Grace Church » Jacob

Senior High Connection: Awakening of Conscious (Genesis 42)

Curtis Lindsey — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:40:03 +0000

I believe God is working in the world. Yes, I believe he is actively involved in what happens, everywhere, at all times.

But I also believe God is working in you, and in me, and in us. I believe God is actively involved in our lives, in what we do, in what happens here and now. The question is: do we see him? Better yet, are we responding to what he’s doing?

When we left Joseph back in Genesis 41, things were definitely turning around for him. He had escaped the dungeon, been appointed second-in-command of Egypt specifically in charge of the famine relief effort (thus making him a very important person), had married, and had at two sons. But his story is not over. In fact, it’s only just beginning, because now, God has Joseph in just the right place to save his family and his people.

A Brief Summary of Genesis 42

With the famine in full swing, Jacob—who is in Canaan—realizes there is only one place to get food, in Egypt. So, he dispatches ten of his remaining eleven sons to buy food for the family. He keeps behind Benjamin, the youngest of this sons and the only remaining son of Rachel (his favorite wife). It seems Benjamin has replaced Joseph as Jacob’s favorite.

When the brothers arrive in Egypt, they approach Joseph and bow down to him (sound familiar? see Genesis 37:5-9). Joseph instantly recognizes them, but they do not recognize Joseph. The brothers try to buy food, but Joseph accuses them of being spies sent to find the weaknesses within Egypt. The brothers deny this claim, yet Joseph pushes back. Ultimately, after three days in prison, Joseph allows them to “prove” they are not spies by keeping one of the brothers, Simeon, and charging the brothers to return home and bring back the youngest, Benjamin. Joseph gives them the food they came to buy, and also returns their money, along with provisions for the journey home.

On the journey home, the brothers discover their money has been returned, which causes their “hearts to fail” (42:28). They return home to Jacob, relate what happened, and show Jacob the money. Jacob is distraught, thinking now that he has lost two sons, Joseph and Simeon. The chapter ends with Jacob’s refusal to send Rueben (with Benjamin) to get Simeon back.

The Awakening of Conscious

This passage speaks to us about three important truths.

God works through the circumstances of life

It took over thirteen years, but now God had positioned Joseph in just the right place so that he could save his family. As Genesis 42 opens, Joseph and his brothers are on a “head-on collision course” with one another. God has worked in the circumstances of the world not only to bring them back together, but to put them each in the appropriate role to save (Joseph) and be saved (Joseph’s family). How is God working through your circumstances?

God works through the events of life

When Joseph accuses the brothers of being spies (42:9), their immediate reaction (42:21) is to feel guilty for “killing” Joseph, an action they had done thirteen years prior! Their hearts were still burdened by their sin. God worked in their lives to awaken their conscious, to make them aware of an action that they still needed to reconcile. The brothers felt guilty… and rightly so. Sometimes, God uses guilt to awaken us to deeper truth and more important realities. How is God working through the events of your life?

God works through the people in our lives

Joseph is the one who instructs the brothers’ money to be returned to their sacks (42:25), but when the brothers notice the returned money, their default reaction is to ask what God had done to them (42:28). And in a way, they were correct. God works through people in our lives to stir our souls to action, repentance, or worship. How is God working through the people in your life?

The Reason Behind it All

Joseph tested his brothers, as we will find out, to see the condition of their hearts. Had they changed any since they sold him into slavery all those years before? God used the circumstances, the events, and Joseph himself to awaken the brothers’ conscious so that God could do something amazing. God works, sometimes in unusual ways, to get our attention, so that we would be prepared for what’s next. Are you listening? Are you aware? Are you ready?

Discussion Questions

Are there circumstances in your life that you don’t like (such as a family situation or something at school)? How might God be working in that circumstance to speak to you?
Are the events in your life that you don’t like (such as not getting that position at school, a particular grade on an exam, or a bad day at work)? How might God be working in that event to speak to you?
Are there people in your life that God has used to speak truth into your life? What is your normal reaction to this, anger, resentment, or denial? How might God be working through those around you to speak to you?
Why does God awaken things in our life? Why is it difficult for us to hear what God has to say?

Senior High Connection: A House on Fire (Genesis 37:1–11)

Curtis Lindsey — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:15:45 +0000

When Jennifer and I bought our house last year, the front flower bed was overgrown with weeds (and that’s an understatement). The previous residents didn’t spend time taking care of their yard, and we inherited their lack of effort. So one hot Saturday last August, we pulled weeds, planted bushes, and prepared the flower bed.

It looked great, perfect, beautiful.

And I’ve spent every week since then pulling weeds out of that flower bed. No matter how hard I try, they keep coming back. We are paying the price for the previous owner’s neglect.

Life is like that sometimes: when we make poor choices or neglect what’s important, we tend to pay the consequences well into the future. Jacob, the son of Isaac, is a great example. As the story of Joseph opens in Genesis 37:1–11, we are first met with the reality that Jacob’s past created a detrimental family situation in the present.

Introduction: The Generations of Jacob (Genesis 37:1–2a)
The final “section” of Genesis opens with the “generations of Jacob,” a way of saying “now here is the story when Jacob was the head of the family, the one making all the decisions.” Genesis 37 through 50 will be dominated by the story of Joseph, but the narrator reminds us that we must first understand Jacob if we are to understand the story that comes when he was the head of the family.

Jacob was born to Isaac and Rebekah after they were originally unable to have children. Jacob was the younger of twin brothers, but a prophecy predicted that his older brother, Esau, would serve him (Genesis 25:23). The name “Jacob” means “deceiver,” and in the very next scene this is exactly what Jacob does. He takes advantage of Esau in a weak moment and deceives Esau out of his birthright, a double portion of the inheritance (Genesis 25:29–34). In the next scene, Jacob (with the help of his mother Rebekah), deceives his ailing father Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing for Esau.

Esau is upset and tries to kill Jacob, causing him to flee to his uncle Laban. On the way, Jacob dreams about a “ladder” and in the dream God promises to protect Jacob (Genesis 28:10–15). When Jacob arrives, he meets Laban’s daughter Rachel and falls in “love at first sight.” Jacob agrees with Laban to work seven years in exchange to marry Rachel, but when the time comes, the Deceiver is deceived by Laban who tricks Jacob into marrying Rachel’s older sister Leah (Genesis 29:25–30)! Jacob is forced to work another seven years to marry Rachel. After six more years, Jacob “manipulates” Laban’s flock, again deceiving Laban before leaving. During the journey back to Canaan (now twenty years after he left), Jacob is forced to meet Esau in a surprisingly joyous reunion. Before that, Jacob wrestles with God all night and is given the name “Israel” which means “striven with God” (Genesis 32:24–28). Once back in the land, Jacob is again blessed by God and guaranteed an inheritance in the land and a nation through whom all the world will be blessed (Genesis 35:9–12). In the meantime, Jacob manages to have twelve sons!

Jacob’s Favoritism Leads to Hatred (Genesis 37:2b–4)
Not all is well with Jacob’s booming family, for Jacob is showing favoritism and extra love to his dearest son, Joseph. Joseph’s brothers take notice and their hatred swells up to the point where they cannot say a peaceful word about him. It doesn’t help that Jacob makes Joseph a “coat of many colors” to designate him as the favorite and as a son who doesn’t have to work.

Joseph’s Dreams Lead to Trouble (Genesis 37:5–10)
Joseph himself doesn’t help matters any, for he cannot keep from telling his brother and father about two related dreams. In both dreams, Joseph symbolically sees his brothers, father, and mother bowing before him. Joseph is rebuked by both his father and brothers, who seem to view this as Joseph’s arrogance speaking. Joseph’s brothers hate Joseph even more for his boisterous claims.

Conclusion: A House on Fire (Genesis 37:11)
The brothers swell with jealousy that will eventually boil over into violence. Meanwhile, Jacob only considers these dreams and the actions of his sons. Jacob, ever present but never active, does nothing. His house, his family, is burning down around him and he fails to act.

Application: Where Do We Go From Here?
Three main points come from this story. First, jealousy destroys relationships, so choose contentment. God had revealed special wisdom to Jacob through dreams, and no doubt Jacob had told his sons about these dreams. But when Joseph has dreams—that spoke about God’s coming provision—the jealousy of the brothers clouds their vision and their hatred grows. They lose sight that this might be God’s way of assuring them that he will provide (which in fact it is). The call for our lives is to model our lives on the Apostle Paul, who had determined that in all circumstances, he would stay content (Philippians 4:10–13).

Second, passivity paralyzes families, so act prayerfully. Jacob took a passive approach to his family, letting the anger grow within his sons. Jacob chose not to act, and it cost him his family. Passivity is the enemy! Choose instead to be prayerfully active, seeking wisdom, and addressing issues that arise.

Finally, the past can dominate your future, so plan proactively. Jacob’s whole life had been built around favoritism and hatred. His parents had favorites (Genesis 25:28), he had a favorite wife (Gen 29:30–31) and hatred filled his family because of this. Jacob was unable to identify flaws within his own life and find ways to grow spiritually. It’s easy for us to say “I want to be different,” but to achieve this change sometimes requires intentional and proactive planning on our part. If we want to control our anger, lose the selfishness, or become patient, we occasionally need a plan beyond “I won’t be like that.”

Jacob was unable to break the cycle, but Joseph was. Joseph was a man who charted a new course for himself and his family, and he gives us hope that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can too.

Discussion Questions

How was Jacob’s past affecting his future?
How did Jacob single out Joseph? How would this make you feel?
What is more difficult to overcome: jealousy or passivity?
What needs to happen in your life to overcome the past?