Evil Intent & God’s Mercy – Genesis 37-50

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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church
September 9, 2007

Evil Intent & God’s Mercy
Genesis 37-50

Over the last few weeks of our study of Genesis the emphasis has been on God’s establishment of His covenant with Abraham and then with his son, Isaac, and then with his grandson, Jacob. The Abrahamic covenant is critical to understanding the rest of the Bible for it will be through that covenant that God will fulfill His promise of a future redeemer given in Genesis 3:15. It was in the midst of the curse upon serpent for its part in the deception of Eve and the subsequent fall of man into sin that God promised that the “seed of the woman” would crush the serpent’s head. A future redeemer would conquer Satan. (See: Sin & It’s Consequences and Abraham, the Friend of God)

This morning the focus switches to the preservation of that covenant that will now be passed down through the 12 sons of Jacob who God has now renamed Israel. As we pick up the story in Genesis 37:1, Israel is back in the land of Canaan living in Hebron where Isaac had been living before he died.

Family Jealousy (Genesis 37)

We quickly find out that Israel’s favoritism for Joseph, first son of his favorite wife, Rachel, who died giving birth to Benjamin when they were moving to Hebron, is the underlying source of conflict between the brothers. Verse 3 & 4 state, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. 4 And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and [so] they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.” It did not help that Israel also used Joseph to check up on his brothers resulting in him being a tattletale. Verse 2 recounts one such incident when Joseph was 17 years old checking on his brothers while they were pasturing the flock and bringing back a bad report about them to Israel.

Their hatred for Joseph grew when he told them about a dream he had – verse 7, “behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” They understood the implication of this was that Joseph, second youngest in the family, was going to reign and rule over them.

Joseph then had another dream which he told to his brothers and father – verse 9, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” They understood the implications of this dream too resulting in Israel rebuking him in verse 10 saying, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” Joseph’s brother just became more jealous, but his father kept the saying in mind.

A day finally came when the brothers could act on their jealousy. Israel sent Joseph to Shechem where the brothers had been pasturing the flock in order to check on their welfare and that of the flock and then bring a report back to him. As it turned out they were no longer at Shechem but had traveled to Dothan. Joseph finally found out were they were, but before he arrived his brothers saw him coming and plotted against him. (Genesis 37:12-17)

Their first plan was to murder him and then say a wild beast had killed him, but Reuben intervened and got them to throw him into a pit instead with the intention that he would rescue him later (Genesis 37:18-24). For some reason, Reuben then left and while he was gone a caravan of Ishmaelites came by taking aromatic gum, balm and myrrh for trade in Egypt. Judah then came up with a new plan telling his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; for he is our brother, our [own] flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.” They then sold Joseph for twenty [shekels] of silver, the average price of a slave at that time, and Joseph was taken to Egypt. (Genesis 37:25-28). Reuben was nearly beside himself when he returned and found that Joseph was not in the pit, but now there was little he could do. The brothers then made up a story to tell their father. They took Joseph’s varicolored tunic and dipped the tunic in the blood of a goat. They then sent it to their father telling him, “We found this; please examine [it] to [see] whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” Israel then examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” They deceived him by purposefully letting him come to a wrong conclusion. Israel then tore his clothes and put on sackcloth in mourning for many days and refused to be comforted. (Genesis 37:29-35)

Joseph in Potiphar’ House (Genesis 39)

Meanwhile, Joseph is taken to Egypt and sold to a man named Potiphar who is the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. Though all of this was from evil intent, the Lord was with Joseph so that he became a successful man. It did not take long for Potiphar to recognize that the Lord was with Joseph and he was prospering because of it. This resulted in Joseph being elevated to become his personal servant and overseer of his house and all that he owned. Genesis 39:4 states, “So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him [there] he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.”

If you had to be a slave, this was a good position, but there was also danger present. Potiphar’s wife was not of good character and she set her desire on Joseph since he was a handsome man. She kept making advances toward him but his good character was demonstrated in his refusal telling her in Genesis 39:8-10, “Behold, with me [here,] my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 9 “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?” Note carefully that last statement because it reveals Joseph actions were governed by his belief and relationship with God. Joseph clearly recognized that the evil Potiphar’s wife desired was a sin against God and so he refused.

But a woman rejected can be dangerous. A day came when there was no one else in the house except her and Joseph and she even grabbed his garment trying to get him to commit adultery with her. He left the garment and fled outside. Now she was hurt and sought revenge for the rejection and made up a story that Joseph had come in to make sport of her and had left when she started screaming and that the garment was the proof. When Potiphar was told this he became angry and had Joseph thrown into prison. (Genesis 39:11-20).

Joseph in Jail (Genesis 40-41)

Though Joseph has again been on the receiving end of someone else’s evil intent, we also find that yet again the Lord is with him and extends kindness to him. In this case the Lord gives him favor in the sight of the chief jailer so that Joseph ends up being in charge of all the prisoners and the “chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.” (Genesis 39:21-23).

It came about that the cupbearer and baker for Pharaoh offended him and were thrown into jail for some time. Each of them then had a dream on the same night so that they were both dejected the next morning. When Joseph asked them about why they appeared so sad they told them that they had dreams but there was no one to interpret the dreams for them. In ancient Egyptian culture dreams were considered to be very significant in determining one’s future so much time and effort went into trying to interpret them. There was even a professional class of dream interpreters, but of course, men in jail would not have access to them. Joseph responded to them “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell [it] to me, please” (Genesis 40:1-8). Joseph is not claiming that he can interpret them himself, but that God can. In other words, if Joseph was able to interpret the dream it would be because God had revealed it.

The chief cupbearer then told Joseph his dream and he did interpret it for him that Pharaoh would restore him to his position within three days. Joseph then made a request of him in verses 14 & 15, “Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15 “For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.”

The chief baker saw the interpretation was favorable, so he also told Joseph his dream. However, the interpretation was that in three days Pharaoh would have him executed. (Genesis 40:14-19). Three days later it was Pharaoh’s birthday and he did exactly as Joseph had predicted. The chief cupbearer, however, forgot about Joseph and did not mention him to Pharaoh.

Two years later Pharaoh had two dreams which were similar to each other and which troubled his spirit, yet though he had sent for all of the magicians and wise men of Egypt, none of them could interpret it for him (Genesis 41:1-8). It was only at this time that the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him and how he had correctly interpreted his dream and the dream of the chief baker (Genesis 41:9-13). Pharaoh then sent for him, and after Joseph was properly cleaned and dressed they brought him before Pharaoh who said, 15 “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Again we see that Joseph is careful to point out that only God is the source of dream interpretation.

Pharaoh then told Joseph the dreams (Genesis 41:17-24). Joseph then interpreted them as follows (Genesis 41:25-32); 25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one [and the same;] God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 “The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one [and the same.] 27 “And the seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28 “It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 “Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30 and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will ravage the land. 31 “So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it [will be] very severe. 32 “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, [it means] that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.” Joseph continued on to advise Pharaoh to “look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 “Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth [of the produce] of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35 “Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard [it.] 36 “And let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish during the famine.” This advice seemed good to Pharaoh so he put Joseph in charge to carry out this plan saying, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are” (vs. 39). Joseph had been in Egypt for 13 years and now now at 30 years old he became second in command of the nation with only Pharaoh himself being greater (vs. 40), and he was given Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera Priest of On, as his wife.

Joseph in Charge (Genesis 42-48)

Joseph carried out the plan of storing a great amount of food during the years of plenty. He also had two sons during that time, Manasseh and Ephraim. When the years of famine came he was able to sell food to not only the Egyptians, but people from many other lands that were also affected by the famine. (Genesis 41:46-57). One of those other areas was Canaan where Jacob and his sons lived.

The First Visit of Joseph’s Brothers (Genesis 42)

Genesis 42 records that Jacob sent all of his sons except Benjamin down to Egypt to buy food. Joseph recognized his brothers immediately when they arrived, but they did not recognize him. They came before Joseph and bowed down to him fulfilling the prophecy given so many years earlier. Joseph began to question them harshly asking where they came from and then accusing them of being spies. After further questioning them he put them in prison for three days. (Genesis 42:1-17) This was not for purposes of revenge, but to test them to see what kind of character they had developed over the years.

On the third day Joseph reveled to them that he feared God and gave them a test. One of them one remain behind in prison while the others took the grain back to their home, but they would then have to return with Benjamin before the one in prison would be released or they could not see him again to buy grain. The brothers then said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood” (Genesis 42:21,22). They did not know that Joseph could understand them and he turned away and wept. His brothers were finally showing some remorse for what they had done and now he knew Reuben had tried to save him. Joseph then returned and took Simeon, the oldest brother who willingly participated in selling him into slavery, and put him into prison while sending the rest away with grain and even returned their money unaware by putting it into the grain sacks (Genesis 42:23-24).

They were in great turmoil when they returned home. First they had to explain to their father what had happened and what was demanded of them. Israel was firmly against the idea of letting Benjamin go to Egypt for he was his favorite and would not risk him even after Reuben declared he would put the life of his own two sons as collateral. Second, they had found the money in their sacks and were afraid they would be accused of stealing it if they had to return. (Genesis 42:25-38).

The Second Visit of Joseph’s Brothers (Genesis 43-45)

As the famine continued they ran out of the grain they had previously purchased and they needed to go back to Egypt to get more. Israel was still resistant to letting Benjamin go, but Judah explained that unless they took him they would not be able to purchase anything. He also placed himself as surety for the life of Benjamin. Israel reluctantly let Benjamin go and also sent with his sons double the money for the grain as well as the best products of the land that they had as a gift – balm, honey, aromatic gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds (Genesis 43:1-10).

When they arrive in Egypt Joseph has them brought to his house. This makes them afraid at first thinking it was because of the money that they had found in their sacks. They tell the house steward what had happened and that they had brought down additional money, but the house steward assures them “Be at ease, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money” (vs. 23). He then brought Simeon out to them and they prepared to eat a meal with Joseph. (Genesis 43:11-25). When Joseph arrived he greeted them and asked about the welfare of their father. When he came to Benjamin he became deeply stirred and after pronouncing a blessing on him had go to his private chamber where he wept and then had to control himself and wash his face. He seated his brothers in order from first born to last which astonished them and would have caused them to wonder about the abilities of their host. Joseph then gave them portions from his own table with Benjamin receiving five times as much. This tested them to see if they would be jealous of the favoritism shown Benjamin. They did not show any and they feasted and drank freely with him, but Joseph had one more test for them. (Gen. 43:26-34).

Joseph had his house steward fill their grain sacks and then had his silver cup placed into Benjamin’s sack along with his money for the grain. The next morning they started back for Hebron, but Joseph only let them go a little ways before sending his house steward after them and accusing them of taking his silver divination cup. They of course denied the allegation and said “With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves” (vs. 9). The servant said that only the one would become a slave and then began the search from the oldest to the youngest and of course, they found it in Benjamin’s sack (Genesis 44:1-12). The test was to see what these men would do on Benjamin’s behalf.

First, they tore their clothes (vs. 13). Next, after returning before Joseph, they fell to the ground before him and Judah spoke for the rest of the brothers saying, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found” (vs 16). Joseph responded that only the one who had the cup would be his slave and the rest were free to go. Judah then again spoke up to explain the situation saying, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. 19 “My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 “And we said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and a little child of [his] old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 “But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 “You said to your servants, however, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’ 24 “Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 “And our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ 26 “But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 “And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29 ‘And if you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ 30 “Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, 31 it will come about when he sees that the lad is not [with us], that he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32 “For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him [back] to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33 “Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 “For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

They had passed the test. They would not abandon Benjamin to save themselves and Judah has additionally offered to be the substitute for Benjamin out of compassion for his father because of the harm it would do to him to lose the young man. Joseph’s brothers had different characters from when they had sold him into slavery 22 years earlier.

After having everyone else leave, Joseph now revealed to his brothers his real identity. His brothers were shocked and dismayed and Joseph responded by comforting them with explaining the providential rule of God in the lives of men. Genesis 45:4-15 “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 “And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 “For the famine [has been] in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 “And you shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 “There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine [to come], lest you and your household and all that you have be impoverished.”‘ 12 “And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin [see], that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 “Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept; and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.

Pharaoh was pleased when he heard the news about Joseph’s brothers and he ordered wagons and anything else needed to be provided for Joseph to bring his father and his family down to Egypt (Genesis 45:16-20). When the sons of Israel returned to tell him that Joseph was still alive he was stunned and did not believe them until he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him back (Genesis 45:21-28).

The House of Israel Established in Egypt (Genesis 46)

They set out for Egypt and Israel offered sacrifices at Beersheba and there God also spoke to him in a night vision saying, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4 “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes” (Genesis 46:1-3). And so the house of Israel with all his descendants came to Egypt with their livestock and property (Genesis 46:4-27). Joseph had them settle in the land of Goshen which would be good for their flocks, and there he met his father and they wept together for a long time (Genesis 46:28-34).

Joseph then brought Israel and five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. They told him they were shepherds and Pharaoh gave them the best of the land for their flocks and also put them in charge of his own flocks. Jacob, who was now 130 years old, also blessed Pharaoh. Then they settled in the land of Goshen (Genesis 47:1-12).

As the years of famine wore on Joseph continued to provide for his brothers and their families and Pharaoh provided for the priests and their families so that only their lands and possessions remained their own. Everything else in Egypt became property of Pharaoh in exchange for the food they received from Joseph. He then moved populations around establishing cities as the land was rented out to tenant farmers at a 20% tax rate, but the people were grateful because Joseph had saved their lives. (Genesis 47:13-26).

Israel’s family continued to grow and prosper in the land of Goshen acquiring property and becoming numerous. Israel lived to be 147 years old. Before he died he had Joseph swear to bury him at the cave of Machpelah in Canaan (Genesis 47:27-31). He also blessed Joseph’s sons claiming Ephraim and Manasseh as his own which is why they are counted as two of the tribes of Israel instead of Joseph as just one tribe. Israel blessed them and prophesied that though both would become great, but Ephraim would be greater than Manasseh  (Genesis 48:1-22).

The Death & Burial of Israel (Genesis 49-50)

Israel then summoned all his sons and pronounced a blessing upon them. The particular blessing of each one was prophetic of what the future held for them and their descendants. Reuben was first-born, but he did not receive the rights of the first born because of his sin. Because of their anger, Simeon and Levi would end up being scattered among their brothers. Levi would become the tribe of priests living throughout Israel and Simeon shared territory with Judah. The scepter would not depart from Judah. The royal line would go through him. Zebulun would be on an important trade route. Issachar would become an industrious and hardy tribe. Dan would be wayward and in need of salvation. Gad would be exposed to invasions and that would make them valiant fighters. Asher would dwell in a rich agricultural area and so be the source of good food. Naphatali would become quick and agile in its military endeavors. Joseph would grow and prosper by God’s blessing despite the hostility shown against him. Benjamin would become known for their archers and slingers. After giving final instructions for his burial beside Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Israel died at 147.

They embalmed Israel and mourned for him for 70 days. Pharaoh granted Joseph’s request to let him go bury Israel. Going with him were his brothers and their households except for their little ones, also the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt. They mourned for seven more days after they arrived with such great and sorrowful lamentations that the Canaanites even took note of it. They all then returned to Egypt (Genesis 50:1-14).

Upon their return Joseph’s brothers once more became fearful thinking that now that Israel was dead Joseph would extract his revenge on them, so they came to him to plead for his forgiveness for the transgressions and sins they had committed against him. (Genesis 50:15-18). Joseph again reassured them telling them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 “And as for you, you meant evil against me, [but] God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”

Joseph understood that it was God that had sovereignly chosen Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob and it was God in his sovereignty that had preserved them and even used their evil intent to bring about a blessing. This is one of the more important lessons for us to understand as well in our own lives. This is the truth of Romans 8:28 that “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” God can work in our lives just as He did in Joseph’s.

Joseph lived to be 110 years old and lived to see the third generation of Ephraim’s sons. When he was about to die he reminded the house of Israel that God will surely take care of you, and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob (vs. 34), and he had them promise to carry his bones with them to bury with his fathers. As Moses wrote this account, the bones of Joseph were with them and they were carrying them back to the land of their fathers. God is true to his promises.

Sermon Study Sheets

KIDS CORNER

Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help.

Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times Joseph is mentioned in the sermon. Talk with your parents Joseph’s character and what made him a great man of God.

 

THINK ABOUT IT!

Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What is the danger of a parent showing favoritism among his children? How can this be avoided? Why did Joseph’s brother hate him? What aggravated it? Why was the comforted offered by Israel’s sons false? How did Joseph become in charge of Potiphar’s house? How does Joseph demonstrate integrity and godliness while there? What was Joseph’s response to being thrown in jail? What was the significance of Joseph saying that interpretations of dreams belonged to God? What was the significance of dreams to the Egyptians? What happened to the cupbearer and the baker? Why couldn’t Pharaoh find anyone to interpret his dreams? How did Joseph interpret them? Why did Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the nation with only himself over him? Why did Israel send his sons to Egypt? What was Joseph’s response when he saw them? What was the purpose of keeping Simeon in jail and sending the rest of them home? Why didn’t Israel want to let Benjamin go to Egypt? Why did he finally agree? Why did they bring double the money and gifts? What was Joseph’s reaction to seeing Benjamin? Why did he give Benjamin a portion 5 time greater than his brothers? Why did he pick Benjamin’s sack to place the silver cup? What was the reaction of the brothers when confronted about the cup? When they found it in Benjamin’s sack? What did Judah offer that showed a change in his character? How did Joseph comfort them after he revealed his identity? What did he teach them about God and His providence? What was Israel’s reaction to hearing that Joseph was alive? Why did they live in Goshen? What was Pharaoh’s response to them? How long did Israel live in Egypt? What was the response to his death by his family, Pharaoh, the Egyptians? What were the brothers afraid of after their father’s death? How did Joseph reassure them? What did he teach them about God? How do you respond when evil is done to you? What does the NT tell us about persecution when we are righteous? What does it tell us about God’s providence towards those that love Him even when evil happens to them?

 

Sermon Notes – September 9, 2007

Evil Intent; God’s Mercy – Genesis 37-50

Family Jealousy (Genesis 37)

Israel’s favorite son was _________________

Joseph’s dreams caused his brothers to _________ him more

His brothers wanted to _________ him, but Reuben intervened and they threw him into a pit

Joseph was sold for ______ shekels of silver and sent to __________

Joseph in Potiphar’s House (Genesis 39)

Potiphar was the ___________ of Pharaoh’s bodyguard.

Joseph refused the advance of Potiphar’s wife because it would be a great ______ and ______ against God.

She lied about Joseph so Potiphar put him in ______________

Joseph in Jail (Genesis 40-41)

Joseph was put in charge of __________________

Dreams were significant to Egyptians because they believed the determined the ____________

Joseph told the chief baker and the cupbearer that the interpretation of __________ belong to God

Pharaoh ______________ the cupbearer and he __________ the chief baker

Joseph remained in jail ___________ years before the cupbearer told Pharaoh about him

Joseph told Pharaoh that interpretation of dreams was not in him, but _______ would give him an answer

Pharaoh’s dreams revealed that there would be 7 years of __________ and then 7 years of ____________

Pharaoh put Joseph in charge because God had informed him and so there was no one else as __________

Joseph in Charge (Genesis 42-45)

Joseph stored up the grain, married and had two sons ___________ and Manasseh

The ______________ caused Joseph’s brothers to come to Egypt

Joseph kept _____________ in jail as a test of his brothers truthfulness & loyalty

Israel did not want to let _______________ go to Egypt, but the famine forced him to do so

The brothers were ___________ when they were seated according to birth order

Joseph gave ____________ 5 times as much to test his brothers for jealousy

He had his silver cup put in _________________ sack as a test of his brothers’ loyalty

________________ explained the importance of Benjamin to Israel and offered himself as a substitute

His brothers were ________________ when Joseph revealed his identity

Joseph explained that God sent him to Egypt to ____________________

Israel in Egypt (Genesis 46-47)

God promised Israel that his descendants would return to ____________

Israel was __________ years old when he came to Egypt and settled in the land of ____________

Death and Burial of Israel (Genesis 48-50)

Among Israel’s blessings and prophecies concerning his sons is included:

The __________ would not depart from Judah, his would be the ___________ line.

Israel lived to be 147 years old and was buried in __________________

Joseph’s brother were ___________ of Joseph after the death of their father

Joseph told them that though they meant ___________ against him, God meant it for ________ in order to bring about the present result and ___________ many people _________

Before Joseph died at _________ years old, he assured them that God would take care of them and bring them back to ____________


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