So, last night I was at a fundraiser event
and the person who was hosting my table looks at me and says, “I’ve been
creeping you on Facebook”. I laughed and then he shared I noticed that you went
to Prairie Bible College and so began a conversation that led us to discovering
our mutual friends, old teachers etc…
Now, think if someone you really knew from your HS years reentered your
life but this time they weren’t revealing their identity, in fact they were in
disguise to see if you are who you really say you are.
It might be a little unsettling maybe to
know that you are being followed, watched closely. However this is the story we are going to be
discovering today and that is when your character is being put to the test.
Have you ever heard the saying “past
performance is the best indicator of future behavior”. Joseph was in the business to see if there
was any noticeable difference in his brother’s behaviors. He wanted to see if
they were the same old, same old guys or if their lives had changed since they
betrayed him as a teenager out of their jealousy.
Approximately 20 years had passed since his
brothers had sold him and now at this point the famine hit the land hard and
Joseph’s brothers were forced to go to Egypt to buy grain. Now, remember, Joseph had put in charge of
the land When he recognizes them coming,
he completely creates and cleverly disguises himself by speaking through an
interpreter, wearing his fine Egyptian clothes and even swear by the life of
Pharoah. Almost right away his dream as
a young man is fulfilled as his brothers bow down to him.
He spoke to them harshly to set up the
stage with them. He brought accusations
against them to see how they would handle themselves. He places them in prison for 3 days because
he again is seeking to test their character.
Are they all for each other or are they ready to throw one of their
brothers under the bus so to speak. Read
Genesis 42:18 and the story unfolds here.
Joseph then sees the recognition of their
guilt in the own awareness of what is taking place. This is happening to us because of how we
treated our younger brother Joseph. They are feeling through all of this that
they are reaping the effects of their sin.
You can see implied from their return back
to their father, that Jacob does sense that the brothers were involved in the
loss of Joseph. There is a huge level of
distrust going on here. The joy of life
was completely sapped from him when he lost Joseph. Read Genesis 42:35-38
Reuben makes a very rash call
Judah steps up to the plate
He tests his brothers by giving Benjamin 5x
the portion to see if their jealousy was still at the root of their character. Read Genesis 43:29-34
He then sets them up once again to test
their attitude and heart towards Benjamin. He places his own personal silver
cup in the sack of Benjamin.
We live in a broken world and we live
with our own brokenness.
How many of us walk around carrying our
guilt? How often do we live believing
that we ultimately have to pay for our sins?
Joseph’s brothers were wallowed in the
misery of their past mistakes, they didn’t know about the cross.
When Joseph took the opportunity to even
bless them on their way home from their first journey, guilt made them believe
that they were being set up for punishment instead of receiving it as
blessing. When we live with guilt and
“covering up” sin, we always will be suspicious. A guilty conscience can’t see grace, the
blessing and undeserved favor of God.
27 At
the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get
feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 “My
silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my
sack.”Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What
is this that God has done to us?”
Joseph was trying to ascertain if they had
a humble and honesty inside their inner man.
He wasn’t interested in how much could they pay for the grain. Joseph had reconciled himself with the
reality of his situation and why God led him ultimately to Egypt.
You
do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure
in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a
broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Psalm 51:16,17
We serve a merciful God.
How often have you tried to bargain or make
a deal with God?
In the midst of our own brokenness we try
to barter and bargain with God. We may
say God if you just get me out of the situation, I will (fill in the blank) –
serve you , give to the church, never
ever doubt you again… Thankfully our
prayers get sifted through the interceding Spirit of God and Jesus Himself.
Reuben said if he didn’t bring Benjamin
back said both his boys could die.
Judah when trying to convince his father
that they should take Benjamin back to Egypt with him said Jacob, I will bear
the blame all my life.
Romans
8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what
we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless
groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because
the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
He is a merciful God, He doesn’t hold us up
on our feeble promises, we stand only because of Jesus’ final and complete
payment on the cross.
What is real repentance?
Read Genesis 44:27-34
Is it saying “I’m sorry”? Is it always
living with regret? Is it living with a
label? Once a thief or liar, always a thief or liar… what is it and what was
Joseph looking for?
He is looking for real change, that they
have given up on their old ways of doing life and trying to get ahead. He is looking for us to give up on trying to
do it our own way and we are ready to trust God and His ways.
Or do you show contempt for the riches of
his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is
intended to lead you to repentance?
Romans 2:4
Joseph is an incredible picture of the
grace and forgiveness of God
He had every opportunity to use this
opportunity for some real pay back. Now,
while we may not agree with Joseph’s approach and methods, he brought about an
incredible opportunity for his brothers to see the ultimate hand of God. He ultimately reveals himself to his
brothers.
Joseph had to learn the hard lesson of
forgiving his brothers.
Joseph had to learn what it meant to
display the forgiveness of God. He had
to forgive his brothers. Father forgive
them for they know not what they do.
What wounds are you possibly still
carrying? Joseph had been victimized,
abused, abandoned.
Matthew 18:21 We need God’s Spirit to enable us to learn to
forgive us. We also need to recognize
how we have offended God and how He, being so rich in mercy, has lavished his
love on us.
There is another level beyond forgiveness
and that is reconciliation.
Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as
it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Search your heart to see if there are
people that you still have outstanding issues with.
I met with a guy last week and as
he opened up to me about faith and God, he shared how he was both physically
abused and sexually abused as a child by someone in a leadership position. It was a hard conversation as he asked where
was God when that happened to him.
However he realized he couldn’t be bitter forever and he needed to
discover that even in our darkest moments our Father is with us in that pain.
Learning to TRUST others who have hurt you
is not an easy step, but here’s the really important part. Forgiveness on our part is always something
we must act on. Reconciliation however
requires humility and grace on both parts and is not entirely dependent on you,
the one offended. Prayer is always required
and the belief that God can change anyone.
2 Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself
in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us
the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as
though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s
behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
