August 7, 2011 Kingdomtide 8
Genesis 45: 15, Psalm 133, Romans 11: 2a, 29-32, Matthew 15: 10-28
A God Promise
Today's Scripture from the Old Testament book of Genesis is the end of the story that we began last week. If you remember we left off last week with Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers. The theme and ideas we explored were centered on how hate can develop with in a family or group of people, and how we must protect our relationships by 1) being sorry for the things we say and do to one another and 2) by our forgiveness.
In this story that I read today we see the flip side of hate and evil, we see forgiveness. Scholars through the years have taken many moral lessons from this story about Joseph and his brothers 1) we can see that Joseph has learned through the years the lesson of humility, and today I could preach about the importance of humility.
Secondly, we can see how Joseph learned to be forgiving, and we could explore the beauty and grace of forgiveness and reconciliation and what such things can mean in our own lives. Or we could notice how rather than being filled with bitterness and holding a grudge against his brothers (and God) about what had happened to him, Joseph understood that God deserved credit for protecting his family. All these lessons are good. But, the one I want to look at today is more than a moral lesson, it is a God lesson; A promise from God is the promise we can count on.
Just for a moment, I would like everyone to close their eyes. Now, in the quiet I want you to think back in your life to a time when you received a promise from God.
God promises come in many forms. They can be found in the Scripture. For example:
· a promise of forgiveness, healing, redemption, love and mercy
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ” (Psalm 103:1–5, ESV)
· promise of eternal life
“Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. ”" (John 11:25–26a, ESV)
Promises can also come as we speak and listen to God's answer in prayer.
We can be assured of God's promise in times of chaos, difficulty, oppression and even enslavement. Want promise has God given you...? Now, open your eyes and let's continue.
When Joseph's brothers sold him to the Ishmaelite traders he probably was not thinking about a God promise. The traders took Joseph to Egypt and sold him as a slave to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guards. Joseph attracted the attention of Potiphar's wife who tried to seduce him. When Joseph righteously fended off her advances, the woman accused him of her own crime, and he was thrown into prison.
As Joseph languished in prison, he used his God given ability to interpret dreams. His gift brought him before the Pharaoh who had had two dreams which no one in the Pharaoh's kingdom could interpret. You probably remember the dreams from Sunday school. The Pharaoh dreamed of seven gaunt cows eating up seven fat cows, and the seven scraggly ears of grain eating up seven healthy ears of grain. Joseph was able to correctly interpret the dreams as a forewarning of seven coming years of plenty followed by seven years of severe famine. The Pharaoh was so impressed by Joseph's abilities, that he made him vizier, (like vice-Pharaoh) and he was given charge over all the land of Egypt.
The famine that Joseph had seen in the Pharaoh's dreams occurred just as he said it would. The famine had also affected Canaan where Joseph's father Jacob and his family still lived. Jacob and all of Joseph's family began to starve and so eventually Jacob was forced to send his sons into Egypt to see if they can buy grain there.
When they arrive in Egypt, they do not recognize their brother Joseph, but he recognizes them. Joseph sells them grain, but he also arranges an elaborate test to see if they have changed. He imprisons one of the brothers, Simon, as a hostage and insists that the brothers returned to Canaan, and bring back Jacob's youngest son, Benjamin. The brothers returned to Canaan. It takes some convincing, but Jacob eventually relents and allows Benjamin to go to Egypt.
Joseph was still is not assured that his brothers have changed and after selling them more grain Joseph hides his own silver cup in the sack of his brother Benjamin. Then Joseph accuses the brothers of stealing it, vowing to kill any brother in whose sack the cup was found. When the cup is found in Benjamin's possession, it was then that Joseph knew that his brothers had changed.
Judah, one of his brothers offered to give his own life for Benjamin. Moved to tears by the change he'd found in them, that one of them was willing to die for Benjamin, Joseph could no longer hide the secret that he was Joseph, their brother, whom they had sold into slavery so many years before.
Here is where we entered the story this morning. Joseph reveals to his brothers that he is indeed, Joseph. Of course the brothers are frightened and distressed for they fear that Joseph's reprisals against them will be severe. But that is not how the story turned out.
Instead of being angry, Joseph calls them closer, no doubt to embrace them. He asked about his father and the family back home. It became a beautiful reunion. I don't really know how long Joseph had to think about what his brothers had done. A lot of years. I'm sure he did not trust them, but he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. He had also gained the wisdom to look for God promises in his circumstances.
When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and he realized that they were afraid, he assured them that there was no need to fear. In fact, he told them, they had been unknowingly used by God to save the family. God made the evil they had done into something that made possible the promise a God had made to their great-grandfather, Abraham. What promise?
Many years before Joseph was born, God had made a promise to this family. One that God is still keeping today. In Genesis 15 is where we find the promise God made to Abraham that not only would his children live but that they would outnumber the stars.
“After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram[ham] in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram[ham]. I am your shield; your reward will be very great. But Abram[ham] said, “Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless... God took Abram[ham] outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then God said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” Abram[ham] believed the Lord, and God credited it to him as righteousness. ” (readings from Genesis 15:1–6, HCSB)
Frankly if Joseph's family had been wiped out by the famine that was in both Egypt and Canaan, then how would God have kept this promise to Abraham. Abraham was also told by God that it would be through his family that the entire world would be blessed.
So why do we look back to the Old Testament at a promise that was made to a man we have never known? It's really good story, right? But what does it matter to me?
It matters to you and me because we are beneficiaries of that promise made to Abraham by God so many years ago. We are blessed because of what happened to Joseph. We are part of the family of God on earth about which God spoke. Jesus is that blessed promise who was descended from Abraham's family.
If God had not worked through the wickedness of Joseph's brothers, if Joseph had not learned humility, and if he were not able to forgive, then God's promise to Abraham would've been in jeopardy. The point I'm trying to make today is that if God makes a promise, then God will keep that promise.
This past Thursday I decided to take a bit of time to go down to the Rock Springs Camp Meeting morning worship service. A good friend of mine was preaching, and I had seen in quite a while, so I went. As I was sitting there with my Warlick's Funeral Home fan in my hand, I began to think about God's promises. I thought, I wonder how many promises God had made here under this old Arbor.
I began to muse. Maybe someone in this place had given their life to Jesus, in the hope of the promise of forgiveness. Maybe someone had heard the call to ministry right there under the huge beams and they had responded because of God's promise that God would never leave them. Maybe someone had heard the promise of healing, the promise of restored relationship, the promise of a child, the promise of ever-lasting love. And then I thought, if those someone's did hear those promises made by God, those promises are coming true.
God is still in the business of keeping promises. You can trust that when you hope in a promise made by God, your hope is secure and God will keep that promise. So what was the promise God has made to you? When you closed your eyes a few minutes before, what did you think of?
For me – my hope is in the promise of God's eternal presence in my life. Forever. Regardless! In a world where promises are continuously broken, it is good news for us all that God's promises are promises kept. Thanks be to God. Amen.
© 2011 Judy H. Eurey
