We can picture Joseph wearing that elegant Egyptian headdress he probably wore. We can picture him as he was living the lifestyle of an Egyptian, which he certainly lived. We can picture him in the court of the Pharaoh, second in command to the most powerful man on earth. Joseph was given this opportunity and this responsibility because he served the Lord, and gave God the credit. The Egyptian Empire was huge, and powerful. Never was an empire so great and so vast until Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire, over thirteen hundred years later. The Egyptian Empire was a place of remarkable influence, educational advancement, military might and limitless wealth. Yes, Joseph had power at his fingertips, but he used it well. Although he was totally immersed in the Egyptian culture, he never stopped serving God almighty, and God rewarded him for it. Joseph is such a great example of a man who without a doubt lived in the world, but never allowed himself to become part of the world around him, never allowed the world to creep in and establish a foothold. That’s all the world needs, the tiniest foothold, just a small start, just one incidental acted out temptation, or even the slightest compromise. I can do it; I can be different walking with one foot following God and the other foot leading the world.
Remember the words of Jesus in John’s Gospel chapter 14, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say, I am going away and coming back to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father, for My Father is greater than I.”
Chuck Swindoll in his book entitled “Joseph” writes; “So we can picture Joseph serving the Pharaoh, serving the Egyptian people, managing in the royal palace. But I’d like you to picture him today, in your average church. Picture him first when he was in the throes of suffering, rejected by his family, sold into slavery and falsely imprisoned. I’ll guarantee that Joseph’s name would be on our prayer list every week. We care about those who are booted out of their homes. We care about those who are mistreated and find themselves in great pain. We are concerned about them. We intercede for them. We often reach out to help them. Yes, Joseph’s name would continually be on our church prayer list.”
Then, through an interesting chain of events, after being falsely accused, imprisoned and forgotten for an additional two years, Joseph was brought before the king of the land, interpreted his dreams and gave all the glory to God. Last week we read that his brothers made the trip to Egypt, prompted by their Father Jacob, because they were starving and there was grain available in Egypt. So face to face for the first time in over fifteen years, Joseph’s brothers bowed down to him, humbling themselves before this powerful person. Joseph immediately recognized them, but they had no idea who he was. And remember, Jacob kept one brother behind, little Benjamin, son of his beloved wife Rachel, a son he dearly loved. Put yourself in Joseph’s place. How must he have felt as he heard the ten brother’s words? So far as his brothers were concerned, he no longer existed. He was long gone, buried in their memories. He was out of sight, out of mind, gone forever! Three times Joseph accused his brothers of being spies.
Then, in one of their responses, they unwittingly gave him information he wanted. They told him that their father and Benjamin were still alive. By mentioning them, the brother’s also played into Joseph’s hand. “There is one way you can prove your innocence, prove you are telling the truth,” Joseph said to them. “You can bring me your youngest brother. But I still don’t entirely trust you, so only one of you can go. The rest will be imprisoned until your return.” Then, after proposing this plan, Joseph put all of them in prison for three days. We’re told nothing of what transpired during those three days. It’s left to our imagination. I wonder how they felt, alone, cold, and worried. How did Joseph feel imprisoned for two hundred and fifty times that amount?
One the third day for some reason, he revised his plan offering to keep the second oldest brother Simeon in prison and sent the others to fetch Benjamin.
I hope you have spent some time studying and reading this wonderful account of Joseph, a man of God and a man of integrity. As I mentioned from the start, the story of Joseph spans thirteen chapters of Genesis, from chapter 37 to the end of the book. It took over twenty years for God’s true purpose for Joseph’s life to be revealed, yet Joseph’s faith never faltered. And really, as we have also discussed, God’s purpose for Joseph’s life wasn’t realized until centuries, hundreds of years later, with the birth of God’s chosen nation of Israel. God’s plan is always perfect. And God has a perfect plan for each of our lives.
So Joseph’s brothers return to Canaan to bring Benjamin to Egypt, and they have an interesting conversation with their father, with Reuben, the oldest son as the spokesperson. Reuben explained what happened, described their encounter with Pharaoh’s second in command and told why they needed to bring Benjamin back with them. And Jacob responded; “You have bereaved me, Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more and you want to take Benjamin? All these things are against me.” He continued, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.” True words spoken by a father. And listen in on a further conversation between the brothers and their father; “The man (Joseph) asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family saying Is your father still alive? Have you another brother? And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would ask us to bring Benjamin to him?”
We read in chapter 43; “The brothers took with them gifts from their father, along with Benjamin, and double money in their hand and arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin, what do you think he did? He said to the steward of his house, “Go prepare the finest meal you can, for these men will dine with me at my table today.” And then the encounter we have been waiting for. The brothers were afraid, scripture tells us. They were afraid that they would be put in prison again, and all of the money and riches they brought with them would be gone forever. Scripture also tells us that they still suffered from a guilty conscience. Collectively, after all of these years, the treatment of Joseph still haunted them, day and night. A guilty conscience will do that.
So at the appointed time, they arrived at the palace door and were greeted by the steward. They explained why they were there, probably rambled too much in the process, and the steward said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure.” After being reunited with their brother Simeon, they entered Joseph’s house. And later Joseph reveals his true identity. At first the brothers were petrified with fear. But Joseph forgave them and soon he was reunited with his Father and Brothers, starting a new life in Egypt.
What have we learned after all of the weeks discussing this Godly man, a man of integrity, a man of dreams, both broken and realized? Joseph was a man of faith and man of peace even when the world nipped at his heels. What have we learned and where is the life application? It’s everywhere. We are to be at peace, we are never to be afraid. When life makes a u-turn, we are to trust that God is still the one leading us. That in some roundabout way, God will accomplish His purpose for our lives. Mathematically we know that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. And that’s true, but that’s not always how God works. It may take weeks, months or even years, but we must always remain faithful. God’s chosen nation of Israel needed to start in the land of Goshen, and the Israelites needed to get there. In a land where they were hated by the Egyptians surrounding them, the nation of Israel grew from seventy five faithful people to over two million. And the rest is history. His Story. His perfect plan and His perfect peace.
Joseph’s life was an example of forgiveness without bitterness or resentment. He was persecuted and badly mistreated yet he never displayed a burning desire to get even. He certainly could have, he earned his position of power. But instead he chose the quiet path of reconciliation. Do we? I believe the absence of reconciliation in our lives separates us from God. We spend more and more time looking inward. Thinking, hashing, rehashing and making lists. We know the exact dates of a wrong doing, we can show documentation, we have proof that what we feel is correct. We line people up, we choose sides, and we add to our lists and in the process slowly shut God out of our lives. Do we trust God with everything we have? I love the words of Paul in his letter to the churches in Ephesus; “God is able to do superabundantly. Far over and above, all that we dare ask or think. Infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams.” Ephesians 3:20.
God created us to walk with Him, to trust Him and believe in Him. And when we feel distant from God, we are the ones who created the separation because of sin. God didn’t separate Himself, we did and then who do we blame? Simply, we blame God. How powerful the words of the Apostle Paul in the eighth chapter of Romans; “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angles nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Today is the day to get back on track. Seek forgiveness, seek restitution, and seek reconciliation. And when you come face to face with those who wronged you, weep for the joy of being reunited and for the freedom of forgiveness. A heavy burden lifted.
Yes, “God is able to do superabundantly. Far over and above, all that we dare ask or think. Infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams.”
