Ever felt like you’re constantly hitting walls? We’ve all been there. Join us as Kent unpacks the story of Joseph and finding resilience in adversity.  It’s EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

——————

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One of the hardest things for me to figure is people who just constantly hit wall after wall.  Have you known people like this?  I feel like growing up, my family was like this.  My parents started a marketing company when I was really young and a guy stole the money they had set aside for taxes and their business went under.  My dad got a job and I got hurt, we went to the ER and found out his new company had been siphoning the insurance money instead of paying it and that company went under.  It was one thing after another.  

Every time we’d get up, we’d get knocked back down…

b

Does anyone know what that feels like?

b

Today, we are going to look at the story of Joseph and how he got knocked down and back up again and again and came away with a different perspective…

STORY:

Joseph is the great-grandson of Abraham.  His dad Jacob has 12 sons who will become the 12 tribes of Israel.  Jacob’s wife Rachel – who he loved most only had two sons for him and at the birth of the second one, she died.  Her two sons were Joseph & Benjamin.  Brothers already have lots of tension in their relationships.  But you can imagine a couple of them being from the mom that your dad loved the most.  This story is full of Jealousy and Envy.  Honestly, as you read the book of Genesis, it feels like the same story unfolding over and over again in different ways.  Jealousy, rage, anger, and deception, all getting the best of these people.  

Joseph is different though.  He seems to not do much wrong.

One of his biggest faults when he’s young is he seems to not have much humility…

Joseph will have a dream where there are 11 sheaves of grain – kind of big bundles of wheat or barley or something.  All the bundles come and bow down to Joseph’s bundle…  

Well, the interpretation is clear.  Joseph has 11 brothers and now this kid thinks we’re going to be bowing down to him…  Oh man, can you feel the anger rising in his brothers?

Then the kid does it again.  He can’t keep his mouth shut.  He comes in and tells the family that he had a dream that the sun, the moon, and the stars all were bowing down to him.  Lol, he just can’t stop..

His dad, Jacob – I picture him rolling his eyes and being like “Come on son!”

He rebukes Joseph – but the damage is done.

The rage, the jealousy, the envy and anger has all been planted in the hearts of his brothers…

One day, Jacob sends out Joseph to check on his brothers – he’s sending him multiple days away.  Joseph reaches the spot his brothers should be at and they are gone.  He finds someone who tells him they’ve moved on to another grazing area.  As Joseph is approaching his brother see him and plot their evil plan.  They knew it was Joseph approaching because of the colorful coat he was wearing, just another insult that their dad had given him this special coat that none of them had.  Their plan was to kill him, but Rueben convinces them not to do it – to just throw Joseph in a well/pit.

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I was at the Grand Canyon and I decided to climb up from the side of the path that goes down into the canyon.  I got up and realized you couldn’t go back down.  I was stuck, I either kept trying to go up and maybe died, or tried to go back down which looked like even more death.  These guys have gone up this cliff and now they don’t know what to do…

They talk again about killing him, but Judah stops them from that and convinces them to sell him to some slave traders who were going to Egypt.

They sell Joseph, they tell their dad he was killed by a wild animal

And a series of ups and downs ensue for Joseph…

Joseph became a household slave of a high soldier in Pharaoh’s military force.  He will become Potiphar’s right-hand man and eventually work his way up to running the household…

Finally, things start to look up for Joseph and then it all falls apart again…

He will be running the household when Potiphar’s wife starts to take notice of Joseph.  I read some Jewish traditions that said Joseph was a pretty boy who used to curl his hair and eyelashes.  Lol.  He’s evidently good looking and Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him.  He resists and ends up running away.  It’s interesting – I think Moses who is writing this, wants you to see the difference between Joseph and his brothers.  He’s wanting to highlight how good Joseph is.  Because right before this story you have this weird break where we jump from the story of Joseph to his brother Judah who ends up sleeping with a woman he thinks is a prostitute, but she’s really his daughter-in-law who was a widow – she gets pregnant from him (and ends up being Jesus’ ancestor).  But the only way to make sense of knowing that story is that right after Judah’s indiscretions you have Joseph doing the right thing, he just runs away…

Joseph ends up getting thrown in prison and through a series of events, he ends up getting close to people who are close to Pharaoh.  

b

Eventually, he will end up in Pharaoh’s household.  

-He will interpret a dream and predict a massive famine

-Pharaoh will put him in charge of collecting grain to make it through the famine

-Joseph’s brothers will come to Egypt for grain

The story that unfolds is so good.  They will ask for help, he will help them, but realizes they don’t recognize him.  But he wants to see his youngest brother and his father.  So, he works it so they have to bring them to him.  Finally, at the end of the whole story… his father dies.  His whole life has been a series of ups and downs.  

Sold as a slave, unjustly put in prison, having to endure his brothers for his father’s sake… 

b

If anyone deserves justice, if anyone deserves to seek revenge – it’s Joseph…

I want you to listen though to what he does instead…

Genesis 50:15-21

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

b

What you intended for evil, God meant for good…

b

Joseph had gone through the worst with these guys – he had NO reason to forgive them.

b

So, why would he?  Why not seek revenge?

ILLUSTRATION:

Isn’t this what you want to do to those who have hurt you?  Forgiving?  Isn’t he just letting them get away with it if he doesn’t hold them responsible?  How can one person go through so much bad and still give what is good?

Part of learning to follow Jesus is learning to take a longer view in life.

b

Joseph has literally been in the pit of despair, over and over again in life but he’s able to see how God has been able to use it all…

b

God uses it all…

Let me just speak to some of you whose life is not what you had hoped.  Every time you start to get up you get knocked back down.  God will use it all.  He sees you, you are not alone.  You don’t have to run from Him.  Jesus never promised it would be easy, as a matter of fact, he said in this world you’d have trouble, but that He overcame the world.  Take the longview in life – look to Jesus.  Invite Him to show you what He’s doing and lean into Him!

---