Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
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Eternal and loving Father,
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what a joy it is to
come into Your presence.
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to study the Word which
You gave us through the power
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of the Holy Spirit.
We ask that as we study
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about History's Invisible Guide
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that Your Spirit will
show us that this world
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is not composed of a
series of disconnected events
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but that You are seated
on the throne of the universe
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guiding and controlling
everything to Your intended end.
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We ask that You will
help us to understand
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how this applies to our
own personal walk with You.
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And we thank you
for hearing our prayer
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for we ask it in
Jesus' name, Amen.
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Why do bad things
happen to good people?
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Why do calamities
afflict our lives?
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Why many times do our lives
appear to be out of control
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with no guiding force?
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Well, in our subject today
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we are going to study about
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History's Invisible Guide.
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And we're going to
notice that history
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generally - in our lives
specifically - are not composed
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of disconnected events that
have no relation one to another.
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We're going to see that in this
world and in each of our lives
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there are two forces
struggling to gain dominion
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and power. And we're
going to notice that even though
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many times bad
things happen to good people
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God ultimately will
use those bad things
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and He will turn them into good.
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But it's only as we
look back on our lives
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that we understand this.
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When we're looking forwards
and we're going through these
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trials, it's difficult
many times for us to understand
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exactly what is happening.
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Now we're going to study this
subject from the perspective
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of a wonderful story
that we find towards the end
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of the book of Genesis.
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It's the story of Joseph.
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I don't see any story in
the Bible that speaks about
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God's providence in such
a marvelous way as the story
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of Joseph. Now, it
probably would be a good idea
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for us to examine first of
all the home life of Joseph.
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You know, we live in a
world today where people have a
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tendency of passing the buck
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and blaming other
people, blaming circumstances,
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blaming heredity,
blaming the environment
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for the things that
happen in their lives.
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But as we look at the
life of Joseph we discover
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that Joseph had a
less-than-ideal heredity,
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he had a
less-than-ideal environment,
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and less-than-ideal
circumstances in his home.
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And yet Joseph
cooperated with God
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and the end of the
story is absolutely glorious.
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Now let's talk a little bit
about the family life of Joseph.
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As you know, Jacob
was deceived into marrying
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Leah. But he did not love Leah.
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And the Bible tells
us that Leah with Jacob
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had four sons.
Let's read about this
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in Genesis
chapter 29 and verse 30.
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Genesis 29 and verse 30.
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It says here:
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Can you imagine what it was like
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to live with a husband
that really did not love you?
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And yet we're told in the
story that Jacob and Leah had
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four sons if you continue
reading after this verse.
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They had Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, and Judah.
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Of course, Jacob
later married Rachel.
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And Rachel was
envious of her sister.
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In fact, we find in
Genesis 30 and verse 1
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this sibling rivalry being
clearly and strongly expressed.
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Notice Genesis 30
and verse 1. It says:
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This is quite a sibling
rivalry that we have here.
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You know, Leah has
had these four sons;
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Rachel can have no children.
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And so Rachel
comes up with an idea.
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She says to Jacob:
"Jacob, why don't you
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go in to my maid Bilhah
and maybe you can have children
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for me with Bilhah.
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And so that's
exactly what Jacob did.
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He went in to Bilhah and
Rachel - through Bilhah -
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actually had two sons.
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The names of the two
sons were Dan and Naphtali.
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Now this led
Leah to say to Rachel
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"Oh yeah? You think
that you can have children
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with your servant?
Well, I've got a servant too
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and I can have my servant
go in to Jacob as well. "
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And so we find in
Genesis chapter 30 and verse 9:
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And now Jacob has with
Zilpah, the servant of Leah,
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the following
sons: Gad and Asher.
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But Rachel still did
not have sons of her own.
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And so at this point you'll
notice that these two sisters
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are struggling
against each other.
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This tremendous rivalry, and
Leah rubs it in Rachel's face
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that she has children and Rachel
doesn't have her own children.
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Now it's interesting
that after Leah has two sons
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with Zilpah, Gad and Asher,
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that Leah actually
bore three more children.
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This is found in Genesis
chapter 30 and verses 18-21.
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It says there:
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So at this point Leah
has had seven children
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of her own and two
children with her servant.
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And Rachel has only had
two children with her servant.
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And, of course, Rachel
is envious of her sister.
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But God, according to
this story, eventually opened
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Rachel's womb and
gave her two children.
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Let's read about it in
Genesis chapter 30:22-24.
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The first of these,
of course, was Joseph.
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It says:
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And so now Rachel has Joseph.
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But God has told her that
she's going to have another son.
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And we find in Genesis
chapter 35 and verse 18
00:10:02.48\00:10:07.68
that Rachel has her second
son. His name, by the way,
00:10:07.81\00:10:11.79
is Benjamin... the
youngest of all of the brothers.
00:10:11.99\00:10:15.88
It says there in
Genesis 35 and verse 18:
00:10:16.18\00:10:19.31
Now can you imagine
what it must have been like
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to sit at the dinner
table in this household?
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Jacob - who has two wives
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and two concubines -
all sitting at the table
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with their thirteen children.
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Can you imagine what Rachel's
children must have said,
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Joseph and Benjamin,
must have said to Leah's sons:
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"You know, our dad
doesn't love your mom
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as much as he loves our mom. "
00:11:01.34\00:11:04.07
And you can imagine the
rivalry between these young men
00:11:04.47\00:11:08.66
and among these wives.
00:11:08.86\00:11:11.36
It was warfare! It was
the worst type of environment.
00:11:11.76\00:11:15.11
And then of course as the
brothers of Joseph grew up
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we find several of them
with serious - very serious -
00:11:19.66\00:11:23.93
character flaws. For example
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Joseph grows up in an environ-
ment where Simeon and Levi
00:11:26.93\00:11:31.20
are cold-blooded murderers.
You can read the story
00:11:31.40\00:11:34.66
of Shechem. Amazing how they
had all of the men of Shechem
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circumcised, and then when
they were in the utmost pain
00:11:38.13\00:11:41.67
on the third day
they turned against them
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and killed every
man in that city.
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Cold-blooded murderers.
00:11:46.48\00:11:48.03
You have Reuben, who was guilty
00:11:48.33\00:11:50.69
of incest. You have Judah
00:11:50.79\00:11:52.94
who slept with a prostitute.
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You have also Reuben
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who had the
backbone of a jellyfish
00:11:57.65\00:11:59.92
when it came to delivering
Joseph from the wrath of his
00:12:00.24\00:12:03.20
brothers. You have a dys-
functional group of brothers
00:12:03.30\00:12:08.91
in this family, and this is
the household in which Joseph
00:12:09.11\00:12:13.25
grew up. So don't
blame heredity. Don't blame
00:12:13.45\00:12:18.79
the environment.
Don't blame circumstances
00:12:19.00\00:12:22.97
for the way in
which your life moves
00:12:23.17\00:12:25.83
because we can thrive in
the best of circumstances
00:12:26.13\00:12:29.47
like Joseph did.
Now, what sets the tone
00:12:29.67\00:12:33.68
for this story is two
dreams that Joseph had.
00:12:33.89\00:12:37.26
Notice Genesis chapter
37 and verses 9 and 10.
00:12:38.32\00:12:43.38
Genesis 37:9-10.
00:12:43.69\00:12:46.03
This is the one about the
sun, the moon, and the stars.
00:12:46.33\00:12:50.50
It says here:
00:12:50.80\00:12:52.24
So he's rebuked by his
father for these dreams.
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But this sets the tone for
Joseph's life because Joseph
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knows that some day
- he doesn't know how,
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he doesn't know when -
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but he does know that
some day he is going to be lord
00:13:39.78\00:13:44.22
over his father, his
mother, and his brothers.
00:13:44.42\00:13:48.31
And so all throughout
the course of his life
00:13:49.18\00:13:51.60
this guides his
thoughts: "God has a plan.
00:13:51.80\00:13:56.19
I don't understand all of
the circumstances, but God
00:13:56.40\00:13:59.29
has a plan. "
00:13:59.49\00:14:01.82
And he decided that
he was going to cooperate
00:14:02.33\00:14:05.26
with God's plan.
00:14:05.46\00:14:07.42
Now we're told in the story that
Joseph's brothers despised him
00:14:07.82\00:14:11.80
because of these
dreams that he had.
00:14:12.00\00:14:14.04
Notice what we find in
Genesis 37 and verse 11.
00:14:14.34\00:14:17.82
Genesis 37:11.
00:14:18.02\00:14:20.20
It says here:
00:14:20.50\00:14:22.00
Now I don't believe
that Jacob understood
00:14:29.68\00:14:33.37
how much his brothers hated him.
00:14:33.57\00:14:35.89
And so we're told
in the story that Jacob
00:14:36.29\00:14:39.90
asked Joseph - who was
17 years old at this time -
00:14:40.88\00:14:44.60
to take some provisions to
his brothers who were tending
00:14:44.81\00:14:48.44
the sheep. I believe
that if Jacob had realized
00:14:48.54\00:14:52.65
the hatred that his
brothers had for him -
00:14:52.75\00:14:55.34
the profound hatred - he
wouldn't have sent Joseph.
00:14:55.54\00:15:00.20
So we ask the question:
why did Jacob send Joseph
00:15:01.15\00:15:05.73
knowing how his
brothers felt about him?
00:15:05.93\00:15:09.69
And then we notice that Joseph
comes to where his brothers are
00:15:10.88\00:15:16.70
and his brothers
see him from afar.
00:15:17.00\00:15:19.29
By the way, he's
traveled approximately 65 miles
00:15:19.59\00:15:22.70
at this point from
Bethel - where Jacob lived -
00:15:22.90\00:15:25.84
all the way to Dothan
according to the Bible.
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And Joseph is very tired,
and when his brothers see him
00:15:28.59\00:15:32.08
from a distance they
come up with an idea.
00:15:32.28\00:15:34.88
They say: "This is the
time to nip this in the bud.
00:15:35.08\00:15:37.95
Let's kill him.
Let's get rid of him
00:15:38.26\00:15:41.36
and then we'll see what
will happen with his dreams. "
00:15:41.56\00:15:44.04
In fact, let's read this.
It's found in Genesis chapter 37
00:15:44.34\00:15:48.35
and verses 19 and 20.
00:15:48.55\00:15:50.95
Now the question
immediately arises:
00:16:09.35\00:16:12.73
why didn't his
brothers kill him?
00:16:12.93\00:16:17.38
Obviously they hated
him enough to kill him,
00:16:17.58\00:16:21.61
but for some reason - first
of all - Jacob sends Joseph
00:16:22.01\00:16:26.67
knowing that his
brothers despise him.
00:16:26.87\00:16:28.85
Then when they say "Let's kill
him" their plans are interrupted
00:16:29.15\00:16:33.28
and they don't kill him but
they throw him into a cistern.
00:16:33.48\00:16:36.73
Very strange...
when he was hated so much
00:16:37.13\00:16:40.08
by his brothers. And
then it just so happens
00:16:40.38\00:16:43.35
that when Joseph is in that
cistern - at that very moment,
00:16:43.55\00:16:47.29
at that very time - some
Ishmaelites are traveling
00:16:47.49\00:16:51.86
through that
country to the land of Egypt
00:16:52.06\00:16:54.75
at that precise instant.
00:16:55.05\00:16:57.36
Is this a coincidence?
00:16:57.66\00:16:59.39
In fact, let's read about
it. It's found in Genesis 37
00:16:59.69\00:17:02.57
and verse 28. It says:
00:17:02.77\00:17:05.26
Question: why did Jacob
send Joseph in the first place?
00:17:23.62\00:17:29.31
Why didn't his
brothers kill him?
00:17:29.61\00:17:33.05
Why at that precise moment
did the Ishmaelites come by?
00:17:33.96\00:17:38.81
Why were the
Ishmaelites traveling to Egypt?
00:17:39.14\00:17:43.51
Obviously Joseph
somehow had to arrive in Egypt.
00:17:43.81\00:17:48.57
Now it appeared like Joseph
had gotten a pretty raw deal.
00:17:48.97\00:17:52.40
Here this good boy -
obedient to his father -
00:17:52.80\00:17:56.12
is being taken to a
strange land for no reason...
00:17:56.42\00:18:00.69
simply because of the jealousy
and the envy of his brothers.
00:18:00.99\00:18:04.53
Joseph could have said:
"What good is it to serve God?
00:18:04.73\00:18:08.10
Look... I serve
Him, I trust Him,
00:18:08.40\00:18:11.07
and here I end up being
sold by my brothers to Egypt. "
00:18:11.27\00:18:16.26
But Joseph knew
that God had a plan.
00:18:16.80\00:18:21.70
At this point he didn't
understand all of God's plan
00:18:22.30\00:18:25.01
but he knew that at some point
his dream would be fulfilled.
00:18:25.21\00:18:29.75
Actually his two
dreams would be fulfilled.
00:18:30.05\00:18:32.99
And so now Joseph takes
this long trip to Egypt.
00:18:33.50\00:18:38.84
By the way, he would have
re-tracked his steps from Dothan
00:18:39.18\00:18:42.97
to Bethel. In fact,
Ellen White says in the book
00:18:43.17\00:18:45.85
Patriarchs and Prophets that
he could see his father's tents
00:18:45.95\00:18:49.03
from afar as the Ishmaelites
were taking him to Egypt.
00:18:49.06\00:18:52.38
And then he would have
had to travel from Bethel
00:18:52.68\00:18:55.12
several hundred miles
further south to Egypt.
00:18:55.32\00:18:58.96
This trip would have taken
a significant amount of time.
00:18:59.26\00:19:02.91
Eventually the
trip comes to an end
00:19:03.87\00:19:06.95
and Joseph is
taken to the marketplace
00:19:07.15\00:19:09.33
to sell. And it just so happens
00:19:09.53\00:19:12.66
by coincidence - and I say that
00:19:12.86\00:19:15.76
not... I say that
kind of like ironically
00:19:15.96\00:19:18.68
or sarcastically - by
coincidence a man named
00:19:18.88\00:19:22.67
Potiphar ends up in the
marketplace and purchases
00:19:22.87\00:19:27.47
Joseph. In fact,
let's read about it.
00:19:27.77\00:19:31.06
Genesis 39 and verse 1:
00:19:31.26\00:19:33.69
And so Joseph
ends up of all places -
00:19:51.15\00:19:54.34
there are many individuals
who could have bought Joseph -
00:19:54.54\00:19:56.96
but he ends up
being bought by Potiphar.
00:19:57.17\00:20:00.49
Now I believe that there
are two reasons in this story
00:20:00.80\00:20:04.23
why Joseph ended up
in Potiphar's house.
00:20:04.43\00:20:06.88
Reason number one: it
was necessary for Joseph
00:20:07.38\00:20:11.76
to meet Potiphar's wife.
00:20:11.96\00:20:14.87
And secondly, it
was necessary for Joseph
00:20:15.81\00:20:19.71
to sharpen his
administrative skills
00:20:19.91\00:20:23.34
because God had a
HUGE plan for him...
00:20:23.74\00:20:27.82
a world-wide
plan at that time...
00:20:28.12\00:20:31.35
and he needed to be a
keen and sharp administrator.
00:20:31.65\00:20:36.29
And so God is preparing Joseph
00:20:36.69\00:20:38.96
by administrating
the house of Potiphar
00:20:39.16\00:20:42.03
for these huge responsibilities.
00:20:42.24\00:20:45.03
In fact we are told
in Genesis chapter 39
00:20:45.23\00:20:48.52
and verses 2 and 3:
00:20:48.72\00:20:50.57
By the way, this
reminds me of the words of Jesus
00:21:00.81\00:21:03.95
in Luke chapter 16 and verse 10
00:21:04.15\00:21:06.36
where Jesus said this:
00:21:06.46\00:21:08.16
In other words, it was necessary
for Joseph to learn to be
00:21:21.21\00:21:24.26
faithful in the
small administrative duties
00:21:24.46\00:21:27.25
in Potiphar's house
in order to be qualified
00:21:27.45\00:21:30.45
for the huge administrative
duty which awaited him
00:21:30.65\00:21:34.35
in the future. And of course
we know how the story develops.
00:21:34.55\00:21:39.30
This faithful young man
one day meets Potiphar's wife
00:21:40.17\00:21:44.46
in the house, and Potiphar's
wife wants to have sexual
00:21:44.66\00:21:47.40
relations with Joseph.
00:21:47.50\00:21:49.13
And we all know the
famous words of Joseph.
00:21:49.43\00:21:52.02
Let's read them in
Genesis 39 and verse 9.
00:21:52.22\00:21:54.82
Joseph says to this woman:
00:21:55.02\00:21:56.79
And Joseph's faithfulness
lands him in prison.
00:22:11.76\00:22:16.41
Now what justice
could there be in this?
00:22:16.81\00:22:19.57
First of all, he's a good boy
00:22:19.87\00:22:21.87
and he's sold as
a slave to Egypt.
00:22:22.07\00:22:24.58
And then now
because he's faithful to God
00:22:24.88\00:22:27.29
in keeping the 7th commandment
he ends up in prison.
00:22:27.60\00:22:31.30
You wonder at this point in
the story: why did he end up
00:22:32.36\00:22:36.64
in prison? Must it be perhaps
00:22:36.84\00:22:39.79
that there was someone
in prison that he needed
00:22:39.99\00:22:42.26
to meet as this plot develops?
00:22:42.36\00:22:45.75
Obviously yes. At
this point, by the way,
00:22:46.05\00:22:48.23
Joseph had been in
Egypt for ten years.
00:22:48.53\00:22:50.37
He was 27 years old.
00:22:50.57\00:22:52.60
Now another interesting aspect
is that when Potiphar discovered
00:22:53.10\00:22:58.55
what had happened with
his wife and with Joseph -
00:22:58.95\00:23:02.83
it actually didn't
happen we know, but the events
00:23:03.03\00:23:05.17
had taken place - Potiphar
instead of killing Joseph
00:23:05.27\00:23:10.06
he has Joseph
thrown into prison.
00:23:10.26\00:23:12.38
Now we know that he did
not believe his wife's story
00:23:12.68\00:23:16.24
but he still could have
had Joseph killed to save face,
00:23:16.44\00:23:19.81
couldn't he? In fact,
notice what we're told
00:23:19.94\00:23:22.42
in Genesis
chapter 39 and verse 20.
00:23:22.62\00:23:25.70
And so Joseph has gone
from his home in Bethel
00:23:35.82\00:23:40.83
to Egypt to prison...
all in spite of the fact
00:23:41.03\00:23:46.40
that he was faithful to God.
00:23:46.70\00:23:49.37
And you might say: "There's
so much injustice in this story.
00:23:49.67\00:23:52.94
I mean, these are bad things
happening to a good person. "
00:23:53.24\00:23:56.59
But Joseph in his
mind had the dream.
00:23:56.89\00:23:59.64
He says: "God has a plan.
00:23:59.84\00:24:01.91
I don't know how all of
these events are being weaved
00:24:02.21\00:24:05.39
together, but God has a plan
and I know that these things
00:24:05.49\00:24:09.17
are happening for a reason.
I'm going to hang in there
00:24:09.27\00:24:11.98
with God. " Notice
Genesis 39 and verse 21.
00:24:12.08\00:24:15.96
It says there:
00:24:16.26\00:24:17.58
You say: "Yeah, right...
the Lord was with Joseph.
00:24:26.93\00:24:29.99
Where was God when he
was sold as a slave to Egypt?
00:24:30.29\00:24:33.79
Where was God when he
was thrown into prison?
00:24:34.09\00:24:36.89
You mean to say
that God was with Joseph
00:24:37.19\00:24:39.60
and He had mercy with Joseph? "
00:24:39.80\00:24:41.71
That's what the story
says because God had a plan.
00:24:41.92\00:24:45.62
Now by Joseph being in prison
00:24:46.47\00:24:49.36
he was able to further sharpen
his administrative skills.
00:24:49.57\00:24:53.83
You see, God had a purpose in
allowing Joseph to go to prison.
00:24:53.93\00:24:57.11
He needed to be polished for
the duties that God had for him
00:24:57.41\00:25:01.96
in the future.
Notice Genesis 39:22-23.
00:25:02.16\00:25:07.32
It says:
00:25:08.09\00:25:09.18
And so we find Joseph
being faithful in the prison,
00:25:33.73\00:25:37.07
being a faithful administrator,
00:25:37.47\00:25:39.40
preparing for the duties that
God has for him in the future.
00:25:39.60\00:25:44.19
But of course, the real
reason why he ends up in prison
00:25:44.85\00:25:47.78
is because he
needed to have an encounter
00:25:47.98\00:25:51.59
with another
individual in this story.
00:25:51.80\00:25:54.66
Of course, all by coincidence.
00:25:54.96\00:25:56.99
As he's in prison at
this particular place and time
00:25:57.39\00:26:01.67
a baker and a cupbearer of
Pharaoh are cast into prison.
00:26:02.40\00:26:08.36
And so you ask the
question: "Why were the baker
00:26:09.14\00:26:12.28
and the cupbearer
cast into the prison
00:26:12.48\00:26:14.66
at exactly that time
when Joseph was in prison? "
00:26:14.86\00:26:18.35
There was a
purpose in this story.
00:26:18.76\00:26:21.42
Notice what we find in
Genesis 40 and verse 8.
00:26:21.72\00:26:25.58
And so to make
a long story short
00:26:43.69\00:26:45.94
the baker and the cupbearer
tell Joseph their dreams
00:26:46.14\00:26:48.93
and Joseph says to the
baker: "I'm sorry to tell you
00:26:49.13\00:26:53.95
that you are ancient
history so to speak. "
00:26:54.26\00:26:57.75
And he says to the cupbearer:
"You are going to be released
00:26:57.95\00:27:00.72
from prison and you're
going to end up serving wine
00:27:00.82\00:27:05.02
to Pharaoh again. "
00:27:05.22\00:27:06.76
And then Joseph says
in Genesis 40 and verse 14
00:27:08.39\00:27:12.77
to the cupbearer these words:
00:27:12.97\00:27:14.96
So he says to him: "When
you get out of this place
00:27:30.04\00:27:32.60
please remember me when
you go before Pharaoh. "
00:27:32.90\00:27:36.15
And the interesting
thing is the cupbearer goes out
00:27:36.45\00:27:39.72
and he suffers some strange type
00:27:39.92\00:27:43.71
of divine amnesia.
00:27:43.91\00:27:46.22
He forgets Joseph. In
fact, he forgets Joseph
00:27:47.12\00:27:50.35
for two whole years. Why did
he forget Joseph for two years?
00:27:50.45\00:27:54.59
It wasn't simple forgetfulness.
00:27:54.79\00:27:57.02
It's just that it was not time
yet in God's calendar to act.
00:27:57.32\00:28:02.94
You see, at this point the
cupbearer knew that there was
00:28:03.27\00:28:06.90
someone who
could interpret dreams.
00:28:07.10\00:28:09.00
That was the important point.
00:28:09.30\00:28:11.01
Two years go by and
Pharaoh has two dreams.
00:28:11.31\00:28:16.95
During those two years Joseph
patiently fulfills his duties
00:28:18.02\00:28:23.85
in the prison knowing
that God would intervene.
00:28:24.05\00:28:26.83
And so Pharaoh has two dreams:
00:28:26.93\00:28:28.74
the dream of the stalks
and the dream of the cows.
00:28:29.04\00:28:31.94
And to make a long story short
00:28:32.24\00:28:34.08
Joseph says this means
there are going to be 2 periods
00:28:34.28\00:28:39.85
in the history
of Egypt upcoming.
00:28:40.06\00:28:43.30
One is going to be
seven years of super-abundance
00:28:43.60\00:28:47.28
and plenty and
there's going to be 7 years
00:28:47.48\00:28:49.93
of devastating
famine after that.
00:28:50.13\00:28:52.71
Notice that God is revealing
the end from the beginning,
00:28:53.01\00:28:56.14
folks. Now I want you to notice
00:28:56.35\00:28:59.03
what we find in
Genesis 41 and verse 25.
00:28:59.13\00:29:02.27
By the way, Joseph - at this
point - is thirty years old.
00:29:02.47\00:29:05.10
He's been in Egypt
since he was seventeen,
00:29:06.17\00:29:08.60
so he's been in Egypt for
a period of thirteen years.
00:29:08.80\00:29:11.53
God's plans know
no haste and no delay.
00:29:11.84\00:29:15.09
It says there:
00:29:15.39\00:29:16.44
And remember that what God
00:29:27.64\00:29:29.21
permits, according to
the Bible, God also causes.
00:29:29.41\00:29:33.65
He doesn't cause it
directly... He permits sometimes
00:29:34.45\00:29:38.24
things to happen. And
so the question is asked...
00:29:38.44\00:29:41.84
In fact, Joseph says to
Pharaoh: "Pharaoh, you need to
00:29:42.14\00:29:44.73
find a wise man who is able
to gather during the seven years
00:29:44.84\00:29:48.29
of plenty so that during
the seven years of famine
00:29:48.49\00:29:51.75
you have provision so that
society will not disappear.
00:29:51.95\00:29:54.74
And, of course, Pharaoh says:
00:29:55.62\00:29:57.89
"Who but you would be
the ideal person to do this?
00:29:58.09\00:30:03.02
You who have been able
to interpret my dreams. "
00:30:03.32\00:30:06.87
And the interesting thing is
that at this point in the story
00:30:08.05\00:30:11.01
the tables begin to turn.
00:30:11.21\00:30:13.75
In fact, Pharaoh says
to Joseph: "You will now be
00:30:13.95\00:30:18.39
Prime Minister of Egypt.
00:30:18.59\00:30:21.24
People will come
before you and they will bow
00:30:21.54\00:30:25.13
and they will show you
respect just like they show me.
00:30:25.33\00:30:28.74
I will be above you
but you shall be the lord
00:30:29.04\00:30:32.20
over everyone in the kingdom. "
00:30:32.40\00:30:34.51
Is that exactly what
Joseph had seen in his dreams?
00:30:35.01\00:30:39.99
Absolutely. The
tables are turning.
00:30:40.39\00:30:43.71
In fact, what his brothers
did to frustrate his dreams
00:30:44.01\00:30:48.60
God has now used to
make his dreams come true.
00:30:48.80\00:30:53.38
It reminds me of that
text in Matthew 25 and verse 21
00:30:54.25\00:30:59.54
where we're told: "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant.
00:30:59.94\00:31:03.41
Thou hast been
faithful over a few things...
00:31:03.71\00:31:07.09
I will make thee
ruler over many things. "
00:31:07.39\00:31:11.25
At this point Joseph has been
faithful in Potiphar's house.
00:31:11.55\00:31:15.24
He has been faithful
in his duties in prison.
00:31:15.54\00:31:17.81
So God said: "You have
been faithful over little; now I
00:31:18.11\00:31:21.41
will place you over much. "
00:31:21.51\00:31:23.87
And now we need
to ask the question:
00:31:24.97\00:31:27.74
why were there going to
be seven years of plenty
00:31:28.04\00:31:32.41
followed by seven
years of famine? "
00:31:32.62\00:31:35.55
By the way, in the Bible God
does not directly cause famine.
00:31:36.72\00:31:40.90
God does not cause
Himself calamities such as this.
00:31:42.01\00:31:46.14
God allows Satan to work
00:31:46.54\00:31:50.10
to cause calamities...
what we call natural disasters.
00:31:50.30\00:31:53.95
And you would ask: "Why would
God allow seven years of plenty
00:31:54.45\00:31:58.02
and then allow the devil
to devastate for seven years
00:31:58.22\00:32:02.38
not only Egyptian
society but all society
00:32:02.58\00:32:06.02
in the Middle East? "
00:32:06.22\00:32:07.89
The answer is given
very clearly in scripture.
00:32:08.19\00:32:12.46
It's because Satan
wanted to eliminate and destroy
00:32:12.86\00:32:18.79
the holy line. We've
discussed this before.
00:32:18.99\00:32:21.42
In other words, he
wanted to get rid of Jacob
00:32:21.82\00:32:24.07
and all of his family. But God
knew this before it happened.
00:32:24.27\00:32:28.35
And so God sent
Joseph down to Egypt
00:32:28.66\00:32:31.46
to make provision during
the seven years of plenty
00:32:31.76\00:32:35.64
so that during the seven
years of famine the holy line
00:32:35.84\00:32:40.19
from which the
Messiah would come
00:32:40.39\00:32:42.07
would not
disappear from history.
00:32:42.27\00:32:45.25
But we still have the
question: why to Egypt?
00:32:45.56\00:32:49.93
Why didn't God just
allow Jacob and his family
00:32:50.24\00:32:55.05
to remain in Canaan
and to proliferate there
00:32:55.25\00:32:59.56
without allowing the
seven years of famine... forcing
00:32:59.77\00:33:04.53
Jacob and his
family to move to Egypt?
00:33:04.73\00:33:07.30
I'm going to put
that on hold for now.
00:33:07.60\00:33:10.88
Now notice Genesis
chapter 41 and verse 46.
00:33:11.22\00:33:15.77
It says:
00:33:16.51\00:33:17.57
Let me ask you: was
the experience of Joseph
00:33:31.44\00:33:36.06
in Potiphar's house and
in administrating the prison
00:33:36.26\00:33:39.99
an invaluable resource to Joseph
00:33:40.29\00:33:43.69
now when he had to organize
the gathering in of the grain
00:33:43.89\00:33:47.28
from all of the land of Egypt
to save all of civilization
00:33:47.38\00:33:51.71
at that time? Obviously
he sharpened his skills
00:33:52.01\00:33:55.79
for this huge responsibility
which God now had for him.
00:33:55.99\00:34:00.85
Notice Genesis 41:57.
00:34:01.44\00:34:05.22
This famine not only afflicted
Egypt, it afflicted Palestine.
00:34:05.32\00:34:09.32
It says in verse
57 of Genesis 41:
00:34:09.62\00:34:13.00
And so Jacob says to his sons:
00:34:25.03\00:34:30.76
"Sons, I want you
to go down to Egypt
00:34:30.96\00:34:34.04
because I hear that
there's provision down there. "
00:34:34.24\00:34:36.23
Interesting. God has
sent Joseph down to Egypt
00:34:36.73\00:34:41.27
because somehow He wants
Joseph's family to gravitate
00:34:41.67\00:34:46.25
towards Egypt. There a
plan in taking them to Egypt.
00:34:46.46\00:34:49.28
Not only to preserve the
holy line we're going to notice
00:34:49.58\00:34:51.81
but there's another reason
why He takes them out of Canaan
00:34:52.01\00:34:55.05
down to Egypt. And
so Joseph's brothers
00:34:55.25\00:34:59.31
make the journey down
to Egypt... the first trip.
00:34:59.51\00:35:03.59
Notice Genesis
chapter 42 and verse 21.
00:35:03.83\00:35:07.54
"Then they said
one to another... "
00:35:10.83\00:35:13.27
This is when Joseph
said: "You are all spies!
00:35:13.57\00:35:17.41
I'm going to throw
you all in prison. "
00:35:18.46\00:35:20.90
They say: "We are truly
guilty concerning our brother
00:35:21.20\00:35:25.53
for we saw the anguish of
his soul when he pleaded with us
00:35:25.83\00:35:29.13
and we would not hear.
Therefore, this distress
00:35:29.43\00:35:34.26
has come upon us. "
00:35:34.46\00:35:36.42
And so Joseph says to his
brothers: "You say that you have
00:35:37.52\00:35:39.88
a younger
brother that stayed home?
00:35:39.99\00:35:41.81
That your father wouldn't
let him come with you? "
00:35:42.11\00:35:44.39
Well, in order for me to know
00:35:44.69\00:35:46.95
that you're not spies, I want
00:35:47.15\00:35:48.48
you to go and I want you to
00:35:48.58\00:35:49.65
bring back that brother. "
00:35:49.75\00:35:51.17
And they said: "Our father will
never allow us to bring back
00:35:52.41\00:35:55.43
our brother. "
Joseph said: "Tough luck. "
00:35:55.53\00:35:57.66
In fact, he takes Simeon
and he throws Simeon into prison
00:35:59.04\00:36:04.76
and he says: "I'll leave
him there until you come back
00:36:06.18\00:36:08.94
with your younger brother. "
00:36:09.04\00:36:10.42
Now why Simeon?
00:36:10.82\00:36:12.52
Let's read about it first of
all and then I have a quotation
00:36:12.82\00:36:15.19
from Patriarchs and Prophets.
00:36:15.29\00:36:16.61
Genesis 42:24:
00:36:16.71\00:36:18.64
Notice that he didn't
only cast Simeon into prison.
00:36:32.39\00:36:35.20
He bound him before
he was cast into prison.
00:36:35.40\00:36:37.76
Why did he do this?
00:36:38.16\00:36:39.89
In Patriarchs and
Prophets page 225 we find this
00:36:40.19\00:36:44.81
incisive comment by
Ellen White. She says:
00:36:45.01\00:36:48.75
You can imagine Simeon
thinking: "Huh, I was the one
00:37:13.43\00:37:17.14
that had Joseph bound
and thrown into the cistern.
00:37:17.35\00:37:20.32
Now the tables are being turned.
00:37:20.52\00:37:22.85
There's something
strange going on here...
00:37:23.15\00:37:25.89
something strange happening. "
00:37:26.09\00:37:28.09
And so they go back to Canaan
and they tell Jacob: "Jacob,
00:37:28.39\00:37:32.13
Father, unless we
take Benjamin back to Egypt
00:37:32.34\00:37:36.66
Simeon will be a
prisoner forever. "
00:37:36.86\00:37:38.46
And Jacob says: "Forget it.
00:37:38.86\00:37:41.01
You're not going to take
Benjamin. I've lost Joseph
00:37:41.31\00:37:44.72
and now I only have one son left
from my beloved wife Rachel.
00:37:45.02\00:37:49.50
You can't take him. " But
eventually they're suffering
00:37:49.70\00:37:52.89
so much hunger that
Jacob decides to send Benjamin
00:37:53.09\00:37:57.10
with his brothers.
00:37:57.30\00:37:59.26
And so they take a
second journey to Egypt.
00:37:59.76\00:38:02.95
Notice Genesis chapter
43 and verses 28 and 29.
00:38:03.25\00:38:07.49
They arrive in Egypt
00:38:07.90\00:38:10.12
and they say this to Joseph:
00:38:12.02\00:38:14.86
Do you see
what's happening here?
00:38:28.85\00:38:30.70
What the brothers did
to try and keep the dream
00:38:31.00\00:38:34.24
from being fulfilled...
Now their very action has
00:38:34.44\00:38:38.27
fulfilled the dream or
the dreams that Joseph had.
00:38:38.48\00:38:41.57
And so they bow before him.
00:38:41.87\00:38:43.80
And we're told in
Genesis 43 and verse 33
00:38:44.10\00:38:47.28
that Joseph sits them at
his table by order of age.
00:38:47.48\00:38:52.73
Now they know that something's
really strange that's going on
00:38:53.49\00:38:57.17
here. Joseph is
leading them to think...
00:38:57.27\00:38:59.25
It says in Genesis 43:33
00:38:59.45\00:39:01.74
"What is this that this
individual knows how to sit us
00:39:12.08\00:39:15.45
in the order of our age? "
00:39:15.65\00:39:17.35
But it gets even
more interesting.
00:39:17.65\00:39:19.60
We're told in Genesis 43:34
00:39:19.90\00:39:22.67
that Joseph gave
Benjamin five helpings of food
00:39:22.87\00:39:27.87
compared to his brothers.
00:39:28.01\00:39:29.70
Notice what we find
there... Genesis 43 verse 34:
00:39:30.20\00:39:33.52
Why did Joseph do this?
00:39:45.03\00:39:46.64
Because he wanted to see if they
were still jealous and envious.
00:39:46.94\00:39:50.23
But it says that they're happy.
00:39:51.86\00:39:54.48
They don't mind that Benjamin
has five times the helping
00:39:54.78\00:39:59.02
that they have.
And so Joseph is saying
00:39:59.22\00:40:01.70
"These individuals have gone
through a conversion experience.
00:40:01.91\00:40:04.77
They've been
changed by this ordeal. "
00:40:04.97\00:40:06.92
Imagine, folks,
for so many years
00:40:07.12\00:40:10.27
hiding this lie
from their father.
00:40:10.47\00:40:13.67
Terrible... and
seeing their father suffer
00:40:13.97\00:40:16.82
thinking that Joseph has died.
00:40:16.92\00:40:18.90
And the guilt that
goes along with this.
00:40:19.20\00:40:21.71
And now they see
these things happening.
00:40:22.01\00:40:24.14
They don't care if
Benjamin has five times the food
00:40:24.88\00:40:28.11
that they have. Then of
course you know the story
00:40:28.21\00:40:31.66
in Genesis 44 verses 12 and
13 they start the trip home.
00:40:31.86\00:40:35.67
Joseph has had his cup
placed in the sack of Benjamin.
00:40:35.87\00:40:40.59
Notice how this is
picked up in Genesis 44:12-13.
00:40:41.61\00:40:46.36
And so they're all taken
back and now you can imagine
00:40:58.24\00:41:02.28
the pain and the sorrow
that the brothers are feeling.
00:41:02.48\00:41:05.81
They're saying: "Our
father has lost Joseph
00:41:06.40\00:41:09.22
and now he's going
to lose Benjamin. "
00:41:09.62\00:41:11.60
And so they're taken
back to where Joseph is
00:41:11.70\00:41:13.45
and Joseph says: "Why have
you dealt with me this way? "
00:41:13.65\00:41:16.01
And he says it
in a very harsh way.
00:41:16.32\00:41:18.87
And the brothers begin begging
for the life of Benjamin.
00:41:19.17\00:41:24.08
And in fact
Judah says to Joseph:
00:41:24.49\00:41:28.82
"Why don't you
just keep me as a slave
00:41:29.22\00:41:32.24
and let Benjamin go
back to my father, because
00:41:32.54\00:41:35.10
if my father knows that
he's lost another son by Rachel
00:41:35.30\00:41:39.70
it's going to break his
heart and he's going to die. "
00:41:39.90\00:41:42.64
The brothers have gone
through a tremendous conversion
00:41:44.53\00:41:46.88
experience. There's no more
envy; there's no more jealousy.
00:41:46.98\00:41:51.41
They feel the
pain of their father.
00:41:51.71\00:41:54.15
Joseph is trying to calibrate
them to understand how they feel
00:41:54.36\00:41:58.89
at this point. And so
Judah offers his life in place
00:41:59.09\00:42:04.11
of the life of Benjamin.
00:42:04.31\00:42:06.20
Now we still have that question
that I left on the table
00:42:07.02\00:42:10.24
and that is: why
was it even necessary
00:42:10.64\00:42:13.72
for Jacob and his
family to go down to Egypt?
00:42:13.92\00:42:18.39
You see, folks, there was
a prophecy which was uttered
00:42:18.69\00:42:23.09
by God to Abraham
several hundred years before.
00:42:23.29\00:42:27.34
It's found in
Genesis 15 verses 13 and 14
00:42:27.54\00:42:32.66
and it says this:
00:42:32.86\00:42:34.73
You see there was a prophecy
that God had given to Abraham
00:42:58.96\00:43:02.50
where Joseph knew that they were
going to go down into Egypt.
00:43:02.80\00:43:08.25
They were going to
be there for 400 years
00:43:08.45\00:43:10.76
and then God was going to
take them once again to the land
00:43:10.96\00:43:14.89
of Canaan. And of course
immediately the question arises:
00:43:15.09\00:43:19.05
why not just
leave them in Canaan?
00:43:19.35\00:43:21.31
Why bother to take them
for 400 years down into Egypt
00:43:21.61\00:43:25.24
to take them back to Canaan?
00:43:25.44\00:43:26.57
Why not just
leave them in Canaan?
00:43:26.77\00:43:28.69
Why did God give
this prophecy to Abraham?
00:43:28.99\00:43:30.92
There was a very special reason.
00:43:31.72\00:43:33.63
In our second textbook
in this seminar, Patriarchs
00:43:34.03\00:43:36.82
and Prophets page
232, we find the reason.
00:43:36.92\00:43:41.84
It says there:
00:43:42.14\00:43:43.96
Are you understanding this?
00:44:52.45\00:44:54.74
This whole scenario of Joseph
00:44:54.94\00:44:57.69
having to go down into Egypt
00:44:57.79\00:44:59.36
and as a result Jacob's family
00:44:59.56\00:45:01.44
going down into Egypt
00:45:01.54\00:45:02.64
was because they
could not stay in Canaan
00:45:02.85\00:45:04.84
because there were giants there
that they could not overcome.
00:45:05.04\00:45:08.48
It wasn't the
time in God's calendar.
00:45:08.68\00:45:11.44
And besides, if they had mixed
00:45:11.64\00:45:13.08
with the Canaanites
they would have become
00:45:13.18\00:45:15.77
corrupted by the Canaanites.
00:45:15.87\00:45:17.77
She continues saying:
00:45:17.97\00:45:19.07
And of course, that
was the land of Goshen.
00:45:39.26\00:45:41.04
And now notice this:
00:45:41.34\00:45:43.51
Are you understanding how
God's plan is developing here?
00:46:07.77\00:46:11.15
It took years and years
for this plan to be fulfilled
00:46:12.01\00:46:16.73
and yet God's plan was
fulfilled to the very letter.
00:46:17.51\00:46:21.13
First of all, the holy line from
which the Messiah would come
00:46:21.43\00:46:25.68
was preserved. And
secondly, Jacob and his family
00:46:25.88\00:46:31.34
emigrated to Egypt where
they could live in Goshen,
00:46:31.54\00:46:34.84
proliferate,
grow in relative peace
00:46:35.04\00:46:38.24
without becoming contaminated
with the idolatrous practices
00:46:38.44\00:46:42.81
of the Egyptians.
Now let me ask you:
00:46:43.01\00:46:46.28
as Joseph looked back upon his
life, do you think he would say
00:46:46.48\00:46:49.91
that it was worth it?
00:46:50.11\00:46:51.37
You know, if you just
think about the life of Joseph
00:46:53.45\00:46:56.20
from the time that his brothers
took him and threw him into
00:46:56.40\00:46:59.02
the cistern I can imagine
Joseph saying: "Huh... wow!
00:46:59.12\00:47:03.07
What's going to happen
now? " He had the dream
00:47:03.27\00:47:05.62
and he had the prophecy
given to Abraham in his mind
00:47:05.82\00:47:08.59
but he doesn't know
exactly what's happening.
00:47:08.89\00:47:11.77
But he cooperates with God
00:47:12.07\00:47:14.01
and step by step God
reveals to Joseph His plan.
00:47:14.22\00:47:18.21
And Joseph cooperates with God.
He walks step in step with God
00:47:18.42\00:47:22.76
because he knows
that God has a plan.
00:47:23.07\00:47:25.25
Some day God will make
him lord, and in this way
00:47:25.45\00:47:29.32
he will save the holy line
and he will prepare the world
00:47:29.35\00:47:34.21
for the coming of the Messiah.
00:47:34.41\00:47:36.71
You see, folks, history
is moving under the guidance
00:47:37.82\00:47:41.92
of God's omniscient
and omnipotent hand.
00:47:42.12\00:47:45.67
And it's moving
toward a specific goal.
00:47:46.77\00:47:49.58
History is not an ebb
and flow of unrelated events.
00:47:50.58\00:47:55.59
History is being nudged
forward by an invisible hand.
00:47:55.89\00:48:00.84
If I choose to participate,
God's plan will be fulfilled
00:48:01.92\00:48:06.02
with me. If I
choose not to participate,
00:48:06.22\00:48:09.54
God's plan will be
fulfilled anyway without me.
00:48:09.74\00:48:13.55
Kind of reminds me
of the story of Esther.
00:48:15.71\00:48:17.98
Mordecai says to Esther:
"Esther, you'd better go in
00:48:19.87\00:48:22.36
and you'd better
intercede for your people. "
00:48:22.75\00:48:26.19
And he says: "If you don't,
00:48:26.49\00:48:29.48
help will come
from some other place. "
00:48:29.78\00:48:32.56
The beauty of this story
is that Joseph decided to
00:48:33.73\00:48:36.67
cooperate with God step by step.
00:48:36.77\00:48:39.63
He didn't understand
everything that was happening,
00:48:39.93\00:48:42.18
but he was guided by his
dreams and by the prophecy
00:48:42.38\00:48:45.18
given to Abraham. You see,
folks, when we look at life
00:48:45.28\00:48:50.70
after we've lived it,
00:48:51.10\00:48:53.12
we can see the hand
of God's providence.
00:48:53.32\00:48:56.32
You see, I like to compare
historical events with the
00:48:56.52\00:48:58.87
thread in a tapestry.
00:48:58.97\00:49:01.18
See, each event in our life
is a thread that God is adding
00:49:02.09\00:49:05.36
to the tapestry.
00:49:05.56\00:49:07.22
And you only see the full
picture when all of the threads
00:49:07.62\00:49:13.19
come together. Then you
know that God has been leading
00:49:13.40\00:49:18.00
your life and that
what God allowed to happen
00:49:18.20\00:49:21.41
and that what God
caused was absolutely wise.
00:49:21.61\00:49:26.56
Kind of reminds me of
that verse in Romans chapter 8
00:49:27.49\00:49:31.20
verses 28 and 29.
We all know this verse.
00:49:31.49\00:49:34.99
Probably we can
repeat it from memory.
00:49:35.29\00:49:37.70
It says there:
00:49:38.00\00:49:39.48
"And we know... "
Notice it doesn't say we think.
00:49:39.78\00:49:44.12
It says: "We know
that all things... "
00:49:45.28\00:49:49.25
How many? Even the bad?
00:49:49.45\00:49:52.26
Yes, even the bad.
00:49:52.56\00:49:55.06
"We know that all
things work together
00:49:55.56\00:50:00.51
for good to those who love God,
00:50:00.91\00:50:06.26
to those who are called
according to His purpose. "
00:50:06.46\00:50:11.81
If we kept this in mind,
we wouldn't grumble and gripe
00:50:12.11\00:50:15.64
and complain about the
things that happen in our life.
00:50:15.74\00:50:18.15
But many times when
things come to our life -
00:50:18.35\00:50:21.39
calamities and
problems and difficulties -
00:50:21.59\00:50:24.05
we gripe and we come complain
and we say: "Lord, why me? "
00:50:24.25\00:50:29.05
When really we
should not say "Why me? "
00:50:29.38\00:50:32.36
we should say: "Lord, I don't
exactly understand what You're
00:50:32.56\00:50:35.17
doing right now. This is a
very difficult time in my life.
00:50:35.28\00:50:39.38
I can't understand
these circumstances, but Lord,
00:50:39.68\00:50:42.71
you know what? You have
more experience than me.
00:50:42.91\00:50:45.07
And so I'm just going
to kind of follow along.
00:50:45.47\00:50:47.78
You take the step and I'll
walk right in Your footsteps.
00:50:47.98\00:50:50.37
I'll walk in Your footsteps
the way that You lead me. "
00:50:50.67\00:50:52.55
And we can't go wrong no
matter how many calamities
00:50:52.85\00:50:56.45
come to our lives
we can't go wrong.
00:50:56.65\00:50:58.76
This reminds me of a
fantastic statement in the book
00:50:59.83\00:51:03.19
Desire of Ages pages 224 and 225
00:51:03.39\00:51:06.17
that I'd like to
read. You know this -
00:51:06.57\00:51:08.83
you've read it before -
00:51:09.03\00:51:10.18
where Ellen White is
speaking about the experience of
00:51:11.37\00:51:14.08
John the Baptist.
00:51:14.18\00:51:15.64
You know, you look at
John the Baptist. He also was
00:51:16.04\00:51:18.03
thrown into prison.
00:51:18.23\00:51:19.51
Jesus never went to visit him.
00:51:20.01\00:51:21.88
You'd say: "Come
on... he was Jesus' cousin
00:51:24.13\00:51:27.41
and Jesus didn't show any
interest whatsoever in him.
00:51:28.45\00:51:31.62
Here he's thrown into prison
and he's apparently abandoned
00:51:31.82\00:51:34.50
and forsaken. What
justice is there in this?
00:51:34.71\00:51:38.63
Because John the
Baptist was faithful to God.
00:51:38.94\00:51:41.97
Why should he end up there? "
00:51:42.17\00:51:43.83
And of course, John the
Baptist had doubts himself
00:51:44.96\00:51:47.75
about what was happening.
That is, until he sent his
00:51:47.96\00:51:50.62
disciples to ask Jesus:
"Are You the One that we're
00:51:50.72\00:51:53.40
expecting or are we
to wait for another? "
00:51:53.50\00:51:55.61
And Jesus didn't
answer the question.
00:51:56.55\00:51:57.97
He simply performed
miracles that whole day.
00:51:58.17\00:52:00.73
You can read it in scripture.
00:52:01.13\00:52:02.77
And at the end of the day
Jesus says to the disciples
00:52:03.17\00:52:05.49
of John: "Now you go back
00:52:05.69\00:52:07.05
and you tell John
what you've seen. "
00:52:07.15\00:52:09.07
And when they told John
what they had seen Jesus do
00:52:10.34\00:52:14.80
we find in Desire of
Ages that John now had peace.
00:52:15.00\00:52:20.67
He knew that Jesus
was the promised Messiah
00:52:21.07\00:52:24.30
and he was willing to give his
life... he was willing to die.
00:52:24.70\00:52:28.10
And then Ellen White says that
John the Baptist, by his death,
00:52:29.18\00:52:32.58
became an inspiration
to many others who would be
00:52:32.78\00:52:35.21
martyred for their faith.
00:52:35.41\00:52:36.74
In other words,
he saved many people
00:52:37.04\00:52:38.63
through his death
00:52:38.83\00:52:40.45
besides all of the people that
00:52:40.65\00:52:41.99
he saved through the message
00:52:42.09\00:52:43.58
that he imparted from God.
00:52:43.83\00:52:45.23
In this context is where we
00:52:45.53\00:52:47.32
find this statement in
Desire of Ages pages 224-5.
00:52:47.43\00:52:50.94
So if we could see the...
If Joseph had been able to
00:53:28.01\00:53:31.01
see the end from the beginning
00:53:31.21\00:53:33.00
do you think Joseph
would have changed anything?
00:53:33.21\00:53:35.10
He would not have
changed one thing.
00:53:35.50\00:53:37.68
He would have said: "OK, Lord,
00:53:37.99\00:53:40.87
we're walking together through
these trials and tribulations. "
00:53:41.07\00:53:44.02
He would have chosen the
very way that God chose for him.
00:53:44.85\00:53:48.55
Because if we knew
the end from the beginning
00:53:48.95\00:53:51.54
we would not choose any
other way than the way which God
00:53:51.74\00:53:55.65
has established for us.
00:53:55.85\00:53:57.46
In another very significant
statement in Desire of Ages
00:53:58.36\00:54:01.25
page 208... this
also is very well known...
00:54:01.45\00:54:05.07
we find this
marvelous statement.
00:54:05.37\00:54:07.81
Because some people
say: "Well, you know, Jesus,
00:54:08.01\00:54:10.40
He was... He had a different
nature than we have, you know.
00:54:10.60\00:54:13.59
And He was closer to
His Father than we are. "
00:54:13.69\00:54:16.41
And you know, we
start making excuses
00:54:16.61\00:54:19.12
as to why Jesus could
overcome and we can't overcome.
00:54:19.33\00:54:22.20
Notice what Ellen White has
to say in Desire of Ages 208.
00:54:22.61\00:54:25.66
Sounds kind of like Joseph, huh?
00:54:36.80\00:54:39.82
Joseph made no
plans for himself.
00:54:40.12\00:54:41.92
Every day he said:
"Lord, you know, show me...
00:54:42.12\00:54:43.71
show me what You want me to do.
00:54:43.91\00:54:45.13
Show me what Your plans are.
00:54:45.34\00:54:46.44
Choreograph my life. "
00:54:46.64\00:54:48.47
She continues saying:
00:54:48.88\00:54:50.74
By the way, the
Lord's Prayer says
00:55:09.12\00:55:10.86
"Give us this
week our daily bread. "
00:55:11.16\00:55:14.06
Thank you. It
says: "Give us THIS DAY
00:55:15.77\00:55:18.87
our daily bread. "
God does not reveal to us
00:55:19.07\00:55:22.34
His plans in weeks
or months or years.
00:55:22.54\00:55:25.93
He reveals it in
a day-to-day basis.
00:55:26.17\00:55:29.73
And we're told here that
Jesus made no plans for Himself.
00:55:30.13\00:55:34.14
Every day He said: "Father,
what are Our plans today? "
00:55:34.34\00:55:39.25
Now you say: "How
does that affect us? "
00:55:39.49\00:55:41.30
Notice the last
part of this statement:
00:55:41.70\00:55:43.57
Isn't that a
marvelous statement?
00:56:02.85\00:56:04.97
And they key is: "So utterly
was Christ emptied of self. "
00:56:06.00\00:56:10.94
See, when we say: "Why
is this happening to me? "
00:56:11.85\00:56:14.55
"Why am I having these trials? "
00:56:14.75\00:56:16.35
"Why am I having
this tribulation? "
00:56:16.55\00:56:18.32
It's a
manifestation of selfishness.
00:56:18.52\00:56:20.49
We're supposed to say:
"Lord, what's in this for You? "
00:56:21.80\00:56:25.09
"I'll walk with You;
I'll follow Your plans
00:56:26.41\00:56:29.68
just like Joseph did. "
00:56:29.98\00:56:31.26
And when you look
at the story of Joseph
00:56:31.47\00:56:33.52
you have a glorious conclusion
to a providential story...
00:56:33.73\00:56:38.52
God leading step by step.
00:56:38.76\00:56:42.89
On a lesser scale, we
can have the same experience
00:56:43.99\00:56:48.09
as long as we trust God the
way that Joseph trusted God.
00:56:48.49\00:56:54.25
We may not have a dream say-
ing that we're going to be lord
00:56:54.65\00:56:57.37
but we do have a
Bible that says that someday
00:56:57.57\00:57:00.08
we will be lords. The Bible
says that if we suffer with Him
00:57:00.28\00:57:04.53
we will also reign with Him.
00:57:04.73\00:57:07.47
And Jesus says also
in a text that we read
00:57:07.77\00:57:11.27
"Well done, thou
good and faithful servant.
00:57:11.47\00:57:13.66
Because you have
been faithful in little
00:57:13.86\00:57:15.83
I will place you over much. "
00:57:16.03\00:57:18.69
May that be the living
experience in our lives.
00:57:18.99\00:57:24.34