A Visit from Joseph -- 7/19/09

Sunday, July 19, 2009

A VISIT FROM JOSEPH
Genesis 37

Joseph enters, wearing the coat of many colors…

I. A Story from Joseph

Good morning. I dropped by this morning to visit with you for a while. I especially want to talk to you young ones, though what I have to say won’t be too complicated for you adults either. So when I ask questions this morning, let’s give the young ones first opportunity to respond. By the way, do you know me? Why do you think I might be Joseph? The coat? The appearance and the voice are those of Pastor Ron, but the coat… Ah, the coat is the coat of Joseph. I heard someone call it “the rainbow coat.” Many of you grew up calling it “the coat of many colors.” Whatever you call it, it’s bright.

So let me ask you a question: Why am I, Joseph, wearing this coat? Yes, my dad gave it to me. And who is my dad? Jacob. Of course, I’m not Jacob’s only son. Do you know how many brothers I have? Yes, I have eleven brothers. Does anyone here have eleven brothers and sisters? I didn’t think so. I’m not the youngest, but almost. I have ten older brothers, and then there is one little brother named Benjamin.

Now let’s come back to my coat. This is not the kind of clothing that a man would wear for work. It’s a little bit too colorful and too fancy for hard work. So why do you think my dad would give me this coat? That’s right – I was his favorite. My dad was partial to me. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about my older brothers, but he certainly favored me. That’s why he gave me this special coat. I always got the feeling that my dad didn’t want me working very hard. He always tried to protect me.

By the way, why was I my dad’s favorite? Do you know? Well, it goes back a ways. My dad Jacob was a favorite child too. He was his mother’s favorite. His brother was his father’s favorite. You have heard that discussed lately, how Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah favored Jacob. Well, my dad Jacob did the very same thing. His favoritism actually started with my mom Rachel. My dad had another wife named Leah (Rachel’s older sister), but he always loved Rachel more. Well, since I was the first son of my mom Rachel, it was kind of natural that dad would favor me over all my older brothers. By the way, Benjamin is also the son of my mother Rachel. I guess you would say that Benjamin is my only full brother. You may ask, “Was Benjamin a favorite too?” Oh yes, but at this time, Benjamin was just a little fellow. Benjamin was 13 or 14 years younger than I.

Because Benjamin was so young, I suppose my older brothers didn’t mind Dad giving him a lot of attention, but it was different with me. My older brothers were not that much older, especially Zebulon and Issachar. They didn’t like me because Dad loved me more than he loved them. You can imagine what they thought when Dad made me this special coat and encouraged me to wear it. I didn’t have to work hard like my brothers.

Well, let me tell you one experience I had when I was a kid. I don’t remember exactly how old I was – maybe 13 or 14. Anyway, I had this dream. On this occasion, I was out in the field working with my brothers. We were harvesting the grain. The grain grows on tall stalks called sheaves. We would gather several sheaves and tie them together. It’s called “binding sheaves.” In my dream, my sheaf (stalk) stood up and the sheaves that my brothers had all came and bowed down to my sheaf. [Perhaps a picture on the overhead.] The dream was very real and hard to forget. When I got a chance, I told it to my older brothers. But they didn’t like my dream. They said, “Do you really think that you will rule over us?” I would have to say from that day forward my older brothers hated me. That seems like a strong word, but they did hate me.

It wasn’t very long until I had another dream. It was just as vivid as the first one. But this time the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me. Like before, I told the dream to my brothers, but this time I also told the dream to my dad. Even he didn’t like my dream. He said, “What kind of dream is that? Do you really think your mother and I and your brothers will come and bow down to you?” My brothers were jealous of me, but my dad kept on thinking about my dream.

That brings me to the big event that began to change the direction of my life. I was 17 at the time. My brothers were taking care of the sheep and the goats. In order to do that, they had to move around and find good pasture for them. Well, at that time, they had the flocks up around Shechem, which was over 50 miles north of us. You may wonder why I wasn’t with them. At 17, I was plenty old enough. Dad never really said, but I think he was protecting me. It seemed like he was always worried that something would happen to me. After mom died when she was giving birth to little Benjamin, Dad seemed to worry a lot about me. He liked to have me pretty close to home.

Since he hadn’t heard from my brothers in a while, he decided to send me to Shechem to check on them. I was glad to do whatever my dad told me to do, so I headed for Shechem. But when I got there, I couldn’t find my brothers anywhere. While I was out looking for them, a man saw me and asked me who I was looking for. I explained that I was looking for my brothers and their flocks. It turns out he had seen them and heard them talking about going to Dothan, which was another ten miles farther north. Sure enough, I found them at Dothan.

I didn’t know it at the time, but when they saw me coming, they started planning. You have to understand that my brothers could not stand me. Of course, I can kind of understand why they were jealous of me. It wasn’t right for my dad to love me more than them and to treat me better, but it wasn’t my fault he did that. It seemed pretty obvious that the brothers took out their bitterness and envy on me, and nothing demonstrates that more than what they did to me that day.

When I came to my brothers, they didn’t welcome me at all. Instead, they threw me in a pit. It was probably some kind of old cistern, kind of a well they used for collecting water. There wasn’t any water in it to speak of, but it was dirty and dark down there. Now just try to imagine how that would be. Try to picture yourself down at the bottom of that well, wondering what is going to happen next.

I didn’t find out until later that I was actually blessed to be in that well. Their original plan was to kill me and then throw me in. It was my oldest brother Reuben that took pity on me. He suggested they throw me in the pit instead of killing me right away. Actually, I’m not sure whether his greater concern was for me or for our dad. He knew what it would do to my father, if something happened to me. As the oldest son, he assumed extra responsibility for me. Reuben actually planned to come back later, get me out of the pit, and take me home to dad.

After they had put me in the pit, my brothers sat down to enjoy a meal. Yes, my brothers were pretty hardhearted at that point. Later, they admitted that they saw my great distress and heard me crying out for help, but they wouldn’t listen (see Gen. 42:21). They turned a deaf ear to my cries. I don’t know where Reuben had gone, but he wasn’t with the rest of my brothers. As the nine of them were eating, they saw a trading caravan approaching. They had camels carrying spices, perfume, and other goods. These Midianite merchants were on their way to Egypt. It was then that Judah came up with an idea that would get rid of me and also make them some money. The other brothers thought it was a great plan. Now they wouldn’t even have to kill me. So they sold me to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver.

That left them with only one problem – what were they going to tell my dad? Remember that they were the sons of my dad Jacob, who until recently had been the deceiver, the tricky one, the one who cheated others. They learned their lessons well, because they came up with a very deceitful plan. They dipped my fancy coat in blood and sent it to Dad. When he saw it, he thought exactly what they hoped he would, that I had been eaten by some wild animal. My brothers didn’t have to say anything. They didn’t have to lie. But do you think they were lying? Even though they didn’t say, “Joseph was killed by a wild animal,” they deliberately led my dad to believe that’s what happened. The way they treated me was wrong and the way they deceived my dad was wrong.

I still don’t know if Reuben was in on their trickery. All I know is that when Reuben came back to get me out of the pit and take me home, I was gone. Was he ever upset! He was so upset that he tore his clothes. They was a sign of sorrow and despair. That’s exactly what my dad did when he saw my coat with the blood stains. His family tried to comfort him and tell him everything would be all right, but he didn’t listen. He said, “I will mourn over the death of my son until the day I die.” I’m thankful that God had other plans. But I’m getting ahead of my story.

After my brothers sold me, I traveled with the trading caravan until we got to Egypt. In Egypt the Midianites sold me to Potiphar. He was an official of the Pharaoh. The “Pharaoh” was like the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was the head man, and Potiphar was one of his main officials, the captain of the guard. I don’t know how much they sold me for, but I am assuming that they made a profit. They bought me from my brothers for 20 pieces of silver out in the middle of nowhere. Down in Egypt maybe they were able to sell me for 30 or 40 pieces of silver. Whatever the price, I was now the property of Potiphar.

So get this in your mind. I was 17 years old. I had been the favorite son of my father. I had the easy life, with Dad always taking care of me and giving me nice things like this coat of many colors. And now suddenly, I was a slave in Egypt. That would have been bad enough, but I had the constant memory of how I got there. My own brothers had sold me, and that was only because it was better for them than killing me. It appeared that life was over for me!

Now let’s pause for minute. Don’t you think my story is pretty exciting? It’s not every day that you meet someone who has been through what I went through. Wouldn’t you agree? Would anyone like to be sold by his brothers or sisters? Would anyone here like to be a slave in a foreign country, not knowing if you would ever see your beloved father and little brother again? Yes, I have quite a story.

II. Seeing Jesus through Joseph

But now I want us to look at another story that is kind of similar to mine. I am willing to say that none of you have been forced to face things like I faced. Of course, you are still young. We don’t know the future; you might have to face some difficult things. But I want you to know that there is one man who had it far worse than I ever did, but His story is a lot like mine. I would say that my story kind of prepares the way for His. When you look at my story, it ought to remind you of Him. Do you know who I am talking about? Yes, I’m talking about Jesus.

Most of you have probably never thought about how my story and the story of Jesus are alike, but I want you to think with me this morning. This will be a great way for you to think about Jesus, perhaps in some ways you haven’t thought before. Can anyone think of any way that Jesus’ story is like mine?

* [Take the coat off] Okay, I am removing the coat. Joseph is gone now. I am the Pastor you know me to be. I want to talk to you now about Jesus, whose story is like that of Joseph.

1. Dearly Loved by His Father

As we have seen, Joseph was greatly loved by his father Jacob. Yes, Jacob loved him more than his ten older brothers. That was wrong, and it caused a lot of problems. However, I want you to see that this is a picture of Jesus, who was greatly loved by His Father. I’m not talking about Jesus’ legal father Joseph, but about His Father in heaven. Remember that Jesus is the Son of God.

On two different occasions, there came a voice from heaven which said, “This is my beloved Son…” Can you remember when that was? The first time was when Jesus was baptized. There was this voice which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Who said it? Yes, it was God the Father. And who was He talking about? Jesus, the one who was being baptized. Can you hear the love in that voice? “This is my beloved Son.” It happened again later. Do you remember when it was? It was at what we call the Transfiguration. Jesus went up on a mountain and took Peter, James, and John with Him. While they were there Jesus was transfigured. That means that Jesus was changed. His sun was bright like the sun and His clothes became white as the brightest light. And then Moses and Elijah appeared with them. Moses and Elijah had died hundreds of years before, but they were there on the mountain with Jesus and those three apostles. It was then that a bright cloud came over them and they heard the voice: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him” (Matt. 17:5). Again, it was God the Father speaking about the Son whom He loved so much.

But now let’s ask a question. Did God the Father love Jesus more than He loved other people? The answer is “Yes.” But doesn’t the Bible say, “For God so loved the world…” Not like His Son Jesus. When we came into this world, we were sinners (Ps. 51:5; Eph. 2:1) and we were the enemies of God (Rom. 5:10). Our sins separated us from God (Is. 59:2). That was never true of Jesus. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). Jesus had been one with His Father forever and ever and ever. No wonder He loved Him with a special love He had for no one else.

Now that isn’t the end of the story. There is a way that we can have the Father love us just like He loved Jesus. We read these words in Jesus’ prayer to the Father: "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:23). The Father loves a person like He loves Jesus when that person is “in Jesus.” When we are in Christ, we have been redeemed, justified, cleansed from sin, and made new.

So understand the picture. As Joseph was specially loved by his father Jacob, so Jesus was specially loved by God His Father. And He knew it. Jesus was well aware of this special love from His Father, just as Joseph was.

2. Spoke of Glory to Come

Let’s go back to the dreams of Joseph. Joseph had dreams about his future. We aren’t told how much stock Joseph put in those dreams. Did he believe those things would actually happen, that his brothers and father and mother would bow down to him? We don’t know. What we do know is that whether Joseph believed they would or not, they did indeed happen. We aren’t going to tell the rest of the story of Joseph this morning, but let me assure you that things happened just like the dreams said they would.

Did Jesus have dreams like that? Not that we know of. However, Jesus knew about things that were going to happen. There is much we could say, but let’s just say that Jesus knew that in the end He would die, be raised from the grave, and return to the glory He had known with His Father. On a number of occasions, Jesus actually told His disciples that they were going to Jerusalem, that the leaders were going to kill Him, and that He would be raised from the grave on the third day. They didn’t understand, but Jesus understood.

The time would come when Joseph would become second in command in all of Egypt. I don’t think he knew the details of that plan ahead of time, but that was the plan that God worked out. So it would be with Jesus. The day would come when Jesus would be exalted to the right hand of the Father. While Joseph didn’t know much about the details, Jesus knew more. He knew He would be glorified with the Father. Not too long ago we read from Matthew 26. Jesus was on trial before the Jewish leaders and spoke these words to the high priest: "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26:64). Jesus knew that such glory awaited Him. We read these words in Phil. 2:9-11…
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus didn’t speak those words, but He certainly knew that day was coming.

3. Seeking His Brothers

Remember that Jacob sent Joseph out to find his brothers. He had to travel over 60 miles before he found them. Well, Jesus had to travel a lot farther than that to find His brothers. He had to go all the way from heaven to earth, didn’t He?

But who are Jesus’ brothers? He did have four half brothers. They are mentioned in Matt. 13:55, "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?" These aren’t the brothers we are talking about. Referring to Himself, Jesus said, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That’s me. I was lost, but Jesus came to find me, that I might become His brother. We read in Heb 2:11, "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." When He finds a person and sets him apart, he becomes a brother (or sister) of Jesus.

Notice that Joseph’s father Jacob sent him to find his brothers. In the same way, God the Father sent Jesus into this world to find His brothers. Let’s read again I John 4:9-10…
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
We read twice that God sent His Son. He took our sins on Himself so that God’s punishment might be turned away from us.

4. Rejected

Joseph traveled all that way to find his brothers, and then what did they do? They threw him into the pit, sold him, and led his father to believe he was dead. They rejected their brother totally. In doing so, they caused great grief to his father as well.

That is the picture of Jesus. He came all the way from heaven to earth to seek the lost, and what happened to Him? Let’s read it in John 1:10-11, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not." Jesus was not just any man; He was the One through whom the world was created. And yet the world refused to recognize Him. But it gets worse. “He came to His own, and His own received Him not.” “His own” speaks of His own people. Jesus was a Jew and He came and lived among the Jews, but they did not receive Him. As a matter of truth, it was the leaders of His own people that stirred the people up to say, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Conclusion

Don’t you feel sorry for Joseph. The day would come when Joseph could look back and be thankful for every single thing that happened to him, including the way his brothers treated him and the fact that he was sold into slavery. And don’t you feel sorry for Jesus either. Yes, He was rejected, but let me say two things about that rejection.

First of all, it will not last forever. Most of the world today rejects the Lord Jesus. The world hates Him and treats Him terribly. Nevertheless, the day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Every person on earth will know that He is Lord and will bow down before Him.

The second thing about His rejection is this: not everyone rejects the Lord Jesus. Praise God that He does indeed seek and save the lost. He saved me and many others here this morning. We have become a part of His people. Though He is our Lord and King, He is also our brother. I don’t understand that, but I declare from the Word of God that it is true. Now we who are in Christ are also dearly loved by God our Father. And praise God, we will share in His glory! We will be with Him forever and ever. There in His presence we will worship Him together forever and ever and ever.

Those brothers who treated Joseph with such cruelty would be forgiven by Joseph. I know we are getting ahead of our story, but we must make it clear that Joseph forgave His brothers. But how could he forgive them when they did such a terrible thing? That’s nothing compared to what we have done to Jesus. You may be very young, but you have treated Jesus terribly. From the time you were very young and began to think, what did you think about the most? YOU. You learned to say “I” and “my” and you said it often. Your parents or someone else taught you about Jesus. You thought about Him for a while, but then you went right back to thinking about yourself. Your world has revolved around you. You may not have done terrible things like murder, but you have done the things that please you rather than the things that please God. That’s what sin is. Jesus came to seek you, to show you that your young life is a mess and it will get far worse until He rescues you.

You may think that Jesus died for big sinners, but I want you to know that He died for you. You may not think your sins are very bad, but they have separated you from God. You are the lost ones that Jesus came to seek and to save. Now your great need is to seek Him. As He stirs your heart and convicts you of sin, seek the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent and believe. Set your mind and your heart on Jesus. Think of Him instead of yourself. Learn everything you can about Him from God’s Word and cry out to Him to save you.

* This morning we have looked at Genesis 37 (our normal study of Genesis). However, we will only be hitting the highlights of Gen. 38-15, because the theme of our Bible School is the life of Joseph. Our Bible School will start two weeks from today, Lord willing. That will give you two weeks to read these 12 chapters (Gen. 39-50). That means we can cover the material by reading one chapter per day. I want to encourage you to get started and stick with it. You will find it exciting reading, whether you are young or old.