Genesis 42-43, Matthew 11:25-12:21

My first thought as I read chapter 42 is that we are so like the sons of Jacob. Do you realize that when he is behaving in a human manner, he is referred to as Jacob, yet when he is referred to for God’s purposes he is called Israel? Just something I noticed. Anyways, when things stink and times are tough, it is our human nature to sit around and whine and cry about how it is bad. Part of what made America great was the fact that most people who made it here were those that raged against hard times. I feel like we’ve lost that. I am guilty of it as well. When things were hard, I retreated into myself and had a long pity party. Instead, we should look at where we think we need to be and figure out the options for how to get there. In his study, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby speaks about how many people sit around and do nothing, waiting for God to put something in their lap. That isn’t how it works. We have to be active in this relationship. We are to look around and see where God is working, then join him there. That is what Jacob was telling his sons. He knew that God was providing in Egypt. The boys were just sitting around feeling sorry for themselves, and he told them to stop. They needed to get down to where God was providing and get in on the action.
Many people ask how Joseph could recognize his brothers but they not recognize him. Well, first of all, his brothers were full grown men when they sold Joseph and he was still young. He probably had changed a lot in looks as he grew into manhood while they had already attained that. Secondly, they were in the culture they had been in and probably didn’t dress or groom any differently. Joseph was dressing and grooming as the Egyptians did which was much differently than he’d grown up. I can’t imagine the reserve it took when he saw them walk in. The wave of emotions that probably assaulted him had to have been immense. Yet, he kept his composure. He did however choose to make them uncomfortable which makes this story more believable. He was able to keep from screaming and yelling at them, but he didn’t just forgive and forget.
In verse 9 he accuses them of being enemies because they entered Egypt where their enemies always attacked from because it was the least defensible spot. I find that one of the places God injects his hilarious irony. The brothers had been enemies to Joseph. Enemies in the worst way, and they entered in that way. However, this is where God can heal relationships. We may enter as enemies but if God is allowed to work, we can reconcile with those around us whether they are family or not. We see in verse 24 we see that he was not vengeful in his behavior but he was searching their hearts to see if it was safe to reconcile.
Starting in verse 21 we see their past return to haunt them. Even though Joseph does not reveal himself to the brothers, the guilt of what they have done brings it to the forefront. They could not let go of what they had done because they hadn’t been honest about it, or been allowed to make amends. Reuben thinks Joseph is dead and this situation of having to leave behind a brother is their punishment. They will have to explain to their father and bring Benjamin with them to retrieve the brother which is almost impossible because of what they had done to Joseph. The funniest part is that they have this whole conversation in front of Joseph thinking he didn’t understand. It wasn’t so funny to Joseph, but I just find it comical that they would have such a private conversation out in the open. Though as a very Caucasian looking woman, I have been subjected to listen to some pretty private conversations between Hispanic moms in line at school who think I don’t understand them. It can be pretty uncomfortable. Once it was getting so bad that I casually made a comment about something unrelated to one of them in Spanish so that she’d know I knew what she was saying. I think that was the last time they had a private conversation when I was around. We need to be aware of where we are and what we are saying at all times. Even if we think we are not going to be overheard, God hears everything.
So Simeon goes into confinement, which isn’t really laid out in detail, but the way Joseph interacted with them here, I am going to assume that Simeon was well taken care of. I can imagine Joseph having his servants talk to him about what their lives were like and getting the stories of his family brought to him. They take the grain back to Canaan, they keep their money, and they have an ultimatum for their father from Joseph. Isreal is not having that. He does not trust them to care for Benjamin and does not want to loose another of his favorites. The brothers have obviously grown because they offer their lives and the lives of their children in order to be able to go gain food for the family. Finally, Israel agrees.
Joseph is so excited to see them return with Benjamin that he has an awesome feast prepared at his own home. They are freaked out and think they are in trouble because they can’t imagine that God is blessing them in their guilt. They treated them well. I can’t imagine the composure it took for Joseph to not run to his brother and hug him silly after not having seen him since he was a baby. I remember what it was like to meet my sister for the first time. I ran up and gave her a hug which I don’t think she was expecting, but I was just glad to be with her. There is a bond between siblings that transcends experiences. The more I get to know my sister, the more I see the amazing creation that we are. I can imagine that it took quite a while for Joseph to compose himself. Again I laugh when the brothers are astonished at how they are seated around the table. Joseph definitely had a sense of humor.
Now we move to Matthew. In the end of chapter 11, Jesus begins with a prayer and then moves on to teach us about what he truly came to do. God does not reveal the truth of salvation to those who are focused on the wisdom of the world. That does not mean that we cannot be rational and think about things. It means that if we truly seek the truth and not just to make it fit the box we are comfortable with it in, we will see it. Many people think they can find God on their own. The truth is that we only find God through Jesus Christ. The good news is that it is available for all who want it. I often hear people tell me that they’ve done too much to be able to be saved now. They are too this or too that. What a lie they tell themselves. Jesus is clear in verses 28-30 that he wants the worst of the worst to come to him and trade. He wants us all saved. In order to do that though, we must come to him, choose to learn from him and be like him. He already took on our sin, now we must take on his righteousness in return to complete the concept. He also points out that in the long run, his is the easier burden. Yet, so many choose to carry their own burdens because the lie we tell ourselves is that following Jesus is silly, or too hard.
Okay, in chapter 12, we see the Pharisees attack him again. They get legalistic and focus on minute laws instead of the fact that Jesus was leading the disciples and he knew the law better than they. What they were doing in the big picture looked like it was against the law, yet it truly wasn’t. They just chose to make it against the law for their own purposes. Jesus appealed to scripture to show them where they were incorrect. This is a big deal to me. I feel that we have returned to a legalistic place in the church as a whole. We have gotten so caught up in what others are doing and what we allow them to do that we forget the true message that Jesus brings. We push people aside and we decide that they don’t fit with us because they don’t follow our rules. How un-christlike is that? If you think that doing God’s will goes against God’s will you have a problem. We must look to love first and foremost and allow it to keep us from sinning. I am not saying that it is ever okay to sin in order to get somewhere. It is not. I am saying that there are many things that can give the appearance of sin that may be necessary at times in order to help someone else in love. We have to be close to God in order to know the difference. As Pastor Rich has said so many times, it is not about focusing on what we can and can’t get away with, it is about having a relationship with God. When we do that, the boundaries will be clear to us. Focus on your relationship with God and stop sweating the small stuff.
Tomorrow’s reading is Genesis 44-45 and Matthew 12:22-50.