Today we
worshiped at Grace Community Church, 9160 Marshall Road, Cranberry Township, PA
16066, 724.779.7997, www.mygcc.org, Matt Kaltenberger, Lead Pastor.
Scripture
– NIV
Genesis
37:3-36
Now
Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born
to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers
saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could
not speak a kind word to him.
Joseph
had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain
out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your
sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
His
brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule
us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
Then
he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had
another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down
to me.”
When
he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said,
“What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually
come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him,
but his father kept the matter in mind.
Now
his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, and Israel
said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near
Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very
well,” he replied.
So
he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the
flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of
Hebron.
When
Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and
asked him,
“What
are you looking for?” He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me
where they are grazing their flocks?”
“They
have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to
Dothan.’ ”
So
Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in
the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
“Here
comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and
throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured
him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
When
Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his
life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the
wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from
them and take him back to his father.
So
when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe
he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern
was empty; there was no water in it.
As
they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of
Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and
myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
Judah
said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up
his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on
him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers
agreed.
So
when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the
cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took
him to Egypt.
When
Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his
clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can
I turn now?”
Then
they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this.
Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
He
recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has
devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
Then
Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All
his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.
“No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So
his father wept for him.
Meanwhile,
the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials,
the captain of the guard.
Genesis
39-45
Now
Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of
Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites
who had taken him there.
The
Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his
Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the
Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and
became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted
to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his
household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the
Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar
had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in
Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything
except the food he ate.
Now
Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took
notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
But
he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern
himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my
care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing
from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked
thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he
refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
One
day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household
servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with
me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
When
she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house,
she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has
been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I
screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran
out of the house.”
She
kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this
story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as
soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the
house.”
When
his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave
treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in
prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But
while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him
kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden
put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made
responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to
anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him
success in whatever he did.
Some
time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their
master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief
cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the
captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain
of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.
After
they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and
the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the
same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
When
Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he
asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house,
“Why do you look so sad today?”
“We
both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then
Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your
dreams.”
So
the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a
vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded,
it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my
hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup
in his hand.”
“This
is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.
Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your
position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do
when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and
show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was
forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done
nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
When
the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said
to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the
top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating
them out of the basket on my head.”
“This
is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three
days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the
birds will eat away your flesh.”
Now
the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his
officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in
the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position,
so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— but he impaled the chief
baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
The
chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
When
two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile,
when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed
among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of
the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly
and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
He
fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and
good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain
sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed
up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.
In
the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise
men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for
him.
Then
the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.
Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief
baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same
night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with
us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he
interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And
things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my
position, and the other man was impaled.”
So
Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he
had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard
it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
“I
cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer
he desires.”
Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed
among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and
lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly
cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate
them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as
before. Then I woke up.
“In
my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the
east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told
this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”
Then
Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has
revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven
years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the
same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years,
and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They
are seven years of famine.
“It
is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but
seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be
forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will
not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The
reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been
firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
“And
now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the
land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth
of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should
collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain
under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food
should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of
famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the
famine.”
The
plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them,
“Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”
Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no
one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all
my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I
be greater than you.”
So
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of
Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on
Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain
around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and
people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole
land of Egypt.
Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift
hand or foot in all Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and
gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And
Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
Joseph
was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And
Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During
the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected
all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it
in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so
much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
Before
the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of
Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is
because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me
fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
The
seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine
began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in
the whole land of Egypt there was food. When all Egypt began to feel the
famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the
Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
When
the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses
and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine
was severe everywhere.
When
Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you
just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is
grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not
die.”
Then
ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not
send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that
harm might come to him. So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy
grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.
Now
Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its
people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their
faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized 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.”
Although
Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his
dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where
our land is unprotected.”
“No,
my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the
sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
“No!”
he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
But
they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who
lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no
more.”
Joseph
said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you
will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place
unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your
brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be
tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as
Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” And he put them all in custody for three days.
On
the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the
rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must
bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that
you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
They
said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We
saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would
not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”
Reuben
replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t
listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” They did not realize
that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
He
turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them
again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
Joseph
gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his
sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for
them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
At
the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get
feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “My silver
has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”
Their
hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this
that God has done to us?”
When
they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that
had happened to them. They said, “The man who is lord over the land spoke
harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. But we said
to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. We were twelve brothers, sons of
one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’
“Then
the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether
you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for
your starving households and go. But bring your youngest brother to me so I
will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother
back to you, and you can trade in the land.’ ”
As
they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of
silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.
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!”
Then
Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not
bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.”
But
Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he
is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you
will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”
Now
the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain
they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a
little more food.”
But
Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again
unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother along with us,
we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not
go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless
your brother is with you.’ ”
Israel
asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another
brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our
family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another
brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say,
‘Bring your brother down here’?”
Then
Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at
once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will
guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do
not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame
before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and
returned twice.”
Then
their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the
best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a
gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio
nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must
return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it
was a mistake. 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. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am
bereaved.”
So
the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They
hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw
Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my
house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at
noon.”
The
man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. Now the men were
frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought
here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He
wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our
donkeys.”
So
they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
“We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to
buy food. But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks
and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we
have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to
buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”
“It’s
all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has
given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought
Simeon out to them.
The
steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet
and provided fodder for their donkeys. They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s
arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.
When
Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the
house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. He asked them how they
were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still
living?”
They
replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed
down, prostrating themselves before him.
As
he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked,
“Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God
be gracious to you, my son.” Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph
hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and
wept there.
After
he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the
food.”
They
served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate
with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that
is detestable to Egyptians. The men had been seated before him in the order of
their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other
in astonishment. When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table,
Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and
drank freely with him.
Now
Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s
sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the
mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the
youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph
said.
As
morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not
gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at
once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good
with evil? Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for
divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ”
When
he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him,
“Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything
like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we
found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from
your master’s house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die;
and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”
“Very
well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will
become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”
Each
of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward
proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.
And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. At this, they tore their clothes.
Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
Joseph
was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw
themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What is this you
have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by
divination?”
“What
can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our
innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s
slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
But
Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found
to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father
in peace.”
Then
Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a
word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to
Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a
brother?’ And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son
born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his
mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
“Then
you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’
And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his
father will die.’ But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother
comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ When we went back to your
servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
“Then
our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ But we said, ‘We cannot
go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the
man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
“Your
servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of
them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I
have not seen him since. If you take this one from me too and harm comes to
him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’
“So
now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if
my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, sees that the
boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our
father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to
my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame
before you, my father, all my life!’
“Now
then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the
boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father
if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on
my father.”
Then
Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried
out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he
made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians
heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.
Joseph
said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his
brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his
presence.
Then
Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he
said, “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. For two years now there has
been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing
and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on
earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
“So
then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh,
lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my
father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord
of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. You shall live in the region of
Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and
herds, and all you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of
famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong
to you will become destitute.’
“You
can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who
am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and
about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
Then
he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced
him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his
brothers talked with him.
When
the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and
all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers,
‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your
father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of
Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’
“You
are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your
children and your wives, and get your father and come. Never mind about your
belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’ ”
So
the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded,
and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new
clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets
of clothes. And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the
best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and
other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they
were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”
So
they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”
Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything
Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him
back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m
convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Bob’s
thoughts:
It was
a joy to get back to Grace Community for worship at an almost normal service.
We were greeted by a number of people, an impressive thing at a larger church
with several services, and some thanked me for my service. They are in the
midst of a major addition to their space; exciting times for His church.
Sometimes
their worship is a little loud for me, especially with my new hearing aids, but
today was pleasant. There were some interesting tones in the opening piece. I enjoyed
watching the shadows of the band reflected on the ceiling.
Travis,
the Student Director, delivered his personal testimony and this morning’s message.
He told of a low point in his struggle with addiction and his future wife’s
discovery of his struggles. Like all of us, when he gave control to God was
when he got his life back. This was his segue to the story of the ups and downs
of Joseph’s life and God’s guiding us to how we might best serve Him.
Jan’s
thoughts:
I’m
grateful for the opportunity to be part of this congregation today. Worship
felt almost normal, and I left feeling optimistic and encouraged.
After
a couple of songs and a few announcements, Travis Karenbauer was introduced.
This was his first time presenting the message which was the first in the
series Hidden Agenda: More Than We Think. He began by telling his personal
struggle to find Christ, only to find that Christ had been pursuing him. His
fiancée stuck with him throughout his struggles and they are now married with
three children and both serve on staff at the church.
His
story was powerful, and not mine to recount here. If you wish to hear it, go to www.mygcc.org/messages/.
He
segued into a paraphrased outline of the story of Joseph in Genesis in his witness
to God’s better plan in his and Joseph’s lives, emphasizing Joseph’s faith in
God throughout his many trials.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we pray Your continued blessings on Your church as You grow them once again.
Take them where You want them and show them Your perfect plans as You guide
them. Amen.
