Abraham's Family - Joseph's Story - part 5

Good evening. We're carrying over from where we left off last week, looking at Abraham's family. Last week, we looked at Isaac's family in a lot of detail, and we saw how the foundation of Abraham's was stored. The foundation substance was partially restored through Jacob, but it wasn't completely restored. There wasn't a foundation to receive the Messiah, and so the Messiah didn't actually come on that foundation; it came to Jacob's family. That's what we're going to look at today. We're going to explore a bit more about Jacob's family, particularly the story of Joseph. You might wonder why the Messiah came at this time in Abraham's family. When we look at God's foundation, the foundation now is at a family level, and then it expands with Jacob's victory and then with Jacob and his children. But when we look at Satan's foundation, we can see there's already work on a national level, with lots of bad individuals around, families, tribes, societies, nations, and even empires like the Egyptian Empire, which was incredibly oppressive, and the Assyrian Empire, which dominated and controlled people. If the Messiah had been born at this time, there wouldn't have been a foundation to protect Him. The point is that the Messiah has to come to a foundation where He can be protected and received, so that He can't be put to death by some nasty individual. That's why it had to go on to a national level. Even if Abraham hadn't made a mistake with the offerings, there would still have been this 400-year period. The only difference would have been that Abraham's descendants would have lived 400 years in Canaan, and during this period, they would have reached the national level in Canaan and prospered, becoming very strong. But because Abraham made that mistake, instead of spending 400 years in Canaan, they went to Egypt for 400 years. After that, they came back and had to start all over again with a 400-year period in Canaan to reach the national level. That's why the Messiah didn't come at this time.

Now, looking at Jacob's family, as we talked about last week, Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel. Originally, he shouldn't have had two wives. If Jacob hadn't tricked Esau, he wouldn't have had to flee for his life, and he wouldn't have ended up going through this process of getting married first to Leah and then to Rachel. Abraham only had one wife, Sarah, and Isaac only had one wife. Jacob also should only have had one wife, but because of the mistake he made, he ended up in Haran, got tricked, and ended up with two wives, which complicated everything. Just as Abraham sent his servant to Haran to find a wife for Isaac, which was Rebecca, I think at some point, Isaac and Rebecca would have said, 'Well, we need to find a wife for Jacob. Why didn't we send one of our servants or arrange something with Laban?' I'm sure Jacob would have only gotten married to one wife anyway. So, as I said last time, he had two wives, Leah and Rachel. Leah had six children: the first was Simeon, then Reuben, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Rachel had two children, Joseph and Benjamin, and then the two maids had three children between them. The principle says Jacob had 12 sons restored through indemnity in his generation. Horizontally, the indemnity conditions accumulated vertically through the 12 generations from Noah to Jacob, which had been lost to Satan. There were 10 generations from Adam to Noah and 10 generations from Noah to Abraham. Because Abraham made this mistake, it became extended through two more generations, so now you had 12 generations from Noah to Jacob. Each son represented one of these 12 generations, so this idea of horizontal conditional indemnity is to restore something vertical. That's the principle's explanation of why he had 12 sons.

Let's see what happens next. Joseph was Jacob's favourite; he was the son of his favourite wife, Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel very much and had been longing for a long time before she fell pregnant. When Joseph was born, Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved all his other sons. Because he was his favourite, he was very much loved by Jacob, and in that sense, he was like Abel relative to his older brothers. Joseph used to have dreams, and one day he dreamt that the sun, the moon, and the stars bowed down before him. Another time, he had a dream that sheaves of corn, which he and his brothers all collected, bowed down in front of his sheaf. When he told his brothers about these dreams, they got really upset and angry. They said, 'Are we going to bow down in front of you, you little squirt? Who do you think you are?' They were furious with him because he was the favourite son and the youngest. Jacob used to keep him at home while the older brothers were shepherds, taking care of the sheep. From time to time, Jacob would send Joseph out to find out how his brothers were getting on. Jacob would arrive and find that his brothers might have gone into town, gone to a disco, or were having a good time. He would bring reports back to his dad about what his older brothers were doing. When the older brothers came back, Jacob would ask how it was, and they would say, 'Oh, it was good,' but then he would say, 'Actually, I know exactly what was going on because Joseph told me.' You can imagine how much his older brothers hated him for being a little snitch.

There was a mixture of things at play. One was the big age gap, and secondly, the way he behaved. There were several problems: he was younger, had a different mother, was the favourite, and went around having all these dreams. He was also a sneak, telling on his brothers about all the bad things they were up to. All these factors together made it easy to see why his brothers hated him. The Bible says that when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. This means that every time they tried to speak to him, they started to feel really angry and got into arguments with him. You can see that Joseph was in the position of Abel, but he wasn't behaving very well. He wasn't being a good younger brother and was making similar mistakes to those Jacob made with respect to Esau. One day, Jacob sent Joseph off again to find out how his brothers were getting on. The Bible says they saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. They thought, 'Here comes our wretched, horrible younger half-brother again. Let's kill him.' That's how much they hated him and how angry he made them. It's not natural to feel that way towards your younger brother, but all these things built up, and that's how it felt. They were jealous of Joseph and wanted to kill him. Reuben, the second son, spoke up and said, 'No, we shouldn't kill him. He's our brother after all. Let's just punish him. Let's throw him into this pit and let him stew in his juice.' So they threw him into a pit, and Reuben was thinking to himself that they would leave him there for a day and then he would come back to rescue him when the sun went down. But Reuben went off, and the brothers were still thinking about what to do. They still wanted to kill him, and then a bunch of Ishmaelites, who were traders with a caravan of camels, passed by. Judah said, 'Why don't we sell him to these Ishmaelites instead of killing him? He's our brother after all. Let's not kill him; that would be a sin. Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites.' They took him out of the pit, and you can imagine how Joseph felt when he was taken out. He probably said to them, 'You wait until I get home and tell Dad what you've done.' You can imagine how furious he would have been, and then he found himself being sold into slavery. They took his robe, which his dad had given him, the coat of many colours. That's where that musical comes from, Joseph's Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He used to walk around in his special coat, which made him feel special, and that really annoyed his brothers. They took the coat, tore it up, smeared blood on it, and went home to tell Jacob that his son Joseph had been attacked by wild animals and was dead. So that's what happened: Joseph was sold into slavery, going from being a favourite son to being a slave.

Joseph's brothers could not respect him due to his behaviour. He was not out there looking after the sheep or working hard; he was just hanging around. They found him unlovable and could not listen to him. Cain had to love Abel, but Joseph's brothers could not respect him because of how he conducted himself. There was no way they would listen to him or be guided by him, so Joseph needed to go through a change. In that sense, one could say that God put him into this situation where he was confronted with himself and had to reevaluate his life. He had to ask himself why his brothers hated him so much and if there was something wrong with him. This process would not have happened overnight; it likely took a long time for him to reflect on his life and his actions.

Abraham's family had strict sexual morality compared to the ancient world. The Jews introduced sexual morality into that context. In the biblical narrative, Joseph is in the position of Adam, while Potiphar's wife is in the position of fallen Eve, tempting him. Joseph faced the temptation that Adam did not overcome. He had to decide whether to obey his master's wife or to follow his conscience, which told him that it was wrong to deceive his master and violate his moral principles. As Potiphar's wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to listen to her or to be with her. He tried to avoid her as much as possible to prevent being compromised.

Potiphar's wife devised a plan to seduce Joseph. She pretended to be sick and called for him to bring her food. When he entered her room, she attempted to persuade him to lie beside her, but he refused. In a desperate move, she lunged at him, grabbing his robe as he fled, leaving her holding it. She then falsely accused him of attempting to rape her, leading to his arrest. Despite the injustice of the situation, Joseph was imprisoned instead of being executed. Potiphar, upon hearing Joseph's account, believed him but felt compelled to punish him to preserve his wife's dignity. Thus, Joseph went from being the favourite son to being thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, promoted to household manager, and then falsely accused and imprisoned.

Joseph experienced incredible injustice throughout his life. Even if his brothers were annoying, there was no justification for their actions. He was treated harshly and unjustly, yet he maintained his faith. Reflecting on his circumstances, he became a more introspective person, similar to Jacob when he realised the consequences of his own deceit towards Esau. Joseph began to understand that the events in his life were happening for a reason, perhaps as a lesson for his past behaviour. He recognised that he might have been stubborn and arrogant, and that his suffering was a necessary part of his growth.

While in prison, the Lord was with Joseph, showing him steadfast love and granting him favour with the prison keeper. Joseph was put in charge of all the prisoners, and everything he did was successful because the Lord was with him. This reflects Joseph's character; he was reliable and trustworthy. Despite being in prison for many years, he maintained his integrity and continued to work hard. One day, two prisoners had dreams, one being the king's cupbearer and the other the baker. Joseph interpreted their dreams, predicting the cupbearer's release and the baker's execution. He asked the cupbearer to remember him and advocate for his release, but the cupbearer forgot about him, leaving Joseph in prison for several more years.

Eventually, Pharaoh had a dream that none of his wise men could interpret. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and informed Pharaoh of his ability to interpret dreams. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, where he interpreted the dream about seven fat cows and seven thin cows, predicting seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh was impressed and appointed Joseph as prime minister, tasking him with planning for the upcoming famine. At the age of thirty, Joseph went from being the favourite son to a slave, then to a prisoner, and finally to prime minister. This journey illustrates the importance of being prepared for opportunities that arise, even after enduring hardship.

Joseph's story parallels that of Nelson Mandela, who spent years in prison before becoming president of South Africa. Mandela, like Joseph, used his time in prison to reflect and grow, ultimately emerging ready to lead. This highlights that while difficult times may seem overwhelming, they can also prepare individuals for future opportunities. In contrast, some people leave prison only to return to a life of crime, having not learned from their experiences. Joseph's resilience and faith allowed him to rise to a position of power, demonstrating the transformative potential of enduring hardship with integrity.

Joseph recognised his brothers when they came to Egypt to buy food, but they did not recognise him. He was dressed as an Egyptian and had become the prime minister. Despite the excitement of seeing his brothers, he was also filled with mixed emotions, remembering how they had sold him into slavery. He questioned them through a translator, speaking harshly and accusing them of being spies. They insisted they were not spies and explained they had another brother at home, which stirred up memories and feelings from his past.

After three days in prison, Joseph devised a plan. He decided to keep Simeon as a prisoner to ensure the others would return with their youngest brother, Benjamin. This decision was based on Simeon's role as the oldest brother, who had not spoken up during their earlier wrongdoings. The brothers returned home to explain to Jacob what had happened, and Jacob was understandably shocked and distressed by the news of Simeon's imprisonment.

As the famine continued, Jacob eventually agreed to send his sons back to Egypt for more food, but only if they took Benjamin with them. Initially, Jacob was reluctant, fearing for Benjamin's safety after losing Joseph and now Simeon. However, Judah took responsibility, promising to ensure Benjamin's safety. They returned to Egypt, where Joseph invited them to dinner and arranged their seating by age, which puzzled the brothers.

During the meal, Joseph secretly instructed his servants to hide his special cup in Benjamin's sack. The next morning, when the brothers were accused of stealing the cup, they were filled with shame and fear. They believed they were being punished for their past sins against Joseph. Judah spoke up, acknowledging their guilt and offering themselves as servants in place of Benjamin, demonstrating a significant change in their character.

Joseph's response was remarkable; he refused to punish the innocent along with the guilty. He offered the brothers a choice: they could leave Benjamin behind and return home, or they could stand by their brother. This moment was crucial for the brothers, as it tested their integrity and growth since their earlier betrayal of Joseph. Judah's heartfelt plea to remain as a servant in place of Benjamin showed his transformation and willingness to protect his family.

Judah expressed his fear of returning to their father without Benjamin, knowing it would break Jacob's heart. This moment echoed the biblical theme of responsibility and accountability among siblings, reminiscent of Cain's response to God about Abel. The brothers were faced with the consequences of their past actions, and their willingness to change was evident in their dialogue with Joseph.

Judah found himself in a position similar to Cain when he said, 'Yes, I am my brother's keeper.' At the risk of his own life, he volunteered to exchange his life for that of his younger brother, Benjamin, because he did not want their father, Jacob, to suffer further grief. The brothers had witnessed the deep sorrow Jacob experienced after the loss of Joseph, and they understood that if Benjamin did not return, Jacob would be heartbroken. This sense of responsibility and love for their father motivated Judah to step forward.

When Joseph saw this change in his brothers, he realised they were no longer the selfish individuals who had sold him into slavery. They had transformed, and their regret was evident in their conversations. Joseph had set them up to face a role play, allowing them to prove they had changed. Restoration occurs when one finds themselves in a similar situation and chooses to act differently. Joseph provided his brothers with a second chance to demonstrate their growth and remorse.

During the three days that Joseph had his brothers imprisoned, he contemplated his options. He understood that revealing his identity immediately would lead to feelings of guilt and shame for both parties. Instead, he devised a plan to give them a chance to prove themselves. By placing them in a similar situation to the one they had faced years ago, he allowed them to choose a different path. Their willingness to offer their lives in exchange for Benjamin's demonstrated their growth and commitment to family.

Joseph's emotional response to Judah's offer was profound. Just as Jacob had reconciled with Esau, Joseph sought to restore his relationship with his brothers. He likely knew the story of Jacob and Esau and understood the importance of reconciliation. The narratives found in Genesis were passed down through generations, providing wisdom and guidance. Joseph recognised that he needed to find a way to reconcile with his brothers, and he spent time reflecting and praying for the right approach.

When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, he sent away all his servants to ensure the moment was private. He asked them if their father was still alive, expressing his concern for family news. His brothers were speechless, shocked to see him as the powerful Prime Minister of Egypt. They had thought him dead or enslaved, and now they faced the reality of their past actions. Joseph reassured them, saying, 'Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; it was God who sent me before you to preserve life.'

Joseph's interpretation of their actions was magnanimous. He wanted to close the emotional gap between them and urged his brothers not to feel guilty about the past. He framed their suffering as part of God's plan to save their family from famine. This perspective allowed him to forgive them in a way that transcended mere words; he offered them a chance to move forward without the burden of guilt. Their transformation and willingness to change were crucial for this reconciliation.

The process of reconciliation was not instantaneous. Joseph and his brothers had to navigate their emotions and past grievances. Joseph's greatness lay in his ability to set up a situation where his brothers could demonstrate their growth. By allowing them to prove they had changed, he restored their dignity and enabled them to stand before him as equals, rather than as the guilty parties they once were. This act of giving them a chance to redeem themselves was essential for their relationship.

This story illustrates profound insights into personal relationships and the dynamics of forgiveness. It highlights the importance of helping others to resolve their issues without making them feel indebted. Joseph's approach serves as a model for resolving conflicts, whether within families or nations. By empowering others to take responsibility for their actions, we can foster a sense of dignity and self-worth. The reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers is a powerful testament to the potential for change and healing.

Nature needs to love Jacob, so Joseph's brothers loved Joseph and respected him as a mediator to God. They immediately submitted to Jacob's directions and multiplied goodness by inheriting goodness from their God's blessing. This wasn't actually established by Jacob and Esau, but by Joseph and his brothers. Joseph's brothers listened to him and united together. However, there is an important foundation established not just between Joseph and his brothers, but also personally between two brothers, which is what you're pointing to—a survivor.

Judah was the older brother, positioned like Cain, the son of Leah, while Benjamin was the younger brother, positioned like Abel, the son of Rachel. Here, Judah restored what Cain did not; he was willing to exchange his life for the life of his brother. You can imagine how Benjamin felt when he realised this. He must have loved Judah immensely, seeing his older brother willing to sacrifice himself for him. This admiration created a strong bond between them, and you can imagine how much Judah loved Benjamin in return, willing to exchange his life for the sake of his younger brother.

This close unity laid a substantial foundation, which is why later on, when they went down into Canaan, the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin settled next to each other. They were inseparable, and later, when the first king, Saul, came from the tribe of Benjamin, it didn't work out. However, when the next king, David, came from the house of Judah, things changed. After the death of Solomon, the Israelites split into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom, which was made up of these two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Eventually, they became known as the house of Judah, which is the family Jesus falls into.

Thousands of years later, the foundation to receive the Messiah was established between Judah and Benjamin, creating a lasting foundation for the Messiah. Sadly, the relationship between Joseph and his brothers was not fully reconciled. Joseph's brothers could never truly believe that he had forgiven them. Even as Joseph became prime minister, his brothers thought he might only be waiting for their father to die before punishing them. They struggled to accept that they had been forgiven, which is quite tragic.

Despite Joseph's repeated assurances of forgiveness, when Jacob died, the brothers feared retribution. They concocted a story, claiming that their father had asked Joseph to forgive them before he died. Joseph realised what they had done and expressed his forgiveness, saying, 'Don't you understand? I forgave you; it's all finished, it's all over.' However, it was very hard for the brothers to receive the kind of love and forgiveness Joseph offered. They could only reach a certain level of acceptance but could not fully bridge the gap that had developed over the years. This story is extraordinary, highlighting profound psychological insights into human relationships and the human heart.