As we continue our series of messages Voices of Faith, this morning we come to the topic Voices of Faith: In the Family.
In previous weeks we have discussed Voices
of Faith: Under Persecution and Voices
of Faith: In the Marketplace. Next week we will conclude with Voices of Faith: In the Political Arena, which I promise will not contain
any endorsements!
If you search the Bible for a passage of that tells of a good,
normal, healthy family, you will have a long, unsuccessful search. Though the Bible contains many stories
about families we do not find any that are models of healthy
functionality. Abraham and Sarah’s
family had their share of issues, as did the family of David and many others. Maybe it’s intentional that we find
broken, dysfunctional families in the pages of Scripture. I take comfort in the fact that
Scripture reminds us that even the greatest heroes of faith exhibited the full
range of the human condition, including our dysfunctions.
Our Scripture
text for the day comes from the book of Genesis and contains part of the story
of Joseph and his brothers.
Genesis 45:1-15 –
1 Then Joseph could no longer control
himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my
presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his
brothers.
2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians
heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am
Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer
him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come
close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the
one you sold into Egypt!
5 And now, do not be distressed and do not
be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that
God sent me ahead of you.
6 For two years now there has been famine
in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping.
7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve
for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 “So then, it was not you who sent me
here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and
ruler of all Egypt.
9 Now hurry back to my father and say to
him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt.
Come down to me; don’t delay.
10 You shall live in the region of Goshen
and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and
all you have.
11 I will provide for you there, because
five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and
all who belong to you will become destitute.’
12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can
my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you.
13 Tell my father about all the honor
accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father
down here quickly.”
14 Then he threw his arms around his
brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping.
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept
over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
One of the most
famous stories in all of Scripture, the tale of Joseph and his brothers tells
of a family with some great struggles (the story begins in chapter 37 and is
well worth the little bit of time it would take you to read). The brothers of Joseph, jealous of the
favor given to him by their father, at first plan to kill Joseph. Reconsidering their decision, they
decide instead to sell him into slavery.
Joseph’s brother Judah actually goes so far as to say, what will we gain if we kill our brother and
cover up his blood? Come, let’s
sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our
brother, our own flesh and blood (37:26). It almost seems as though Judah exhibits a measure of
compassion, asking his brothers to reconsider their decision to kill Joseph,
but compassion is not a part of Judah’s calculation. Judah sees an opportunity to make a profit from selling
their own brother into slavery. To
kill him would provide no profit, so Joseph’s life is spared only because of
the mercenary spirit of his brothers. It’s
mind-boggling to realize how much enmity can exist in families, but the tragic
actions of Joseph’s brothers underscore the reality that some families suffer
terrible dysfunctions.
Under most
circumstances, the story of one sold into slavery would end under the weight of
the terrible circumstances. For
Joseph, however, his story continues, with many an intriguing twist and turn
along the way. By the end of the
story, Joseph has risen to such power and prominence in Egypt that he is second
only to the Pharaoh. Proving to
possess great talents and gifts – as well as being very shrewd politically –
Joseph finds himself in a position to exact vengeance upon his brothers. A terrible famine has come to the land,
and when the brothers of Joseph come to Egypt to purchase food they find
themselves standing before the brother whom they had sold into slavery many
years before. They do not,
however, recognize Joseph, but he certainly recognizes them.
From this part
of the story, I would ask this question –
What is your
inheritance?
We generally think of an inheritance as money, land, or possessions;
something tangible that is passed from one generation to another. This morning I am wearing a pair of
cufflinks that belonged to my father.
He wore them when he put on his tux to sing with the choir that was
comprised of coworkers from the steel mill where he was employed. I put them on today because it’s
Mother’s Day, and thought my mom would appreciate that I am wearing them. They are an inheritance from my father,
and one day will be part of the inheritance that my sons receive.
But the truth is, many things get passed on in families from one
generation to another that are intangible. Those intangibles are elements such as character, faith, and
values. Those intangibles can also
be dysfunction, and that is what we see in the story of Joseph and his
brothers.
Who was Joseph’s father, does anyone remember? Jacob was Joseph’s father, and what did
Jacob do to his brother Esau? He
cheated him out of his birthright, which was his inheritance. Jacob’s name meant one who takes by the heel and supplants; basically, a dishonest person
who is willing to cheat to get what they want. As Jacob cheated his own
brother, so his sons modeled the behavior of their father. Is it any wonder that the brothers of
Joseph could treat him in such a way?
Their behavior, while in some ways much more cold-hearted than the
action of their father, was, nevertheless, an inheritance. The inheritance Jacob passed on to his
sons was deception, bitterness, and division, all of when he sowed with his own
brother Esau.
Here is an important truth – when we talk about families and what
passes from one generation to another we must remember that talk is
important. We must verbally teach
some lessons, but it is very critical that we remember there are lessons that
are passed on to our children and grandchildren in which no words are involved,
only actions, and we may not realize the power in those lessons that come
through observation. Talk is
important, but actions are even more important. Parents, do you ever wonder what lessons your children learn
simply by observation?
Though Joseph had taken on great power, he needed to do
something. He needed to –
Lay down his hurt and his burden.
Joseph carried his hurt and the burden of that hurt for a long
time. Though he had risen to such
power and prominence, the actions of his brothers certainly continued to weigh
heavily upon him.
It’s worth noting that Joseph could easily have tracked his brothers
down. He had all the resources of
Egypt at his disposal. He knew
where they lived. But
interestingly, Joseph never made that move. The physical distance between Joseph and his brothers was
not that great. The ancient near
east was not a tremendously large territory and even though travel was not as
easy as it is now, Joseph could have made that trip relatively quickly.
Perhaps he didn’t because he couldn’t face his brothers. Perhaps the thought, on many occasions,
that he would travel to his family home and confront his brothers. Obviously, Joseph carried a huge hurt
and burden and he needed to lay them down, and allow love and healing into his
heart.
The distance between Joseph and his brothers is symbolic, I think,
of the distance that often comes between family members. It might not be a great physical
distance, but it seems as though a million miles exists between them. It might be that they are under the
same roof, but a wide chasm exists.
Joseph showed signs that his heart was mending when he said to his
brothers, But God sent me ahead of you to
preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great
deliverance. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me
father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt
(verses 7 – 8).
Joseph was given an opportunity by God to do what he could not bring
himself to do – face his brothers.
Joseph did not travel to his families home, so God brought his family to
him. God literally brought
Joseph’s brothers to him. And at
that moment, when Joseph faced his brothers, he decided to lay down his hurt
and its burden, which teaches us this lesson –
Be a person of grace.
Ah, if there is one characteristic that is in short supply in our
world, it is grace. Yes, Joseph
toys with his brothers a bit first, but he was in a position where he could
have exacted revenge in a terrible manner, but he did not. It is easy to imagine that the idea of
revenge passed through Joseph’s mind.
To have his brothers in a position where they must plead for his mercy
would have been sweet indeed, if Joseph were looking for revenge. But, to his great credit, he was
not. Instead, Joseph felt
overwhelming emotion, which he could not contain, and it poured out as he
revealed himself to his brothers.
Understandably, the brothers of Joseph were not only shocked, they
were quite afraid. Had the time of
reckoning for their crime come to them at last? In place of wrath and revenge, however, came tears and joy,
as Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers
talked with him. Wouldn’t you like
to know what they talked about? It
must have been some conversation! Hey Joseph, remember that crazy prank we
pulled on you? It was really just
a prank; got a little out of hand, which we didn’t intend to happen!
There are few experiences as beautiful as reconciliation. What an amazing scene when Joseph
reunites with is brothers! There
is so much emotion and so much that melts away in that moment. All the years of anger, worry,
bitterness, and wondering pass away.
At some point, the cycle of hurt must stop. It serves no one’s interest to continue
the cycle of hurt. What does one
really gain? Does revenge really
bring any satisfaction? Does
continuing the cycle of hurt really bring about any sense of joy?
Of course not.
I was not, as I’ve told you before, a very good farmer. Our family had a small farm and at an
early age I discovered I would starve to death pretty quickly as a farmer. I remember learning to plow a field
with our tractor, and my early attempts were not very promising. The rows were crooked and meandering,
until I learned the secret of how to plow a straight line. My problem was that I would look behind
me as I plowed. Looking backward
is not the way to plow a straight line; one must look forward. Plowing a straight line means to concentrate
on a point in the distance, such as a tree or a fence post. Lining up with a point in front of you
will provide a good, straight, first row, and then it is easy to keep them all
the rows straight.
Choose grace as a point in front of you upon which to focus. Don’t look behind, concentrating on the
hurt and the burdens. Look forward
at what can be – at what will be – with God’s help.
May we all, then, do as did Joseph and offer grace, always.
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