The Life Changing Perspective of Providence: Genesis 45:1-15

In Genesis 45:1-15, God reveals His providential plan to Joseph and His brothers.  As believers, we can read these truths into our own lives as well.  God has a providential plan and purpose in each one of our lives.  My desire is that you and I would learn to trust the providential plan of God with all of our hearts.  Let’s consider two reasons from this text why we should. 

I.     The Providence of God is Certain (45:4-15)

a.     Certain Providence Means Certain Sovereignty (45:5,7-9):

Four times in five verses, Joseph clearly establishes that it was God who ultimately “sent” him to Egypt and “made” him “lord of all Egypt.”  This does not mean that what the brothers are not responsible for their sins or that God forced them to.  It does mean that only God is ultimately sovereign over all things, that in the end, only His plans succeed and are never thwarted.  Let’s hear the testimony of the rest of the Word, because the sovereignty of God is a life changing truth that we must settle in our hearts. 

Proverbs 16:9: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”  Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”  Psalm 139:15-16: “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  Isaiah 46:8-11: “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” 

Daniel 4:32-35: “and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Matthew 10:29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”  Acts 17:26: “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,” 

The sovereignty of God is certain.  He is the God “who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Eph. 1:11) who “does whatever he pleases” (Ps. 115:3).  Let this truth warm your heart.  He is never taken back when His people are betrayed, enslaved, framed, persecuted and even killed.  It is His plan that is ultimately unfolding.  However you work that out, you cannot escape the truth that God is sovereign. 

b.    Certain Providence Means Certain Goodness (45:5-7,10-15)

There is another inescapable truth that providence implies and it is that God is not just sovereign, but that He is good to His people in all He does.  Joseph does not simply leave it at God sending him there.  God sent him there “to preserve life” (5), to “preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors” (7).  In verses 10-11, we see that God’s purpose in sending Joseph ahead of them was to provide for them.  God provides both rescue from the famine and reconciliation within the family through His sending Joseph. 

This is why providence is such a beautiful word & concept.  It brings to mind something much more poetic than simply saying that God is sovereign does.  To say that God is sovereign means that He rules and reigns and does whatever He wants in and with all of history and creation.  To say that God is providential is speaks more to the way that He rules and reigns over all of history and creation.  He does so in a way that provides for His people.  And sometimes it doesn’t look that way!  Yet hidden under what appears to be is His good and unstoppable plan.  In what seems to be a catastrophe, God is providing everything that is necessary for the good of His people and the display of His glory.  And no attempt to thwart the plan of God is ever successful.  Romans 8:28:  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

II.   The Providence of God is Liberating (45:5)

a.     A High View of God’s Providence Frees Us from Bitterness & Un-forgiveness  

Joseph is able to be a person of incredible grace, mercy, and forgiveness because He has such a high view of God’s providence.  This is what a high view of God’s sovereign goodness can do in your heart.  It can free you to trust God with the wrongs committed against you and to entrust vengeance and justice to Him and the powers that He has ordained to secure it.  I know someone at some point in your life has wronged many of you.  Understand this: God meant that for your good.  Trust Him with that and forgive those who have wronged you.  View even their wrongs through the lens of God’s working for your good.  Be free from bitterness and un-forgiveness. 

Ephesians 4:31-32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

b.    A High View of God’s Providence Frees Us from Guilt & Shame

Joseph also tells his brothers here to “not be distressed or angry with yourselves.”  Why?  He does so because God was the ultimate sender of Joseph to Egypt for all of their good.  Again, this does not mean that what they did was not wrong or that they are not responsible for what they did.  It does mean that they should confess and repent of their evil and accept that God used it for all of their good.  These brothers have already confessed their guilt before God and Joseph (44:16).  We said last week that one thing that God is after in His providence is repentance on our part.  If true confession and repentance has taken place in a believer’s life, then we should bear the guilt and shame of that sin no more.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Believe that.  Your sins have been nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ and you bear them no more.  So don’t bear the weight and shame of them either.  Confess, repent, and be free. 

God can take even our failures and use them for good.  What failures have you gone through?  And what have you learned from them that could help others avoid those same mistakes? 

Settling the certain providence of God in our hearts is a life-changing thing.  For those of you going through heavy trials, I do want to encourage you that settling these things may in fact be a daily battle.  You may settle these truths today only to find that you need to again tomorrow for your own peace of mind.  Our battle is a daily one, so be strong in the Lord, courageous, and fight the good fight of faith for the glory of God! 

I’ve said this many times, but if you have ever questioned the truth of God’s sovereign goodness toward you, you need look no further than the cross of Jesus Christ.  Acts 4:27-28: “for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”  When you combine the truth of that passage with all those like Romans 5:8 that say that the cross was God’s demonstration of His love for us, you come away with a breathtaking truth: God purposed to declare His love for us before the foundation of the world!  Before the foundation of the world, God decided to publically declare His love for you and me on the cross of Jesus Christ.  Has your heart ever been changed by the good news of this providence?  It can be today.  

What God is After in His Providence: Genesis 43-44

It has been a few weeks since we have been in this series, so I would like to take a second to review.  Genesis 37-50 is the family account of Jacob, and is ultimately a story of God’s providence.  That is why we have called this series, “The Certainty of Providence,” because we learn here, as we do in the rest of the Bible, that God’s providential working in our lives is something that is certain.  We can be certain that God works all things together for the glory of Himself and the good of His people. 

So far we have seen God making a godly man out of Joseph in Egypt, and now we are seeing Him prepare the family of Israel to be a godly nation there.  He wants to make them this great nation in order to display His glory to the rest of the world through them. So we said God is after both the physical survival of this family, and their spiritual survival.  He wants to both feed them and change them. 

To do so, God providentially works to bring about faith and repentance in Jacob and his sons in order to reconcile the family to Himself and to one another.  Likewise, the providential working of God is intended to build our faith and bring about repentance in our lives, which is necessary for reconciliation with God and one another.  These are ultimately the two heart conditions that God is after in His providence.  Providence was compared to a dance in Joseph’s case, here is will be compared to a test in the case of his family. 

I.     We Must Pass the Test of Faith (43:1-34) – Can God be trusted?  Is He good? 

a.     Counting the Cost in Canaan (43:1-14): especially 11-14

When supplies run out, Jacob’s family is put in a corner and forced to throw themselves upon the mercy of God and let the chips fall where they may.  Notice first the emergence of Judah as the leader of the brother because this will be important later and then also notice Jacob’s plea in 43:11-14 that really encapsulates this section:  [11] Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. [12] Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. [13] Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. [14] May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” 

God here is both breaking Jacob’s favoritism and building his faith.  What God wants Jacob to do is to let go of Benjamin and to take hold of Him!  This will require faith in God on Jacob’s part.  It will require a faith that God is trustworthy, good, and sovereign.  But not only is God building Jacob’s faith here, He is also building the faith of the brothers (they are returning to Egypt at great risk). 

Church, many times what feels like the breaking point in our lives is exactly the place where God wants to build our faith.  It is there that God wants us to let go of our idols and to take hold of Him.  Will you? 

b.    Counting Blessings in Egypt (43:15-34): especially 23, 29-30:

Here we see Joseph’s brothers are met at every turn with the mercy and compassion of Joseph here.  When they try to return the money from the previous trip that had them afraid to return, Joseph’s steward tells them that their God has “put treasure in your sacks for you” (23)!  He blesses Benjamin when he sees him and prepares a feast for these brothers in which Joseph feeds them from his own table!  These blessings are meant to build the faith of these brothers as God carries them from one crisis to another. 

What I hope you will see here is that God is faithful to show us His goodness even in the darkest of valleys if we will open our eyes to see it.  Make no mistake; this is a trial and a crisis of faith for this family.  And God is pointing them to Himself every step of the way.      

II.   We Must Pass the Test of Repentance (44:1-34) – Has faith in His goodness changed my heart?

a.     A Familiar Scene (44:1-12):

No this was hinted at in 43:34 (Benjamin’s portion and their drinking), but here Joseph brilliantly reconstructs the same scenario that he found himself in decades earlier in order to test his brothers.  Will these brothers, who betrayed their father’s favorite son for silver coins, betray their father’s favorite son over a silver cup?  This is what it means to pass the test of repentance: to become people who have changed.

 

b.    An Unfamiliar Scene (44:13-34):

[12] And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. [13] Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

[14] When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. [15] Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?” [16] And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” [17] But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

[18] Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. [19] My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ [20] And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.’ [21] Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ [22] We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ [23] Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’

[24] “When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. [25] And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ [26] we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ [27] Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. [28] One left me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. [29] If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’

[30] “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life, [31] as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. [32] For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ [33] Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. [34] For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

     

Repentance is seen on the part of the brothers: they tear their clothes and they refuse to abandon Benjamin  Also, in the longest speech in Genesis, Judah puts forth a passionate plea that displays the change of heart that is typical of repentance.  Judah, out of his love for his father, offers himself as a substitute in Benjamin’s place, showing a transformation “from one who sells his brother as a slave to one who is willing to be the slave for his brother.”[1]  Again, this is what it means to pass the test of repentance: to become a people who have changed.  This is what God is after in His providence: to take dysfunctional families and people and make them a light to the world. 

The emergence of Judah, which is all over these chapters, is also significant because he is giving us a shadow of what the ultimate offspring of Judah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, would one day do for all of us.  Revelation 5:5-10: [5] And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” [6] And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. [7] And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. [8] And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

[9] And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, [10] and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

God in His providence works to build our faith, to break our idolatry, and to change our lives.  Will you let go of what you hold on to and lay hold of God’s grace by trusting and surrendering your life to Him today?  If you will, you will begin to experience the goodness of God in your darkest trials. 

---

[1] Waltke, Bruce, Genesis: A Commentary, 567

Providence and Our Past: Genesis 42:1-38

Let’s begin by putting this chapter within its larger context.  The book of Genesis is mainly about God’s plan to redeem this fallen world through the family of a man named Abraham.  God promises to make of Him a great nation and to bless all nations through His offspring with salvation.  So the redemption of the world hangs on the promises made to Abraham. 

Genesis 37-50 is the story of the family of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson.  These chapters are much more than the story of Joseph.  Joseph is one of the main characters, but He is not THE main character.  God is the main character and the major plot is what He is doing to keep His promises. 

In this account we have two major threats to these promises.  First, we have the physical threat of the famine.  It threatens the very lives of Abraham’s descendants.  Secondly, we have the spiritual threat of this fractured family, whose sins against one another threaten to tear the family apart. 

Now just as God has been making a godly man out of Joseph in Egypt, He now wants to make a godly nation out of Israel there.  He wants to make them this great nation in order to display His glory to the rest of the world through them.  This is the reason that the story doesn’t end in Genesis 41.  God is after both the physical survival of this family, and their spiritual survival.  He wants to do more than just feed His people; He wants to change them. 

In Genesis 42, God begins to reconcile His people to Himself and to one another by forcing them to deal with their past.  He does so because reconciliation among God’s people requires that we deal with past offenses.

In this chapter, God is going to call us to surrender our past to Him and I want to show you three reasons why we must do so.

I.     We Will Repeat the Sins We Fail to Repent Of (42:1-5,36-38)

As Genesis 42 begins, it appears not much has changed back in Canaan.  The sons of Jacob are still a bunch of irresponsible sons (2) and Jacob is still a father who plays favorites (4).  Also, Jacob’s favoritism is just a pronounced with Benjamin as it was with Joseph.  In 42:36-38, he basically considers Simeon as good as dead and makes the statement that Benjamin is the “only” son he has left.  This is because Joseph and Benjamin were the only children that he had from his favorite wife, Rachel.

One lesson that we learn here, especially from Jacob, is that we are destined to repeat the sins that we do not repent of.  It has been said that the one thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history.  This becomes true in our lives as well when we fail to repent of sin.  Whether the sin is favoritism or something else, we will find ourselves in an endless cycle of repeating it if there is no repentance.  Sometimes this is what it means to deal with the past: to repent of sin. 

Repentance is simply a turning away from sin and to God.  It means we stop doing something that we shouldn’t be doing.  Now understand that repentance is not something we are capable of in and of ourselves.  Ultimately it is something that God must grant to us and open our eyes to the need for (2 Tim. 2:24-26).  So repentance is as much an act of faith as it is something that we do.  Also, repentance sometimes requires the involvement of others in our lives; something called accountability. But without repentance, there can be no reconciliation with God or one another.

II.   We Will Carry the Guilt of the Sins We Fail to Confess (42:6-35)

Pay special attention to 42:21-22. The brothers state that this “distress” is coming upon them because they are “guilty” concerning what they did to Joseph.  This is a monumental confession because it reveals that they have been carrying the guilt of their betrayal of Joseph for over twenty years now!

There are a few truths we about the brother’s guilt here.  First, an unrepentant heart is always looking over its shoulder.  This is what I mean when I say that we carry guilt.  You get the impression that these guys have been waiting for the hammer to drop for over twenty years!  Who wants to live like that? 

Second, an unrepentant heart often mistakes God’s blessing for cursing (28).  Joseph replaces their money as a blessing and provision for them (Gen. 43:23) and they see it as God’s judgment on them.  This is what an unrepentant heart and a guilty conscience will do to you: it will blind you to God’s blessings. 

Finally, we also see here that an unrepentant heart destroys our credibility (22,37-38).  It is obvious in this family that neither Jacob nor the brothers think much of Reuben so far, and for good reason.  He committed adultery with one of his father’s wives (Gen. 35:22), but the way Genesis portrays what happened is that his sin remained an “elephant in the room” with the family until Jacob was on his deathbed (Gen. 49:4).  Jacob didn’t deal with it as far as we can tell, and Reuben didn’t either.  What was the result?  The result was zero respect for Reuben’s leadership whatsoever.  Sin that we refuse to deal with destroys our credibility with others. 

What do you carry?  Do you want to live under the burden of guilt for decades?  Do you want to live with a frame mind that questions every blessing you receive?  Do you want to be that person whom no one respects when you speak to a matter?  

Know that there is forgiveness and freedom in Jesus Christ if you will confess and repent of your sin.  Confession simply means agreeing with God out loud about your sin and asking His forgiveness for it.  Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

III.We Will Experience the Sufficiency of God’s Grace When We Give Our Past to Him (42:9,15-25)

There are many people who think what Joseph’s treatment of his brothers is motivated by revenge to some degree.  While revenge was certainly a temptation for him, I am going to be building a case that Joseph was motivated by something else, that he was motivated by reconciliation rather than revenge.  I believe that Joseph’s actions are his effort to cooperate with the providential working of God.  His actions, though they appear to be harsh, will in the end prove to be loving. 

Let me give you some reasons why I come to this conclusion.  First, this passage tells us that as Joseph recognized his brothers bowing before him, he immediately “remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them” (9).  He then brilliantly deals with them in a way that causes them disclose that they have another brother at home so that he can then demand that they bring Benjamin there as well.  Why does he want Benjamin there?  It will become obvious as this story unfolds in the coming chapters, but for now one reason is so that the dreams will ultimately be fulfilled. 

Also, notice that Joseph points his brothers to God (18).  In the Old Testament, one who fears God was someone who did not oppress the weak, something that they have been guilty of.  So in pointing them to God, he is also planting the seed of the fear of God in their own hearts. 

Third, notice how their confession touches him in 42:24.  His heart is tender toward them.  This is a marked contrast from the coldness of the brothers in Genesis 37. 

Fourth, notice also how Joseph sends all but one of the brothers back home to in provision for the family (19).  He also replaces the money in their sacks, which is another from of provision for his family. Remember that Joseph has every legal right to seek retribution.  These men are guilty of kidnapping, attempted murder, and human trafficking and he is in a position to serve them with justice.  Joseph is showing these brothers grace and mercy rather than the wrath that they rightly deserve.  Remind you of anyone? 

We see in Joseph the instruction of Romans 14:14-21: [14] Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. [15] Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. [16] Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. [17] Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. [18] If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. [19] Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” [20] To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” [21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

How is Joseph capable of such grace and mercy towards people who had wronged him?  There is one reason: because God was with him.  What we see is the sufficiency of God’s grace upon Joseph in this chapter.  And the reason that Joseph is experiencing this all-sufficient grace is because He has already surrendered his past to God (Gen. 41:51). 

How do you respond to those who have wronged you?  God can make us a people who are capable of supernatural grace and mercy when we surrender our past to Him.  This act of surrender is an act of repentance.  It is an act of faith.  And it is an act of God’s grace that requires the enabling power of the gospel of Christ. 

This is a final, profound lesson we must note before we leave this chapter: reconciliation requires more than forgiveness; it also requires repentance.  Joseph can forgive his brothers, but if they remain a family in which nothing has changed, there will be no reconciliation.  This is why Joseph must test this fractured family.  That is why the harshness.  That is why the three days in prison.  That is why Simeon is bound before their very eyes, because it would’ve reminded them of another brother who was bound before their very eyes.  Joseph needs to know if these brothers are still the type of guys who will betray one of their own brothers. 

To be reconciled to God, there must be forgiveness and there must also be repentance.  Salvation requires both faith and repentance.  We must rest our faith in Jesus’ finished work to make us righteousness and to pay for our sins, and we must also be willing to turn away from our sins and to Him for salvation.  Just as in this story, the good news is that there is bread for the coming famine, but the bad news is that we have all betrayed the Bread-giver.  Will you be reconciled to Him today?