular portion, or don’t buy certain foods)

                • When we plan ahead for any temptation, then we will be guided by our character instead of the circumstances

                • “Self-control is an important factor in building character and preparing us for leadership.” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Pentateuch, 147]

            • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Determine what my plan will be to overcome any temptations I am currently facing. ​​ (accountability is one very important key to success)

        • Potiphar’s wife’s prevarication (lie, deception)

          • When Potiphar’s wife did not get her own way, she twisted the truth

            • Her intent was to get Joseph in trouble

            • She also wanted to take the attention away from her sin

            • She didn’t keep Joseph’s cloak in her hand, but put it beside her

            • If she had kept it in her hand it could have incriminated her and shown the truth of what had really happened

            • She does not use Joseph’s name, but rather is nationality when referring to him – perhaps this was a tactic to create an “us verse him” scenario (she was trying to garner sympathy and support against Joseph)

            • How she words her report to the household servants also attempts to create division and separation between them and Joseph (Look, this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us?)

            • She reversed what actually happened

              • Joseph did not come in to sleep with her, but to do his work

              • Perhaps she screamed after Joseph left to help make her case, but Joseph didn’t leave his cloak because she screamed

            • Blaming her husband

              • She kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until her husband came home

              • Then she told her “story” and basically blamed her husband for what happened (he brought the Hebrew slave into their home)

              • She is desperately trying to shift the attention and blame away from herself

          • Another cloak incident

            • If you recall, Jacob gave Joseph an ornamented robe that elevated him above his brothers – it showed that he had authority

            • His cloak made him an easy target for his brothers when he visited them in Dothan

            • Now Joseph has another cloak that probably identified him as second in command under Potiphar

            • Potiphar would have recognized the cloak as being Joseph’s

        • Potiphar’s reaction

          • Burned with anger

            • At first glance, it seems as though Potiphar is very angry with Joseph for his alleged attempted rape of his wife

            • Perhaps that is not the case

            • Background

              • The normal punishment for Joseph’s offense would have been immediate execution

              • Potiphar, as captain of the guard, was over the soldiers who carried out executions

              • So, it would make sense that Joseph should have been killed

            • “Potiphar responds by ‘burning with anger’ (39:19). ​​ Given his wife’s slander of his own motives, the proven trustworthiness of Joseph, the fact that he is going to lose the services of a competent slave, and his knowledge of his wife’s character or lack of it, his anger arguably burns at his wife, not at Joseph. ​​ This is further suggested by the fact that Joseph is only put in the king’s prison. … The action he takes against Joseph is as minimal as it can be and still retain his family’s honor.” ​​ [Walton, 671-72]

          • Put Joseph in prison

            • The prison where Joseph was put is where the king’s prisoners were confined

              • This wasn’t the same prison that the commoners were confined to

              • In fact, Genesis 40:3 makes it sound as though the prison Joseph is confined to is attached to Potiphar’s house

              • Genesis 40:2-3, Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.

            • God continued to be with Joseph even when he was falsely accused

        • PRINCIPLE #4 – “God’s blessings do not insulate our lives from hardships or injustice.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, 326]

          • Joseph certainly experienced that in his own life

          • The same is true for us

          • Jesus never promised his followers that when they believed in him that everything would be cotton candy, sunshine, and rainbows or prosperity, success, and promotions

          • He did warn his disciples about a few things:

            • Read John 15:18-25

            • James 1:2-3, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

            • Matthew 24:9, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”

          • Sometimes we experience hardship, because of our own poor decisions

          • We can rest assured that the Lord is still with us during those times of hardship and injustice

        • Joseph experienced God’s presence and mercy while in prison

    • Faithfulness (vv. 20-23)

        • The Lord was with Joseph

          • This phrase begins and ends these three verses

          • Because the Lord was with him, the warden put him in charge of all the prisoners and everything that was done there

          • The warden did not have to pay attention to anything under Joseph’s care

          • Joseph’s character reflected faithfulness

            • Even though he was now in prison, for no fault of his own, Joseph faithfully worked hard and advanced in the prison

            • We shouldn’t be surprised by this, because this was part of his character when he served as Potiphar’s personal attendant

            • Our character should reflect faithfulness no matter where we are working

              • Even when we don’t get the promotion at work that we thought we should have gotten, we need to remain faithful

              • Even when we are asked to serve in the church in a position that seems below our gifts and abilities, we need to remain faithful

              • I remember reading in one of Chuck Smith’s books that when he was approached by an enthusiastic person about serving in the church, he would ask them to clean toilets. ​​ Depending on how they responded, determined whether he would have them serve in the church in other capacities. ​​ If they were willing to serve in a lowly position, he knew their heart was in the right place

              • Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

        • The Lord was merciful to Joseph

          • The Lord showed Joseph kindness

          • The Lord granted Joseph favor in the eyes of the prison warden

          • The Lord is merciful and kind to us also

          • He does not give us what we deserve

 

  • YOU

    • Do you need to claim the truth that God is always with you as His child?

    • Do you need to thank God for keeping His promises?

    • Do you need to determine what your plan will be to overcome temptation?

    • Does your character reflect loyalty, strength, and faithfulness?

 

  • WE

    • The Lord is with us as a body of believers

    • We can thank God for keeping His promises to us

 

CONCLUSION

“When life seems to be going terribly wrong, as it did for Joseph on a few occasions, it is difficult to affirm God’s sovereignty. ​​ Joel Sonnenberg is a modern-day illustration of someone who had cause to question God’s sovereignty and love. ​​ He was not yet two years old when a tragic chain-reaction car accident changed his life. ​​ A truck crashed into the back of a line of cars that was stopped at a toll plaza, and the car Joel was riding in was engulfed in flames. ​​ Agonizing minutes went by before he could be rescued. ​​ Though he survived, he was faced with excruciating pain, and even then the fifty-plus surgeries have still left him severely disfigured.

 

Bitterness would have been easy. ​​ But instead of rejecting God as powerless or cruel, Joel has allowed God’s love to fill him, and he has had opportunity to testify to what God can do in someone’s life. ​​ He has been featured in national news programs such as 48 Hour and Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel. ​​ Special reports by Chicago anchor Carol Marin have also followed Joel’s story over the years. ​​ He graduated from Taylor University in the spring of 2000. ​​ The university’s website listed some of Joel’s achievements and honors: ​​ Eagle Scout, Discover Tribute award winner, Western North Carolina Citizen of the Year, and high school student body president, to name just a few.

 

Like Joseph, Joel could not have known what God would eventually accomplish through the crises and tragedies of his life. ​​ We are not in a position to argue with God about why he sovereignly allows the difficult things that come into our lives. ​​ As the prophet says in Isaiah 45:9-10:

 

Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. ​​ Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has not hands’? ​​ Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’

 

Unlike Joseph, Joel’s troubles were not caused by someone’s evil intentions. ​​ The fact is, however, that even when evil intentions are involved, whatever people intend for evil God can use to bring about good. ​​ God does not promise to shield us from all evil. ​​ But we can believe that whenever evil comes, God is able to accomplish good through it.”

 

[Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 697-98].

11

 

/by

Caught in the Palm Tree

, ,

Origins

Caught in the Palm Tree

(Genesis 38:1-30)

 

INTRODUCTION

“An Indian bride called off her own wedding after getting a look at her groom for the first time on their wedding day. At a reception preceding the ceremony, the bride and groom both lifted their veils and saw one another for the first time. But the would-be bride didn’t like what she saw. According to local news reports, the woman complained the man was too dark-skinned and appeared to be too old. After the woman called off the wedding, the families that had arranged the marriage began fighting, stopping only when police were called to the scene.

 

Source: Staff, “Bad First Impression,” World.org, (1-18-20) p. 15.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2020/april/what-veil-hides.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Deception

        • Trash can veil

          • Our two oldest boys were wrestling in one of their bedrooms in the house we were renting

          • Judy heard a loud noise and went to investigate

          • Both boys were sitting on the bed

          • When Judy asked them what had happened they weren’t immediately eager to share

          • Judy saw the trash can sitting in the middle of the room along the wall, instead of where it normally was

          • When she moved the trash can, there was a hole in the wall from one of our boys back ends

          • It was a textured wall and I knew I couldn’t repair it and match the texture

          • We had to call a professional who did an amazing job of matching the preexisting texture

        • Clay veil

          • I’ve mentioned before that I bought Judy two vases while I was in Hungary in Romania

          • When we moved from California to Pennsylvania, I was packing up the items on the mantel over the fireplace

          • One of the items was the black vase I had bought Judy in Romania

          • I noticed that it didn’t quite look the same

          • One of the boys had broken a piece out of the vase and repaired it themselves

          • I never noticed because the repaired section was facing the wall

          • They had used clay to repair it and even painted it the same black color as the rest of the vase

 

  • WE

    • Perhaps all of us have experienced some kind of veiled deception in our lives

    • We have to be careful how we react when the deception is revealed, because we may be guilty of the same kind of deception

 

As we will see today, Judah and his family were plagued with sin and deception. ​​ Two of Judah’s sons were disciplined by the Lord and lost their lives. ​​ Judah was repentant when his sin and deception were revealed. ​​ He received forgiveness through the grace of God. ​​ We will see in this passage that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – God’s grace is amazing!

 

Let’s pray

  • GOD (Genesis 38:1-30)

    • Descent (vv. 1-11)

        • Judah’s marriage (vv. 1-5)

          • “At that time” refers to the time after Joseph was sold to the Midianites and they took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar

          • While that is happening to Joseph, Judah leaves his brothers and goes down to Adullam () and stays with Hirah (khee-raw’)

            • It is assumed that Judah is still living in Hebron with his father Jacob

            • Even though Adullam is northwest of Hebron, Judah is going down

            • Hebron is in the mountains and Adullam is in the lowlands

            • They are about 2.5 miles apart

          • While in Adullam, Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua (shoo’-ah)

            • Her name is never revealed in Scripture

            • They had three sons together

              • Their firstborn son was named Er (ayr/air), which means “awake”

              • Their second son was named Onan (o-nawn’), which means “strong”

              • Their third son was name Shelah (shay-law’), which means “a petition”

            • Jacob and his wife were in Kezib (kez-eeb’/kez-eve’) when Shelah was born

          • This sets the stage for the next part of the narrative about Judah’s sons and Tamar (taw-mawr’)

        • Judah’s son’s marriage (vv. 6-11)

          • Arranged marriages were not uncommon, so Judah got a wife for Er

            • Her name was Tamar, which means “date palm” or “palm tree”

            • She was most likely a Canaanite, like Judah’s wife

          • Er was wicked in the Lord’s sight

            • We are not told what wicked thing(s) he did in the Lord’s sight

            • We do know that the Lord removed him from the earth, because of his wickedness

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – The Lord punishes the wicked.

              • The Lord is holy and just, therefore He has to punish sin

              • Romans 6:23 tells us that what we earn or deserve for our sin is death – it’s not a physical death, but a spiritual death – a separation from God for all of eternity

              • He does not always require the life of the sinner, but sometimes in Scripture He did

                • Aaron’s sons Nadab (naw-dawb’/naw-dawv’) and Abihu (ab-ee-hoo’/av-ee-hoo’) for offering unauthorized fire (Leviticus 10:1-2)

                • Korah (core’-rack), Dathan (daw-thawn’) and Abiram (av-ee-rawm’), their families and possessions and the 250 men that followed them in their rebellion against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:1-35)

                • Achan, his family, and possessions for not obeying God’s command to destroy everything in Jericho (Joshua 7:1-26)

                • Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11)

          • Levirate marriage

            • After Er died, Judah went to his second son Onan and asked him to fulfill his duty as a brother-in-law to produce an offspring for Er

              • This was a common practice that was active up to the time of Christ

              • It was obviously something that was practiced prior to the Mosaic law, but we see the regulations in the Mosaic law for the Israelites

              • Read Deuteronomy 25:5-10

              • When a brother died without any offspring, it was the duty of his next closest brother to marry his wife and produce an heir for him

            • Onan’s wickedness

              • He was selfish and greedy

              • Onan understood that if he produced an heir for Er that the child would receive the firstborn sons share of Judah’s inheritance

              • Onan was only thinking about himself and what he stood to inherit

              • He faked his obedience

                • “The syntax of v. 9 does not refer to one time ‘when’ Onan had sex with Tamar, but to whenever he had sex with her.” ​​ [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 436]

                • Every time that Onan was intimate with Tamar he practiced coitus interruptus, so that she would not get pregnant

              • This was considered wicked in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord required his life

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – The Lord punishes the wicked.

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – Selflessness is pleasing to the Lord.

              • That is not what Onan was practicing

              • He was practicing selfishness – he was coveting what he perceived would be an incredible inheritance

              • While levirate marriage is not practiced in our culture today, there are others ways we can be selfless in our relationships (family and friends)

                • 1 Timothy 5:3-4, Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. ​​ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

                • Philippians 2:3-4, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ​​ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

                • Matthew 7:12, So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

              • Is there a family member or friend that could use some help right now? (physical, financial, etc.)

              • Your selfless act may be just what they need

          • Judah’s deception

            • What he said

              • Judah tells Tamar to live as a widow in her father’s house until Shelah grows up

              • This would have been unusual in their culture

              • Judah should have taken her into his household and provided for her, but what he said was not what he was thinking

            • What he thought

              • Judah is afraid that if he gives Tamar to Shelah as his wife, that Shelah will die too

              • “The sudden death of his two sons so soon after their marriage with Thamar made Judah hesitate to give her the third as a husband also, thinking, very likely, according to a superstition which we find in Tobit 3:7ff., that either she herself, or marriage with her, had been the cause of her husband’s deaths.” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 219]

              • “Alternatively, women who seemed prone to become widows were in danger of being suspected of witchcraft.” ​​ [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 668]

            • What he missed

              • His two son’s deaths were not Tamar’s fault

              • It was their fault – they were wicked

              • Judah did not recognize the sin in his own children

              • Had he done that, he could have cautioned them

              • The same is true for us as parents

                • We need to recognize the sin in our children

                • We need to lovingly confront our children about their sin, even as adults

                • As adults, they are ultimately responsible for their sin

            • We will see that Judah’s deception will backfire on him

        • Some time passes as the narrative continues

    • Deception (vv. 12-30)

        • Judah’s wife’s death (v. 12)

          • Waltke believes verse 1-11 covers a period of twenty years, while vv. 12-30 covers a period no longer than a year [Waltke, 506]

          • At the beginning of this year long period, Judah’s wife died

          • After Judah recovered from his grieving period, he resumed his regular activities

            • One of those activities was to participate in the celebration surrounding the shearing of his sheep

            • He took his best friend Hirah (khee-raw’) with him

            • They traveled north to Timnah (tim-naw’)

              • [show map]

              • Scholars are divided on the exact location of Timnah

              • Some believe it is in the lowlands (Timnah)

              • Others believe it is in the highlands (Timnah-serah)

              • Either way, Judah and Hirah would have gone up to Timnah from Adullam

          • Next we see that Tamar has continued to grieve the loss of her two husbands – her time of mourning hasn’t stopped

        • Setting the trap (vv. 13-23)

          • We do not know who told Tamar about her father-in-laws travel plans, but this was perhaps the opportunity she had been waiting for

            • She recognized that Judah had lied to her about giving Shelah (shay-law’) to her as a husband

            • She took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself and sat down at the entrance to Enaim (ay-nah’-yim/ay-nam’)

            • “According to a Middle Assyrian law (ca. 1200 B.C.), the daughters, wives, and concubines of free Assyrian males, as well as sacred prostitutes, must be veiled in public, but a whore must not veil herself.” ​​ [Waltke, 512]

            • Tamar had to think about her future, since Judah was not fulfilling his duty as her father-in-law – she was part of Judah’s family now

          • The proposition

            • Judah saw her and assumed she was perhaps a shrine prostitute, because she had covered her face

            • Shrine prostitutes would cover their face with a veil as a symbol of being the bride of the god/idol [Walton, 669]

            • Judah approaches her and propositions her to sleep with him

            • Judah has no idea that she is actually his daughter-in-law, Tamar

          • The price

            • Tamar asks what Judah will give her to sleep with him

            • Judah promises to send a young goat

            • The fact that Judah did not have money or a young goat with him, is probably an indication that his act of sexual immorality was not premeditated

            • He was acting impulsively and gave in to the temptation of being satisfied sexually, especially since his wife was now dead

          • The pledge

            • Tamar does not want to be deceived and lied to again, so she presses Judah to give her something as a pledge until he sends her the young goat

            • Judah does not suspect anything, so he asks her what pledge he should give her

            • Tamar knows exactly what she is doing, so that she will be protected in the future

            • She asks Judah for his seal and its cord, and the staff in his hand

              • The seal would have been made of metal or stone and was probably a cylinder [show picture]

              • The seal would have had a design or marking on it that was unique to Judah

              • He would use the seal in business transactions and communications

              • He could roll the cylinder seal over soft clay and impress his unique mark on it

              • The cylinder had a cord that went through it, so it could be worn around the neck

              • Judah’s staff represented authority and probably had his unique identifying mark etched on top of it

            • Once the pledge was exchanged, Judah slept with Tamar

              • “Her demand that her father-in-law father a child by her, since he refuses to give her his son, is probably consistent with accepted ethical practices at her time. ​​ Both Hittite (fourteenth—thirteenth century B.C.) and Middle Assyrian laws legislated that if a married man died and his brother also died, then ‘his father shall take her …. There shall be no punishment.’ ​​ The Mosaic law did not go this far, but her actions are not inconsistent with the principle: ‘[the deceased brother’s] widow must not marry outside the family’ (Deut. 5:5).” ​​ [Waltke, 511-12]

              • Of course, Judah was not knowingly agreeing to this law

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – Sexual immorality is wrong.

              • Even though Judah was no longer married, it was still wrong for him to use a prostitute to satisfy his sexual desires

              • Sexual immorality comes in many forms

                • Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.” (any sexual activity outside of marriage)

                • The Lord told the Israelites not to participate in the sexual practices of the Canaanites

                  • Leviticus 18:1-29 lists quite a few

                  • Most of them have to do with sexual relations with various family members (close relative, mother, father’s wife, sister, grandchildren, aunt/uncle, daughter-in-law, brother’s wife, neighbor’s wife, homosexuality, and animals)

                • Jesus elevated the command to “not commit adultery” from the physical act to the heart when He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ​​ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

                • Paul, writing to the Corinthian believers, tells them not to unite their bodies with a prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:13-20)

                • Hebrews 13:4, Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

              • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess any sexual immorality in my life (physical or mental) and seek help to stop it.

            • What his first two sons were unable or unwilling to do, Judah unknowingly does

          • The pregnancy

            • Tamar becomes pregnant from the single sexual encounter with Judah

            • When she returned to her father’s home, she changed back into her widow’s clothes

          • The promise

            • Judah keeps his promise by sending a young goat with his friend Hirah (khee-raw’), so he can get his seal, cord, and staff back

            • “He has the honor to keep his obligation to a prostitute but not to his daughter-in-law!” ​​ [Waltke, 513]

            • When Hirah arrived, he could not find the woman, so he asked the men of the town where the shrine prostitute was

            • They told him that there had not been a shrine prostitute there

            • Hirah reported back to Judah about not being able to find the woman and that the men of the town said there was not shrine prostitute there

            • Judah told Hirah to forget about the woman, because he did not want to become a laughingstock to the people of Enaim (ay-nam’)

            • “Judah is like a reputable gentleman who unwittingly ‘loses’ his credit card in a brothel.” ​​ [Waltke, 513]

            • He told Hirah that he attempted to keep his promise to the woman – he did his due diligence

          • We are given a time stamp at the beginning of verse 24 – three months have passed

        • Springing the trap (vv. 24-26)

          • Judah is informed about Tamar’s pregnancy

            • The informant is again left unnamed, just like informant that told Tamar that Judah was going to Timnah

            • They told him that Tamar was guilty of prostitution and had become pregnant

            • At three months, Tamar would no longer be able to hide the fact that she was pregnant

            • Why was Judah informed?

              • “Such news would readily be passed along to Judah, for she evidently still had marital obligations to Judah’s family. ​​ He had not released her to marry another, which later was an option provided in Deut 25:5-10.” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 722]

              • Whether Judah wanted to admit it or not, Tamar was now part of his family and his responsibility

              • It did not matter that he tried to pass off his responsibility to her father

            • Judah had to deal with the situation

          • Judah’s reaction

            • He asks that Tamar be brought out and burned to death

              • This seemed like a pretty harsh punishment

              • In the Mosaic law burning someone to death was reserved for a man who sleeps with a woman and her daughter at the same time (all of them were burned to death), and for a priest’s daughter who acts as a whore [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Pentateuch, Genesis, 590]

            • PRINCIPLE #4 – It is easy to condemn others for the sin we struggle with.

              • Judah had no problem condemning Tamar for being sexually immoral, even though he had also been sexually immoral

              • The same happens with us today when we condemn others, whether openly or in our hearts and minds for the same sin we struggle with

                • We may look at family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors, fellow believers and condemn them for doing any number of things

                • We may condemn them for gossiping, being spend thrifts, not being as spiritual as we are, being sexually immoral, struggling with an addiction, being prideful, coveting things, lying, stealing, using God’s name as a cuss word, not handling relationships well, etc.

                • This is so easy to do and sometimes we don’t even recognize it in ourselves

              • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Repent of my sin and extend grace to those who are struggling with the same sin.

            • Judah is about to be confronted with his own hypocrisy

          • Tamar’s defense

            • Tamar uses Judah’s pledge to protect herself from being burned to death

            • She sends a message to Judah with the seal, cord, and staff and asked him to identify the owner

            • She states that the owner of those items is the man she is pregnant by

          • Judah’s repentance

            • Judah recognized his seal, cord, and staff

            • He acknowledges that Tamar’s defense was right

            • “Judah’s remark did not mean necessarily that her action was approved; rather, Judah acknowledged that her motivation was consistent with the purpose of levirate marriage, whereas Judah had attempted to circumvent the custom.” ​​ [Mathews, 723]

            • He had withheld his son, Shelah from her

            • PRINCIPLE #5 – Repentance brings forgiveness.

              • Judah’s response to Tamar shows that he was repentant for his sin of lying and deceiving

              • The fact that he did not sleep with her again is also evidence of his repentance

              • It is important that for you and I to repent of our sins, so that we can experience God’s forgiveness

              • 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

          • There is another time stamp for us as we see the birth of Judah and Tamar’s sons

        • Judah’s (grand)sons (vv. 27-30)

          • When the time came

            • We can assume that six months have passed

            • It is now time for the Tamar to give birth

          • Twin boys

            • Tamar was not as fortunate as Rebekah, who inquired of the Lord about the jostling in her belly and found out that she was having twin boys (Gen. 25:22-24)

            • Tamar found out the day of their birth that she was carrying twins

            • Jostling for position

              • One of the babies put his hand out and the midwife tied a scarlet thread on his wrist to identify him as the firstborn

              • That baby pulled his hand back inside

              • The other baby then came out first

              • This is similar to the happened with Jacob and Esau, except that Jacob came out second holding on the Esau’s heal – eventually Jacob was chosen as the covenant carrier

            • The boys names

              • Perez (peh’-rets/pair’-rets) – “broken out” or “breach”

              • Zerah (zeh’-rakh) – “rising,” “scarlet,” or “brightness”

          • “Tamar, a wrong wife (i.e., Canaanite), saves the family by her loyalty to it. ​​ The four women in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus Christ (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba) all come from outside of Israel and have a highly irregular and potentially scandalous marriage union. ​​ But because of their faith, God deems them worthy to carry royal seed.” ​​ [Waltke, 516]

          • Matthew 1:1-3, A record of the genealogy of Jesus ​​ Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: ​​ Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the of Ram, . . .

 

  • YOU

    •  

 

  • WE

    •  

 

CONCLUSION

“It is utterly astounding that Judah in connection with the twelve sons of Jacob has his name written on the gates of heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12). ​​ He stands as a witness to God’s amazing grace. ​​ He fails as a son of the covenant (i.e., intermarrying with Canaanites and behaving like them), as a father (i.e., his sons are wicked), and as a father-in-law (i.e., deceiving Tamar). ​​ Even the worst sort of sinners can enter heaven by God’s redemptive grace.”

 

[Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 515].

 

That is true for every one of us too.

  • We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23)

  • We all deserve to be separated from God (Rom. 6:23)

  • We were all created by a loving God (Rom. 5:8)

  • Jesus died for all of us (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

  • We can all receive God’s redemptive grace (Eph. 2:8-9)

  • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Receive God’s free gift of salvation by believing in His grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

13

 

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Going Once…Going Twice…Sold!

, ,

Origins

Going Once…Going Twice…Sold!

(Genesis 37:12-36)

 

INTRODUCTION

“Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation in 1822. As she grew up, she was made to work driving oxen, trapping muskrats in the woods, and as a nursemaid. Harriet's owners frequently whipped her. And she endured the pain of seeing three of her sisters sold, never to be seen again. But when her owner tried to sell one of her brothers, Harriet's mother openly rebelled. The would-be buyer gave up after Harriet's mother told him, ‘The first man that comes into my house, I will split his head open.’

 

Her mother's actions likely implanted in Harriet the idea that resistance to evil was right—and could sometimes be successful. As a child, Harriet herself … would run away for days at a time. But there were rays of joy in her life, as well. Harriet's mother told her stories from the Bible, which developed in her a deep and abiding faith in God.

 

When Harriet was about 26 years old, she learned that she might be sold away from her family. The time had come to try to escape. She made her way some ninety miles along the Underground Railroad. She traveled at night to avoid slave catchers, following the North Star, until she reached Pennsylvania, and freedom. Once there, she dared to make a dangerous decision: She risked her own freedom in order to give others theirs.

 

For eight years, she led scores of slaves north to freedom. During these trips she relied upon God to guide and protect her. She never once lost a runaway slave. As Harriet herself later put it, "I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."

 

She gave all the credit to God, explaining, “‘Twant me, 'twas the Lord. I always told him, ‘I trusts to you. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,’ and he always did.” Her faith deeply impressed others. As abolitionist Thomas Garrett put it, ‘I never met with any person of any color who had more confidence in the voice of God, as spoken direct to her soul.’”

 

Source: Adapted from Eric Metaxas, "Harriet Tubman, on the Money," Breakpoint (5-6-16).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2016/june/2061316.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Estate auctions in Ohio

        • Judy and I went to several estate auctions when we lived in Ohio

        • We were able to get some pretty nice furniture pieces for a little bit of nothing

        • We had those pieces for a long time before we got rid of them

        • I was always hopeful that the bid would not go too high, since we did not have a lot of money

    • Winners Fellowship Auctions

        • When we used to have the Winners Fellowship Auctions, there were a few things I always bid on

          • I would bid on the large jars of pickled eggs and beets

          • I would also bid on artwork, like photographs and paintings

        • I don’t think I ever won the bid for one of the large jars of pickled eggs and beets, but I did win the bid on a couple of artwork pieces

 

  • WE

    • Winners Fellowship Auctions

        • How many of us have experienced the excitement of the Winners Fellowship Auctions?

        • What items were bid on the most? (Nancy Tate’s hog maul, Leonard Tate’s raspberry ice cream, Lucy McNair’s pickled eggs and beets, Connie Tate’s paper-thin cookies, and perhaps some other items)

    • Slave trading

        • My guess is that none of us have ever been part of slave trading

        • Slavery is still prevalent today, even though it is no longer legal

        • SumAll.org compared slavery from 1860 to today (2012)

          • There were 25 million slaves worldwide in 1860 and there were 27 million slaves worldwide in 2012

          • The median price for a slave in 1860 was $134 and the median price for a slave in 2012 was $140

          • 78% of slaves were legal in 1860 and 0% of slaves are legal in 2012

          • [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2016/february/4020816.html]

 

Last week we talked about the hatred that Joseph’s brothers had toward him. ​​ Their hatred grew and eventually turned into jealousy/envy when Joseph shared his dreams with them. ​​ We will see today the result of having their hatred unchecked. ​​ It went beyond more hatred and envy to something much more serious. ​​ We will see again today that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Unchecked hatred leads to greater sin.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 37:12-36)

    • Pursue (vv. 12-17)

        • Last week

          • Joseph’s brothers hated him, because he was the favored son of Jacob and he had been given a special robe

          • They hated him even more when he told them his first dream about their sheaves bowing down to his

          • They were envious and jealous after he shared his second dream with them about the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him

          • Jacob rebuked Joseph, but also kept the dream in his mind

          • After all that happened, Joseph’s brothers went 50-60 miles north of Hebron to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem

        • Israel’s request

          • Israel/Jacob reminds Joseph that his brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem

            • Warren Wiersbe asks a couple of good questions for us to consider [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 143]

              • “Why were Jacob’s sons pasturing their flocks fifty miles from home when there was surely good grassland available closer to Hebron? [Possible answer: ​​ They didn’t want anybody from the family spying on them]”

              • “Why did they return to the dangerous area near Shechem when Jacob’s family had such a bad reputation among the citizens there (remember that Simeon and Levi murdered the Hivites after Shechem raped their sister Dinah)? (34:30) [Suggested answer: ​​ The brothers were involved with the people of the land in ways they didn’t want Jacob to know about]”

          • Israel/Jacob tells Joseph that he is going to send him to his brothers near Shechem

            • “Knowing that his sons hated Joseph, why did Jacob send him out to visit them alone and wearing the special garment that had aggravated them so much?...The answer is that the providential hand of God was working to accomplish His divine purposes for Jacob and his family, and ultimately for the whole world….God had ordained that Joseph would go to Egypt, and this was the way He accomplished it.” [Wiersbe, 143]

            • The reason that Jacob gives for sending Joseph is so he can see if all is well with his sons and the flocks

        • Joseph’s response

          • Joseph is compliant

          • Joseph’s response can be translated as “very well,” “here am I,” “I am ready,” or “I will go.”

          • Joseph’s obedience to his father’s request is amazing, especially in light of the fact that he knows his brothers hate him – they will not even talk to him or greet him

          • This should be an interesting interaction

        • Hide and seek

          • Joseph leaves the valley of Hebron and heads to Shechem [show map]

          • When he arrives in Shechem he can’t find his brothers, so he’s wandering around the fields on the outskirts of Shechem looking for them

            • “The Hebrew word that the NIV translates ‘wandering’ is generally used when someone is lost or straying from the right path. ​​ This same verb described Hagar’s wandering in the 21:14.” ​​ [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 664]

            • Roaming may be a better word to describe what Joseph is doing

          • Anonymous man

            • We are not given the name of the man that finds Joseph roaming around the fields outside of Shechem

            • “Whether the ‘man’ is an angel or a human, the unseen hand of the Lord is apparent here. ​​ He is directing Joseph to discover his brothers so that the divine plan for the salvation of Jacob and many peoples (50:20) might be realized, although it meant a troubling time for the house of Jacob.” ​​ [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 695]

            • It is not by chance, but by God’s providence and sovereignty, that this man appears and directs Joseph

            • It is also not by chance, but by God’s providence and sovereignty, that this anonymous man overhears the brothers’ plan to go to Dothan (do’-thawn/doth’-a-en)

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – Helping others is pleasing to God.

              • Galatians 6:9, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

              • Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

              • Philippians 2:4, Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

              • Hebrews 13:16, And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

              • Is there someone you can help today or this week?

          • Joseph follows the man’s advice and travels another 13 miles northwest of Shechem to Dothan (doth’-a-en)

        • Joseph doesn’t see his brothers yet, but they recognize him as he approaches

    • Plot (vv. 18-24)

        • Murder and deception

          • Their initial plot was to physically kill Joseph, throw him in one of the cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him

          • They were still very angry about his two dreams and they figured that if they killed him his dreams could never come true

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Sin in the heart can lead to sin outside the heart.

            • Unchecked hatred leads to greater sin.

            • Joseph’s brothers had taken the hatred and envy they had been harboring in their hearts and were now openly talking about taking it to the next level – murder!

            • Had they dealt with the hatred in their hearts, it is most likely that they would not have gone to the next level – they probably would have started talking to Joseph again

            • Most of us have probably never been so angry with someone that we openly talked with someone else about killing them

            • Listen to the words of Jesus as he taught about anger – “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.’ ​​ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement. ​​ Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. ​​ But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

            • Jesus teaches us that if we are angry with our brother, we deserve the same judgment as someone who has committed murder.

            • We need to confess the sin in our hearts, so that it doesn’t cause us to sin outside our heart

            • Anger is not the only sin in our hearts that can leak

            • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess the sin I have been harboring in my heart, so that it doesn’t leak outside my heart.

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – Murder is wrong!

            • “You shall not murder.” ​​ (Exodus 20:13)

            • Murder comes in many forms today

              • Actually taking another person’s life

              • Abortion is murder (taking the life of an unborn baby)

              • Euthanasia (taking the life of an elderly person or a terminally ill individual)

              • God’s Word tells us that murder in any form is wrong

          • At least one of the brothers was not blinded by hatred and envy

        • Neglect

          • Reuben’s suggestion

            • When Reuben heard what the other brothers were plotting, he made a suggestion

            • He encouraged them to not take Joseph’s life or to shed any of his blood

              • PRINCIPLE #4 – Confronting sin is always right.

                • Whether or not Reuben saw it that way or not isn’t important

                • He was confronting his brothers about taking Joseph’s life and shedding his blood

                • Confronting sin in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ is always right, but it must be done in love, after we have first examined ourselves

                  • Matthew 7:3-5, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ​​ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ​​ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

                  • Galatians 6:1-2, Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. ​​ But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ​​ Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

                  • Ephesians 5:11-12, Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ​​ For it is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret.

                  • 1 Timothy 5:20, Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.

                  • James 5:19-20, My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: ​​ Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

                • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ In love, confront a fellow believer about their sin, after I have examined myself first.

              • That is basically what Reuben was doing by making the suggestion he did

            • He recommended throwing Joseph into one of the cisterns

            • Perhaps what Reuben was suggesting to his brothers was that without food and water, Joseph would die from natural causes

            • Joseph would still die, but it wouldn’t be from their hands – he would simply die from neglect

          • Reuben’s plan

            • Reuben’s real plan was to rescue Joseph and take him back to his father

            • We are not told why Reuben was hesitant to kill Joseph

              • We know that Reuben had fallen out of Jacob’s good graces, because he had slept with Bilhah, Jacob’s one wife

              • Perhaps Reuben is trying to gain his father’s blessing and good graces again

            • God’s providence and sovereignty at work

              • I believe that God is using Reuben and his suggestion to protect Joseph from death

              • God is orchestrating everything that is happening to accomplish is plan and purpose for Joseph and ultimately, Jacob, his family, and even other nations and peoples

          • The brothers obviously agree with Reuben’s suggestion

            • When Joseph met up with his brothers, they stripped off his special robe and threw him into the empty cistern

            • That was probably the extent of what they were going to do to him

            • They would let nature take its course

          • God had another plan in mind

        • As the brothers sit down to eat, God initiates the next step in His plan

    • Plan (vv. 25-30)

        • Ishmaelites

          • The Ishmaelites are also called the Midianite merchants (37:28) and the Medanites (37:36)

            • It is probably referring to the same group of people

            • “When first sighted the ‘Ishmaelites’ were seen (v. 25) and then as they come nearby they are identified as ‘Midianites’ (v. 11:05 AM28).” ​​ [Mathews, 698]

            • “Midianites are descendants of Abraham through Keturah (25:2), while the Ishmaelites descended from Abraham through Hagar, so these are kinfolk…these traders are second and third cousins to Joseph and his brothers. ​​ It is not unusual to find the two clans together since both occupy the Arabian desert region.” ​​ [Walton, 665]

          • Travel route

            • They are traveling from Gilead to Egypt

            • They had been traveling the east-west trade route, but were now picking up the north-south trade route that would take them to Egypt

            • Dothan (doth’-a-en) was right on that trade route – coincidence, no – providence, yes

          • Trade contents

            • Spices

            • Balm (native to Gilead)

            • Myrrh (southern Arabia)

            • These merchants didn’t trade exclusively in spices and balm

            • They were also willing to trade human beings, as we will see in a moment

          • Before the merchants arrive, Judah has a suggestion

        • Judah’s suggestion

          • Probably the reason that Judah speaks up at this point is because Reuben is not with them

          • Judah also recognizes that murder is wrong and perhaps uses his suggestion as an opportunity to confront his brothers about their sinful desire to kill Joseph

            • The Lord is using Judah’s conscience to accomplish His plan and purpose for Joseph

            • Judah is looking at what they can gain by not killing Joseph, but instead, selling him to the Midianite merchants

            • One other interesting note about what Judah says

              • If they don’t kill Joseph, they will not have to cover up his blood

              • “Judah is primarily concerned that he and his brothers not shed innocent blood (v. 26). ​​ His apprehension is that spilled blood cries out from the ground for vengeance when one attempts to cover it (Gen. 4:10; Job 16:18; Isa. 26:21; Ezek. 24:7, 8).” ​​ [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 421]

              • Genesis 4:10, The Lord said, “What have you done? ​​ Listen! ​​ Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” ​​ (Cain and Abel)

              • Job 16:18, “O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest!”

              • Isaiah 26:21, See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. ​​ The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.

          • Sell Joseph

            • The brothers agree to Judah’s suggestion of selling Joseph to the Midianite merchants

            • When the merchants get close, they pull Joseph out of the cistern and sold him for 20 shekels of silver

            • This was close to the going rate for slaves and probably left some room for the Ishmaelites to make a profit

          • The deal is done and the merchants have left with Joseph

        • God’s providence and sovereignty

          • We are not told where Reuben was during the meal and the deal with the merchants

          • We once again see the providence and sovereignty of God

            • Had Reuben been there during lunch and the arrival of the merchants, he would have protested and refused Judah’s suggestion

            • In God’s providence, he was not there and the deal with the merchants was completed

          • Reuben is beside himself

            • He tore his clothes as a sign of grief and despair

            • He returned to where his brothers were – probably finishing up their meal

            • He tells them that Joseph is gone, which wasn’t news to them

            • He doesn’t know where to turn, because he feels personally responsible for Joseph’s safety

            • How will he be able to gain his father’s approval, since Joseph is gone

        • The brothers simply follow through with the deception they had already thought about when they first plotted to kill Joseph

    • Prevaricate (vv. 31-36)

        • The definition of prevaricate is to, “deceive,” “lie,” or “stretch the truth”

        • Deceived by a goat

          • The brothers slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in it to make it look like Joseph had been attacked by a ferocious animal

          • They took the bloodstained robe to Jacob and told him they had found the robe in this condition

          • They then asked him to identify the robe – was it his son’s robe?

          • Jacob positively identified it as Joseph’s robe

          • The brothers did not have to share their “story” about Joseph’s demise, because Jacob immediately draws his own conclusion – some ferocious animal has devoured him and he has been torn to pieces

          • NOTE – Jacob had deceived his father, Isaac, by preparing a goat just the way he liked and by wearing goat hair skin on his arms and neck to make his father believe he was Esau – now he is being deceived by goat’s blood

        • Mourning

          • Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned for his son many days

            • We are not told how long “many days” is, but Jacob says that he will mourn for Joseph until he dies

            • “But God had a better outcome for Jacob because ‘many days’ (v. 34) proved to have an end—twenty-two years until they were reunited (cf. 41:46; 41:3; 45:6).” ​​ [Mathews, 701]

          • Jacob refused to be comforted by his sons and daughters

            • We cannot forget that Joseph was his favorite son, born to him by his favorite wife

            • “That Jacob refused his children’s consolation was uncommon, revealing the intensity of his grief (cf. Isa 22:4), for his rejection of comforters meant the most aggravated anguish (e.g., Ps 69:20[21]).” ​​ [Mathews, 701]

            • This is another result of unchecked hatred leading to greater sin

            • Jacob’s sons were going to have to continue the deception for the rest of their lives

          • PRINCIPLE #5 – Deception causes heartache.

            • Jacob’s sons probably knew how devastated he would be when he learned of Joseph’s death

            • Perhaps they did not realize to what extent it would affect him – he would not be comforted and would never stop mourning until his own death

            • Honesty is always the best policy

              • There will be hurt, anger, and distrust for a little while, but eventually healing and restoration will come

              • Being honest also means we do not have to keep up the ruse, the lie, and the deception

              • Perhaps there has been some deception in your family, at school, at work, or in your neighborhood

              • Healing can begin when we come clean

            • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Begin the healing process by coming clean with the individual(s) I have been deceiving.

          • While Jacob is mourning, Joseph is traveling

        • Joseph’s fate

          • The Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials

          • He was the captain of the guard, which meant that he and his soldiers were in charge of executions

 

  • YOU

    • Is there some sin you need to confess today?

    • Is there a fellow believer that you need to confront in love?

    • Is there some deception you need to reveal?

 

  • WE

    •  

 

CONCLUSION

“Years late, Jacob would lament, ‘All these things are against me’ (v. 36, KJV), when actually all these things were working for him (Rom. 8:28). ​​ This doesn’t mean that God approved of or engineered the brothers’ hatred and deception, or that they weren’t responsible for what they did. ​​ It does mean that our God is so great that He can work out His purposes even when people are doing their worst.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 144]

 

“A young man from an impoverished background dreamed of a better life for himself and his family than the hardscrabble existence he had known growing up. He saved all he could and went deeply into debt to launch a grocery startup in a town called New Salem. His partner had an alcohol problem, and he ended up so far in the hole that he referred to his financial obligations as ‘the national debt.’ He gave up on ever being a successful businessman, and it took him more than a decade to pay off his failed dream.

 

He went into law, and then politics, and in 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president. He was an avid Shakespeare fan, and his favorite quote came from Hamlet: ‘There is a divinity that shapes our ends, roughhew them as we may.’ He came to believe this deeply about his own life, but also about the nation he led. His entire second inaugural address is an amazingly profound reflection on how God was at work in the Civil War in ways more mysterious and profound than any human being could fathom. What a loss it would have been—not just to him but to a whole nation—if the doors of that little grocery he started in New Salem hadn't closed.”

 

Source: John Ortberg, All the Places You'll Go. Except When You Don't (Tyndale, 2015), pp. 216-217.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2015/september/7092115.html].

12

 

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Haters Gonna Hate

, ,

Origins

Haters Gonna Hate

(Genesis 37:1-11)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A number of years ago when I needed a kidney transplant, my Jewish nephrologist asked me a soul-searching question, ‘Do you know anyone who would give you a kidney?’ ​​ I grew up in a wonderful Christian home with both my parents and three brothers and three sisters. ​​ I knew they loved me, but I must admit that when that question was asked, all sorts of strange thoughts went through my mind. ​​ Many of them had to do with how I had acted toward my brothers and sisters in earlier days. ​​ My parents did not spoil me, but I had acted spoiled in many instances. ​​ Now they reared their ugly memories in my mind.”

 

[Gangel & Bramer, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 305].

 

It makes us think doesn’t it?

 

BODY

  • ME

    • How have I acted toward my siblings?

    • How have I acted toward fellow students growing up?

        • Years ago when I first started using Facebook, I began connecting with fellow students from Shippensburg

        • I didn’t graduate from there, but I grew up with them

        • When I friended one particular person, they eventually sent me a message sharing something I had said that hurt them

        • I didn’t remember the comment or situation, but they did because it caused them pain

        • I had the privilege of apologizing and asking them for forgiveness after twenty plus years

        • I had no idea how my words had affected this person

    • How have I acted toward colleagues I have worked with?

    • How have I acted toward fellow Christians that I worshiped with?

 

  • WE

    • Perhaps all of us can and should ask ourselves the same questions

        • How have we acted toward our parents and siblings?

        • How have we acted toward fellow students we grew up with?

        • How have we acted toward colleagues we have worked with?

        • How have we acted toward fellow Christians we have worshiped with?

        • How have we acted toward our neighbors?

 

In Genesis 37, we are going to see how Jacob’s family members acted toward each other. ​​ There were some dynamics in Jacob’s family that motivated some strong feelings by his sons. ​​ We begin today to see what caused some of the strong feelings and next week we will see happens when those strong feelings go unchecked. ​​ What we are going to learn over the next two weeks is that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Unchecked hatred leads to greater sin.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Genesis 37:1-11

    • Transition (v. 1)

        • Some scholars have verse 1 of chapter 37 with the Esau episode

        • Others have it as part of chapter 37

        • It is definitely a transitional statement to take us from the account of Esau to the account of Jacob

        • Walton informs us that Jacob has been in Canaan for about a decade [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 662]

        • Verse 1 “implies that Jacob had now entered upon his father’s inheritance, and carries on the patriarchal pilgrim-life in Canaan, the further development of which was determined by the wonderful career of Joseph.” ​​ [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 215]

    • Final toledot (v. 2a)

        • This is the account of Jacob is the final toledot in the book of Genesis

        • The remaining chapters of Genesis (37-50) will be talking about the sons of Jacob, specifically Joseph

        • One of the major themes in the last fourteen chapters of Genesis is the sovereignty and providence of God

        • What seems like the end for Joseph and the account of Jacob continues, because in God’s sovereignty He uses the evil of humanity to accomplish His plan and purpose

        • We will see that theme repeated over and over again in the final toledot section

    • Favoritism (vv. 2b-4)

        • Joseph’s information

          • Age – he was seventeen, just a teenager

          • Job – assistant shepherd

          • Responsibility

            • Inform his father about what his brothers were doing

              • We are not told what the bad report from Joseph included

              • Some speculation is that the brothers may have been robbing their father, Jacob

              • Perhaps it was some unethical or ungodly behavior

              • Maybe they were adopting the ways of the Canaanite people

              • We are just not told

              • Whatever these brothers were doing, Joseph recognized that his father needed to be informed

            • Some scholars question whether Joseph was being a tattletale or following the will of his father

              • Here are a couple of things to think about

              • Throughout the remaining narrative about Joseph, we see that he is a man of character and that God is with him and helps him

                • When sold into slavery to Potiphar, he worked hard and God allowed him to find favor in Potiphar’s eyes, which resulted in Joseph becoming his personal attendant, and when he was approached by Potiphar’s wife concerning being intimate he rejected her and eventually had to flew from her

                • When put in prison, he again worked hard and God allowed him to find favor in the warden’s eyes, which enabled him to be put in charge of all the prisoners

                • When he was brought before Pharaoh God gave him knowledge concerning Pharaoh’s two dreams, which allowed him to be promoted to second in command in Egypt

                • When Joseph’s two dreams were fulfilled, he didn’t lord that over his brothers or hold anything against them, but forgave them

                • So, it would seem like being a tattletale would not fit into the man of character Joseph was

              • Following the will of his father

                • The significance of the robe that Jacob gave Joseph will be discussed in a moment, but perhaps it is part of why Joseph was following the will of his father when he brought the bad report against his brothers

                • The other indicator that Joseph was probably following the will of his father is what we will see next week when Jacob sends Joseph to check up on his brothers and bring a report back to him (Genesis 37:14)

              • So, I believe that Joseph was following the will of his father – he cared more about his father than he did his brothers

          • The information about Joseph is important as we continue to unpack this narrative

        • Jacob’s love

          • Favoritism

            • Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons

            • The reason given for his preferential love was that Joseph was born to him in his old age

              • That is certainly true

              • Joseph and Benjamin would have been born to Israel when he was older, because Rachel had been barren

              • Perhaps the favoritism of Israel for Joseph stems from the fact that he was the first born son of his favorite wife

              • Genesis 29:30a, Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah . . .

              • Some scholars believe that Israel looked to Joseph as his “real” first born son that would inherit his estate, because he was the first born son of Rachel, his favorite

            • Learning from the past

              • It seems as though Jacob had not learned from his past, the kind of hurt and damage, playing favorites can create

              • Isaac and Rebekah’s favoritism

                • If you recall, Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah favored Jacob

                • The competition that ensued brought about hard feelings between Jacob and Esau – to the point that Esau was going to kill Jacob after their father died

              • There was continual competition between his first and second wives, because he loved Rachel more than Leah

                • Rachel bargained with Leah for her son Reuben’s mandrakes

                • That competition spread to Leah and Rachel’s handmaidens being given to Jacob as two additional wives

                • Now we see that Joseph brought a bad report to Jacob about Bilhah and Zilpah’s (the two handmaidens) sons

              • Favoritism always creates heartache and hatred

                • Unchecked hatred leads to greater sin.

                • Jacob should have known what would happen if he favored one child more than the others

                • “The heart has its reasons which reason cannot know.” ​​ [Pascal in Pensees, cited by Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Old Testament, Genesis-Deuteronomy, 141]

                • “‘Love unwittingly produces hate’: ​​ it is the first instance of ‘the pivot of irony’ upon which the entire plot of the Joseph story might be described as turning. ​​ The Jacob family illustrates the dynamics of many a family, with someone loved too much, someone loving too much, and some people not feeling loved enough.” ​​ [Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Pentateuch, 573]

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – Favoritism is always wrong.

              • We have seen throughout Jacob’s life how favoritism was wrong

              • It creates hard feelings, resentment, competition, and hatred

              • The same is true for us in our relationships

              • Loving too much

                • Parents have ever you found yourself favoring one of your children over the others?

                • It can be easy to do, especially when some of your children are making decisions that are hurting them while others are not

                • It may not be favoritism that comes into play, but just a realization that certain children are more difficult to raise than others

                • Personality types also play a role in how we connect with each of our children

                • It takes intentionality in order to treat each of your children equally

                • As parents, we may not even realize we are favoring one child more than the others

                • Perhaps an outside perspective would be helpful

                • If you are aware that you have been showing favoritism, then determine today to make the necessary changes

                • Those changes can heal wounds, create unity, and express love

                • #1 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Love all of my children equally.

                  • We need to love all of our children equally no matter what they are doing or have done

                  • Take time this afternoon to talk with them or call them and tell them how much you love them

                  • Depending on your relationship with them, they may ask you if you are dying, because you haven’t told them that in quite some time

                  • Just reassure them that you aren’t and that you genuinely love them

              • Not feeling loved enough

                • Perhaps you feel like Jacob’s other sons – not loved as much as another sibling

                • I’m so sorry if that is actually happening in your family, because it makes you have hard feelings toward your parents and the favored sibling

                • Sometimes our perspective can be skewed, because we aren’t aware of everything that is happening in another person’s life

                • We may think we know, and from the outside it looks like another brother or sister is being favored

                • I would encourage you to not be easily offended, but rather to communicate with your parents

                • Let them know how you are feeling

                • Give them an opportunity to express how much they love you

                • Every one of us is susceptible to the view that the grass is always greener on the other side

                  • We become consumed with wanting what another sibling has (relationships, intelligence, money, personality traits, and much more)

                  • When we allow ourselves to be consumed with what others have, we will always be discontent, angry, resentful, hateful, jealous, and envious

                  • God did not make a mistake when He created you – you are one of a kind, unique and valuable (please hear me today)

                  • You have a heavenly Father who loves you perfectly

                  • He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)

                  • He loves you so much that He sent His one and only perfect Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for you (John 3:16) so you can have an eternal relationship with Him

                • #2 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Communicate with my parents that I am feeling like they favor another sibling over me.

                • #3 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Forgive my parents for favoring another sibling over me.

                  • You can be set free from the bitterness, anger, resentment, hatred, jealousy, and envy today

                  • You can begin to heal from those wounds that have been festering for far too long

                  • The great think is that then you will not have unchecked hatred that leads to greater sin

            • You and I do not need to fall into the same cycle that Jacob did with his sons

            • He made it clear that Joseph was his favorite, by giving him a special robe

          • Richly ornamented robe

            • What were you taught about his robe? (it had many colors, it was technicolored)

            • What did the robe probably look like?

              • Bible translations

                • Richly ornamented (NIV)

                • Many colors (KJV, NKJV, ESV, CSB, ASV)

                • Multicolored/Varicolored (NASB, LSB)

                • Long robe with sleeves (RSV)

                • Long coat (YLT)

                • Beautiful robe (NLT)

              • Biblical scholars

                • Full-length coat or a long-sleeved coat [Walton, 662]

                • A long robe with sleeves [Waltke, 500]

                • An upper coat reaching to the wrists and ankles, such as noblemen and kings’ daughters wore [Keil & Delitzsch, 215-16]

                • Coat or tunic with long sleeves [Gangel & Bramer, 307]

              • We cannot know with certainty what the robe looked like, because the Hebrew word used for it is only used here and in 2 Samuel 13:18

            • What did the robe represent?

              • It was definitely not the uniform of a common shepherd

              • Joseph’s social standing had changed [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 689]

              • It signified that Joseph did not need to work [Goldingay, 572]

              • Joseph was in management now [Walton, 663]

              • “It was the rich garment of a ruler…” [Wiersbe, 141]

              • Jacob was definitely revealing his preferential love and favoritism for Joseph, and with that he may have been signaling to his other sons that Joseph was his preferred heir

              • Jacob was elevating Joseph in the eyes of the other family members

          • Jacob’s favoritism had created hard feelings with his other sons

        • The brother’s attitude

          • Joseph’s brothers recognized that Jacob loved him more than any of them, which caused them to do two things:

            • Hate Joseph

            • Speak harshly to him/not speak to him at all

              • It can also be translated as “could not so much as greet him” (ask him how he was doing, offer him the usual greeting of Shalom, Peace be with you)

              • This is how deep the hatred went

          • This unchecked hatred was going to go even further

        • The narrative then transitions to Joseph’s two dreams

    • Dream 1 (vv. 5-8)

        • Joseph’s dream

          • All of the brothers were binding sheaves of grain

          • Joseph’s sheaf rose up and stood upright

          • His brother’s sheaves gathered around his and bowed down to it

          • Things to ponder

            • Why was Joseph even telling his brothers about his dream when he knew they hated him?

              • Was it youthful arrogance? (I don’t believe so)

              • Was it youthful enthusiasm and excitement? (perhaps)

              • Was it God’s sovereignty and providence? (I believe so)

                • “This revelation at the beginning of the story shows God as the Director behind the entire account. ​​ This is the first dream in the Bible in which God does not speak (cf. 20:3; 28:12-15; 31:11, 24).” ​​ [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 500]

                • “This wasn’t ‘adolescent enthusiasm’; it was the will of God.” ​​ [Wiersbe, 142]

              • In our human intellect it does not make sense, but in God’s will it makes perfect sense

                • He is the Director of the entire situation in which Joseph is taken to Egypt

                • This is the first step in that process

            • What did the sheaves represent?

              • Shepherds, not farmers

                • Some scholars believe that Jacob’s family also did some farming

                • It was perhaps how they fed their family

                • Framing would have been a secondary occupation to shepherding

              • Foretelling the future

                • As the story of Joseph unfolds we will see that one of Pharaoh’s dreams includes heads of grain (Gen. 41:22) and it is Joseph’s wisdom, concerning reserving grain for seven years, that saves Egypt and his own family (41:48) ​​ [Mathews, 691]

                • It is likely that this first dream is foretelling the future for Joseph

            • What did this dream mean?

              • It meant that Joseph was going to have supremacy over his brothers at some point in his life [Keil & Delitzsch, 216]

              • “The prophecy is fulfilled in escalating stages: ​​ the brothers initially bowing once (42:6), then bowing twice to honor him (43:26, 28), and finally throwing themselves at his feet (50:18).” ​​ [Waltke, 501]

          • Remember that Joseph’s brothers already hated him

        • Brother’s reaction

          • The brothers questioned the validity of Joseph’s dream by asking him two questions

            • Do you intend to reign over us?

            • Will you actually rule us?

            • Remember, the long coat that Jacob gave Joseph was already a sign that he did not need to work like his brothers and that he was their foremen or ruler

            • With Jacob’s favoritism already in play and now Joseph’s divine dream elevating him to ruler status, the brothers are not happy

          • They hated him even more

            • Notice that the words “they hated him all the more” opens and closes this first dream narrative

            • Unchecked hatred leads to greater sin.

            • Perhaps their hatred, first expressed in verse 4, has turned into bitterness

            • We know that their hatred has deepened, it has become more pronounced

            • There is a progression taking place

        • Joseph has second dream

    • Dream 2 (vv. 9-11)

        • Joseph’s dream

          • The sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me

          • Joseph tells his brothers and his father for the same reason he told his brothers the first dream – it was according to God’s will

          • What did the dream mean?

            • Joseph’s supremacy would not only be over his brothers, but also over the whole house of Israel [Keil & Delitzsch, 216]

            • “The inclusion of his parents . . . suggests Joseph’s eventual prominence in the ancestral line, superseding even his parents in significance.” ​​ [Walton, 664]

            • We know from the rest of the story that Joseph has supremacy over all the Egyptian citizens and people of neighboring countries

            • Dreams in pairs

              • Joseph received two dreams together, which signified that God had made up His mind about this situation and it would happen [Waltke, 501]

              • We will see that the remaining two dreams in Genesis will come in pairs also (Pharaoh’s attendants and Pharaoh himself)

          • Joseph not only shares the second dream with his brothers, but also his father

        • Father’s reaction

          • Jacob rebuked him

            • Jacob’s initial reaction is to rebuke Joseph

            • It was probably out of shock, at hearing that Joseph was going to rule over the entire household of Jacob, that Jacob rebuked him

          • Jacob kept the matter in mind

            • After his initial reaction, Jacob spends time thinking about it

            • “Perhaps this occurred because Jacob knew the Lord could speak in dreams (Gen. 28:12-16) and he also knew that the Lord’s words in dreams came true (Gen. 35:7).” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, 308]

          • Finally we see the brothers reaction to the second dream

        • Brother’s reaction

          • They were jealous of Joseph

          • Unchecked hatred leads to greater sin.

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jealousy/Envy drives us to ruin others.

            • “They did not just want what Joseph had; they wanted to ruin him.” [Walton, 701]

            • There is a difference between coveting something and envying or being jealous of something

            • “What an envier wants is not, first of all, what another has; what an envier wants is for another not to have it. . . . To covet is to want somebody else’s good so strongly that one is tempted to steal it. ​​ To envy is to resent somebody else’s good so much that one is tempted to destroy it. ​​ The coveter has empty hands and wants and wants to fill them with somebody else’s good. The envier has empty hands and therefore wants to empty the hands of the envied. ​​ Envy, moreover, carries overtones of personal resentment: ​​ an envier resents not only somebody else’s blessing but also the one who has been blessed.” ​​ [Plantinga cited by Walton, 701]

            • That is exactly what Joseph’s brothers wanted to do to him – destroy what he had been given both physically and in through the dreams

          • Where are you at today?

            • Are you envious/jealous of someone (family member, fellow student, colleague, neighbor, fellow Christian)?

            • Have you allowed your hatred to go unchecked, which has driven you to envy and jealousy?

            • Do you wish that the person you are jealous of would fail?

            • Have you actually tried to ruin someone you are jealous of?

            • Repentance

              • I want to encourage you to repent of your hatred and jealousy

              • Next, I would encourage you to begin the process of reconciliation with that person (my guess is they already know you hate them – you haven’t been talking to them)

            • #4 – My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Repent of my hatred and jealousy and seek to restore the relationship.

 

  • YOU

    • Do you need to love all of your children equally?

    • Do you need to communicate your feelings to your parents and forgive them for showing favoritism?

    • Do you need to repent of your hatred and jealousy?

 

  • WE

    • We may need to love all of our fellow Christians equally

    • We may need to communicate our feelings and forgive leadership for showing favoritism

    • We may need to repent of our hatred and jealousy

 

CONCLUSION

Growing up, I remember my grandma Johns sharing stories that Paul Harvey had shared on the radio. ​​ “Every day he’d begin a broadcast with one of his catchphrases, ‘Hello, Americans! I’m Paul Harvey.’ Then after he started his story, before the next break he’d say, ‘In a moment…. the rest of the story….’ And at the very end he would say, ‘Now you know…the rest of the story,’ and conclude his radio show with, ‘Paul Harvey…Good day.’”

 

[https://callawayjones.com/restofthestory/#:~:text=Every%20day%20he'd%20begin,catchphrases%2C%20%E2%80%9CHello%2C%20Americans!]

 

I want you to know the rest of the story from the introduction.

 

“I am humbled to write that my entire family expressed a willingness to share with me the needed kidney. ​​ As members of the same family, my brothers and sisters, as well as my mother and father, acted in a way that honored the Lord and showed great love for me. ​​ Not all families act in such a loving, accepting way. ​​ Neither do all Christians. ​​ And when a family fails to act like a family, terrible consequences occur. ​​ Sometimes these consequences are far-reaching.” ​​ [Gangel & Bramer, 305]

 

We will see next week what happens when Jacob’s sons do not act in a loving way towards Joseph.

13

 

/by

The Crown

, ,

The Crown

When you see the phrase, “The Crown”, what do you think of? I think about royalty; kings and queens, etc., especially British royalty. There is a TV show in its last season called “The Crown” which follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II who just passed away in 2022. Queen Elizabeth II’s great-great-grandmother was Queen Victoria, who has been called the “Grandmother of Europe.” (picture) Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, who were first cousins, looked to consolidate royal power through marriage. They had nine children, each of whom married important European royal families. Queen Victoria’s grandchildren served as (or married) the kings or emperors of most of Europe. There was King George V of the United Kingdom, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King Haakon VII of Norway, Ferdinand I of Romania, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, and King Alfonso XIII of Spain. When World War I broke out Wilhelm II of Germany was at war with his cousin George V of the United Kingdom and cousins-in-law Nicholas II of Russia and Ferdinand I of Romania. Several of Victoria’s issue remain on European thrones today. King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and King Felipe VI of Spain all descend from Victoria and Albert.

In our scripture today we are going to investigate another royal family, the royal family of Esau. For the past several weeks we have camped out on the idea that God cares and provides for all people even non-covenant peoples. We have also seen comparisons between the descendants of Esau and Jacob. Esau has had children and grandchildren who have become chief of clans and tribes. He and his descendants married into the family of Seir the Horite who lived in the hill country of Seir. Eventually Esau and his family migrated there and the nation of Edom was established. Today, we will see that Esau’s descendants have now become kings of Edom. They are ruling as chiefs and kings in their own land long before the nation of Israel ever comes into being. Esau and his descendants had it relatively easy, increasing in number and absorbing the land and people of Seir. In comparison, Jacob and his family will find themselves in Egypt due to famine and then live there in slavery for 400 years. Finally, as God commands Moses to lead them out of Egypt into the Promised Land they will wander in the wilderness for another 80 years before finally conquering their own land. It will take them a long time to become the monarchy that Edom has already established. ​​ 

As we think about the hardships that the Israelites, God’s chosen people, went through compared to their cousins and as we think about the hardships that we, as Christians, seem to go through compared to those in the world, we see that success, power and prestige seems to come easy to those living by the world’s standards. But the Israelites, God’s chosen people lived by a higher standard, God’s standard. God tested and tried the Israelites but the Edomites, the non-covenant side of the family of Abraham, don’t seem to be. And we might ask ourselves why? I think the answer lies in what God’s plan and purpose was for the Israelite people. They were to be a holy, set apart people, in the world, in order to be ambassadors of God to their neighbors. They were blessed by God to be a blessing to others. They were to usher in the coming Messiah to the world and spread his gospel. For them to fulfill this plan and purpose they needed to be tested and refined in the fire of slavery, wandering the wilderness, and exile. Esau and the Edomites did not have such a plan and purpose and did not need to be tested.

As Christians, all the above is appropriate for us as well. We are called to be a holy and set apart people. We are blessed by God to be a blessing in the world. God has a plan and purpose for us to pursue, grow and multiply disciples. And the Bible says that we will be tested and tried in God’s refining fire as well. All the Israelites testing, trials and tribulations, and ours as well, are so we will bear much fruit and when that fruit is realized and seen by the world it will be for the glory of God. Which brings us to the big idea this morning that God tests his people, for the bearing of much fruit, to the glory of God. As we prepare to open God’s Word this morning, let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we ask your Holy Spirit to come down in this place and in your people. We pray for open hearts and open minds as we study your Word. Use your holy scripture to teach us, reprove us, correct us and train us in righteousness so that we may be complete and equipped for every good work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This morning we are wrapping up Genesis chapter 36, the genealogy of Esau. We will be looking at verses 31-43. There will be three points this morning. The first point is the Introduction found in verse 31. Follow along as I read. This is what God’s Word says: “These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:”

Before we see the lists of kings, they are introduced to us with this caveat: “These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned.” Again, Esau/Edom is compared to Jacob/Israel. Before Saul became King of Israel there were already eight generations of kings in Edom. In Numbers 20:14, we see these words, “Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom.” This refers to when the Israelites, being led by Moses in the wilderness, were getting ready to pass through the Transjordan and enter the Promised Land. Moses sent messengers to ask the king of Edom to let them pass by unharmed. He promised they would stay on the King’s Highway and pay for any water used by them or their livestock. The king of Edom refused and even threatened to attack them with the sword. Later, King David would conquer the Edomites and rule over them for a time. These events fulfilled Isaac’s blessing on Esau found in Genesis 27:40, “You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother.” Numbers 20:14 confirms that Edomite kings were already ruling before the Israelites entered the Promised Land.

Something we will notice in the king list that follows is that it is evidence of an elective kingship instead of a dynastic one. This means that the succession of kings was not based on heredity, like we see in the United Kingdom. The eight kings will succeed each other in an orderly fashion but no king is a son of the previous one. Also, the place of origin or the capital city is different for each king. This may be the only evidence of a non-dynastic monarchy in the ancient Near East, except for the election of King Saul. When Saul was made king of Israel, there was no provision made for Saul’s sons to take over the throne after him like there was for King David.

Last week, Pastor Stuart made the point that God provides for all people even people outside the Abrahamic covenant. Esau descendants may have been outside the covenant, but they weren’t outside the story of God’s work in the world. This point will be reaffirmed by the list of Edomite kings as they represent the first stage of the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:16. God speaking to Abraham about Sarah says, “I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” The Edomite kings were a direct fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. Lastly, in 1 Samuel 8:5, when the Israelites wanted a king “like other nations”, it is possible that the Edomites were one of the nations they had in mind.

Our second point is Succession found in verses 32-39. Follow along as I read those verses. This is what God’s Word says, “Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah. When Bela died, Yobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king. When Yobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king. When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith. When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king. When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king. When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king. When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

We see a recurring formula here: X died and Y succeeds him as king and his city was named Z. As I said earlier, no son ever succeeded their father as king. We also see that the capital city changes with each king. They ruled out of the city where they lived, as King Saul did. The first king was Bela, son of “Beor.” Bela means “eloquent.” In Numbers 22:5, we also see that Balaam, a wicked prophet, is the “son of Beor.” Bela’s capital city is “Dinhabah” which is an unknown. When Bela died, Yobab, son of Zerah from Bozrah became king. The name Yobab is also seen in Genesis 10:29 as he is identified as the third great grandson of Shem. The resemblance of names goes to show the fact that the Israelites and the Edomites were related. We have seen the name Zerah earlier as the grandson of Esau and Bosemath. Bozrah is one of the Edomite towns most often referred to in the Bible. We see it named in Isaiah 34:6 and Amos 1:12 where those prophets prophesied about God’s judgment on the nations who against Israel.

The third king was Husham which means “broadnosed” in Arabic. He was from the land of the Temanites. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that one of the friends of Job was Eliphaz the Temanite. The fourth king was Hadad, son of Bedad. His name is associated with the Syrian storm god meaning “thunderer.” With him we have our first antidote; an explanation that Hadad defeated Midian in the area of Moab. This was probably to distinguish this Hadad from the one mentioned in verse 39 as the eighth king. Bedad means “separate/alone” and this one’s capital city was Avith. The fifth king was Samlah, which means “protection” in Arabic. His capital city was Masreqah which is related to the noun “vine” and was probably located in a vine-growing area. The sixth king was Shaul which means “requested” and his capital city was Rehoboth on the River. Rehoboth means “open spaces” and the river could refer to either the Euphrates or the Jordan.

The seventh king was Baal-hanan, son of Akbor. Baal-hanan means “Baal is gracious” and Akbor means “mouse.” Baal-hanan is the only king not ascribed a capital city. The eighth and last king on the list is Hadad and his capital city is Pau. And again we get some explanation: he was the husband of Mehetabel, who was the daughter of Matred, who was the daughter of Me-Zahab. Mehetabel means “El (God) does good”; Matred means “to run continually”; and Me-Zahab means “waters of gold.” It was unusual to name two women in an ancestral line. It may be that the women’s names conveyed a great splendor that meant “continuous running waters of gold.”

Our third point is Settlements found in verses 40-43. Follow along as I read those verses. This is what God’s Word says, “These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied. This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.”

This final list is a list of chiefs descended from Esau according to their clans and regions. “According to their clans” is the same formula used in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. Four of the eleven names we have seen before: Timna, the concubine of Eliphaz and sister of Lotan, son of Seir. Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, a wife of Esau. And Kenaz and Teman, sons of Eliphaz and chiefs of Edom. The other seven names are new to us: Alva which means “ascend”, Yetheth, Elah which means “terebinth”, Pinon which was a known copper mining and smelting site in Edom, Mibzar which means “fortress”, Magdiel which means “fruit (gift) of El” and Iram.

One of the problems with identifying this list is how to reconcile it with the chiefs of Esau listed in verses 15-19. ​​ First, these may be later chiefs of Edom than those mentioned earlier or second the list in verses 15-19 may be genealogically arranged and this list is geographically arranged. This list is referred to as regions and settlements in the land they are occupying. Hamilton says, “The names that follow might refer to the names of the dwellings rather than of the chieftains.” And Wenham says, “It has been suggested that this is a list of the administrative districts of Edom since some of the names are place names.” The word “occupy” here is the same as “held.” It is the same word that we saw when Esau first appeared in Genesis. If you remember, at the twin’s birth, Jacob took “hold” of Esau’s heel. This may be a deliberate play on words to mark the last appearance of Esau in the book of Genesis. The fact that Edom “held” these lands again fulfills the promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:8. They have gained secure possession of the land of Edom just as Israel will have secure possession of theirs. This language indicates that both the Edomites and the Israelites received their land by divine commission from God.

Lastly, the ancestral heritage of the Edomites is reaffirmed reminding us that Esau was their father. Esau’s descendants have become clans, chiefs, kings and districts. They have an established political structure and royalty. There is no doubt that they are flourishing. Esau has now become a dynasty with eight kings in succession and chiefs in eleven districts. Their power and the extent of their monarchy is incredible. Their impact would be felt for centuries after Esau’s death and these cousins of the Israelites would relentlessly and persistently oppose them for a long time to come. Interestingly, when Jesus stood before King Herod at his trial, Jesus was standing in the line of Jacob and Herod was standing in the line of Esau. Herod was an Idumaean, which is the Greek equivalent of an Edomite. This descendant of Esau ridiculed and mocked Jesus, a descendant of Jacob, who was the Son of God.

There is a warning to us in this chapter. We need to be careful in our dealings with others so that we don’t allow a bitter root to grow up and cause trouble in the future as we see in the story of Esau. Hebrews 12:14-17 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.” We must make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy because if we don’t, we could be perpetuating conflict not only in our lifetime but in the lifetimes of our descendants far beyond anything we could ever imagine. That brings us to the first next step on the back of your communication card: My next step is to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.

As I conclude today, I want to revisit our big idea: God tests his people, for the bearing of much fruit, to the glory of God. Again, in Hebrews 12:5b-11, we see these words, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Archaeological digs have been done in Bozrah (King Yobab’s capital city) where they have found effigies in stone and pottery from after the Patriarchal period showing that there were generations of idolatry in that area. This didn’t happen overnight but may have been birthed by Esau as the material outweighed the spiritual in his life. Interestingly, Baldwin says, “Despite the struggle of the prophets in Israel over the same issue excavations have nowhere near unearthed a plethora of idols in the territory of Israel and Judah. Esau’s defection set a precedent, which was later to lead to identification with the idolatrous religion of the local population.” Baldwin goes on to say, “If it had not been for the many forms of divine discipline which culminated in the Exile the story would have been of the same sorry decline among Jacob’s descendants. It was the mercy of God that refused to “give them up” and instead worked to produce a people who were capable of receiving his salvation which is the theme of the rest of the OT.

The story of Jacob was different than the story of Esau in that God tested and disciplined his chosen people, for the bearing of much fruit, to his glory. It is the same for us today, as Christians. We need to endure hardship as discipline and accept God’s perfect discipline in our lives knowing that he does it for our good, in order that we share in his holiness. It will not be pleasant and it will be painful but it will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace if we are willing to be trained by it. And through it all, God will receive the glory. That brings us to the second next step this morning, which is to “Accept God’s testing and discipline in my life, in order to bear much fruit, so that God will receive the glory.” As the ushers come to gather the tithes and offerings and the praise team comes to lead us in our final song, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for this time to dive deep into your Word. Help us to strive to live in peace with everyone and to be holy so we aren’t leaving conflict in our wake. Help us to accept your testing and discipline, in order to bear the fruit in our lives that is honoring and glorifying to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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