The Life Of Joseph - From Prison To Prime Minister - Part 1
Background And Introduction - Genesis 3 verses 7-31
We are commencing a series of talks on the life of Joseph, a man who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Egypt, the greatest nation of that time, and he did so by way of a prison cell. As we continue these studies we will see pride and prejudice, dishonesty and deceit, family favouritism and faction, with intrigue thrown in for good measure! This week we’re going to look at Joseph’s father, Jacob and we will see the Presence and Protection of God; Principles & Priorities of Brothers; and Prayer & Preparation of Jacob. Joseph was one of Abraham's great-grandsons, the grandson of Isaac and son of Jacob, father of the twelve tribes of Israel, which was the new name given to him in Genesis32.28 after he had wrestled with a divine visitor throughout the night. In awe and humility he had cried out "I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared”. It was an experience he never forgot. The lesson for us in our day is that God has not changed and He still reveals Himself to His children in powerful ways. In Proverbs 8.17 we read: "I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me". When did we last hear the voice of God through his Word, and what was our response to His message?
First we will see the…
Presence And Protection Of God: Genesis 28 verses 13-15 and 31 verse 3
There are few blessings in life so rich and fulfilling as a sense of God's presence, so when Jacob received the personal assurance of his God "I will be with you" (Genesis 31 verse 3) it was a promise well worth having. We do well to ask ourselves how much we treasure the promises which God has given to us? In Hebrews 13.5-6 we read “God has said, 'never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' so we say with confidence, 'the Lord is my Helper; I will not be afraid. what can man do to me?'". Do we have that glad assurance? Do we begin each day in the knowledge that our Lord will never leave us? Can we say with the poet "He walks with me and He talks with me and tells me I am His own"? This is the experience that God wants us to enjoy!! Not only did God graciously promise Jacob that He would be with him, but He also gave him the assurance "I will… watch over you wherever you go" (Genesis 28.13-15). Jacob knew the strength and comfort which comes from the knowledge that God is with us, protecting us wherever we go. But something very important, and not particularly easy, was expected from Jacob, and that was obedience. Jacob could so easily have stayed in Haran, the home of his wives, where he had a prosperous farming business. Apart from problems with his wife’s family, there was very little to worry about. But God had told him to return to the promised land, and he would never know God's blessing until he did! May I ask you, personally, “what is God telling you to do and what is your response?” We will look at Genesis 32 a little later on and see Jacob returning to Canaan, where he is about to meet his twin brother, Esau. When they parted 20 years earlier, Esau had said "I will kill my brother Jacob" and this was no idle threat, for he was well able to carry it out. How thankful Jacob would be that because he was returning to Canaan in obedience to God, he could claim the promise of His presence and protection. What was the difference between these two twin brothers?
Let's look at their...
Principles & Priorities Of Brothers - Genesis 36 & 37 verse 1
Note the closing words of Genesis 25. "so Esau despised his birthright". We need to ask ourselves if we are in danger of despising our spiritual birthright. What is of greater importance to us, a programme on TV or prayer? Our personal hobbies or our personal holiness? The result of our favourite football team or the furthering of God's Kingdom? These are important questions which demand an answer! The way in which Jacob secured the birthright was wrong, but the desire to have it was right! The next difference is seen in their choice of a bride in Genesis 28 verses 1-4 and 29 verse 20.
It is clear that God intended Jacob to marry within the family of Abraham, the man of faith, and he seems to have gladly responded to his mother's plan to go north to her people for his bride. Can you picture the lonely man setting out from Canaan on a 600 mile journey, leaving behind his mother and father and the home in which he had been brought up! Then, after falling in love with his cousin, Rachel, he willingly agrees to work seven years for her hand. One of the most beautiful phrases in the whole book of Genesis is found in 29 verse 20 "so Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her". That's romance at it's best! What a difference to his twin, Esau, who married Judith and Basemath, of the pagan tribe of the Hittites. Genesis 26 verse 35 tells us "they were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah". We have seen that Jacob was a prosperous farmer, but in Genesis 32 verse 3 we read "the Lord said to Jacob "Go back to the land of your father and to your relatives, and I will be with you". Within a few hours he takes to the road in obedience to his God! Is that the kind of obedience with which we respond to God’s Word? God had told him to return to God's land, and that was the end of the story; there was no turning back. Little did he realise what lay before him, but he was trusting his God! What a contrast to Esau.
Finally we see the…
Prayer And Preparation Of Jacob: Genesis 32.
What worries, cares and anxieties Jacob carried just because he failed to fully trust his God. verse 7 shows us that he was a very ordinary man, just like us, for despite God's wonderful promise of protection he was "in great fear and distress". We might well ask ourselves if Jacob had any "means of grace" which would help him in his time of need and if so, is it available to us? The first of which he took advantage was prayer. How thankful we can be that just as Jacob turned to God in prayer we, too, are invited to "cast all our anxieties upon Him, for He cares for us" (1Peter 5 verse 7).
A study of Genesis 32 verses 9-12 reveals five points in his prayer which can be a great help to us in our prayer times;
- he pleaded the promises of God;
- he acknowledged God's past mercies and blessings;
- he confessed his unworthiness;
- he was specific; and
- he was real before God and did not pretend a confidence he didn't feel.
After a full night of prayer and thoughtful consideration, Jacob laid his plans and the following night he had a confrontation with the living God which he never forgot! As he struggled with the Divine Visitor, pleading for his blessing, God responded in great grace by changing his name. In scripture a change of name signifies a change of character.
He asked Jacob his name in order to remind him that it meant "supplanter or cheat", then he renamed him “Israel”. No longer would he be the cheat but "one who had power with God and with men and had overcome". Not just a change but a transformation! After such a momentous confrontation with God, Jacob must have known that the dreaded meeting with Esau was in God's hands and chapter 33 tells us of the wonderful reconciliation between these brothers, and the obvious way in which God had softened Esau's heart. Is there a Christian with whom you have fallen out? Have you prayed about it? Are you willing to confess your share of the blame? Will you approach that person prayerfully and humbly, yet confident that God will bring about a real and lasting reconciliation which will bring glory to his name and blessing to his children? There is a lovely touch in Genesis35.27-29 where we read of the death of Isaac, "and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him"! That would have been thought impossible a short while before and God is still in the business of performing family miracles! There are many lessons for us, but I pray that God will challenge each one of us with the thought which runs throughout this study that we are to go all out for God's blessings rather than setting our hearts on the world's goods and acclaim?