A Revelation to Israel

Summary: What is the “abundant life” that Jesus promised and how is it exemplified in Joseph’s revelation of himself to his family?

Scripture focus: Genesis 43:26-34; 45:1–15

Date: Sunday, 21 March 2010 (St. John’s Sutherland, 9:45am service)

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Life Is Always Possible

The release of the 1994 movie Forrest Gump coincided with my coming to Australia; thus, I received the nickname “Gump” from some people who are no longer my friends

The movie has such a pleasant opening with the lilting music and the gently descending feather, which landed on the main character as if to suggest that the circumstances of life can change at any moment since opportunity comes quite arbitrarily.

A favourite proverb of the main character, indeed the very tag-line to the movie, was “Life is like a box of chocolates —you never know what you’re going to get”.  How true it is that life often just happens around us and to us unexpectedly.  It is often difficult to explain ‘what cards we are dealt’ or ‘what chocolates we are given’.

If some do not get what they expect, they give up on life, as they expect that life should be ‘happiness and roses’ all the time.  Is happiness really the aim of life?

In Joseph’s life, we see demonstrated a significant challenge to the promotion of “the pursuit of happiness” as being the ultimate aim of life.  He too probably felt often as if he had been dealt uncontrollable circumstances in life.  Yet, despite it all, Joseph found the courage and conviction to declare that the circumstances of his life were for the purpose of “saving life” (Gen 45:5).[1.All biblical references are taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI, USA: Zondervan, 1996).] So, let us look at another episode in Joseph’s life because, in it, I believe that we will get a glimpse into the answer to this dilemma, a taste of the “abundant life” that Jesus promised.

Genesis 45:1–15

As we have discovered together during this sermon series, Joseph was the 11^th son of Jacob and the first born to Rachel.  He was Jacob’s favourite son, since he was born when Jacob was an older man (Gen 37:3).  As a demonstration of his affection, Jacob gave his favourite son, Joseph, a special coat (Gen 37:3-4), a gift which elicited great envy from Joseph’s other brothers.  These strong feelings increased exponentially when Joseph described to them his dreams of dominating them (Gen 37:5–11).  We are not surprised then when we read that his brothers sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt (Gen 37:25–28).

While in Egypt, Joseph’s life had many high points as well as low points.  Upon arrival, He was bought by a high-ranking military officer (Gen 37:36; 39:1).  Joseph was promoted to an important position, while in the officer’s employ, but it all came to a bitter end when the officer’s wife developed a lustful attraction for Joseph, a lust which he rebuffed and for which he ended up in jail (Gen 39:6–10; 39:20).

While in prison, the ruler of Egypt had dreams which no one could interpret, except Joseph (Gen 41:25–36).  The pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s interpretation that he made him second-in-charge to himself so as to lead the relief efforts, as the pharaoh’s dream was of a great famine which would soon strike the land (Gen 41:39–44).

Our scripture focus today picks up Joseph’s story in the middle of that great famine.  People came from far and wide for food relief from Joseph, including his own family (Gen 42:1-5).

Throughout this sermon series, we have observed a family’s descent into dysfunction and despair.  In this case truly there seems to be evidence that “[God] punishes the children for the sin of the fathers”.¹ However, when one utters such a sentiment, do they not do so because they seek an explanation for his or her painful circumstances?  Too often we blame God for our pain, when in fact it is a result of our own poor choices!

The story of Joseph and his family is a case in point.  Yes, the pain borne by the sons can be directly traced to the pain borne by their father, Jacob.  Yet both the father and the sons made poor choices which exacerbated the angst in their lives.  God remained perfectly innocent and instead intervened to transform and heal them, and did so with an even greater purpose in mind.

In painful circumstances, we attempt to soothe our own conscience by thinking that it is acceptable to forgive, yet not to forget what someone did to us.² An even greater sin is to choose to not forgive that person and instead seek to just forget that person and/or what he did to us.  We don’t want to forgive, so we push the memory aside, with all our might, so we don’t have to forgive.

That is exactly what Joseph did: “Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph [...] Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household’ ” (Gen 41:50–51).  At the birth of this son, Joseph was happy because he had been released from prison and his life was now very fruitful and because he had put all of his troubles with his family behind him … or at least, so he thought.

Yet, what happened when his brothers showed up at his front door, looking to buy food during that great famine?  “As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognised 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’. ” (Gen 42:7)  In this way, Joseph showed that while it is sometimes easier to just simply forget a friend or family member who has wronged us, those memories and that pain do not stay away, despite our best efforts.  He became angry again, at the sight of them, and took advantage of his position to harass and harangue them.

Whereas some can forgive and forget, and others who forget but not forgive, there are some, like Joseph’s brothers, who can’t forget because they need to be forgiven!  “They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother [...] that’s why this distress has come upon us [...] Now we must give an accounting for his blood.’ ” (Gen 42:21–22).  They had never been relieved of their guilt, having never been forgiven by their brother, Joseph, nor by their father, Jacob.  Even more than this, they clearly had not taken this sin against their brother and confessed it to God, since they now saw God as their judge and executioner (Gen 42:22, 28).

Most tragic of all is the case of the father, Jacob, who had neither forgotten his pain —at losing his favourite son, Joseph— nor had he forgiven his remaining sons for their part —or, at least what he knew of their part— in Joseph’s demise: “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!’ ” (Gen 42:36).  How had Jacob dealt with the pain of Joseph’s death, 20 years prior?  He picked a new favourite son in the form of Benjamin and continued the sin which, unbeknownst to him, caused his grief in the first place.  In this way, the other brothers too were reminded of the reason why they sent Joseph away into slavery, and thus relived the jealousy and pain, every single day.  In the end no one in that family was allowed to heal; that would take an intervention from God.

And intervene God did.

God used the famine that befell the region around Egypt to force Jacob to let go of his son, Benjamin: “Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.  And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you.’ ” (Gen 43:13–14).  In the midst of that natural disaster, Jacob found faith and comfort as his family was restored to him (Gen 45:9-15).

As for Joseph’s brothers, they finally learned how to love!  It was jealousy and anger that caused them to sell Joseph into slavery.  But, by the end of the story, we see Judah begging Joseph for his brother Solomon’s life and even offering his own in sacrifice.  At Joseph’s revelation of himself to them, he gave them the forgiveness they needed and, through it all, they learned how to love.³

And, finally, after all his years of anger and frustration, we read of Joseph dropping his guard, revealing himself and weeping over his brothers: “Then Joseph could no longer control himself [...] he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him [...] Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still living?’ ” (Gen 45:1–3)  Joseph saw the change in Judah and his brothers, and his own heart broke at the remembrance of all that had happened to him and was now happening to him.  Inwardly, his heart yearned to be restored to his family and that yearning was finally realised.

Interestingly, notice that Joseph saw God’s hand in the restoration of his family: “Then Joseph said to his brothers, [...] ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  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.’ ” (Gen 45:4–6). Joseph recognised that the restoration of himself to his family was only possible through God’s intervention.  They were all healed and their lives were saved because God made it possible.

And even more than they, the restoration of Joseph’s family also provided the opportunity for God to save the lives of the people of Egypt and beyond during that terrible natural disaster.

Something to Think About

In Joseph revealing himself to his brothers, he revealed that God not only works in us to change us, through whatever circumstances will bring about that change, but he changes us so that he might change humanity (i.e. Joseph’s circumstances brought about God’s intention to “save life”).

This might seem like a bitter pill to swallow, that God might allow the circumstances of our life to degenerate to such a state as that endured by Joseph and his family, but let’s be honest with ourselves: Why did their lives degenerate so?  It wasn’t because of God that family was torn apart; they did that quite successfully on their own.  But, luckily for them, “[God] does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps 103:10).  God was able to use those circumstances to change their hearts in such a way as to bring about their restoration and isn’t that a good thing? (Rom 8:28)

So, if we have faith in God, then we should also trust God and not baulk at the circumstances of our lives, but see in them instead the potential for growth and for blessing, for us, for our family and friends, and perhaps even for the whole world.

You might be thinking, “That isn’t fair!  God should work behind the scenes to ensure our happiness, rather than allow us to fall into despair, whether our circumstances change us for the better or not.”  That might be a fair question, but ask yourself whether the value of your life resides in your happiness or in something else?

Despite his simplicity, Forrest Gump revealed that purpose in life is more important than happiness.  He was perpetually content.  Forrest Gump lived a life with opportunities most people can only dream about; yet, he took them all in stride, simply.  Even so, at his mother’s deathbed, he still asked, “What’s my destiny, Momma?”  Her response is so illuminating: “Well, I happened to believe you make your own destiny. You have to do the best with what God gave you.  You’re gonna have to figure that out for yourself [...] Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”

For Forrest and his mother, they knew that happiness does not define life, but purpose does.⁴ I believe that Jesus had the same thing in mind when he promised, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10b).

Was Jesus’ life full of happiness and roses?  Sometimes yes, but it would not be true to say that he was happy all the time.  Jesus had a purpose for his life and he followed that purpose, making every decision of his life based on that purpose, wherever it took him and whatever it cost him.  Why would we expect different for ourselves?

Indeed, the purpose of the infant Jesus’ life was stated so well by Simeon, when he declared that Jesus would be, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Lk 2:32).  Very much like Joseph’s life, “in him was life, and that life was the light of men ” (Jn 1:4).  Jesus’ life and ministry then was to save lives —starting with Joseph, then including Egypt, and eventually the ends of the earth— by showing men and women, boys and girls, how to live right and well, whatever circumstances might come our way.  In order to help us to see how to live, the Spirit of Jesus just may have to take us down paths that are painful, in order to bring about the change that we need.  That change will always be better than any fleeting happiness, especially if it brings about blessing for the world.

Conclusion

Life is like a box of chocolates … Whatever our circumstances, God calls us out from them to live in his glorious light.  And he may even use us to do something that blesses another person or even the whole world.

Let us pray:

Almighty God,
Creator of Heaven and Earth,
thank you for loving us so much
that after creating us each uniquely
and watching us fall into sin
you still do not treat us as our sins deserve
but love us graciously and gently.
We thank you that despite our insignificance
you intended glory.
We thank you that you sent your Son, Jesus,
to show us the way, the truth and the life,
so that we might live well and not remain insignificant,
but instead might rise to fulfil the purpose
that you created in each one of us.
Use us for good and show us how to live well
despite our circumstances
that we bring you glory, honour and praise,
by ourselves living gloriously, honourably and praiseworthy.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord,
and for the sake of his Kingdom.  Amen.

Endnotes