The making of a Legacy

 Read Genesis 47. 

Joseph walked into the presence of the most powerful man in the world and presented his family.  Pharaoh's appreciation and trust of Joseph is seen vividly when he extended to them the best of the land.  It was the land of Goshen, or as it is called in 47:11, the land of Rameses.  The lush, river basin section of Egypt was ideal for Israel's herds.   

Meanwhile, the drought and famine continued.  Year by year the resulting economic depression worsened.  The Egyptians traded all they had for food.  Thanks to the God-inspired preparation, Joseph led in controlling the food supply, the people, and all the land.  The result was that Pharaoh owned everything in Egypt.  This established a future taxation system of a 20% on all produce.  The people responded by saying, "You have saved our lives." (v.25) 

Joseph could never have imagined how God would use him like this during the days of his imprisonment.  When one is in the midst of suffering, it is difficult to trust that God has a plan for our good and the impact it will have on others.  But in the Lord's timing and our faithfulness, the plan will come to light. 

-What if Joseph had rebelled during his slavery?  

-What if he had given in to temptation?  

-What if he had been sloppy in his work?  

-What if his heart had not been right with God when Pharaoh asked for help with his dream?  

-What if Joseph harbored bitterness and an unforgiving spirit toward his family?  

Gratefully, we will never know.  This man stayed true to his faith through it all.  The Lord not only blessed Joseph but his family and the entire nation. 

A British preacher by the name of Henry Varley famously said, "The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him."  When D. L. Moody heard that statement in 1873 he replied, "By God's help, I aim to be that man."  Moody's legacy continues to this day.  Our legacy is at work right now.

 

Going in the will of God

 Read Genesis 46. 

The brothers returned and told their father, Jacob, the good news.  Joseph was alive.  The family was reconciled.  They had all been invited to move to Egypt and live in prosperity in the midst of a world-wide famine. 

But what about their land that God had given to Abraham and his descendants?  This question had to be on Jacob's mind with no little angst.    Was this what God wanted them to do?  Was this the right decision?  If for no other reason the family needed to move for sheer survival.  It seemed they had no choice but to go.

 Jacob packed up everything they owned and all 66 of them headed for Egypt.  But before he set foot outside the land God gave them, Jacob stopped for a time of worship.  He offered sacrifices to the LORD.  Then, God gave the confirmation of His will. 

Someone once remarked that you cannot steer an object that is not moving.  Once Jacob became willing to move out in faith, God made His word clear to him.  This time, as before in Jacob's life, God revealed His word through a vision in the night.  With the dream came sure and certain promises.

1. "I am...do not be afraid.."  God is the great I AM.  He is always in the present tense, eternally existent.  His presence with us is not limited by time or place.  This assurance of God's personal and powerful presence is enough.

2. "...there I will make you into a great nation."  They left Canaan as a family but they became a nation in Egypt.  God had a plan for developing this nation and the move to Egypt was a strategic part of it.    

3. "I will bring you up again..."  The Lord foretold Abraham about this sojourn back in 15:13-16, even mentioning that they would be there for 400 years.  God also included the promise of their return.  The covenant made with Abraham and his descendants would not change.  The land was theirs by promise.  The family was growing and would become a great nation.  God would bless them and they would be a blessing. 

Life is a journey.  As followers of Christ, we want to be certain that we are where God wants us to be, doing what God wants done.  

 

4 Steps to Reconciliation

 Read Genesis 45. 

Slowly, the story unfolded. The process was used by God to confront their unresolved sin.  Though more than 20 years had passed, the guilt surfaced openly.  Numbers 32:23-"...be sure your sin will find you out."  God uses guilt as a good thing.  It motivates us to finally deal with what is wrong and seek to make it right.  

Joseph pushed his brothers to the limit and he could bear it no longer. 

As the leader and the person wronged, Joseph took the initiative.  He initiated four steps beginning in verse 4.

1. He offered reconciliation ("Come").

2. He expressed forgiveness ("Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves").

3. He revealed his understanding of God's plan in the circumstances ("God sent me").

4. He blessed them (45:11-"I will provide for you"). 

This is a wonderful picture of how God treats us.  We sinned against Him.  Yet, He initiated reconciliation by sending Jesus.  He paid the debt for our forgiveness on the cross, once for all.  He loved us first.  He reveals His design and plan for our lives.  He blesses us with eternal life and provides for us daily. 

We demonstrate our relationship with God when we treat others the way He treats us.

1. We forgive others, not because they deserve it, nor ask for it.

2. We initiate reconciliation with others, even when they do not desire it...yet.

3. We reveal to others what we have learned and understand of God's plan for our lives.

4. We seek to serve others and be a blessing to them. 

Ephesians 4:32-"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

 

How can we clear our guilt?

 Read Genesis 44.

Like a surgeon's scalpel, the test cut deeper, down to the root of the problem area.  The brothers had jealously rejected Joseph as Jacob's favorite son.  Now, that Jacob openly loved Benjamin, what were their true feelings toward him?  Was he also dispensable to them or had the brothers changed? 

When the silver cup was found in Benjamin's sack, "they tore their clothes" in horror.  This proved their protection of him and their concern for their father's feelings.  This was different.  They had displayed a total lack of those two things in Joseph's case.

There was no divination.  The brothers would have expected such a pagan practice from an Egyptian leader, but Joseph worshiped God instead.  There was no crime committed.  Joseph set up this entire scene.  But the brothers did not know any of this.

Judah stepped forward as the spokesperson and recounted what happened and why.  In Chapter 37, it was Judah who suggested they sell Joseph as a slave.  Now, he pleaded for mercy on behalf of Benjamin and his father.  One can only imagine what Joseph was thinking as he listened to Judah's speech.  Was the LORD God at work in their lives?  Were the brothers truly sorry for their sin against him?  Was Joseph ready to forgive them?  Was this the right time for a full reconciliation?

Judah's question in verse 16 is the same one every human heart asks when they realize they have done wrong.  "How can we clear ourselves?"  Sin separates us from God and others.  The question was really prompted by his statement of guilt that followed.  Guilt is a good thing from God, meant to drive us to repentance.  A salient ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin.

Sin cannot be rationalized and it will not go away by itself.  Jesus substitutionary sacrifice on the cross is the one and only payment for our sin.  The Apostle John wrote: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

 

Clues to our confusing Circumstances

 Read Genesis 43.

The plot continues to unfold, piece by piece.  In each meeting, Joseph interjected more clues for his brothers.  In Chapter 42, there are five of them.
-He asked about their father.
-He subtly inquired about Benjamin.
-He stated that he feared God.
-He forced their return by holding Simeon.
-He secretly returned their money.

Here in Chapter 43, Jacob was torn between the fear of losing another son and the reality of the famine.  His family was in jeopardy either way.  He reluctantly did what he had to do with hope in the mercy of God Almighty (v.14).  It is interesting that in his depression, Jacob does not mention the unconditional covenant God made to Abraham, to Isaac and to him.  The promises of God included innumerable descendants, the land, and that his family would be a blessing to all nations.  Nothing can pull us out of an emotional pit like reviewing the word of God and trusting God's faithfulness.

The brothers went to Egypt in fear.  But five more clues emerged that only added to their confusion.
-The servant revealed that he knew the money had been returned to them and gave God the credit.
-Joseph again asked about their father.
-Joseph asked about their youngest brother.
-Without asking, the men were seated according to their age.
-Benjamin's food portion was five times that of his brothers.

Was Joseph playing a cruel game with his family?  Was this his way of seeking revenge?  Was he being nice to them only to set them up for disaster?  The answer to all those questions is no.  Joseph was in a unique position to test their sincerity.  He already knew they felt guilty (42:21-23), but were they repentant of their sin?

Quite often God uses our circumstantial confusion to help us deal with unconfessed sin, to seek to resolve fellowship with Him and our relationship with others.  It is not a cruel game but the deliberate work of a loving heavenly Father.  In hindsight, we can see the clues and thank Him for pursuing us.

 

What happens to unresolved Sin?

 Read Genesis 42. 

What Joseph put behind him in chapter 41 had now resurfaced.  He was confronted with reconciling the past.  His own pain was relived because it was unresolved.  Do not miss verse 9: "And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them."  God did not change His mind about Joseph, nor His plans for Joseph's life.  He changed Joseph in order to use him. 

As the one in authority, Joseph led his brothers through a process.  Though they thought him to be an Egyptian, he provided the first clue to his real identity when he told them he feared God (v.18). 

After all these years the brothers were confronted with their sin and guilt against Joseph.  They felt the reality that God was holding them accountable.  "We are guilty" (v.21) and "What is this that God has done to us?" (v.28) 

At the same time, God was also confronting Jacob's character.  He thought he had lost two of his sons and stood to lose a third one.  Benjamin was the other son of his beloved Rachel.  His favoritism of Joseph that he openly displayed had shifted to Benjamin.  Though Jacob had twelve sons, he said concerning Benjamin, "...he is the only one left." (v.38). This must have caused the other brothers to feel of even less value to their father.  As a result, Jacob dropped into a deep depression.  "All this has come against me." (v.36)  He could not see beyond his own loss.  He could not see God's hand at work.  He did not want to move or make long term decisions.     

As a leader, Joseph could have reached out to his family but he did not. 

The brothers could have confessed their sin and resolved their guilt but they did not. 

Jacob could have embraced all of his sons equally and cared for his family more than himself but he did not. 

Spiritual and relational problems will not go away by themselves.  Someone must take the initiative to confess the sin, offer forgiveness, and bring healing.  In time the food ran out and Jacob could no longer feed the family.  So, the plot thickens and sets up the next chapter.

 

Why is God taking so Long?

 Read Genesis 41. 

Joseph became a forgotten man in prison.  Two more years went by.  At that time, God gave Pharaoh a troublesome dream and no one could help him.  Verse 9:  "Then", suddenly, the cupbearer remembered Joseph and his God-given gift of interpreting dreams. 

After 13 years of various sufferings, Joseph was ready to leave his slavery and his imprisonment to become the second most powerful man on earth and lead Egypt to become the world's greatest food supplier of the time.  He was 30 years old.  His words to Pharaoh demonstrate a very different man than the arrogant, tattle-tailing teenager his own family despised.  Instead of the proud spirit of his youth, Joseph's first recorded words out of prison were, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." 

Next, Pharaoh knew he needed a top administrator to handle the coming years of abundance and famine.  His questioned, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"  Then, he answered his own question: "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are" (vv.38-39).  What a change in how Joseph is characterized!  God did not change His plans for Joseph; He changed Joseph through the things that he suffered. 

Over the next 7 years, Joseph married and had two sons.  To know what he was thinking about his life one need only to look at how he named his children: Forgetful and Fruitful.  "God has made me forget..." the past.  "God has made me fruitful..." at last.  Those are powerful life messages. 

The Lord is always on time.  He is never late.  Two quotes from Dr. Ike Reighard: "While we are waiting, God is always working."  "If it does not appear that God is working around us then He is probably working in us."