A, Pentecost 14 Proper 15 - Genesis 45:1-15 " Suffering & Salvation"

Jacob loved Rachel and subsequently loved his younger sons Joseph and Benjamin. Sibling rivalry came to the fore when Joseph found favour in his aging father’s eyes making the older brothers jealous of him. Jacob made a richly ornamented jacket for Joseph and his brothers’ jealousy soon became burning anger. Added to this God allowed Joseph to dream that his brothers’ sheaves gathered around Joseph’s sheaf and bowed down to it. As you could imagine this only added fuel to his brothers’ anger. He already had his father’s favour and now it seemed he wanted supremacy over his brothers too.

But it didn’t stop there. He had another dream that the sun and the moon and eleven stars were all bowing down to him. This dream not only angered his brothers, but Joseph also received scorn from his father, Jacob, who questioned Joseph severely and kept the matter in mind.

So with such intense jealousy, the brothers conspired to rid their family of Joseph and kill him. But Rueben, Jacob’s firstborn and father’s representative in his absence, sought to save Joseph by convincing his brothers to throw Joseph into a well, with the intention of saving him later. This might seem like a wholesome act, but Rueben should have been more responsible before his brothers and rejected their plot for the sake of his father and his young brother’s wellbeing.

And with Reuben’s lame effort to save his brother in favour of saving face before his brothers, he failed in saving Joseph when he was absent from the gathering of brother and Judah convinced the others to sell Joseph to Midianite traders on their way to Egypt. When Reuben returned to find his brother had been sold, instead of telling his father what had happened, he joined in the cover up with his brothers by covering Joseph’s richly ornamented robe with goat’s blood and lying to his father that Joseph had been devoured by wild animals. But rather, the only thing that had consumed Joseph was his brothers’ wild jealousy and hatred. Now they bore the guilt of lying to their father and selling their own flesh and blood as a slave.

Once the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, Joseph found himself in slavery in the house of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. God was with Joseph and he prospered and received the favour of Potiphar who gave him the responsibility for all his household affairs. However, Potiphar’s wife had more in mind than just the household affairs and pursued Joseph for an affair of her own. Eventually Potiphar’s wife became embittered by Joseph’s constant refusal against her advances and she grabbed his coat as he fled from her adulteress flirtations and used it to accuse Joseph of making sexual moves on her.

It seems that Joseph and his coat of honour landed him in trouble yet again as his favour in one person’s eyes brought trouble from another close by. So Joseph landed in jail, where it seemed that all was going further and further downhill for him. I don’t think any of us would begrudge a person from being just a little bit bitter after such injustice and humiliation. But Joseph is portrayed as not carrying any malice towards his accusers as God continues to go with him and bless him in every situation he faces. Joseph finds himself in prison but has the trust of the warden who lets him do what he likes while he is there.

Dreams would return to the fore in Joseph’s life yet again when he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker who had offended their master and ended up in the same jail as Joseph. Joseph interpreted their dreams which came true; in that the cupbearer was restored to his position but the baker was hanged.

Two years passed after these events and Pharaoh had a dream that disturbed him. His cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh how Joseph had correctly interpreted the dream and foresaw what became of him and the baker when they were in prison. So Pharaoh summoned Joseph to interpret his dream.

Pharaoh dreamed that he saw seven fat and sleek cows rise up out of the Nile only to be eaten by seven of the ugliest, leanest, and scrawniest cows ever to be seen in Egypt. And then in his second dream he saw seven healthy heads of grain on the one stalk being consumed by seven other withered and thin heads which had also sprouted out of the same stalk.

Joseph, fully blessed by God, interpreted the dreams. A feat the magicians of Egypt couldn’t perform. So Pharaoh was informed by Joseph that all the lands were set for a drought of seven years after seven years of good seasons. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of his whole nation to administer the storage of produce in the good years and the rationing of it in the time of drought.

So by dreams Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and by interpretation of dreams he became the master of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Joseph was rejected by his brothers, sold as a slave, accused of sexual impropriety and jailed. Yet God was with him and he was raised to the head of Potiphar’s house, Pharaoh’s house, and ironically the dreams that caused his brothers to despise him so much, were about to be fulfilled as severe drought brought his brothers to Egypt in search of grain for survival. Joseph was about to have his brothers bow down before him seeking his mercy.

The brothers arrive in Egypt only to be tested by Joseph. Knowing that they are his own flesh and blood he accuses them as being spies and holds Simeon in custody as the others return to Jacob so they might bring Benjamin back to prove their innocence. The guilt of selling their brother and lying to their father was not far away as they say to each other:

“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 upon 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.” (Genesis 42:21-22)

Their guilt is exacerbated even further when they find their bags of silver are placed back in their sacks with the grain they have purchased. Their hearts sink but this time they return to Jacob and tell him what has happened and what the Egyptian ruler expects from them.

Reuben places his own two sons’ lives in the balance before his father if he doesn’t return with Benjamin. But Jacob fears losing his second son Benjamin and he refuses to send him. How must have Joseph’s brothers felt knowing the truth and the heartache and the anguish they were causing their father.

The drought wears on and they use up all of their supplies they had received from Egypt, so they must return. Judah who had sold his brother into slavery now stands before his father and personally guarantees the safety of Benjamin and pledges to be responsible for the remainder of his life if Benjamin doesn’t return. So Jacob sent them off with Benjamin hoping to see him again along with Simeon, whom Joseph has held in custody in Egypt.

They go to Egypt and all seems to pan out well for the brothers, but Joseph tests them one more time. He again puts their silver in their sacks but in Benjamin’s sack he places his silver cup. They are sent on their way but not long after, Joseph sends his servants to accuse the brothers of theft. And after a search of their sacks they find Joseph’s cup in Benjamin’s sack. They return to Egypt, led by Judah, to plead for their brother Benjamin saying that if they return without him it will bring Jacob, their father, to his grave.

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 not be ploughing 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. (Genesis 45:1-7)

The story of Joseph stands as one of great suffering and turmoil, but at the same time one of mercy and salvation. Joseph tested his brothers with generosity and kindness and in doing so, poured burning coals on the heads of his brothers. Yet he forgave them and wept over his reunion with them, when he could have quite easily had them killed for what they had done. It could have been used against them but Joseph knows it was by God’s hand all had happened, so he could save his family. Now the brothers bowed to Joseph and received mercy, rather than burn with fury that they should bow to their younger brother.

How do we view our lives when things don’t go as we would expect them to? Do we realise that God is with us regardless of what struggles might come our way? Joseph stands out as a brightly burning beacon for us. Despite what happens in our lives we can always expect God to make the best of every situation in which we find ourselves. If God is for us, who can be against us, even if death itself stares us in the face!

But even greater in the story of Joseph, we see a preview of the story of salvation when God sent his One and Only Son to us. Despite how we treat our Father in heaven and how we as a human race have treated his Son, we can see in the story of Joseph and his brothers our story with our brother Jesus Christ, whom through our sin we forsook on the cross, but who bore all for the great deliverance of our salvation. Joseph innocently suffered for the salvation of his brothers, but Jesus suffered for the salvation of all who believe and trust in him.

Let us continually bow before his throne and plead for the mercy he so willingly wants to give us as we continually pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy on us. Amen.