Blessed

Scripture: Genesis 48:13-20

Video Link: https://youtu.be/a4dc1e1e3Rs

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-23-june-2024-blessed

Structure:

• Introduction
• Words of blessing
• Hands of blessing
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

“A bell is no bell ‘til you ring it. A song is no song ‘til you sing it. And love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay. Love isn’t love ‘til you give it away.”

Who can tell me what stage musical that song line comes from? [Wait]

That’s right, The Sound of Music. ‘Love isn’t love ‘til you give it away.’

This morning we continue our series in the life of Joseph. Last week we heard how Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons. In today’s reading Jacob blesses Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. We could say, “A blessing isn’t a blessing ‘til you give it away.” From Genesis 48, verse 13, we read…

¹³ And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.  ¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, ¹⁶ the Angel who has delivered me from all harm—may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.” ¹⁷ When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”  ²⁰ He blessed them that day and said, “In yourname will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses Jacob (also known as Israel) uses his words and his hands to bless Joseph’s sons. Let’s begin with Jacob’s words of blessing.

Words of blessing:

When I think of what it means to bless someone, I imagine some kind of tangible action which makes another person’s life better, or at least less difficult. For example, mowing their lawns or cooking them a meal or listening with understanding or doing some act of service to support them. In my mind, a blessing is a practical expression of love.

But this is not exactly the kind of blessing we find in Genesis 48. Jacob doesn’t do anything practical to make Ephraim and Manasseh’s life less difficult. Jacob simply speaks good words over their lives and places his hands on them. In this process though, something unseen yet powerful & lifegiving is communicated.

At the end of the service each week, someone (usually me) speaks a benediction (or a blessing) over the congregation. The word benediction has Latin origins. ‘Bene’ means well and ‘diction’ means speaking. So, a benediction is literally, ‘speaking well’ or ‘saying good things of someone’. [1] 

Our society today tends to discount words. We often use words carelessly or cheaply. But words have a certain power of their own, like seeds planted in our soul. We need to be sowing the seed of good words in people’s lives.  

Some years ago, when I was training for ministry, I spent a summer working as a chaplain at Greenlane Hospital, visiting patients. There was one man there, around my age, who was recovering from a stab wound.

He told me he was from Maketu, in the Bay of Plenty, not far from where I used to live. Sadly, he believed he was cursed. When he was young, an old woman pointed the bone at him and said some bad words over his life, the opposite of a benediction. Since then, he had been in and out of prison.

Words can be powerful things. What he needed was a blessing. What if that woman had spoken good words over his life, words of peace conveyed with warmth and love.

In verses 15 and 16 we read the words of blessing Jacob speaks over Joseph’s sons and, by extension, Joseph himself.

What we notice with Jacob’s blessing is the way God is front and center throughout. Four times God is referred to in the space of two verses. Jacob does not try to bless Ephraim and Manasseh in his own strength. He calls upon God Almighty to bless them.

Sometimes we Christians carry a heavy burden. We may feel like the weight of responsibility for blessing others rests squarely on our shoulders. It doesn’t. Any blessing (whether in word or deed) is done by God’s grace and in his power. We are simply vessels for carrying and imparting God’s blessing.

If the blessing is the tea, then you are the tea pot. The pot does not make the tea.  The pot merely holds the blessing while it brews. God makes the tea (or the blessing) and pours it out at the right time. 

As Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, we have this treasure in jars of clay to show this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.     

In verse 15, we notice how Jacob’s words about God are not an abstract theory with no grounding in life’s realities. Jacob’s blessing comes from his own experience of God and the experience of his fathers.

Jacob begins by saying, ‘May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked…’

This speaks of a God who transcends time and geography. The God who blesses people through Jacob was around a long time before Jacob came on the scene, and he will continue to be around long after Jacob has gone.

What’s more, God is not fixed in one place like a statue or a building.

God moves around with his people. He walks with them wherever they go.

When Jacob talks about his father and grandfather walking faithfully before God, he is probably alluding to God’s covenant with Abraham. God’s covenant called for loyalty and trust. Jacob wants Ephraim and Manasseh to understand that being blessed carries a responsibility to honour the covenant with God.  

In the next line Jacob gets personal saying, ‘…the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day…’

Jacob, who made his living as a shepherd, talks about God being his shepherd.

I wonder if David took inspiration from Jacob when he wrote the 23^rd Psalm. ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…’

The image here is one of security. To be blessed by God means having God lead, feed and protect you, like a shepherd. This means, for the blessing to be effective, Joseph’s sons must trust God enough to follow where he leads.

In verse 16, Jacob talks about the angel who has delivered me from all harm.

Most commentators think the angel here is a poetic way of referring to God. The key word though is delivered. It can also be translated as redeemed.

As in the ‘kinsman redeemer’. The close relative who gets you out of trouble, who redeems your life from slavery and financial ruin. Boaz (in the story of Ruth) is the classic example of a kinsman redeemer.

Jacob knew God’s deliverance and redemption on more than one occasion. God delivered Jacob from Esau who wanted to kill him. God delivered Jacob from Laban, who wanted to cheat him. And God delivered Jacob from grief and despair by redeeming Joseph’s life.  

What we notice here is the way the God of Jacob closely resembles Jesus.

Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Jesus is our kinsman redeemer.

Jacob frames God’s blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh in terms of great increase on the earth. This probably means having lots of descendants, which did happen over the centuries that followed.

The underlying principle at work in God’s blessing is abundant life. Abundant life may blossom in a whole variety of ways. Often ways that transcend the physical.   

When we think of Jesus, we note he died relatively young and had no biological children. Nevertheless, he has millions of spiritual descendants.

Jesus came that we may have life in all its fullness. Jesus was all for abundant life and fruitfulness. However, the path to life and blessing is not always smooth or pleasant. Jesus turns our understanding of blessing on its head.

Jesus described those who are poor in spirit as blessed because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Likewise, those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted. And so on.

To be poor in spirit and to mourn is obviously not an ideal state of being.

But, as painful as it feels, being emptied by suffering and grief prepares us to receive God’s blessing. ‘A heart that is broken is a heart that is open.’ [2]

Okay, so those are Jacob’s words of blessing for Joseph’s sons. What about Jacob’s hands of blessing.

Hands of blessing:

Are you left or right-handed? Historically the left hand often carried negative connotations. The Latin word for ‘sinister’ means ‘on the left side’. And in English the word ‘left’ comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word for ‘weak’. In contrast, the right hand is associated with virtue and honour and being right.

In the Middle Ages lefties were, at times, thought to be cursed and in league with the devil, which resulted in burning at the stake.

The stigma and superstition of being left-handed carried over into the following centuries. King George the sixth, who was monarch of England from 1936 to 1952, was left-handed but his father (king George the fifth) forced him to write with his right hand.

Even today there is a certain negativity attributed to the left hand. For those who are familiar with the dating app, Tinder, you swipe right (so I’m told) if you like someone and you swipe left if you don’t. Right for accept’. Left for reject. Sounds quite brutal.  

Perhaps all this prejudice and superstition is because left-handed people are in the minority. It is thought that somewhere between 85-90 percent of people are right-handed, with only 10-15 percent being left-handed.

Now let me say, there is nothing wrong with being left-handed. You are not bad or cursed or anything else if you happen to be left-handed. Our handedness is simply a product of the way God makes us, like eye colour or being good with numbers or preferring savoury to sweet. God likes diversity.

In verse 13 we read how Joseph took great care to line his sons up correctly for Jacob. Joseph made sure his eldest son, Manasseh, was positioned to receive the right hand of blessing and Ephraim, the younger son, was positioned to receive Jacob’s left hand. Joseph believed (like most people of his time and culture) that the right hand of blessing was somehow better than the left hand.

But Jacob upset Joseph’s careful arrangement by crossing his hands over,

so the right hand of blessing went to Ephraim (the younger son) and the left hand of blessing went to Manasseh. Jumping ahead to verse 17, we read how Joseph was displeased by this.

The English translation is a bit soft here. The original Hebrew is stronger.

It says more literally that what Jacob did was evil in Joseph’s eyes. [3] 

It was like using the wrong name at a wedding.

Do you remember that episode from the TV show, Friends, when Ross is getting married to Emily but instead of using Emily’s name in his vows he uses Rachel’s name. (Rachel was one of Ross’ old girlfriends.) What Jacob did, in blessing the younger son with his right hand, was like that. A major faux pas. 

Joseph, who we know by now is very proper and righteous in all his ways, tries to correct his father, Jacob. Joseph tries to move Jacob’s right hand off Ephraim’s head and onto Manasseh’s head. Maybe Jacob is confused. Maybe his blindness has caused the mistake.

But the old man, Jacob, knows what he is doing. This is no mistake. Jacob says to Joseph, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”

The text does not explain why Jacob crosses his hands. His actions are inexplicable just as God’s actions are often inscrutable. The hand of God is free to move and bless and shape history as he wishes.  God’s reasons do not bow to our cultural norms or traditions. God does not need to explain himself.

Jacob is not startled or angry with Joseph for interrupting him.

Jacob understands Joseph’s concern, without changing the decision.

The blessing is irreversible.

To his credit Joseph, now the ruler of Egypt, does not force Jacob’s hand.

In faith Joseph humbly accepts the father’s will, even if he cannot understand it. Note though that Ephraim and Manasseh both get the same words. Both brothers are blessed for the sake of Joseph. Only the younger is put first. 

In verse 19, Jacob talks about the younger brother (Ephraim) becoming greater than his older brother. What is greatness?

I’m reminded of the request of James and John, in Mark 10, to sit on Jesus’ left and right in his glory. It seems James and John had ambitions of greatness.

Jesus is not angry or impatient with them. Jesus graciously points out that they don’t know what they are asking. Then the Lord goes on to define greatness…

“…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ 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.”

According to Jesus the greatest is not the most powerful or the most successful or the most popular. Rather the greatest is the servant of all.

Joseph was the Prime Minister of Egypt and yet that did not make him the greatest. Joseph was the greatest among his brothers because he was the servant of all. God blessed many thousands of people through Joseph.

Conclusion:

Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay. Love isn’t love ‘til you give it away.

On hearing that again we might focus on the giving it away part. But before we can give love away, we must first have it put there by someone. We must be open to receive love.

Jacob puts his love in Joseph’s heart by giving Ephraim and Manasseh his blessing. And, to their credit, they receive Jacob’s blessing in an attitude of quiet trust, just as they humbly accepted Jacob’s adoption of them.

It’s quite difficult in kiwi culture to properly receive words of love and blessing. When people speak good words to us, we often deflect or minimize their comments. Good words raise a red flag. Can I trust what they say or is this a sucker punch? Tall poppies get cut down in New Zealand.

As difficult as it may be, we need to learn to accept the blessing God wants to give. We cannot give to others something we have never experienced or received ourselves. We cannot conjure up blessings out of thin air.

If the tea pot refuses to let the tea and water in to brew, it will have nothing to pour out. Before you can bless others, you must be open to receiving God’s blessing. You must let God put his love in your heart.   

God’s blessing is often communicated by the power of his Spirit, through ordinary people. So, receiving God’s blessing means letting honest, trustworthy people speak good things into your life, into your soul.

May you be blessed this week with knowing and feeling God’s love and grace for you personally, deep in your heart. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
2. What do you think it means to bless someone? What does it mean to be blessed by God?
3. What difference have good words (or bad words) made in your life? What was said to you and how did that affect you?
4. What is Jesus’ take on blessing? With Jesus’ beatitudes in mind, are you on a path to blessing?
5. Are you left or right-handed? What difference does it make?
6. Why does Jacob cross his hands over when blessing Ephraim and Manasseh? What might this reveal about God’s ways? 
7. What is Jesus’ take on greatness? Why was Joseph great?   
8. Why is it important to receive the blessing God wants to give? How might we remain open to receive God’s blessing?

Outtakes

When Jacob says, in verse 16, ‘may they be called by my name’, he means may Ephraim and Manasseh be reckoned among the twelve tribes of Israel, with a share in God’s covenant promises to Abraham. This is an affirmation of Jacob’s adoption of Joseph’s sons, which we heard about last week.

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[1] Refer Henri Nouwen’s book, ‘Life of the Beloved’, page 56.

[2] This is a lyric from a U2 song, by Bono.

[3] Refer Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Genesis, page 600.

Adopted

Scripture: Genesis 48:1-12

Video Link:  https://youtu.be/nSRh04MBs78

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-16-june-2024-adopted

Structure:

• Introduction
• Why Jacob Adopts (1-7)
• How Jacob Adopts (8-12)
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Last week we had a dedication ceremony for Micah. And next week we have a graduation ceremony for those children moving up a level in Kids’ Church.

Ceremonies like this help to mark special occasions. Ceremonies are a way of saying this is important. This matters. More than that, ceremonies bring things into effect. They make it official. 

We have ceremonies for all sorts of occasions. Weddings, funerals, baptisms, becoming a citizen, bestowal of awards, ANZAC day, powhiri, and so on.

While people of faith usually value ceremonies and find meaning in them, mainstream society, in general, is relatively casual in its approach. Most people today don’t think the ceremony is that important.   

This is quite different from the attitude of people in the ancient world. In Biblical times things were not complete, they weren’t done properly, until a ceremony had taken place. Ceremonies were a must have.

This morning we continue our series in the life of Joseph. Last week we heard about the ceremony Jacob used to update his Will. And next week we will read about Jacob’s special blessing ceremony. Today’s reading though focuses on an adoption ceremony. From Genesis 48, verse 1, we pick up the story…    

Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me ⁴ and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’ ⁵ “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. ⁶ Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. ⁷ As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”

⁹ “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” ¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.” ¹² Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In this passage Jacob adopts Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

In verses 1-7 Jacob explains why he is adopting two of his grandsons. And in verses 8-12 we read how Jacob adopts. That is, the ceremony of adoption. Let’s begin with Jacob’s explanation of why he is adopting Ephraim and Manasseh.  

Why Jacob adopts:

Normally when we think of adoption, we imagine a couple who want to have children but for whatever reason can’t, so they go through the long and difficult process of adopting kids. 

Or we might think of Whaangai, a Maori tradition, in which a child is raised by grandparents or someone in their wider whaanau.

Jacob’s adoption is not the same as either of these scenarios. It does have a formal, legal aspect to it and it is a family type adoption. However, Ephraim and Manasseh are no longer small children in need of care. Nor is Jacob able to take care of them.

We know from the end of Genesis 47 that Jacob was near death and verse 1 of Genesis 48 tells us that Jacob was ill. This is the first time in the Bible that illness is mentioned.  

Sometimes we get a warning that death is imminent. Other times death comes out of the blue, as a complete shock. Illness can serve as a prompt to get our affairs in order. It also gives family members the opportunity to say goodbye.   

In any case, Jacob is in no condition to take care of grandchildren. He needs his family to take care of him. So why is Jacob (at a 147) wanting to adopt Joseph’s sons, who are now in their early 20’s and hardly in need of looking after.

Well, in ancient times it was common practice that the eldest son received a double portion of the estate when the father died. By adopting Joseph’s sons, Jacob is effectively blessing Joseph with a double portion of the inheritance, even though Reuben is the eldest of Jacob’s sons.

To put it another way, Joseph’s two eldest sons will be reckoned as Jacob’s two eldest sons. So, the descendants of Manasseh and Ephraim will receive an allotment of land in Canaan. In this way, Jacob gives Reuben’s double share to Joseph. Reuben and Simeon don’t miss out though. They still get a share.

So as to avoid a family dispute later on, Jacob sets out a sound spiritual and legal basis for his decision.

In verses 3 and 4, Jacob remembers God’s promises to him. Although Jacob is not currently in possession of the land, he looks forward in faith to that time when God will increase his numbers and give his descendants the land as an everlasting possession.

Jacob is connecting his adoption of Joseph’s sons to God’s promises. This adoption is an example of Jacob’s faith expressing itself in love. You can’t get a better reason than that.

By quoting what God said to him, Jacob is also reminding people of his credentials. None of Jacob’s sons can say they have heard God speak to them in the way Jacob has. And since there is no higher authority than God Almighty, Jacob’s decision cannot be contested by his sons. 

In verse 7 Jacob talks about the premature death of his wife Rachel. At first glance we might think this is an old man getting a bit lost in his memories and digressing from his main point. But it’s not. Jacob is right on point with this comment about Joseph’s mother.

Jacob is drawing attention to the fact that, because Rachel died relatively young (while still of childbearing age), he missed the opportunity to have more children by her.

In the cultural thinking of the ancient near east, when Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim also become Rachel’s sons. And as such they take the place (posthumously) of other children Rachel may have had to Jacob, if she had lived longer. [1]

That argument wouldn’t stand up in the family courts today, but it made for solid case law in Old Testament times.      

Did you know the head of a dandelion actually consists of many small flowers. A single dandelion head is a community of flowers. Jacob’s family in Egypt was a bit like a dandelion. It was a community of people soon to multiply and grow.

When we think of this adoption from Manasseh and Ephraim’s point of view, we begin to appreciate what Jacob did for them personally.

Joseph’s sons were not like their cousins. They had never set foot in Canaan. They had been born and raised in Egypt and they had an Egyptian mother. Maybe they struggled to speak the Hebrew language. Perhaps they felt like strangers in their own family.       

Being adopted by their grandfather would have given Manasseh and Ephraim a deep sense of belonging. It would have strengthened their Hebrew identity, giving them an honoured place in the dandelion head of Jacob’s family.   

Okay, so we have heard why Jacob adopts Joseph’s sons. Now let’s consider how Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasseh. In verses 8-12 we catch a glimpse of the adoption ceremony.

How Jacob Adopts:

What do these four things have in common: a wedding, a baptism, a powhiri and a funeral? [Wait]

That’s right, they are all ceremonies. Each of these ceremonies involves spoken words and symbolic actions. And you’ll notice that each of these ceremonies create connections. They bring people together and form a bridge from one state of being to a new state of being.  

With a wedding, two people’s lives become one and two families come together. As the couple exchange vows and rings and a kiss, they enter a new state of being, marriage.

With a baptism, the person being baptized is joined to Christ and they become a part of the people of God, the church. Words are pronounced over the baptismal candidate and water is used as a symbol of cleansing and rebirth.

With a powhiri the manuhiri (or the guests) are properly welcomed onto the Marae and are joined with the mana whenua (the people of that place). Speeches and waiata are exchanged and then people line up to hongi before having a kai.  

With a funeral ceremony the body of the deceased is being returned to the earth and their spirit is committed to God. A funeral marks the transition from one state of being to another. From this life to the next. Eulogies are given, words of committal are spoken and flowers or dirt are put on the coffin.

In verses 8-12 of Genesis 48, we catch a glimpse of the formal ceremony Jacob uses to adopt Joseph’s sons. This adoption ceremony is serious business. It has all the gravity and sacredness of a marriage ceremony or a baptism. Manasseh and Ephraim enter a new state of being. They become Jacob’s sons. 

When Jacob says, in verse 8, “Who are these?” It’s not that Jacob doesn’t know who Manasseh and Ephraim are (even if he is a bit blind). It’s simply that the adoption ceremony follows this formal ritual.

Sort of like a wedding ceremony when the celebrant says, “Who gives this woman to be married?” And the parents say, “We do”.  Everyone in the room knows who the parents of the bride are but you still say the words to complete the protocol.

Joseph answers his father saying, “They are the sons God has given me here”.

Then Joseph brings his sons close to Jacob. If the boys weren’t grown men, Joseph might put them on Jacob’s knees. More likely, in this situation, Manasseh and Ephraim stand between Jacob’s knees, while Jacob sits on the edge of the bed.

The symbolism here is of a child coming from a parent’s loins. It’s like saying, ‘You have the same standing as a biological child. You are my blood’.

Jacob then embraces and kisses Joseph’s sons. Again, this might be a symbolic gesture similar to a wedding ceremony when the celebrant says, “You may kiss the bride”. Except the kiss of adoption will be that of a father and not a spouse.

And, as verse 11 indicates, the embrace and the kiss are not just for show. Jacob is expressing real warmth and love for Ephraim and Manasseh. He is also expressing gratitude to God.

For people of faith, a ceremony is empty if God is not in it. Although God is unseen, he is the most important person in the room and needs to be acknowledged as such.  

We are talking here of the sacramental aspect of ceremonies. In simple terms, a sacrament is something which conveys the presence and power of God. Christians believe it is the presence of God which makes the ceremony effective.

By way of analogy, imagine a bottle of wine. The ceremony is like the bottle and God’s presence and power is like the wine. A ceremony without God’s presence is like an empty bottle of wine. The purpose of the ceremony is only fulfilled when the wine of God’s Spirit is present.

Sacraments come in many forms. Marriage can be a divine sacrament when the Spirit of Jesus is active in the relationship to foster respect and intimacy.

Likewise, musical worship can be a sacrament when the Spirit of Jesus transports us to a place of deeper communion with God.

Enjoying a cup of tea and a good chat with a friend can also be a sacrament, when words of grace and truth are spoken, and loneliness is cast out. 

The church, the people of God, are a sacrament to the world

With any sacrament there is an element of mystery. We don’t know how God conveys his presence and power, but on a spiritual level we sense the Lord has communicated something of himself.

With Jacob’s adoption ceremony, God’s presence and power is honoured throughout. In verse 9, Joseph acknowledges that his children are a gift from God. And, in verse 11, Israel (aka Jacob) acknowledges God with gratitude for allowing him to see Joseph again and to adopt Joseph’s sons.

God’s presence and power is around us all the time, at church, at home, at school, at work, in the car or on the train. Sometimes though we are in too much of a hurry to notice the sacred in the everyday. Sometimes we need to slow down and be still so we can enjoy God’s presence in the simple things.

In verse 12, the adoption ceremony ends when Joseph removes his sons from (between) Jacob’s knees, before bowing down with his face to the ground.

It is unclear whether Joseph is bowing down to honour his father, Jacob, or to worship God. Perhaps it is both.

Joseph is thanking his father for blessing him with a double portion, by adopting his sons. And, at the same time, Joseph is acknowledging God Almighty who made this possible.

We note that Ephraim and Manasseh say nothing. They are led by their father Joseph and humbly receive what their grandfather Jacob wants to give them. Throughout the process they trust themselves to Joseph and Jacob.

Ephraim and Manasseh provide a model for us. As believers in Christ, we are led by the Spirit of Jesus and we humbly receive what God the Father wants to give, in an attitude of trust.  

Conclusion:

In his letter to the Romans, Paul reminds us how we are adopted by God. From Romans 8, verse 14, we read…

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sonsand daughters of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,   

Let’s sit with that for a little bit. Through your faith in Jesus, you are adopted into God’s family. You stand to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Your identity is in Christ. Your place of belonging is the kingdom of God. You are royalty. You are special. You were bought with a price. You are loved more than you can imagine.

As those who have put their faith is Jesus, our everlasting possession is not an acreage of dirt in the middle east. Our everlasting possession is an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.

Like Manasseh and Ephraim, we have done nothing to earn or deserve this.

It is only by the amazing grace of God. All we can do is humbly accept God’s adoption of us through faith in Jesus and by the sacrament of God’s Spirit.

May God bless you with an awareness of his presence and power at work in your life every day. Amen.    

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
2. What is your attitude (or feeling) in relation to ceremonies? Are they a must have, or just an optional extra? Thinking of your own experience, what kinds of ceremonies have you found meaningful? Why was that?
3. Why does Jacob adopt Joseph’s sons?
4. Where does your sense of belonging and identity come from?
5. What are some of the key elements in Jacob’s adoption ceremony?
6. What is a sacrament? When are you aware of God’s presence and power at work in your life?
7. What can we learn from Manasseh and Ephraim’s example?  

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[1] Refer Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Genesis, page 597.

Jacob’s Will

Scripture: Genesis 47:28-31

Video Link: https://youtu.be/lJR8sOJrNtM

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-9-june-2024-jacobs-will

Structure:

• Introduction
• Long Life
• Strong Hope
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Over the past four months we have been working our way through a series on the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis.

The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. The beginning of the world at creation. A new beginning for the world after the great flood and the beginning of the people of God, with the narratives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

Given that Genesis is book of beginnings, it is somewhat curious that most of the last three chapters of Genesis deal with an ending, the death of Jacob. Three chapters might seem like a lot to devote to Jacob’s death, when it could be covered with one short verse. So why give it so much attention?

Well, death is a part of life which we must accept. Perhaps the authors of Genesis wanted to give their readers a few clues about how to prepare for death. How to face death well and without fear.

Perhaps too we are to understand death, not just as an ending, but also as a beginning. Every new beginning starts with some other beginning’s end.      

This morning we pick up Joseph’s story from Genesis 47, verse 28…    

²⁸ Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. ²⁹ When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favour in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, ³⁰ but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” “I will do as you say,” he [Joseph] said. ³¹ “Swear to me,” he [Jacob] said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these four short verses we catch a glimpse of Jacob’s long life and strong hope. First let’s consider Jacob’s long life.

Long Life:

Matt Haig wrote a novel called How to Stop Time. In this book we meet some characters who, for some inexplicable reason, have a life span of around 1000 years. These characters are immune from illness and they age very slowly. So after 500 years they are only in mid-life, the equivalent of being in their 40’s.

Now to some of you the idea of living for 1000 years might sound wonderful. But to others, who may not experience much quality in life, it will sound more like torture. 

Like all good novels Matt Haig’s book is saying something deeper. It’s really about good mental health and how to live well. How to cope with loneliness and change. Maybe, with enough time, we could learn to live better lives.    

Verse 28 of Genesis 47 tells us Jacob lived to the ripe old age of 147 years.

Earlier in Genesis we read how Jacob’s father, Isaac, lived to 180 and his grandfather Abraham lived to 175. Taking those ages at face value, the patriarchs had roughly double the lifespan of people today. 

Although Genesis is not a work of fiction, we may still have difficulty believing the patriarchs lived that long. We might try to rationalize this by saying the numbers are an exaggeration or a scribal error. But in doing that we make God smaller and we diminish our sense of wonder. We clip the wings of imagination and leave no room for mystery.

Just because something is outside our experience, we should not discount it.

It serves us better to imagine how cool it would be to age more slowly. Imagine the good you could do with your life. Imagine the fun you could have.

Derek Kidner, a highly respected Old Testament scholar, says this about the extraordinary ages of the patriarchs. Their life span seems to have been a special providence. (We might think of it as a gift from God.) Their continued vigour (throughout life) shows that this was no mere postponement of death but a spreading-out of the whole life process. [1]

For example, Abraham at say 110 has the vitality of a man in his late 60’s.

Sara, giving birth to Isaac at 90, would correspond perhaps with our late 50’s. So, at 90 Sara is beyond childbearing age, but still able to enjoy making love with her husband.  

By mentioning Jacob’s age of 147, we are reminded that with God nothing is impossible. We are also invited to imagine eternal life. Abundant life. Life without the limitations of illness or infirmity.

For those of you who like mathematics and enjoy finding patterns in numbers, check this out. According to one commentator, Abraham’s age of 175 is equal to 5x5x7. Isaac’s age of 180 is equal to 6x6x5. And Jacob’s age of 147 is equal to 7x7x3.

In this series the squared number (in brackets) increases by one each generation and the coefficient (the number on the end) decreases by two each time. Whoa. Isn’t that cool.

But wait, there’s more. In each case the sum of the factors is 17. That is, 5+5+7 = 17, just as 6+6+5=17 and 7+7+3=17. Joseph was sold into Egypt at the tender age of 17 and Jacob spent the last 17 years of his life in Egypt. [2] There is a beautiful symmetry here.   

Now, we need to be careful not to go overboard and read too much into the numbers. But, at the same time, we need to consider what the numbers might be telling us? The numbers could be saying the lives of the patriarchs and their family are not random or haphazard. God has numbered their days precisely according to his purpose and design.

If you remember the accounts of creation in Genesis 1 & 2, you will know that bringing order to the chaos is how God makes life both beautiful and functional. It appears the numerical patterns in Genesis are saying that God is the master of life and death. God is bringing order to the chaos.

We don’t live anywhere near as long as the patriarchs. Some people’s lives are cut short. While other people’s lives seem to go on longer than they would like. It is difficult to discern any pattern. It often seems random and chaotic.

Part of faith is believing that, despite appearances to the contrary, our lives are not random or pointless. Jesus only lived on earth for 33 years. Yet it is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that God is making all things new and bringing order to his creation.  

Strong Hope:

Jacob’s life was long and his hope was strong.

It was probably Mark Twain who coined the phrase, ‘There are only two certainties in this life. Death and taxes.’

With this in view, let me ask you a very practical question. Do you have a Will? That is, a legally binding document detailing your wishes when you die? You don’t need to answer that now, but you do need to think about it.  

Despite the fact that death comes to us all, research commissioned by Safewill indicates that around 47% of adults in New Zealand don’t have a Will. All adults really should have a Will. And if you get married, or have children or haven’t thought about it for a while, you should probably update your Will.

In the closing verses of Genesis 47 Jacob asked for his son Joseph, so he could do the ancient equivalent of updating his Will. 

The fact that Jacob asks Joseph to do this confirms that Jacob has appointed Joseph as head of the household. Normally, in the culture of the ancient near east, the eldest son would be given responsibility, as head of the family, for carrying out the father’s Will. Reuben was the eldest, but Jacob has chosen Joseph. Jacob trusts Joseph more.

We note that Jacob is not afraid of dying. In verse 30 he describes death as ‘resting’ with his fathers. That sounds quite pleasant, peaceful even. Jacob sees death as a kind of homecoming. Whether he lives or dies, Jacob is confident that his soul is safe with God.

Jacob faces death with a strong sense of hope. Jacob is reconciled to the fact that after he has gone, life will carry on. Things will not end with him.

In accordance with God’s promise, Jacob believes that his descendants will inherit the land of Canaan. And with that hope in mind, Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury his remains in the Promised Land.

Jacob isn’t just doing this for himself. Jacob is doing this to pass on a hope filled vision of the future to his children and grandchildren. It’s like Jacob is saying to his family, ‘This is your legacy. This is what you have to look forward to. A place to belong, to put down roots and call your own.’       

In verse 29, Jacob says to Joseph, ‘…put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness…’ What’s this about?

Old Testament expert, Bruce Waltke, says that the ‘thigh’ in this context is a euphemism for genitalia. Jacob is asking Joseph to take an oath by placing his hand near his private parts.

It might seem strange in our culture to make an oath in this way but there is a certain logic to it. This is not a perverse act. It is a sacred thing, done gently, with permission and great respect.

When Abraham wanted to find a bride for Isaac, he also asked his steward to take an oath by putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh.

There is a twin symbolism here, vulnerability and life. To have someone place their hand under your thigh is the very picture of vulnerability. It’s like saying, “You’ve got me by the short and curlies”.    

At the same time, a person’s genitalia represent the source of life and offspring. So, by asking Joseph to place his hand under his thigh, Jacob is basically saying, “the purpose of my life, my future and all I hold dear, is in your hands”. Jacob is trusting Joseph with a lot here.   

Bruce Waltke puts it like this, “When facing death, the patriarchs secure their last will by an oath at the source of life.” [3] 

You’ll be relieved to know that when updating your Will these days, you only have to sign a piece of paper. No touching of the ‘thigh’ is involved.   

Jacob sets the tone of tenderness and respect in the way he says to Joseph,

‘If I have found favour in your eyes…’ Jacob is Joseph’s superior and yet he asks his son politely for this favour. Jacob recognises that Joseph holds the power in this situation.

Jacob wants Joseph to promise to show him kindness and faithfulness. The word translated as kindness, in verse 29, is hesed in the original Hebrew. Jacob is asking Joseph to do hesed for him. In this situation, the specific act of loyal love and kindness involves Joseph taking Jacob’s dead body to bury in Canaan. Something significant that Jacob could not do himself.

An act of hesed like this cannot be compelled or forced. Jacob does not coerce Joseph. He does not try to emotionally blackmail his son. Jacob understands that what he is asking cannot be taken, it can only be given. The old man approaches his son with a poverty of spirit that is genuine and touching.

Jacob did not presume upon Joseph’s good nature but instead made himself vulnerable to rejection before his son.

I am reminded of the leper who comes to Jesus in Matthew 8, kneels down and says to the Lord, ‘Sir, I know you can heal me, if you want to’.

The leper is asking Jesus to show him kindness, to do hesed for him. No doubt this leper has experienced a great deal of rejection and hurt in his life. We can almost hear him thinking, ‘I understand if you don’t want to heal me’. Here is a man who is poor in spirit. Yet he finds the faith to risk further rejection.

I love the winsome way the leper does not pressure Jesus. He understands that what he is asking cannot be taken, it can only be given. It is a tender moment.

And in an equally tender and winsome way, Jesus responds, ‘I want to. Be clean’. And immediately the man was cured of his leprosy.

Have you been routinely rejected and hurt? Does it feel like a risk to ask for help? What act of kindness or hesed do you long for? Hear Jesus’ words for you personally, ‘I want to’.  

Joseph loves his dad and he wants to. So he swears an oath, promising to do hesed for Jacob by carrying out his father’s dying wishes. Words, in ancient times, carried more weight than they do today. These words cannot be taken back.  

The ceremony finishes with the elderly Jacob leaning on his staff worshipping God. Jacob faces death with hope and thankfulness.

There’s an interesting connection between verse 31, of Genesis 47, and the New Testament letter to the Hebrews. In Hebrews 11, verse 21, we read…

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Now this is curious. Of all the remarkable things Jacob did in his life, why is he commended for blessing Joseph’s sons and worshipping God while he leans on his staff? That doesn’t seem difficult or extraordinary.

Well, faith is not always a grand gesture. Sometimes faith can involve a heroic sacrifice, but most of the time faith appears quite ordinary and unspectacular.

Now in saying that faith is often ordinary looking, I don’t mean it is easy.    

We need to remember that by this stage, Jacob is 147. The outlook you have when you are in your twenties and thirties is not the same as the outlook you will have when you are in your seventies and eighties.

It is one thing to worship God when you are young. It is an entirely different thing to still be worshipping the Lord when you are old and your strength is failing and you’ve lost loved ones.

Jacob is an old man who has lived a hard life. Jacob has struggled constantly with those around him. Most of the hurt he suffered was inflicted by those closest to him, by his family. And if you can’t trust your family, who can you trust?

Add to this the fact that Jacob had to leave his homeland and knows he is going to die in Egypt. It’s a lot.

Despite the wounds he carries, Jacob does not lose his faith in God. Even in the face of death, Jacob is sure of what he hopes for and certain of what he does not see. He still has a firm grasp on God’s promises, even though he knows those promises are not going to be realized in his lifetime.

As ordinary as it may seem, Jacob’s actions in worshipping and blessing bear witness to his strong faith. Jacob can worship God and bless the next generation because he believes his body will be repatriated to Canaan, and his descendants will inherit the land as God promised him.    

Conclusion:

As we get older and our energy and capabilities begin to diminish, we may begin to feel less valuable. We may ask ourselves; how can I be useful? What do I have to contribute? Take a leaf out of Jacob’s book.

As ordinary and unspectacular as it may seem, coming to church to worship God and give your blessing to the next generation is incredibly valuable.

Our faith is not just for our personal benefit. It is also a public good. Yes, there is personal comfort in believing that when I die, I will be safe in the arms of Jesus. That’s real and it’s important.

But there is an equally important public aspect to our faith as well. When younger people see older people worshipping God it communicates to everyone that God is faithful. That the Lord can be trusted and relied upon throughout all of life.

The presence of older Christians makes younger Christians feel safe. And feeling safe is needed more than ever these days.

Furthermore, when older people bless younger people, it makes the next generation stronger. People in their twenties and thirties may not say it but, at a deep level, I believe young people long for the blessing of their elders.

When you bless those who come after you, when you are warm and kind and positive, you say to them, ‘I believe in you. I believe God has good planned for your future and the future of the church’.    

Whether you are younger or older (or in between) may the Lord strengthen your faith and hope that you would be a blessing to others. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
2. Why does the book of Genesis devote the better part of its last three chapters to the death of Jacob?
3. What is the significance of the life spans of the Patriarchs? What would you do with your life if you could live as long as Jacob?
4. Is your Will up to date?
5. How did Jacob face death? What do you think and feel about death?   
6. Have you been routinely rejected and hurt? Does it feel like a risk asking for help? What act of kindness (hesed) do you long for?
7. Why does Hebrews 11 commend Jacob for blessing Joseph’s sons and worshipping God? Why is it important for younger Christians to see older believers worshipping God?

---

[1] Refer Derek Kidner’s commentary on Genesis, page 117.

[2] Sarna quoted in Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Genesis, page 591.

[3] Refer Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Genesis, page 327.

Joseph’s Policy

Scripture: Genesis 47:11-27

Video Link: https://youtu.be/blDEH450NmM

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-26-may-2024-josephs-policy

Structure:

• Introduction
• The best is the enemy of the good
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Voltaire, a French philosopher of the 18^th Century, once wrote…

The best is the enemy of the good.

These days you might hear it paraphrased as, ‘perfect is the enemy of good’.

In other words, pursuit of perfection can become an obstacle to getting the job done. Better to do what good you can, than to do nothing for fear it won’t meet some theoretical ideal.   

Imagine, for example, you are with someone in the bush and they break their leg. You wouldn’t say, “It’s a shame I don’t have all the right medical equipment with me. Sorry, but I’m going to have to leave you here to die.”

No. You would do what good you can. You would find some wooden sticks and flax to make a splint and stabilize the leg. It may not be the best modern medicine has to offer, but it is good enough to do the job until you get the injured person to a hospital.

Today we continue our series in the life of Joseph. Last week we heard how Joseph was reunited with his father Jacob and the family were settled in Egypt.

This morning we hear how Joseph managed the food crisis and kept people alive through the famine. Joseph’s economic policy may seem less than ideal to many affluent 21^st Century western readers. But we have to remember it was not an ideal situation. Joseph does not let the best become the enemy of the good. Joseph does what he can to save the people. From Genesis 47, verse 11, we read…  

¹¹ So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. ¹² Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children. ¹³ There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁵ When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.” ¹⁶ “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.”  ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.  ¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.” ²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, ²¹ and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. ²³ Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. ²⁴ But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.” ²⁵ “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favour in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.” ²⁶ So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s. ²⁷ Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

The best is the enemy of the good:

Our message began today with a quote from Voltaire. ‘The best is the enemy of the good.’

Some of you may think it strange to be quoting Voltaire in a sermon. After all, Voltaire was a critic of the church of his day. He used his pen and his wit to satirize the church leadership of France. Among other things he advocated for the separation of church and state and the abolition of slavery.

Some of Voltaire’s wisdom was borrowed from the Bible. Jesus also criticized the religious leaders of his day. Jesus often pointed out how the Pharisees made the best the enemy of the good.

The Pharisees gave a tenth of their spices… but neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness… They strained out a gnat but swallowed a camel. They put heavy loads [of rules and regulations] on people’s backs but did not lift a finger to help them.

One classic example of the religious leaders making the best the enemy of the good was their criticism of Jesus for healing a woman on the Sabbath. In Luke 13 we read…

¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

The Pharisees’ rules around best practice for keeping the Sabbath actually prevented people from doing good. Jesus’ healing of the woman on the Sabbath shows that God’s purpose is to give people the best without sacrificing the good. 

The people of Joseph’s day were bound by famine for seven long years.

A humanitarian disaster threatened. This was not a time to let perfection become the enemy of good.

A famine is an extreme scarcity of food. Depending on what website you go to, around 113 million people are facing acute hunger in the world today. And approximately 9 million people starve to death globally, each year.

Famines can be caused by a variety of factors including drought, disease and war. Corrupt or unstable government only make matters worse.

By God’s grace we have not had a famine in New Zealand in recent decades, but we do have lean times, when we must tighten our belts. Some of you will remember the great depression of the 1930’s and the rationing of World War Two. Others today may be facing job cuts and the financial pressure that brings.

While these lean times are difficult, they are not as bad as the famine described in Genesis 47. Egypt’s famine appears to be naturally occurring and not the consequence of war or bad government. In fact, it is through Joseph’s wise management that many lives are saved. 

Verse 14 says that Joseph collected all the money to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain and brought the money to Pharaoh’s palace.

Some may be thinking, ‘Hmmm, was that the best thing to do? It doesn’t seem fair that Joseph should commandeer grain from people during the years of plenty and then sell it back to them during the years of famine’.

Well, when you pay for something, you tend to value it more. If Joseph gave the grain away, people might take it for granted and be less careful with it. They might also take more than they needed and sell it at a higher price later.

Giving the grain away might seem like the best thing to do, but in this context it risked undermining the good. By requiring payment Joseph was better able to drip feed the supply, so the grain lasted.

Besides, the grain wasn’t Joseph’s to give away. Joseph needed to give account to Pharaoh. Storing and distributing grain comes with overheads. Joseph had to charge something to cover expenses and keep Pharaoh’s palace running.  

Some might accuse Joseph of colluding with the empire. Making the king rich at the expense of the people. What Egypt needs in this crisis though is stable government, not revolution. Joseph’s policies support stable government. 

In any case, selling the grain does more good than hoarding it. Joseph is not like the rich man, in Jesus’ parable, who had a bumper crop one year and decided to keep it all for himself. Joseph stores the grain with a view to feeding the community.

John Goldingay, an Old Testament scholar, says that justice and righteousness is about the faithful exercise of power in community.  

Joseph shows us what justice and righteousness look like. There is no hint of greed or profiteering with Joseph. He does not skim the cream off for himself. He takes all the money to Pharaoh’s palace. Joseph is shown to be a man of integrity.

Rather than criticizing Joseph, because his policies don’t meet some theoretical ideal, we do better to think about how we exercise the power we have. Power comes in many forms. Knowledge, skill, physical strength, money, social standing, relationship capital; these are all examples of power.

So the question is, what power has God given us? And are we exercising our power faithfully at home, at school, at work and in the wider community?

Are we righteous and just in our dealings with others?

When the people ran out of money, Joseph took their livestock in exchange for food. He was doing them a favour really. During a drought too much stock becomes a problem because there isn’t enough feed for them. By taking the animals, Joseph relieved the people of a burden.

The best you can hope for during a drought is to keep your animals alive. But the best is the enemy of the good. Joseph probably had to face the difficult decision of culling some of the stock to save the rest.

The mention of livestock alerts us to the suffering of animals during a famine. God cares about all of His creation, human and non-human.

Eventually, when the people have no money and no animals left, they come to Joseph and offer to trade their land and their labour in exchange for food. The people are basically transferring ownership of their land to the crown and making themselves tenant farmers.

Normally, the best thing to do is not sell your land. But the famine gives the people little choice. They can see the best is the enemy of the good. If they don’t sell their land they will die. And what good would that do?

Note though that it is not Joseph who suggests this arrangement. It is the people themselves who ask for this. Although Egypt at this time was not a democracy, Joseph does the very democratic thing of listening to the voice of the people.

We see Joseph’s justice and righteousness again in verse 24 where he tells the people to give 20% of their crops to Pharaoh as rent for using the land as tenant farmers. They can keep the other 80% for themselves.

The average rate of rent for tenant farmers in the ancient near east was 33% of the produce. This means Joseph is renting the land to the people at a discounted rate.

Given the desperation of the people, Joseph could have haggled and charged more if he wanted to, but he does not take advantage of the situation. Joseph does not oppress the people.     

Perhaps Joseph would have liked to charge an even lower rate, but he walks a fine line as it is. Joseph cannot allow the best to become the enemy of the good. Joseph must keep Pharaoh on side. If Joseph were to require only 10% of the crop, then Pharaoh may become unhappy with that arrangement and replace him with someone who was ruthless and charged more.

Joseph exercises his power faithfully for the well-being of the community and the people appreciate it. The people know Joseph has been kind and fair and they express their gratitude saying, “You have saved our lives. May we find favour in the eyes of our lord.”

Verse 26 indicates that Joseph’s law, of giving 20% of the crops to Pharaoh, remained in force for hundreds of years. Joseph may not have intended his edict to last this long. We see the contrast between Egyptian law and Israelite law here.

God’s law, given through Moses 430 years after Joseph, stipulated that debts must be forgiven and slaves set free every seven years. What’s more, if someone fell on hard times and had to sell the family farm to survive, their land must be returned in the year of Jubilee.

God’s law prohibited the king from owning other people’s land in perpetuity, like Pharaoh did. God’s law is concerned with restoring what is lost and protecting the poor. This shows us the Lord is able to give people the best, without sacrificing the good.       

Verse 22 notes that the priests of Egypt received an allotment of food from Pharaoh and so they did not need to sell their land in order to survive.

Religion, in the ancient world, was usually hijacked for political gain. To control the people, you had to show them you had the gods on your side. And maintaining a priesthood enabled the king to do that. 

Of course, the Egyptian priests facilitated the worship of the Egyptian gods. They did not worship Yahweh, the living God of Israel. Which begs the question, was it the best thing for Joseph to be working for a pagan regime?

Well, Joseph is Prime Minister of Egypt because God put him there. And Joseph does not believe in the Egyptian gods anyway. To him they are no gods. Joseph can see the Egyptian religion is just smoke and mirrors.

Joseph does not compromise his loyalty to the God of Israel. Nor does he let the best become the enemy of the good. Joseph’s faith is spacious enough to trust that the one true God is able to use him to do good, even from within a system that is based on a lie. This all points to the awesome grace of God.

We are reminded of what the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Romans…

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While the people of Egypt were still worshipping idols, God sent Joseph to save them. God loves the Egyptians.

Today’s reading is book ended with twin comments about Joseph’s family.

While the Egyptians were having to sell their land to survive, the Israelites were acquiring land and flourishing. The message here is that God is faithful through good times and bad.

What was it Jesus said? ³¹ Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’… ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus is not saying we should be careless and abandon all attempts at planning or budgeting. We still have a responsibility to be good managers of what God has given us. After all, Joseph saved many lives through his wise stewardship.

The point is, trust God and be ready to serve His purpose in the present.

If you are always thinking about tomorrow, you will miss what God is doing today. Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. Don’t let fear rob your joy and perspective. Most of the things we worry about never happen anyway.

Conclusion:

I imagine the majority of you welcome the wisdom of not letting the best undermine the good. But there may be some who struggle with this.

If you have perfectionist tendencies, then the thought of sacrificing the best will cause you to have conniptions.

As one perfectionist to another, let me remind you of the Lord’s words to the apostle Paul, that most famous of perfectionists…

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power in made perfect in weakness.

Don’t let the best become the enemy of God’s good purpose. Embrace your weakness. Make friends with it.

Let us pray…

Gracious God, we thank you for knowing our needs and providing for us. Help us by your Spirit to serve your purpose without fear, day by day. Give us a right perspective that we would not let the best become the enemy of the good. Help us to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
2. What does ‘the best is the enemy of the good’ mean? Can you think of an example from your own life (or from Scripture) where the best undermined the good? What happened?
3. How do you feel when you consider the worlds hungry?
4. Discuss / reflect on Joseph’s policy for managing Egypt’s food security. Why does Joseph charge the people for grain and not just give it away?   
5. What is justice and righteousness, in the Bible? What power has God given you? How do you use your power?
6. In what ways do we see God’s grace at work in Genesis 47? 
7. How does Egypt’s law (established by Joseph in verse 26) compare/contrast with God’s law?        

Migration

Scripture: Genesis 46 and 47:9-10

Video Link: https://youtu.be/g5QAMDXeqms

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-19-may-2024-migration

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Over recent years there has been an increase in migration around the world.

Stats New Zealand estimate new arrivals to Aotearoa to be around 239,000 people, which is a 39% increase on the previous year. Departures are up by 31%, with nearly 128,000 people leaving. This equates to a net gain of over 111,000 people coming to live in New Zealand.   

These migration statistics represent a lot of movement. A lot of change.

But they don’t tell the whole story. Often people move countries because the situation in their homeland has become intolerable and they want a better life for their family.

Whatever the reason for migrating, it is not easy to leave loved ones and all that is familiar to establish yourself in a new land, where the language and culture are different. It takes courage and faith. Many of you here know that from your own experience.

Today we continue our series in the life of Joseph. This week, in Genesis 46, we read about the migration of Jacob’s family from the land of Canaan to Egypt. From verse 1 of Genesis 46 we read…

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied.

³ “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. ⁴ I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

⁵ Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. ⁶ So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Over the past few months, the Deacons and I have been giving careful thought to the church’s insurance policy. Back in February we received an enormous insurance bill. Tens of thousands of dollars more than we were expecting.

At our church meeting next week, we plan to present a proposal for restructuring our insurance cover to bring the premium cost down.

[If you want to see the proposal before the meeting, then we have left copies on the foyer table or you can ask me and I’ll email you the information.]

On one level this is a financial decision. But at a deeper level, it’s also a spiritual decision. Our enormous insurance bill raises some fundamental questions about where our attachments lie. As a church, where do we place our security? In what (or whom) do we put our trust?

Kiwi culture values land. We like to own a piece of dirt and put a building on it. We don’t like to rent. Ownership of land and buildings make us feel safe, secure.

This being said, the church is not the buildings. The church is the people. The church is the quality of our relationships together, in and through Christ.      

Yes, the church’s buildings are useful. They provide a place to gather for worship and fellowship. And yes, we want to take care of the buildings. We want to be good stewards and manage our risk as best we can.

But if our attachment to the land and buildings becomes greater than our attachment to Jesus and one another, then we have lost our way. As followers of a Messiah who had nowhere to lay his head, our trust and our security needs to be in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As important as the land of Canaan was to Jacob, he was more attached to God and his family. Jacob’s trust and security was in the Lord of all the earth.

But it had not always been that way. As a young man Jacob coveted the land. He wanted to possess the land so badly that he cheated his twin brother, Esau, out of the birthright and blessing. In the process he destroyed trust with his brother and was forced to flee for his life to Haran, to work for his uncle Laban.

On leaving Canaan the first time, the young Jacob had a dream at Bethel in which he saw angels ascending and descending on a stairway. In the dream God promised to give Jacob and his descendants the land of Canaan. God’s promise gave Jacob hope and enabled him to leave the land he loved knowing he would be back one day with a family of his own.

Some twenty years later, when Jacob returned with wives and children, he wrestled all night with a man at the boundary to the land of Canaan. In the morning the man asked Jacob to let him go but Jacob refused saying, “I will not let you go unless you bless me”.

Jacob did not let go easily. The man said to Jacob, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome”. Then the man blessed Jacob. Afterwards, Jacob realised he had been wrestling with God.

Now, in Genesis 46, a much older Jacob is leaving Canaan again and it is no small thing. So much of Jacob’s life has been wrapped up in the promised land. Now Jacob is needing to let go of the land and letting go is not easy for Jacob. There is risk involved. What if he loses the land?   

Feeling the gravity of the situation, Jacob offers sacrifices at Beersheba, once again near the boundary. He is seeking God’s blessing before he crosses over to Egypt. Is it okay for me to leave?

And God responds with a vision in the night, telling Jacob not to be afraid.

God reassures Jacob of his presence saying, “I will go down to Egypt with you”.

God is not restricted by geography. He is Lord of all the earth.

God goes on to say, “I will make you a great nation there”. Jacob’s family, at this point, is not really a nation. It’s more like the embryo of a nation. It was God’s purpose for the nation of Israel to live and grow in the womb of Egypt for around 430 years, before returning to the promised land.

With the reassurance that God travels with him, Jacob leaves the land of Canaan and goes with his family to Egypt. This is an act of faith on Jacob’s part. It demonstrates that Jacob’s security is in the Lord. As important as the land is to Jacob, he has a greater attachment to God and his family.

God is Jacob’s insurance. Jacob believes God will restore the promised land to his descendants one day.       

Jacob’s experience reminds us of Jesus. In Matthew 2, Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, had a dream in which an angel of the Lord told him to take Mary and Jesus and go to Egypt to escape king Herod. Like Israel, Jesus lived in Egypt for a while, before returning to Nazareth after Herod had died.  

Jesus knows what it is to be a migrant and a refugee. Jesus knows how it feels to be displaced, forced to leave your homeland. 

The kiwi band, Six60, have a song called, Don’t forget your roots.

It’s about the importance of remembering where you come from and taking care of your family relationships. The chorus reads…

“Don’t forget your roots my friend, don’t forget your family,

Don’t forget your roots my friend, the ones who made you,

The ones who brought you here, don’t forget your roots…”

It is important to remember our roots and to take care of our family relationships because if we don’t, we can lose our sense of identity, we can forget who we are and become lost, adrift from what is true.

Whakapapa is the Maori word for genealogy. In English, it translates to something like, ‘place in layers’ or ‘create a foundation’. A person’s whakapapa links them to their ancestors, to their tribe and to their land.  

Whakapapa or genealogy is important in the Bible. Genesis is peppered with layers of names which create a foundation and make connections. Two of the gospels (Matthew and Luke) give Jesus’ whakapapa, linking our Lord to the tribe of Judah and even further back to Adam and therefore to all of humanity.    

In Genesis 46, verses 8-25, we are given the list of names of those descended from Jacob, who left Canaan and settled in Egypt for a while. This Hebrew whakapapa provides a kind of foundation for the nation of Israel.

It helps Jacob’s descendants to remember who they are and where they come from. It strengthens their sense identity, so they don’t forget their roots or become lost in a foreign land.

Now you may be relieved to know that I don’t plan to read out all the names. You can do that later, at your leisure. But I will make a couple of observations.

Firstly, there are no illegitimate children in this list. All of Jacob’s children are named and given a place of honour. Those of you who know your Bibles will remember that Jacob fathered children to four women. He had two wives, Leah and Rachel. And they each had two handmaids who, at Rachel & Leah’s insistence, also had children by Jacob.     

The children of the handmaids are not treated as less, in any way. They are valued members of Jacob’s family and of God’s people. With God, there is no such thing as an illegitimate child.  

Now it needs to be acknowledged that Jacob practiced polygamy and

polygamy is not ideal. Just because some of the Bible’s heroes had more than one wife, at the same time, it does not follow that the Bible recommends it.

More often the Bible portrays polygamy as a cautionary tale, something to be avoided. Nevertheless, God in his grace accommodated it for a time. God worked with the choices human beings made to create the nation of Israel.

Verse 27 tells us that 70 members of Jacob’s family went down to Egypt. Seventy, in ancient Hebrew thought, is the ideal number symbolizing completeness. The nation of Israel, in miniature, is represented here as ideal.

When we look back at the dysfunction in Jacob’s family. The lies, the hatred, the envy and rivalry, we may wonder how the Bible can represent this messed up family as ideal.

Well, it seems the text is making a point. Despite a less than ideal past, a profound healing has taken place within the family so that they can be reunited again. Not just geographically reunited but restored in their relationships.

We might think of Jacob’s family as a patchwork quilt. Before the quilt is sewn together it looks like a bunch of random rags destined for the scrap bin. But when God brings all the different shapes and sizes and colours of human fabric together, it becomes a thing of beauty and usefulness.   

We catch a glimpse of the healing, restoring work of God in verses 28-30 of Genesis 46, when Jacob is reunited with his son Joseph…

²⁸ Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, ²⁹ Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. 

As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his fatherand wept for a long time. ³⁰ Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”

Although Jacob says he is ready to die, he actually goes on living for a number of years. Jacob is basically saying he is satisfied with his life. He has received his son back from the dead and it is well with his soul.

Joseph does not say anything at first. He weeps, for a long time. Joseph’s tears communicate more powerfully than words. Joseph’s tears speak to the depth of his suffering and love. Joseph has not forgotten his roots. He is at home in the arms of his father, even if they are in a strange land.

It’s interesting that the first thing Joseph attends to here is his emotions.

He has a good cry. After (and only after) he has attended to his emotions, does Joseph attend to the practical task of settling his family in Egypt and giving them security in Goshen.

Most men, in the time and culture I was raised in, did not give priority to their emotions. Feelings were this annoying thing that got in the way of being a man. The problem is, if we treat our feelings with contempt, they often return with a vengeance, in the form of anger. And so what you get is a lot of angry young men. Things are different these days, but there was a time when anger was the only acceptable feeling for a Kiwi bloke.   

In Joseph though we are given a different model, a better example. In Joseph we see a powerful and successful man who manages his emotions well. Joseph gets things done by wisdom and patience, not violence or force.

Joseph reminds us of Jesus. Jesus also gave priority to taking care of his feelings. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he wept. Only after Jesus had faced his feelings did he get on with the practical task of bringing Lazarus back to life. We do well to remember that tears often precede new beginnings.

After attending to his emotions, Joseph makes arrangements for his family to settle in Goshen. Shepherding was the family business and Goshen was a region in Egypt that was suitable for shepherding. There is more than enough change migrating to a new country. Best (if possible) to keep some things familiar, like the work you do. Stick to the knitting, as they say. 

Joseph is careful to do everything above board. There is no deceit with Joseph. He doesn’t sneak his family into Egypt. He gets Pharaoh’s permission, instructing his brothers to be honest with Pharaoh about what they do for a living. Then Pharaoh will allow them to settle in Goshen.

Joseph’s approach is very different from that of his great-grandfather, Abraham. When Abraham went to Egypt, he lied to Pharaoh because he was afraid. Joseph has learned from Abraham’s mistake. Joseph is respectful of Pharaoh and his authority. He speaks the truth and trusts the outcome to God.   

The note, in verse 34, that all shepherds are detestable to Egyptians suits Israel well. It means the Egyptians will keep some distance between themselves and Jacob’s family. This will enable God’s people to preserve their identity and not be assimilated into Egyptian culture.   

It is similar with the followers of Jesus. We are to be in the world but not of it. We are to preserve our distinctive identity in Christ and not be assimilated by the prevailing culture. We are to keep our saltiness.

In Genesis 47, Joseph introduces his father to Pharaoh and Jacob blesses Pharaoh, twice it appears.

We are reminded here of God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham and his descendants. God does, quite literally, bless Pharaoh and all of Egypt through Jacob and Joseph, the direct descendants of Abraham. 

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard how Jacob and his family migrated to Egypt. While the promised land of Canaan was important to him, ultimately Jacob’s security was in the Lord. Jacob was more attached to God and his family than he was to the land. 

But in migrating to Egypt, Jacob and his family did not forget their roots. They remembered who they were as God’s covenant people. By preserving their identity and staying true to God’s purpose for them, they blessed the people of Egypt.

Today is Pentecost, a special Sunday in the church calendar when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. When Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit 2000 years ago, they were mobilised to migrate from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, blessing the nations as they took the message about Jesus with them.   

By the power of God’s Spirit, a new nation was born and has grown around the world. This nation of people, who are known as Christians, is not bound to a particular piece of land or to a particular ethnic genealogy.

Whether we were born here or moved here, as the people of God, we are all pilgrims (or migrants) in this world, connected across time and space by the Spirit of Christ. 

Let me finish now with a blessing for you. This prayer was written by Gustavo Santos, of Vancouver…

The Lord of the Nations has brought you here and he has protected you through many challenges. Even though you might be invisible to those around you, remember that the Creator sees you. And even though you might not be able to express yourself in a new language, remember that the Creator hears you. As you go into the world, extend his love through the work you do. Welcome those who don’t look like you. Serve those who may persecute you. Seek justice wherever God takes you. Keep your head high and your heart soft, knowing that you belong regardless of where you are. Because in God’s kingdom, nobody is a stranger. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
2. Have you ever migrated from one country to another? (Or from one city to another, within the same country?) How did you feel? What was helpful to you in the process of migration?
3. How do you imagine Jacob felt when he was leaving Canaan? How did Jacob deal with his migration?
4. Discuss / reflect on God’s words to Jacob in Genesis 46:2-4. What do you need / want God to say to you?
5. Why does Genesis contain genealogies?  What is significant about the genealogy of Jacob’s family in Genesis 46? What is significant about Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew & Luke?
6. Why does Joseph weep when he is reunited with his dad? What happens if we don’t take care of our feelings? What practical things can we do to look after our emotions?
7. What was the long-term consequence of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost?       Why does Jesus send his Spirit upon people today?

Release

Scripture: Genesis 45

Video Link: https://youtu.be/4dUdkpcGHH8

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-12-may-2024-release

Structure:

• Introduction
• Release
• Renewal
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Paul Tournier, the Christian physician, once said…

“Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.”

A secret prevents us from getting close to people. A secret makes parts of ourselves invisible to others so that we are misunderstood, not fully known, not fully loved or accepted. A secret opens our mind to fear and closes our heart to intimacy. Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.

Today we continue our series in the life of Joseph, focusing on Genesis 45. Joseph’s brothers have been living with a secret for 22 years and the sense of loneliness and alienation has taken its toll. Joseph also has a secret, the weight of which has now become too heavy to bear. From Genesis 45, verse 1, we read…

¹ Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.  ³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. ⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  ⁸ “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. ⁹ Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. ¹⁰ You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ ¹² “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father about all the honour accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”  ¹⁴ Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. ¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us. 

Release:

You have probably heard of the movie The Truman Show, about a man trapped inside a reality TV series in which he is the star, only he doesn’t know it. All the people in his life are actors, playing a part, keeping the secret, keeping Truman in the dark.

When the creator of the show is challenged about the morality of lying to Truman and keeping him captive on the show, he replies…

“[Truman] could leave at any time. If his was more than just a vague ambition, if he was absolutely determined to discover the truth, there’s no way we could prevent him… ultimately Truman prefers his cell.” 

We human beings often have a difficult relationship with truth. On the one hand, we don’t always want the truth to get out or maybe we prefer not to face the truth because it is too difficult.

On the other hand, we have a deep yearning for the truth and the freedom it brings. There is a part of us that longs to know and be known. We were made for intimacy.

One day, when Truman begins to suspect that his whole world is fake, he becomes absolutely determined to discover the truth. He can’t go along with the lie anymore and plans his escape. His desire for a life that is real and relationships that are true is stronger even than his fear of death.

Last week we heard how Joseph had his steward plant a silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. Joseph did this because he wanted to know if he could trust his brothers. He wanted a relationship with his brothers that was real and true.

The brothers passed Joseph’s test with flying colours. When Benjamin was found to have the cup, the brothers did not trade Benjamin for their own freedom. They stood in solidarity with him. In fact, Judah offered himself as a slave in Benjamin’s place.

When Joseph saw that his brothers had changed, he could no longer contain himself. The truth set Joseph free to take off his mask and reveal himself to his brothers saying, “I am Joseph”.   

The brothers are speechless. They can’t take it in. This is not what they were expecting. Not only was Joseph alive, when they thought he was dead. He has also become the Prime Minister of Egypt. Seeing Joseph was like seeing a ghost. They were terrified.  

The brothers here remind us of Jesus’ disciples, caught between hope and terror, when the risen Jesus appeared to them after his crucifixion and burial. 

Joseph invites his brothers to take a closer look. Then he proves his identity saying, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt”.

This was a secret only Joseph could have known. Not even Benjamin was aware of what his other ten brothers had done.

Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets. The brothers’ secret had forced them to lie to their father Jacob and probably also to their wives and children. They were not free to be honest with those closest to them. The brothers’ secret was like weed killer on their relationships. It kept them on the defensive and isolated them.

By letting his brothers know that he was alive and doing well, Joseph set his brothers free. After 22 years of secrets and lies, they no longer needed to pretend. They no longer needed to fear the worst. Now the brothers could draw close to those who loved them.

Joseph reminds us of Jesus here. The Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace and truth. Joseph communicates the truth with a generous measure of grace. Joseph wants his brothers to know he holds nothing against them.

He wants to set them free, so he lets them in on a theological truth…

⁷ …God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Three times in verses 5-8 of Genesis 45, Joseph says to his brothers that it was God who sent him to Egypt.

Now, in saying that it was God who sent Joseph to Egypt, we must be clear. God did not want or need the brothers to sell Joseph into slavery. God could have arranged for Joseph to get to Egypt some other way.

The point is: it was always God’s purpose to send Joseph to Egypt and nothing can defeat God’s purpose. We human beings make our choices, sometimes good, sometimes bad. And God, in his wisdom, works with the choices we make to achieve his sovereign goal.      

Walter Brueggemann puts it this way, “The freedom of the creature and the gracious sovereignty of God are not in conflict, nor are they to be equated. God makes use of all human action and is not domesticated or limited by human choice.”  

Knowing this sets us free to let God be God. It releases us from fear so we can trust God more.

Now when it comes to bursting the bubble of our secrets and revealing the truth we need to exercise thoughtfulness and discretion. We don’t just reveal our truth to any random person.

When Joseph realized some significant truths were about to be revealed and they were truths that would be frightening if not embarrassing for his brothers, he ordered all his attendants to leave.

Joseph does not want to shame his brothers publicly. He wants to foster trust with his brothers and keep them safe.  

The point of application for us is, be wise about how you share your truth. We don’t need to publicly confess our deepest darkest secrets before the whole congregation or to everyone on Tik Tok or Facebook. That would do more harm than good.

Ask yourself, what is going to set people free and foster trust in this situation? Don’t put your pearls before swine. Share your truth with people you know you can trust. And don’t share information that is not yours to share. Don’t gossip, in other words, because that won’t set people free or foster trust.

The brothers were not the only ones to be set free by the truth. Joseph also finds release from his isolation. Now he can drop the pretense and be himself. Now he can finally let go of all his pent-up emotions. Over 20 years’ worth. 

Joseph weeps as he embraces Benjamin. And then he weeps over each of his other brothers in turn. It’s not just the brothers who have received Joseph back from the dead. Joseph received his family back from the dead as well.

Joseph’s tears reveal the depth of his suffering and love. Joseph’s tears show his brothers that they are released from blame and accepted. For it is only after Joseph has wept on each one of his brothers that they are able to talk to him.

By God’s grace and Joseph’s wisdom all the brothers finally experience the release they had longed for. But what are they being released into? From verse 16 we continue the story…

Renewal:

¹⁶ When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, ¹⁸ and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’ ¹⁹ “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. ²⁰ Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’ ” ²¹ So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. ²² To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. ²³ And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. ²⁴ Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”  ²⁵ So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. ²⁷ But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. ²⁸ And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

C.S. Lewis once wrote…

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must hatch or go bad.”

Change may be uncomfortable and unwanted, but it is inevitable if we are to make progress in our life and relationship with God. There comes a point when we must all embrace the change God intends for us if we are to fly.

Truman needed to leave the safety of the TV studio, and venture into the unknown world outside, for the wellbeing of his soul. Likewise, Joseph’s family needed to change also. For their own survival and growth, they needed to leave Canaan and settle in Egypt for a while.

More than simply changing countries though, they needed a fresh start in their relationships. They needed to renew their thinking. Renewal is something God does. Yes, we need to participate in our own renewal, but renewal only happens at God’s initiative.    

We see one clear sign of renewal in verse 22, where Joseph gives new clothing to each of his brothers. The brothers had (in their envy and hatred) stripped Joseph of his special cloak. Now Joseph repays evil with good by giving all his brothers new clothes.

The new clothes are an outward symbol of the brothers’ inner renewal. They have been through the crucible of conversion and emerged as new people. Previously, the brothers had clothed themselves in shame. Now Joseph clothes them in righteousness. Just as Jesus clothes us in His righteousness when we are baptized.

However, when we read that Joseph gave far more to his brother Benjamin than to any of the others, we may start to feel a bit nervous. Is this repeating the mistakes of the past? 

Well, probably not. The brothers have proven their loyalty to Benjamin.

Joseph may be challenging the culture of his time. Normally the eldest son was given preferential treatment, but Benjamin is the youngest.

By giving Ben 300 shekels of silver & five sets of clothes, Joseph is turning the tradition upside down.

Like Jesus said, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. This is a sign of gospel renewal.

The mention of Joseph sending his brothers off with 20 donkeys all laden with provisions is an interesting touch. Previously the brothers had worried that Joseph wanted to steal their donkeys. Now Joseph corrects that kind of catastrophic thinking through his generosity.

Joseph’s parting word about not quarrelling on the way home would be better translated as, “Don’t get worked up or agitated. Don’t get carried away or over excited. Stay calm.” Renewed mind, renewed emotions.

Perhaps the most significant sign of renewal is seen in the closing verses of Genesis 45. When the brothers return to Canaan and tell their father Jacob the good news that Joseph is still alive and that he is the ruler of Egypt, Jacob has difficulty believing it at first. It sounds too good to be true.

But as his sons tell the story and as he sees the royal carts provided for their transport, Jacob believes the truth and his spirit is revived. Jacob is finally released from the pattern of grief that he has been trapped in all this time and his soul is renewed.    

There was a time, in Jacob’s youth, when he grasped for wealth and was willing to deceive his brother and father to steal the birthright and the blessing. But now we see a very different Jacob.

The thing that revives Jacob, the thing that renews his life, is not the wealth sent by Joseph, but rather believing the good news that his son is alive and well.

Conclusion:

Last Thursday was Ascension Day. Ascension is a day in the church calendar when we celebrate the risen Jesus’ exaltation to the right hand of God in heaven. It is a special time to bask in the light of the good news that Jesus is alive and well, interceding for us with the Father.

Jesus’ ascension is good news indeed because it means Jesus is in charge of the universe. It means we are released from our guilt and shame and clothed in righteousness. By the grace and power of the risen and exalted Christ, we will be transformed and renewed. We will soar on wings like eagles.   

May the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ set us free to walk in freedom and righteousness. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

• Can you keep a secret? What affect do secrets have on our soul and our relationships? What affect does truth have on our soul and relationships?

• Discuss / reflect on the theological significance (and practical implications) of Joseph’s belief that God sent him to Egypt?

• Can you think of a time in your own experience when God used something bad to serve His good purpose? What happened?

• Why do we need to hold grace and truth together? How does Joseph manage to do this with his brothers?

• What signs of renewal do we see in Genesis 45? What signs of renewal are you conscious of in your own life?

• What connections do you see between Genesis 45 and the work of Jesus?     

Second Chances

Scripture: Genesis 44

Video Link: https://youtu.be/fZVV72MlMpM

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-5-may-2024-second-chances

Structure:

• Introduction
• A second chance
• A substitute
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Many of you will remember, from childhood, the nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

couldn’t put Humpty together again.

It’s such a sad nursery rhyme. Why would you say that to a child? For years I have wondered what the point of it is. Humpty Dumpty raises so many questions.  

Is the nursey rhyme a kind of health and safety warning, before health & safety became a thing, teaching kids to be careful how high they climb? Or is it saying that people who are indecisive and sit on the fence (aka the wall) end up worse off than those who pick a side?

Who is Humpty Dumpty anyway and what does he (or she) represent? Did Humpty fall by accident, or was he pushed? And if he was pushed, who pushed him and why? (Robyn says I tend to overthink things. She may be right.)  

Whatever the answers to these important questions, I just wish the consequences for poor old Humpty Dumpty were not so fatal and final.

I wish Humpty Dumpty was given a second chance.

Today we continue our series in the life of Joseph. Joseph’s brothers certainly needed a second chance. They pushed their father Jacob off the wall by selling Joseph into slavery and lying about it. And they cannot undo what they have done.

But through Joseph, God gives them a second chance to make things right and put Jacob together again. From Genesis 44, verse 1, we read…

¹ Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. ² Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said. ³ As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. ⁴ They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? ⁵ Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ”  ⁶ When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. ⁷ But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! ⁸ We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?  ⁹ If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.” ¹⁰ “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.” ¹¹ Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹² Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³ At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

A second chance:

When Thomas Edison and his staff were developing the incandescent light bulb, it took hundreds of hours to produce the first one. After finishing the bulb, Edison handed it to a young errand boy and asked him to take it upstairs to the testing room.

As the boy turned and started up the stairs, he stumbled and fell. The bulb shattered on the steps. The boy felt terrible. He knew how much work had gone into it and he felt the disappointment of everyone in the room.

He turned to face the famous inventor. But instead of tearing strips off the boy, Edison reassured him. And then told his staff to start working on another bulb.

When the second bulb was completed several days later, Edison did something unexpected. He walked over to the boy, handed him the bulb and said, “Please take this up to the testing room”.

Thomas Edison knew it was a risk, both to himself and to his staff. But he also knew the boy needed another chance. He needed the opportunity to redeem himself. And the boy did just that, delivering the second bulb without incident.

You may remember, from a few weeks ago, that Joseph needed to test his brothers to determine whether they were trustworthy. Well, so far, they have been passing the tests. When Simeon was held hostage, the brothers returned with Benjamin and Simeon was released. Also, they were honest about the silver found in their sacks.

However, these tests didn’t really prove whether Joseph’s brothers had changed. It was in the brothers’ interests to bring Benjamin to Egypt and return the silver. They would have starved if they hadn’t.

Joseph needed a test that replicated the situation (as close as possible) from 22 years earlier, when his brothers had sold him into slavery.

Benjamin, the youngest son and the only other child born to Rachel, was now Jacob’s favourite. What would the brothers do if they had to choose between saving Benjamin and saving themselves?

There was risk in Joseph’s test, to be sure. Just as there was risk in trusting the errand boy with the light bulb a second time. But, like the errand boy, Joseph’s brothers needed a second chance, a chance to redeem themselves.   

Joseph set Benjamin up to look guilty by instructing his steward to place a special silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin’s sack. Then, when Benjamin was found out, the steward gave the brothers a choice.

They could trade Benjamin for their own freedom. They could go home if they gave Benjamin up as a slave.

This was a similar scenario to the one 22 years earlier when they gave Joseph up to slave traders. Only now the stakes are higher.

When the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack the brothers tore their clothes as a sign of grief. It rips them up on the inside to think that harm might come to him.

To their credit all the brothers stand in solidarity with Benjamin, even though he appears guilty. The brothers’ calloused hearts have softened.  

The brothers would rather go into slavery with Benjamin than return home to Canaan without him. This was a pretty big call. The brothers didn’t know if they would ever see their wives and children again.

A substitute:

So what happens next? From verse 14 of Genesis 44, we read…

¹⁴ Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁵ Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”  ¹⁶ “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.” ¹⁷ But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.” ¹⁸ Then Judah went up to him and said: “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’  ²⁰ And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’  ²¹ “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ ²² And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ ²³ But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’  ²⁴ When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.  ²⁵ “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ ²⁶ But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ ²⁷ “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. ²⁹ If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’ ³⁰ “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, ³¹ sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. ³² Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’  ³³ “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. ³⁴ How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father.”

There’s a story from Japan about a man called Hamaguchi. Hamaguchi was a highly respected leader of a fishing village.

One day, as Hamaguchi looked out from his house on the top of the hill, he saw the tide receding quickly. The villagers below were running to the beach to look at what was happening.

Hamaguchi realized it was a tsunami. There wasn’t time for him to run down the hill to warn the people of the village, so he set his own crops on fire. When the people saw the smoke, they ran up the hill to help Hamaguchi put out the fire.

They were too late to save Hamaguchi’s crops but, by showing solidarity and coming to his aid, they saved themselves, for the entire village was devastated by the incoming tidal wave. Hamaguchi’s sacrifice brought people together and saved many lives.

Joseph is secretly pleased to see his brothers standing together in solidarity and not abandoning Benjamin. But he doesn’t show this, for the final test is not yet complete.

Joseph says to his brothers, What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”

Some ancients believed they could reveal secrets and predict the future by pouring oil into water and watching the pattern it makes. Kind of like some people today think they can reveal mysteries by looking at tea leaves or reading horoscopes or tarot cards.

The Bible forbids divination. But Joseph doesn’t practice divination in any case. He is just saying this to disguise his true purpose. In a way though, Joseph is using the cup to find out the truth.

Judah takes the lead and responds to Joseph. But it is a different Judah to the one that Joseph once knew. For this Judah, has been through the crucible of conversion. This Judah has lost his wife and two sons. He has humiliated himself with Tamar and been bullied by regret at what he did to Joseph and Jacob 22 years earlier.

This Judah doesn’t try to force his own way and he doesn’t try to deceive Joseph. Instead, he acknowledges God’s justice in their situation saying…

“What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves….”

Judah is making a confession. Even though Benjamin was the one found with the cup, Judah remembers his own sins and stands in solidarity with Ben.   

To which Joseph replies…

“Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you go back to your father in peace.”

Joseph is letting the brothers off the hook. It’s like Joseph is saying,‘Go on – you don’t need to stay. No one would blame you for leaving’.

This is the second time the brothers are tempted to abandon Benjamin. But they won’t budge. They stay loyal to Ben at great risk to themselves.

Judah takes the lead again. Calling himself a servant, Judah intercedes for Benjamin with a speech, the longest speech recorded in Genesis. Much of the speech is a retelling of the plot so far.

What we notice though, in Judah’s speech, is the three things that God requires of people. To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly.

Judah does not beg for leniency from Joseph. He doesn’t ask to avoid punishment. He accepts that justice must be done and offers himself as a slave in Benjamin’s place. As a true leader, Judah takes responsibility.

At the same time, Judah performs mercy for his brother Benjamin. The Hebrew word often translated as mercy is hesed. You may remember that hesed is a life-saving action done for someone you know who cannot otherwise help themselves.

Judah is doing hesed for Benjamin and his father. Judah is preserving Benjamin’s freedom and saving Jacob from further grief.

Thirdly, Judah walks humbly. He approaches Joseph with utmost respect, naming himself in a lower position as Joseph’s servant. Judah is honest, without being rude, and he does not presume upon any entitlement.         

The other thing we notice in Judah’s speech is his affection for his father, Jacob. Fourteen times in these verses, Judah mentions his father.

Judah is motivated by deep compassion for his dad. Judah is willing to sacrifice himself not just for the sake of Benjamin, but also for Jacob.

Judah, the same brother who once convinced the others to sell Joseph into slavery, now offers to become a slave himself, in Benjamin’s place. The transformation in Judah is miraculous. Only God can bring about that sort of change.

By God’s grace (and Joseph’s wisdom) Judah gets a second chance and he makes good on the opportunity for redemption.  

As Bruce Waltke observes, Judah is the first person in Scripture to willingly offer his own life [as a substitute] for another. His [self-giving] love, to save his brother for the sake of his father, prefigures the vicarious atonement of Christ, who by his voluntary sufferings heals the breach between God and human beings.  

Or to put it more simply, Judah points to Jesus by being willing to sacrifice himself to save his family.

Except, Jesus did something far greater than Judah. Jesus actually went through with the sacrifice, even unto death on a cross. And the Lord did it to save not just his family and friends but also his enemies, those who hated him.

Conclusion:

Have you ever done something you regret? I’m not talking about getting a bad haircut or ordering the wrong thing off the menu. I’m talking about serious regret. Regret that haunts you for decades.

Have you ever pushed Humpty Dumpty off the wall and not been able to put him back together again? Have you ever wished you could have a second chance and do things right this time?

Jesus came to show us the way of forgiveness, to release us from our regret and self-hatred.

Have you ever felt like Humpty Dumpty after his fall? Your life, your family, the things that really matter to you, all in pieces, perhaps through no fault of your own.

Jesus came to put our Humpty Dumpty lives and this Humpty Dumpty world back together again. Jesus came to make all things new.

May the Spirit of Jesus give us eyes to see the second chances God provides and the faith to put things right. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
2. What thoughts and feelings does the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme put you in touch with?
3. Why did Joseph frame Benjamin by putting a silver cup in his sack?
4. What stands out for you in reading Judah’s speech of intercession for Benjamin?  
5. Have you ever done something you seriously regretted? What happened? Did you experience God’s redemption in this situation? If so, how?
6. In what ways does Judah remind us of Jesus?
7. How might we recognise when God is giving us a second chance?   

Longing

Scripture: Genesis 43:15-34

Video Link: https://youtu.be/d_b3nIfRQfM

Structure:

• Introduction
• The brothers’ longing
• Joseph’s longing
• Conclusion – our longing

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

There is a lovely line on the opening page of Kenneth Grahame’s book, The Wind in the Willows, which reads…

“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house, with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.”

I like the way Kenneth Grahame puts that. Springtime does carry a spirit of divine discontent and longing. Discontent with the winter and longing for the summer.  

Divine discontent is a kind of holy dissatisfaction with the way things are. We experience divine discontent when we are not living according to the deepest longing of our soul.

In The Wind in the Willows, Mole has been doing his spring cleaning and can’t stand it any longer. He must go above ground and roll in the grass and warm sunshine. Spring answers his longing for winter to end and summer to begin.

Today we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph focusing on Genesis chapter 43, verses 15 to 34. In this passage we see the deep longing of Joseph and his brothers rising to the surface. From verse 15 of Genesis 43 we read…

¹⁵ So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. ¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon.” ¹⁷ The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. ¹⁸ Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.” ¹⁹ So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. ²⁰ “Please, sir,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food. ²¹ But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. ²² We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.” ²³ “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. ²⁴ The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. ²⁵ They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. ²⁶ When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. ²⁷ He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”  ²⁸ They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed low to pay him honor.  ²⁹ As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” ³⁰ Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. ³¹ After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.” ³² They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. ³³ The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. ³⁴ When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

The brothers’ longing:

David Augsburger, the late Anabaptist theologian, once wrote…

“Ontologically, chocolate raises profoundly disturbing questions: Does not chocolate offer natural revelation of the goodness of the Creator just as chilies disclose a divine sense of humour? Is the human born with an innate longing for chocolate? Does the notion of chocolate preclude the concept of freewill?”  

As a chocolate lover this quote makes me smile. It’s not often you find a theologian with a sense of humour. David is basically saying that chocolate is hard proof that God exists and God is good.

The reality is, we human beings have many desires and longings which often seem to compete for our attention. Some of those desires we might judge as wrong or evil and others as virtuous or good.

For example, we might judge eating chocolate as bad. I don’t think that, but some people carry a great deal of misplaced guilt about chocolate. Whether you deem chocolate to be good or evil, you have to ask yourself, what deeper longing is my desire for chocolate pointing to?

The very fact that many people love chocolate shows that human beings have a deep longing for God. For if we long for the goodness of chocolate, it logically follows our longing can only be satisfied through a right relationship with the one who made us to enjoy chocolate.

Or, to put it another way, it doesn’t matter how much chocolate you eat, your longing will never be fully satisfied except through an encounter with the living God.

Back, in Genesis 37, you may recall how Joseph’s brothers plotted to get rid of Joseph. They hated Joseph because he was Jacob’s favourite.

The brothers’ desire to kill Joseph was not good in itself but we have to ask ourselves, why did they want to do that? What deeper longing was driving their desire to destroy Joseph? 

Maybe it was the desire to be loved. Maybe, on some level, they thought if we get rid of Joseph, then our Dad will have more love for us. But that is not how love works. Love multiplies with giving. Love does not grow by taking. When the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, they only reduced their father’s capacity for love.

Perhaps the greatest impediment to love is fear. And Joseph’s brothers know all about fear. They have lived with it for over twenty years. In Genesis 43 verse 18 we read…

Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

It’s amazing how fear can distort our thinking. Fear tends to disconnect us from our deepest longings. It makes our thinking smaller somehow, so that all we can imagine is our own harm.   

Why would someone as rich and powerful as the Prime Minister of Egypt be interested in their scrawny donkeys? Surely the ruler of the land has bigger fish to fry.

Moved by a longing for peace of mind, the brothers front up to the steward of Joseph’s house and tell him the truth. We did not steal the silver last time we were here. Somehow it ended up back in our sacks. We don’t know how. Here it is. And the Joseph’s servant says in reply… 

“It’s all right, don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.”

The steward’s opening phrase, “It’s all right”, is just one word in the original Hebrew. Shalom. Shalom means peace, wholeness and well-being in all aspects of your life, especially your relationships.

The brothers are afraid. They long for peace and the steward answers that longing saying, God has given you treasure in your sacks.

One of the deepest longings of the human soul, is the longing to know that God is with us and for us, that he loves us. Joseph’s brothers did not believe that God was with them. They thought God was against them because of what they did to Joseph. They thought God was out to get them. They had been looking over their shoulder in fear for decades.

The brothers have become so alienated by their guilt that they don’t really believe the God of their father Jacob, is also their God. But their wrongdoing does not stop God from being God. The God of their father is still their God.

It’s the same with us. Our moral failure does not stop God being God. Our straying off track and getting lost, in a spiritual sense, does not prevent God from pursuing us with his love. Nor does it derail God’s purpose.

When the steward says, God has given you treasure in your sacks, he is not just talking about silver. The silver is a metaphor for something far more valuable than mere money.

It’s like the steward is saying, God has put treasure in the sack of your soul. The treasure is in you and in your relationships. And the treasure is God’s grace.   

Joseph was Jacob’s favourite. Perhaps that made the other brothers feel less valuable, less loveable, in some way. But they are not less to God. The brothers have divine treasure in them as well, even if Jacob, their earthly father, does not see it or acknowledge it.  

The message to the brothers and to us is clear. No matter how worthless you might feel (because of what you have done or what has been done to you), you are intrinsically valuable because God has made you that way.

Like the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians…

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

It is not your looks or your charm or your achievements or your reputation or your bank balance or anything you do that make you rich. You are rich because you are loved by God. The treasure is in you.

Okay, so Joseph’s brothers had some deep longings. Longings for peace and love. Longings that could only really be satisfied by God. What about Joseph himself, what did he long for?  

Joseph’s longing:

John Ortberg (another Christian author) says this about longing…

“The human longings that are deep inside of us never go away. They exist across cultures; they exist throughout life. When people were first made, our deepest longing was to know and be known. And after the Fall, when we all got weird, it’s still our deepest longing – but it’s now also our deepest fear.”

What John Ortberg is talking about here is intimacy. To know another human being deeply and to be known and accepted by them in turn, is the definition of intimacy. Into me see.

Each of us has a deep longing for intimacy. The desire for physical intimacy points to a deeper longing for emotional intimacy. Intimacy of soul, mind and spirit. A genuine sharing of oneself with another.

Sadly, fear gets in the way of developing intimacy. We get hurt in this life and our hurt makes it harder to risk making ourselves vulnerable. If fear is left unchecked it shuts us down and closes us off from knowing others and revealing our true selves. What if others don’t like who I am.

The longing for intimacy runs deep in all of us but some are more in touch with their longing than others. Certainly, Joseph longed for intimacy. He wanted to know his brothers and he wanted them to know him. The question was, could he trust them or not.

We see something of Joseph’s desire for intimacy in the way he asks after his brothers and father in verse 27…

²⁷ He asked them how they were [shalom], and then he said, “How is [shalom] your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”

Twice more the Hebrew word shalom pops up, this time on the lips of Joseph. In asking after his brothers and father, Joseph is actually inquiring after their shalom, their wellbeing, their peace.

This is more than a simple, ‘How’s it going’. Joseph genuinely wants to know his family is okay. He cares about them. He loves them.

Notice also how verse 27 is framed. In verses 26 and 28, all eleven brothers bow down to honour Joseph. They don’t know it’s Joseph at this point but we, the readers, can see that Joseph’s dream all those years before (of his brothers bowing to him) is being fulfilled.

The interesting thing here is that Joseph does not care about his brothers’ bowing and scrapping. He cares about them and their shalom, their wellbeing. What Joseph really wants (and always wanted probably) is a lifegiving connection with his brothers. Joseph longs for intimacy.

Being Jacob’s favourite had isolated Joseph. It alienated him from his brothers. They hated him for it. Joseph longs for warmth, belonging, acceptance and understanding from his brothers. Most of all though, Joseph longs for his brother Benjamin.

When Joseph sees Benjamin, his only full-blooded brother, he gives Ben a blessing saying, God be gracious to you, my son.  In the Hebrew culture of the time this was no small thing. This blessing carried real weight. It had gravity. But it is also full of affection.

Rather tellingly, in verse 30, we read how Joseph was deeply moved at the sight of his brother Benjamin. Joseph is moved to tears in fact and must run out of the room to compose himself.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you been ambushed by tears in the same way? Quietly going about your day only to be triggered by a familiar sight or smell that somehow puts you in touch with a deeper longing.  

Our spiritual life (to use Ignatian language) is characterized by times of desolation, times of consolation and times of normality.

In times of desolation, we feel like God is absent and our lives seem empty but also heavy at the same time. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Joseph certainly had his times of desolation.

But then come the times of consolation, when we feel God’s presence so close and tender. In those moments of intimacy with God, something shifts inside us and we may be moved to tears. It is difficult to know whether the tears are releasing pain or joy or both.

We only know we don’t want the consolation to end. But we cannot control it. Consolation is visited on us by God’s grace. All we can do is make space for it. Treasure it for the gift that it is. And remember it, especially in the times when feelings of desolation return.    

Joseph’s tears bear a close resemblance to the tears of consolation. He is so in touch with his deep longing for intimacy that he can feel God’s presence and it undoes him in the best way possible.     

Genesis 43 finishes with the brothers feasting and drinking freely with Joseph and each other. Even though Joseph has shown favouritism to Benjamin, by giving him five times as much food as anyone else, there is no hint of envy or resentment.

This is a picture of shalom, the kind of peace which makes room for intimacy. The kind of easy companionship they had all been longing for.

Conclusion:

A few days ago, I felt like eating some vanilla wine biscuits. It happens every once and a while. It wasn’t so much that I was physically hungry. I had chocolate biscuits in the cupboard, but strangely I didn’t feel like chocolate biscuits that day.

I put it down to missing my grandparents. You see, when I was kid, my nana and pop would give me vanilla wines, alongside home baking, whenever I went to visit. My hankering for vanilla wines was really a longing for them in a way. 

What do you long for?

Most of the time we are too busy, too pressured or too focused on a screen to be in touch with our inner longings. If that’s you, then perhaps a better question to ask might be, what’s your vanilla wine?

What simple, ordinary thing do you hunger for? What movie do you keep watching again and again? What place do you daydream about when life feels soulless and draining? What memory do you keep on repeat? What comfort food do you find sanctuary in?

Those seemingly superficial desires may be pointing to a deeper longing within you. Be gentle with your longing. Don’t judge or condemn it.    

When I think about it, my longing for my grandparents is really a holy discontent with death. Deep down we each have a yearning for resurrection. We want the springtime of abundant life to prevail over the winter of loss. We long for the summer of God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.

God understands that about us. God knows our longing, which is why he sent Jesus. In and through Christ, our deepest human longings are fulfilled. What do you long for?

The heart of prayer is longing. Perhaps longing for wholeness. Longing for atonement. Longing for peace. Longing for redemption. Longing for intimacy. Longing for love. Longing for resurrection life. Longing for God.

When the apostle Paul says, pray without ceasing, he doesn’t mean, talk to God non-stop. He means, be honest about your longings. Stay in touch with what really matters to you because that is where you will find God’s purpose. That is where God will answer the longing of your soul with his presence.

May the Lord give you the desires of your heart. Amen.     

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

• What does divine discontent feel like? Why might we experience divine discontent? What can we do about it?

• What do Joseph’s brothers long for? 

• What treasure has God put in the sack of your soul? Why is it there?

• Why does Joseph weep when he sees his brother Benjamin? What is Joseph’s longing?

• Can you think of a time, in your own experience, when you were deeply moved? What happened? What longing were you in touch with?  

• What is your equivalent of wanting a vanilla wine biscuit? What deeper longing do your surface desires point to? 

Attachment

Scripture: Genesis 42:25-43:14

Video Link: https://youtu.be/qdL_nTpVw54

Structure:

• Introduction
• Fear and attachment
• Faith and attachment
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When children are young, they often form an attachment to a soft toy, a teddy, a blanket or something else they cannot part with. The attachment gives the child a feeling of security.

Eventually though, the child forms other attachments. They make friends or get a pet and the toy or the teddy is put away. Although the kinds of attachments we make change through the various stages of our life, the basic reason for forming attachments remains the same, security. 

Attachments are important. We need healthy attachments to survive and thrive, much like a plant needs an attachment to good soil. Sometimes though we become overly attached to the wrong things. Things which might make us feel good in the moment but provide no real or lasting security and are actually harmful to our wellbeing, causing us to wither and die.

This morning we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph. Previously, Joseph’s brothers had travelled to Egypt to buy grain. They did not recognize Joseph but Joseph recognized them and decided to test them to see if they had changed for the better. 

Joseph needed to know the quality of their attachments. Were they still attached to the wrong things? Or had they formed more healthy, life-giving attachments? We pick up the story from Genesis 42, verse 25…

²⁵ Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, ²⁶ they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 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?” ²⁹ When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, ³⁰ “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. ³¹ But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. ³² We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’ ³³ “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. ³⁴ But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’ ” ³⁵ As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. ³⁶ Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” ³⁷ Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.” ³⁸ But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses we see how fear affects attachment.

Fear and attachment:

Imagine yourself in a room full of gold. The gold is yours to keep if you want it. And you do want it. You’ve got bills to pay and having some money tucked away would give you peace of mind, or so you think.

The problem is this room you are sitting in with the gold is on a ship far out at sea.  And the ship is sinking fast. If you stay with the gold, you will go down with the ship and if you try to take some of the gold with you, in your pockets, the weight will drag you under the waves.

The choice is clear. If you want to live, you must abandon your attachment to the gold.    

Many of us have an attachment to money, although we may not like to admit it. We like having money because wealth gives us a feeling of security. It puts some of our fears to bed and makes us feel safe.

The problem is, having money also awakens other fears. Specifically, the fear of losing our money. Too much wealth can be as bad as too little. Riches, like poverty, tend to isolate us.

But when faced with a crisis, a choice between life and death, most of us would sacrifice the money to save ourselves. The fear of death is usually greater than the fear of poverty. You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.

Joseph had suffered much at the hands of his brothers. They had sold him into slavery for 20 shekels of silver. By doing this the brothers had demonstrated a greater attachment to money than to Joseph.

When Joseph’s brothers leave Egypt to return to Canaan, Joseph orders his servant to put the silver they had paid back in their sacks. Why does Joseph do this? Is the silver a subtle reminder of his brothers’ crime? Or is Joseph being generous and repaying their wrongdoing with good?

Whatever Joseph’s motivation, when the brothers later discover the silver has been returned, their hearts sink and they feel terribly afraid.

They know this is not a good look. It makes them appear dishonest and gives the lord of the land more reason to distrust them.

In fear the brothers say to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?” Their guilty consciences see the returned silver as a punishment from God.

Although guilt doesn’t feel good, it is not always a bad thing. Guilt acts like bolt cutters for an unhealthy attachment. When we are attached to something that is harmful, like drinking too much for example, then (if our conscience is functioning properly) we will feel guilty about it and the guilt will motivate us to break our harmful attachment to alcohol.   

The brothers’ fear and guilt is a necessary step in the process of their redemption.

When the brothers get home to Canaan and explain to their father Jacob what happened, how the lord of the land wants them to return with Benjamin, Jacob is fearful also. He won’t have a bar of it saying…

³⁸ “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

Clearly, Jacob’s attachment to Benjamin and to his own grief is greater than anything he feels for the rest of his family.

Benjamin is no longer a child. He is a young man in his 20’s. Jacob’s attachment to Benjamin is not healthy. It keeps Jacob in a prison of fear and threatens the survival of the whole family.

While it is natural for parents to feel a strong attachment to their children, there comes a point when we need to trust God and let our children go. Not all at once, but gradually and with the support they need. Our attachment to our kids needs to flex and adapt as they grow.

It is difficult for Jacob to do this though because he has lost his favourite son, Joseph, and he is still living with the pain of that loss.

In his book, God of Surprises, Gerard Hughes (a Catholic priest and spiritual director) says this; “The answer is in the pain. We fear whatever causes us pain and try to escape, but in escaping we are running away from the answer… Face the fears that haunt you.” (page 101)

Jacob needs to face his fear of losing Benjamin. But will he find the faith he needs to do this?

Faith and attachment:

We continue the story from verse 1 of Genesis 43…

¹ Now the famine was still severe in the land. ² So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.” ³ But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴ If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. ⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’  ⁶ “Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?” ⁷ They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?” ⁸ Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. ⁹ I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. ¹⁰ As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.” ¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. ¹³ Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. ¹⁴ And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

In these verses Jacob finds the faith to face his fears. Faith plays an important part in the formation of healthy attachments. 

In the movie, The Sound of Music, Captain von Trapp does not enjoy a close or warm attachment to his children. Then along comes Maria who, through love and music, restores the father to his family.

In the middle of the film, the Captain and Maria start to form a romantic attachment. And, as is often the case with romantic attachments, neither of them is really that aware of their feelings at first.

Maria is confused and, after a quiet word from Baroness Schraeder, decides to return to the convent where she stays in seclusion and prepares to take vows to become a nun.

When the mother superior learns that Maria is actually afraid and hiding in the convent, to avoid her feelings for the Captain, she wisely encourages Maria to return to the von Trapp villa to face her fear and look for her purpose in life.

As it turns out, the Captain’s feelings of love for Maria have not changed, except now he has found the courage to admit his feelings to himself and to Maria. Baroness Schraeder sees the reality of the situation and gracefully leaves. Maria and the Captain are then married.

Faith plays an important part in forming healthy attachments. Faith helps us to face our fears and our pain. At the same time, faith enables us to hold things loosely, so we can let go in trust.

By faith Maria was able to put her romantic attachment to Captain von Trapp in God’s hands. She was willing to let God be God.

In Genesis 43, Jacob finds that he must face his fears and let go in faith, or else lose everything. The famine is so severe that the brothers must return to Egypt to buy more grain, or else they will starve. But they can’t return without taking Benjamin with them.

Reuben, the eldest brother, had tried persuading his father by saying that Jacob could put both of his sons to death if he doesn’t bring Benjamin back with him. But Jacob refuses.

If Reuben is that careless with his own sons, why would Jacob trust him with Benjamin. What good would it do to destroy more innocent lives? Reuben’s proposal is not the letting go of faith. It is the reckless letting go of desperation. It shows that Reuben’s attachments are not healthy.

Later Judah tries persuading Jacob by offering himself as guarantor for Benjamin saying, “I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him…”

You may remember from Genesis 38 that two of Judah’s sons had died. Judah understands his father’s pain all too well.

Unlike Reuben, who was risking his sons’ lives, Judah is taking the risk on himself. Judah is saying that he will take the blame if he fails to bring Benjamin back safely. Judah’s proposal is more like the letting go of faith.

This reveals a real transformation in Judah’s character. Earlier, in Genesis 37, it was Judah who had led the others in selling Joseph into slavery. Now Judah takes the role of leader again, only this time he is not serving his own interests. This time Judah makes himself vulnerable and let’s go of his power in order to help others.   

We see a change in the other brothers too. Twenty years earlier they might have ignored Jacob’s wishes and kidnapped Benjamin in order to get him to Egypt to buy grain.

But now, having witnessed the suffering of their father, the brothers let go of their attachment to violence and power in order to honour their father and allow him to decide.

In the end Jacob realises his options are limited. If he does not let Benjamin go, they will all die. So, Jacob finally allows Benjamin to travel with his brothers to Egypt.

But notice Jacob’s advice to his sons. “Take the best products of the land as a gift… Take double the amount of silver with you… And may God Almighty grant you mercy… As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

In faith, Jacob faces his fear of being bereaved. He does what he can to prepare his sons (sending them off with gifts for the man) and then trusts his sons and the success of their mission to God’s mercy. This is the letting go of faith. Jacob is learning to let God be God.

Letting go in faith requires thoughtfulness and courage. We do what is in our power to do and we trust God with the rest.

Conclusion:

Unhealthy attachments can reveal themselves in many ways. The accumulation of wealth, the compulsion to try and control everything, an obsession with what others think, an affair of the heart, overworking, a destructive habit, self-righteousness, becoming too dependent on one person for our security, and so on. These are all signs of an unhealthy attachment to something.   

If we find ourselves holding onto something so tightly that we cannot let go and leave it in God’s hands, then it has probably become an unhealthy attachment. A millstone around our neck. Something that weighs our soul down and will eventually kill us.

What fears do you need to face?

What attachments do you need to hold more loosely?

Or perhaps let go of altogether?

Jesus understood our need for attachment. He also knew the human tendency to form attachments to the wrong things. The Lord says…

‘For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’  

In the end, the only thing that really matters is the quality of our attachment to Jesus.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

• Why do people form attachments?

• How does fear affect our attachments? Why do we need to face our fears? What fears do you need to face?

• What role does guilt play in breaking unhealthy attachments?

• What role does faith play in the formation of healthy attachments? Can you think of ways that faith has helped you in forming attachments?

• How might we know when an attachment has become unhealthy? What unhealthy attachments do you need to let go of? Ask God for his grace in doing this.

• What can you do to strengthen your attachment to Christ? 

Redemption

Scripture: Genesis 42:1-24

Video Link: https://youtu.be/uimjqLmyGj8

Structure:

• Introduction 
• Redemption is God’s initiative
• Redemption requires our participation
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

In the game of monopoly there is one card no one wants to be dealt and that is the Go to jail card. Getting sent to jail takes you out of the game so you can’t trade and you can’t pass Go and collect $200.

But at least the rules provide opportunities for redemption. To be released from jail and restored to the game, you must either throw a double or hand in a get out of jail free card.

This morning we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph focusing on Genesis chapter 42, verses 1-24. The next three chapters of the story show how God used Joseph to redeem his brothers; to release them from the prison they were in and restore their relationships.

To set the scene, famine has spread over the known world and people everywhere are at risk of starving. From Genesis 42, verse 1, we read…

¹ When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” ² He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”  ³ Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. ⁵ So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. ⁶ Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. ⁷ As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.” ⁸ Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.  ⁹ Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.” ¹⁰ “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. ¹¹ We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.” ¹² “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.” ¹³ But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.” ¹⁴ Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! ¹⁵ And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” ¹⁷ And he put them all in custody for three days. ¹⁸ On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: ¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. ²⁰ But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do. ²¹ They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.” ²² Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” ²³ They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. ²⁴ He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s Word for us.

In this reading, we see God’s hand at work to redeem Joseph’s brothers. Two things we note here. Redemption happens at God’s initiative and redemption requires our participation. Let’s begin by considering God’s initiative in redeeming Joseph’s brothers.  

Redemption is God’s initiative:

If you get caught in a rip while swimming in the surf, there’s not a lot you can do. The best advice is to go with the current and not fight against it. Otherwise, you might end up exhausting yourself and going under.

In a situation like that, when you are relatively powerless to save yourself, you are dependent on the initiative of the surf life savers to come to your rescue in an IRB.

Likewise, if you are seriously injured or sick in some way, you are dependent on the initiative of the doctors to heal you.

Or if you are lost in the bush with a broken leg, you need land search and rescue to find you and bring you out.    

It’s similar with the redemption of our souls. We cannot save ourselves. Our redemption happens at God’s initiative.

One of the intriguing things about Joseph’s reconciliation with his family is that he does not initiate it himself. Joseph waits over 20 years before encountering his brothers again. And when he does finally meet them, it is not his doing nor is it his brothers’ doing. It is God’s doing. The Lord brings them together, at the right time, through a famine.

For more than seven years Joseph has been the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, next to Pharaoh. Joseph could have gone back to Canaan to find his family and confront his brothers. Joseph could have exacted his revenge if he wanted to. But he doesn’t.

In fact, far from nursing any resentment, Joseph has let the matter go. He has forgiven the past. As we heard last week, in Genesis 41, Joseph named his first-born Manasseh saying, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household’.

It’s interesting the way Joseph acknowledges God’s initiative here in making him forget his troubles. Joseph is able to forgive the past because God (by his grace) has enabled Joseph to let go of the hurt.

Joseph needed those 20 plus years, not only to rise to a position of power in Egypt where he could help his family, but also to allow God toheal him personally. To make him strong enough and wise enough to play a part in the redemption of his brothers.

Joseph may have forgotten the troubles of his past, but his brothers have not. They live with the burden of their guilt every day.

At the beginning of Joseph’s story, his brothers treated him badly. They sold him into slavery and added to their wrong by covering up what they had done so their father thought Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

By committing this sin and lying about it, Joseph’s brothers put themselves in a jail of sorts. Not an actual jail, with concrete walls and iron bars. But rather the mental and spiritual prison created by guilt and deceit. They had been incarcerated in their minds for over twenty years.

As Walter Brueggemann puts it…

The brothers have no room in which to act, no energy for imagination and no possibility of freedom. They are bound by the power of an unforgiven past, immobilized by guilt and driven by anxiety. [1]

That is a truly awful place to be. Perhaps some of you here understand all too well what this is like. The brothers are trapped in their minds and their spirit suffers for it. But God wants to redeem them, just as he wants to redeem you.

There are two aspects to God’s redemption; two arms if you like. Release and restoration. God’s redemption releases and restores.

That is why Jesus came. Jesus came at God’s initiative to redeem creation. Jesus releases humanity from sin and guilt, superstition and fear and all that robs us of life and corrodes our spirit.

At the same time Jesus restores us to right relationship with God and each other so we can love courageously and enjoy abundant life.

The deeds Jesus performed; healing the sick, casting out demons, forgiving sins, restoring sight to the blind, raising people from the dead and so on, are signs of God’s redemption.

As Christians, we believe our redemption will be fully realized when Jesus returns in glory. It’s been a long wait though, 2000 years in fact.

Because redemption is God’s initiative, it happens in God’s time, not ours. Our part is to be ready when God provides the opportunity. For redemption doesn’t happen to us automatically. Redemption requires our participation.

The thing is redemption may not feel all that pleasant at first. The road to redemption can be a bit bumpy. The early stages of our redemption may feel like a trial or a punishment, as it did for Joseph’s brothers.

Redemption requires our participation:

Many people believe the way to test whether a diamond is real or fake is to run it across a piece of glass. If the diamond is real, it will cut the glass, and if it’s fake, it won’t.

Apparently, this test is a myth. It’s just something they do in the movies. In real life, dragging a diamond across a piece of glass damages both the diamond and the glass.

However, there are other tests you can carry out to determine whether a diamond is real or not.

If the gem is unmounted, then try placing it over printed words. If you can clearly read through the stone, it’s not a diamond. Diamonds refract so much light you cannot see any lines or letters through them.

Or you could do the fog test. Just put the diamond in front of your mouth and breathe on it. If it stays fogged for 2-4 seconds, it’s a fake. A true diamond will disperse the heat instantaneously so by the time you look at it, it has already cleared up.

Just as we might know the true character of a diamond by testing it, so too Joseph seeks to know the true character of his brothers by testing them. Redemption tests for truth, because without truth there is no freedom and no peace.

At their father’s prompting, the brothers go to Egypt to buy grain.

And when they get there, they bow down before Joseph. As a boy of 17, Joseph was powerless to stop his brothers. Now, as a man in his 30’s, the tables have turned and the brothers are at Joseph’s mercy.

Remember the dream God gave Joseph, all those years before, when his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowed to his. This is the beginning of the fulfilment of the dream.

We know this but Joseph’s brothers don’t. Verses 7 & 8 tell us that as soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but they did not recognize him.

It is little wonder that Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him. Firstly, it had been over 20 years since they had last seen Joseph and they thought Joseph was dead anyway, so they were not expecting to see him.

Secondly, Joseph was speaking to them through an interpreter and thirdly, Joseph looked like an Egyptian. He was clean shaven and dressed in clothes foreign to the bearded Hebrews.

Why then does Joseph accuse his brothers of being spies? He knows full well they pose no threat to Egypt’s security.

Well, Joseph is testing his brothers’ character. He needs to know whether they have changed their ways. It’s one thing to forgive someone, but it’s another thing entirely to learn to trust them again. Forgiveness is a gift. Trust is earned.

Forgiveness is letting go of our hurt and anger, so that we no longer seek to get even with the person who has wronged us. Forgiveness releases us. Forgiveness is one of the ways we participate in our own redemption. If we don’t forgive, we end up with the other person living rent free in our head.

It is always necessary to forgive others, but it may not always be wise to trust them. Trust is precious and needs to be offered with discernment. Don’t put your pearls before swine, is what Jesus said.  

Some people think that reconciliation is the same as forgiveness. It’s not. Forgiveness is a necessary step in the process of reconciliation, but there is more to reconciliation than forgiving someone.

Reconciliation goes beyond forgiveness and seeks to restore the relationship fully by rebuilding trust. And for trust to be rebuilt, the truth must be faced. Joseph has forgiven his brothers. He just doesn’t know if he can trust them yet.

Joseph tests his brothers by speaking harshly and accusing them of being spies. And the brothers defend themselves against this accusation by explaining that they were twelve brothers from one father. But one of their brothers is at home and the other is no more.

This serves as proof because, if they were spies, their father would not risk ten of his sons. He would have sent just one or two.

Joseph pounces on the knowledge that one son (Benjamin) is still at home, saying, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested… you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here…”

Joseph’s test involves subjecting his brothers to a small taste of their own medicine. Just as Joseph’s brothers had thrown Joseph into a pit and sold him into slavery, Joseph throws them in jail for three days. This is not revenge. This is sowing the seeds of understanding.  

Joseph does not enjoy it. As God’s agent of redemption, Joseph must put his brothers in a situation where they experience what it is like to be powerless and vulnerable.

Joseph wants to see if they have learned empathy and care for each other. Joseph needs to know whether his brothers are ready and willing to participate in their own redemption. Are they truly repentant in other words.

On the third day, Joseph releases his brothers from prison. The third day has special significance in the Christian imagination. The third day is the day of Jesus’ resurrection, a day of redemption. A day of release from death and restoration to eternal life.

Joseph says to his brothers, ‘If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back to your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me…’

This shows us Joseph is not being vindicative or vengeful. Joseph knows it has taken the brothers a week or so to travel from Canaan to Egypt and it will take a week to get back. He does not want his family to suffer. 

Joseph’s test works. The ten brothers say to one another, in verse 21…

“Surely we are being punished for our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.”

This verse marks a significant turning point in the brothers’ redemption. They face the truth of what they have done, making an honest confession of their guilt. They accept what is happening to them as just punishment. Little do they know that God is not punishing them. God is redeeming them.

In verse 22 Reuben says, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”

At this Joseph turns aside to weep. When the brothers own up to their crime against him (albeit unwittingly), Joseph does not gloat. He weeps. These are not tears of bitterness and grief. These are tears of healing and release. Tears of redemption. 

Joseph weeps because, without knowing it, his brothers have shown him they have a conscience and they feel remorse for what they have done. The brothers have taken the first difficult step of participating in their own redemption.

Of course, it is one thing to admit wrongdoing. It is another thing entirely to translate those feelings of remorse into a change in behaviour.

As much as Joseph wants to reveal his true identity, he knows the test cannot end here. The brothers must return to Egypt with Benjamin. Benjamin is Joseph’s only full-blooded brother and Joseph wants to see if they will look after him.  

Simeon alone is made to stay behind as a hostage. Simeon is the second eldest and probably the most disliked and cruel of all the brothers. If they return for Simeon, then this will prove they care for one another.  

Conclusion:

I’m not sure what redemption you crave. I don’t know what holds your mind captive. But I am sure God wants to release you and restore you. He redeemed Joseph’s brothers, so he can redeem anyone.  

In first John chapter 1, verse 9, the apostle writes…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

With the knowledge that God is gracious and wants to redeem, I invite you to pray this simple prayer with me now…

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

May God release you to walk in paths of righteousness and restore you to fruitfulness in his purpose. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

• What is redemption? Discuss / reflect on the two arms of God’s redemption.

• What does God do to redeem Joseph’s family? How do Joseph’s brothers participate in their own redemption?

• What is forgiveness. How is forgiveness different from reconciliation? 

• Why does Joseph speak harshly to his brothers and accuse them of spying? Why does Joseph weep in verse 24?

• Can you remember a time in your life when you were powerless to save yourself? What happened? How was your life redeemed? What role did God have in your redemption? What did you need to do? How did you feel (before, during and after)?

• What redemption do you crave? Make some time this week to talk with God about this. What do you need to be set free and restored? 

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[1] Walter Brueggemann, Genesis, page 337.