Forgiven and Reconciled - Genesis 45
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Well, good morning. Again.
…All right, turning your Bibles to Genesis chapter 45. Genesis 45. Follow along as I read the Word of God. Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, "Make everyone go out for me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud so that the Egyptians heard it, And Joseph said to his brothers, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. But his brothers could not answer him, "I am Joseph, is my father still alive? for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please. " And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt." And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life, for the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me there, sent me here. But God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and Lord of all his house. And ruler over all the land of Egypt. God has made me Lord of all Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, "Thus says your son Joseph, Come down to me. Do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen. And you shall be near me. You and your children and your children's children. And your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you. For there are yet five years of famine to come. So that you and your household and all that you have do not come to poverty. And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see. That it is my mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt. And of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here. Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin, Benjamin's his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept. And Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that, his brothers talked with him. When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, Joseph's brothers have come. It pleased Pharaoh and his servants. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan. And take your father and your households. And come to me. And I will give you the best of the land, the best of the land of Egypt. And you shall eat of the fat of the land. And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Have no concern for your goods. For the best of all the land of Egypt is yours. The sons of Israel did so. And Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh. And gave them provisions for the journey. To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes. But to Benjamin he gave 300 shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. To his father he sent as follows: 10 donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt. And 10 female donkeys loaded with grain. Bread and provision for his father on the journey. And he sent his brothers away. And as they departed, he said to them, do not quarrel on the way. So they went up out of Egypt. And came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. And they told him, Joseph is still alive. And he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart became numb. For he did not believe believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them. And when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, it is enough. Joseph, my son, is still alive. I will go and see him before I die. This is the word of the living God. In his book Unpacking Forgiveness, Chris Bronze recounts a tragic story a true story and I'm going to read it at length as he describes it. Quote, "One night in 1984, a man broke into Jennifer Thompson's apartment. Held a knife to her throat and raped her. It might have finished her. But Jennifer Thompson was a determined young lady. Even in the midst of her ordeal, she studied her assailant's face, looking for tattoos or scars. Anything she could anything she could use to identify him. She resolved, when and if I survive the attack, I was going to make sure that he was put in prison and he was going to rot. Within a few days, she identified her rapist from a series of police photos. She picked out the same man from a lineup. Courageously, Jennifer Thompson put her hand on a Bible and testified in court. Based on her testimony, Ronald Cotton was sentenced to prison for life. Jennifer Thompson celebrated. Now she was rid of her baggage, ready to go on with life. Or maybe not. Jennifer could not have anticipated the weight of the baggage that she would carry through years of her life because of what happened that horrible night in 1984. Unbelievably, two years after Ronald Cotton was sentenced to life in prison, he was granted another trial. Still determined that justice be done, Jennifer Thompson took the stand again. This time, the defense brought in another suspect. She testified that she had never seen him. Again, Ronald Cotton was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. And again, Jennifer Thompson relished the justice. 11 years passed. Jennifer Thompson got married and had triplets. She was now well past the nightmare of 1984. But once more, she was asked to assist the prosecution. This time, they asked her to provide a blood sample for DNA. She agreed confident that it would only solidify the case against Ronald Cotton. And then the unthinkable happened. A police detective and the district attorney knocked on Jennifer Thompson's front door. They told her that DNA testing had proven that Ronald Cotton was not her assailant. Bobby Poole, the man she testified she had never seen before in her life, was the man who had raped her. Jennifer Thompson helped send the wrong man to prison. Her testimony had stolen 11 years of freedom from Ronald Cotton. She was devastated. How do I give someone back 11 years? She asked the district attorney. Now, in addition to the nightmare of having been raped, Jennifer Thompson had to drag around the baggage of her own guilt. She would wrestle with that burden for years. In a newspaper article with the title "Even the Perfect Witness Can Make a Mistake," Helen O'Neill told the story of how Jennifer Thompson moved forward in life. For two years after learning that Cotton was innocent, Jennifer Thompson never stopped feeling ashamed. Over and over, she wondered, how could she have made such a terrible mistake? And what of the man whose life she had ruined? All those years, locked away from his family. Now that he was free, did he hate her as much as she hated herself? Then one day, she stopped crying. She knew exactly what to do. A few weeks later, she drove 50 miles to a church in the town where she was raped. She prayed for the strength to face this moment. She had prayed for the strength to face Ronald Cotton. I'm sorry, she said. If I spent every day for the rest of my life telling you how sorry I am, it wouldn't come close to what I feel. Ronald Cotton was calm and quiet. Finally, he spoke. I'm not mad at you. He said softly. I've never been mad at you. I just want you to have a good life. For two hours, they sat and talked while their families paced outside. They talked about the pitfalls of memory, the power of faith, the miracle of DNA, they talked about Bobby Poole. We were both his victims, Cotton said, and Thompson nodded in agreement. As dusk fell, they made their way out of the church. In the parking lot, their families weeping. Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton embraced. In the article, there's a picture of Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson sitting on a park bench. They're both smiling in a way that could not be faked. The smiles of people at peace with one another and at peace how was Ronald Cotton able to forgive the woman who had wrongly accused him? That, in itself, is an amazing story. In prison, Ronald Cotton hated Bobby Poole. The man who actually had committed the crime. Cotton made a blade out of a piece of metal, and planned to kill Poole. with themselves, free from weighty burdens. You might ask, But his father pleaded with him not to do it. He told him that if he killed Bobby Poole, he would be like him. Instead, his father encouraged him to turn to Christ. And Ronald Cotton did. He found that Jesus was the one who could who would unpack the burdens pressing down on him. Because Ronald Cotton had himself received the gracious forgiveness of his Heavenly Father, he was able to forgive Jennifer Thompson graciously. Worn out and broken, carrying the burden of being convicted for a crime he had not committed, Ronald Cotton turned to Jesus and found a Savior who was more lovely and gracious and gentle than he could have ever imagined. And the brilliant light of Christ shone through his own life, so that he could, in turn, demonstrate Christ's grace to Jennifer Thompson. End quote. This is, in many ways, what the story of Joseph is all about. Suffering that we have endured at the hands of others, ways they've sinned against us, ways we've suffered, ways that we have sinned as well against others. Joseph's brother's sin wickedly against him. They sell their brother out of hatred into slavery. Joseph experiences great hardship in his slavery. And then God, as we've seen, has providentially worked to elevate him to the second highest position in Egypt. And now, Joseph has been faced with meeting his brothers again. And yet, they don't recognize him while he recognizes them. And he could easily take revenge upon them. He has all the power in the world to do it, literally. And yet, he puts them through a series of tests to see whether they're the same men that they once were. To see if they've truly repented. And we've walked through each of those tests, and we've seen how they have proven their repentance. They are changed men. God has worked in their lives. And now we come to a high point where Judah having demonstrated his repentance says, to Joseph, not knowing that it's Joseph, that he will be a substitute for his brother. He will stand in the place of Benjamin so that Benjamin can go free. And it's at that moment Joseph is overcome with emotion. Ready to reconcile with his brothers. Ready to reveal himself to them. This is a high point, a climactic moment in this story. With having seen much wickedness and evil, we see the grace of God on display and forgiveness and reconciliation. There's some very key doctrines in this chapter. The doctrine that we call concurrence or compatibilism. In other words, the compatibility of God's absolute sovereignty and human responsibility. But we also see a powerful demonstration of forgiveness and reconciliation. The compatibilism and forgiveness and reconciliation. And those two doctrines are not disconnected. In fact, understanding how God is sovereign over all things and yet man is responsible, nevertheless, enables us to be able to forgive and be reconciled with those who've grievously sinned against us. And so, as we look at this chapter, we want to we want to see three stunning realities brought about by the grace and providence of God and really how our view of God is going to shape our how we view our circumstances and impact our motivation to forgive and be reconciled. Three stunning realities brought about by the grace and providence of God. Number one, the stunning forgiveness. The stunning forgiveness in verses 1 to 15. Joseph's identification. Joseph's identification. First, we see, as we look at these 15 verses, He identifies himself in verses 1 to 4. Judah has offered himself as a substitute in the place of his brother Benjamin. And it's now clear to Joseph that his brothers are different. They are changed men. And he now dismisses the Egyptians that were with him in the room. To be alone with his brothers. His emotions overcome him for the third time. But in the pastimes, he had escaped and went into a private room. But now, he stays with them. And he begins to weep uncontrollably, so loudly, so intensely that those outside the room can hear and those in Pharaoh's house can hear. This is extreme. What must have been going through his brother's minds. They don't know it's Joseph yet. And all of a sudden, this man who had once accused them of spies, their money keeps reappearing. He's going to hold Benjamin hostage as a slave and now Judah's offering his life. And then he says, "Everyone leave." What's about to happen? And then he begins to just break down, weeping. I mean, they're utter confusion. What is happening? Why is he doing this? And then they are struck like a bolt of lightning with the most dramatic revelation that they could imagine. Without the use anymore of an interpreter, Joseph says to them in Hebrew, "Ani Yosef." I am Joseph. And can you imagine the shock that this would have caused? It says that they are dismayed. It's a word for being terrified. It is the word that is used in 1 Samuel 28:21 when Saul has the witch of Endor bring Samuel back. And he sees Samuel. And it says he was dismayed. He was terrified. It's like he had seen a ghost. And it's like they've seen a ghost. they thought was dead, is now standing before them. The brother that they had sold in a slavery, Not only that, but he is the second most powerful man alive. At this moment in history, they are speechless. But Joseph continues to speak. He asks them about the welfare of their father, to which they don't respond. He had asked them about his father's welfare before, but now he does it again. Having revealed himself as their brother, he wants to be sure of the condition of his father. And he asks them to come closer maybe to even see his face better. To study him. And he says again, "I am Joseph." And he adds a detail that only they would likely know about. To confirm that it's him whom you sold into Egypt. This is their closest guarded secret. They have kept this for over 20 years, just to them. They've deceived their own father about this. Watching him weep when they deceived him. And yet, this confirms it. This is our brother. This is the only other one who would know. And look at verse 6. Verse 6 gives us some context here. I'm going to jump ahead for a second. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. So this gives us some time frame here. This would make Joseph around 39 years old. He was sold into slavery when he was 17 years old. I thought about so the famine has been going on for two years. It's still five more years. There were seven years of plenty and then seven years of famine. There are two years into the famine. Stage seven years of plenty have come and gone. So five more years. And so he's kind of instructing them what they need to do from now on. But think about this. 17 to 39. That they've been separated for. He's been separated from his father for. I thought about finding a picture of me when I was 17 years old. And then I'm almost 39. And comparing the two. My long hair and everything. So I have a beard. My hair is here now instead of up here. So just such difference. And of course, he looks like an Egyptian, not like a Hebrew. In his appearance. And so but now they recognize him. This is the identification of Joseph. Secondly, we see Joseph's interpretation. Joseph's interpretation of his the events that he has undergone. Verses 5 to 8. Joseph seeks to calm his brother's fears. Verse 5. He says, "And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. They are totally exposed here. And so he seeks to assure them of his forgiveness of them. As a result of all the tests, Joseph has put them through. They feel the guilt of their wicked deed. But now he forgives them. And he tells them not to hold onto it any longer, for he doesn't hold onto it anymore. He's released them from their sin against him. This is the nature of forgiveness. It is a release. It is a release of what the person has done. Bronze in his book. He says, "Forgiveness, a commitment." Here's how he defines it. A commitment by the offended to pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and to be reconciled to that person. Although not all consequences are necessarily eliminated. How is it possible for Joseph to do such a thing? How can he forgive his brothers after all that they've done to him? after such a great evil against him? For robbing him of so many years of his life. He hasn't seen his father in all these years. How can he forgive them Joseph explains the worldview he possesses that enables him to forgive. Look at verses 5 to 8. This is so key, so pivotal. He says, "And do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here." So he acknowledges their culpability, their guilt. But then he says, "For God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will neither be plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Did you notice all the times the word sent comes up in this passage? They sold Joseph, but God sent him. Three times it says that God sent him. Joseph goes so far as to say that the brothers did not send him to Egypt, but God sent him. I take that to mean that Joseph understands that God is the ultimate cause of his circumstances. They are a secondary cause. They're responsible. But God is the ultimate cause of sending him there. Ultimate causality for all things is in God's hands. Psalm 105, verse 17 is actually commenting on this very reality. And it says this. Psalm 105, 17. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. This psalm brings together both actors in the one action. God sent. They sold. It's vital that you recognize that Joseph is speaking about the same actions and events. The circumstances of Joseph's being sold were both the action of his brothers and the action of God. And yet notice the different intentions behind the same actions. Our own law system, our own legal system understands and takes into consideration intent. What was the intent of the actor in the deed that they did? Scott Christiansen in his book, What About Evil, says, "Moral culpability is tied to one's intentions. for the sake of sin. And God never intends or wills sin He always intends or wills it in selling Joseph? Well, they were clearly sinful. The brothers have twice admitted their guilt for the sake of some greater good." What were the brothers' intentions in chapter 42, 21. You're guilty. In chapter 44, verse 16. What were God's intentions in sending Joseph? Well, they were only good intentions. And Joseph, listen a number of them. God sent me to send me before you to preserve life. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. He has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. John Piper in his book on Providence says this. Their selling was driven by lust for 20 shekels of silver. for his chosen people. And this idea of one action God's sending was driven by love with two intentions is really the summation of the story of Joseph in chapter 50, verse 20. A verse we all know. We're in Joseph says, But God meant it for good, to bring it about that people should be kept alive. Many people should be kept alive as they are today. "As for you, you meant evil against me." That speaks to their intentionality. They meant evil. In other words, it is speaking to the evil. So they willed evil from bad intentions. God willed that evil for good intentions. One action. Excuse me. Get one finger up. One action but two intentions. God was sending Joseph to preserve life. He was preserving a remnant. He was keeping alive. God was the Abrahamic covenant keeping this family alive through sending Joseph. And by keeping the Abrahamic covenant alive, he keeps the hope for the entire world alive so that the Messiah might come. A remnant of God's people will be preserved. Just as the plan of redemption is furthered The plan of redemption is furthered by Joseph's actions. by Jesus's actions later. Scott Christiansen, again, he says, "There is a dual explanation for Joseph's being sold into slavery. His brothers did the deed, but God stood behind their actions. while they are the secondary agents. God is the primary agent Both intended the evil to take place." The difference lies in the internal desires that birthed their intentions. For Joseph's brothers, their actions were born of hateful motive. They meant evil. For God, the evil could be born of nothing other than a good motive to deliver his chosen people from certain doom. He meant it for good. He later says, "God is free to sovereignly will that which his moral will has commanded us not to do." Let me say that again. I won't re-quote it. I'll quote Augustine, who says, "That which is done against his will is not done without his will." That which is done against God's will is not done without his will. But the intentionality is what is important. God has let me say it like this, positively. God always intends everything he does from a good intention. He can only do so. Because he is good. He is part of his essence. And it is this outlook, this God-centered lens that enables Joseph to view his suffering rightly. Joseph does not interpret his life through the lens of his past trauma. Joseph interprets his life through the lens of God's perfect providence. So let me ask you, what is the lens through which you interpret your past and your present and your future? The compatibility of sovereignty and responsibility. Let's consider further the doctrine here taught in this passage. Christiansen, I'm quoting him a little bit here because he has just some great work on this. Two books that he's written. He says, "Biblical compatibilism states is compatible with human freedom and responsibility." for every choice that we human beings make. that God's meticulous sovereignty determinism God's sovereign determination serves Thus, there is a dual explanation as the sufficient primary or ultimate but remote cause of our choices while we serve as the secondary but proximate, meaning the near or immediate cause of our choices. And if you want it said differently, I'll give you the Westminster Confession of Faith on God's eternal decree, chapter 3, paragraph 1. Section 1. It says, "God, from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass. Yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established." Takes a lot of good Puritans to put that all together. It's like, you're like, say that again. Joe Beakey and Paul Smalley say this. with the actions of his creatures, Theologians speak of the concurrence of God's providence which means that the two operate together to produce an effect literally. Well, you got to go look it up. They run with each other. From the Latin concurro, run with. Lewis Burkoff said, "Each deed is in its entire excuse me, each deed is in its entirety both a deed of God and a deed of the creature." And so we see passages like this that speak about the actions of God and the actions of man. But one action. We read it in Genesis 45 is a key one. We don't have time to look it up, but go look up Isaiah 10. Starting in verse 5, where you have the king of Assyria and Assyria being described as God's instrument in his hand. It's like an axe with which God chops or a hammer with which God strikes. That's how he describes the Assyrian king. He's going to use them to judge Israel for their sin. But then he says, "That the king of Assyria does not so intend." In other words, the intent of the king of Assyria is not to do the will of God. It is to do evil, to advance his territory or whatever. But God's intent is for good, to show his justice in punishing Israel for disobedience to the covenant and then God will turn around and judge the Assyrian king for acting wickedly in the way he used him to act against Israel. It was his intent to do good. Because it was not God's intent to do evil. So he punishes them rightly, Israel, for their wicked acts, which they're culpable for. And he punishes Assyria for their wicked acts. Which they're culpable for. But God is not culpable because he's not willing in evil intent. He's using them for his purposes to accomplish good. It's been said many times, maybe like this illustration, that God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick. And so look at that passage and see how this works out. Here's this bonus. That illustration in Isaiah 10 about God using Assyria like a tool, like an instrument, and his sovereignty over them. Well, Hamas of Rachel in his book, The Christians Reasonable Service, says this about that just applying that to us. He says, "Be not fearful of creatures, as they cannot initiate their own motion." It is God alone who governs and controls them. Who would fear a stick, a sword, or a stone when it is lying upon the ground and does not move? Since it is not in anyone's hand. That's good. You're standing before the king of Assyria. It's like, I don't need to fear you. I don't need to fear you anymore than a stone or a stick on the ground or a sword on the ground. Because God wields you. And if he decides to wield that, my life be taken by you, then he has purposes for that, which are a good intent. Now, if you're struggling with this and of course many do, when we start to see these passages and there's many more, we must go to the ultimate passage to see how this is demonstrated. And the culmination really of this reality in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter 2, verse 23, we read this. This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. So one action, the crucifixion, but two intentions. God is determining it down to the details. And man is acting. And man is culpable for it. And we'll be held morally liable for this. Same idea in the next chapter in chapter 4, verse 28, where it says, sorry, verse 27, "For truly in this city, there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place." So all these human actors and yet all of it being brought about by the predetermined plan of God, moving it along. Through his providence. Acts is really the biblical interpretation of early church history. It gives us the proper outlook on the crucifixion of Christ. This is the lens through which they viewed the crucifixion. That it was the actions of men who are guilty but it was ultimately the action of God. He is the primary cause of the greatest evil act in history. And yet with good intention to bring about the salvation of his people. The primary and the secondary for every action. And so these two lenses overlap. The divine and the human. But God is always the primary cause. And he only ever wills what he does out of his goodness, his wisdom, and his power. God is sovereign over good and over evil. Christians said, he says this, when we consider God's sovereignty over the forest, few people object. But when we consider his sovereign control over individual trees, people start to squirm in their seats, especially if those trees include the leaves, branches, trunks, and roots of their own personal lives. The fact is, human actions are not exempt from the providence of God, but represent the particular emphasis of scripture. God's fixed decree includes the future actions of specific individuals. Human choices are determined by God. End quote. Now, this may seem kind of theoretical to you. High-level theology, but it is the most practical theology for your everyday living. This perspective and interpretation will enable you to face life fearlessly and faithfully. Like Joseph did. Charles Hodge said, "What is true of the history of Joseph is true of all history." That God is acting this way in your life too. You could equally say like Joseph said, "You did this to me, but God was doing this. God was working in this situation." You need to interpret scripture this way so that you can interpret your own life this way. Have you noticed that Joseph has been interpreting his entire life like this? Through the lens of God's work in his life, through the character of God? Richard Phillips made this point very well in his commentary, drawing out a number of these places where Joseph is viewing his life through the lens of God's character. He says this, "It was a blessing that followed many years of trusting the Lord through great trials." Always maintaining a God-centered perspective on his life. When Joseph was tempted to sin with Potiphar's wife, he resisted because of the Lord. Quote, "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" When Joseph interpreted his fellow prisoner's dreams, he gave the glory to God. Do not interpretations belong to God. In describing Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph pointed again to God. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. He named his first son Manasseh because God has made me forget all my hardship. And then James Boyce, he quotes him, "Nothing is more characteristic of Joseph And Phillips points out, he says, "It is especially in chapter 45 that the blessing of Joseph's faith is God, is in God, fixed on his conviction of God's sovereignty than his ability to relate everything that happened to him to God." and goodness, and it is seen in the benefits of a God-centered life." He says, "It was not you who sent me here, but God. His awareness of who God is and what God was doing for and through him changed everything for Joseph. He was delivered from bitter hatred, most precious to his heart, his faith in God's sovereign goodness worked a forgiveness that reunited his family. Such a thoroughly God-centered attitude will work similar blessings for us. Through a faith like Joseph's, we will be forgiven by the grace of God in Jesus Christ." And through an outlook formed by and centered on the knowledge of God, we will have grace to forgive others as well, experiencing and restoration the peace and joy for which Jesus shed his blood. End quote. It is this perspective that will enable you to view life in the way that God would have you and the way that will enable you to forgive and to be reconciled and to not exact revenge. So we've seen Joseph's identification. We've seen Joseph's interpretation of his events. And we also see Joseph's instructions to his brothers in light of this. In verses 9 to 15, he gives them instructions to go back and tell their father that he is alive. They are to tell him all that they have seen and to bring back Jacob to Egypt to live there. He's going to give them the land of Goshen. This is a fertile area. It's uncertain exactly where this is. One writer says it's probably a region in the eastern delta of the River Nile and so that's where they will. Graze will see more of that when they actually do relocate. Joseph has believed the dreams that God had given him when he was 17. Remember, there were two dreams. The first dream is already been fulfilled. When his brothers came, and the 11 of them bowed down to him. But there's another dream. And it's where his father and mother also along with his brothers bowed down to him. So Joseph knows that. He's lived on this prophecy and depended upon that. And now he sees God has fulfilled one. There's another. So my father needs to come here. And he's going to see the fulfillment of the rest of that. I like what one writer, Kenneth Matthews, observed about his brothers bowing down to him. He says, "What the dreams did not make known was that grace, love, and forgiveness not submission enforced by power achieved the benevolent outcome of the ruler over his subjects." Ah, this is what the brothers didn't realize about bowing down to their brother. And so Joseph intends to see the second dream fulfilled and so his father and mother and brothers will bow down to him. So he sends his for his father in faith, believing that God will fulfill the rest. After this, there is a sweet reconciliation between the brothers. Each of them, beginning with Benjamin, embrace and weep together. They recognize him. They draw near to him. They embrace him and speak to him. Then they speak to one another in this reconciled state. What we learn some important principles here. In the lead-up to these chapters, we see repentance of the brothers' part. So repentance is the prerequisite for forgiveness. That's what he's looking for. Forgiveness is then the prerequisite for reconciliation. And so we should ask ourselves, is there anyone before whom I need to repent of a sin that I've committed against them? Or do I need to grant someone forgiveness that has sought it or haven't attitude at the very least leading up to that? With whom do I need to pursue reconciliation if it's possible? You know, Paul says, "Live at peace with all men." Insofar as you're able. Let me ask you this. Can you see your past hurts and pains as God's plan and goodness in your life? This is what the text in Genesis 45 aims to do. Aderov Davis recounts a story from the life of the theologian Helmut Thaliki and he says this. After Stutgart was bombed in World War II, theologian Helmut Thaliki and his family had to relocate in a nearby village. They got their remaining possessions loaded onto a van of some sort. But when they were near a railway station, the drawer containing their china toppled from the van. It was all smashed. Nothing could be done except that Thaliki leaped down and began brushing the bits of china off the road with his feet so they wouldn't damage the tires of the other vehicles. Right at that moment, a bomb exploded a few hundred meters up the road. Leaving a large crater. If the Thalikis had not had their mishap with the china, they would likely have been at exactly that spot where the bomb exploded. China smashed. Life preserved. That is typical of divine chemistry. End quote. Now, God doesn't always show us those events taking place, how he's working, what he's doing. But he is. In every single detail of every single day of your life, he is working. He is ordaining. He has ordained and he is providentially working out his plan. So how is it that Joseph is able to forgive his brothers and reconcile with them and how is it that you can be able to have such a heart of forgiveness towards others and not live the rest of your life clouded with bitterness unable to serve God sidelined for the rest of your life was because of his theology of God? Specifically, his understanding of God's sovereign providence ordering all things. He realized that God has ordained the sin of his brothers to accomplish his purposes. Alan Ross says, "This theology is the basis of reconciliation. Without it, there would be only bitterness and blame, rancor and revenge. The principle is that whoever is spiritual will perceive the hand of God in the course of events and thereby be able to forgive what others have done." No one who believes in the sovereignty of God and the affairs of life can bear a grudge or take revenge. Joseph magnanimously comforted his brothers with this sound doctrine. End quote. So how is it possible to forgive like this? Well, here's a few. Let me pull in a few other things as well. Number one, knowing the pardon of God in your own life. Enables you to forgive. Matthew 18 is a profound picture of that. The unforgiving servant. Right? He had apparently been forgiven this massive great debt and yet he's unwilling to forgive this lesser debt Joseph likely considering and reflecting upon the massive forgiveness that he had received from God but far less than what he had done to God. is able to forgive his brothers. Yes, a heinous sin, Knowing also the providence of God as we see in our passage, specifically verses 5 to 8, that perspective, that lens enables us to see our circumstances with dual purpose, And to see his work in our lives, dual intents, God's intent and man's intent. even in the hardest times. And then knowing the promises of God of his future vengeance. Paul says in Romans 12, "Vengeance is mine," says the Lord, "I will repay." And that's the basis by which we pursue peace with others that we don't hold on to grudges. Well, fear not, little flock. I'm going to actually stop here and conclude our sermon. Just so we can enjoy our Lord's Supper as well and we'll save the rest of these points for later. We have much to chew on for this, but I want to end by reminding you of a story. You're probably familiar with this story. The story of the five missionaries that went to Ecuador to bring the gospel to the Waldani Indians. And the five missionaries in the 50s went there. They began to make contact with this incredibly violent tribe, hoping to get the gospel to them. They made initial contact, but when they made contact again with them, they were hopeful because they had a good first meeting. When the five missionaries, they landed a small plane on a little beach and were trying to meet a second time with this tribe. Furthering the relationship, hoping to get an in so they could learn the language and bring the gospel there. When they went that second time, a group of men came out of the jungle and speared all five of the missionaries to death, killing them. Of course, all their families devastated from that. One of the missionaries had a five-year-old son at the time, whose name was Steve Saint. His dad, Nate Saint, was one of the men speared. And Steve is gone on to have a profound ministry in missions global missions and I've gotten to know I got to know Steve years ago when I was in college. And he wrote a chapter in a book edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor about sovereignty in the suffering in the sovereignty of God. And in that chapter, he recounts two tragic events in his life. One, losing his father. And processing that. And the other was losing his daughter in her 20s from a cerebral hemorrhage. And here's what he says about thinking about these events. He says this, "You know, you know what my conclusion is? I don't think God merely tolerated my dad's death. I don't think he turned away when it was happening. I think he planned it. Otherwise, I don't think it would have happened. This was a hard realization for me to come to. I once said, that while speaking I once said that while speaking at a church, and a man came up afterwards and said, "Don't you ever say that again about my God?" Afterward, I found these verses in Acts 2:22 to 23, which we've just read. Then I thought, don't anyone tell me that this can't be. If God could plan the death of his own. Righteous son, why couldn't he plan the death of my dad? Then he said this about the loss of his daughter. He says, "I believe God planned my daughter's death." Just like he said, "I believe God planned my dad's death." And yet, Steve would also say that God did it with good intent. God was bringing good out of these things. Even if he can't explain it all and say what all those things are, he believes that. With a rock-solid confidence. Here's what BB Warfield wrote. "A firm faith in the universal providence of God is the solution of all earthly troubles. A firm faith in the universal providence of God is the solution of all earthly troubles." Father, in this room, there have been many troubles. That have been endured. Many sorrows. Many scars. And Lord, we thank you for a passage like this that shows us the many scars that Joseph had, the many sufferings he endured, many sins against him. And yet, Lord, we see the profound work that you did in his heart to give him a high view of you, a great view of your sovereign power, of your providence, of your goodness and wisdom in orchestrating his life. And to be able to see in one action the moral guilt of his brothers for which they needed to be reconciled to God, as well as your good intentions in those same sins. And so, Lord, this is inscrutable to us in many ways. To wrap our minds around these things. And yet, Lord, this is the solution for us to view our lives rightly. To be able to live with joy and trust and confidence and not fear and uselessness for your purposes. Lord, give us this lens to view your word this way. To see the scriptures are right. And then to see our own lives through this lens. So that we might live fearlessly faithfully and with forgiveness. In our lives towards others. We ask you to continue to work in our lives to see these things in scripture, to embrace them and to trust you, Lord, even when we are just broken when our hearts are grieving, when we cannot see any possible good that you could intend in a situation in our lives or someone else's that we can still trust your hand, trust your heart and how you're working. And so, Lord, we confess and we say we trust you. We believe, Lord, help our unbelief. And Lord, grow us still into more trust in you. And Lord, use this time of Lord's Supper to just be a further way to encourage our faith to trust you that you love us and that you can ordain evil for ultimate good ends. Because you did it in the death of your son. The most righteous man who's ever lived or ever will live who was planned to be crucified so that you might bring many sons to glory. For your glory, for our good, for all eternity.