The Life of Joseph ... but God meant it for good
Not what I expected - the back story
6.14.2015
Over the summer we are going to walk us through the life of Joseph
Joseph’s life covers more of the Book of Genesis than any other person.
More than Noah, Abraham, Jacob or Moses
Joseph’s life is a living portrait of the unpredictable ways that God works in a person’s life
I don’t know if you’ve given much thought to that idea – unpredictable ways
“It’s just not right …”
“It shouldn’t be that way …”
“It’s not fair …”
We often use those statements – truth is we are responding to the unpredictable ways of God
700 years before Jesus - the prophet Isaiah wrote:
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
If God’s thoughts and ways are ‘far beyond anything you could imagine’
Why should people expect that God would move in predictable ways?
You probably know about Joseph because:
Of his fancy coat
Sold by his brothers to traveling merchants
Joseph’s life was filled with: Trials, testing, temptations
We are going to look at the trials, testing and temptations
What you may not know is that Joseph has an inconceivable back story
In order to understand the integrity, the grit, the grace and forgiveness of Joseph
You have to understand some of where he came from
There are lessons for you and me in the life of Joseph
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome and to the church in Corinth about learning lessons from what the Hebrew people had gone through
Both Gentile churches – had things to learn from the history of Israel in the Old Testament.
These churches were made up of people just like you and me
Gentiles – non-Jewish – Didn’t come from the heritage – Didn’t know the stories
You might hear people say … We don’t need the OT. We are NT believers.
That is not true …
When you hear someone say … We don’t need the OT --- RUN
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4 NIV
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 1 Corinthians 10:6 NIV
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 NIV
At least 3600 years ago in the desert surrounding the Nile region lived a man by the name of Jacob
He had a back story that plays into the story of Joseph but …
We are going to pick up the story Jacob partway through his life
Jacob had defrauded his brother of the right of being the oldest – birthright
Manipulated and deceived – his brother
Jacob is running from his brother Esau
He is traveling across the dessert
As Jacob was traveling he came upon a well
There was a giant stone that kept the water from this artesian well from continuing to run
When the group of herdsman in the area had gathered
The men would move away the stone so that the animals could be watered
As people were watering their animals
Off in the distance Jacob sees this amazingly beautiful woman coming towards the well
The woman was named Rachel and he was smitten – Bambi – “twitterpated”
When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. Genesis 29:10-11 NIV
When Jacob saw her determined to marry her
Rachel had a sister, Leah, who was older but it was Rachel that caught Jacob’s eye
Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel… Genesis 29:16-18 (NIV)
Rachel’s father, Laban, had another idea though
Jacob was so smitten that he proposed to Laban that he would - “Work for Laban for 7 years if he could have Rachel”
7 years … 7
Jacob was so smitten – there was no one else
Worked for 7 years
Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Genesis 29:20 NIV
The day came for him to marry his Rachel
Laban called the community together for a feast
After the wedding feast and party
Jacob went into his tent
You need to know that he’s had a little too much to drink
Laban brings his daughter to Jacob’s tent
Jacob makes love to his new wife
The next day he wakes up and realizes that he had been swindled.
The woman that he made love with was not Rachel but Rachel’s older sister Leah
When morning came, there was Leah!
Some of you are thinking --- that stuff is in the Bible?
You ought to read your Bible’s – there is all kinds of this stuff in the Bible.
Jacob confronts Laban
When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” Genesis 29:25 (NIV)
It’s not the custom of our people to let the younger daughter marry before the older daughter.
I had no choice!
I’ll tell you what Jacob … wait until the your ‘honeymoon’ with Leah is over and then I’ll give you Rachel also … If you’ll work another 7 years for me.
Jacob agreed – He finished out his ‘honeymoon’ with Leah
Laban gave him Rachel also as his wife.
Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years. Genesis 29:30 (NIV)
When the Lord saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah
He showed mercy on Leah and she became pregnant
She gave birth to a son, and then another son, and then another son, and then another son
All this while Rachel was unable to get pregnant
Rachel got jealous of Leah … Not a little jealous ---- REAL jealous
She accused Jacob of keeping her from becoming pregnant
Jacob – What – AM I GOD? I don’t control these things
Rachel was beside herself with jealousy … she was out of control.
Rachel is so determined to have a child that she does what was common in that time
She gave her servant/attendant – Bilhah to Jacob as a wife
“surrogate” mom
Jacob makes love to Bilhah and she becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son
Bilhah gives birth to a second son
Rachel is excited/satisfied – she has been in a baby producing battle and now she feels like she’s getting the upper hand.
Leah is not going to allow the battle to end there!
When she realizes that she can’t get pregnant
She gives her servant/attendant, Zilpah, to Jacob as a wife
Zilpah gets pregnant and gives birth to a son
Zilpah gets pregnant and gives birth to another son
Leah finally gets pregnant again gives birth to a son
She gets pregnant again and gives birth to a son
She gets pregnant again and this time gives birth to a daughter Dinah
Finally --- after all these babies – Rachel gets pregnant and gives birth to a son – JOSEPH
AND --- You think that your family is/was dysfunctional?
This whole time – through all these baby battles Joseph has still been working for Laban
BUT After Joseph is born – Jacob decides to leave Laban and head towards the Canaan
To the land God had promised to his grandfather Abraham.
Jacob tells Laban to let him take his family and return to his homeland
Laban doesn’t want Jacob to go because God keeps blessing Laban because of Jacob
Laban convinces him to stay
Jacob's stays for a while and he continues to collect more animals and his personal wealth continues to grow
Finally he decides to leave regardless of Laban’s feelings and demands.
Jacob packs everyone up and they leave
Laban chases after him
Laban catches up with Jacob and his tribe
Laban is not happy
Finally they come to an agreement and they part peaceably
As Jacob and his tribe is traveling back to Canaan where Esau still lives
Jacob sends messengers to find Esau to tell him that he’s coming back to Canaan.
The messengers find Esau – Esau makes plans to go and meet Jacob – with 400 men!
The messengers go back to Jacob – your brother’s coming out to meet you with 400 men
In great fear and distress – Jacob divides up his tribe
Jacob divides up his tribe – animals/people the whole lot
Sends them out in front of him towards Esau
Wave upon wave of people and animals
Jacob – Rachel and Joseph – are in the very, very, very back of the parade
Finally they meet up with Esau
Esau isn’t mad anymore
They reconcile
Some time goes by and Dinah – the daughter born to Leah decides to wander out in the area so she can meet some of the local girls
While she is hanging out with the local girls one of the leading men of local tribe rapes her
The brothers hear about what happened to Dinah – they are wild with anger
The rapist – even after the rape is taken with Dinah and he asks for the privilege of marrying her
The brothers agree as long as all the men of the tribe undergo circumcision
The men of the tribe agree to the circumcision after all the Big Dog of the tribe wants to marry Dinah
All the men are circumcised and 4 days later while they are still so sore that they can’t move
The brothers come down and kill every man in the tribe/city
Joseph is a young boy – probably 6ish when all of this takes place
Can you imagine what it was like for Joseph to hear his brother talk about the rapist without really knowing what was going on?
Then hearing about the circumcision deal and then the killings.
What kind of an impression did this leave on Joseph?
One of the things that we are going to see in Joseph’s life is an amazing capacity to forgive people who wrong him …
Did these early impressions play a part in the development of the character trait of forgiveness in his life?
Are you starting to feel a little bit better about your family?
They traveled around the region of Canaan for a period of time looking for a place to settle
While they were traveling Rachel got pregnant again
This time – when time for the delivery of the baby – she had a terrible delivery
She died in childbirth
The baby born was Joseph’s only full-blooded brother – Benjamin
Grace B
Joseph had never seen his Dad so sad
They buried Rachel and erected a memorial to her
Jacob poured out his sorrow/grief by loving Joseph and Benjamin more than the other brothers
These two boys were the sons of his beloved Rachel
They were born to him in his old age
He wept when he first saw her and kissed her
Now he is weeping again
Review
Joseph’s dad is a manipulator and deceiver who is on the run from his brother.
Joseph is born at the tail end of a battle for who was going to be loved most? – Leah or Rachel
Who would have more children? Leah or Rachel
Whose children would be most important? Leah’s or Rachel
He witnesses his brothers ‘vengeance killing’ on an entire city of men
Listens to the screams of his mother as she gives birth to Benjamin his only true blood brother
He loses his mother in childbirth
Watches the incredible sorrow/sadness/grieving and weeping of his father
If that wasn't enough …
While Jacob is still reeling from Rachel’s death
His oldest Rueben gets involved sexually with his Mom’s servant/attendant/His Dad,s third wife
What was Rueben thinking?
What was Bilhah thinking?
What was Joseph’s take on all of this?
His oldest brother and his Dad’s wife?
This is the back story of Joseph
Joseph – the incredible man of integrity – the man known for his faith, faithfulness, inner strength and willingness to forgive
He comes from that family … that is his roots
“How does that happen?”
How does someone turn out the way they do – totally in spite of the crazy family that they grew up in?
Too often in our world – people allow the craziness of their family, friends, experiences and life or the reality that life doesn’t go the way they expect it to – to become an excuse for irresponsibility and dysfunction
My parents were so therefore …
My husband…
My brother …
My teacher …
My coach …
That police officer …
This church I went to...
My grandparents were …
I grew up in a … home so …
Life very seldom goes the way people expect it to go
· I wasn’t expecting that …
· Didn’t see that coming …
· This is not what I signed up for…
· Mother who carries a baby for 9 months only to loose it to SIDS
· Parents who dream for years 16, 18, 20 years about what their child will become …
· Girl who fantasizes for years about being married – gets married only to find out …
· That job change isn’t what was expected
· Business failure
· Health issues
· Marriage collapse
· Parent dies
· Child dies
· Spouse dies
· Sibling turns against you