Joseph, Redemption, and God's Sovereignty
Tonight I went to the evening service at my church. They have been going through the book of Genesis since the beginning of last semester, and today was the end of this series.
To wrap up the series, my pastor referenced Genesis 41-50, which is all about Joseph. I was so captivated by this story. I don't think I have read and reflected on Joseph's story as much as I did tonight. Joseph's life was filled with redemption and God's sovereignty.
For those of you that may not know, I am going to give a brief overview of Joseph's story, and then share some of what I learned tonight.
Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was Abraham's youngest son. Jacob loved Joseph more than the rest of his sons. Here is what Genesis 37:3-4 says, "Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him."
The story goes on with Joseph's brothers selling him to a merchant who took him to Egypt. The brother's covered up this scheme by faking Joseph's death.
Genesis 37:31-36 says, "Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, 'We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe.' He recognized it and said, 'It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.' Then Jacob tore his clothes [which is a sign of distress and mourning], put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. 'No,' he said, 'in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son.' So his father wept for him. Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard."
In chapter 39, we learn that Potiphar favors Joseph because the Lord was with him and gave him success in everything he did.
Skipping over to chapter 41, Joseph is called in to interpret some dreams that Pharaoh has. The interpretation of these dreams reveal seven years of abundance and seven years of famine in Egypt. Genesis 41:39-41 say, "Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.' So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.'"
During these seven years of abundance, Joseph was very wise and decided to store up all the food that was produced by the land. Then when the famine hit, Joseph was able to open up his storehouses to the Egyptians in order to make a profit. Smart, huh?
Now here is where my notes from the service tonight kick in.
Jacob sends all of his sons to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. He made Benjamin stay behind because he was Jacob's new favorite son.
When the brothers arrive in Egypt to buy this grain from Joseph, they do not recognize their brother. Joseph decides to plot a set up for his brothers that is similar to the way his brothers set him up into slavery. He does this as an opportunity for redemption.
I am amazed at this point in the story to notice that after Joseph has been in slavery for 23 years and been away from his family, he is not bitter. He has a plan for redemption and grace for his brothers.
Joseph plots and follows through with a couple of schemes in order to provide this redemption for his family. He makes his brothers look like robbers and spies by filling their sacks with grain and leaving their money to pay for the grain still in the bags. Joseph told his brothers that in order to prove that they are not spies, they need to bring their youngest brother to him. So on their second trip to Egypt to buy more grain during the famine, they brought Benjamin along. Joseph's plan this time is to put a silver cup into Benjamin's bag to make him look like a thief. When this is revealed, Joseph orders Benjamin to become his slave.
This is when Judah pleads for Benjamin's life. He wants to give his life, his slavery, for Benjamin's freedom. He also wants to do this to obey the orders of his father to bring Benjamin back to him.
In chapter 45, Joseph reveals himself and declares that God was in control of all of it. Genesis 45:6-7 says, "For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God has sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance."
This is why he did not hold on to bitterness. This dysfunctional family receives healing.
To end this story of Joseph, I am going to reference Genesis 50:20. This verse sums up the entirety of Joseph's existence. It says, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
So good!!!!
God never wastes pain. He is sovereign.
After finishing this story, my pastor reiterate two themes: redemption and God's sovereignty.
Redemption:
In the book of Exodus, the Israelites (the descendants of Jacob) are taken in as slaves in Egypt. Exodus 6:6 reveals the same kind of redemption that Joseph offered his brothers. This verse says, "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.'"
And then, as we see in the Gospels, Jesus comes to pay for our slavery to sin. Mark 10:45 says, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Galatians 4:4-7 says, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."
The Sovereignty of God:
Proverbs 16:9 - "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."
Matthew 10:29-31 - "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
I guess the overall message I received from Joseph's story was that I need to trust in God under all circumstances. I need to trust Him with my whole life.
I don't want to be a bitter person, and I know I can prevent this through my trust in God.
There is redemption through God's sovereignty.
To wrap up the series, my pastor referenced Genesis 41-50, which is all about Joseph. I was so captivated by this story. I don't think I have read and reflected on Joseph's story as much as I did tonight. Joseph's life was filled with redemption and God's sovereignty.
For those of you that may not know, I am going to give a brief overview of Joseph's story, and then share some of what I learned tonight.
Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was Abraham's youngest son. Jacob loved Joseph more than the rest of his sons. Here is what Genesis 37:3-4 says, "Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him."
The story goes on with Joseph's brothers selling him to a merchant who took him to Egypt. The brother's covered up this scheme by faking Joseph's death.
Genesis 37:31-36 says, "Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, 'We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe.' He recognized it and said, 'It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.' Then Jacob tore his clothes [which is a sign of distress and mourning], put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. 'No,' he said, 'in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son.' So his father wept for him. Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard."
In chapter 39, we learn that Potiphar favors Joseph because the Lord was with him and gave him success in everything he did.
Skipping over to chapter 41, Joseph is called in to interpret some dreams that Pharaoh has. The interpretation of these dreams reveal seven years of abundance and seven years of famine in Egypt. Genesis 41:39-41 say, "Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.' So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.'"
During these seven years of abundance, Joseph was very wise and decided to store up all the food that was produced by the land. Then when the famine hit, Joseph was able to open up his storehouses to the Egyptians in order to make a profit. Smart, huh?
Now here is where my notes from the service tonight kick in.
Jacob sends all of his sons to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. He made Benjamin stay behind because he was Jacob's new favorite son.
When the brothers arrive in Egypt to buy this grain from Joseph, they do not recognize their brother. Joseph decides to plot a set up for his brothers that is similar to the way his brothers set him up into slavery. He does this as an opportunity for redemption.
I am amazed at this point in the story to notice that after Joseph has been in slavery for 23 years and been away from his family, he is not bitter. He has a plan for redemption and grace for his brothers.
Joseph plots and follows through with a couple of schemes in order to provide this redemption for his family. He makes his brothers look like robbers and spies by filling their sacks with grain and leaving their money to pay for the grain still in the bags. Joseph told his brothers that in order to prove that they are not spies, they need to bring their youngest brother to him. So on their second trip to Egypt to buy more grain during the famine, they brought Benjamin along. Joseph's plan this time is to put a silver cup into Benjamin's bag to make him look like a thief. When this is revealed, Joseph orders Benjamin to become his slave.
This is when Judah pleads for Benjamin's life. He wants to give his life, his slavery, for Benjamin's freedom. He also wants to do this to obey the orders of his father to bring Benjamin back to him.
In chapter 45, Joseph reveals himself and declares that God was in control of all of it. Genesis 45:6-7 says, "For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God has sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance."
This is why he did not hold on to bitterness. This dysfunctional family receives healing.
To end this story of Joseph, I am going to reference Genesis 50:20. This verse sums up the entirety of Joseph's existence. It says, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
So good!!!!
God never wastes pain. He is sovereign.
After finishing this story, my pastor reiterate two themes: redemption and God's sovereignty.
Redemption:
In the book of Exodus, the Israelites (the descendants of Jacob) are taken in as slaves in Egypt. Exodus 6:6 reveals the same kind of redemption that Joseph offered his brothers. This verse says, "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.'"
And then, as we see in the Gospels, Jesus comes to pay for our slavery to sin. Mark 10:45 says, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Galatians 4:4-7 says, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."
The Sovereignty of God:
Proverbs 16:9 - "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."
Matthew 10:29-31 - "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
I guess the overall message I received from Joseph's story was that I need to trust in God under all circumstances. I need to trust Him with my whole life.
I don't want to be a bitter person, and I know I can prevent this through my trust in God.
There is redemption through God's sovereignty.
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