1
00:00:00,001 --> 00:00:07,280
If you have your Bibles, we're going to be in Genesis chapter 42, 43, excuse me.

2
00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:16,400
And I entitled the message, "Come and Dine." And we know the story, all that's going on in

3
00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:23,520
Joseph's life. But I just wanted to take a second here and just let you know that

4
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:34,000
I'm not watching the Olympics. And actually, there's a few wrestlers, I really want to see

5
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:41,200
how they do, but I'll read about it later, I guess. But yeah, it's just absolutely blasphemous.

6
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:47,520
And praise God for this kid that plays for the Chiefs. He's a place kicker for the Chiefs,

7
00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:55,040
Harrison Buecher. And obviously, he's been in the news a lot simply because he gave a

8
00:00:55,040 --> 00:01:00,720
commencement speech at one of the universities, a Catholic university, just encouraging women that

9
00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:06,400
they could stay home and be moms if they would like, and that God designed them that way. And

10
00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:17,280
he just got lambasted. So he responded to the Last Supper with all the drag queens. I don't know if

11
00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:24,400
you haven't seen it, you don't need to see it, but it's very disgusting. And so he quotes,

12
00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:32,640
Buecher did on national television, quotes Galatians 6, where he says, "Do not be deceived,

13
00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:41,040
God is not mocked." Right? And the rest of that goes on a couple more verses, says, "For whatever

14
00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:49,840
a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of his flesh reap corruption,

15
00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:56,800
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary

16
00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:04,560
while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have

17
00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:10,960
opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith." And so

18
00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:21,680
we can bless one another, we can speak out against the perversion, but he also calls us to turn the

19
00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:26,240
other cheek, to love our enemies, to pray for them. These people have been deceived, they don't know

20
00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:34,800
what they're doing, and they need Jesus. So, amen? So, I'm not telling you not to watch the Olympics,

21
00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:42,880
I'm just saying, I just like, really? You just ruin it for everybody, you know? And not only that,

22
00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:49,040
but they got a bunch of people from Yemen to do the security. Now, I don't know if that's, you know,

23
00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:57,200
that's kind of like calling the wolves to watch the sheep, you know? So, anyway, crazy, crazy stuff

24
00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:04,800
going on in our world, and it gets more bizarre by the day. So, if you have your Bible, we're in

25
00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:14,160
Genesis 43, and let's pray. Father, thank you for this Word that is, it's so full, it's rich, it's

26
00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:22,320
got, Lord, just great lessons, but also just great stories of just the human experience, and

27
00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:28,560
how to navigate some of it, and how not to. And Lord, we love you, and we thank you that you

28
00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:34,160
can teach us things from the lives of these people who have gone before us, Lord, who no doubt

29
00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:39,760
at times struggled. Just as your Word tells us that in the world, we will have tribulation,

30
00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:45,680
but to be of good courage, you've overcome the world. And so, Lord, so help us to endure,

31
00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,800
help us to pace ourselves, Lord, in these times in which we live. And as we look at your Word,

32
00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:55,760
Lord, that it would be something that is very applicable to each one of our lives, in Jesus'

33
00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:06,800
name, amen. Okay, so here we have Joseph. He had told his brothers to go back, and that he was

34
00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:14,880
gonna hang on to Simeon until they brought Benjamin back. And we get to see this from like a 20,000

35
00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:20,400
foot view, right? 'Cause we see all the players, we know what's going on. But none of these people

36
00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:27,760
know what's going on. Well, Joseph does, right? And he's still incognito. They don't know who he is.

37
00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:34,240
And so, in verse one and two there, it says, "Now the famine was severe in the land,

38
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:39,440
and it came to pass when they had eaten up the grain, which they had brought from Egypt,

39
00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:46,080
that their father said to them, 'Go back and buy a little food.'" Right? So they procrastinated.

40
00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:50,880
They're not going back. Benjamin ain't going back. We've seen the heart of Jacob, right? I'm not

41
00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:57,120
letting this kid go. I've already lost one. I'm not gonna lose another one. And so, he's not gonna

42
00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:03,200
let that boy go back. So I think everybody's just afraid to talk about it. So they're eating up the

43
00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:08,400
food. They're burning time. They're burning daylight because the food is gonna run out.

44
00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:17,600
Because it says the famine became very, very severe. And they're just scraping by, no doubt,

45
00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:25,920
possibly losing livestock here and there, and possibly even some people. The food is gonna

46
00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:32,640
absolutely be gone if they don't do something. And so, he tells them, "Well, go back to Egypt."

47
00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:43,520
Right? He procrastinated. Have you ever done that? Any procrastinators? I'm a terrible

48
00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:49,280
procrastinator, right? I procrastinate all the time. And then sometimes I try to hurry up and

49
00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:55,600
get it done. And you're always getting a pickle. So if you can head it off with the past, that's

50
00:05:55,600 --> 00:06:02,560
just a good idea. And yet, he's waiting till they're kind of in a pickle here. Maybe he was

51
00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:07,680
hoping the famine would subside. Maybe he figured they had enough food to sustain them for a while

52
00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:14,960
until things would come. But maybe that's not really wise thinking there. And so,

53
00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:22,080
he tells them to go back. And Judah pipes up, right, in verse three. And,

54
00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:32,880
well, first of all, you gotta think that the reason that Jacob is procrastinating is because

55
00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,360
of fear. Otherwise, wouldn't you say, "Okay, go back, get more, take management back,

56
00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:47,200
prove to the guy that you're honest men, tongue in cheek, and we'll be good." But he doesn't do that.

57
00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:55,840
And so, the Bible talks a lot about fearing. And these are times, these are fearful times for a

58
00:06:55,840 --> 00:07:00,400
lot of people. I talk to a lot of people, they're just scared. They're scared of what's coming.

59
00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:06,320
They're scared financially. They're scared politically. They're scared militarily. People

60
00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:13,840
are scared around the world, not knowing what's gonna happen. When Trump and Netanyahu met this

61
00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:24,640
week and that it's, you know, we're on the verge of World War III. And so, it could happen. So,

62
00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:29,520
what are we full of? Are we full of fear or are we full of faith? 'Cause it's obvious throughout

63
00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:40,080
Scripture, you cannot have both. It's like they can't coexist, fear and faith. One cancels out

64
00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:49,680
the other, right? So, either fear crushes faith or faith crushes fear, right? I've always liked

65
00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:55,600
this Bible verse and I always thought it said faith, but it says strength. It says in Proverbs

66
00:07:55,600 --> 00:08:05,120
chapter 24, 10, it says, "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." Right?

67
00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:15,280
If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. And our strength is not just

68
00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:21,040
intestinal fortitude that you and I have. Our strength is our faith in somebody much bigger

69
00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:29,600
than ourselves, right? That God has got this no matter how bad it looks. And so, it's looking bad,

70
00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:37,760
but it doesn't appear that Jacob is walking by faith. Deuteronomy encourages faith when it says,

71
00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:43,920
"Be strong and of good courage. Do not fear, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God,

72
00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:50,400
He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Psalm 34, verses 4 and 5

73
00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:56,080
says, "I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from my fears. They looked to Him

74
00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:01,440
and were radiant and their faces were not ashamed." Psalm 23, "Yea, though I walk through the valley

75
00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:06,480
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff,

76
00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:11,840
they come from me." And so, here's Jacob. He really is in the valley of the shadow of death,

77
00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:20,720
right? Because death is looming, not just over his son, Benjamin, but over all the people.

78
00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:31,760
Well, it's really not until they run out of food when push comes to shove. And that's when

79
00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:39,040
Judah speaks up in verse 3 where he says, "But Judah spoke to him saying, 'The man solemnly

80
00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:46,000
warned us saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. If you send

81
00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:56,080
your brother with us, we will go down and buy food. But if we... But..." I just lost my place.

82
00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:07,600
And that, "But if you will go down and buy... But if you will not send him..." There we go.

83
00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:15,680
"We will not go down for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with

84
00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:23,520
you.'" Right? He's going, "We can't go. Why would we go? If Benjamin isn't with us, we would go down

85
00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:30,480
and just have to come back empty-handed? That's stupid. That's not even logical." And so, Judah

86
00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:37,680
seems to be making some sense here and saying, "Dad," right? "Ben has to go with us or we don't

87
00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:45,520
go. We can't go. He's got to see his face." It would be a waste of trip if we went without him

88
00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:51,840
and just go by. We're not... The guy was too serious. He... Joseph was awfully convincing

89
00:10:51,840 --> 00:11:00,240
with his authority and the way he talked to them, right? And we can't go see this guy's face simply

90
00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:06,960
because, listen, he's the one that's going to save us, right? He's the one that's going to save us.

91
00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:17,600
And I just think of people going before Jesus or standing before God without having come under that

92
00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:26,000
crimson flow that so many hymns have been written about, right? That you're under the

93
00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:33,120
cleansing power of the blood and you're in good graces with the one who's in authority,

94
00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:39,040
that you've been forgiven, and that when Jesus sees you, he'll see somebody that he's familiar

95
00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:47,200
with and that he knows. But can you imagine being one of those who stand before him and he looks at

96
00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:55,600
you and he shakes his head? "I'm sorry. Though you called me Lord, I never knew you. Depart from me,

97
00:11:55,600 --> 00:12:02,400
you workers of iniquity." I don't know about you, but that just sends chills up and down my spine.

98
00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:09,840
That is a very fearful thing. It seems that Judah had learned some lessons in life,

99
00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:18,720
right? From maybe selling his brother in the disaster with Tamar. He's reasonable, but Jacob

100
00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:23,440
doesn't seem to have any logic whatsoever. Because why? Because he's so gripped with fear.

101
00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:31,360
What scares you? Do you ever ask yourself that question? I had a high school kid. We were working

102
00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:39,840
on my building, my big barn I built here three or four years ago. And I'm walking up the truss,

103
00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,840
and it's 30 feet to the ground. And I'm walking, I'm not holding on to anything. I'm walking up

104
00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:49,440
the trusses. And this kid's just shaking his head. He goes, "What are you afraid of?" And I thought,

105
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:56,880
"That is just an awesome question. What are you afraid of?" Right? You afraid of heights? You

106
00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:04,000
afraid of the devil? You fear God? What are you afraid of in your life? You afraid of losing

107
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:11,360
someone? That's a fear you have to get over. You realize you have to hold everybody fairly loosely

108
00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:16,320
because people leave all the time, that we're not ready for them to leave.

109
00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:22,800
And I'm sure little Brian that was up here earlier, he wasn't ready for that.

110
00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:32,480
And yet it happens all the time. And so, preparing ourself as much as possible,

111
00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:37,920
at least being reasonable and realizing, yes, this happens. Yes, we are not alone in this.

112
00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:42,960
So many people think that when it happens to them, they're the only ones. No, it's been happening

113
00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:47,040
since the beginning of time, since man took his first breath. It's been happening.

114
00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:58,960
And those are hard things. And so, Israel kind of comes to his senses in verse six, where he says,

115
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:10,320
"And Israel said, 'Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you still had

116
00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:18,320
another brother?' But they said, 'The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family,

117
00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:24,400
saying, "Is your father still alive? Have you any other brothers or another brother?" And we told

118
00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:30,800
him according to these words, "Could we possibly have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother

119
00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:40,080
down'?"" So Jacob, he's chastising him, which in a way is kind of prophetic because he says,

120
00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:46,240
"Why did you deal so wrongfully is what my new King James, the literal word is wickedly. Why did

121
00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:53,280
you deal so wickedly with me?" And in fact, they did, right? Not in this case, but in the case of

122
00:14:53,280 --> 00:15:04,160
Joseph, they did. They did deal. And so he asked them why everyone seems to be reaping the wages

123
00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,560
of their sin right now, because they are in the valley of the shadow of death. What's the wages

124
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:18,560
of sin? Death. The wages of sin is death. And it's like death is just looming over everyone.

125
00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:26,240
My wife and I were talking about this just not too long ago, the amount of people that we have

126
00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:35,760
seen just recently die. And it's sad, and your heart breaks for the families, and you mourn with

127
00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:44,480
them. But I love the second part of that verse, right? "Yes, the wages of sin is death." What?

128
00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:49,120
"But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." I was telling the boys up at

129
00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:57,520
the camp last week, I love to put that verse, Romans 6, 23 on birthday cards. And they're like,

130
00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:03,840
"What?" Yeah, birthday cards. Because it's the whole story in one little verse. "The wages of

131
00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:07,680
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." It's right there's the

132
00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:17,680
gospel. It's really good. Great birthday card verse. My family just shakes their head at me

133
00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:26,800
like, "You're crazy. Why would you do that to people?" Because it's true, right? Or

134
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:34,800
James tells us what sin does. The wages in Romans there is death, but then it says,

135
00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:40,800
"And when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, brings forth

136
00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:53,760
death." It's so true. And these guys, it's growing. It's growing, and it's affected the whole family.

137
00:16:54,320 --> 00:17:09,200
And so, the brothers think that they're kind of off the hook maybe. I don't know,

138
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:16,320
but it seems to be coming back to bite them. There is no possibly way, they say, that we

139
00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:19,920
could have known that he would do this. That he would turn the tables on us

140
00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:31,040
and ask us that question to come down with our brother or he wouldn't see our face. And

141
00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:40,400
verse eight, it says, "Then Judas said to Israel, his father, 'Send the lad with me,

142
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:48,560
and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die. Both we and you and our little ones,

143
00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:56,560
I myself will be surety for him. From my hand you shall require him, if I do not bring him back to

144
00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:05,840
you and set him before you. Then let me bear the blame forever. For if we had not lingered,

145
00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:14,800
surely by now we would have returned this second time." So, Judah is actually speaking rationally.

146
00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:23,600
It seems like he's calm, right? And he's definitely a voice of reason. If we don't go,

147
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:28,800
everybody dies. You're just worried about Benjamin. Maybe worried about Simeon too.

148
00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:38,400
If we don't do this, everybody dies. So, I think reality is starting to sink in to Jacob's heart.

149
00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:51,440
We are taking a chance, but it is a good chance on going down there. And I myself will be the guarantee

150
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:59,920
for the lad to bring him to the father. He's not radical like poor Reuben that says, "Well,

151
00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:06,480
if we don't come back, I'll kill both my boys." He just says, "No, I'll be the guarantee. I'll

152
00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:13,760
be the sacrifice. I'm not gonna..." And it reminds me, this is such a beautiful picture of Judah

153
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:22,320
as Christ here, 'cause Jesus is our guarantee to the father, right? John chapter 14, verse 6,

154
00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,400
"Jesus said to them, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the father

155
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:36,000
except through me.'" And so, Judah is that guarantee as he promises to go down and to actually

156
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:44,560
give opportunity of life to everybody, just like Jesus did when he came for us, that mediator,

157
00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:51,280
that he came, right? Not just for us, but he died for the sins of the whole world. When you start

158
00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:59,120
thinking about that, you're just like, "Wow, that's big. That's much more than I even think

159
00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:04,080
in my own life. I know he died for my sins, and that's very personal. I'm very grateful."

160
00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:09,040
But just think about the sin of the whole world, the stuff that we've seen at the Olympics this

161
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:14,240
week. He died for all that. People can be redeemed from that and rescued from that.

162
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:19,840
Now, if you and I were God, we probably wouldn't go there. We'd just fry 'em.

163
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:33,760
You know, I have been guilty of this mentality, you know? "Kill 'em all! Let God sort 'em out."

164
00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:46,320
And I realize that's not very pastoral, for sure. Not very loving either, because then I always have

165
00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:54,880
to throw myself into the mix, because, right? Because, you know, I am one. So, verse 11 goes

166
00:20:54,880 --> 00:21:02,640
on and it says, "And their father Israel said to them, 'If it must be so, then do this. Take some

167
00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:09,840
of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man.'" We gotta

168
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:15,520
butter the guy up. "'A little balm and a little honey,'" because they only had a little, "'spices

169
00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:24,160
and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double money in your hand. Take back in your hand the

170
00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:30,240
money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother.'"

171
00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:35,840
Notice he doesn't say, "Take my son." "'Take your brother also and arise and go back to the man.

172
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:45,360
And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your brother and Benjamin.'"

173
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:51,920
If I am bereaved, I am bereaved, right? If I'm gonna have to mourn, if I'm gonna have to go

174
00:21:51,920 --> 00:22:02,880
through this, then I guess I'm just gonna have to go through it. There's a difference between

175
00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:09,280
surrendering to God's loving providence and bowing to blind fate. And I think that's kind of the

176
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:16,320
mindset that Jacob is here. "Oh, woe is me," right? We can't do anything about it. Instead of

177
00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:25,440
bolstering his own emotions and heart in faith, Jacob's statements show where he stood.

178
00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:31,600
"If it must be so, if I'm bereaved, then I'm bereaved." This kind of response certainly

179
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:42,480
doesn't sound like the Jacob of Bethel, you remember? When he claimed the promises of God

180
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:50,320
and realized that, "Oh, even though my head is on a stone, God is with me." And the angels, you know,

181
00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:56,880
going up and down on that ladder, it almost appears like he forgot that. Nor is Jacob who led

182
00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:01,200
his family back to Bethel. You remember them when they went back after the whole debacle at Shechem,

183
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:06,720
right? His feelings of grief and despair had almost extinguished his faith.

184
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:14,080
Always the controller, right? Jacob was always trying to control every situation. He's totally

185
00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:21,280
out of control in this situation. Instead of trusting in the Lord in faith, he is becoming a

186
00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:29,280
tailless Eeyore. "Oh, woe is me. Where's my tail?"

187
00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:46,800
So, he's really struggling. And I don't know, I think there's a lot of people really struggling

188
00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:55,760
today. And really, it's on us to seek the Lord. I talked with a young man the other day and he

189
00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,640
kept telling me, "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." I'm just going,

190
00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:07,280
I'm thinking in my heart, "It's so simple what to do. Seek the Lord, right? Seek out truth.

191
00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:16,480
The truth is going to set you free. And the truth is Jesus. That's what you do. You seek the Lord.

192
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:21,920
It's not rocket science. "Yeah, but I've made such a mess and there's so many consequences."

193
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:28,720
Well, yeah, that's part of it, you know? You don't come through things unscathed, but you change

194
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:34,320
directions. That's what repentance means, right? And so, it's encouraging to see. I see a lot of

195
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:42,000
young people thinking, "I gotta change my ways." Yeah, you do. You gotta change your ways. So,

196
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:51,040
change course and draw close to the Lord. And it's like Jacob finally comes to his senses right there

197
00:24:51,040 --> 00:25:01,680
at the end in verse 14 when he says, "May God Almighty give you mercy before the man that he

198
00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:09,520
may release your brother and Benjamin." Right? He's going, "Oh, I'm finally coming to that place

199
00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:15,680
where I'm going to cry out to God." So many people think you got it. "Oh, I got this." No, you don't.

200
00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:24,320
You need help. You need help in decision makings, you know, about things to buy and where to go.

201
00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:29,520
We need to be seeking the Lord. We left on a trip the other day and I'm going, "We didn't seek the

202
00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:37,120
Lord. Is it going to end in disaster?" I took off on my bike the other day. I didn't seek the Lord.

203
00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:42,960
I hit a railroad track and got a flat tire. I'm sitting there in the middle of the highway with

204
00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:50,560
a flat tire on this bike. Had to call my wife to come get me. But then I'm thinking, "God, you're

205
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:58,000
so good. Because I didn't seek you, I was probably heading for a railroad crossing where I wouldn't

206
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:03,280
have stopped and a train would have hit me. But you said, 'No, I'm going to give him a flat tire

207
00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,720
because he's such a bonehead. Maybe he'll seek me next time.'"

208
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:16,240
But he says, "God Almighty," it's the word El Shaddai, the all-sufficient one.

209
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:24,800
And so he's like, "Now you're getting back on the wrong right track where you've been,

210
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:30,560
'Woe is me.'" Now get your mind off of yourself. Set your mind on things above, as it tells us

211
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:38,800
in the New Testament. And he's praying that God would show mercy.

212
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:44,400
And having Simeon released and Benjamin not hurt.

213
00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:56,720
So, "But if I am bereaved, I'm bereaved." I heard a story of a man who lost three sons.

214
00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:04,400
They were all preteen. And I think their ages were eight to 14. Oh, so that wouldn't be preteen. Eight

215
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:10,400
to 12, I think is what their ages were. Lost three of his boys. And I think he had four. So he only

216
00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:17,200
had one left alive. Somebody asked him, "How do you get through that, losing children?"

217
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:21,840
Right? I mean, over the years, I've watched people as they lose children and

218
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:28,480
their life can drastically change. They seem to get bitter or better.

219
00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:38,080
And you see probably more bitterness than you do betterness. And they asked this guy

220
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:44,000
how he got through it. And he said, "What I had to convince myself of in losing my three sons,

221
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:52,640
what I had to convince myself of is my three greatest losses in my life were my three sons.

222
00:27:56,160 --> 00:28:02,480
What I had to realize is that my three greatest losses were my three sons' greatest gains."

223
00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:09,920
Right? I had to realize that my three greatest losses were my three sons' greatest gains.

224
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:19,120
There is a guy who has it going on. Right? He's walking by faith. Obviously, so overwhelming,

225
00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:27,040
a situation like that. And yet, and I can't remember how it happened, if it was some kind

226
00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:33,920
of a wreck, a boat wreck or a car wreck or something. But it was just, it was a gripping

227
00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:40,560
story of how somebody would process that and get through it. And that's, you know, Philippians,

228
00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:46,640
it tells us to live as Christ and to die as gain. And he recognized that for his three sons.

229
00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:57,920
And so, Jacob is like resigning to that. If I be bereaved, I am bereaved. And,

230
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:05,600
but he does mention God. So he's slowly seeming to come back. So the men took that present and

231
00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:11,840
Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand and rose and went down to Egypt. They listened to

232
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:17,600
their dad and they stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the

233
00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:25,040
steward in his house, "Take these men to my home and slaughter an animal and make ready for these

234
00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:34,080
men will dine with me at noon." Then the man did as Joseph ordered. And the man brought the men

235
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:43,120
in to Joseph's house. Now, the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house.

236
00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:49,120
And they said, "It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time,

237
00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:57,360
that we are brought in so that he may make a case against us and seize us and take us as slaves with

238
00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:03,440
our donkeys." And when they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him

239
00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:09,840
at the door of the house and said, "Oh, sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food,

240
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:15,680
but it happened when we came to the encampment that we opened our sacks and there each man's

241
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:21,920
money was in the mouth of his sack and our money in full weight. And so we have brought it back

242
00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:28,960
in our hand and we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put

243
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:36,720
our money in our sacks." But he said, "Peace be with you. Do not be afraid. You're God. And the

244
00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:45,360
God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money." And then he brought

245
00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:54,400
Simeon out to them." So these guys are scared to death. Joseph goes, "Hey, come to my place."

246
00:30:54,400 --> 00:31:02,000
Well, you know, it's the contrast between the two views of what's happening here, right?

247
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:07,760
Joseph goes, "I'm going to reveal myself to these guys. I'm going to bless them. I'm going to,

248
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:13,840
you know, I'm excited. They're going to know who I am." And these guys are like, "We're dead.

249
00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:19,840
We are dead." Right? That's why he's bringing us to his house. He's just going to kill us. We're

250
00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:23,600
probably going to have to be his personal slaves and wait on him hand and foot. Man, we're done.

251
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:31,520
We're toast. Isn't that funny how different people look at different things? And what's

252
00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:38,640
the reality? The reality is Joseph, because he's basically a picture of the truth. He knows what's

253
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:45,680
going on. These poor guys are lost as a goose, right? They don't have a clue what's happening.

254
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:51,760
You and I, we really don't know how, have a clue what's happening. We know the world seems crazy

255
00:31:52,400 --> 00:32:01,600
right now. But doesn't it comfort your heart to know who's in control? Right? It's not a,

256
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:10,320
it shouldn't be overwhelming. I mean, obviously we see some things get upset for a minute, but

257
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:17,920
hey, God's got this. Nobody's getting away with anything, right? People get so mad. "Oh,

258
00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:23,600
they just get away with murder." No, they don't. Not really. Only for a time. There's a day of

259
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:29,840
reckoning for everyone, right? Jesus is going to judge the quick and the dead,

260
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:34,080
those who are alive and those who are dead. He's going to judge everyone.

261
00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:43,120
We need to have his perspective. If these guys would have had Joseph's perspective,

262
00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:48,720
they'd been cool. They wouldn't have had ulcers. They wouldn't have been wringing their hands.

263
00:32:48,720 --> 00:33:00,720
I love it. They're so scared. Maybe Joseph's excited about talking about old times, right?

264
00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:10,000
And so they're thinking, "Because we're subject to this guy, we really got to try to get somebody

265
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:17,840
on our side." Right? So they start talking to the steward and telling the whole thing. They turn to

266
00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:24,000
the steward. Bible commentators say that when people are in this situation, what do they seek?

267
00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:30,560
A mediator. Right? They seek a mediator. And that's a good thing. The Bible says that Jesus

268
00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:36,800
is our mediator, the mediator between God and man. And so these guys are seeking a mediator

269
00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:43,600
because they know that they need somebody between them and this ferocious judge that's going to take

270
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:51,440
them and make them slaves. And so they start talking to this guy. Warren Wiersbe says, "In

271
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:57,600
a situation like that, you look for the nearest mediator." And they wisely turned to Joseph's

272
00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:03,200
steward. If they could convince him of their innocence, then he would present their case to

273
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:09,600
Joseph who might excuse them. They were in for another surprise because the steward knew more

274
00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:16,480
about the money than they did. And he assured them that they had nothing to fear. And they're

275
00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:22,880
thinking, "Oh no, can this really be?" He told them, "I had your money." And then he tries to

276
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:31,920
encourage them in their faith. "Your God and the God of your father, right? He's watched out over

277
00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:40,400
you, right? He's given you treasure in your sack." This is where my dad gets, I never knew why he

278
00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:48,960
always said this. He always says, "Get your sack open." Right? "Get your sack open." Why? "So God

279
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:58,720
can put treasure in it." Right? And he's saying that God did this. So I'm wondering if maybe some

280
00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:10,640
of Joseph's faith has rubbed off on his trustee steward. And so they're trying to get in a place

281
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:16,080
where they can have somebody defend them thinking, "No, it's about the money. He's going to lambaste

282
00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:22,560
us for stealing all the money." And this guy goes, "No, I had your money. In fact, I'm the one that

283
00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:27,600
put it back in your sack. And actually God, your God was involved in the whole thing and the God

284
00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:34,240
of your father, El Shaddai, the same one that Jacob was talking about. And as it is with them,

285
00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:41,360
so it is with us." You realize God's got your life, right? But have you made a mess that caused you to

286
00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:47,760
be paranoid? These guys are paranoid. I mean, paranoid. And I've seen people like that. I've

287
00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:53,280
seen people that they know where they should be with the Lord and they're not there. And they get

288
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:59,120
paranoid. I remember being paranoid. I was backslidden. I remember seeing, I would see Christians

289
00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:05,600
in the grocery store and I'd go the other way. You ever done that? Okay, be honest. Raise your hands

290
00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:11,280
if you've ever done that. It's just like, I don't want to talk to that person right now.

291
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:16,560
It's not because I don't love them. Well, okay, maybe it is, but

292
00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:20,800
we're terrible.

293
00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:31,360
But they knew they needed somebody to go between. They knew they needed help.

294
00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:39,280
You know, that's half the battle when you know you need help. That is half the battle.

295
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:47,600
I remember talking to a gal, I talked to her this morning. Things are going great, but

296
00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:57,440
I remember her calling me and I'm thinking, it is so cool that young people turn to the Lord when

297
00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:03,120
they need help. And it's so heartbreaking when they turn the other way when they need help.

298
00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:12,800
Right? And some, even our own kids, you know, to have them turn to the Lord or talk to somebody

299
00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:18,960
who you know that knows the Lord. I remember one of our children was in a pickle and in a different

300
00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:24,960
place geographically than here, but was very familiar with some of the people they grew up with.

301
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:30,640
And when things got bad and they'd been making some mistakes, they went to those people of faith

302
00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:39,520
and asked them to help them and pray with them and to kind of lead them back to where they needed

303
00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:47,200
to be. Because there is no more miserable place than knowing where you need to be with God and

304
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:57,680
not being there. It is absolute misery. And it could be something as simple as a ministry.

305
00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:03,120
I was walking with the Lord. The Lord had called me to do this ministry. I ignored Him for a year.

306
00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:09,520
You know what He did? He threw me on my head. God threw me on my head.

307
00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:13,760
Well, it was really a bull, but God used that bull to throw me on my head.

308
00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:21,840
And I thought I was paralyzed. Fire shot down my spine and down both arms, and I could not move my

309
00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:28,240
arms for a little bit. And I'm thinking, and the Lord had been talking to me seriously about this

310
00:38:28,240 --> 00:38:34,560
thing for about nine months. And I knew I needed to do it. I knew it was God's call on my life.

311
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,680
And I was walking with the Lord. I was going to church. I was plugged in.

312
00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:46,480
But I was going to do my own thing. And God goes, "No, you're not. You're not going to do your own

313
00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:51,840
thing. You're going to do what I'm calling you to do." And so He threw me on my head. And sure enough,

314
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:58,720
I did what God called me to do. I'm hard-headed, so that's why He's got to throw me on my head.

315
00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:01,680
I hope you're not hard-headed.

316
00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:12,480
But treasures in their sacks. There's so much kindness here for these guys,

317
00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:24,480
that God has chosen to give treasures to us who are undeserving. And this is just a beautiful

318
00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:28,960
picture here. 2 Corinthians chapter four talks about it, about treasures, when it says,

319
00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:38,560
in verse six of 2 Corinthians four, it says, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of

320
00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:44,240
the darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in

321
00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:51,120
the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, what the excellence of the

322
00:39:51,120 --> 00:40:01,200
power may be of God and not us." That God is the one who blesses with these blessings. Every good

323
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:07,280
and perfect gift comes down from Him. And that God had actually moved on Joseph's heart and this

324
00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:13,040
steward to give their money back to him, and that they could buy that much more food to sustain

325
00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:19,280
them. And so He's going, "You guys are looking at the wrong thing. You're looking at the wrong

326
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:27,040
person. Look to your God." He's like giving them a hint. Maybe you need that hint. You need to be

327
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:35,600
looking to the Lord for the things going on in your life instead of trying to fix it or find

328
00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:43,600
somebody who you think can fix it. We walk by faith and not by sight, the scripture tells us.

329
00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:53,920
Verse 24, He goes on there, "So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and he gave them water

330
00:40:53,920 --> 00:41:00,240
and he washed their feet and he gave their donkeys feed. And then they made the present ready for

331
00:41:00,240 --> 00:41:07,200
Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. And when Joseph

332
00:41:08,720 --> 00:41:14,640
came home, they brought him the present, which was in their hand, into the house and bowed down

333
00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:23,360
before him to the earth and bowed down. Then he asked them about their well-being and said,

334
00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:30,480
'Is your father well?' The old man of whom you spoke, 'Is he alive?' And they answered, 'Your

335
00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:36,640
servant, our father, is in good health. He is still alive.' And they bowed down their heads

336
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:43,840
and prostrated themselves." So the bowing continues, right? Clear back in the earlier

337
00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:47,440
chapter when he was a teenager, telling him, "You guys are going to bow before me." And they just

338
00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:54,720
keep doing it, right? They just keep bowing before Jesus, which I think is a great picture, or Joseph,

339
00:41:54,720 --> 00:41:59,840
excuse me, because we need to keep bowing before Jesus until He comes and until we're with Him.

340
00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:09,360
And the kindness that is shown these guys, right? They end up giving their present, right, that

341
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:18,400
their dad had sent to Joseph and bowed down. But things are so, like this, are so hard to receive

342
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:25,200
when you're suspicious. So suspicious. They can't even receive this kindness. They're just going,

343
00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:29,360
"Let's give him the present and see if that'll appease him." Let alone what the kindness that

344
00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:34,880
has been shown to them already. But you just can't, when you're suspicious, it's like you can't receive

345
00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:44,080
good things. I've heard of people that have come to Idaho from back east. Said, "You Idahoans,

346
00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:49,760
you know, some of you people are kind of nice around here." No, if you say, "Hi," or wave,

347
00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:54,320
or shake somebody's hand back east, they're like, "What do you want?" You know, they're just like

348
00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:58,080
some of the big cities that they're from. And I'm just like, "Oh, wow.

349
00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:05,280
I know a little town where I grew up, just west of where I grew up,

350
00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:11,040
if you don't wave at somebody, they pull you over and ask if something's wrong."

351
00:43:11,040 --> 00:43:18,800
Right? Everybody in town, you wave, you wave, you know? And

352
00:43:22,240 --> 00:43:27,040
they just can't receive this kindness that's being shown them. Psalm 117, verse 2 says, "For

353
00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:33,920
his merciful kindness is great to us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord."

354
00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:40,400
Romans 2, 4. "Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering,

355
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:45,920
not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" You would think that this, "Golly,

356
00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:52,000
they washed our feet. They fed our donkeys. They're going to feed us. Are they just fatnessing up,

357
00:43:52,000 --> 00:44:00,080
fatnessing us up for the slaughter?" Not so. And God doesn't work that way. God blesses you

358
00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:05,360
because he's good. That's what Joseph is doing here. He's blessing his brothers

359
00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:12,960
simply because there is a goodness in him. And it should lead to repentance.

360
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:17,360
When you look back at your life, do you see how good God's been to you?

361
00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,800
I get chastised sometimes for doing that goodness of God song,

362
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:33,200
because one of the writers is a Bethel guy. I'm going, and there's all kinds of arguments about,

363
00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:38,480
"Okay, what songs do you listen to? Or what songs do you sing at your church? Oh,

364
00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:45,920
you can't sing those songs at your church." And I'm going, "Okay, why?" And so people will say,

365
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:51,040
"Well, because the people who wrote it or this or that." Well, you could have made that argument

366
00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:55,840
over a hundred years ago about Amazing Grace, because the guy was a slave trader that was so

367
00:44:55,840 --> 00:45:01,920
brutal that wrote it, right? He scattered bodies all over the ocean. Yeah, but he repented. Yeah,

368
00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:08,080
he repented, but he set the tune to a barroom tune. So now we can't do Amazing Grace?

369
00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:13,600
No, I think doctrine, you test all things, you hold onto what's good, is what the Bible says.

370
00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:16,560
But that goodness of God song, I realized Bethel wrote it, but

371
00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:23,440
it just takes me back to how good God's been to me. You know how good God's been to you?

372
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:26,160
You realize how good God's been to you.

373
00:45:26,160 --> 00:45:32,240
And if today was the last day, He's been gooder to me than I deserve.

374
00:45:32,240 --> 00:45:39,920
I don't know, is gooder a word?

375
00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:41,920
- It is a good story.

376
00:45:41,920 --> 00:45:47,360
- Yeah, it is now. That's awesome.

377
00:45:47,360 --> 00:46:00,880
So this is quite a story. I mean, the soaps during the weekdays have nothing on this story

378
00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:09,120
with Joseph and his family. Verse 29 says, "Then he lifted his eyes and he saw his brother Benjamin."

379
00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:15,040
His mother's son. And he said, "Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?" And he

380
00:46:15,040 --> 00:46:21,840
said, "God be gracious to you, my son." Now his heart yearned for his brother. So Joseph made haste

381
00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:30,720
and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. And then he

382
00:46:30,720 --> 00:46:37,200
washed his face and came out and he restrained himself and said, "Serve the bread." Here's his

383
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:43,440
brother. He's just like, "Ah, you've seen those reunion things. I watch him, I cry like a baby."

384
00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:48,800
You know, have you seen those reunion things and the look on people's faces when they see their

385
00:46:48,800 --> 00:46:55,360
loved one? You know, especially the military stuff when kids see them. It's just like, oh, I think

386
00:46:55,360 --> 00:47:01,360
that's what it's gonna be like when we see Jesus. It's just gonna be like this overwhelming

387
00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:10,880
emotional rush of like, I've waited so long for this. That I get to see you and I get to embrace

388
00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:19,200
you. And sometimes it's like that with our prodigals, right? And it doesn't have to be

389
00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:24,320
a prodigal child. It can be a prodigal parent or uncle or aunt or whatever.

390
00:47:26,640 --> 00:47:37,360
But he was overcome with emotion. And he says, "Be gracious, God, be gracious to you."

391
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:48,160
And then he says, "All right, let's eat." Let's eat, right? 'Cause he grew up with the Hebrew

392
00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:54,320
roots of thinking that when you ate the food that you consumed, it's like we're one,

393
00:47:54,320 --> 00:48:04,000
where there's this communion. It's real. It's intimate. But in the Egyptian culture, it had

394
00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:13,440
changed. And so basically what he's saying is, you know, come and dine. And he's desiring to be at

395
00:48:13,440 --> 00:48:22,880
this table with his brothers. It's kind of Jesus's desire for us to come and dine with him. And

396
00:48:22,880 --> 00:48:29,520
that's why I entitled this that. You know, that old song I remember hearing the kids sing it years

397
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:36,560
ago, you know, that Jesus has his table spread where the saints of God are fed. He invites his

398
00:48:36,560 --> 00:48:44,960
chosen people come and dine. With his manna he doth feed and supplies our every need. Oh, too

399
00:48:44,960 --> 00:48:51,600
sweet to sup with Jesus all the time. Come and dine. The master calleth, come and dine. You may

400
00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:57,200
feast at Jesus' table all the time. He who fed the multitude and turned the water and the wine,

401
00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:05,040
right, to the hungry he calls now, come and dine. And I just thought that was a beautiful picture of

402
00:49:05,040 --> 00:49:12,800
what Joseph is doing here in the kindness that he's showing, the food that he's providing,

403
00:49:12,800 --> 00:49:20,240
and the fellowship that he desires with his brothers, just as God desires a fellowship with us.

404
00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:28,640
That he desires that, those prayers, right? He desires us to talk to him and commune and

405
00:49:28,640 --> 00:49:35,200
bring our, casting our cares upon him for he cares for us.

406
00:49:35,200 --> 00:49:45,200
And so this emotion, it just, it had overwhelmed him. And so he gathers himself and

407
00:49:47,600 --> 00:49:53,120
in verse 32 through 34 it says, "So they set him

408
00:49:53,120 --> 00:50:03,600
a place by himself." Now this is Joseph has a place by himself. "And them by themselves,

409
00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:10,640
the Egyptians, and who ate with him by themselves. Because the Egyptians could not eat food with the

410
00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:15,840
Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him,

411
00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:21,280
the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth.

412
00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:29,040
And the men looked in astonishment at one another. Then he took servings to them from before him,

413
00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:35,200
but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. And so they drank and were

414
00:50:35,200 --> 00:50:43,840
merry with him." Right? So everybody's getting to chow down and dig in, but there's a separation

415
00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:51,680
in the Egyptian world that he didn't eat with these brothers because of his position. And

416
00:50:51,680 --> 00:51:02,880
actually he had his own place. But Egypt was one of the most racially separated societies on earth.

417
00:51:02,880 --> 00:51:09,200
They believe that Egyptians came from the gods and all other people came from lesser origins.

418
00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:16,960
There was little social mixing with foreigners in the Egypt of Joseph's day. And so

419
00:51:16,960 --> 00:51:22,800
everybody had to be separate. The Egyptians had to be separate. Joseph had to be separate

420
00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:31,040
either because they knew he wasn't Egyptian. And then the brothers were actually an abomination.

421
00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:37,760
We'll see later that the Hebrews were an abomination. Why? Because they were cowboys.

422
00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:44,080
So here you are in a cowboy church, an abomination.

423
00:51:44,080 --> 00:51:55,360
Actually, I had a Christian friend tell me in 2008, he got in the car after the election

424
00:51:55,360 --> 00:52:05,120
and said, "Well, boys, looks like we got an abomination." Get it? Abomination. Never mind.

425
00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:12,000
Never mind. That's all old hat. A lot juicier stories nowadays.

426
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:24,800
But verse 33, I love it because it's, they were astonished, right? And it says,

427
00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:31,440
"And they sat beforehand, the firstborn according to his birth to the youngest." So here they are

428
00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:41,760
in birth order, right? You got Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher,

429
00:52:41,760 --> 00:52:50,960
Isaacar, Zebulun, and Benjamin. 11 men sitting in birth order.

430
00:52:50,960 --> 00:52:57,520
Now, they were astonished. There's a reason that they were astonished, right? That they're sitting

431
00:52:57,520 --> 00:53:06,560
like that is because the statistical odds of that happening, 11 brothers sitting in precise birth

432
00:53:06,560 --> 00:53:17,040
order, check this out, is 1 in 40 million. 1 in 40 million. So I'm wondering, I'm wondering if

433
00:53:17,040 --> 00:53:22,480
they're still suspicious or if they're thinking, "God is in this place." Right?

434
00:53:22,480 --> 00:53:31,840
And then, right? He doesn't leave it there. He serves them. You know, can you imagine Joseph

435
00:53:31,840 --> 00:53:41,520
going around giving Judah, right? Reuben, Simeon, giving everybody food. And then he goes back and

436
00:53:41,520 --> 00:53:48,880
he comes out with a plate with five times the food for his little brother. I'm wondering if he knows

437
00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:57,040
that, or he believes because his younger brother is still subject to his older brothers,

438
00:53:57,040 --> 00:54:05,280
I think maybe this was another test to see how they reacted, right? When the younger brother

439
00:54:05,280 --> 00:54:11,440
got this five times more food than everybody else because they had resented it so much, right? When

440
00:54:11,440 --> 00:54:18,800
Joseph was favored by his dad, he's wondering, "Man, are they gonna be, are they gonna be upset?"

441
00:54:18,800 --> 00:54:25,680
Joseph wanted to see if there was a change of heart in his brothers and if they were the same

442
00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:30,960
men who threw him into the pit. Because obviously he didn't want his little brother to be subject

443
00:54:30,960 --> 00:54:38,720
to that. But the bottom line here, I think the takeaway today is, is God desires this intimacy,

444
00:54:39,360 --> 00:54:49,040
this supping together. And that's what it says in Revelation chapter three, verse 20,

445
00:54:49,040 --> 00:54:54,480
where Jesus, you know, he's talking to a lukewarm church. I believe it's the church today.

446
00:54:54,480 --> 00:55:02,160
I believe that the church is very lukewarm. But in verse 20, he's saying, "Behold, I stand at the

447
00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:12,960
door and knock. And if anyone, if anyone will open the door to me and let me come in, I will come

448
00:55:12,960 --> 00:55:20,560
into them." Isn't it interesting that when we get saved, the invitation that we get, "Jesus, come

449
00:55:20,560 --> 00:55:28,720
into my heart." Why our heart? Because Jeremiah tells us our heart is desperately wicked. He said,

450
00:55:28,720 --> 00:55:39,680
"I will come into you and I will, I will, I will sup with you." He wants us close.

451
00:55:39,680 --> 00:55:46,720
I'm amazed at how my wife wants our kids close.

452
00:55:46,720 --> 00:55:50,880
She, she just wants her kids just right there.

453
00:55:50,880 --> 00:55:55,520
That's kind of the heart of the Lord. He wants us right there.

454
00:55:56,480 --> 00:56:05,600
I hope you're there. Let's pray. Father, thank you that you have, you have a table prepared for us,

455
00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:13,360
that one day we're going to be there, Lord. And it's, it's, it's, it's already, there's just a

456
00:56:13,360 --> 00:56:20,080
timing that only you know. And I pray that we would be okay with that timing. And Jesus, we ask that

457
00:56:20,080 --> 00:56:29,440
you, by your Holy Spirit, would just minister to our hearts. That we would have ears to hear

458
00:56:29,440 --> 00:56:35,600
what you would say to us, Lord, in these last days. Oh Lord, it is time for us to lift our head up,

459
00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:43,120
Lord, for that time of, of being with you is coming close. Lord, and we know that we're going

460
00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:48,080
to have tribulation in this world. So I pray that you would give us a, a zeal and a strength

461
00:56:48,080 --> 00:56:53,840
that is, it is not our own. Lord, that when we go through things in this life, that we wouldn't

462
00:56:53,840 --> 00:56:59,920
be suspicious, that we would be surrendered. And God, that you would have your way. And there may

463
00:56:59,920 --> 00:57:06,000
be some here today that just need to come to that place of absolute surrender. Throwing your hands

464
00:57:06,000 --> 00:57:12,400
in the air and realizing that you're in a situation that you don't have control of, but God does.

465
00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:16,240
And so I just pray that you would surrender that today, if that's you.

466
00:57:17,520 --> 00:57:24,240
And just cry out, call on the name of the Lord. As the apostles encouraged that Philippian jailer,

467
00:57:24,240 --> 00:57:29,440
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Lord, help us to put our faith and trust

468
00:57:29,440 --> 00:57:36,560
in you. Like we never have, Lord, in these days that are ahead of us. And Lord, to encourage the

469
00:57:36,560 --> 00:57:42,240
generation coming after us, Lord, that they need this. I would like to say they need it worse than

470
00:57:42,240 --> 00:57:48,000
I do, but we know that they need it. They need the moving of your Holy Spirit and the power that

471
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:53,760
comes from walking with you. So Lord, get ahold of this generation, we pray, and use them mightily.

472
00:57:53,760 --> 00:58:01,040
Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to speak your truth, Lord, and help us to not back up,

473
00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:07,920
but to press forward. Lord, that we would condemn that which is wicked, Lord, but we wouldn't do

474
00:58:07,920 --> 00:58:13,040
it. We wouldn't condemn people. We would condemn actions, realizing that the condemnation of people

475
00:58:13,040 --> 00:58:20,640
lies strictly and wholly in your hands. So Lord, we love you. We praise you. Would you go before

476
00:58:20,640 --> 00:58:27,120
us this week, Lord? Help us to be a witness for our King, in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's all stand.

477
00:58:27,120 --> 00:58:33,920
If you need prayer, prayer team will be over here to the right. My right, your left. And

478
00:58:36,400 --> 00:58:39,400
Let's do an oldie but a goodie.