Who’s in Charge Here?
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
David C. Wright
Genesis 45: 1-8b; 50:20
September 5, 2010
Many of
you have heard the story of Bethany Storro, a 28 year-old hearing-impaired
woman who was attacked this week outside a Starbucks in Washington
state. A stranger approached her holding a coffee cup and
said, “Hey, pretty girl. Do you want to drink this?” She
then threw the liquid, which turned out to be acid, in her face,
severely burning her.
As Bethany spoke in an
interview with her face still swathed in bandages, she marveled that although
she rarely wears sunglasses, she was wearing a pair that she had bought twenty
minutes before the attack occurred. They protected her eyes and probably
saved her eyesight. “That’s Jesus, for sure!” she said.
She also made this remarkable
statement. “In time I’m going to have to forgive her, because
if I don’t, I can’t move on with my life.” Forgiveness!
What an amazing woman and what an amazing story! I bring it to you today
because her experience and statements parallel those in the biblical story of
Joseph that we’ve been studying for the last few weeks.
As a boy, Joseph was the favored son of his father, Jacob. This led to
jealousy and resentment on the part of his eleven older brothers. And Joseph
didn’t help matters by telling them about a couple of dreams he had in
which his brothers (and even his parents) bowed down to him! His brothers
hated him so much they almost killed him, but instead, they decided to sell him
to passing slave traders who in turn sold him to Potiphar, an Egyptian official
of the Pharaoh.
Joseph prospered under
Potiphar and became head of his entire household, but Potiphar’s wife was
taken with Joseph and repeatedly tried to seduce him. Joseph steadfastly
resisted, but the scorned woman exacted her revenge by falsely accusing him of
attempted rape. Joseph was summarily imprisoned.
After years in Pharoah’s dungeon, he was suddenly summoned before Pharoah
because he had a unique ability to interpret dreams and Pharoah was deeply troubled
by dreams he was having that no one could help him understand. Joseph listened
to his dreams and told him what they meant. The entire region was going
to experience seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Joseph
recommended that Pharaoh set aside grain during the seven years of plenty so
that the nation would be able to survive the seven years of famine.
Pharaoh was so impressed
with Joseph that he put him in charge of the entire grain project. In time
Joseph would rise to be second in power to Pharaoh himself. The years of
plenty came, followed by the years of famine. And during those years of
famine, Joseph’s family, still living in nearby Canaan, also suffered. They
heard that grain was available for purchase in Egypt, and so in desperation they
came there to purchase it. They ended up begging for grain from Joseph
himself, but did not recognize him, although he recognized them. And, in
fulfillment of that early dream of Joseph’s, we read, “And Joseph’s
brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground” (Gen.
42:6b)
Joseph appeared torn between
a desire for vengeance toward the brothers who sold him into slavery and his
desire to help his family. He toyed with his brothers, pumping them for
more and more information about their family, and jerking them around with various
demands and mean tricks. He sent them back home, instructing them to come
back with Benjamin, Joseph’s only full brother, if they wanted enough grain
to sustain them. Meanwhile, he held one brother hostage. That brings
us to today’s lesson. (Finally!)
1 Then Joseph could
no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Send
everyone away from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made
himself known to his brothers.
2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household
of Pharaoh heard
it.
3 Joseph said
to his brothers, "I
am Joseph.
Is my father still
alive?" But his brothers could
not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said
to his brothers, "Come
closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph,
whom you sold into Egypt.
5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because
you sold me here; for God sent
me before you to preserve life.
6 For the famine has
been in the land these two years; and
there are five more years in
which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
7 God sent
me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth,
and to keep alive for you many survivors.
8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God;
(Gen. 45:1-8a.) This is the climax of the whole fourteen chapters of the
Joseph saga! Joseph is finally able to reveal himself to his brothers
and forgive them. He lets go of his right to revenge. This act of
forgiveness opens the way for reconciliation between Joseph and his entire family. Eventually,
at his invitation, they will come and settle in the best land of Egypt and wait
out the famine. And they will live in peace together for the rest of their
lives. Their descendants will grow in number, becoming the nation of Israel
as God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
One powerful message of
this story is that forgiveness is a necessary condition for reconciliation. This
was true for Joseph and it is true for Bethany Storro and it’s true for
us. Some of you are estranged from family or friends. They may have
wronged you in profound and hurtful ways. But I’m guessing that they
haven’t done anything as bad to you as Joseph’s brothers did to him! They
didn’t sell you as a slave! The story reminds us that reconciliation
between estranged people is possible, no matter how deep the hurt goes. It
begins with forgiveness. Now it’s true that sometimes the other person
will not accept our forgiveness or will not re-enter the relationship. And
sometimes their character flaws make it impossible for us to re-establish a trusting
relationship with them. But our responsibility is to forgive, to let go
of past hurts and see if reconciliation may be possible. That’s one
of the main lessons we learn in the story- that there is always hope for reconciliation,
but it begins with forgiveness, with letting go of the wrongs done to us.
I wonder who you need
to be reconciled with. A family member? A friend? A church
member? Someone at school? An employer or colleague at work? There
is always hope. And it begins with forgiveness.
But this powerful reminder
about forgiveness is still not the main point of the story! The main point
found here in chapter 45 is that although the actions and choices of the many
characters in this epic story have been genuine, there has been an unseen Character
operating behind the scenes to bring about the outcome. God has been working
behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes. Listen again to Joseph’s
stunning insight, which he revealed to his terrified brothers, “Do not
be distressed...because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve
life...God sent me here to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive
for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” (Gen.
45:5-8) And later Joseph will add, “Even though you intended to do harm
to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he
is doing today.” (Gen. 50:20)
That’s the
main point of the story. God has been at work all along, through the good
and evil actions of all the characters, to bring about his desired result. And
what is that result? God is rescuing a people for himself, the Hebrew people,
as a witness to his love for all humanity. It is through this people that
eventually a Savior will come- Jesus Christ- whose death and resurrection will
make possible a right relationship between God and all people!
A missionary was traveling
in the Far East when he came across a tapestry maker’s booth in the marketplace. As
he watched he saw a strange sight. A man was standing in the booth shouting
at his loom on the across the way. As he shouted thread appeared in the
tapestry almost by magic. The missionary asked his guide for an explanation.
“The man you see,” said
the guide, “is a master weaver. He is speaking to his apprentice
behind the loom telling him what color thread to use and where to put it. Only
the weaver knows the entire design, so it is vital that the apprentice does exactly
as the master commands.”
“What happens if
the apprentice makes a mistake?” asked the missionary.
“The weaver is a
very kind man,” replied the guide. Only rarely will he have the
boy take out the thread. Instead, being a great artist, he simply works
the mistake into the design.”
This is a wonderful picture
of God working in the world. We are unable to see the whole pattern in
the tapestry God is weaving throughout human history. We are on the other
side of the loom, seeing knotted threads placed with seemingly no pattern or
purpose. Occasionally we catch a glimpse of the design, but not very often.
So we have to trust that
the Master Weaver knows what he is doing, and can take our mistakes, errors,
and even our sins, and weave them into his great purposes. In the story
of Joseph, God used Joseph’s gifts and good character, and even his arrogance
and immaturity to get him to a position in Egypt where he could rescue God’s
people from the famine. God also used the jealousy and hatred of his brothers
and even their evil act of selling him into slavery to bring about his salvation
for the entire family. The story of Joseph is a story of hope.
Hope, when we lose that
promotion at work or even lose our job. Hope, when a spouse leaves us for
another. Hope, when a loved one dies, or when poor health forces us to
leave the house we have loved for so long. Joseph’s story reminds
us that God is still with us and is still working out his purposes for us. And
that nothing can thwart God’s plans for us. In the words of the Apostle
Paul, “For we know that all things work together for good for those
who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
As we approach the Lord’s
Supper this morning, we’re reminded of another time when God took evil
and used it for good. The unjust, torturous death of his beloved Son was
used to accomplish our salvation. Thanks be to God! Use this time
to connect with the God who is active in your life, working out his purposes
for you, even during the dark times.
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