Joseph and the Providence of God

Our title today, Joseph and the Providence of God. The sermon today will be able to see the real meaning behind Romans 828. All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Joseph and the Providence of God. Have you ever fallen into the dungeon of despair and felt there was no way out for you? Oh yes, you might believe that God always delivers. You're aware of the promises, but it seems for you there's just no way out. It seems impossible. You might think that even God cannot fix what has happened to you. So there is a true account in the Bible of a young man who literally was thrown into seemingly an impossible situation and eventually winds up as the CEO of the most powerful ruler in the known world at that time. And that man is Joseph. The literal meaning of the name Joseph, and we'll mention this at least two more times, hopefully, is Yahweh remembers. His name is a derivation of the word Yahweh or the eternal. So in this sermon you'll see the Providence of God and Romans 8.28 in action. So let's first of all take a look at Joseph's background, his father especially, and then later his mother. As you recall, Joseph's father, Jacob, and Jacob, Joseph's father, was given the blessings, the birthright blessings, from his father Isaac. You remember the story of how Rebecca and Jacob cooked up this scheme to deceive Isaac into thinking that Jacob was Esau, and so Isaac wound up giving the blessing to Joseph, I mean to Jacob while Esau was out hunting. Jacob the man whose name was changed to Israel. Jacob means supplanter, and of course they supplanted Esau and gained the birthright, but evidently it was God's will to begin with. And he wrestled with an angel, a messenger from God, and his name was changed to Israel. And sometimes he's called Jacob. Jacob generally has to do with that which is of the flesh, and Israel generally has to do with that which is of the spirit, and the name Israel literally means prince ruling with God. Jacob struggled and wrestled all the days of his life in fulfilling the mission that God had called him to perform. Jacob and his mother, as we've already noticed, had deceived Isaac into giving him the blessings. In turn, Jacob was deceived by Laban when Jacob fled to Peron over to the brother of Rebecca. He was promised that he would be able to marry Rachel after he had worked for seven years, but when the seven years were over, Laban pulled a fast one on him and Leah wound up as his wife instead of Rachel. And he was told he had to work seven more years in order to marry Rachel.

Jacob was finally married to Rachel and he favored her over his wife, Leah. Leah and some, I guess you would call him concubines, gave Jacob 10 sons and Rachel gave birth to two sons. To turn to Genesis 30, we'll pick up the story of Joseph there in Genesis 30. In Genesis 30, in beginning with verse 22, we'll see the birth of Joseph and the fact that his mother died in childbirth. Genesis 30, verse 22.

And God remembered Rachel and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bare a son and said, God has taken away my reproach. And she called his name Joseph, meaning God or Yahweh remembers, and said, the Lord shall add to me another son, which he did later, is Benjamin. And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away that I may go unto my own place and to my own country and give me my wives and my children.

And Laban said to him, I pray that I have found favor in your eyes, wait for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake. Now, as we've already said, in the Hebrew name of Joseph is in Hebrew, you would pronounce it something like Yosef or Yosef, but we say Joseph in English and once again remembered of God. Now we turn to Genesis 35 and verse 9. In Genesis 35 verse 9 we'll see the birth of the last son of Jacob, and that was Benjamin in Genesis 35 and verse 9.

We'll start in verse 6. Jacob came to the Luzz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is Bethel, and all the people that were with him, and he built there an altar and called the place El Bethel because their God appeared unto him when he fled from the face of his brother.

But Deborah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak, and the name of it was called Allion Machoff, and God appeared unto Jacob again when he came out of Paddan Arom and blessed him. And God said unto him, Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be called any more Jacob, it shall be called Israel, and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty.

Be fruitful and multiply, and nation of kings shall come out of you.

We go on down and it gives the account of the birth of the children there. In verse 16, they jerked from Bethel, and there was a little way to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. And it came to pass, and when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not, you shall have this son also. And it came to pass as her soul or life essence was departing, for she died. She called his name Bioni, but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethel him. I have a correct... I said earlier, I think that she died giving birth to Joseph, but that's be hard to give birth to Benjamin if you had died giving birth to Joseph.

So that is the account of Rachel's death.

And Rachel was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethel him. All these names are familiar during the days of Christ. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave, and that is the pillar of Rachel's grave. And to this day, that place, whether or not they've identified the place, and it still remains the place, has been revered through the ages.

Sources say that Joseph was six years old when Rachel died. So Joseph and Benjamin were left, especially Benjamin, without the influence, guidance, love, care, and concern of their mother.

But evidently, Joseph and Benjamin developed a very close relationship, as we shall see later on in the sermon. The other sons are the children of Jacob's other wives, Leah, his first wife, and two other women who were servants of Rachel and Leah. So, of course, Jacob had 12 sons, and the 12 sons became the 12 tribes, and the 12 tribes became the nation of Israel.

Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph, coupled with the fact that Joseph openly told everyone about his dreams and his apparent destiny, made his brothers very jealous. So, we want to read now from Genesis 37 this account of Joseph's favoritism toward Joseph. I mean, Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph in Genesis 37 verse 1. And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren. Now, remember that he was in the land of Canaan, and when the famine came, as we shall see later, Joseph had him come down into Egypt. So, these are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, and keep that age in mind, Joseph was 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilphah, his father's wives, and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now, Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. Perhaps you've heard Dolly Parton's song of the coat of many colors. Quite touching about her growing up. I guess it's a true story. And when his brothers saw that the father loved him more than all the brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, a double emphasis there. He dreamed a dream. It wasn't just any old dream that you might have.

And he told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Here I pray you this dream which I have dreamed. For behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose that also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves stood round about and made obesions to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us, or shall you indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for the dreams and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed the dream more, and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obesions to me. And he told it to his father, and to the brethren, and the father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brethren? And some commentators there, when it mentions the mother again, because a mother would be, she died a long time ago, and say, Okay, the Bible contradicts itself. I assume here that Jacob understood that there was a world coming, a world in which they would be resurrected, and was speaking about the future and not the immediate present. But a lot of commentators like to take off of this, where it says, Shall your mother and your brethren and all of us bow down to you? Indeed, come to to bow down to you, to the earth. And his brothers envied him. In other words, they were jealous, but his father observed the same. It had some import upon Jacob, so I guess you would say he stuck it in the back of his mind. What does this really mean? So what does it do to a family when the parents show a preference for one child over the other? We'll see, of course, in this, and we've already seen that it causes a lot of difficulty. Was it a blessing to Joseph to be preferred by his father?

Does it really help the child in the family setting to be favored by the father or the mother? I guess for the child, depending on the mentality of the child, it might, but in the long run, probably not. Because his brothers hated him, they refused to speak a kind word to him. So what does this tell about Joseph? Some commentators want to criticize Joseph for telling his dreams to his father and the brothers, and there were sisters as well.

But do you think God wanted Joseph to tell his brothers and parents these dreams? I think he did, because God had a great work and plan for Joseph that ties in with the whole purpose and plan of God. Just when we think about the whole scenario and the whole story, I believe God wanted Joseph to share his dreams with his family. But I don't, you know, that's what I believe, based on the evidence of the total scenario. We're all being tested every day, all along the way, as to how we deal with the circumstances of life that are set before us. And notice in verse 11, once again, it says, the brothers in bit him, or they were really jealous. Now historically, when people were told something they didn't like, and it's still true today, they attempt to kill the messenger. But killing the messenger doesn't kill the message.

You can't kill truth, and you cannot stop the providence of God. And the providence of God was at work in the life of Joseph and the whole family of Jacob. Jacob and the 12 sons, which became the 12 tribes, which became the nation of Israel, which became the example in type and the covenant, which was a foreshadow of the new covenant.

So it seemed that Jacob kept these things in mind. Remember what it says? It seemed that Jacob might have an idea of maybe what he dreamed is true, so he stored it away in his mind.

Now the story in the plot thickens.

When Jacob sent the older brothers out to graze the flocks, and after some time passes, Jacob sent Joseph out to check on them. So we're in 37. Let's pick that up in 18. The brothers have gone out, and now Joseph is coming to check on them. And this is 37.18. Genesis 37 verse 18. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to kill him.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes. Come now therefore, and let us slay him. Let's kill him. Let's cast him into some pit, and we will say, we'll tell our dad, Jacob, some evil beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams. We'll put it into this right now. We'll just kill him.

Get him out of the way. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands and said, Let us not kill him. Now Reuben was the firstborn, and Reuben, being the firstborn, had the right to the birthright. But because Reuben spoiled his father's bed, the birthright was taken away from Reuben and given to Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. But at this point, Reuben being the firstborn and being the one that Jacob would first turn to and say, What happened? What happened, Reuben? What happened to Joseph? And he would have to give an account. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into the pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him, that he might rid him out of their hands and deliver him to his father again. So Reuben hatched this scheme in his mind that he would say, Okay, go ahead and put him in the pit. Then he'd come back later and get him out and take him back to Jacob. And it came to pass when Joseph was come unto his brethren that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, the coat of many colors, which that really set them off to, his coat of many colors that was on him. And they took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread. Okay, do away with brother today. Let's go have lunch. How casual can you be?

They lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spice and balm and myrrh, and going to carry it down to Egypt. Remember Ishmael? Ishmael was the half-brother of Isaac. And so Ishmael would be related in the background.

Then verse 28, I imagine 26, and Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? And of course, people make out for that, saying, well, that's just like a Jew. They always want to make a profit.

But I doubt that's the case here. But that's what he said. Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh, and his brethren were content.

Then they're passed by Medianites, merchantmen, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver. So he goes from the Ishmaelites to the Medianites for 20 pieces of silver.

And Reuben returned under the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit, and he ran his clothes. So Reuben must have taken off before the Ishmaelites were seen in the plot that Judah had come up with, was enacted, but he had evidently left, and he came back, and he returned on his brethren and said, the child's not. Where did he go? And they took Joseph's coat and killed a kid of the goats, dipped the coat in the blood, and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to his father and said, this how we found it. Know now whether it be your son's coat or no? Is this really the coat you made for Joseph? And he knew it and said, it is my son's coat. An evil beast has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt rent to pieces. So they lied to their father. They deceived him in this awful thing.

So what do you think Joseph was thinking after being thrown into the pit?

Perhaps he wondered if God had forsaken him and probably thought of his dream. Well, how are these dreams going to come to pass?

Regardless as to how far the vengeful, hateful, horrible, evil mind of Satan the devil may push us into the pits of suffering, sadness, and shame, God and Christ have promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We heard it in the special music. From the deepest, darkest dungeon of despair, the deepest, darkest dungeon of despair, you can call on God for deliverance. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. And that promise is repeated more than once in the Bible. The very thing that Satan designed to destroy you can become the means of an everlasting assurance that you must turn to God and trust him in all situations and circumstances. But make no mistake about it, the dungeon, the pit, the dungeon of despair can destroy you.

And it will if you do not respond correctly. And many people have been destroyed by the dungeon of despair, desperation, and suicide is the second leading cause of death of those under 30 years of age. Number one cause, automobile accidents, and a lot of people think a lot of the automobile accidents are really people committing suicide, driving into trees or bridges or that kind of thing.

When God is going to give us great responsibility, he may begin with a great trial. As the Apostle Peter said, trying our faith is more precious than gold. So Joseph is now in the pit with every vestige of who he was, what he was, his hopes and dreams for the future are flashing before his face. Then out of the blue they see the band of Ishmaelites and Ishmaelites sell him to the Midianites, as we've already said.

And we talked about what Joseph did, I mean Judah did, the Reuben coming back to the pit. Now, in verse 31, we've already read where they brought the coat back to Jacob. Jacob said, yeah, it's his coat. The beast have torn him to pieces. You know, God cannot be tempted to do evil. Neither tempts us to do evil, but on the other hand, he allows us to be tried to the very point of desperate despair, as in the case of Job. And we recently had a sermon by Dr. Erweler on Job. I don't know if we can say that God planned it all out in advance so that Jacob would favor Joseph, making him a coat of many colors, but he did give Joseph the dreams. Did he plan it out in advance that he would be thrown into a pit? Did he time it so the Ishmaelites would come along just at the right time? And you think about some of the horrible catastrophes that people have suffered through the years, just like one second or two seconds, one way or the other, they would have avoided the disaster, the explosion, the gunshots, the automobile accident, or whatever. So God may have played a role in the timing of the appearance of the Ishmaelites. God may have influenced Judah to suggest that they sell him into slavery instead of killing him. Now, several laws of family relationships were broken on the way to this desperate, awful tragedy. Of course, one was Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph, and another was Jacob's favoritism toward Rachel, his second wife. Of course, he had Leah and concubines through whom he had sons. To some degree, Jacob and Joseph flouted their relationship over the rest of the family, for example, making the code of many colors. But, once again, we know that God was the one who gave Joseph the dreams.

So God was with Joseph, and what God had revealed to Joseph through these dreams was going to come to pass. So did God know Joseph was going to be thrown into the pit? We've already talked about that. I suspect that he did, but I can't prove that because he knew how Joseph's brothers felt about him. The Ishmaelites brought Joseph down to Egypt. Let's look at chapter 39. I believe he has been sold to the Ishmaelites.

In Genesis 39 verse 1, and Joseph was brought down to Egypt, brought down to Egypt, see, from Canaan to Egypt. Egypt, symbolic of sin and death and practically everything that's evil, but yet at the same time it turned out to be the cocoon for the salvation of Jacob and his family during the famine. Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard of the Egyptians, brought him off the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down there. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. So God was with Joseph all the way.

He was with Joseph, and his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hands. Now how would the master know this? Well, I don't think the master was a believer. I don't think that he knew anything about the truth, but he could see, he could discern, and of course the people of that day, even though the Egyptians worshiped the sun God, that they really believed there was a supernatural power, and that you had to please that supernatural power in order to be blessed and prosper.

Verse 4, Joseph found grace in his sight and his servant, and he served him, and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had put his hand to, and it came to pass from the time that he had made him to overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptians' house for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of the Lord was given upon all that he had in the house and in the field. So this family, Potiphar's family, was being greatly blessed because Joseph was there, and he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he knew not aught he had saved the bread which he did eat.

In other words, he gave Joseph charge of everything but his bread, and Joseph was a goodly person and well favored, and it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, lie with me. So here comes the seductress. But he refused. He's not a me too. But he refused and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master knows not what is with me in the house, or the master has not withheld anything from me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.

There is none greater in this house than I, neither hath he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? We could say, where have all the Josephs gone? And it came to pass as she spoke to Joseph day by day, just day after day, harassing him, that he hearkened not unto her to lie by her or to be with her.

And it came to pass about that time that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and there was none of the men of the house there within, and she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me! And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and was fled, that she called unto the men of the house, and said unto them, See, he has brought into us this Hebrew to mock us.

And he came in to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.

And he came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried. He left his garment with me and fled and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her until the husband came home, part of her. She spoke to him, according to these words, the Hebrew servant which you brought unto me. He came unto me to mock me, and he came to pass as I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment with me and fled out. And he came to pass when his master heard these words of his wife, which he spoke unto him, After this manner, and your servant to me, that his wrath was kindled, and Joseph's master took him and put him into prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound, and he was there in the prison. So, the second P from the pit to the prison, and it seemed pretty hopeless, but verse 21, And the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison, and whatsoever they did, there was the door of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him, and that which he did prospered. So, we see that Potiphar's wife tried to do Joseph in. Now, why would she do this? Why would she commit this act? Because a lover scorned is a dangerous thing. I suspect it was more than just vengeful spite. She probably said, you cannot refuse me, I will bring you down. Her motives are similar to those of Joseph's brothers. So, you think you're superior to me? I'll show you. I'll tell Potiphar, and we see that she did, and we see what Potiphar did. He put Joseph in prison. She was probably, I'll put you in your place. From Cain and Abel to the present day, this is one of the sad themes of human history. See, darkness hates light, but God is with Joseph, and he continues to work out his plan. And so, whatever Joseph did there when he was in prison, he had prospered. So, while Joseph was in prison, he interprets the dream of two former members of Pharaoh's court who was thrown into jail with him. Of course, the ability to interpret dreams was a result of divine revelation. And one of these former court members, Pharaoh's chief cup bearer, is restored to his position in accord with Joseph's interpretation of his dream. So, let's read Genesis 40 verses 13-14.

Genesis 40, and Joseph said, this is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days, yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up your head and restore you into your place, and you shall deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand after the former manor when you were his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with you, and show kindness I pray you unto me, and make mention unto Pharaoh about me, and bring me out of this house. Of course, he forgot that for quite a long time. Look at verse 23, yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him. So, then Pharaoh has a dream about cows and grain which bothers him, and wise men cannot interpret the dream. So, we look at Genesis 41-1.

It came to pass at the end of two full years that Pharaoh dreamed, behold, he stood by the river.

And we know about the fat and the lean cows. Now we go to verse 8. It came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent out and called for the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men thereof. And Pharaoh told his dream, but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh. So, two years have passed. He didn't remember Joseph, but now he can probably get gained some favor. So, he says, I do remember my faults this day. Pharaoh was mad with his servants and put me in the ward in the captain of the guard's house, both he and the chief baker. And we dreamed a dream in one night. I and he, we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was a young man, a Hebrew servant, to the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted to us our dream. To each man, according to his dream, he did interpret. And it came to pass as he interpreted to us. So it was, he restored me unto my office, and him he hanged. Then Pharaoh sent out and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon and shaved himself and changed his raiment and came unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there's none that has interpreted it. And I have heard, I have heard say of you, that you can understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, it is not in me. God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, in my dream, behold, I sit on the bank, and he repeated the dream of the fat and lean cows. And as a result of that, Joseph is made second ruler in the land. Now we look at verse 39.

Genesis 41, 39. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, for as much as God has showed you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according unto your word shall all my people be ruled. Only in the house will I be greater than you, sort of like with Potiphar. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand, raid him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck, and made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, Bow the knee, and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. Joseph was given full command. Now, as time went on, he's made ruler of the land, as we see here.

And Pharaoh continued in verse 44, and Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without you no man shall lift up his hand. Then verse 45, and Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath Penaiah, and he gave to him Asenath, the daughter of Pate Pharoah, or Pharaah, priest of Aun. And so, Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. So, he gave him this wife.

And it'd be interesting for you to look up what the literal meaning of these words are, of the names of the priest and also the daughter of the priest. And Joseph was 30 years old, verse 46, when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went out throughout all the land, sure, riding in a splendid chariot, and everybody bowing down and saying, oh, that's Pharaoh's chief lieutenant, or CEO, as we would say today.

Now, you see what happens here, verse 47, and in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls the fruit, the wheat, the grain. And he gathered up all the food of seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities and food of the field, which was round about every city, and he laid up the same, all the grain. And Joseph gathered corn as a sin of the sea, very much until he left numbering for it was without number.

And unto Joseph were born two sons, two sons that we talk a lot about, Ephraim and Manasseh.

And unto Joseph were born two sons before the house of before the years of famine came, which asked the nighth the daughter of Potipharah, priest of on, bear unto him. So Joseph was married to an Egyptian, and she was the daughter of a priest who represented the sun god, the religion of Egypt of that day. So it's a very interesting kind of marriage and relationship. But evidently there was no problem, per se, with regard to their relationship, and they got along and she was able to give him these two sons, and these two sons became the the inheritors of the birthright. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. As you recall that when the time came for Jacob to give the birthright to the sons of Joseph, and he put his hands on Ephraim, and Joseph said, oh no, my father. Manasseh is a firstborn, and God said, yeah, I know that, but I'm giving the birthright to Ephraim.

And Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, for God said, he has made me forget all my toil in my father's house, and the name of the second called he Ephraim, for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction, and the seven years of plenty. You see, from the age of 17, 13 years passed. Remember verse 40, what is it, 46 that we read, and whichever verse it is. And Joseph was 30 years old when he was made the ruler of Egypt. So from 13 years, from the time that he was cast into the pit, he was in prison, he was falsely accused, put in prison, and basically forgotten in prison until Pharaoh had the dream, and then he came to prominence and made ruler of the land.

So 13 years passed, and he's made ruler now. He's just 30 years old, and Pharaoh gives him the wife, and she bears these two sons.

So all through these horrible trials, Joseph recognizes the providence of God in his life, and in each one of these accounts it says, and God was with him. Even though he was the victim of jealousy, hatred, and betrayal, he endured some of the worst of trials. Joseph always remained faithful to God. I think what is so amazing in all of this is that he kept his wits. He didn't let this tilt him one way or the other. He stayed on the main road. He never fell prey to the things that so often plague us when we are the victims of such tragedies, because he knew and he knew that he knew God and the promises of God.

Things that keep people in the dungeon of despair are blaming others for your situation.

Others may be responsible for placing you in the pit, but blaming them and becoming bitter will not lift you out of the pit.

Secondly, becoming the victim provides some with status in their own minds. Oh, I'm a victim. And of course, we live in a victim society today. Everybody is a victim of something from some kind of not getting a fair shake in life to some kind of discrimination or whatever it is.

Refusing to let go of bitterness. Now, look at Proverbs 14.10 with regard to bitterness. Bitterness is one of the great enemies of people when they fall prey to unfair treatment. And the treatment may have been just in a way, but people have a way of justifying their own cause. And whether it was unfair or whether it was justice being administered, a root of bitterness can spring up. Esau became so bitter after Jacob received the birthright that it ate him up. It talks about in Hebrews how he sought repentance, but he was not able to find it. In Proverbs 14 verse 10, the heart knows his own bitterness.

And for some people, that becomes their hallmark in which they think their entitlement is, I've got a right to be bitter. And a stranger does not intermetal with his joy. I love it. I've got a reason. I've got a cause. And if I give up my bitterness, I won't have the reason. I won't have the cause. So then that's another thing that happens living for revenge. I'll get even with you sooner or later.

Or withdrawing into a shell to insulate against future hurts. Well, I've gone through that once. I'm not going to allow myself to go through it again. I'm not going to put myself out there because I know how it hurts.

Another living the life of martyrdom, that is becoming sorry for self and wallowing in the pits of self-pity.

So the famine comes upon the land, and it looks like with Jacob and his family that they are going to starve. But we send brothers down into Egypt to look for grain, to buy grain.

So let's read here in Genesis 42 and verse 21.

Let's start in Genesis 42 verse 1, then we'll go to there. Genesis 42 and verse 1.

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do you look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there's corn in Egypt. Get you down there and buy for us from thence, that we may live and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn. He didn't let Benjamin go the youngest, so the ten brothers went down to buy corn.

But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob, sent not with a brethren, for he said, Lest for adventure, Mischief befalls him. And the sons of Israel came to buy corn. Among these came because of the famine in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was a governor over the land, and it was that soul to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth, fulfillment of the dream. And Joseph saw his brothers, their brethren, and he knew them, and he made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly unto them. And he said unto them, Where did you come from?

And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them and said unto them, You are spies. So he's showing his authority, and he's testing them. Have they gotten over their envy, their jealousy, their bitterness? Have they let that go? This is one of the most fascinating parts of the story here in the next 10 minutes or so. And they said in verse 10, No, not, my Lord, but we're not spies, but we came to buy food. That's why your servants have come to buy food. We're all of one man's sons. We are true men. Your servants are not spies. And he said unto them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land, you're come. You're come to spy it out. And they said, Your servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. And behold, the youngest is with him with our father, and one is not. Guess which one that is.

And Joseph said unto them, That is that I have spoken to you, you are spies. Hereby you shall be proved by the life of Pharaoh. You shall not go forth, hence, except your youngest brother, come here. So he says, You're going to have your youngest brother come to prove that you are not spies. And they went back, and eventually Joseph did allow the brothers to return to Joseph and let Benjamin go. But they were really afraid. We look at chapter 42 and verse 21. Chapter 42 verse 21. And they said in one another, We are very guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we wound, and we would not hear. Therefore, is this distress come upon us? So they think back. So we heard the distress. I guess Joseph and the pit was really crying out. And Reuben answered them, saying, Didn't I say unto you, Do not sin against the child? And he would not hear. Therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them, for he spoke unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them, and wept, and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took them, and summoned him before their eyes. Simeon. Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and restore every man's money unto his sack, and he gave them provision for the way and the time he did, and thus he did unto them. And they laid their donkeys with the corn and departed there, and as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food, he spied his money, for behold, it was in the sack. And he said unto the brethren, My money is restored, and lo, it is in my sack. And their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying to one another, What is this that God has done to us? So guilt was eating them up.

Now we go to chapter 43, chapter 43 and verse 16. Finally, they come back down, and Benjamin is with them this time. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said unto the ruler of his house, Bring these men, bring these men home, and slay, in other words, kill the fatted calf, and make ready, for these men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph made, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. And the men were afraid, because they were bought unto Joseph's house. And they said, Because of the money that he was returned in their sacks, that the first time I were brought in, that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen and our donkeys with them. In other words, he's going to accuse us of being a thief.

Then finally, in chapter 45, it is fascinating to read all of this intrigue here, going back in 2 with their visits. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Chapter 45, then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, cause every man to go out from me, and there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Can you imagine what this is like? The emotion and everything involved in it?

And of course, it reveals the heart. And he wept aloud in the Egyptians, and the house of Pharaoh heard, and Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph. Does my father yet live? And his brethren could not enter him, for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near, and he said, I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt. Now therefore, be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you show me here. And here's the providence of God. You're not that big, brothers, for God did send me before you to preserve life. If this had not happened, you would start the death.

But because of the providence of God, I'm here, and you're going to live. For these two years has the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years in which there shall neither be earring nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you of posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. What a story! What a story!

So the brothers were concerned that Joseph would seek revenge while Joseph believed that God had ordained this for the good of all.

And he did. Why did Joseph forgive his brothers? Why didn't he say, I told you so? It was in his heart to forgive.

Joseph wept openly and deeply. It was heard all over the house.

The only mention of Joseph's brothers weeping was Benjamin. Look at 45.13. 45.13. 46.14 And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and all that you have seen, and you shall haste and bring down my father here. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Over he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them, and after that his brethren talked with him.

It seems, based on events that transpired after the death of their father, the brothers acted more out of fear of the judgment of God, or the revenge of Joseph, than really believing that Joseph had forgiven them. Now notice this. Look at chapter 50 in verse 15.

Chapter 50 in verse 15. And when Joseph's brethren saw that the father was dead, I think some 20 years had passed. 20 years! And they said, Joseph will prevent your hate us. Dad's gone, now he'll get his revenge. He's just been waiting until Dad dies. And will certainly requite us all the evil which he did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Your father did command before he died, saying, Show shall you say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray you, now the trespasses of your brethren and their sin, for they did unto you evil. And now we pray you forgive the trespasses of your servants, of the God of your father. And Joseph wept. Joseph wept when they spoke unto him. Do you think I did it just because of Dad or some other reason?

And his brother also went and fell down before his face, and they said, Behold, we be your service. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not, for I am in the place of God. I'm not God. But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring it to pass, as it is this day to save much people alive. Now therefore, fear you not, I will nourish you and your little ones, and be comforted, and comfort them. And he spoke kindly unto them, and Joseph dwelt in Egypt, and his father's house, and Joseph lived to be 110 years old. Verse 24. Very fascinating. And Joseph said unto his brother, I die, and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, into the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel. He made them enter into an oath, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here. And Joseph, being 110 years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. Now, look what Moses did.

In Exodus 13, we're going to go a little bit over, because this is, to me, fascinating and very important. In Exodus 13, verse 19, see, is this the right reference?

Yeah. Exodus 13, verse 19. And Moses, see, they're leaving Egypt, and Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. For he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you.

You could count up how many years had passed. Then, look at Joshua 24, 32.

So, in many ways, see, Joseph was the savior of Israel, in a sense, and he was highly revered by them, and indeed, he was remembered of God, fulfilling his name. In Joshua 24, in verse 32.

In Joshua 24, in verse 32, in the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shikam, in a partial ground which Shikam brought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shikam, for in a hundred pieces of silver, and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. And in Hebrews chapter 11, when the great men and women of faith were chronicled, Joseph's name is there. There's so much more we could say about this, but we have run out of time. You see, the follow-up on this would be about forgiveness and what forgiveness does and from the heart. So, in summary, let's summarize. In summary, here's an overview.

Joseph's life, he was hated by his brothers, betrayed by his brothers, stripped of every vestige of what he was and what he dreamed of being, lost his identity and the clothes off his back. You talk about being alone with no support system. Joseph had nothing, cast into the pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused by his master's wife, cast into prison for his faithfulness to the law of God, becomes a prison guard, exalted in due season, becomes a ruler of the land. His brothers bow down to him. He rules over them. He forgives them. He restores them, and they are led out of slavery, out of Egypt, the hands of Moses. What a story! I encourage you to read, especially from chapter 30 to the end of Genesis. I think it will be an eye-opening event for you. So, the life of Joseph, God indeed remembers all the providence of God.