Thank you, George Beverly Wentworth. Northwest Airlines and its employees are facing a deadline in just a few weeks. And if you have tickets for a flight later this month or into September, perhaps you're watching the news anxiously wondering if you're going to be able to make the trip. You're hoping the two sides will get together. They will reconcile their differences. It is that theme that we want to look at this morning as we turn in our Bibles to Genesis chapter 43, 44, and 45.
It is the theme of reconciliation. Reconciliation is a central theme in all of the Scriptures. It is at the core of God's heart for mankind. For man's sin brought an alienation between the Creator and His creatures. God is about the work of bringing together what sin has divided. Reconciliation is based upon the epical and sacrificial death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we sang this morning in that beautiful hymn by Philip Bliss, my sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part, but the whole is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. God's wrath toward you and me because of our sin was expressed against the Lord Jesus Christ as He hung upon the cross and suffered in our place. It is because of His work that there can be reconciliation with God.
The word reconcile comes from a Latin verb meaning to make friendly again. In other words, there is an offense that has occurred which has caused separation, but something can happen to bring the two sides together again to make them friends. In Nelson's Bible Dictionary we read this regarding reconciliation. It says in biblical reconciliation both parties are affected. Through the sacrifice of Christ, man's sin is atoned and God's wrath is appeased.
Thus a relationship of hostility and alienation is changed into one of peace and fellowship. I think this theme of reconciliation might well be described as a one word summary of all of God's will and purpose in human history. Paul seems to say that in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 when he tells us that we have been enlightened to know the mystery of God's will which he purposed in Christ. He says this purpose is going to be effected when the times have reached their fulfillment.
And then he describes God's purpose as this, to bring all things in heaven and earth together under one head, even Christ. Today we are going to look at reconciliation in the narrative of Joseph's life, in the bringing together of a family that had been fractured by jealousy and hatred. Reconciliation folks is a far reaching theme. Many who are listening to me right now are touched by the reality of broken relationships.
Perhaps it is that you still have no relationship with God that is meaningful and saving. Or perhaps you have a friendship that has been broken or a family that has come apart and you are wondering where to go with it and what to do. Or perhaps something in today's message from the life of Joseph will be helpful to you. Reconciliation is a good thing. It is a worthy effort. It is a God honoring goal. I think we can say very clearly that reconciliation is the work of the Lord.
Whether it be horizontal relationships that reconcile or the vertical relationship between ourselves and God, reconciliation is the work of the Lord. Now we have three chapters to cover this morning. I will not be reading the text before I preach. We have a lot of work to do and frankly this text is a difficult one for me because I find it one of the most moving texts in all of the Bible. In fact I could not read it this week in my own study without weeping through parts of it.
I will try to do better than that this morning. What I want us to do is to learn from Joseph's experience with his brothers what reconciliation entails. So following that theme let's notice first of all that reconciliation requires a foundation. It has to set on something. If sin is what separates then sin is what needs to be honestly and appropriately addressed so there can be reconciliation. The offense that has created the separation has to be confronted and that is what Joseph did.
And he did it in such a wise way. You may recall from the study last week as David preached to us that a famine forced the brothers of Joseph to go to Egypt in the search of food. And there they encountered Joseph and we are going to look back in chapter 42 for just a moment to recapture some of that. Joseph saw his brothers come into the court. They did not recognize him but he recognized them.
And in verse 18 it says Joseph said to them on the third day, by the way he put them into prison for three days, he had spoken harshly with them, accused them of being spies and said if you are not spies then all of you will stay here in prison and one of you can go back and bring your little brother and prove that you are not spies. After three days in prison he changed the equation a little bit. He said all of you can go back but one. And that is what we are going to read about here.
He says, Do this and live for I fear God if you are honest men let one of your brothers be confined in your prison but as for the rest of you go carry grain for the famine of your households and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words may be verified and you will not die. And they did so. So Joseph tests them on their first visit. And Reuben answered them saying, Did I not tell you, do not sin against the boy? What in the world has brought this subject up?
Reuben brings up a matter that is twenty years in the past. Did I not tell you, do not sin against the boy and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood. In other words Reuben is saying you guys created this mess. It is because of Joseph. And he was speaking in the Hebrew tongue. He did not know that Joseph understood what he was saying. And verse twenty-four says Joseph turned away from them and he wept.
And then he returned and spoke to them and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. And so as the story goes the rest of the brothers returned to their homeland and to their father Jacob giving him the news that Simeon was still in Egypt and that they needed to bring Benjamin down to Egypt to prove that they were honest men and so that Simeon could be released. Jacob, shall we say, had a fit.
He was not about to allow Benjamin, the only other son of Rachel that he knew who was alive, to go down to Egypt. He was not about to risk his youngest son. Notice he would have allowed Simeon to remain in an Egyptian prison for the sake of his youngest son Benjamin. And so there was a stalemate. You cannot take Benjamin, he said. And so they ate the food they brought from Egypt and then it was gone. And there was still a famine.
And so they had a renewed conversation with their father Jacob and they said, Dad, we need food and we cannot go down to Egypt and buy more food unless we take our little brother with us. And finally Jacob agrees to it. Jacob still in his old age is up to some scheming. He puts together a present to give to this ruler down in Egypt hoping to gain some favor from him. Finally he said, all of these things are against me. Don't you love to be around people who see life that way?
Everything is against me. It's all wrong. Thank God that we know Christ can say, if God be for me, who can be against me? Jacob said, all of these things are against me. And then later he said, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. What he meant by that was, I just give it over to God and whatever happens, happens. Basically he was giving up. And so the brothers returned to Egypt with Benjamin. Verse 16 of chapter 43 tells us that Joseph saw Benjamin with them.
That's before they had seen him. And so he arranged for a lunch with these brothers in his own house. They were terrified. You see, when they had left Egypt before, Joseph had told his steward to put the brothers' money for the food back in their sacks. And when they found it, they were frightened, thinking that somehow the Egyptians would think they had stolen the money or hadn't paid for the food. They didn't know what to think. Now they're back in Egypt.
Joseph invites them to lunch and they're terrified that it's because of that money. They're going to be held accountable for it. And so they called Joseph's steward aside and they said, here's the situation. We didn't steal the grain. The money was just in our sacks. And now we brought that money back and double it for some more grain. And notice the steward says in verse 23, be at ease. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your fathers has given you treasure in your sacks.
I had your money. Now suddenly they knew where it came from. And then he brought Simeon out to them. Now that is a very curious thing because no announcement has been made yet publicly who this other person is in their party, that it's Benjamin. But you see, the steward already knew because Joseph had told him. And so there's a little clue given to these brothers. Simeon is released before they even announce that Benjamin is with them. And so there is the lunch.
They all bow to the ground before him, fulfillment of Joseph's dream. And he says in verse 29, is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me? And he said, may God be gracious to you, my son. And Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred over his brother and he saw the place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. Just look at the heart of this man. He is so deeply stirred in seeing his little brother that he cannot contain himself.
And having gotten the cry over with, he washed his face and came back into the lunch and he was served separately, which was the custom. The Egyptians would not eat with anybody like the Hebrews. But there's another hint that is given because the brothers were all seated at their table according to their ages. And it says in verse 33 that they were astonished. They couldn't figure out how this seating arrangement could have been arranged.
Then the food was served and Benjamin got five times as much as anybody else. Test number two. The first test when he kept Simeon was to see if they would care about their brother and return for him. The second test that Joseph gives to them as he is seeking to help them see their sin and confess it openly was to give Benjamin far more food than he could possibly eat and certainly more than any of the rest of them got.
He wanted to find out if they would be jealous of Benjamin as they had been jealous of him. They had lunch. The food was given. That is the food to carry home, the grain was given. But Joseph had his steward put his special cup into the sack of Benjamin. And no sooner had the brothers left the city than Joseph sent his steward after them to find out who had stolen his cup. And the brothers are just astonished that this could happen, that they could be accused of it, that they are dishonest.
And they say, look, if one of us has stolen your cup, let him die and the rest of us will be slaves in the house of Joseph. So the steward said, well, let it be according to your word. With whom I find this cup, he shall be my slave and the rest of you shall be innocent. In other words, they were punished but not exactly like you offered it. And so they hurried and got the grain sacks down and they began to look in the sacks. And notice again, he starts with the oldest and works his way down.
The clue that these Egyptians know a lot more about this family than the family realizes. But it's also for dramatic effect. So they start with the first one and then they work their way down. Well, you see, it's not here, it's not here. The cup isn't with us. And they come to Benjamin, oh, Benjamin would never take that cup. And sure enough, that's where the cup was. And it says they tore their clothes. They were so upset. And they loaded their donkeys and they returned to the city.
And this time Judah is the spokesman. Judah now emerges as the leader. They come to Joseph's house. They fall to the ground before him. And Joseph says, what is this you've done? Judah said, what can we say to my Lord? What can we speak? Verse 16. How can we justify ourselves? Notice what he says. God has found out the iniquity of your servants. He is not talking about that cup. He is talking about what happened 20 years before. He is talking about what they did to Joseph.
He says, we are my Lord's slaves. Joseph said, far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave. But as for you, go up in peace to your father. Test number three. Would they be loyal to Benjamin? Or would they simply go back home and leave him there defenseless? Judah approached Joseph. And he gives what is the longest speech that is recorded in the book of Genesis. He calls Joseph his Lord. He refers to himself as a servant.
All of the language here indicates his subjection to Joseph. We move on down to verse 33 of chapter 44, where he says, 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. 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? So you see, Judah here offers himself as a substitute for his brother.
It reminds us of the one who was born of the tribe of Judah, who offered himself as a substitute for all of us on the cross. Now the drama has played out, and in chapter 45 it all comes together. It says, Joseph could not control himself before all who stood by him. And he cried, have everyone go out from me. And so all of the Egyptians were sent out of the room. And Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
And it says that he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Can you imagine the shock of those words to their hearts? I am Joseph. The first thing he wants to know is, is Dad still alive? The brothers were so afraid, so dismayed by what they were hearing, what was happening, they could not even speak. And Joseph said, please come closer to me.
And they came closer and he said, I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And having them come closer, he may have proven to them that he had the mark of the Abrahamic covenant in his body, which the Egyptians would not have, evidencing that in fact he was one of them. And he says, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. Here's my point. Reconciliation requires a foundation. It cannot take place in a vacuum.
It is possible only when there is an environment of unguarded openness and confession of sin. That is the foundation for reconciliation. And Joseph leads his brothers to this point, where they now at least twice have acknowledged their sin years before to him. The foundation is laid and reconciliation is built upon it. Secondly, I notice in this narrative that reconciliation demands forgiveness. The offenses that are creating the separation have to be dealt with by forgiveness.
Now I believe that Joseph had already forgiven his brothers long before they arrived in Egypt. We talked before about his firstborn son being named Manasseh, which means forgotten, or some say forgiven, as he reflected upon his brothers and what had happened to him. Genesis 41 verse 51. Forgiven, says Joseph, perhaps he dealt in anguish with the events with his brothers for years, but there came a point when he was able to say forgiven, forgiven.
And that caused him to frame the cruelty and rejection of his brothers with a divine perspective, as we have just read here, three times he will say now, God sent me before you. So that Joseph's theology dominated his feelings, his emotions. Folks, that is an important principle, because too often our feelings dominate our theology. Joseph arrived at the theologically correct perspective, and that took care of the feelings that he had regarding his brothers, forgiveness.
Now forgiveness has to be properly understood, doesn't it? Neil Anderson gives, I think, a fine summary of forgiveness in his work that is entitled Steps to Freedom in Christ. Let me just review with you very quickly some of the language that he uses to describe forgiveness. First of all, forgiveness is not forgetting, it is releasing. Forgetting may be the result of forgiveness, but it's not the cause, it's not the means.
Forgiveness means that you release the other person who's offended you from what he's done and that you will not hold a grudge against him. Secondly, forgiveness is a choice. That is, God requires us to forgive, so we can do it, but it takes a choice to forgive. It is a choice not to hold the offender accountable. It is a choice to relinquish any retribution to God, for God will deal justly. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
Third, forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another's offense. It's agreeing to live with the consequences of what the other person did. The fact is that you're going to do that whether you choose to or not. And so your choice is really whether to accept those consequences in the freedom of forgiveness or in the bondage of bitterness. When we forgive, we are willing to pay the price of the pain that is caused by the offense.
And finally, forgiveness is not dependent upon the other person. He does not need to repent first. Because you see, forgiveness is commanded of us. We cannot be held hostage by what another person does or doesn't do. And if that other person happens to be dead, how do we get repentance from that person? You see, forgiveness is an act that we take, irrespective of the other person. Ultimately, forgiveness is for our sake and not for the other person's sake.
It's to release ourselves from the bondage of bitterness. Forgiveness is not an option for the person who wants to experience spiritual freedom. Beloved, before you can be reconciled with that other person, you must forgive him. You must forgive her. Now that doesn't guarantee that there will be reconciliation because that requires both parties to be involved. It doesn't guarantee reconciliation, but forgiveness does allow for it. Reconciliation demands forgiveness.
Thirdly, I notice in our narrative regarding reconciliation that reconciliation releases feelings. Oh man, Joseph's feelings are all over the place here. Several times we read in the narrative about Joseph weeping. The popular image in our culture today is that a strong person is stoic, that he or she doesn't express emotions. That is simply not true. When reconciliation takes place, there is a release of emotion.
The father of the returning prodigal felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Jesus said that similarly there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. You see, feelings are a part of God's image in you. So reconciliation will release feelings. Do not be afraid of them. Joseph's feelings were there all along, but he was able, at least temporarily, to hide them for the sake of the process of reconciliation. Joseph might have been bitter.
He might have nursed his grudges against his brothers, but God's grace was at work in Joseph's life. He had forgiven them. And so when it came time for reconciliation, his emotions were very sensitive. There was no hardened heart here. He speaks to them in chapter 45. And in verse 14, when he is done talking, it says, he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept. And Benjamin wept on his neck, and Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept on them. You see the release of emotion here?
Some of us are so afraid that our emotions are going to get out of control, but that emotions aren't proper, that we need to be strong. Because here is a man of God who is portrayed to us in the image of Jesus Christ in the book of Genesis. And he is a man whose heart is tender, and he is not afraid to let his emotions out. In fact, he needed to, and so do you. Today I notice in the narrative that reconciliation brings fruit. Reconciliation has some wonderful fruit.
The first piece of fruit that I see is found in the last part of verse 15 where it says, And afterward his brothers talked with him. Communication. When there is separation, there is no communication. Reconciliation means there is communication. To compare this to chapter 37 verse 4 where it says, They hated Joseph so much that they could not speak a kind word to him. But now there is reconciliation and they are talking among themselves. Fellowship is restored.
The second piece of fruit is found in verses 5 through 11, this whole text where it talks about the hope that was brought to the family of Jacob. You see they are living in Canaan where there is no food. There is no future for this family. But as you read down through these verses, you see how Joseph now is going to take care of them. And later you see how Pharaoh himself heard about all of this and offered them the very best of the land of Egypt. They had hope.
There is a future for this family because of reconciliation. When there is separation, there is no hope. Reconciliation means hope. The third thing is generosity. The fruit of generosity. We see as I said Pharaoh saying to them, Look, you can go and eat of the fat of the land. The best of the land of Egypt is yours. There is generosity here. An abundance of provision for them. That's the fruit of reconciliation.
And finally in verse 24 it says, So Joseph sent his brothers away and as they departed he said to them, Do not quarrel on the journey. Don't you like that? Alright, fellas, it's time to go back now. You bring my father down here and don't fight along the way. The fourth fruit of reconciliation is peace. There's no need for them any longer to blame one another or to picket one another with accusations over the past. All of that is behind them now. Their conscience can be clear.
They have acknowledged their sin. They have been reconciled to Joseph. No need for quarreling any longer. When there is separation, there is hostility. But reconciliation brings peace. Now I have a question for you. Does that remind you of anything? As you look at this fruit, does this remind you of anything? It ought to. Because this is exactly the fruit that our reconciliation to God brings. We were separated from God. There was no fellowship with God.
But being reconciled to God, we have fellowship with Him. We had no hope being separated from Christ. But now we are reconciled and there is the hope of glory. When we were separated from God, we were living in the famine of sin. But now in Jesus Christ, having been reconciled, there is the generosity of the grace of God that says that through eternity to come, He's going to keep doing kind things for us. All things are ours in Christ. Before in our sin, we were hostile toward God.
But now being reconciled, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Friend, reconciliation is God's work toward you in Jesus Christ. He has laid the foundation for it in His Son and His death on the cross. And now in Jesus Christ, having been reconciled to God, if you're a Christian, He calls you to seek reconciliation with others.
In light of what reconciliation has seemed to me in the life of Joseph, are you willing to face up to the offense that is creating a separation, the one you're thinking about? Are you willing to ask God for wisdom to approach that other person in the right way so that the sin can be surfaced in a manner that would allow both of you to deal with it? Will you seek to do so with an unguarded openness in your own heart and be ready to deal honestly with your own contribution to the separation?
Will you choose to forgive that one who's offended you? You say, no, I can't do that. I just don't know how I could deal with my feelings. Well, I hope that you've seen this morning that reconciliation releases feelings. It's a healthy thing. Let God be the Lord of your feelings as well. Do what He calls you to do to reconcile. And in doing so, follow the lead that He has already given us. Charles Swindoll tells the story of a young man whom he calls Aaron.
He met Aaron one time as he was interviewing students for a possible internship. And although he did not choose Aaron, he was so touched by Aaron's story that he recorded it in one of his books. Late one spring, Aaron was praying about what he would do the summer following his graduation. He was looking for a position in some Christian organization or a church staff, but nothing happened. Summer came, and though he prayed and sought opportunities, none turned up.
Finally, Aaron faced the reality that he had to have a job somewhere, and so he checked the newspaper. And the only thing that he could find was the possibility of driving a bus in the south side of Chicago, which wasn't a particularly happy thing to do. But at least it would earn him some money and help him to pay his tuition in the fall. So after learning the route, he was put out on his own, just a rookie driver in a very dangerous part of Chicago.
There was a small but very tough gang of kids that spotted this young driver. They decided to take advantage of him, and so for several mornings in a row, they got on his bus and walked right by him without paying the fare. They rode until they wanted to get off, and they got off, all the while making smart remarks regarding him and also others on the bus. And so one day he decided he had had enough.
The next morning when the gang got on, as usual, he saw a policeman on the next corner and pulled up and reported the offense. So the policeman got on the bus, and he told the gang, either pay up or get off. Well, guess what they did? They paid up, and they stayed on the bus when he got off. And about two corners further on the route, they attacked young Aaron, the bus driver.
When he came to, he had blood all over his clothes, two teeth were missing, his eyes were swollen, his money was gone, and the bus was empty. After returning to his terminal, he was given the weekend off, and then he went to his apartment and sank into depression. Lying upon his bed in confusion and anger, he looked at the ceiling and he prayed, how can this be? Where is God in all of this? I wanted to serve him. I prayed for ministry.
I was willing to go anywhere, do anything, and this is the thanks that I get. On Monday morning after the weekend, he decided to press charges against the gang. And it didn't take long for them to find witnesses who had been on the bus and to round up the gang, and a court hearing was arranged. Aaron walked in with his attorney, and the angry gang members glared at him. And suddenly, his heart was seized with a whole new series of thoughts.
Instead of having bitter thoughts toward these young men, he was seized with compassionate thoughts. His heart went out to these men who had attacked him. So under the Spirit's control, he no longer hated them. He had pity for them. He saw them as men who needed help.
So after there had been a guilty plea, he suddenly, to the surprise of his own attorney, rose in the courtroom and he said, Your Honor, I would like you to total up the days of punishment against these men, all the time sentenced against them, and I request that you allow me to go to jail in their place. The judge didn't know whether to spit or wind his watch, says Swindoll. Obviously, both of the attorneys were stunned.
Aaron looked over at the gang and they were all long-faced, their mouths hanging open. Finally the judge was able to collect himself and he said, Young man, you're out of order. This sort of thing has never been done before. To which the young man said, Oh, yes it has, Your Honor, yes it has. It happened over 19 centuries ago when a man from Galilee paid the penalty that all mankind deserves. Then he took the next three or four minutes to share the gospel with this whole courtroom.
It was astonished. He was not granted the request. The young gang members were sentenced to jail, but he visited them in jail and led most of them to faith in Jesus Christ. And then through them, he began a significant ministry in the south side of Chicago. God is ministry. Could it be that the purpose of God in your life is just waiting for you to reconcile, to get beyond this separation, this offense that has consumed your life?
And once you have done that, then things will begin to fall in place and God's purpose will be clear. That's what happened to Joseph. He said to his brothers, you intended it for evil, but God meant it for good. Let's pray. Where's the separation that God has put His finger on in your life? Is there one?
If so, will you today determine before God that you will seek reconciliation, that you will put into practice what we've studied today from Joseph's life and seek by God's grace to make peace with that one who has separated from you? Father, help us today, I pray, to see Joseph's life as an example for us to follow. And may the Holy Spirit not allow us to rest in peace until we have determined in our hearts to obey you, to forgive and to be reconciled with that one that is apart from us.
And through that I pray that you will bring forth fruit in our lives and in the life of the other person and release us to that purpose that you have in the experience that has created the offense. With our heads bowed and just before I close in prayer, I wonder if you would by the uplifted hands say, Pastor, I am aware of a separation that needs to be healed. And I lift my hand to say that I am going to respond by God's grace and seek that healing. God bless you. Yes. A number of hands.
Anyone else just before I close? Thank you. God bless you. Now Father, would you please strengthen by your spirit these several who have made that commitment and show them the way and dismiss us all, I pray, with the blessing of the joy of knowing what our reconciliation to you has brought us in Christ. May we live that out in all of our relationships this week. In Christ's name I pray, amen. God bless you. You are dismissed. Amen.