Our Multitasking God

So a few years ago, I faced the same dilemma

that Adam has faced in preaching through Ecclesiastes.

What do you do when you really want to teach

through something, but you only get two or three

chances a year to do it? I really wanted to teach

through the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis,

but I realized it would take seven or eight sermons.

So I decided to do what Adam's been doing, simply

preach the story as I had opportunity. It worked

pretty well, and over two or three years, I was

able to cover the life of Joseph. And I've always

loved the story of Joseph, and there is so much

there for us to learn. And so what I want to

do today is draw out a significant lesson in

the story of Joseph that might be an encouragement

to all of us. So let me begin by asking you a

question. How good are you at multitasking? How

good are you at juggling? Several balls in the

air at the same time and keeping everything on

track. I have to confess, I am not very good

at multitasking. Put me on a track, tell me where

you want me to go, I'm fine. Make me handle a

bunch of different things at the same time and

I will crash and burn. Multitasking is not in

my skill set. But I am pleased to announce today

that multitasking is something that our God excels

at. Somehow he manages to keep the entire universe

on track and under his sovereign rule without

ever losing track of anything or anyone. And

when it comes to people, God is able to work

simultaneously in the lives of different people

to achieve his unique purposes in each one. It's

really quite amazing. And never was that skill

more clearly seen than in the account of God

working in the lives of Joseph, his family, and

the Egyptians. to do his work and achieve his

will. God took the particular sins and issues

in each of their lives and worked through the

story of Joseph to bring about needed changes

in their lives. And so that should be a great

encouragement to all of us. And what I want to

do this morning is look at the unique ways God

worked in the lives of Joseph, his brothers,

Jacob, and the Egyptians. to see how God was

multitasking in each of them to achieve his unique

will in the book of Genesis. So let's turn to

Genesis 37, and we'll begin our look at our multitasking

God with how he worked to bring Joseph to a point

of maturity and usefulness. And as we look at

the life of Joseph, I must confess up front that

my view of Joseph has changed over time. I used

to believe that Joseph was this practically perfect

kid that his brothers hated for no reason at

all. But as I spent more time studying the text,

I came to realize that while Joseph was definitely

more godly than any of his brothers, he was far

from the man God needed him to be to do the work

that God needed him to do. Remember, when we

look at the lives of Joseph, far more is at stake

than simply Jacob and his family. At stake are

not only their survival in the future, but all

of God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and their

descendants, and ultimately, our salvation. That's

why God needed to do a powerful work in Joseph's

heart so that when the time was right, he would

not only be in the right place at the right time,

a position of power in Egypt to help his family

through the famine, but he would also be the

right man in the right place at the right time.

That would make all the difference in the world.

So look at Genesis 37, verses 1 and 2. Now Jacob

Genesis 37:1

lived in the land where his father had sojourned,

in the land of Canaan. And these are the records

of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when he

was 17 years of age, was pastoring the flock

with his brothers while he was still a youth,

along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of

Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought

back a bad report about them to their father.

And there's a lot of history here we won't go

into, so I encourage you to read the entire book

of Genesis to learn more. But after Jacob and

his family returned from his uncle Laban's, he

settled in Canaan near where his father Isaac

had lived. And when the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah,

two of Jacob's wives, were out tending sheep,

Joseph was there on behalf of Jacob. But understand

this. All these brothers are older than Joseph.

but the wording in the Hebrew implies that he

is in charge. Not something that would make him

popular in a culture where birthright mattered.

They were working, he's supervising. And we were

told that Joseph brought back a bad report about

his brothers to his father. Now that word for

bad report is almost always translated slander

in other Old Testament texts. In other words,

Joseph slanted his report to put them in a worse

light. Doesn't mean they were innocent. It simply

means he made them look a little worse than they

were. Tattletales are rarely popular. All right,

now look at verses three and four. Now Israel

loved Joseph more than all his sons because he

was the son of his old age and he made him a

very colored tunic. And his brothers saw that

their father loved him more than all his brothers.

And so they hated him and could not speak to

him on friendly terms. The second reason Joseph's

brothers hated him was he was their daddy's favorite.

Joseph was the oldest son of Jacob's favorite

wife, Rachel. And even though he was the second

youngest, dad loved him more and favored him

over his brothers. And needless to say, the older

brothers hated him for being daddy's favorite,

and especially for this multicolored long -sleeved

coat that Jacob gave him. That coat meant that

not only was Joseph's daddy's favorite, but dad

intended to put him in charge and intended to

give him the family birthright. Again, don't

expect the 10 older brothers to be thrilled with

this whole coat thing. Every time Joseph wore

that coat around them, it rubbed their noses

in the fact that they were not favored by dad.

It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

Look at verses five to 11. Then Joseph had a

dream. And when he told it to his brothers, they

hated him even more. And he said to them, please

listen to this dream which I had. For behold,

we were binding sheaves in the field and lo,

my sheaf rose up. And also stood erect and behold,

your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to

my sheaf. And when his brothers and his brothers

said to him, are you actually going to reign

over us? Are you really going to rule over us?

And so they hated him even more for his dreams

and for his words. Now he had still another dream

and related it to his brothers and said, lo.

I have had still another dream. And behold, the

sun, moon, and 11 stars were bowing down to me.

And he related it to his father and brothers.

And his father rebuked him when he said to him,

what is this dream you have had? Shall I and

your mother and brothers actually come and bow

ourselves down before you to the ground? And

his brothers were jealous of him, but his father

kept this saying in mind. All right, so the last

reason Joseph's brothers hated him was his dreams.

At the heart of each dream was the fact that

Joseph was going to rule over them, and they

were going to bow down to him. And every time

he had a dream, he kept telling it to his brothers.

He told them in verse 6, he told them in verse

9, and he told them and their father again in

verse 10. He couldn't stop talking about these

really cool dreams he had and how he was going

to be in charge, and they were all going to bow

down to him. It's great. All right? And they

hated him for it. All right? And their hatred

reached this boiling point. So when they had

a chance, they decided to sell Joseph into slavery

and out of their lives forever, or so they thought.

So what does this tell us about Joseph then at

age 17 when he sold into slavery? It tells us

that he was despoiled, pampered. an entitled

son of his father, and that he let his older

brothers know it. And while he had more of a

heart for God than any of his brothers, he was

not yet the kind of man God needed him to be

to do the work that God needed him to do. So

God worked to bring about some needed humbling

and maturity in Joseph's life. How? First, God

sold him into slavery in Egypt. He became a slave

of Potiphar, Pharaoh's executioner. Nothing helps

purge pride and self -centeredness out of our

lives like being sold into slavery. And overnight,

Joseph was stripped of everything familiar and

everything he loved and forced to work as a slave

in Potiphar's fields. How did he respond? He

submitted to Potiphar, and he worked hard as

a slave. And his hard work led to promotion,

first to a house slave, and finally to chief

steward for Potiphar in charge of everything

that Potiphar owned. Joseph became as successful

as a slave could be. And then hardship hit again.

Look at chapter 39, verses 7 to 10. And it came

about after these events that his master's wife

looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, Lie

with me. But he refused and said to his master's

wife, Behold, with me here, my master doesn't

concern himself with anything in the house, and

he has put all he owns in my charge. And there

is no one greater in this house than I, and he

has withheld nothing from me except you, because

you are his wife. How then could I do this great

evil and sin against God? And as she spoke to

Joseph day after day, he didn't listen to her

to lie beside her or be with her. All right.

Just when Joseph had earned the full trust of

his master, disaster struck. Potiphar's wife

decided she wanted to sleep with Joseph, something

that was not unusual for upper -class Egyptians.

And now Joseph faced a great challenge to his

integrity. And his answer to her makes it clear

that he wasn't going to betray Potiphar, but

even more, he wasn't willing to betray his God.

he kept his integrity refused to sleep with her

but ultimately she accused him of attempting

to rape her so that joseph was sent to a maximum

security prison run by potiphar despite doing

everything right he's back to square one but

again Joseph kept his integrity even in prison.

And he rose to a position of head trustee, working

for the warden. And in chapter 40, what appears

to be to Joseph, a timely event occurs that might

help him get out of prison so he can go home.

Or so he thought. Look at chapter 40, verses

5 to 8. And then the cupbearer and the baker

for the king, who were confined in jail, both

had a dream the same night. Each one... with

his own dream and each dream with his own interpretation.

And when Joseph came to them in the morning,

he observed them and behold, they were dejected.

And he asked Pharaoh's officials who were with

him in confinement in his master's house, why

are your faces so sad today? And they said, we

have had a dream and there's no one to interpret

it. Then Joseph said to them, do not interpretations

belong to God? Tell it to me, please. Both the

cupbearer and the baker of Pharaoh were arrested

and confined in prison with Joseph while their

cases were being investigated. And one night

they both had dreams, something incredibly significant

to Egyptians. They put great stock in dreams

and they even had dream schools. They had dream

books to help you interpret your dreams. But

since they are both in prison, they have access

to no help at all. So Joseph, who had some experience

with dreams, decided to help them. And he's careful

to let them know that interpreting dreams comes

from God, not him. And so he interpreted their

dreams, stating that the cupbearer was going

to be restored to his position and the baker

was going to be executed. All Joseph asked the

cupbearer to do was to remember him when he came

before Pharaoh and to help him get released,

something the cupbearer was more than willing

to do. And three days later, both men were brought

before Pharaoh and the cupbearer was restored

to his position and the baker was executed. But

sadly, the cupbearer forgot his promise to Joseph

and failed to help him get released. Why? The

simple answer is that God's plan for Joseph involved

more than him simply getting out of jail and

going home. And the time for that plan to be

fulfilled was still in the future. And I'm not

sure how many days or weeks or months Joseph

waited to see the cupbearer return with his pardon,

but finally it had to dawn on him that the cavalry

was not coming. He had been in slavery and prison

for 11 years when the cupbearer left, and he

would be there another two years before the time

was right. But when the time came, He was not

only in the right place at the right time to

fulfill God's will, he will also be the right

man in the right place at the right time. In

Genesis 41, Pharaoh had some dreams that none

of his wise men could interpret. And this frustrated

Pharaoh who felt the dreams were important but

could not find any answers. And finally, the

cupbearer remembered Joseph and he told Pharaoh

about his encounter with this Hebrew slave. And

Joseph was able to, and he told Pharaoh that

he had interpreted his dream. And so Pharaoh

brought Joseph up and Joseph was able to interpret

Pharaoh's dreams and give wise counsel. And the

next thing he knew, he was appointed ruler over

all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. So what happened

in Joseph that made the difference? Well, first,

there's a humility in Joseph now that we did

not see when he was younger. When he's brought

before Pharaoh, he gives God all the credit.

Look at Genesis 41. We're going to look at verses

15 and 16 and then 25 and 32. Verse 15, Pharaoh

said to Joseph, I have had a dream and no one

can interpret it. And I've heard it said about

you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret

it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is

not me. God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.

Verse 25. Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, Pharaoh's

dreams are one and the same. God has told Pharaoh

what he is about to do. And in verse 32. Now

as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh

twice, it means the matter is determined by God,

and God will bring it about. When Pharaoh starts

to praise Joseph, Joseph immediately points him

to God as the only one who can help him. In verse

16, it's God who will give Pharaoh an answer.

In verse 25, it is God who has told Pharaoh what

is about to happen. And in verse 32, it is God

who has determined the matter. Nothing about

Joseph, everything about God. It took 13 years

of slavery and prison to get him to this place

of humility. But Joseph was now the right man

in the right place at the right time to help

his family. And the second area God did a work

in Joseph was in regard to his brothers. Let's

be honest, our natural tendency would be to be

angry and to hold a grudge and to try and get

even. How many of us would have spent those 13

years plotting what we would do to our brothers

one day if we ever got the chance, especially

if we rose to a position of great power? But

not Joseph. And I wish we had time to develop

the whole story more fully, but suffice to say

that instead of getting even with his brothers,

he lavished them with grace. Yes, he tested them

to see where their hearts were in regard to what

they did to him and whether they would protect

Jacob's new favorite, Benjamin. But still, it's

all grace. And look at chapter 45, verses 1 to

3. And Joseph could not control himself before

those who stood by him. And he cried, Have everyone

go out from me. So there was no man with him

when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

And he wept so loud the Egyptians heard it, and

the house of Pharaoh heard of it. And then Joseph

said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father

still alive? But his brothers could not answer

him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

It is a very emotional scene for Joseph when

he finally reveals himself to his brothers. Joseph

is weeping loudly, but his brothers are dumbstruck.

At this moment, they're not sure whether this

is good news or bad news, that this is their

brother Joseph. But look at verses 5 to 8. Now,

do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because

you sold me here, for God sent me before you

to preserve life. For the famine has been in

the land two years, and there are still five

years in which there will be neither plowing

or harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve

for you a remnant in the earth and to keep you

alive by great deliverance. Now, therefore, it

was not you who sent me here, but God. And he

made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his

household and ruler over the land of Egypt. Notice,

Joseph does not rail against his brothers for

the evil and the injustice they did to him. Now,

more than 20 years later, he sees the big picture

of God sovereignly working out his plan to preserve

Jacob's family through the famine that still

has five more years to run. In verse five, he

says, God sent me here. In verse seven, God sent

me before you. In verse eight, it was not you,

but God who sent me here. Joseph is at peace

because he saw the bigger picture of the sovereignty

of God at work. And look at verses 14 and 15.

And then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck

and wept and Benjamin wept on his neck. And he

kissed all his brothers and wept on them and

afterwards the brothers talked with him. You

would expect Joseph to embrace his full brother

Benjamin and weep with him. He hasn't seen him

in over 20 years. But don't miss the fact that

he embraced all his brothers and wept on them.

Joseph was able to set aside his anger and the

betrayal and embrace his brothers because he

realized God had superintended all that happened

to save his family. Joseph was now the right

man in the right place at the right time. And

like Joseph, we need to learn to rest in the

sovereignty of God. even in the midst of hard

times, heartaches, disappointments, and betrayal.

Joseph's humility and his refusal to take vengeance

on his brother shows the fruit of 13 years of

slavery and prison and nine years of a rise to

a great position of power. Joseph knew God better

at the end of all that, and he was willing to

submit to God's sovereignty. And that's a lesson

for all of us. Now, let's talk about Joseph's

brothers. God set himself to the task of dealing

with the evil and godlessness of Joseph's older

brothers. And this won't be easy. They have lived

for years in their sin and making them face it

will be a hard task. And let's recount what we

know about Jacob's older boys. And for sake of

time, I'm just going to give you a quick recap.

In Genesis 34, a man named Shechem forced himself

on Jacob's daughter Dinah, and there's a lot

of story in here, but it ends in treachery when

Jacob's sons trick the men of the village into

being circumcised, and then while they are recovering,

Simeon and Levi come into the village and murder

all the men, and the brothers take everything

as spoil. This kind of violence put the whole

family in danger since they are only a small

clan in a pagan land and it forced the family

to move out of that area. In chapter 35, Reuben

slept with Bilhah, one of his stepmothers, a

move which would ultimately cost him the birthright

as the oldest son. In chapter 38, Judah married

a Canaanite woman. and had three sons with her.

This was something Abraham would not allow Isaac

to do, and Isaac wouldn't allow Jacob to do.

And eventually, through a wild series of circumstances,

Judah ended up impregnating his own daughter

-in -law and fathering twins with her. Again,

not a shining moral example. And finally, we

have the whole issue with Joseph and their hatred

of him. Hatred enough that when the first opportunity

to get rid of him came along, they sold him into

slavery, but not after first considering murder.

all in all this is a godless bunch headed downhill

fast they were in danger of one of two outcomes

one was becoming as godless and immoral as the

Canaanites had lived among and being absorbed

by them that would bring them under the curse

that the Canaanites faced Or another incident

like the one with Simeon and Levi murdering a

village might lead to their extermination by

the people around them. Either one would destroy

the line of the Messiah and ruin an opportunity

for salvation for the world. So God chose to

act. Look at chapter 42, verses 1 to 5. Now Jacob

saw that there was grain in Egypt and Jacob said

to his son, why are you staring at one another?

And he said, behold, I've heard there's grain

in Egypt. Go down there, buy some for us from

that place so that we may live and not die. And

then 10 brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain

in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother

Benjamin with his brothers. For he said, I am

afraid that harm may befall him. So the sons

of Israel came to buy grain among those who were

coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan

also. So as the first year of famine grew worse,

Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt. So he decides

to send his 10 older sons to buy food, but he

won't send his youngest son, Benjamin. With Joseph

dead, Benjamin is Jacob's last link to Rachel,

and he's going to hold on to him for all that

he's worth. So the sons of Jacob joined this

long procession of hungry people traveling to

Egypt to buy food. And look at verses 6 and 7.

Now Joseph was ruler over the land, and he was

the one who sold to all the people of the land.

And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to

him with their faces to the ground. And when

Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them,

but he disguised himself to them and spoke harshly

to them. And he said to them, where have you

come from? And they said, we have come from the

land of Canaan to buy food. Joseph recognized

his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.

And he spoke harshly to them to test them. He's

putting pressure on them to see how they feel

about what they did to him. And there's more

back and forth that I'd encourage you to read.

But after putting them in prison for three days,

he brings them out and he offers to help. All

they have to do is leave one brother as a hostage

and bring their other brother back with them

when they return and they can buy food in Egypt.

Now look at verses 21 and 22. This is the key.

And they said to one another. Truly we are guilty

concerning our brother because we saw his distress

of his soul when he pleaded with us and yet we

would not listen. Therefore this distress has

come on us. And Reuben answered them saying,

did I not tell you do not sin against the boy

and you would not listen? Now comes a reckoning

for his blood. Unable to understand the harsh

treatment they've received that apparently the

others there to buy food didn't, the brothers

begin discussing amongst themselves, why is this

happening to us? And their conclusion, this is

the reckoning for the blood of Joseph coming

down upon their heads. 22 years later, they are

still haunted by the guilt of their actions.

They didn't listen to Joseph when he cried out

for help. And now this man wasn't listening to

them and their cry for help. And Reuben, who

had been out in the field when Joseph was sold,

blames their actions for bringing all this upon

them. And look at verses 23 and 24. And he turned

away from them and wept. And when he had returned

to them, he spoke to them. And he took Simeon

from them and bound him before their eyes. And

then Joseph gave orders for their bags to be

filled with grain and restore every man's money

in his sack and to give them provisions for the

journey. And thus it was done for them. Because

Joseph had been speaking Egyptian to them, they

didn't realize that he understood everything.

that they had been saying to each other. And

hearing their sorrow and guilt, Joseph was overwhelmed

with emotions and he wept. He had to leave for

a time. Joseph's brothers are not the same angry,

bitter men they were when they sold him into

slavery. Watching their father struggle with

years of grief at the loss of Joseph and now

having their own pleas for mercy ignored have

brought them face to face with their guilt and

they reveal a change of heart in them. There's

one more issue Joseph wants to test them on before

he's ready to receive them completely. They sold

Joseph into slavery because they were jealous

that he was dad's favorite. It's clear now that

Benjamin is Jacob's new favorite. Would they

protect Benjamin or would they be willing to

sacrifice him to save themselves? So Joseph set

up a way to test his brothers. After bringing

Benjamin back with them, they secured more food

and they got Simeon released and they left for

home thinking everything is fine. But Joseph

had his servant hide his special cup in Benjamin's

sack. And when the men had gone several miles

from the city, Joseph sent his men to apprehend

them and accused them of stealing his special

cup. We pick up the story in chapter 44, verses

6 to 10. And he overtook them, and he spoke to

them. And they said to him, Why does my Lord

speak such words as these? Far be it from your

servants to do such a thing. Behold, the money

which we found in the mouths of our sacks we

have brought back to you from the land of Canaan.

How then could we steal silver or gold from your

Lord's house? With whomever your servants it

is found, let him die, and we will also be my

Lord's slaves. And so he said, now let it also

be according to your words. He with whom it is

found shall be my slave, and the rest of you

shall be innocent. When confronted with the accusation

they stole Joseph's cups, Jacob's sons are shocked.

Hadn't they been honest in the past? They wouldn't

do such a thing. And they are so sure they are

innocent that they offer that the one who the

cup is found with should be put to death, and

they will all become Joseph's slaves. And Joseph's

servants counters, no, just the one with whom

the cup is found will be a slave. The rest of

you will be free to go. So the trap was set.

Look at verses 11 and 12. And then they hurried

and each man lowered his sack to the ground and

each man opened his sack and he searched beginning

with the oldest and ending with the youngest

and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. When

the search is made, the cup is found in Benjamin's

sack. But remember, The older boys are free to

go. They can leave Benjamin, dad's new favorite,

behind and not worry about him. So how will they

respond? Look at verse 13. And they tore their

clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey,

they returned to the city. Rather than leave

Benjamin behind and save themselves, they react

with mourning, tearing their clothes, and returning

to the city with the servant and with Benjamin.

Look at verses 16 and 17. So Judas said, what

can we say to my Lord? What can we speak? How

can we justify ourselves? God has found out the

iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my

Lord's servants, both we and the one in whose

possession the cup is found. But he said, far

be it for me to do this. The man in whose possession

the cup has been found, he shall be my slave.

But as for you, go in peace to your father. Judah

is shocked by what has happened. He admits their

guilt and states that they will all be Joseph's

slaves then. But again, Joseph offers him a way

out, stating that only the one in whose possession

the couple was found shall be his slave. The

rest are free to go. Will the brothers abandon

Benjamin or will they choose to stand as a family?

And it's now Judah who steps forward in this

situation. He was the one who had convinced his

brothers to sell Joseph rather than kill him.

And this is the longest speech in the book of

Genesis. And in it, we see Joseph's brothers

stepping up to protect Benjamin. Judah had promised

to bring Jacob, bring Benjamin back to Jacob

safely. And now faced with the prospect of returning

home to Jacob without him, Judah can't do it.

Look at 27 to 31. He says, your servant, my father

said to us, you know that my wife bore me two

sons and one went out for me. And I said, surely

he was torn in pieces and I have not seen him

since. And if you take this one from me and harm

befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down

to shield and sorrow. Now, therefore, when I

come to your servant, my father, and the lad

is not with us since his life is bound up with

the lad's life. When he sees that the lad is

not with us, he will die. And thus your servants

will bring the gray hair of your servant, our

father, down to Sheol in sorrow. Again, there's

more here and I encourage you to read through

all of it. But Judah tells Joseph that Benjamin

is the only son left of his mother and his father's

life is bound up in Benjamin. And if the brothers

return home and Benjamin is not with them, Jacob

will die from grief and sorrow. Look at verses

33 and 34. Now, therefore, please let your servant

remain instead of the lad as a slave to my Lord

and let the lad go with his brothers. For how

shall I go to my father if the lad is not with

me? For I fear to see the evil that would overtake

my father. Judah offers a solution. Joseph should

let Benjamin go. And Judah will remain as Joseph's

slaves since he had offered himself as the guarantee

for his brother's safe return. And he begs Joseph

to spare his father the grief and the sorrow

that losing his youngest son would bring. Judah

and his brothers have passed the test. Given

an opportunity to save themselves at the expense

of dad's new favorite, Benjamin, they refuse.

They can't put their father through that again.

They would stand as a family. and protect their

brother. And it is at this point that Joseph

finally reveals himself to his brothers. We're

tempted to think that we can hide our sin and

that we can get away with it and that somehow

it will never come out. But God is never pleased

with hidden sin in his people and he always works

to expose it for the sake of bringing freedom

and forgiveness and healing in our lives. In

the end, Joseph's brothers confronted their sin

and faced it and became better men because of

it. And they also learned to stand as a family

and protect each other. And God used Joseph to

do it. But all this had to be dealt with before

God could bring true healing and wholeness to

Jacob's family. There was no other way. All right,

let's talk about Jacob. See, our impression of

Jacob Usually colored by the fact that he's one

of the three great patriarchs of Israel, right?

I mean, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But we often

forget two truths about him. The first one is

that for much of his early life, Jacob was a

liar and deceiver, and he would lie, cheat, or

steal to get ahead and get what he wanted. It

was something the older sons had watched for

years, this tug -of -war between Jacob and his

equally corrupt Uncle Laban. But second, even

after God had done much work in Jacob's life,

Jacob still had a glaring sin issue. You see,

Jacob was an idolater. And I don't mean he worshiped

the pagan gods of Canaan. His idolatry was much

more subtle. He worshiped the idol of his sons,

first Joseph and then Benjamin. And he had convinced

himself that the entire future of his family

depended on these two, and he did everything

he could do. to protect them. He favored them

over their brothers, and that brought anger and

strife and jealousy into his family, but either

Jacob didn't notice or Jacob didn't care. They

were Rachel's boys, and they, as the only sons

of his favorite wife, he held on to them and

protected them with everything he had. So let's

go back and see how he did that. Go back to Genesis

Genesis 37:2

37, verse 2. It says, these are the records of

the generation of Jacob. And Joseph, when 17

years of age, was pastoring the flock with his

brothers while he was still a youth, along with

the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his

father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad

report about them to his father. Joseph was caring

for sheep with his older brothers near home.

And as we saw earlier, the wording here implies

that Joseph was in charge, even though all these

brothers are older. Even more, they're all out

in the field working. And Joseph is supervising

for dad, watching them. Jacob kept Joseph close.

And look at verses 12 and 13 of chapter 37. And

the brothers went to pasture their father's flocks

in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, are not

your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem?

Come and I will send you to them. So he said

to them, said to him, I will go. Now, all 10

of Joseph's older brothers are out caring for

the flock several days from home. Where was Joseph?

Ah, he's home with dad. All right. Jacob had

no qualms about keeping Joseph out of harm's

way. Why? Because he loved him more than his

other sons and he held on to him tightly. Joseph

was his future. And it wasn't just Joseph. Look

at Genesis 42, one to four. Now Jacob saw there

was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons,

why are you staring at one another? He said,

behold, I've heard there is grain in Egypt. Go

down there and buy some for us from that place

so that we may live and not die. And then the

ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain

from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother

Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, I'm

afraid that harm may befall him. Why is this

significant? The famine is severe. The family

faced starvation. They needed everyone who could

go to Egypt to buy food to go and bring back

as much food as they could. But even in these

dire circumstances, Jacob won't let Benjamin

go. With Joseph gone, Benjamin is Jacob's last

link to Rachel, and he's willing to cling tightly

to them, to him even at the risk of starvation

for his family. Rachel's sons have become Jacob's

idols. So what happened? Well, God began to slowly

pry loose the death grip Jacob had on his sons.

First, he used the hatred of his brothers to

have Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt, where

God would need him later. And Jacob was forced

to let go of Joseph. And now God is going to

force Jacob to release his death grip on Benjamin.

The older sons had returned from Egypt with food

for their family, but without their brother Simeon,

who's being held hostage until the brothers return

with Benjamin. What Joseph knows that his father

and brothers don't know at this point is that

the famine has six more years to run. Joseph

knows they will have to return to Egypt for food,

and Joseph is willing to buy this time. So how

does Jacob respond to all this? with great stubbornness.

Look at chapter 42, verses 36 to 38. And their

father Jacob said to them, you have bereaved

me of my children. Joseph is no more, Simeon

is no more, and you would take Benjamin. All

these things are against me. And Reuben spoke

to his father saying, you may put my two sons

to death. If I do not bring him back to you,

Put him in my care and I will return him to you.

But Jacob said, my son shall not go down with

you for his brother is dead and he alone is left.

And if harm should befall him on the journey

you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair

down to Sheol in sorrow. When the brothers arrived

back in Canaan with the food and they informed

Jacob of all that happened in Egypt and how the

ruler there kept Simeon as a hostage and warned

them not to return without Benjamin, their youngest

brother, this caused Jacob to explode at his

sons. They've cost him Joseph, they've cost him

Simeon, and now they want to take Benjamin away.

Even Reuben's offer to let Jacob put to death

his own sons if he doesn't bring Benjamin back

fails to move him, although I don't know how

killing his own grandsons would have made him

feel better. Jacob is adamant. Benjamin is not

going to Egypt ever, period, end of discussion.

Jacob is willing to even sacrifice Simeon to

protect Benjamin. But understand, This is a statement

made on a full stomach. When the sons have brought

back enough food to last for some time and the

family has eaten. But as the famine drags on

and he begins to hear the cries of hungry children

at night, God is slowly wearing down Jacob's

idolatry of Benjamin. Look at chapter 43, verses

1 to 5. Now the famine was severe in the land.

And when it came about that they had finished

eating the grain which they had bought in Egypt,

their father said to them, Go back and buy us

a little food. But Judah said to him, saying,

The man solemnly warned us, You shall not see

my face unless your brother is with you. If you

send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy

you food. But if you do not send him, we will

not go down. For the man said to us, You will

not see my face unless your brother is with you.

When the food they brought from Egypt is finally

gone, the crisis hit. And Jacob's orders his

sons to go back to Egypt and buy more. But Judah

reminds him that the man in charge has warned

them they must bring their younger brother with

them or they won't be able to buy any food. And

after some whining about his sons telling the

man in Egypt about their brother, Jacob finally

surrenders. He realizes the circumstances are

so dire, he must either send Benjamin to Egypt

or watch his family starve to death. God is prying

his fingers off his last idol. And Jacob finally

surrenders to the sovereignty of God. God has

brought Jacob to the place he wants him. Look

at verses 13 and 14. Jacob says, take your brother

also, arise and return to the man. And may God

Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of

the man so that he will release you, release

to you your other brother and Benjamin. But as

for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am

bereaved. Jacob releases Benjamin to return to

Egypt with his brothers. But notice Jacob's prayer.

He calls out to God Almighty, El Shaddai, to

watch over his sons and return them all safely

to him. He must entrust everything about his

future to the one true God who holds his future

in his hands. God is sovereign. And even more,

when Jacob cries out to El Shaddai, to God Almighty,

he is not lifting up some casual prayer. This

cry to El Shaddai goes to the very heart of God's

covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Look

at Genesis 17, verses 1 and 2. It says this.

Genesis 17:1

Now when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared

to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty.

Walk before me and be blameless, and I will establish

my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply

you exceedingly. When Abraham was 99 years old,

God appeared to him and reconfirmed his covenant

with Abraham, and he promised to multiply Abraham's

descendants greatly. And because he is El Shaddai,

God Almighty, He can take one elderly man and

woman and multiply their descendants till they

are as the stars of heaven in the sand on the

seashore. And Jacob has begun to see that fulfilled.

His family now stands at 70 people, and he calls

on God Almighty not to remove his blessing, but

to continue it and to bring his sons back to

him safely. Look at Genesis 28, verses 1 to 4.

Genesis 28:1–4

So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged

him and said to him, You shall not take a wife

from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan

Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother's

father. And from there you shall take a wife

from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.

And may God Almighty bless you. and make you

fruitful, and multiply you, and may you become

a company of peoples. And may he also give you

the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants

with you, that you may possess the land of your

sojournings, which God gave to Abraham. After

Jacob had stolen Esau's blessing, Isaac and Rebekah

sent him away to Patamaram to find a wife. But

don't miss what Isaac prayed for Jacob. He asked

God Almighty, El Shaddai, to bless Jacob's time

there and make him fruitful and gratefully multiply

his descendants. And may Jacob and his descendants

inherit the blessings of their grandfather, Abraham.

It was God Almighty that Isaac asked to go with

his son and bless him. Now look at Genesis 35.

verses 9 to 12. Then God appeared to Jacob again

when he came from Padom Aram, and he blessed

him. And God said to him, your name is Jacob.

You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel

shall be your name. And then he called him Israel.

And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful

and multiply, and a nation and a company of nations

shall come from you, and kings shall come from

you. And the land which I gave to Abraham and

Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the

land to your descendants. After you. When Jacob

returned to Canaan years later, God appeared

to him again and reconfirmed the covenant he

had made with Abraham and Isaac. And God promised

to greatly bless and multiply Jacob's descendants

and to make a mighty nation out of them. And

God calls himself El Shaddai, God Almighty, to

remind Jacob that no matter how things look at

any given moment, God has the power to do what

he has promised. His descendants will multiply.

and the covenant of Abraham and Isaac will be

fulfilled. And it is not an accident at this

moment when the sovereignty of circumstances

have pushed Jacob to the brink, when the future

of his entire family is threatened by famine

on the one hand and the ruler in Egypt on the

other, that Jacob cries out to El Shaddai, God

Almighty, to remember his covenant with him and

to save his family through all this and to keep

his word. Jacob's only hope was that God Almighty

would hear him and answer him. And that is exactly

where God wanted Jacob, placing all his hope

and trust in the covenant -keeping God. Jacob's

idolatry of his sons has ended. The future of

Jacob's family didn't depend on Joseph or Benjamin.

His family depended on El Shaddai, God Almighty,

his only true hope. We need to be diligent as

well. We live in an age where subtle idolatry

can steal our devotion from God Almighty. And

we need to do a constant heart check to guard

our hearts from being seduced away from the one

true God. But we can take comfort here as well.

We too are in a covenant relationship with El

Shaddai, God Almighty. And no matter what our

circumstances, what challenges we may face, El

Shaddai is our all -powerful covenant -keeping

God who will do what he has promised to do for

us through his son, Jesus Christ. That is why

Paul can assert with confidence that he who begun

a good work in us We'll perfect it until the

day of Christ Jesus. The same El Shaddai who

was working in Jacob's life is working in our

lives. Finally, let's talk about the Egyptians.

I want to briefly mention the Egyptians and how

God was sovereignly working with them during

this time. It's no surprise that the Egyptians

thought they were the big dog on the block. I

mean, their military and agricultural might allowed

them to dominate and intimidate all the nations

around them. And Pharaoh was considered a god.

And the idea that there was a god greater than

Pharaoh was ridiculous. But God is about to humble

this would -be god. And in Genesis 41, Pharaoh

has two dreams. And feeling they're important,

Pharaoh did what Pharaohs always did. He consulted

his magicians and wise men and dream interpreters

to give him insight into the meaning of his dreams.

But a strange thing happened this time, maybe

for the first time. His advisors are lost to

know what his dreams meant or to give Pharaoh

any insight. They are stumped. Now what? Pharaoh

was desperate to know what the dreams meant.

Enter Pharaoh's cupbearer, who just remembered

he might have an answer. Look at chapter 41,

verses 9 to 13. Then the chief cupbearer spoke

to Pharaoh, saying, I would make mention today

of my own offenses. Pharaoh was furious with

his servants, and he put me in confinement in

the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both

me and the chief baker. And we had a dream on

the same night, he and I, each of us dreamed

according to their interpretation of his own

dream. Now a Hebrew youth was with us there,

a servant of the captain of the bodyguard. And

we related them to him and he interpreted our

dreams to us. And to each one he interpreted

according to his dream. And just as he interpreted

us, so it happened. He restored me in my office

and he hanged him. Seeing Pharaoh's concern,

the cupbearer suddenly remembers his encounter

in prison with this Hebrew youth who was able

to interpret both his and the baker's dreams.

And the interpretation was completely accurate.

With nowhere else to turn, perhaps this young

man could help Pharaoh. Don't miss the irony

here. The most powerful king in that part of

the world is forced to seek the help of a Hebrew

slave and prisoner to try and understand his

dreams. God is confronting Pharaoh with his own

powerlessness and God's own sovereignty over

human affairs. It is only through the servant

of Almighty God that Pharaoh can understand what

his dreams mean and what he needs to do. And

Joseph, after he's cleaned up and brought before

Pharaoh, continues. to point this out. As we

saw earlier, in verse 25, God has told Pharaoh

what he's going to do. In verse 28, God has shown

Pharaoh what he's about to do. In verse 32, God

has determined what's going to happen and will

bring it about soon. Pharaoh isn't the one driving

this bus. God is. And Pharaoh is merely a passenger.

Pharaoh is so impressed with Joseph, he decides

that no one is better to put in charge of preparing

for the famine than Joseph. Again, the most powerful

king around is going to entrust great power and

the complete future of his kingdom to a man who

hour before was the head trustee at a political

prison. Why this matters is that it might have

saved Egypt from great hardship and loss in the

future had future pharaohs remember who was ultimately

in charge, God Almighty and not them. Instead,

we read in Exodus 1 .8. that a new Pharaoh arose

who did not know Joseph. Nothing about what had

happened hundreds of years before was remembered,

so that when the new Pharaoh arose who thought

he was God, he would go on to confront Moses

and be taught anew that there is a sovereign

God over the affairs of men, and it wasn't Pharaoh.

And the Israelites weren't a slave people. They

were servants of Almighty God. It is a dangerous

thing. to forget the sovereignty of God over

human affairs, no matter how powerful people

may think they are. The Egyptians forgot this

lesson and paid a steep price for their arrogance

400 years later. Well, that's it. In this one

narrative... We see our God at work in different

ways and different people to achieve his sovereign

purposes in each one. He was multitasking in

Joseph, in his brothers, in Jacob, and the Egyptians

to teach each of them crucial lessons they needed

to learn. Now let's talk about us. We need to

recognize that God is constantly at work in our

lives to achieve his sovereign purposes in our

good. As you look around this room, God is right

now working through the one story of Oak Hill

Bible Church to do an individual work in each

one of us. God works to bring humility and maturity

in our lives. He works to confront hidden sin

in our lives. God works to demolish the idols

of our heart. And God works to remind people

that he is sovereign over all. He is working

in all these ways and in a hundred more right

now so that he might conform each of us to the

image of his son, Jesus Christ. Our task is to

humble ourselves under God's sovereign grace

and let him do his work. But if we're going to

do that, we have to become convinced of two things.

First, that God is sovereign and working to achieve

his good purposes. in our lives. He is in control

and we can trust in his sovereignty. And second,

we have to be convinced that God is good, working

for our welfare and not our hurt. We can trust

in the goodness of God as he works in each of

our lives. That's why Paul can write that God

works all things together for good to those who

love him and are called according to his purpose.

Our infinite God is an infinite multitasker,

and he's able to do far more beyond all that

we can ask or think. Our job is to humble ourselves,

submit to under his mighty hand, and trust that

he will bring forth our faith as gold when he

is done. Take heart this morning because the

same God who was working in Joseph and his brothers

and Jacob and the Egyptians is now working in

our lives today. And we can trust El Shaddai,

God Almighty, to do his work exceedingly well.

Let's pray. Father, we stand back today and we

marvel. at your great sovereignty, your infinite

wisdom and knowledge, and your great power, Lord.

I thank you, Lord, that even as you looked at

Joseph and worked uniquely in his life and uniquely

in his brother's lives and uniquely in Jacob's

lives and in the lives of the Egyptians, even

now, as you look around this room, you see exactly

what you need to do in each of our lives to conform

us more to the image of your son, Jesus Christ.

And I ask today, God, that you would help each

of us willingly and gladly submit to your sovereign

will that we would allow you to do the work you

need to do in our lives so that we can be the

right people in the right place at the right

time, even as you worked it out in Joseph's life.

Lord, help each one of us to become convinced

that your sovereignty can be trusted, that you

are working for our good. And God, remind us

and convince us again that you are a good God

who cares for us more than we can ever understand

and who has only good intention for our lives.

God, may we bow to your sovereignty because there

is great joy and great mercy in that. And we

thank you for all you're doing and all you will

do, Lord. And we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.