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Resiliency & Perspective (Genesis 42)

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MOTIVATE

We live in a world of ready evaluation.

  • Students are evaluated on academics with assignments, tests and grades.
  • Athletes are graded on competition and the number of victories.
  • Musicians are judged if they hit the correct notes.
  • Home values are appraised by appearance upgrades and locations.
  • People measure health with weight scales, heart rates, and blood levels.
  • People measure their time with calendars
  • People measure money with budgets and bank account management
  • Spiritually, we can measure health according to faithfulness of biblical belief and fruitfulness of behavior.

We measure all sorts of areas but how do we measure healthy relationships? The challenge is that we have 3 levels of relationships:

  • Basic: Relationships that are necessary and stay elementary.
  • Basement: Relationships that distract
  • Balcony: Relationships that elevate

Many people stay basic in their relationships. And when crisis or conflict occur, the depth is revealed that they miss out on growth and being elevated to where God wants to take them.

Joseph’s life has finally achieved many social measurements of success. Ancient Egypt surpassed the influence of almost every empire with enviable educational advancements, military might, and limitless wealth, with Joseph in charge.[1] And so, Joseph reaches a turning point in his life. Instead of displaying resiliency through adversity, he will now experience it through the perspective of prosperity. And his prosperity will test relational health with his brothers.

We experience resiliency through adversity and prosperity.

GENESIS 41:41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”

Yet, what we’ll see is that Joseph’s relational health and healing are still a work in progress.

Studying resilience through life of Joseph. #Down7Up8 and today’s key trait for resiliency is Perspective.

EXAMINE    Genesis 42         

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”

We’ve said from beginning of series that we cannot understand Joseph without knowing his family. His father Jacob had 4 wives, 12 sons, 1 daughter.

  • Reuben committed incest with Jacob’s concubine to overthrow father (Ge 35:22)
  • Simeon & Levi revenge murdered an entire city for the rape of sister (Ge 34)
  • Judah impregnated daughter in-law who disguised herself as a prostitute (Ge38)
  • All brothers were guilty of bullying and attempted murder of Joseph.
  • This family was dysfunctional: unrealistic expectations, unhealthy communication, unresolved conflicts, improper boundaries, conditional love, isolation, secrecy, betrayal, abuse.
  • And now we see their dysfunction in paralysis by procrastination. The verb “see” is used twice with Jacob seeing the sons and the sons watching each other but not acting, implying inattention and indecision.[2]
    Who are the daydreamers now!?!

2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

Gotta love the parental humor…

FYI PARENTS: There’s a time for patience and then there’s time to provoke your children to action. Pray for wisdom which to exercise!

3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin with the others because he was afraid that harm might come to him.

Remember, Joseph and Benjamin were sons of Rachel. Jacob was still showing favoritism and living in grief.

5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.
Famine stretched at least 500+ miles.

6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

Duh-Da-Duh! Joseph’s dream at 17 y/o is fulfilled at age ~44 with his family bowing down to him. Joseph finally gains perspective for what God was doing in his life.

7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”

The brothers were part of a parade of refugees who were seeking humanitarian assistance in Egypt.

EXCURSUS:
It was common for individuals & families to flee their home seeking refuge due to persecution or poverty. And the LORD commanded Israel to not oppress but provide for foreigners, bc they too were foreigners in Egypt needing help (Ex 23:9; Lev 19:34). Scripture indicates a variety of ways Israel provided support:

  • Leave harvest gleanings for poor and foreigners to reap (Lev 23:22; Dt 14:28-29)
  • Treat foreigners as citizens made in God’s image (Lev 19:33-34; 25:35; Dt 10:17-18; Mal 3:5)
  • Be invited to participate in religious feasts (Nu 9:14; Dt 16:14; 26:11; 31:12)
  • Cities of temporary refuge for those not receiving fair and just treatment (Nu 35:15)
  • Hospitality (φιλοξενίαν) is love of strangers or outsiders. Jesus modeled this in his ministry, which early church practiced prominently (cf Mt 25:35; Lk 10:33-35; Ac 4:32; Ro 12:13; Heb 13:1-2; 1Pe 4:9; 3Jn 1:5-8).

BUT [3]

  • Land borders were defined and taken seriously. Notice the Israelites needed permission to enter Egypt and receive aid (cf Ge 47:4-6; also see Nu 20:14-19; Dt 19:14; 27:17; Neh 2:17; etc.).
  • Laws exhorted Israel to abstain from permanent alliances like treaties or marriage with foreigners (Dt 7:1-6). Further, governments shall operate for the good of its citizens and punish lawbreakers (Ro 13; Cf Isa 1:7; Oba 11; Lam 5:2;).
  • Laws shall not be contrasting or prejudicial for foreigners vs residents (Ex 12:49; Lev 18:26; 24:22; Nu 15:29-30; Jer 22:3; Mal 3:5).
  • Overall, God loves people from every nation and class (Jn 3:16; Rev 5). Nations should champion legal immigration processes. And the church’s role is not partisanship but prophetic to exhort our gov. to act and make moral laws that secure our nation AND safeguard people – especially the vulnerable.  
  • Yet, the Bible does not give specifics on the “what” of a nation’s immigration policy, so let us be careful of manipulating Scripture for our own ends.

RETURN to Ge 42, Joseph treats the brothers sternly. He interrogates them.
– From where have you come?

  • What is your purpose in our country?
  • Who are your associates; are you a spy?
  • [me on mission trips… “step aside, sir”]

10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men {ahem!}, not spies.”

12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”

13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

Aww, they still remember Joseph (sarcasm). So much for their honesty = one is no more bc they sold and left him for dead…
BUT
GOD is in this story! God is in the details.
Even in the broken parts, He holds our heart; God never fails…
always in the highs and lows, the One who goes before us;
God is in this story[4]

14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

Joseph misses his brother Benjamin. And he’s also testing the brothers 1) to protect Benjamin. The brothers could return home and treat Ben just like they did Joseph. So, Joseph joins the brothers’ lives to the safety of Benjamin. 2) Joseph is checking if the brothers are repentant and will be honest to return.

16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 And he put them all in custody for three days.

3 days might sound short, but it feels like eternity if you’re uncertain of the outcome. Undoubtedly the brothers were blame-shifting and troubled.

18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.

Did you catch Joseph’s new-found perspective? Instead of disillusionment or bitterness, Joseph gained resiliency from his reverence of God. It’s not that hardship and suffering didn’t exist, they were very real. But as suffering became part of his story it refined him as a man of faith, wisdom, and compassion.

Instead of disillusionment or bitterness, Joseph gained resiliency from his reverence of God. It’s not that hardship and suffering didn’t exist, they were very real. But as suffering became part of his story it refined him as a man of faith, wisdom, and compassion.

21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.”

The brothers were drowning in guilt. They’re remembering the vivid trauma they caused:

  • Joseph’s pleading shrieks of help;
  • his pounding fists into the dirt;
  • his angry and fearful cries of desperation;
  • the smell and sounds of the foreign slave-trade caravan;
  • the feel of the money exchanged for their brother;  
  • the sound of the brothers ripping Joseph’s multi-colored coat.
  • the guilty stomach churn of the brothers’ conniving story about their brother dying from a wild animal attack.  
  • the sight of the father’s facial terrors and sounds of his sobbing tears falling from his cheeks;
  • and the staring eyes of all the brothers who swore to secrecy.

The 27-y/o vivid imagery returns to their present minds, and they believe God is finally judging them. They know they deserve famine and the prison, but they’re pleading for mercy.

22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.

24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

Joseph heard their blame-shifting but also discerned their brokenness. In a sense, the brothers passed Joseph’s test, and he found what he had been searching for.

  • Psalm 32:3-4 “when I kept silent, my bones wasted away and groaned all day long… God’s hand was heavy upon me and my strength dried up as by the heat of summer”
  • Psalm 51:16-17 “The LORD does not delight in going through religious motions or feigned performance. God desires a broken spirit – a humble and contrite heart”

And Joseph weeps; which we see his tears 4x through the rest of the narrative (42:24; 43:30; 45:14–15; 50:17).

Tears are not a design flaw but a divinely engineered means to reflect that we are alive and bear the image of God, and the likeness of our Savior. “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.”[5]

Tears are not a design flaw but a divinely engineered means to reflect that we are alive and bear the image of God, and the likeness of our Savior.

Joseph sends the brothers back home but detains Simeon. Why not the oldest brother Reuben? Likely bc Reuben attempted to spare Joseph’s life (Ge 37:21-22, 29-30), and that would imply the next oldest, Simeon, oversaw the brothers and crafted the plot against Joseph. So, Joseph isn’t exacting revenge – he’s not escalating the conflict or personally retaliating. Instead, Joseph is exacting retribution – providing legal justice, and in this case with lesser proportion to Simeon’s actions.  

25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

Joseph sent them home with food and returned their money. Why did Joseph return their payment for the food? It is most likely that Joseph bore the food cost for the brothers out of his own pocket. It was a tangible act and final confirmation in his own heart to reflect the forgiveness he felt toward his brothers. It was also a gesture of hope and reconciliation. You see, Joseph did not know if his father or brothers had the funds to make the return trip. So, Joseph was ensuring the opportunity for his family to be taken care of and their future reconciliation.

29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’

33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”

35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”

37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.”

Reuben, as the oldest child, feels the weight of responsibility and remorse. Yet, his vow is foolish as it would only further compound the dysfunction and grief for the entire family.

38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

Jacob has no trust in his sons. The father takes no consolation in Reuben’s offer. The concept of his grandsons being an atoning sacrifice is inconceivable. But the irony is that Jacob is a key contributor to his sons’ behaviors due to his past lies, favoritism, and unattended grief of their mothers. And it’s why later God will tell the Israelites that the sins of parents are visited on their children to the third and fourth generation (Ex 20:5).[6]

There is no automatic formula or guarantee, but parents who don’t train their children in the Lord or discipline their behaviors will have significant regret when they become adults.

There is no automatic formula or guarantee, but parents who don’t train their children in the Lord or discipline their behaviors will have significant regret when they become adults.

APPLY/TAKEAWAYS: Guilt / Grace / Growth

*GUILT is a gift to our soul.
The brothers had lived with guilt for 27years! But it didn’t lead them to pursue repentance or reconciliation. Instead, it paralyzed them emotionally and socially.
They were staring at each other during a famine. They weren’t communicating or attempting to solve any of their life problems. They would have deteriorated and died of starvation had not their father awakened their stupor and confronted their idleness.

How do you respond to guilt? The way we often attempt to manage guilt is either hiding or accusing.

Like Adam & Eve, we run and hide. We stifle our feelings and stuff our faults in an emotionally closed and dark area, never to be discussed or addressed. But God sees everything and His light penetrates the dark.

Or, we can reject guilt by accusing others. We gaslight people who hold us accountable by rationalizing our actions as righteous – even if they go against God’s word or are contradictory to how we expect others to treat us.

My friend, guilt is a gift from God. Do not stuff or stifle it, but see it as God’s kindness intending to lead you to repentance (Jn 16:8; Ro 2:4; 2 Cor 7:10).

  • Proverbs 28:13 “whoever covers their sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses will find healing”

*GRACE is a gift God wants us to give to others.
Joseph’s perspective was redeemed bc He entrusted his life and the lives of his brothers and family into God’s hands. Joseph was in the position he was in due to God’s grace, so Joseph wasn’t trying to assume the place of God. He could have given them food and sent them on their way – careless if they returned or reconciled. Yet, he paid the price of forgiveness AND reconciliation.

What about you – do you have a list of those who have wronged you? Are you clinging to a grudge, and secretly hoping to enact retribution? Are you withholding anything that would stand in the way of you reconciling with someone?

Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free and discover that prisoner was you. So…
Bless the LORD O my soul
Don’t let yourself forget all His benefits
When we are captive, He sets us free
Weeping may last for a night,
Joy comes in the morning
Bless the LORD
 GRACE is a gift God wants us to give to others

*GROWTH is relying more, not less on God.
The brothers were guilty and paranoid at their potential consequences. Likewise, Jacob was fearful of sending Benjamin to Egypt that there might be sorrow upon grief. His words: “Everything is against me” reflect his despair and faithlessness. When you don’t factor God into the equation of your life your problems multiply, your peace is subtracted, and your purpose divided.
Jacob was walking with a limp bc he wrestled with God earlier in his life. Yet, he was still treating God like crutch to lean on only when he needed to get somewhere. But faith in God isn’t a crutch – it’s a stretcher. Salvation isn’t relying upon God AND our grit and good works. Once again, the only means of resiliency is our relationship with Almighty God. So, our growth isn’t relying less on God but discovering how helpless we are without Him and how hopeful we are with Him.  

When you don’t factor God into the equation of your life your problems multiply, your peace is subtracted, and your purpose divided.

Our growth isn’t relying less on God but discovering how helpless we are without Him and how hopeful we are with Him.  

[1] Charles Swindoll, Joseph, p.77.

[2] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 774.

[3] See info from James K. Hoffmeier, Wise Welcome [adapted from The Immigration Crisis], p. 20, ff. A free e-book accessed at http://www.americanevangelicals.org/immigration.

[4] Big Daddy Weave and Katy Nichole, “God Is In This Story.”

[5] Washington Irving.

[6] John Goldingay, Genesis for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 17–50, First edition, Old Testament for Everyone (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 154.

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