Joseph

Man of Integrity

GENESIS 37 – 38

37:1-4

"Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. "

This family dynamic pattern sounds familiar, does it not? It is an understatement to say that favoritism in the home is a very bad thing. We saw its awful effects in Isaac and Rebekah’s home. You will remember there that the scripture said Isaac loved Esau but Rebekah loved Jacob. In the end, their home was literally torn apart. Now, we see that this bad parenting model has carried over to the Jacob and Rachel home as well. Jacob had a favorite. His favorite was Rachael’s son, Joseph. This partiality would become the impetus for all the tragic events that were about to happen to the Jacob household. The match that started the fire was a report by young Joseph concerning the poor work habits of his four half-brothers, the sons of Jacob's two concubines. They were Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. Additional fuel for the fire had been provided by Jacob himself when he had lavished a beautiful new many-colored coat on his favorite son. Wearing it, no doubt, caused Joseph to stand out more than ever in the eyes of his brothers. Our text tells us that, as a result of these things, all of the other boys hated Joseph and could not speak peaceably to him. They didn’t like this kid at all! They couldn’t bring themselves to even speak civilly when addressing him.

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37:5-11

"Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, 'Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.' And his brothers said to him, 'Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?' So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, 'Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.' So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, 'What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?' And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind."

At this point in human history, God often spoke through dreams. They were vivid and awesome communications. Joseph was shocked and filled with wonder by his dreams and he didn’t have the sophistication nor the maturity to keep them to himself. Keep in mind, at this time Joseph was only seventeen years old. Now, seventeen-year olds can be both extremely naïve, extremely obnoxious and extremely abrasive ... and all at the same time! However, I don’t believe that Joseph was flaunting his dreams although his brothers and father took it so. They really rankled the family. Joseph's dreams clearly proclaimed that Jacob and Rachael and all of their children would one day be under Joseph’s authority. As it turned out, this would be fulfilled to the letter. The dreams were a prophetic word from God. Jacob himself had had such dreams. Therefore, he took note and did not forget what Joseph had told him.

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37:12-17

"Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, 'Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.' So he said to him, 'Here I am.' Then he said to him, 'Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.' So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem. Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, 'What are you seeking?' So he said, 'I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.' And the man said, 'They have departed from here, for I heard them say, "Let us go to Dothan."' So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan."

This reminds me of that verse that says, "The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord..." Young Joseph was just wandering around aimlessly, not knowing where to look and then there was a man who saw his predicament and then pointed the way for him.

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37:18-22

"Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. Then they said to one another, 'Look, this dreamer is coming! Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, "Some wild beast has devoured him." We shall see what will become of his dreams!' But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, 'Let us not kill him.' And Reuben said to them, 'Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him'; that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father."

What an awful and fearful moment in the history of Joseph's brothers this is. Unfortunately, such thinking is often repeated in one way or another in our own world. Hatred and murder often reigns in the hearts of men. That's what makes man a dangerous being. As sinners, each one of us are capable of such thinking and, given the right timing and set of circumstances, it can result in murder. No? Don't forget the scripture that says, "If any man thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall."

Reuben, the eldest, heard his brother’s wicked plot and intervened saying, "No, let's not kill him ourselves. Let's just throw him in a pit and leave him there to die." His argument was that if they used that method to get rid of their little brother … technically, Joseph's blood would not be on their hands. Joseph’s brothers went for it. In reality, Reuben intended to save Joseph and return him to Jacob. Although we’ve read some bad things about Reuben up to this point, such as in the last chapter where he deliberately had sex with his father’s concubine, Bilhah ... here, he does good in trying to rescue Joseph. Shakespeare once said, “The evil men do lives on but the good is oft interred with their bones.” This man, Reuben, comes to mind in that regard.

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37:23-28

"So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. So Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.' And his brothers listened. Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt."

There was no mercy in these brothers of Joseph. Though they could all hear their little brother's cries, they simply went about their supper as if nothing had happened. As they ate, a caravan of Ishmaelites passed by, heading for the land of Egypt to trade. Then, Judah had an idea, "Hey, we could get some money for this little cuss. Let's sell the little brat! He will be a slave for the rest of his life and we will not have shed the blood of a brother!" All quickly agreed, knowing fully that they were condemning Joseph to a form of living death. “It will be better than killing him!” they must have reasoned. Shortly after, another caravan approached and they pulled Joseph up from the pit and sold him to some more Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. " They may have felt that they were actually doing a bit of good as well. Ater all, Ishmaelites were kin. My, the hypocrisy of the sinful heart.

Before we move on, let's explore a few questions here. Where was God in all of this? Shouldn't he have stepped in and protected young Joseph? Wasn't he aware of what was happening? The answer lies in the fact that, indeed, God was in perfect control of the whole situation. In fact, this was God's plan to get his people down into Egypt and then to deliver them 400 years later with great power and glory. Later, Joseph would tell his brothers, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." Dear Saint, don't be too quick to judge God for what he does or does not do in your life. Our God is sovereign and all wise. He has his own ways and purposes in your life and mine. No matter what the circumstances are, his people can always count on his care. As you have it in Romans 8:28...

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

And again, in Ephesians 1:11...

"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will..."

Can you trust him for the things that occur in your life? I believe that Joseph did. There is not one word recorded in the Word of God of Joseph ever complaining or doubting or blaming his God for what happened to him. Would to God that you and I could trust him with such unwavering faith, aye?

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Porverbs 3:5-6

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37:29-36

"Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. And he returned to his brothers and said, 'The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?' So they took Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, 'We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?' And he recognized it and said, 'It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.' Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, 'For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.' Thus his father wept for him. Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard."

Reuben was absent when the brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites. He had planned to rescue him. When he found out that it was too late, Reuben was in despair. Furthermore, he feared what his father would do to him for he, being the oldest, would be held responsible. Then, the brothers devised a plan as to what to tell father Jacob. It was quite clever, actually. They dipped Joseph's beautiful coat of many colors in some lamb's blood and then took and showed it to Jacob. Their story was that they found it that way and that the boy must have been killed by wild animals. The plan worked … but Jacob was inconsolable. It is ironic that the one who tricked his own father with a baby goat’s skin was himself now tricked by the blood of a baby goat. In Jacob's life, the old adage, "What goes around, comes around", was realized on more than one occasion.

Can we step aside here for a moment? The text says that Jacob was inconsolable. It is not a good testimony for a child of God to be inconsolable after the death of a loved one, beloved. It presents a picture to the world of hopelessness that only those who have no hope should exhibit. As you have it in I Thessalonians 4:13...

"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope."

There is certainly nothing wrong with sorrow over the death of a loved one. But we believers are not to carry on like those who have no hope. Our sorrow should be far less and it should be of shorter duration than the ungodly. After all, we know the truth about death and about Heaven and the resurrection and the world to come and just exactly where our loved ones actually are after they die. Take, for example, David's grief over the death of his baby in II Samuel 12:15-28. Jacob didn't do very well in this department. The loss of his favorite was deep and, in his mind, horrendous.

The chapter ends by informing us that Joseph arrived in Egypt and was sold into the house of one, Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. Young Joseph's troubles had just begun.

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38:1-10

"It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. And Judah said to Onan, 'Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.' But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also."

Here, in the beginning of chapter 38, we find a different story, seemingly sandwiched into the story of Joseph that, at first blink, seems totally unrelated. However, it was of great importance and chronologically fits here. That is so because, at the same time that Joseph was settling into Potiphar’s household down in Egypt, a very important event was taking place back home in Canaan. It was an event that would affect Messiah’s line and it involved Joseph's big brother, Judah. It is the story of the birth of Parez. Parez is a link in the direct line that would lead to the birth of the Christ Jesus. We find Periz listed in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1:3.

Hirah, the Adullamite, was Judah's friend. While visiting Hirah one day, Judah saw a Canaanite girl that he took a fancy to and he subsequently married her. The fruit of their union was three children. The first two were wicked and ended up being killed by the Lord. Now that’s wicked, brother, and may I say to you, when the Word says they were wicked, you can take it to the bank ...they were WICKED! The Bible says that the Lord does not take any pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11). Therefore, you can rest assured that Er and Onan truly needed killing. Er left a wife named Tamar.

It was the custom, later incorporated into the Law, that if a woman was widowed and her husband had a living brother, that brother was obligated to marry his brother’s widow and give her a child so that the deceased brother’s name could be carried on. When Er was killed by the Lord, Onan inherited that responsibility. He was supposed to take Tamar in and he was to give her a baby. However, when Onan was having sex with Tamar, he selfishly and disobediently ejaculated on the ground rather than to allow his brother's widow the opportunity to raise up an heir to carry on his brother’s name. Onan’s self-centered and stubborn rebellion in this respect was the straw that broke the camel’s back and subsequently brought God’s judgment on him as well ... and, he too was killed by the Lord. We have just the outline of it here. If you and I would have personally known Onan, I believe we would have concurred that he needed killing as well. We should not be shocked by these frank statements in the Bible, by the way. This is history. It is as it really happened. I, for one, am glad that the Bible consistently gives us all the facts straight up. It pulls no punches when it speaks to the facts of history or the condition of sinners or what they have done. It tells us what we really are and everything that we need to know. Its faithful words are an offense to some but a blessing to others.

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38:11-18

"Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, 'Remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown.' For he said, 'Lest he also die like his brothers.' And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house. Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And it was told Tamar, saying, 'Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.' So she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. Then he turned to her by the way, and said, 'Please let me come in to you'; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, 'What will you give me, that you may come in to me?' And he said, 'I will send a young goat from the flock.' So she said, 'Will you give me a pledge till you send it?' Then he said, 'What pledge shall I give you?' So she said, 'Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.' Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him."

Having lost Onan, Tamar was then promised to a third son of Judah. Problem was he, Shelah by name, was at that time too young to marry (Shelah? Reminds me of Johnny Cash’s song, A Boy Named Sue!). Sorry about that. I just couldn't resist. Anyway, Judah asked Tamar to wait until Shelah was mature enough for marriage. However, when that day came, he backed out of the deal and didn’t give Tamar to Shelah. In retaliation, Tamar put together a scheme to trick Judah into having sex with her pretending that she was a harlot. Harlots, in those days, dressed the opposite of prostitutes in our day. In that day, a harlot was known by the fact that they covered herself up rather than the reverse. So, Judah did not recognize Tamar. In the negotiations for her price, it was agreed that the act would be worth a young goat from Judah's flock and that he would leave the pledge of his signet, cord and staff until the goat had been delivered to Tamar by his servants. The two of them then had sex and, as a result, Tamar became pregnant and was thereby vindicated of Judah's neglect to give her to his now grown third son, Shelah. In addition, to protect herself, she didn't wait for the goat to arrive but, instead, kept Judah's pledges.

Why is this story here? It is because Messiah would come through the tribe of Judah. And, by Tamar’s act, the Messianic line continued. Jesus would one day come through Pharez, Judah’s son by Tamar. The line continued on down through Boaz, by Ruth, to Obed ... then to Jesse and then King David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel. Sordid? Yes. But, it certainly accentuates that Jesus was truly one of us, does it not? He came to associate with sinners and he even became sin for us ... though he himself knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him (II Cor. 5:21). This account gives us a small taste of what it must have been like for him to stoop down to our level. And, I surely am thankful that he did. Aren't you?

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38:19-26

"So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her. Then he asked the men of that place, saying, 'Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?' And they said, 'There was no harlot in this place.' So he returned to Judah and said, 'I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.' Then Judah said, 'Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.' And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, 'Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.' So Judah said, 'Bring her out and let her be burned!' When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, 'By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.' And she said, Please determine whose these are; the signet and cord, and staff.' So Judah acknowledged them and said, 'She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.' And he never knew her again."

When Judah learned what had happened, he agreed that he had been rightly rebuked and that Tamar had been just in her actions. Therefore, she was saved and vindicated and a very facinating twist in the Messianic line had been written into history.

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38:27-30

"Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, 'This one came out first.' Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, 'How did you break through? This breach be upon you!' Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah."

Although Zerah was technically Tamar’s firstborn, Perez astounded the midwife by seeming to take charge and come out first. I believe that this unique happenstance was from the Lord. It was a statement of the importance of this ancient grandfather of Christ. Perez's genealogy is also given in Ruth 4:18-22...

"Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab;
Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed;
Obed
begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David."