July
22nd, 2018 “Trust and Risk” Rev. Heather Jepsen
Summer
Sermon Series: Dreaming with Joseph
Genesis
43
This morning we continue our summer
sermon series “Dreaming with Joseph”.
Last week we left Joseph in the midst of family conflict and another
stalemate in the quest for family harmony and reconciliation. The famine of Pharaoh’s dreams has spread
beyond the land of Egypt and into the land of Canaan. Jacob had sent 10 of his sons into Egypt to
buy grain there, and of course, the master of the grain selling operation is Joseph
himself. Joseph recognizes the brothers
who sold him into slavery but they do not recognize him, since it has been over
20 years since they presumed him dead.
Last week Joseph dealt harshly with the
brothers, claiming that they were untrustworthy spies. After holding them in prison for several
days, he decided to send them home, keeping Simeon behind as collateral. He is asking the brothers to return with the
youngest, Benjamin, to prove that they are telling the truth about who they
are. He also has a great desire to see
Benjamin himself, as they are sons of the same mother. As an additional test, Joseph had the money
the brothers brought to purchase grain returned to their sacks. If the brothers return, they face the
possibility of being accused as thieves.
When the brothers returned home to
Canaan and told their father Jacob all that had happened he was dismayed. He doesn’t trust his sons and he refuses to
allow Benjamin into their care, even if it means the loss of his son
Simeon. When we left them last week, Joseph
remained in power in Egypt, Simeon remained in prison, and the other brothers
remained in the land of Canaan. Let’s
find out what happens next.
(Read Genesis 43:1-10)
The grain that the brothers got in
their first journey is now gone and once again the family of Israel is hungry
in the land of Canaan. Jacob orders the
sons back to Egypt to buy more grain, but Judah reminds him that they must not
return to Egypt unless they have Benjamin in tow. Jacob complains, asking why the brothers even
mentioned Benjamin in the first place.
And the brothers declare that the leader of Egypt, Joseph, specifically
asked about other brothers. This isn’t
true, and once again we witness the dishonest nature of these brothers. Those that were here last week will remember
that when asked who they were, the brothers willingly offered up the
information about all being brothers and the youngest at home.
Judah takes the lead in trying to
convince Jacob to send Benjamin with them into Egypt. The families are hungry and the situation is becoming
dire “send the boy with me, and let us be on our way, so that we may live and
not die – you and we and also our little ones.”
Judah offers his own life as security for Benjamin. If anything should happen Judah agrees to
bear the weight of his loss forever. Too
bad Judah didn’t care that much when it was the life of Joseph that was on the
line.
(Read Genesis 43:11-15)
Jacob relents and agrees to send Benjamin
along with his other sons to secure food for their families. Jacob suggests that the brothers bring two
things to help sway their case. One, a
gift of the finest goods of the land as a present for the master in Egypt and
two, double the money for the grain.
Remember Joseph sent the money for their first haul of grain back with
the brothers as a test of their integrity.
It appears that they may have failed that test, for it is Jacob and not
his sons who suggests that they bring double the money, enough to cover the
last amount of grain and this new amount.
Jacob places his sons in the trust of
God, saying a prayer for mercy, before he sends them away to Egypt.
(Read Genesis 43:16-25)
When the brothers arrive back in Egypt
they immediately get special treatment. Joseph
sees Benjamin in their company and makes preparations to share a meal with
them. The brothers though, are afraid at
this. Having been taken into Joseph’s
house and stripped of their bags and donkeys, they feel trapped. If Joseph should attack them now, all the
brothers are doomed and without chance of escape.
When the steward arrives they plead
their case, telling the story about the money in their sacks and declaring that
they have brought double the money on this visit. The steward’s response is significant; “your
God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for
you.” While it is true that the steward
acts for Joseph, it is also true that he is an Egyptian and an outsider to the
Hebrew faith. And yet here, an outsider
truly offers a message from God to these brothers.
Simeon is released from prison, and now
together the 11 brothers prepare to dine with the master of Egypt, their own
brother, Joseph.
(Read Genesis 43:26-34)
Joseph returns and the brothers present
their offerings and again bow down to him, reminding Joseph of that second
dream as twice now the brothers have bowed before him. Joseph asks after the family and takes
special notice of Benjamin. Joseph is so
moved by deep emotion at seeing his little brother again after so many years
that he has to excuse himself to weep.
As much as he longs to reconnect with Benjamin, he is still not sure
about the trustworthiness of these brothers, and so he must keep his identity a
secret.
The meal is served and everyone dines
at separate tables. Even though all 12
brothers are united, there is still division among them. The brothers are placed in order at the
table, from oldest to youngest, which amazes them to no end. How could this master of Egypt possibly guess
all their ages correctly? Benjamin is
favored at the meal and given extra portions, again something that makes the
brothers wonder as they still have no idea who Joseph is.
And so our chapter ends. The brothers are closer together, and yet
still divided. And having once been at
the mercy of his brothers, Joseph is now clearly the one holding all the cards.
In this chapter we find that once again
God has moved into center stage in this story.
First of all, Jacob clearly calls on the mercy of God to watch over his
sons on this second journey into Egypt.
“May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man.” This is a clear example of Jacob showing his
trust in God.
Jacob has grown as a character in this
story. Gone is the man willing to show
such favoritism for one son that it puts the entire family harmony at
risk. As much as Jacob would like to
keep Benjamin at home, he knows that really protecting his family is out of his
hands, and only something that God can do.
Jacob knows that the family will die from hunger if he doesn’t risk the
life of Benjamin. And so Jacob offers Benjamin
up to God’s mercy, trusting that God will cover this risk and protect the
family.
God is also front and center in the
brothers interactions with Joseph. As
the steward expresses God’s mercy to the brothers they become more aware of the
situation. Remember last week, when they
found the money in their sacks, the brothers worried that God was punishing
them for their sins, “What is this that God has done to us?” Now the steward declares that the money was
actually a blessing from God, “Rest assured, do not be afraid; your God and the
God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for you; I received
your money.” If the brothers are willing
to trust the voice of this Egyptian outsider, then they will hear the message
of God’s grace to them.
Throughout this sermon series we have
been looking for places where Joseph’s story connects with our own, and I find
a lot of places to plug in with these ideas of trust, risk, and the voices of
outsiders. As you know, I and four of my
best friends, am about to journey to Africa on behalf of our church. This is all about trust, risk, and relying on
the mercy of God. Anyone who knows me
knows I am not a big fan of flying. Like
Jacob, I’m not totally into putting the things I love and my own life in jeopardy. And yet, I go, trusting in the mercy of God to
be with me and our team.
This mission team trusts in God, and is
willing to face personal risk to share the gospel and the love of this church
with our friends in Africa. Like the
brothers, and the steward, we go to hear the voice of the outsider as they
offer to us the word of God. Though most
that we visit are Christian like us, they certainly are not the same as
us. We go to learn from their culture,
to learn from their faith stories, and to share with them. We go to connect their stories of life in
Malawi, with our stories of life here in Missouri. We go to share and find the love of God
there, trusting all along in the midst of risk, fear, and the unknown.
I am sure that you too, have places in
your life where you feel this heady mix of trust and fear. Places where like Jacob, you offer up your
beloved to God’s mercy and protection.
Moments, like Joseph, where you look for God’s grace in the return of
that which has hurt you in the past. And
times of wonder, where like the brothers, you find an outsider, someone
different than you, sharing a surprising divine word. The Old Testament stories are not so
different than our own, for while our world has changed, the roots of human
drama and our relationship with God have stayed the same.
I will be gone for two weeks and so we
leave Joseph here at a precipice. The 12
brothers dine in the same room, but at different tables. The division between them is smaller than
ever, but it is still very much there.
Is now the time for reconciliation?
Should Joseph reveal his identity?
Or do the brothers still need to prove themselves ready to account for
their wrong doing? Join me in August and
we will continue “Dreaming with Joseph”.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment