· It is also a very human scene too, with little details that show it is a very real interaction in the midst of a very real family – with frustrations and shortcomings.
· There is no mention from Jacob of hope or trust in God – he doesn’t turn to God and doesn’t exhibit any faith in God – instead he is more aware of himself and his feelings and needs.
· The chosen family is in both a desperate physical and spiritual predicament and they need something to show them their need for God.
· Who will deliver them – where is God – what is God up to?
· There is a message running throughout this chapter: even when God’s people don’t see Him and don’t know what to do, God is at work to bring about their salvation. When His people don’t know, God knows.
· God uses a famine and the testing of Joseph to transform these brothers who were just standing around not knowing what to do, into men who would be ready to receive His great grace
· Through famine and testing; through the threat of death and imprisonment, they are transformed into a group of men whom God would pour out His grace on and then use to bring the blessings of Abraham to all nations.
· But before they could become effective; before they could be united together to be used by God, they had to experience their own war with their guilt and fear and sorrow, so that God could prepare them to receive His grace.
· God uses famine as the means to get them to move and then God uses some other means to change them as well. He uses Joseph to show them their guilt, to instill the fear in them and to even produce sorrow in them - all so that they would be ready to receive God’s grace
Main Idea:
God uses guilt, fear and sorrow to prepare His people to receive His grace.
·
Most of the first 21
verses are driving towards one goal – to show how the sons of Israel are
prepared to receive God’s grace through confronting their own guilt first. “in
truth we are guilty concerning our brother”
1.
Prepared through guilt.
·
Although Jacob probably
did not know that his sons had thrown Joseph into a pit and sold him into
slavery, it seems that their character has shown through and Jacob doesn’t
trust them.· He didn’t trust them to keep Benjamin from harm, because he suspects that they had the ability to keep Joseph from harm and didn’t and now he doesn’t trust them to keep a grown-up Benjamin from harm.
· The sons must have felt this distrust. It must have begun to awaken a sense of their guilt to some degree, even though not fully yet.
· Joseph’s brothers had to come to Egypt because God had orchestrated world events over a period of many years to get them there to appear before their brother at the right place and the right time.
· In the providence of God, Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him, so that they could be confronted with their own sins.
· Just like God sovereignly orchestrated the events of our lives to get us to the place where we would be confronted with our own sins against Him
· Joseph is sure they are his brothers and yet they don’t recognize him. After he is sure of whom they are, a flood of memories come over him and Joseph remembers the dreams that he had dreamed of them.
· Joseph doesn’t trust himself to his brothers again until he is sure he can trust them.
· The narrator gives us only a hint of the fact that Joseph was motivated by the dreams that God had given him, to figure out a way to get them all back to Egypt without finding out who he was.
· Even though Joseph knows his accusations are false, he continues his ruse. And he accuses them for a third time to wear them down and break them.
· This must have been a frightening thing for them, since they easily could have been put to death for this charge, by this most powerful man, and they never could have done anything about it.
· God was using Joseph to confront them, even though they didn’t know who he was and God was using Joseph to prepare them and awaken the guilt within them.
· After three days, Joseph gets them out of prison and he gives them a second chance and reveals to them that he fears God as well.
· Joseph reveals his true character. He didn’t punish them. He didn’t abuse them. He lessens the sentence out of compassion for their families.
21
Then they said to one another, "In truth we are guilty concerning our
brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did
not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us."
·
Before they left, a
conversation broke out amongst them and they spoke freely in their native
language, because they would not have expected him to understand what they
said.· A taste of their own medicine had brought out feelings that their brother’s and father’s cries had not awakened. Their hard hearts were being softened through adversity.
· Up until now, they had not seen their guilt
· Sometimes it is hard for us to see our own guilt too; to see our own sins and admit our own culpability.
· We tend to justify our behavior and our actions by pointing to the behavior and actions of someone else, such as the person who has wronged us.
· These brothers needed to see themselves for who they really were, if they were to change. They needed grace even though they didn’t know it.
· Now, they started seeing that like they had sold their brother into slavery to Egypt, now one of them would be enslaved for the rest in Egypt.
· They started seeing that this must be related to their secret sin against their brother and they see their guilt now.
· They begin to connect their guilt to these circumstances and they know that they are deserving of being treated unjustly now.
· This awareness of guilt must precede their salvation – because without it there would have been no salvation for them.
· Until they own up to their sins, they cannot start to see their need to be rescued
· And they are not rescued until they begin to see that it is not anyone else’s fault but their own. This isn’t unkind – it is the kindest thing God can do – to turn them from themselves to Him.
· And isn’t that just what God does with us?
· Often, God uses some hard things like famine, to get us to see our own guilt – not because He wants to punish us – but because He wants to change us and save us - to set us free from ourselves.
· God prepares us to receive His grace by awakening us to our own guilt.
· He makes us first understand our great need – that we are imprisoned in our sins – that we rightly deserve His punishment – that we are not deserving in any way on our own – so that He can make us ready to receive His great grace.
· You see all guilt is meant to point us to our need for God. Thanks be to God that we have an ultimate deliverer in Jesus. We can turn to God in hope and He will bring His salvation.
· For all those that turn to Him – He sets us free from prison and He pardons completely!
· They had not listened to Joseph but, unbeknownst to them, Joseph overheard every word of theirs.
· Like the brothers, our guilt is meant to drive us to a confession of our sins. Confession is the first step in repentance - in turning from our sins and turning to hope in God.
· If you are guilty today, you can confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you and 1st John tells us that He will be faithful and just to forgive us our sins and make us clean from all unrighteousness
· You don’t have to carry around your guilt any more. No matter what you’ve done, don’t let your guilt lead to condemnation, let it lead you to the place it is intended: to make confession before the throne of God, so you can receive His mercy and grace.
· As the brothers admit their crime, instead of self-righteously gloating, Joseph is moved to tears.
· God uses Joseph as His instrument of grace to bring his brothers to the place where they must confront their sins
“As often happens when we are convicted, the Holy Spirit has used
outward means of discipline while stirring the brothers’ conscience” -RC Sproul
·
All repentance is preceded by a sense of
guilt. · Our guilt is meant to function to point us away from ourselves and to our desperate need.
· Our guilt is meant to drive us to the point that we want to be free from sin and will humble ourselves and admit our sins
· Guilt is meant to point us to our need for forgiveness, so that we can receive God’s grace and be made clean.
2. Prepared through fear
·
From verses 25 through to the end of the
chapter, it shows how God prepares His people through fear and then sorrow –
all of it is a divine setup to get Joseph’s brothers to the place of
repentance, so that they can be saved.
“Our Lord will use any means necessary to provoke His people to
repentance and keep them in the faith” -RC Sproul
·
Joseph sends them away
with their grain and then he introduces another character test.· They had betrayed Joseph for 20 pieces of silver before. Would they now betray Simeon for 10 bags of silver – a considerably larger amount of money?
· They go a day’s journey back towards Canaan and one of them finds his money and they realize that they are in trouble.
· Now, it is evident, not only are they guilty – they are aware that only God could make such things happen to them.
· And their question, “What is this God has done to us” is not one of blaming God but they were wondering what God was doing, because they knew they were guilty and they knew that ultimately God was the one at work behind their punishment
· So, this time, instead of lying about their brother and keeping the money, it is evident that God has changed them.
· They tell their father the truth. Where before they had been callous and not cared about his feelings and how he reacted, now they spare some details to soften the blow a little.
· When they emptied their sacks, they saw that not only would they be accused of stealing one bag of money, they all would look guilty and be accused of stealing.
· Now, they were all afraid for their brother’s life.
· They had not been afraid for Joseph before but now, they were afraid of what might happen to Simeon.
· Before they came home from selling Joseph and kept the money – now they had money that they really didn’t want
· The brothers were frightened – they knew that they were caught.
· Fear is meant to show us our need for faith in God. Where are you afraid today?
· Fear is meant to show you that you are powerless on your own – but we aren’t meant to stay there
· Like David, we can turn to God in our fear and have faith in Him instead. David said in psalm 27
Psalm 27:1-14 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident… 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock… 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! 8 You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek” 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
·
Fear is meant to drive us to seek God’s face
and to run to God for refuge.
·
We can take courage like David; we can wait
for the Lord and let our heart take courage because the Lord will take us in.
He will shelter us in the storm.· Instead of turning to God though, Jacob turns to himself and finds sorrow.
· But even in this and in the brothers godly sorrow, God is preparing them to receive His grace, because God’s people are
3. Prepared through sorrow
·
Jacob responds with
self-pity and he is faithless as well. · He has no plans to go back and get Simeon and so, he considers Simeon as good as dead too.
· He doesn’t consider Simeon’s family. It is all about Jacob now.
· Jacob would rather just cut his losses and keep what he had safe.
· The account started with Jacob angry and motivated by self-preservation and that is how it ends as well.
· But the one who is behind all of this, the one who is working in and through the lives of the patriarchs is God.
· God foretold of the famine and used it to bring Joseph into prominence
· This story is not ultimately about Joseph. The story is about God and how He initiates circumstances and suffering and how God is at work to bring about His good purposes
· God is the prime mover in the story of Joseph and the family of Israel and God is using famine and Joseph to begin the process of reconciliation, despite Israel himself.
· God uses famine to begin the process of restoring His people to Himself and each other.
· God uses both the widespread famine and Joseph’s harsh treatment as severe mercy, to test them, shape them and teach them about themselves.
· The famine that God sent forces them to confront each other, the harshness of Joseph made them realize their own harshness. The confinement of Simeon made them remember their crime against Joseph.
· For the first time, they seem to get it. A light bulb in their darkened minds turns on and the brothers start to recognize the God of the universe is at work in their lives.
· God uses severe mercy to begin the healing process in their lives.
· The family is faced with famine, charges of espionage, death and imprisonment with no hope for freedom. But everything that they don’t understand is in the wise and loving hands of their good God.
· Jacob is experiencing a worldly sorrow – that produces a dread of death.
· But, we can see in Reuben that the brothers are beginning to experience a godly sorrow that leads to repentance.
· Sorrow isn’t all bad – it has a purpose. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for mourning and a time for sorrow because sorrow has a divine purpose.
· No matter what the Sorrow, it is meant to point us to find joy in God and not in the comforts of this life.
· When we try to hang on to the comforts of this life and find fulfillment in them, it will lead to even more sorrow and never-ending cycles of sorrow.
· When we make even family and earthly relationships an idol, it will disappoint us
· In futility, we try to grasp onto our idols and use family for our own happiness.
· But we can respond with a godly grief instead – as the apostle Paul tells us,
2
Corinthians 7:9-10 “As
it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved
into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss
through us. For godly grief produces a
repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief
produces death”
·
What a sad ending. It seems hopeless at the
end of verse 38, but God does not leave us there. · God does not want us to stay in our guilt, to remain in fear or to wallow in our sorrows.
· The experience of true guilt is a grace because it leads us to repentance and forgiveness
· Understanding and acknowledging our guilt is the first step in our forgiveness and salvation.
· And we are meant to turn to Jesus, who surely has borne our grief and carried our sorrows, he was punished for our peace, so that we might receive the grace and mercy of the father.
Hebrews 10:19-23 Therefore, brothers,1 since
we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that
he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great
priest over the house of God, 22
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts
sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure
water. 23 Let us hold fast
the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Potential
Application Questions:1. Where have you experienced a godly guilt that led you to repent and seek forgiveness?
2. How has guilt prepared you to receive God’s grace in the past?
3. Is there anywhere that you are denying your sins and ignoring your guilt currently?
4. Sometimes we feel guilty when others sins against us terribly and we shouldn’t. At other times, we try to carry or do penance for our own sins and hold onto guilt as a form of self-punishment. Both can make us enslaved to guilt and condemnation unnecessarily. Is there any area where you feel guilty that you shouldn’t?
5. How are Christians to respond when we experience guilt? What does the Bible call us to do with our guilt?
6. Fear is meant to show us our need for God and to point us to have faith in God. Is there anything you are fearful or anxious about?
7. How can we combat fear in our lives and receive God’s grace?
8. Maybe you have found yourself full of sorrow. Sorrow over what might have been. Sorrow over your failings. Sorrow over the failings of others. Sorrow over a sense of loss. How can this sorrow point us to hope in God?
9. At times, sorrow is because we are overly self-aware and too aware of our problems and needs. Sometimes, we are sad because we don’t get what we want (we have idols).Where do you see either of these kinds of sorrow in your life?
10. Are there any idols we are hanging onto that we need to turn from and turn to God instead?
11. How do we cultivate hope in God when we’re sorrowful?
12. How can we draw near to God in a full assurance of faith, trusting in God to be faithful?
