Genesis 45-46. Are you a deceiver, or, are you a servant of God____?
Our last lesson was of Joseph reaping the Goodness of God’s plan for his life after years of hardship and prison; he was made the number two ruler of Egypt. Remember Pharaoh had a dream of which only Joseph could interpret; there would be a famine of seven good years and seven bad years. Joseph is now 30 plus years old and God has given to him the keys to the kingdom of Egypt in order to preserve the lives of His chosen people, who still live in Canaan. This is the ultimate plan of God; to bring to fruition His promise that Abraham would be the father of a great nation, and through that nation, bring the Messiah. Scripture makes it clear, had Jacob and his family remained in Canaan; their lives would have been forfeited. But you say God could have provided for them to make it through the worst famine the world has ever known had they stayed. Yes He could, but this was not His plan for the family of Jacob (Israel), Joseph’s father.
First, came the 10 brothers to Egypt to buy supplies to sustain their families because the seven good years predicted by Joseph have now passed and they were in the second year of the bad seven years of famine. They, being foreigners, had to go directly to Joseph to buy their supplies. Joseph recognized them and tested them; but they did not recognize Joseph. He accused them of being spies; imprisoning them for three days. After releasing them, he sent nine of his half-brothers, keeping Simeon, on their way back to Canaan, requiring them to bring Joseph’s full brother, Benjamin, the other son of Rachel, back to Egypt with them. Remember Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife and Benjamin is now his favorite son because he thought Joseph was dead. After much anguish, Jacob (Israel) was forced to send Benjamin to Egypt with his brothers to buy grain. On their return to Egypt is where our lesson picks up when Joseph tells his brothers who he was?
Genesis 45:1-5, “Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants, so he called out, “Send everyone away from me!” No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt. And now don’t be worried or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life”. Some think Joseph concealed his identity to punish his brothers as revenge for them selling him into slavery nearly 22 year before. This I do not believe, Joseph recognized that what happened to him was God’s plan to preserve the lives of God’s chosen family, Abraham’s descendants. If this was God’s plan, then who was Joseph to take vengeance on his brothers for their evil acts. In fact Joseph wept for his brothers because he had tested them. One very special trait of Joseph was forgiveness. Genesis 45:5, “And now don’t be worried or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life”.
Scripture does not say so, but I suspect Joseph forgave Potiphar and his wife for what they did to Joseph because this was his nature. Where do you stand here, is it in your nature to forgive or is it your nature to get revenge___? When we think of what we did to Christ (our sin nature caused Him to go to Calvary to die for us) and He forgave us, how can we be one that holds a grudge and seek revenge? If you are a Christian, then Jesus should be your example, it is His nature to forgive.
Joseph has sent for his Father, Israel (Jacob) to join him in Egypt where he could take care of him and his family during the remaining days of the famine. Genesis 46 1-4, “Israel Jacob set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. And Jacob replied, “Here I am.” God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Joseph will put his hands on your eyes”. Jacob agreed to go to Egypt to visit his son Joseph, I am not sure he was planning to stay. Before he left the land of Canaan, however, he stopped and consulted with God as to what he was to do. God told him to go to Egypt and God would go with him. Jacob would die in Egypt. Although Joseph is prominent in this section of Genesis, we must be sure to mark the evidence of the spiritual man of faith in the life of Jacob (Israel). Jacob has become the man that God wanted him to be, and only God can make this kind of man.
The life of Jacob can be divided into three geographical locations: the land of Haran, the land of Canaan, and the land of Egypt. They are not only geographical areas, but they denote three spiritual levels of the life of Jacob. Jacob left the land of Canaan because of his lies and deception to his father carrying just a staff (a stick) with him Genesis 27:30 -33, 28:1-5. When Jacob arrived in Haran, he was still a deceiver; he was God’s man living in the flesh. Jacob came out of Haran, running. He was still a deceiver; He was running away from his father–in–law and was afraid to meet his own brother Esau, who he thought still hated him because of his deceptions of stealing his birthright, Genesis 31 14-23. Then coming back into the land of Canaan, Jacob had a wrestling match with God, now he is God’s man who is fighting in his own strength, Genesis 32: 22-32. At this time God changed his name from Jacob to Israel.
Now, Jacob is going to Egypt. He is not walking in his own strength, and he is not running away anymore. Now, Jacob is walking by faith and trust in God.
Jacob’s life can be divided into three human stages: 1. Jacob’s life in Haran pictures a man of God who is living in the flesh. 2. Jacob’s life in the land of Canaan pictures a man of God who is fighting in his own strength. 3. Jacob’s life in Egypt pictures a man of God who is walking by faith. How typical this is of most people today. 1. There was that time in your life when you came in contact with the Gospel, the Word of God, and was saved. 2. Then came a time of struggle; when you thought you could live you life in your own strength. Even now, perhaps you have not come to know the true power of walking with God. Or! 3. Perhaps there has come a time when you grew in grace, in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and began your walk of faith. You have found the blessings one only finds in walking with the lord. Where do you walk today, 1, 2, or 3___?
If you are not saved, you cannot walk with God. You are dead to God. You do not have a living connection with God (you are not born again), you are not saved. To be saved you must recognize you are a sinner and come to Christ and ask for forgiveness for your sins. You must believe that Jesus is God and that He can save you. You believe with your heart that Christ died for you and you ask Jesus to save you. The instant you ask Jesus to save you, you will be saved, Romans 10:9-13.
The greatest tragedy of life is to die lost. The second greatest tragedy is to live your whole life without walking with God; you are saved but you live your life for yourself, never thinking of what God wants in your life? I urge you to get your Bible and find your “gift of joy”. That special thing God wants for your life. Joseph lived his whole life in the service of God. Jacob lived the last third of his life for God. How much heartache would Jacob have missed if he had lived all his life for God? The name of Jacob means deceiver. Israel means servant of God. Are you still a deceiver (a Jacob), living in the flesh, or, are you an “Israel”, the servant of God, ___? God Bless you, Cosby.
