God's Sovereign Control Over All, Even Sin

Michael Stitzel

Genesis • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Big Idea: Despite the sins of man, God exercises full sovereign control over all things.

Notes

Transcript

Handout

Introduction 1

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 6108 From His Hand

6108 From His Hand

I will not take that bitter thrust

Which rent my heart today

As coming from an earthly soul—

Though it was meant that way.

But I will look beyond the tool,

Because my life is planned;

I take the cup My Father gives—

I take it from His hand.

He knows, and even thus allows,

These little things that irk.

I trust His wisdom and His love,

Let patience have her work.

Though human means have brought the sting,

I firmly take this stand:

My loving Father holds the cup,

I take it from His hand.

Now those who watch may wonder why

These things do not disturb.

I look right past the instrument

And see my Lord superb.

The trials which would lay me low

Must pass through His command;

He holds the outstretched cup to me

I take it from His hand.

—Mrs. Ray Mercer

I read this last week, but it applies well here as well.

One of the things we wrestle with is how God uses the sinfulness of man in his plan.

Why is it hard for us to reconcile how God can and does use the sinfulness of man in His plan?

Because it clashes with our view of fairness or rightness.

It seems contradictory to God’s goodness and holiness to suggest that he could permit, let alone use, evil in His unfolding plan.

It clashes with our comfort and desires and we do not want to admit or recognize that it could be part of his plan.

Habakkuk certainly did.

Turn there with me for a moment.....

Habakkuk 1:1-3 - His complaint? How long will you endure the sinfulness of your people? How long will you allow it go unpunished.

Habakkuk 1:5-11 - God’s answer…I am sending the Chaldeans to punish Israel’s sin.

Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 - Habakkuk’s reply? Astonishment. How can you use a nation more wicked than us to punish us, to bring justice back?

God’s answer in chapter 2 - Don’t worry about it Habakkuk, I will bring judgment to the Chaldeans in the right time too.

Despite the sinfulness of man, God still maintains control over all things.

Faith recognizes that.

Faith submits to that.

Faith TRUSTS that.

Why is acceptance of this truth only something that can come from faith?

Because it makes no earthly sense. The wisdom of God is foolishness to men. The wisdom of men is foolishness to God. This is only something that the Spirit of God can give sight to see.

In today’s text, and in the chapters following, this truth will be made abundantly known and it is a truth we must wrestle with and be captured by if our lives are to reflect worship and honor of God.

Outline

Big Idea: Despite the sins of man, God exercises full sovereign control over all things.

Sins of Man

Plan of God Revealed

The Participation of Man’s Sin in the Plan of God

Mourning and It’s Place

We will only cover point 1 today, because as we look at this text, we will see quite the list of sins and we will sit back in wonder at how anything good can come from this text.

But I want us to see it, in its fullness because it will make the sovereign control of God that shines through in future text all the more amazing.

Text

Genesis 37

When this passage takes place, Israel and family have now been in Canaan for about ten years. A space of time has passed between the events of chapter 35-36 and now.

Sermon Body

Big Idea: Despite the sins of man, God exercises full sovereign control over all things.

Sins of Man

One look at this text is all it takes to see the proliferation of sin and wickedness that is consuming this family.

As much as Israel is a changed man, sin continues to abound because we are sinful creatures.

Here are some of the things we see in this chapter.

Favoritism (again) Gen 37:3, 4

This really is the sin of sins in this narrative. This is the sin that spurs all the others and creates the problems that are so evident in this text.

And it is not the first time we have seen it. Where have we seen this before?

Jacob and Esau felt this very sin from Isaac and Rebecca as they grew up.

Jacob himself, did the same thing with Rachel and Leah

Apparently, Israel did not learn well from his own experience with Esau. He repeats the sins of the past.

Side note…this is often true. Though we abhor the sins we experience at the hands of others and would never desire for others to experience those sins, we often perpetuate those same sins anyway.

Consider the words of Exodus 20:4-6

“Visiting the iniquity of the father’s on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me…” WHAT DOES this statement mean? It does NOT mean that God punished subsequent generations for the sins of their parents.

Deut 24:16 - Each one is punished for their own sin.

So what does it mean? One commentator explains....

Exodus Excursus: The Attractions of Idolatry

20:5b–6 This explanatory section of the second commandment, with its assertion that God is “jealous … punishing the children for the sins of the fathers,” has been widely misunderstood. It does not represent an assertion that God actually punishes an innocent generation for sins of a predecessor generation, contrary to Deut 24:16 (“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin”; cf. 2 Kgs 14:6). Rather, this oft-repeated theme speaks of God’s determination to punish successive generations for committing the same sins they learned from their parents. In other words, God will not say, “I won’t punish this generation for what they are doing to break my covenant because, after all, they merely learned it from their parents who did it too.” Instead, God will indeed punish generation after generation (“to the third and fourth generation”35) if they keep doing the same sorts of sins that prior generations did. If the children continue to do the sins their parents did, they will receive the same punishments as their parents.

Behavior is learned. Values are learned. Passions are passed along. Beware, what we think, do, value WILL get passed along.

The sins of our generation exist in increasing intensity because the generation before them was guilty of them and did little to nothing to correct, rebuke, and turn away from them.

The current sins of our generation, in part, can be contributed to the sins of those before us that passed it along through example.

Only the grace of God can end this cycle....but end the cycle, He can and does do.

Reread Exodus 20:4-6. In light of this truth, this warning, what steps, actions, preventions should we take to avoid the fate described in these verses?

Teach, instruct, rebuke, admonish with consistency.

Stand upon the unchanging word of God as the source and foundation of those instructions.

Guard the influences in our children’s lives and teach them discernment to choose wisely.

Model righteousness in our own life and choices.

Teach them to love God. This is the highest priority. The Greatest commandment. If they learn to do this, they will keep it even when we are not there to watch over them.

Here in Genesis 37, we see case in point. The favoritism of Isaac and Rebecca has been passed along to Israel and it continues to bear the devastation it did for Jacob and Esau.

Favoritism/partiality has no place in our lives. Let me remind you of the words of James

James 2:1-7

There is no place for favored treatment in the life of a believer.

When we act with favoritism/partiality, we play god.

We assign a value/worth to that person life. We deem their life of more value than another.

James 2:1-4 - Made distinctions among yourselves; become judges with evil thoughts.

We have just acted as God, for He and He alone has the right to determine the value and worth of a persons life. AND ALL LIVES BEAR THE IMAGE OF GOD and thus bear infinite value and worth.

When we treat one person better than another, we have just made a judgment regarding that person’s value, worth, usefulness, benefit, etc.

What right do we have to make that kind of decision?

Reread James 2:1-7. What makes favoritism/partiality so despicable to God? What is the danger of playing God and determining the value of one’s life

When we place value on another’s life, we treat them in accordance with that value. If we cheapen their life in our estimation, the need for the gospel in their life may also be reduced.

E.G. - Once, when we were street evangelizing, we were handing out tracts that resembled a million dollar bill. We were told, but those more experienced than us, do not hand them to the homeless people. They will think it is real money and not value it. It will be a waste of time and a tract. (Paraphrased, not exact quote, but the gist of the instruction was clear)

Among the other reasons mentioned in the sermon, this is among the many reasons why this sin is so devastation. Abortion, euthanasia, genocide, all become acceptable when we believe it is within our write to determine a person’s value.

When we act with favoritism/partiality, we play to our selfish passions.

Think about it....

Why do we treat others with favoritism, partiality? (Ask and let answer in the sermon - Feel free to discuss more in the breakouts)

Because of what benefit that person supplies to us.

What benefits might a person provide that would tempt us to treat some as better or more preferred than others?

Whether simply a good feeling, emotion or even some service or provision. The reason for favoritism is ALWAYS self centered because of what the favored person provides for us.

James 2:4-6 - Motive for their treatment is implied in this response…Favor, gain from the rich man who has something to offer while the poor man has nothing to offer.

What is Israel’s motive? Notice Gen 37:3

“Because he was the son of his old age”

Interestingly, it is not mentioned that he is one of the two sons by his favored wife, though I personally have no doubt that had much to do with it as well.

He had to wait many years to have this child, with his favored wife, and so he was older when Joseph was born.

So what benefit does Joseph supply that he would be favored over his 10 older brothers? (and who knows how many sisters) Sentiment, pleasure, delight…favored wife; Gratitude, thankfulness…son of his old age; Nostalgia…connection to and memory of Rachel. WHO knows… Could be any number of things, but there was something that Israel personally gained from Joseph and thus his favored status.

What guards can we erect in our life to protect us from selfishly motivated favoritism/partiality?

Preach the gospel DAILY to yourself.

Repent daily

Keep near to the cross, to God, and abide near him continually

Keep a constant eye on the dashboard of your heart for selfish desires, prideful desire, and repent of them as you see them.

Invite accountability into your life

Meditate on Scripture often

When we act with favoritism/partiality, we show lack of love and care for the person upon whom we shower our favor.

In what way you ask? Consider the following...

Genesis 37:2

And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

Don’t know what the report is or why he is bringing it. Part of his job? Pesky tattletale?

Genesis 37:13-14

Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with flock and bring me word.

Put these two things in perspective of verse 3.

Genesis 37:3

Joseph is the favored child.

The favoritism that Jacob felt for Rachel has apparently transferred to her older son, Joseph, for Jacob bestows special status on Joseph. Most scholars acknowledge that status, not just favor, is what the special coat represents. Nevertheless, the description of the coat remains obscure. The traditional interpretation that it was a coat of many colors is still the norm in Sunday school curricula as well as in popular perception (e.g., as in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat), even though this interpretation has been nearly universally abandoned in scholarly circles. Most commentators favor something more along the line of a full-length coat or a long-sleeved coat, either of which would indicate that Joseph is management, not labor. This rendering finds support as early as Aquila’s Greek translation.1

1 Walton, J. H. (2001). Genesis (pp. 662–663). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

So favored was Joseph that it appears he may well have been put in charge of his brothers. The YOUNGEST being in charge of the OLDEST. How well would that sit with you?

Perhaps this explains the Bragging/boasting of verses Gen 37:5 and Gen 37:9 of Joseph and his dreams.

Joseph not only has the dreams but he shares them in somewhat of a boastful manner.

Bragging? Or innocent inquiring of not understanding the message of the dream? Or awe and wonder at the dream, and innocent naivety of how it would impact his brothers?

That might make sense if you only had verse 4, though verse 4 in itself still strikes of boasting.

What would lead me to bragging, verse 4 makes it plain that his brothers knew he was favored; verse 3, he was given a royal gift that no others were...it would seem, that even to Joseph, it would be clear that he was the favored one.

Also this...after verses 5-8 in which Joseph shared their dream and they clearly responded with their understanding of the meaning, the second sharing would have been done with full knowledge and intent.

Even if you want to make the case that the first one was in naivety, you cannot make the case for the second.

This favoritism is being perpetuated again and again in the life of this family and it continues to have its devastation consequences.

Notice as well, that other sins the sin of favoritism perpetuates....

How is treating someone with favoritism/partiality (the favored one) unloving and detrimental?

Hatred - Gen 37:4 , 8

Why is hatred often a response to favoritism/partiality shown to others?

Hatred, resentment will always be the response of a sinful flesh who desires have been unfulfilled and when those desires are enjoyed by another.

Hate. Scorn. Foe. Enemy.

I don’t think we can underestimate the depth of animosity in this word.

They were willing to murder their own brother over it.

This is more than dislike, annoyance, or resentment. This is a seething dislike that considers one to be an enemy.

We will see later, they strip him, put him in a hole and go about eating their food, ignoring him, ignoring his plight, and (we find out from Genesis 42:21) caring nothing for him though he begged and pleaded. It takes a deep animosity and hatred to be so callous and malicious that you are willing to murder your brother, able to be completely indifferent to his suffering, AND ACTUALLY SELL him to slave traders bound for Egypt.

This hatred is spurned by his father’s preferential treatment, (possibly) Joseph’s supervisor status over them, and Joseph’s own boasting about dreams of authority over them.

This hatred is manifest in malice and slander.

Malice/Slander - Gen 37:4

What do malice and slander reveal about the condition of one’s heart?

It is sinfully angry.

It is worshipping the wrong thing.

It is in danger

Could not speak peacefully to him.

Speech becomes hateful.

Often this malice and slander comes from a place of hurt and offense.

Often this malice comes from a place of anger of failure to obtain the perceived rights we think we are due.

When we give way to malice and slander, it reveals a much deeper heart issue going on.

Intent? To tear down. To cause pain. To elevate self and demote the person of whom we speak about or to maliciously.

Our own hurt, pain, disappointment, slighted pride and self interests easily give way to such behavior and when we see it, we need to take note.

OUR OWN WORDS OF MALICE AND SLANDER of others is often coming from a place in our own hearts of hurt, unfulfilled desires, and disappointments.

It is possible, in the case of Joseph’s brothers, they were hurt by their fathers preferential treatment of one of the youngest sons.

It is possible that, especially for Reuben as the oldest, their is anger at a younger brother taking the role and authority rightfully due to him. (Which is ironic considering that he is the brother who seeks to find a way to rescue and save Joseph, though his motives are suspect, which we will talk about later).

When we see malice and slander in ourselves, we need to ask what is fueling it and recognize it is the symptom of a much deeper issue.

And I contend that this favoritism is even at the source of Joseph’s own bragging, as I already mentioned.

Bragging/Boasting - Gen 37:5, 9

Where does bragging/boasting come from?

Prideful heart

A forgetfulness of our own sin.

A desire to know that your life is meaningful, worth something, of value, significant. It always seeks to show the value and worth of self. It just gets it wrong. It looks to the wrong things for its sense of value and worth. Rather than looking to our identity in God, we look to “our own” skills, successes, achievements, etc as the display of our worth and value.

The solution is to look to who GOD says we are and find our value in that. When we find it there, we have no reason to boast in ourselves, but rather we boast in God.

The favorite status of Joseph was not lost on even Joseph. It is likely that part of his bragging problem here is due to that favored status and lack of maturity yet at this stage of his life.

His bragging/boasting on further extends the problem started by his favored status.

Joseph is a man of God, yes, but he is a man. Here, only a boy. It is not out of the realm of possibility that he is acting immaturely and bragging…a behavior fueled by his own pride at being daddy’s favorite.

It is not hard to see how this sort of bragging and boasting rises up in children who know they are favored.

Jealousy - Gen 37:11

What dangers does Jealousy pose?

Resentment, anger, bitterness.

Theft, slander, malice, murder.

Strife, conflict, feuds

Broken relationships

Disunity, Etc.

Back in chapter 30, we considered this issue of jealousy at length as we look at the relationship between Rachel and Leah.

We saw the devastation there. We see it here now.

We even took a week to talk about our battle plan against jealousy.

Remember, jealousy is essentially the fear of losing what one has. Envy is the resentment of not having a benefit that another has. Jealousy is fear of losing what you have to another; of becoming overshadowed by another; your status, position, or possession being taken from you by someone or something else.

The brothers were jealous. The love of their father; the positions of authority and control were being taken from them and given to another.

Favoritism will spark jealousy.

This jealousy will escalate if given the chance. See how it does.

Murder (Intent to murder) - Gen 37:18

In what way(s) is murder the ultimate declaration of value upon someone?

We have determined that their life means so little, it is within our right and authority to end it.

It is to determine that their life is of so little value that ending it is of no consequence.

E.G. The Germans so devalued the lives of Jews that they would sit and kill them from the balcony of his residence just for fun. They would experiment upon them in grotesque and horrifying ways because they viewed them as nothing more than rats to be used for the deepening of their knowledge.

It leads to unimaginable horrors when we play God and decide that even life and death is our right to claim.

They conspire to kill him, to murder him, to end his life.

You have to wonder…did this start in a joking, stupid manner and then suddenly get serious?

Was it tossed out by one serious and others laughed it off until they realized he wasn’t joking?

Was it an immediate, everyone thought or was there a ring leader?

Doesn’t matter I suppose.

But the fact that it happened at all just went to show how deep their resentment and animosity went.

It also hows how oblivious Israel and Joseph were to the true feelings of the brothers. If they had known how deep the anger went; had they known the danger, it is a sure thing that Israel would NOT have sent Joseph.

Mocking - Gen 37:19

The malice, slander, and mocking only continue

You can hear the scorn, ridicule, and mocking dripping from these words.

You can imagine the sorts of things they were saying about him as he drew near.....Maybe you shouldn't, but it is not to imagine the conversation taking place.

When such schemes and plotting begins to take serious turns, lying and deception to avoid discovery is a given.

Lying - Gen 37:20

Why is lying going to be a necessary part of any sin?

To protect self from discovery.

To protect the charade

To maintain the benefit obtained from the sin

The necessity of a lie, given their intent, is obvious.

Unless they want to be found out; unless they want to be held accountable for taking a life; unless they want to bear their father’s anger, wrath, and rejection (for he would likely cut them off), they have to lie to cover up their sin.

And this is always true. To avoid being found out…our sins will demand deception and lies from us.

And it will do is in ever increasing measure.

A lie is never small.

A lie is never innocent.

A lie is never harmless.

So the sins of the brothers also includes lying.

See how it escalates from here...

Abuse/Theft/Abduction- Gen 37:23

They Stripped him of his coat.

They took something of value away from him. They despised that sign of favoritism and they despised his “flaunting of it”

Truth is, he had to know the level of animosity his brothers felt towards him.

He had to know the level of resentment.

He could have shown grace and understanding by not wearing it in their midst. He didn’t. He continued to wear it.

This shows an utter naivety (which does not seem to be the case from the rest of his life, unless again, he matured a lot after this point), an indifference, or even a sense of braggart tendencies in this young man.

But they took the thing that likely mattered the most from him. That in itself had to hurt.

This was not a gentle, “Hey come here, let’s get your jacket and hang it up.” How do you get an article of clothing off an unwilling participate who does not want to part with it?

I imagine as he got close, the verbal insults were terrible. (Nothing he was likely not unfamiliar with).

They would have grabbed him and wrestled, fought with him to get it off.

Probably were none too gentle with it.

They threw him into a pit that he was unable to climb out of.

Probably were none too gentle.

Doubt they lowered him down gentle into the pit...

Slavery - Gen 37:28

They sell him as a slave.

A slave.

How cold, callous and dark does your hate have to be to sell a living being, who bears the image of God, who bears your DNA and blood, to complete strangers, to a life of slavery that holds who knows what future?

Favoritism/Partiality spawns many other sins. In light of this truth, what ought to be our attitude towards it?

All of this stems from favoritism. Have we seen enough of the devastation of this sin yet?

Do we understand yet, the devastation of sins that repeat to the third and fourth generations?

It is a bleak picture from what we have seen today. But we are not done.

Conclusion 1

Frankly, we are sometimes left to wonder, with the extend of sinfulness and brokenness we see, how can anything good come out of this?

With all that see, how do we wade through the pain, the sin, the brokenness?

How do we get to that idea that Big Idea: Despite the sins of man, God exercises full sovereign control over all things.

We get there, we just don’t see it in the content of what we have covered today.

What we have to wrestle with is this....God is bigger than man’s sin. God is bigger than man’s faults. And YES, God can USE man’s SIN for His purposes and glory.

We will return next week to consider this in greater depth.

I leave you with this quote as you seek to be growing to be more like Jesus for the glory of God.

“Here is the secret of divine all-sufficiency, to come to the end of our everything in ourselves and in our circumstances. When we reach this place, we stop asking for sympathy because of our hard situation or bad treatment, for we will recognize these things are the very conditions of our blessing, and we will turn from them to God and find in them a claim upon HIm.” Unknown.

Until we surrender to God and trust His plan to work, despite the sinfulness of man, we will never see what Mrs. Ray Mercer saw, or what Habakkuk saw, or even what Joseph will experience.

The sin of man is bad. Yes.

But the grace and power and sovereign control of God is greater still.

May that truth guard your heart as you grow together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.

Introduction 2

Plan of God Revealed

The Participation of Man’s Sin in the Plan of God

Reuben’s Part

Judah’s Part

The brother’s Part

Mourning and It’s Place

Conclusion

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