LESSONS IN BROTHERLY LOVE
by Steve Zeisler
Later this year my high school class will celebrate its twentieth reunion.
As I thought about that last week I was struck by the fact that Joseph,
the man whose life we are presently looking at in this series of messages,
was in almost exactly the same place in life as I find myself now. Joseph
left home at 17. So did I. I left home to attend college, but Joseph entered
the school of hard knocks, having been sold into slavery in Egypt. About
the time when teenagers make a break from their families and strike out
to gain their freedom, Joseph found himself more restricted than ever, serving
as a slave in the household of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard.
After serving 13 years in that role, however, Joseph was elevated, almost
overnight, to the second highest political appointment in the civilized
world. He became the right-hand man of Pharaoh, appointed to manage the
economy of Egypt during a seven-year cycle of abundance which would precede
a seven-year period of famine.
So Joseph has been away from home for just over 20 years--13 years as a
slave and seven years-plus as the head man of the economy of Egypt. And,
as we will discover in our text this morning, after 20 years had gone by,
Joseph finally met with his family again. It was a 20-year reunion that
none of them, not even in their wildest dreams, could have anticipated.
Reunions are a time for examination and reflection, a time when people take
stock of themselves and others. They are a time for people to evaluate what
has become of themselves and their school friends, to see what values are
important to them and what motivated them to pursue their interests. That
kind of examination is certainly at the forefront of Joseph's 20-year reunion
with his family.
This is a time in our history as a nation when we seem to be focused on
failed leadership. The Congress is examining the Executive branch of government,
while would-be Presidents are coming under the microscope of the media.
Spiritual leaders are not immune to the malaise of failure either. We are
daily served up an account of some religious leader's failings. This questioning
of our leaders is turning up some hard answers, but these answers remind
Christians of the great biblical doctrine that God is in the business of
making failed people into new creations. Those who come to genuine repentance
discover that God can make them into what they thought was impossible for
them. Failure is not always inevitable; those who have lived selfish, rebellious
lives can be changed.
Christians should proclaim this great doctrine at a time when people all
around us are seeking answers to the questions being raised today. The wisdom
of the world says that our future is determined by our genes, in concert
with our environment and other things, and that we cannot change it. But
Christians can refute that error by showing that God is the great invader
who enters into people's lives and makes them new again. What a wonderful
truth we have to share in these needy times!
Scripture also speaks, however, of a fake repentance, an imitation religion
which claims renewal but lacks evidence of renewal. We need to be wary of
religion that changes only surface things and makes no permanent change
in the heart.
In our study on the life of Joseph this morning we have a platform for examining
the biblical doctrine that ordinary men and women can be changed, that we
are not doomed to live in the old ways forever. The lives of Joseph's brothers,
Ruben and Judah, give us proof of that. And secondly, we will see how important
it is that renewal must begin in the heart; it is not a surface thing. We
will begin our examination with the 20-year reunion of Joseph's family in
Egypt. The famine which Joseph had foretold was coming was now ravaging
the land. But the Egyptians, thanks to Joseph, were prepared. Genesis 41:57:
And the people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from
Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth. Now Jacob saw that
there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why are you
staring at one another?"
What a great line that is! The very mention of Egypt strikes fear into the
hearts of Joseph's brothers. It brings back memories of their wickedness
and moral failure.
And [Jacob] said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain
in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we
may live and not die." Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy
grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with
his brothers, for he said, "I am afraid that harm may befall him."
Jacob apparently knew that he would be putting the son of Rachel in danger
if he allowed him to accompany his brothers on this mission. Years earlier
he had sent his favorite son Joseph to his brothers while they were tending
the family flocks, and he had reportedly been killed by a wild animal. Since
then Jacob had been loath to entrust his youngest son to the care of his
brothers.
So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were
coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. Now Joseph was the
ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land.
And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the
ground. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised
himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, "Where
have you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan,
to buy food." But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they
did not recognize him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about
them, and said to them, "You are spies; you have come to look at the
undefended parts of our land." Then they said to him, "No, my
lord, but your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man;
we are honest men, your servants are not spies."
To Joseph's utter amazement, some 20 years after his graduation to the school
of hard knocks, who should appear before him but his own brothers, the very
ones who had sold him down the river. What a way to begin a 20-year reunion!
Joseph had become a changed man during that time. The years spent in slavery
and in prison in Egypt had tempered the arrogance and vanity which had been
typical of him as an adolescent. He had become a humble man, even though
by now he occupied the second highest position in the land. How he must
have wondered about these brothers who were now prostrate before him. God
had been active in his life, of that there was no doubt. Had his brothers
likewise been changed? Or were they still the tough bandits who struck fear
into the hearts of all who crossed their path? Perhaps these are some of
the questions that came to Joseph's mind at this reunion.
Then he remembered that as a young man he had dreamed that he and his brothers
were binding sheaves in a field, and his sheaf rose up and stood erect,
while their sheaves gathered around and bowed down to his. How they had
hated him for this dream, and how they had hated his tone of voice as he
related the dream to them. Joseph knew that one day that dream would be
realized, but how could he have imagined that it would be realized in this
way?
When he first had the dream Joseph was the smug, vain, favorite son of Jacob.
Dressed in his varicolored tunic, he watched his older brothers squirm as
he told them about the dream. But when the dream was finally realized, Joseph
was not wearing his robe of many colors. It had long since been dyed red
by the blood of an animal and produced before his father as proof that he
had been killed by a wild animal. On the day when he met with his brothers
after all those years, Joseph was wearing the robes of a high Egyptian official.
When the dream was realized, he was not even speaking in his own language,
but was conversing through an interpreter in the tongue of the Egyptians.
When the dream was realized, Joseph's brothers were not honoring him as
they bowed before him, but paying homage to Pharaoh, whom he represented.
What had God been doing in their lives? he must have wondered. Had they
changed too, as he had? They claimed they were honest, but were they? Joseph
here makes a tactical maneuver, and accuses his brothers of spying on Egypt.
No, they protest, they are ten honest men, the sons of one father, come
to buy food to feed themselves. They are telling the truth, of course. But
Joseph remembers his earlier dealings with them; their heartlessness in
abandoning him in a pit while they debated how they would kill him. He is
determined to discover the truth--why they had come to Egypt, and what they
were up to. He must have wondered why Benjamin was not with them. Was it
still dangerous for a son of Rachel totravel with his older brothers? Had
nothing changed during those 20 years?
Joseph determined to find out. He put the ten brothers in prison for three
days. That would strike fear into them and help loosen their tongues. We
pick up the story again in verse 18.
Now Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and
live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be
confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for
the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me, so
your words may be verified, and you will not die." And they did so.
Then they said to one another, "Truly, we are guilty concerning our
brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us,
yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us."
And Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin
against the boy'; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for
his blood." They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for
there was an interpreter between them. And he turned away from them and
wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from
them and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph gave orders to fill their
bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack, and to give
them provisions for their journey. And thus it was done for them. So they
loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there. And as one
of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place,
he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. Then he said
to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and behold, it is even
in my sack." And their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one
another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"
Joseph has no interest in taking revenge on his brothers for their past
misdeeds. He longs, in fact, for evidence of change in their lives. Repentance
and restoration, not revenge, were what he sought. As he overhears their
recriminations about their treatment of him, he realizes that some of them,
at least, are sorry for what they did to him. This brings a gush of tears
to his eyes.
At this point it seems there is no need for further examination of the brothers'
reason for coming to Egypt. Joseph has overheard their conversation. We
could well ask, therefore, why not skip ahead to chapter 45 and read about
their joyful reunion, when Joseph at last reveals his true identity to his
brothers? Why does Joseph insist on a further examination of their motives?
There is a very good reason for it, as we will see. Repentance is more than
mere words. If life-giving renewal and restoration do not follow, then there
was no true repentance to begin with. That is why Joseph determines to test
his brothers: to see if they had indeed truly repented for their past actions.
Joseph begins by telling them that he fears the God of Abraham. That should
have tipped them off that something more significant than they imagined
was going on. Then he expresses an interest in their youngest brother who
had remained at home. That probably made them wonder afresh why the sons
of Rachel were so talked about. Joseph then orders that the money which
they had paid for the grain be put in their sacks, thereby placing them
in a quandrary when they discover that later. Simeon, the most hardened
of the brothers, was then bound and separated from his brothers. He would
be kept behind.
Joseph had posed a moral quandrary for his brothers. Twenty years earlier
they had abandoned one of their own; now they had an opportunity to abandon
yet another one of their brothers, one who was probably the least popular
among them. They could return to Canaan laden with the grain they had set
out to buy, together with the money they had set aside to buy it, minus
the cruel Simeon whom they probably were glad to be rid of. It would be
easy to convince Jacob that Simeon had come to some grave end. If the brothers
had indeed changed during the intervening years, here was their opportunity
to prove that their repentance went beyond words. Joseph needed to know
that they had been renewed too. How would they respond when they opened
their grain sacks and found their money inside? What story would they tell
their father this time? That is what Joseph intended to discover when he
posed this dilemma for his brothers. Had they truly repented and were they
changed men?
That is the critical question facing the church today. Do our actions match
our words? One area I am certain I have grown in as a pastor is my ability
to not believe everything people tell me. When I first entered the ministry
I believed just about everything I heard. When people said to me, "I've
quit drinking," or, "I will never beat my wife again," or,
"I've really changed," I believed them. But I have learned through
the years to wait and see have they indeed changed; to see if they are truly
expressing the desires of their hearts when they say they want to change.
I have seen too many families suffer misery because of sinful behavior,
and listened to their tearful promises that things would change in the future,
only to see the cycle repeated again and again. Joseph likewise remained
to be convinced of his brothers' true repentance. That is why he acted as
he did toward them. Time would tell the tale.
Secondly, we should recognize from this account that people will frequently
say they are sorry for what they have done, but only when they are faced
with the consequences of their sin. The consequences, not the sin, causes
the tears to flow. Joseph's brothers were facing, they believed, a tough
Egyptian taskmaster who didn't believe their story. To convince them of
his seriousness he threw them in prison for three days--a softening process--and
then demanded that they bring their youngest brother before him to prove
their words. Was this the reason they suddenly began to express their remorse
for how they had treated Joseph 20 years earlier? Had the consequences finally
caught up with them? If so, then theirs was not true repentance.
The acid test of true repentance is, when one is no longer forced to pay
for his sins, when the consequences are ameliorated, does sorrow for the
sin still exist? Do we hate our sin because it is an affront to God? Do
we genuinely desire to see sin as God sees it, and to agree with what he
says about it? As he listened to their conversation, Joseph must have wondered
if this was how his brothers felt about their past behavior. Had God brought
about true change in their lives?
We would do well to ask ourselves if we truly hate sin or do we merely dislike
it when we are faced with the consequences of it. I know that I have deceived
myself many times in this area. We must all ask hard questions of ourselves
with regard to our motives. Take our thought life, for instance. If we secretly
admire sinners, and wish we could act like them, then it may be that we
do not hate sin as much as we think. It's critically important to ask these
questions of ourselves.
Joseph determined to find out how his brothers would answer those questions.
Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold,
every man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father
saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. And their father Jacob said
to them, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and
Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against
me." Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my
two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care,
and I will return him to you." But Jacob said, "My son shall not
go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm
should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my
gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow." Now the famine was severe in the
land. So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they
had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back, buy
us a little food." Judah spoke to him, however, saying, "The man
solemnly warned us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with
you.' If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.
But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us,
'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'" Then
Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether
you still had another brother?" But they said, "The man questioned
particularly about us and our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive?
Have you another brother?' So we answered his questions. Could we possibly
know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?" And Judah said
to his father Israel, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and
go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.
I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If
I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear
the blame before you forever. For if we had not delayed, surely by now we
could have returned twice."
Jacob's words to his sons, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph
is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin," must
have burned the already awakened consciences of these men. His words were
truer than he knew. He had already lost Joseph forever. Simeon was now in
the hands of the Egyptians, and they were demanding that his youngest son
Benjamin be presented before them. Prompted by their awakened conscience,
the brothers Reuben and Judah make an offer to their father.
Notice how differently these offers are received. "Kill my children
if I do not return with Benjamin," Reuben offers. Jacob refuses this
ridiculous gesture. What good would killing two innocent children do if
Benjamin failed to return? Reuben would later be described by Jacob as "a
man unstable as water." This son was apt to make emotional responses.
He did so when they threw Joseph into the pit; when he was questioned by
Joseph in Egypt; and again here. He always expresses his feelings, but seldom
follows through on what he promises. He is a hand-wringer who doesn't accomplish
anything. Reuben resembles many Christians. He honestly feels, and he expresses
his honest feelings to all who will listen, but he lacks one thing: determination
to change, to be different.
But observe, by contrast, Judah as he is revealed in his words in verse
3 of chapter 43. Judah, as we discovered earlier, was a tough, hardnosed
man. He had little qualms about picking up prostitutes, about abandoning
his daughter-in-law. Yet in chapter 38, when he discovered that it was Tamar,
his dead sons' wife, whom he had picked up, he admitted, "She is more
righteous than I." He was at last becoming God's man. He may well have
been the brother who asked, in 42:28, upon discovering the money in his
sack of grain, "What is this that God has done to us?" His conscience
had been awakened, so much so that when he told Jacob he would be responsible
for his brother Benjamin he refrained from making emotional promises and
threats but instead undertook the welfare of his younger brother. Jacob,
for his part, was assuaged by the evident conviction of his son's words.
So the brothers returned to Egypt to buy food, taking with them their brother
Benjamin, as Joseph had commanded them. They were justifiably nervous about
their return. They assumed they would be regarded as thieves because they
had their money returned to them. But Joseph's servant assures them that
their accounts are in good standing. Then Joseph himself invites them to
dine with him. This makes them doubly nervous. They feel that God is somehow
involved in all this, but what exactly he was doing was a mystery to them.
The conversation they have with Joseph at the banquet does nothing to enlighten
them. They are further mystified that Joseph has arranged it so that they
are seated according to birth order, and Benjamin is given five times more
food to eat than anyone else. It's the same old story, the older brothers
must have surmised; the favorite son routine once more.
Then Joseph turns the screws a little tighter. He wants to find out what
is really going on inside his brothers. He sends them back to Canaan, complete
with grain and money, but this time he slips his favorite goblet into Benjamin's
sack. When they are a few miles into their return journey, an official catches
up with them and charges that one of them is a thief. The brothers are horrified
when the goblet is discovered in Benjamin's sack. Joseph had heaped favor
upon Benjamin at the banquet, and then he had provided an opportunity for
his brothers to once more abandon the favorite son of Jacob's favorite wife.
What an opportunity to be rid of him forever! Joseph set this up as a final
test to see if God truly was working in their lives, if they had truly repented
of the past.
In response to the danger confronting Benjamin, Judah, the former tough,
makes an impassioned plea to Joseph, setting out the pain his father would
suffer if Benjamin were not allowed to return to Canaan. Here is how Judah
concludes his speech:
'Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the
lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life, it will
come about when he sees that the lad is not with us that he will die. Thus
your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to
Sheol in sorrow. For your servant became surety for the lad to my father,
saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before
my father forever.' Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead
of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest I see
the evil that would overtake my father?" Then Joseph could not control
himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, "Have everyone
go out from me." So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself
known to his brothers.
Judah's story is the story of salvation. He was a rebel, a self-centered
man who had no interest in spiritual things. But he repented. He learned
to be concerned about others and about what God was doing. Eventually he
came to the place where he offered his own life for that of his brother.
His is the story of a man truly renewed by the Spirit of God. Christians
have a magnificent message to offer to the world. Jesus Christ can bring
about renewal no matter how hardened and selfish we have become. We are
not doomed to live for ourselves forever. We can repent, and we can be changed.
But it is possible to come to a phony repentance. It is possible to repent
only in words, without true conviction, without a change of heart. There
is a kind of repentance that is brought about only by fear of certain consequences,
not by hatred of sin. Joseph forced his brothers to answer the hardest of
questions. When they had answered, he felt free to reveal himself with joy.
He knew that during the years when God was at work in him, he was also at
work in his brothers--at least in the life of Judah. So change is possible,
but we need to ask ourselves whether we have allowed God to change us from
the inside.
Once again we find in generation after generation of Abraham's family that
the Lord God acts to save and restore fallen humanity. What a family! Abraham,
the friend of God; Isaac, the lethargic; Jacob, the fearful; Joseph, the
golden boy; Judah, the thug. Each of them is made a "new creature in
Christ." We, too, can become children of Abraham, but only by means
of real repentance and real renewal. Will you be made new by the God of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Judah?
Our Father, we come to you knowing that we require repentant
hearts and spiritual renewal. We would easily settle for less, but we ask
that you not permit that. Thank you for the life-giving testimony of Scripture.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Catalog No. 4046
Genesis 42:1-45:15
Eighth Message
Steve Zeisler
June 21, 1987
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