The Practical Redemption Of Man

The Life Of Joseph, Session #9- The Redemption Of A Man’s Family pt.4

Intro.

- Joseph has revealed himself to his brothers and exhorted them to return home to bring their families back into Egypt. He has promised to provide for them and allow them to live in Egypt.

- Imagine the brothers thinking about their trip home and what they would be forced to say! They were going to tell their Dad everything that had been hidden for 2 decades!

- Suffice it to say, Jacob was in for quite a shock.

• Genesis 45:25-28 : “Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. And they told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.’ And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Then Israel said, ‘It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’”

- I am not sure how any of us would feel at this moment. Surreal would be a good start.

- Jacob immediately got up and began to make the trek to Egypt, stopping first in Beersheba.

- It’s at Beersheba that Jacob begins to wonder about the promises of God that were reserved for his family in Canaan.

- Canaan was going to be the land that the tribes of Israel were to inherit.

- It’s at Beersheba, a rich place in the history of the Patriarchs, that God speaks to Israel.

• Genesis 46:2-4 : “Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.’”

- Jacob came to Egypt and for the first time, Jacob and Joseph see each other face to face.

- After an emotional reunion, Joseph debriefs his family about the culture of the Egyptians.

• Genesis 46:31-34 : “Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, ‘I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. ‘And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’ ‘So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.’”

- Joseph warned them and yet, in a great “What were you thinking” moment, the brothers still told the Pharaoh that they were shepherds!

- Despite that faux pas, the Pharaoh welcomed them into the land of Egypt and gave them the land of Goshen. It’s at this point that Jacob the Patriarch meets the Pharaoh.

• Genesis 47:7-12 : “Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How old are you?’ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.’ So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families.”

- I want us to review some thoughts from last week, that tie into this section of scripture.

- You will remember that God was using Joseph to preserve life, a posterity for his family and the presentation of God’s glory to the Pharaoh.

- Now, as we continue to consider the providence of God and the redemption of man, we see what I feel are the focal points of God’s providence.

I. The Family Priority

II. The Faithfulness Of Promise

III. The Future Provision

Text

I. The Family Priority

- This first point is more implicit through the text than explicit within it.

- Have you noticed that God has devoted 5 chapters to subject of the restoration of Joseph’s family? Moses focuses here on the relationship of this family.

- Joseph is a hard worker, and we will see a good picture of what he did on a day to day basis in the next chapter.

- Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Moses shows us that if life was cut into 7 pieces, family would take up 5 of those pieces.

- Think about the verses that we have seen. Much is made about Jacob’s feelings of loss, Joseph’s feelings regarding his brothers and the overwhelming guilt that the 10 brothers felt.

- Today, our life is the same but sometimes our focus is much different.

- We might cut our life entirely differently. We might think our career or our ministry is 5 pieces and our family is 2 pieces.

- If we did not say this, our actions betray that this is our belief when we choose work over our family, or our hobbies over their hearts.

- Is your wife spiritually cared for?

- Do you see your children as your primary teaching opportunity?

- To the unmarried ones, your family might be just around the proverbial corner, but in your current state, are you being an influence to the unbelievers in your family?

- God has made it clear to us that this is a priority of redemption.

- I was thinking about this in conjunction with the story of the Philippian Jailer, who witnessed the testimony of the Apostles Paul and Silas.

- After an Earthquake opened all the prison doors, he despaired of life, when Paul cried out that each of the prisoners had remained.

- After this the Philippian Jailer asked what must be done for salvation. He was told to believe upon the Lord Jesus. And then we come to the end of the story.

• Acts 16:33,34 : “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.”

- The providence of God in salvation/redemption focuses on our family first.

II. The Faithfulness Of Promise

- The second priority of redemption here is the faithfulness that God carries to His Word, His promises.

- It seems that Jacob was wondering what would happen with that promise when God, answers him.

• Genesis 46:3,4 : “So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."

- God assures Jacob that even though he must leave Canaan, that He will not forfeit the promise that was made to him.

- God says, “do not fear.” This means Jacob was fearful about the future of his family.

- The Lord makes it clear that He will go down with Jacob and He will bring him back up again.

- This promise will not be voided by Jacob’s necessary flight, even though the Lord makes it clear to Jacob that Joseph will put his hand on Jacob’s eyes, meaning that he would die in Egypt.

- Even though that would be the case, and Jacob’s leadership would end, the family would still move back to Canaan, God’s promise would hold true.

• Psalm 138:2 : “I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”

- If any study relevantly shows that God’s promises, His word is not dependant upon human effort or human faithfulness, this study would be it!

- At the same time, time is never an issue for God. It will take over 400 years, but God will build the nation of Israel and bring them back to Canaan.

- His word, His promise will be fulfilled and His providence is working toward that focus.

- Perhaps you are worried about that in your life because of circumstances and time.

- You can’t see how such and such a thing can take place, but God will bring it to pass.
- The point of these texts is to remind and encourage us that God hasn’t changed. He has not lost His saving, delivering, redeeming, touch.

III. The Future Provision

- Finally, we note that the providence of God focuses on the future provision for this family.

- We see this immediately in Genesis 47:12, that they had food to eat and a land to till.

- The immediate provision would physically save their lives and allow them to carry on toward the messianic hope that lay within their lineage.

- But there is something much more to this concept of a future provision.

- Look back at Genesis 46.

- Joseph is priming his family about the definite extreme sense of racism that permeated the society of Egypt. He tells his family that the Pharaoh will ask what they do for a living and then instructs them:

• Genesis 46:34 : “that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.’”

- God was bringing Israel into Egypt, not just to save them physically.

- He brought them into a land of extreme racial bias, and planted them where there would be little chance of admixture.

- You might recall that even in Genesis, there is an offer from the men of Shechem to intermarry. This would later be a common problem.

- God put them in a place where they would grow from a good sized tribe to a mighty nation.

- They would be protected militarily by the Egyptians, fed by the great Nile river and do so while maintaining genetic purity.

- In 400 years, the Israeli tribe would grow from 70 people to well over a million people!

- One commentator said, “Egypt would become a womb for the nation of Israel!”

- What does this mean for us? Again, providence, God directing human affairs for His glory, focuses on what God has in store for the future.

- God takes the long view and has perhaps planted you here just like he planted Israel there, to birth in you a wonderful spiritual tradition.

- What lessons you will learn in this season of your life! How much of the riches of God’s wisdom will you mine and then pass on so that they become part of the fabric of your family history?

Conclusion

- God’s providential hand focuses on our families, His faithfulness and our future.

- Be the priests of your home, gently leading your family to redemptive purposes

- Be strong in your conviction that God is busy fulfilling His promises to you.

- Be encouraged that God has your future in mind, and that the past and the present are contributing a rich spiritual heritage in Him.