Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000045S
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:16 Eternal and loving Father, 01:19 what a joy it is to come into Your presence. 01:23 to study the Word which You gave us through the power 01:27 of the Holy Spirit. We ask that as we study 01:31 about History's Invisible Guide 01:34 that Your Spirit will show us that this world 01:39 is not composed of a series of disconnected events 01:44 but that You are seated on the throne of the universe 01:47 guiding and controlling everything to Your intended end. 01:53 We ask that You will help us to understand 01:55 how this applies to our own personal walk with You. 01:58 And we thank you for hearing our prayer 02:01 for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 02:07 Why do bad things happen to good people? 02:13 Why do calamities afflict our lives? 02:17 Why many times do our lives appear to be out of control 02:23 with no guiding force? 02:27 Well, in our subject today 02:29 we are going to study about 02:31 History's Invisible Guide. 02:33 And we're going to notice that history 02:37 generally - in our lives specifically - are not composed 02:43 of disconnected events that have no relation one to another. 02:48 We're going to see that in this world and in each of our lives 02:53 there are two forces struggling to gain dominion 02:59 and power. And we're going to notice that even though 03:03 many times bad things happen to good people 03:06 God ultimately will use those bad things 03:10 and He will turn them into good. 03:14 But it's only as we look back on our lives 03:17 that we understand this. 03:19 When we're looking forwards and we're going through these 03:22 trials, it's difficult many times for us to understand 03:26 exactly what is happening. 03:29 Now we're going to study this subject from the perspective 03:32 of a wonderful story that we find towards the end 03:36 of the book of Genesis. 03:38 It's the story of Joseph. 03:41 I don't see any story in the Bible that speaks about 03:46 God's providence in such a marvelous way as the story 03:50 of Joseph. Now, it probably would be a good idea 03:55 for us to examine first of all the home life of Joseph. 04:00 You know, we live in a world today where people have a 04:03 tendency of passing the buck 04:06 and blaming other people, blaming circumstances, 04:09 blaming heredity, blaming the environment 04:13 for the things that happen in their lives. 04:16 But as we look at the life of Joseph we discover 04:19 that Joseph had a less-than-ideal heredity, 04:23 he had a less-than-ideal environment, 04:26 and less-than-ideal circumstances in his home. 04:30 And yet Joseph cooperated with God 04:34 and the end of the story is absolutely glorious. 04:39 Now let's talk a little bit about the family life of Joseph. 04:45 As you know, Jacob was deceived into marrying 04:51 Leah. But he did not love Leah. 04:54 And the Bible tells us that Leah with Jacob 04:59 had four sons. Let's read about this 05:03 in Genesis chapter 29 and verse 30. 05:07 Genesis 29 and verse 30. 05:10 It says here: 05:26 Can you imagine what it was like 05:28 to live with a husband that really did not love you? 05:33 And yet we're told in the story that Jacob and Leah had 05:38 four sons if you continue reading after this verse. 05:41 They had Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. 05:47 Of course, Jacob later married Rachel. 05:52 And Rachel was envious of her sister. 05:55 In fact, we find in Genesis 30 and verse 1 05:59 this sibling rivalry being clearly and strongly expressed. 06:05 Notice Genesis 30 and verse 1. It says: 06:22 This is quite a sibling rivalry that we have here. 06:26 You know, Leah has had these four sons; 06:29 Rachel can have no children. 06:31 And so Rachel comes up with an idea. 06:34 She says to Jacob: "Jacob, why don't you 06:38 go in to my maid Bilhah and maybe you can have children 06:42 for me with Bilhah. 06:44 And so that's exactly what Jacob did. 06:48 He went in to Bilhah and Rachel - through Bilhah - 06:54 actually had two sons. 06:57 The names of the two sons were Dan and Naphtali. 07:01 Now this led Leah to say to Rachel 07:04 "Oh yeah? You think that you can have children 07:08 with your servant? Well, I've got a servant too 07:12 and I can have my servant go in to Jacob as well. " 07:17 And so we find in Genesis chapter 30 and verse 9: 07:34 And now Jacob has with Zilpah, the servant of Leah, 07:41 the following sons: Gad and Asher. 07:47 But Rachel still did not have sons of her own. 07:51 And so at this point you'll notice that these two sisters 07:56 are struggling against each other. 07:59 This tremendous rivalry, and Leah rubs it in Rachel's face 08:03 that she has children and Rachel doesn't have her own children. 08:09 Now it's interesting that after Leah has two sons 08:13 with Zilpah, Gad and Asher, 08:16 that Leah actually bore three more children. 08:20 This is found in Genesis chapter 30 and verses 18-21. 08:25 It says there: 09:02 So at this point Leah has had seven children 09:07 of her own and two children with her servant. 09:10 And Rachel has only had two children with her servant. 09:14 And, of course, Rachel is envious of her sister. 09:18 But God, according to this story, eventually opened 09:23 Rachel's womb and gave her two children. 09:26 Let's read about it in Genesis chapter 30:22-24. 09:31 The first of these, of course, was Joseph. 09:34 It says: 09:57 And so now Rachel has Joseph. 09:59 But God has told her that she's going to have another son. 10:02 And we find in Genesis chapter 35 and verse 18 10:07 that Rachel has her second son. His name, by the way, 10:11 is Benjamin... the youngest of all of the brothers. 10:16 It says there in Genesis 35 and verse 18: 10:31 Now can you imagine what it must have been like 10:34 to sit at the dinner table in this household? 10:38 Jacob - who has two wives 10:42 and two concubines - all sitting at the table 10:47 with their thirteen children. 10:49 Can you imagine what Rachel's children must have said, 10:53 Joseph and Benjamin, must have said to Leah's sons: 10:57 "You know, our dad doesn't love your mom 11:01 as much as he loves our mom. " 11:04 And you can imagine the rivalry between these young men 11:08 and among these wives. 11:11 It was warfare! It was the worst type of environment. 11:15 And then of course as the brothers of Joseph grew up 11:19 we find several of them with serious - very serious - 11:24 character flaws. For example 11:26 Joseph grows up in an environ- ment where Simeon and Levi 11:31 are cold-blooded murderers. You can read the story 11:34 of Shechem. Amazing how they had all of the men of Shechem 11:38 circumcised, and then when they were in the utmost pain 11:41 on the third day they turned against them 11:43 and killed every man in that city. 11:46 Cold-blooded murderers. 11:48 You have Reuben, who was guilty 11:50 of incest. You have Judah 11:53 who slept with a prostitute. 11:55 You have also Reuben 11:57 who had the backbone of a jellyfish 12:00 when it came to delivering Joseph from the wrath of his 12:03 brothers. You have a dys- functional group of brothers 12:09 in this family, and this is the household in which Joseph 12:13 grew up. So don't blame heredity. Don't blame 12:18 the environment. Don't blame circumstances 12:23 for the way in which your life moves 12:26 because we can thrive in the best of circumstances 12:29 like Joseph did. Now, what sets the tone 12:33 for this story is two dreams that Joseph had. 12:38 Notice Genesis chapter 37 and verses 9 and 10. 12:43 Genesis 37:9-10. 12:46 This is the one about the sun, the moon, and the stars. 12:50 It says here: 13:27 So he's rebuked by his father for these dreams. 13:30 But this sets the tone for Joseph's life because Joseph 13:35 knows that some day - he doesn't know how, 13:37 he doesn't know when - 13:39 but he does know that some day he is going to be lord 13:44 over his father, his mother, and his brothers. 13:49 And so all throughout the course of his life 13:51 this guides his thoughts: "God has a plan. 13:56 I don't understand all of the circumstances, but God 13:59 has a plan. " 14:02 And he decided that he was going to cooperate 14:05 with God's plan. 14:07 Now we're told in the story that Joseph's brothers despised him 14:11 because of these dreams that he had. 14:14 Notice what we find in Genesis 37 and verse 11. 14:17 Genesis 37:11. 14:20 It says here: 14:29 Now I don't believe that Jacob understood 14:33 how much his brothers hated him. 14:36 And so we're told in the story that Jacob 14:40 asked Joseph - who was 17 years old at this time - 14:44 to take some provisions to his brothers who were tending 14:48 the sheep. I believe that if Jacob had realized 14:52 the hatred that his brothers had for him - 14:55 the profound hatred - he wouldn't have sent Joseph. 15:01 So we ask the question: why did Jacob send Joseph 15:05 knowing how his brothers felt about him? 15:10 And then we notice that Joseph comes to where his brothers are 15:16 and his brothers see him from afar. 15:19 By the way, he's traveled approximately 65 miles 15:22 at this point from Bethel - where Jacob lived - 15:25 all the way to Dothan according to the Bible. 15:28 And Joseph is very tired, and when his brothers see him 15:32 from a distance they come up with an idea. 15:34 They say: "This is the time to nip this in the bud. 15:38 Let's kill him. Let's get rid of him 15:41 and then we'll see what will happen with his dreams. " 15:44 In fact, let's read this. It's found in Genesis chapter 37 15:48 and verses 19 and 20. 16:09 Now the question immediately arises: 16:12 why didn't his brothers kill him? 16:17 Obviously they hated him enough to kill him, 16:21 but for some reason - first of all - Jacob sends Joseph 16:26 knowing that his brothers despise him. 16:29 Then when they say "Let's kill him" their plans are interrupted 16:33 and they don't kill him but they throw him into a cistern. 16:37 Very strange... when he was hated so much 16:40 by his brothers. And then it just so happens 16:43 that when Joseph is in that cistern - at that very moment, 16:47 at that very time - some Ishmaelites are traveling 16:51 through that country to the land of Egypt 16:54 at that precise instant. 16:57 Is this a coincidence? 16:59 In fact, let's read about it. It's found in Genesis 37 17:02 and verse 28. It says: 17:23 Question: why did Jacob send Joseph in the first place? 17:29 Why didn't his brothers kill him? 17:33 Why at that precise moment did the Ishmaelites come by? 17:39 Why were the Ishmaelites traveling to Egypt? 17:43 Obviously Joseph somehow had to arrive in Egypt. 17:48 Now it appeared like Joseph had gotten a pretty raw deal. 17:52 Here this good boy - obedient to his father - 17:56 is being taken to a strange land for no reason... 18:00 simply because of the jealousy and the envy of his brothers. 18:04 Joseph could have said: "What good is it to serve God? 18:08 Look... I serve Him, I trust Him, 18:11 and here I end up being sold by my brothers to Egypt. " 18:16 But Joseph knew that God had a plan. 18:22 At this point he didn't understand all of God's plan 18:25 but he knew that at some point his dream would be fulfilled. 18:29 Actually his two dreams would be fulfilled. 18:33 And so now Joseph takes this long trip to Egypt. 18:39 By the way, he would have re-tracked his steps from Dothan 18:43 to Bethel. In fact, Ellen White says in the book 18:45 Patriarchs and Prophets that he could see his father's tents 18:48 from afar as the Ishmaelites were taking him to Egypt. 18:52 And then he would have had to travel from Bethel 18:55 several hundred miles further south to Egypt. 18:59 This trip would have taken a significant amount of time. 19:03 Eventually the trip comes to an end 19:07 and Joseph is taken to the marketplace 19:09 to sell. And it just so happens 19:12 by coincidence - and I say that 19:15 not... I say that kind of like ironically 19:18 or sarcastically - by coincidence a man named 19:22 Potiphar ends up in the marketplace and purchases 19:27 Joseph. In fact, let's read about it. 19:31 Genesis 39 and verse 1: 19:51 And so Joseph ends up of all places - 19:54 there are many individuals who could have bought Joseph - 19:57 but he ends up being bought by Potiphar. 20:00 Now I believe that there are two reasons in this story 20:04 why Joseph ended up in Potiphar's house. 20:07 Reason number one: it was necessary for Joseph 20:11 to meet Potiphar's wife. 20:15 And secondly, it was necessary for Joseph 20:19 to sharpen his administrative skills 20:23 because God had a HUGE plan for him... 20:28 a world-wide plan at that time... 20:31 and he needed to be a keen and sharp administrator. 20:36 And so God is preparing Joseph 20:39 by administrating the house of Potiphar 20:42 for these huge responsibilities. 20:45 In fact we are told in Genesis chapter 39 20:48 and verses 2 and 3: 21:00 By the way, this reminds me of the words of Jesus 21:04 in Luke chapter 16 and verse 10 21:06 where Jesus said this: 21:21 In other words, it was necessary for Joseph to learn to be 21:24 faithful in the small administrative duties 21:27 in Potiphar's house in order to be qualified 21:30 for the huge administrative duty which awaited him 21:34 in the future. And of course we know how the story develops. 21:40 This faithful young man one day meets Potiphar's wife 21:44 in the house, and Potiphar's wife wants to have sexual 21:47 relations with Joseph. 21:49 And we all know the famous words of Joseph. 21:52 Let's read them in Genesis 39 and verse 9. 21:54 Joseph says to this woman: 22:11 And Joseph's faithfulness lands him in prison. 22:16 Now what justice could there be in this? 22:19 First of all, he's a good boy 22:21 and he's sold as a slave to Egypt. 22:24 And then now because he's faithful to God 22:27 in keeping the 7th commandment he ends up in prison. 22:32 You wonder at this point in the story: why did he end up 22:36 in prison? Must it be perhaps 22:39 that there was someone in prison that he needed 22:42 to meet as this plot develops? 22:45 Obviously yes. At this point, by the way, 22:48 Joseph had been in Egypt for ten years. 22:50 He was 27 years old. 22:53 Now another interesting aspect is that when Potiphar discovered 22:58 what had happened with his wife and with Joseph - 23:02 it actually didn't happen we know, but the events 23:05 had taken place - Potiphar instead of killing Joseph 23:10 he has Joseph thrown into prison. 23:12 Now we know that he did not believe his wife's story 23:16 but he still could have had Joseph killed to save face, 23:19 couldn't he? In fact, notice what we're told 23:22 in Genesis chapter 39 and verse 20. 23:35 And so Joseph has gone from his home in Bethel 23:40 to Egypt to prison... all in spite of the fact 23:46 that he was faithful to God. 23:49 And you might say: "There's so much injustice in this story. 23:53 I mean, these are bad things happening to a good person. " 23:56 But Joseph in his mind had the dream. 23:59 He says: "God has a plan. 24:02 I don't know how all of these events are being weaved 24:05 together, but God has a plan and I know that these things 24:09 are happening for a reason. I'm going to hang in there 24:11 with God. " Notice Genesis 39 and verse 21. 24:16 It says there: 24:26 You say: "Yeah, right... the Lord was with Joseph. 24:30 Where was God when he was sold as a slave to Egypt? 24:33 Where was God when he was thrown into prison? 24:37 You mean to say that God was with Joseph 24:39 and He had mercy with Joseph? " 24:41 That's what the story says because God had a plan. 24:46 Now by Joseph being in prison 24:49 he was able to further sharpen his administrative skills. 24:53 You see, God had a purpose in allowing Joseph to go to prison. 24:57 He needed to be polished for the duties that God had for him 25:02 in the future. Notice Genesis 39:22-23. 25:07 It says: 25:33 And so we find Joseph being faithful in the prison, 25:37 being a faithful administrator, 25:39 preparing for the duties that God has for him in the future. 25:44 But of course, the real reason why he ends up in prison 25:47 is because he needed to have an encounter 25:51 with another individual in this story. 25:54 Of course, all by coincidence. 25:57 As he's in prison at this particular place and time 26:02 a baker and a cupbearer of Pharaoh are cast into prison. 26:09 And so you ask the question: "Why were the baker 26:12 and the cupbearer cast into the prison 26:14 at exactly that time when Joseph was in prison? " 26:18 There was a purpose in this story. 26:21 Notice what we find in Genesis 40 and verse 8. 26:43 And so to make a long story short 26:46 the baker and the cupbearer tell Joseph their dreams 26:49 and Joseph says to the baker: "I'm sorry to tell you 26:54 that you are ancient history so to speak. " 26:57 And he says to the cupbearer: "You are going to be released 27:00 from prison and you're going to end up serving wine 27:05 to Pharaoh again. " 27:08 And then Joseph says in Genesis 40 and verse 14 27:12 to the cupbearer these words: 27:29 So he says to him: "When you get out of this place 27:32 please remember me when you go before Pharaoh. " 27:36 And the interesting thing is the cupbearer goes out 27:39 and he suffers some strange type 27:43 of divine amnesia. 27:47 He forgets Joseph. In fact, he forgets Joseph 27:50 for two whole years. Why did he forget Joseph for two years? 27:54 It wasn't simple forgetfulness. 27:57 It's just that it was not time yet in God's calendar to act. 28:03 You see, at this point the cupbearer knew that there was 28:07 someone who could interpret dreams. 28:09 That was the important point. 28:11 Two years go by and Pharaoh has two dreams. 28:17 During those two years Joseph patiently fulfills his duties 28:23 in the prison knowing that God would intervene. 28:26 And so Pharaoh has two dreams: 28:28 the dream of the stalks and the dream of the cows. 28:32 And to make a long story short 28:34 Joseph says this means there are going to be 2 periods 28:39 in the history of Egypt upcoming. 28:43 One is going to be seven years of super-abundance 28:47 and plenty and there's going to be 7 years 28:50 of devastating famine after that. 28:52 Notice that God is revealing the end from the beginning, 28:56 folks. Now I want you to notice 28:59 what we find in Genesis 41 and verse 25. 29:02 By the way, Joseph - at this point - is thirty years old. 29:06 He's been in Egypt since he was seventeen, 29:08 so he's been in Egypt for a period of thirteen years. 29:11 God's plans know no haste and no delay. 29:15 It says there: 29:27 And remember that what God 29:29 permits, according to the Bible, God also causes. 29:34 He doesn't cause it directly... He permits sometimes 29:38 things to happen. And so the question is asked... 29:42 In fact, Joseph says to Pharaoh: "Pharaoh, you need to 29:44 find a wise man who is able to gather during the seven years 29:48 of plenty so that during the seven years of famine 29:51 you have provision so that society will not disappear. 29:55 And, of course, Pharaoh says: 29:57 "Who but you would be the ideal person to do this? 30:03 You who have been able to interpret my dreams. " 30:07 And the interesting thing is that at this point in the story 30:11 the tables begin to turn. 30:13 In fact, Pharaoh says to Joseph: "You will now be 30:18 Prime Minister of Egypt. 30:21 People will come before you and they will bow 30:25 and they will show you respect just like they show me. 30:28 I will be above you but you shall be the lord 30:32 over everyone in the kingdom. " 30:34 Is that exactly what Joseph had seen in his dreams? 30:40 Absolutely. The tables are turning. 30:43 In fact, what his brothers did to frustrate his dreams 30:48 God has now used to make his dreams come true. 30:54 It reminds me of that text in Matthew 25 and verse 21 30:59 where we're told: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. 31:03 Thou hast been faithful over a few things... 31:07 I will make thee ruler over many things. " 31:11 At this point Joseph has been faithful in Potiphar's house. 31:15 He has been faithful in his duties in prison. 31:18 So God said: "You have been faithful over little; now I 31:21 will place you over much. " 31:24 And now we need to ask the question: 31:27 why were there going to be seven years of plenty 31:32 followed by seven years of famine? " 31:36 By the way, in the Bible God does not directly cause famine. 31:41 God does not cause Himself calamities such as this. 31:46 God allows Satan to work 31:50 to cause calamities... what we call natural disasters. 31:54 And you would ask: "Why would God allow seven years of plenty 31:58 and then allow the devil to devastate for seven years 32:02 not only Egyptian society but all society 32:06 in the Middle East? " 32:08 The answer is given very clearly in scripture. 32:12 It's because Satan wanted to eliminate and destroy 32:18 the holy line. We've discussed this before. 32:21 In other words, he wanted to get rid of Jacob 32:24 and all of his family. But God knew this before it happened. 32:28 And so God sent Joseph down to Egypt 32:31 to make provision during the seven years of plenty 32:35 so that during the seven years of famine the holy line 32:40 from which the Messiah would come 32:42 would not disappear from history. 32:45 But we still have the question: why to Egypt? 32:50 Why didn't God just allow Jacob and his family 32:55 to remain in Canaan and to proliferate there 32:59 without allowing the seven years of famine... forcing 33:04 Jacob and his family to move to Egypt? 33:07 I'm going to put that on hold for now. 33:11 Now notice Genesis chapter 41 and verse 46. 33:16 It says: 33:31 Let me ask you: was the experience of Joseph 33:36 in Potiphar's house and in administrating the prison 33:40 an invaluable resource to Joseph 33:43 now when he had to organize the gathering in of the grain 33:47 from all of the land of Egypt to save all of civilization 33:51 at that time? Obviously he sharpened his skills 33:55 for this huge responsibility which God now had for him. 34:01 Notice Genesis 41:57. 34:05 This famine not only afflicted Egypt, it afflicted Palestine. 34:09 It says in verse 57 of Genesis 41: 34:24 And so Jacob says to his sons: 34:30 "Sons, I want you to go down to Egypt 34:34 because I hear that there's provision down there. " 34:36 Interesting. God has sent Joseph down to Egypt 34:41 because somehow He wants Joseph's family to gravitate 34:46 towards Egypt. There a plan in taking them to Egypt. 34:49 Not only to preserve the holy line we're going to notice 34:51 but there's another reason why He takes them out of Canaan 34:55 down to Egypt. And so Joseph's brothers 34:59 make the journey down to Egypt... the first trip. 35:03 Notice Genesis chapter 42 and verse 21. 35:10 "Then they said one to another... " 35:13 This is when Joseph said: "You are all spies! 35:18 I'm going to throw you all in prison. " 35:21 They say: "We are truly guilty concerning our brother 35:25 for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us 35:29 and we would not hear. Therefore, this distress 35:34 has come upon us. " 35:37 And so Joseph says to his brothers: "You say that you have 35:39 a younger brother that stayed home? 35:42 That your father wouldn't let him come with you? " 35:44 Well, in order for me to know 35:47 that you're not spies, I want 35:48 you to go and I want you to 35:49 bring back that brother. " 35:52 And they said: "Our father will never allow us to bring back 35:55 our brother. " Joseph said: "Tough luck. " 35:58 In fact, he takes Simeon and he throws Simeon into prison 36:06 and he says: "I'll leave him there until you come back 36:08 with your younger brother. " 36:10 Now why Simeon? 36:12 Let's read about it first of all and then I have a quotation 36:15 from Patriarchs and Prophets. 36:16 Genesis 42:24: 36:32 Notice that he didn't only cast Simeon into prison. 36:35 He bound him before he was cast into prison. 36:38 Why did he do this? 36:40 In Patriarchs and Prophets page 225 we find this 36:44 incisive comment by Ellen White. She says: 37:13 You can imagine Simeon thinking: "Huh, I was the one 37:17 that had Joseph bound and thrown into the cistern. 37:20 Now the tables are being turned. 37:23 There's something strange going on here... 37:25 something strange happening. " 37:28 And so they go back to Canaan and they tell Jacob: "Jacob, 37:32 Father, unless we take Benjamin back to Egypt 37:36 Simeon will be a prisoner forever. " 37:38 And Jacob says: "Forget it. 37:41 You're not going to take Benjamin. I've lost Joseph 37:44 and now I only have one son left from my beloved wife Rachel. 37:49 You can't take him. " But eventually they're suffering 37:52 so much hunger that Jacob decides to send Benjamin 37:57 with his brothers. 37:59 And so they take a second journey to Egypt. 38:03 Notice Genesis chapter 43 and verses 28 and 29. 38:07 They arrive in Egypt 38:11 and they say this to Joseph: 38:28 Do you see what's happening here? 38:30 What the brothers did to try and keep the dream 38:34 from being fulfilled... Now their very action has 38:38 fulfilled the dream or the dreams that Joseph had. 38:41 And so they bow before him. 38:44 And we're told in Genesis 43 and verse 33 38:47 that Joseph sits them at his table by order of age. 38:53 Now they know that something's really strange that's going on 38:57 here. Joseph is leading them to think... 38:59 It says in Genesis 43:33 39:11 "What is this that this individual knows how to sit us 39:15 in the order of our age? " 39:17 But it gets even more interesting. 39:19 We're told in Genesis 43:34 39:22 that Joseph gave Benjamin five helpings of food 39:27 compared to his brothers. 39:30 Notice what we find there... Genesis 43 verse 34: 39:44 Why did Joseph do this? 39:46 Because he wanted to see if they were still jealous and envious. 39:51 But it says that they're happy. 39:54 They don't mind that Benjamin has five times the helping 39:59 that they have. And so Joseph is saying 40:01 "These individuals have gone through a conversion experience. 40:04 They've been changed by this ordeal. " 40:07 Imagine, folks, for so many years 40:10 hiding this lie from their father. 40:13 Terrible... and seeing their father suffer 40:16 thinking that Joseph has died. 40:19 And the guilt that goes along with this. 40:21 And now they see these things happening. 40:24 They don't care if Benjamin has five times the food 40:28 that they have. Then of course you know the story 40:31 in Genesis 44 verses 12 and 13 they start the trip home. 40:35 Joseph has had his cup placed in the sack of Benjamin. 40:41 Notice how this is picked up in Genesis 44:12-13. 40:58 And so they're all taken back and now you can imagine 41:02 the pain and the sorrow that the brothers are feeling. 41:06 They're saying: "Our father has lost Joseph 41:09 and now he's going to lose Benjamin. " 41:11 And so they're taken back to where Joseph is 41:13 and Joseph says: "Why have you dealt with me this way? " 41:16 And he says it in a very harsh way. 41:19 And the brothers begin begging for the life of Benjamin. 41:24 And in fact Judah says to Joseph: 41:29 "Why don't you just keep me as a slave 41:32 and let Benjamin go back to my father, because 41:35 if my father knows that he's lost another son by Rachel 41:39 it's going to break his heart and he's going to die. " 41:44 The brothers have gone through a tremendous conversion 41:46 experience. There's no more envy; there's no more jealousy. 41:51 They feel the pain of their father. 41:54 Joseph is trying to calibrate them to understand how they feel 41:58 at this point. And so Judah offers his life in place 42:04 of the life of Benjamin. 42:06 Now we still have that question that I left on the table 42:10 and that is: why was it even necessary 42:13 for Jacob and his family to go down to Egypt? 42:18 You see, folks, there was a prophecy which was uttered 42:23 by God to Abraham several hundred years before. 42:27 It's found in Genesis 15 verses 13 and 14 42:32 and it says this: 42:58 You see there was a prophecy that God had given to Abraham 43:02 where Joseph knew that they were going to go down into Egypt. 43:08 They were going to be there for 400 years 43:10 and then God was going to take them once again to the land 43:14 of Canaan. And of course immediately the question arises: 43:19 why not just leave them in Canaan? 43:21 Why bother to take them for 400 years down into Egypt 43:25 to take them back to Canaan? 43:26 Why not just leave them in Canaan? 43:28 Why did God give this prophecy to Abraham? 43:31 There was a very special reason. 43:33 In our second textbook in this seminar, Patriarchs 43:36 and Prophets page 232, we find the reason. 43:42 It says there: 44:52 Are you understanding this? 44:54 This whole scenario of Joseph 44:57 having to go down into Egypt 44:59 and as a result Jacob's family 45:01 going down into Egypt 45:02 was because they could not stay in Canaan 45:04 because there were giants there that they could not overcome. 45:08 It wasn't the time in God's calendar. 45:11 And besides, if they had mixed 45:13 with the Canaanites they would have become 45:15 corrupted by the Canaanites. 45:17 She continues saying: 45:39 And of course, that was the land of Goshen. 45:41 And now notice this: 46:07 Are you understanding how God's plan is developing here? 46:11 It took years and years for this plan to be fulfilled 46:17 and yet God's plan was fulfilled to the very letter. 46:21 First of all, the holy line from which the Messiah would come 46:25 was preserved. And secondly, Jacob and his family 46:31 emigrated to Egypt where they could live in Goshen, 46:34 proliferate, grow in relative peace 46:38 without becoming contaminated with the idolatrous practices 46:42 of the Egyptians. Now let me ask you: 46:46 as Joseph looked back upon his life, do you think he would say 46:50 that it was worth it? 46:53 You know, if you just think about the life of Joseph 46:56 from the time that his brothers took him and threw him into 46:59 the cistern I can imagine Joseph saying: "Huh... wow! 47:03 What's going to happen now? " He had the dream 47:05 and he had the prophecy given to Abraham in his mind 47:08 but he doesn't know exactly what's happening. 47:11 But he cooperates with God 47:14 and step by step God reveals to Joseph His plan. 47:18 And Joseph cooperates with God. He walks step in step with God 47:22 because he knows that God has a plan. 47:25 Some day God will make him lord, and in this way 47:29 he will save the holy line and he will prepare the world 47:34 for the coming of the Messiah. 47:37 You see, folks, history is moving under the guidance 47:42 of God's omniscient and omnipotent hand. 47:46 And it's moving toward a specific goal. 47:50 History is not an ebb and flow of unrelated events. 47:55 History is being nudged forward by an invisible hand. 48:01 If I choose to participate, God's plan will be fulfilled 48:06 with me. If I choose not to participate, 48:09 God's plan will be fulfilled anyway without me. 48:15 Kind of reminds me of the story of Esther. 48:19 Mordecai says to Esther: "Esther, you'd better go in 48:22 and you'd better intercede for your people. " 48:26 And he says: "If you don't, 48:29 help will come from some other place. " 48:33 The beauty of this story is that Joseph decided to 48:36 cooperate with God step by step. 48:39 He didn't understand everything that was happening, 48:42 but he was guided by his dreams and by the prophecy 48:45 given to Abraham. You see, folks, when we look at life 48:51 after we've lived it, 48:53 we can see the hand of God's providence. 48:56 You see, I like to compare historical events with the 48:58 thread in a tapestry. 49:01 See, each event in our life is a thread that God is adding 49:05 to the tapestry. 49:07 And you only see the full picture when all of the threads 49:13 come together. Then you know that God has been leading 49:18 your life and that what God allowed to happen 49:21 and that what God caused was absolutely wise. 49:27 Kind of reminds me of that verse in Romans chapter 8 49:31 verses 28 and 29. We all know this verse. 49:35 Probably we can repeat it from memory. 49:37 It says there: 49:39 "And we know... " Notice it doesn't say we think. 49:45 It says: "We know that all things... " 49:49 How many? Even the bad? 49:52 Yes, even the bad. 49:55 "We know that all things work together 50:00 for good to those who love God, 50:06 to those who are called according to His purpose. " 50:12 If we kept this in mind, we wouldn't grumble and gripe 50:15 and complain about the things that happen in our life. 50:18 But many times when things come to our life - 50:21 calamities and problems and difficulties - 50:24 we gripe and we come complain and we say: "Lord, why me? " 50:29 When really we should not say "Why me? " 50:32 we should say: "Lord, I don't exactly understand what You're 50:35 doing right now. This is a very difficult time in my life. 50:39 I can't understand these circumstances, but Lord, 50:42 you know what? You have more experience than me. 50:45 And so I'm just going to kind of follow along. 50:47 You take the step and I'll walk right in Your footsteps. 50:50 I'll walk in Your footsteps the way that You lead me. " 50:52 And we can't go wrong no matter how many calamities 50:56 come to our lives we can't go wrong. 50:59 This reminds me of a fantastic statement in the book 51:03 Desire of Ages pages 224 and 225 51:06 that I'd like to read. You know this - 51:08 you've read it before - 51:11 where Ellen White is speaking about the experience of 51:14 John the Baptist. 51:15 You know, you look at John the Baptist. He also was 51:18 thrown into prison. 51:19 Jesus never went to visit him. 51:24 You'd say: "Come on... he was Jesus' cousin 51:28 and Jesus didn't show any interest whatsoever in him. 51:31 Here he's thrown into prison and he's apparently abandoned 51:34 and forsaken. What justice is there in this? 51:38 Because John the Baptist was faithful to God. 51:42 Why should he end up there? " 51:44 And of course, John the Baptist had doubts himself 51:47 about what was happening. That is, until he sent his 51:50 disciples to ask Jesus: "Are You the One that we're 51:53 expecting or are we to wait for another? " 51:56 And Jesus didn't answer the question. 51:58 He simply performed miracles that whole day. 52:01 You can read it in scripture. 52:03 And at the end of the day Jesus says to the disciples 52:05 of John: "Now you go back 52:07 and you tell John what you've seen. " 52:10 And when they told John what they had seen Jesus do 52:14 we find in Desire of Ages that John now had peace. 52:20 He knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah 52:24 and he was willing to give his life... he was willing to die. 52:29 And then Ellen White says that John the Baptist, by his death, 52:32 became an inspiration to many others who would be 52:35 martyred for their faith. 52:36 In other words, he saved many people 52:38 through his death 52:40 besides all of the people that 52:41 he saved through the message 52:43 that he imparted from God. 52:45 In this context is where we 52:47 find this statement in Desire of Ages pages 224-5. 53:27 So if we could see the... If Joseph had been able to 53:31 see the end from the beginning 53:33 do you think Joseph would have changed anything? 53:35 He would not have changed one thing. 53:37 He would have said: "OK, Lord, 53:40 we're walking together through these trials and tribulations. " 53:44 He would have chosen the very way that God chose for him. 53:48 Because if we knew the end from the beginning 53:51 we would not choose any other way than the way which God 53:55 has established for us. 53:58 In another very significant statement in Desire of Ages 54:01 page 208... this also is very well known... 54:05 we find this marvelous statement. 54:07 Because some people say: "Well, you know, Jesus, 54:10 He was... He had a different nature than we have, you know. 54:13 And He was closer to His Father than we are. " 54:16 And you know, we start making excuses 54:19 as to why Jesus could overcome and we can't overcome. 54:22 Notice what Ellen White has to say in Desire of Ages 208. 54:36 Sounds kind of like Joseph, huh? 54:40 Joseph made no plans for himself. 54:42 Every day he said: "Lord, you know, show me... 54:43 show me what You want me to do. 54:45 Show me what Your plans are. 54:46 Choreograph my life. " 54:48 She continues saying: 55:09 By the way, the Lord's Prayer says 55:11 "Give us this week our daily bread. " 55:15 Thank you. It says: "Give us THIS DAY 55:18 our daily bread. " God does not reveal to us 55:22 His plans in weeks or months or years. 55:26 He reveals it in a day-to-day basis. 55:30 And we're told here that Jesus made no plans for Himself. 55:34 Every day He said: "Father, what are Our plans today? " 55:39 Now you say: "How does that affect us? " 55:41 Notice the last part of this statement: 56:02 Isn't that a marvelous statement? 56:05 And they key is: "So utterly was Christ emptied of self. " 56:11 See, when we say: "Why is this happening to me? " 56:14 "Why am I having these trials? " 56:16 "Why am I having this tribulation? " 56:18 It's a manifestation of selfishness. 56:21 We're supposed to say: "Lord, what's in this for You? " 56:26 "I'll walk with You; I'll follow Your plans 56:29 just like Joseph did. " 56:31 And when you look at the story of Joseph 56:33 you have a glorious conclusion to a providential story... 56:38 God leading step by step. 56:43 On a lesser scale, we can have the same experience 56:48 as long as we trust God the way that Joseph trusted God. 56:54 We may not have a dream say- ing that we're going to be lord 56:57 but we do have a Bible that says that someday 57:00 we will be lords. The Bible says that if we suffer with Him 57:04 we will also reign with Him. 57:07 And Jesus says also in a text that we read 57:11 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. 57:13 Because you have been faithful in little 57:15 I will place you over much. " 57:18 May that be the living experience in our lives. |
Revised 2023-11-13