Sovereign Grace Provokes Wicked Men

SOVEREIGN GRACE PROVOKES WICKED MEN

Genesis 37: 1-11

INTRODUCTION

We are beginning today one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible. The plot line for this history of the relationships of Jacob’s 12 sons and their being saved from the destroying effects of famine and sin is easily as entertaining as any script that Hollywood has ever devised. It is an all too human story. It is filled with jealously, lust, greed, anger, hatred, attempted murder, seduction, adultery, and betrayal. It takes place among nomadic shepherds, the dank dungeons of an emperor and in the courts of the most powerful kingdom on the earth. It is an epic story. It is a story that covers over 20 years and takes place on two continents. It is a story with multiple villains and a hero that suffers more than Indiana Jones in his quest to save the lost ark. It is a story with a very happy ending. But mostly it is the story of how God powerfully and in spite of human sin and failure, goes about the work of saving his people.

When we enter this story of Jacob’s twelve sons we are entering a story that has already been centuries in the making. Therefore, it is necessary that we remember the key events that lead to this story. I want to do what those who made the recent movie, “Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring” did in the opening minutes of their movie. You see the tale of the Fellowship of the Ring begins in a small, out of the way corner of Middle Earth with a single, very ordinary hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. While to all appearances there is nothing unusual about Bilbo, as hobbits go, he is the focus of the struggle between good and evil and the survival of all that is good in Middle Earth. In the same way, our story begins with a very ordinary 17-year-old boy who happens to be the linchpin in the battle between good and evil and the survival of God’s people on planet earth.

How is it that a 17 year old shepherd, the 11^th son of a nomadic shepherd came to be, from a human point of view, the key player in God’s battle to save his people? Well, the story begins many years before Joseph was even born. The God who made the world and everything in it, before he made the world, put in motion a plan to rescue, out of the mass of human sin and misery, a people for his very own possession. He first spoke of his plan when he was subjecting his entire good creation and the humans who live in it to the bondage of decay and corruption due to human rebellion to his good and perfect will. He spoke of a male descendant of that first woman, who was to come into the world to destroy Satan, sin, and the misery of sin, which is death. The story of Genesis and the story of the world is the story of God’s work to save his people and his universe out of slavery to Satan, sin and death.

It becomes focused in one man and his descendants. In Genesis 12 God chooses an idol worshipping man named Abram and he promises him that he will make him into a great nation, that he will bless him and make his name great and he will be a blessing. He promises to protect him from all enemies and that all the peoples of earth would be blessed through him. Later he promised Abram that he would have as many descendants as there are stars in the heavens. He promised him that his descendants would be given the land of Canaan for a permanent homeland.

For 25 years and through all the vagaries of life Abraham believed that promise, even though he and Sarah had no child and no land. Then, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 they had a son named Isaac. God made the same promises to Isaac that he made to Abraham. But again, Isaac only had two sons, twin boys and never owned any land in Canaan. God made the same promises to the younger of the two twins, Jacob. God told Jacob that his descendants would become a great nation and that kings would come from his body. One night, when Jacob was overcome with fear, God appeared to him and after struggling with him through the night, God gave Jacob the name Israel. Israel had 12 sons, from 4 wives. The story of the birth of these twelve sons is one of jealousy and seduction. This family that is the center of God’s saving work on planet earth is not a good family. They wouldn’t be featured on James Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio program.

As our story unfolds Israel and his 12 sons have been living in the land of Canaan for 10 to 15 years. Since returning to Canaan, Rachael, the favored wife, has died, as has Isaac, Jacob’s father. Esau, Israel’s older brother, has gone to live south and east of the land of Canaan, in the land of Seir. The story opens with Israel and his sons living peaceful lives in the land God has promised to give them. While they cannot boast of any of the accomplishments of the older brother Esau that were recounted in Genesis 36, yet they are apparently poised to become the great nation that God has promised. However, it becomes quickly apparent that things are not going well in Israel’s house. No one would ever guess that the most significant thing God was doing in the entire universe was being done in and through this family. What we will observe today and in the coming weeks is the pattern for how God always works to save his people.

MAIN POINT

God’s way of saving the world is rarely noticed because…

I. God chooses the ordinary, the weak and the sinful

When you read through these eleven verses there is some uncertainty about how we are to view Joseph. When he brings the bad report to his father about his brothers, is he simply being a tattle-tale or is he standing for the truth? We aren’t even told that the report is the truth. In fact, the Hebrew word usually refers to a false report. Then there is the troubling favoritism of his father. Doesn’t it strike you as unfair that Jacob loves Joseph more than his other sons and openly flaunts his favoritism by giving Joseph specially tailored clothing? The hatred of the brothers may be wrong but we can at least understand it. Then there is Joseph’s reporting his dreams to his brothers. He appears to be a spoiled kid who loves to rub his brother’s noses in his favored position. It would be easy to read the story, viewing Joseph as an arrogant kid who is only getting what he deserves from his brothers.

However, there are a number of indications in the passage that point to a very different take on Joseph’s situation. The ambiguity exists because Joseph is a sinner. It is one of the beauties of the biblical story. As we will see, Joseph is the hero of the next 14 chapters of this book. But, he is not the hero by his own doing. God does not choose people based upon anything in them. Rather his choice is based on the pleasure of his will. We have seen this repeatedly in the book of Genesis. Every person whom God has chosen does not deserve to be chosen. When God chose Jacob and rejected Esau, he was not treating Esau unfairly. Esau loved a bowl of soup more than he loved God and the promises of God. When he chose Jacob, he was not treating Jacob fairly. Jacob was a lying, conniving wimp and yet God chose him. God should not have saved Jacob. Jacob deserves the same treatment that God gave Esau. But God decided to be gracious to Jacob because it is what God wanted to do. After God chose him, Jacob grew into a man of faith with the courage to confront his father-in-law and his brother, both of whom were more powerful than he. It is the same here for Joseph.

While God is not mentioned in these eleven verses there are a number of ways that God’s choosing of Joseph is emphasized. First, throughout Genesis the pattern has been that the younger son has been the chosen son. Isaac was chosen whereas his older half-brother Ishmael was rejected. Jacob was chosen, while the older twin Esau, was rejected. It fits the pattern for Joseph, the youngest of the first eleven sons, to be chosen by God to carry on the promises. Second, notice that Joseph is shepherding with the four sons of the two maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah. Joseph’s bringing the report to his father would seem to indicate that Joseph wasn’t along to help them but he was there to supervise them. In fact, in the original language one of the possible meanings is that “Joseph was shepherding his brothers among the sheep.” In other words, he was in charge of the brothers.

Third, the tunic that Jacob made for Joseph is used of the clothing of royalty in other places in the OT. The specially tailored clothing is not merely the giving of a special gift but signifies the granting of a role of authority within the family. Look back with me at 35:22. Reuben is Israel’s firstborn son. He should be the one in charge of Israel’s property. However, notice what he does here. He rapes or seduces Bilhah, who is Rachael’s maidservant in an attempt to keep her from taking the place of favored wife after the death of Rachael. Reuben forfeited his rights as the firstborn by this wicked act. Jacob’s favoring of Joseph is not simply the sentimentalism of an old man who is lonely for his favorite wife but a determined plan to give Joseph, who is the firstborn son of Rachael, the position and privileges of the firstborn son. It is God’s will that Joseph inherit the rights of the firstborn.

Fourth, God gives the two dreams that Joseph has to him. Now I know it doesn’t say that directly, but God gives every other dream reported in the book of Genesis. The story that follows is a specific fulfillment of the dreams. There is no reason to think this dream has any other source than God. Fifth, the language that Joseph uses in reporting his dream is the language used by Moses and the prophets when they announce the content of their dreams to the people of Israel. In fact, in Numbers 12:6 the Lord says to Moses, Aaron and their sister Miriam, “Listen to my words, ‘When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.’” What possible benefit would Joseph get from telling these dreams to his brothers? All he gets for telling his brothers is more abuse. He even incurs the wrath of his father for telling his dreams. He is treated just like Moses and the prophets when they reported God’s words to the people of Israel. Joseph is speaking for God when he announces his dreams.

Finally, notice the last clause in v. 11. Even though Jacob is furious with Joseph saying that his whole family is going to bow down to him, he keeps what Joseph said in mind. Do you know why he isn’t simply discounting what Joseph is saying? He remembers promises that were spoken to him that made family members mad. His mother was told before his birth that he, the younger son, would rule over his older brother. He was given his father’s blessing, part of which says, “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.” Jacob hears in Joseph’s dreams a repetition of the promises made to him and so while he does not like the idea of bowing down to his son, he recognizes that this may indeed be God’s plan. It’s just hard to accept when the one telling you God’s will is your 17-year-old son.

God’s ways are not man’s ways. God’s plan of salvation is not going forward through Edom with their kings and chieftains but through a family riddled with sin and a 17-year-old shepherd boy. This is always the way that God’s work goes forward. God chooses the weak things of the world and the despised so that everyone will know that salvation is from the Lord, not from men. The most powerful human being to ever live was a Jewish carpenter who grew up in a backwater town, in a “middle of nowhere” province, in an insignificant country. No one knew who Jesus was, just like no one knows who Joseph really is. Jesus was his Father’s only loved Son, just as Joseph is his father’s beloved son. Jesus, while he came in humility is the king of kings and lord of lords. He was clothed with power from on high. Just as Joseph is the youngest and yet has the authority of the firstborn. Jesus spoke God’s revealed truth and was hated by all who heard him except for a few who kept the things he said in mind, just like Joseph is hated by his family, except for his father who keeps what he said in mind. God doesn’t choose the rich and powerful to advance his kingdom, but the lowly and the unnoticed. The kingdom of heaven really is like a mustard seed that is the smallest seed you plant but it becomes the biggest plant in the garden. No one would have ever predicted that Joseph would become the second most powerful person in the world of his day. Yet, that is what happened.

This is the good news of the gospel. God can save anyone. It doesn’t matter how screwed up your family was or is. It doesn’t matter that no one in the world cares about you or knows you. God is not in the business of saving those who are rich and powerful in the things of the world. He saves the ordinary, the weak, the sinful and then he uses these weak ones to continue the work.

God’s way of saving the world is rarely noticed because…

Ø God chooses the ordinary, the weak, the sinful

Ø And because…

II. God displays his glory through ordinary people

We live in a world that demands proof of God’s existence. We live in a world that demands that those who claim to speak for God, prove that they are indeed God’s spokespersons. On one hand it is a good thing to require that those who speak for God show that they really do speak for God. However, the kinds of proof that are demanded are not the kind that God usually gives. The primary argument of the entire Bible for God’s existence is the created world and human beings. When humans demand that God prove himself, he simply says, “Open your eyes and look. Who created all this?” Then he says, “Explain your own existence without me. Why do you have joy when you see a beautiful sunset or your child playing or your team wins a game? Why do you love people and things? Why are you angry and incensed when you hear of innocent people being shot at random in a Maryland suburb? Why are you offended when evil people get their way?” God’s primary apologetic is the world he made and the beings called humans that are made in his image. He proves his word by its power to convict sinners and to build faith in his people. When someone speaks for God the primary way that God authenticates them and their message is through their godly character and the suffering they endure as they seek to love God and people. Yes, on occasion God works by miracles and powerful signs to confirm his existence and to vindicate his spokespersons. However, most of the time he proves he is present in and through the lives of very ordinary people.

When the religious teachers of Jesus’ day came to him and demanded from him a sign he condemned their demand calling them a “wicked and adulterous generation” for making such a demand. The apostle Paul, when he describes what it is that proves that the message of the gospel is true, while he mentions the miracles, he mostly talks about his suffering. Listen to part of what he says in 2 Cor. 6, “…we commend ourselves in every way, in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness… in truthful speech…through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report, genuine, yet regarded as imposters…” The truth of the gospel is shown in the joyful suffering of those who speak for God.

Thus it is that God reveals himself and his plan of salvation through the godly life and suffering love of a very ordinary, 17 year old boy. We see Joseph’s godliness in his fulfilling his duty to watch over his brothers and his willingness to endure their wrath by reporting their misconduct to his father. We see his suffering love in his enduring his brothers’ spiteful speech day in and day out. He did not deserve to be treated as he was treated. He truly is the firstborn son of his father’s wife and Reuben forfeited his right to be treated as the firstborn by his own wickedness. He announced his dreams to his brothers not because he was trying to rub his special status in their faces but because he knew these dreams were from God and that the word of God is given for the people of God. The evidence that Joseph is godly and seeking to love his brothers is seen in his willingness to endure their hostility and abuse without retaliating. There is no reason for Joseph to report these dreams other than love for God and for his family. He’s not so stupid as to think that telling these dreams is going to gain him their favor, unless God himself breaks through into their lives, giving them the gift of repentance and faith. Why would he report the second dream when he was so abused after telling them the first dream?

Joseph chose, because he loved God and loves people, to endure the hostility of sinful men against himself by living a godly life and courageously declaring the good news of God’s saving work. God’s plan is to glorify himself, to reveal himself through ordinary men and women who embrace lives of suffering for the sake of loving people by living godly lives in their midst.

God’s way of saving the world is rarely noticed because…

Ø God chooses the ordinary, the weak, the sinful

Ø God displays his glory through ordinary people

Ø And because…

III. The world hates God and the ordinary people who speak for him

Joseph’s report of the dreams was designed by God to help the brothers to overcome their evil hatred of Joseph. He is trying to get them to see that, just like with their father Jacob, he has chosen Joseph to be the instrument of their salvation. When those who are trusting God, who love God, hear God’s word, they love what it commands and joyfully submit. However, what the word does in the lives of these brothers is confirm their wicked unbelief. This is what the word of God does to every unbeliever. They do not love God or his ways and so when God speaks to them, for their good, they reject God’s word and denounce the spokesperson. Three times in these 11 verses, we are told that Joseph’s brothers hate him. Once we are told that they are jealous of him. Rather than submitting to the divinely established position of Joseph, they are jealous of him and hate him and so abuse him verbally every chance they get. By rejecting Joseph and hating him they are really rejecting their father and hating their father who has placed Joseph in this position. They are rebelling against divinely appointed authority.

What we see happening to Joseph here is the pattern of response to God’s message and his messengers throughout the biblical record and to this day. In John 8 Jesus says to the descendants of these men, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Later he said, “You are from below. I am from above. I told you that you would die in your sins if you do not believe that I am God and the agent of God’s salvation.” Don’t you hear Joseph announcing to his brothers that he is going to rule over them? How did those who heard Jesus respond to him? They wanted to know just who he thought he was. They hated him. They were jealous of him. They spoke against him at every opportunity. Eventually they killed him.

The world is hostile to God and therefore it is hostile to those who live for God and who speak for God. The only way you can keep from incurring the wrath of the world is to either not live for God or speak for God or to describe God in the ways that the world approves. What the world wants to hear is that God is in full agreement with the ways in which we humans like to think and act. Apart from sovereign grace, the only kind of god that humans are interested in is the kind that thinks like them and likes them just the way they are. Joseph could have been the hero of his family if he would have reported a dream in which the sheaves of he and his brothers were worshipped by the sheaves of the surrounding nations. If he would have said the sun, moon and twelve stars were being worshipped by all the other stars in the heavens, then he would have been popular. However, when someone claims that there is only one king, one Savior and the only way to be saved is in submitting to him, people get angry.

During the 27 years I have spent sharing the gospel with people, I have often met with this sort of anger. One time a Christian student and I approached another student in the student union at the UI and asked if we could take a minute to explain the message of Christ and get his response to it. The student agreed and we sat down with him and began to go through a brief explanation of the gospel with him. As I explained to him the reality of human sin and the just anger of God against sin he stopped me. He said that if God made him and if he was a sinner, then God is the one who made him sin and so how could God hold him accountable for his sin? He was sure that this line of argument could excuse him for his sin and keep him from having to take the claims of Jesus seriously. I began to answer his question when suddenly, an older woman, sitting at the table next to ours, stood to her feet and said to me in a very loud voice, “How dare you tell this young man that he is wrong. What right do you have to force your opinions on someone else? God loves us all and you have no right to tell this man that he is wrong.” She then looked at the student I was talking with and said, “You don’t have to listen to him.” The student assured her that it was all right and so she stomped off, shaking her head that such barbaric people as I existed.

This woman was merely expressing what all humans feel when confronted with the absolute claims of the God who made the world upon their lives. There is only one ruler and one Savior. There will be no one in heaven that has not explicitly submitted to Israel’s greatest Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the king, every knee will one day bow before him, and every tongue will one day confess that he is Lord of the Universe. When you and I live godly lives and speak this message to others you can count on getting the same response as Joseph received and as Jesus received because the world hates God and God’s plan of salvation. God is not going to save every human being. He is enormously kind to all and he is revealing himself to all, yet he is not going to save all. He is only saving those who have faith in Jesus Christ. This is not a popular message. God’s sovereign, free grace arouses the hostility of sinners. No sinner wants to admit he doesn’t deserve to be chosen. No sinner wants to admit that God has the right to do as he pleases. Therefore, those who announce God’s selecting grace will be persecuted.

God’s way of saving the world is rarely noticed because…

Ø God chooses the ordinary, the weak, the sinful

Ø God displays his glory through ordinary people

Ø The world hates God and the ordinary people who speak for him