Harsh Reconciliation

Andy Osborne

Genesis • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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In order to bring the family back together and save them, Joseph must first

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Transcript

Introduction

The title of today’s sermon may seem like an oxymoron, a contradiction. When we think of reconciliation, we think of hugs and tears and warmth. It is a beautiful thing, and when reconciliation happens everyone wins.

In our text, Joseph is harsh towards his brothers. He puts them through fear, stress, anxiety, and makes them relive the guilt of years past over again. And yet, as we’ll see, his purpose is ultimately reconciliation.

The Broken Family

For the first time since Judah’s incident with Tamar, the story brings us back to the rest of the family of Jacob. Like the rest of that part of the world, Jacob and his family are pressed hard by this famine and word is going around that there is food in Egypt. But even greater than the famine is the tragedy of what has happened to this family.

“Why do you look at one another” (verse 1). This implies that quarreling and fighting had been taking place while Jacob is trying to look for a solution to their hunger problems. The division and trouble that had started in the family had branched out to Judah’s immoral acts and infighting that could drive the family to starvation. The guilt that resides among the brothers that is expressed later in the text is tearing the family apart. From our text, it’s clear that Jacob doesn’t trust his sons by refusing to let Benjamin go with them to Egypt, the brothers are arguing and being unproductive. A guilty conscience gradually becomes paranoid and defensive as un-confessed and unrepentant sins waste away at them.

This is a damaging time for the people of God. Not only are they suffering in a deadly, lengthy famine, but they are being torn apart. The people of God, who are meant to be a united people of God, a nation that embodies all that God is for the world to see. While Joseph has been doing that in slavery and imprisonment in Egypt, the rest of the family has not been as successful together and in the promised land.

But the biggest problem among the people of God in this text, the thing that is the most dangerous and has the most potential to tear them apart and destroy God’s covenant people once and for all, is their lack of God’s most relateble characteristic: love. They showed the Cain-like hatred to Joseph when they sold him and now they simmer in anger towards each other, putting them in both spiritual and physical peril.

God built his covenant with his people on faithful love. Love defined that relationship, and so it was meant to define the community. The love that God showed to Abraham was meant pass onto the chosen people that would come from him, but instead of being loving the brothers had embraced hatred, jealousy, and murder. Instead of doing things for the glory of God, they seek their own glory and disposed of the one who was taking it from them.

God does not simply mean to save his people from famine, he has the much greater purpose of saving his people from a Cain-like hatred and embracing the godly, sacrificial love that he created them to have.

The moment comes when the story of Joseph And the story of his brothers come together. Joseph is governor over Egypt and in charge of selling the grain that had been collected during the seven years of plenty. Joseph meets his brothers as they seek to buy grain and in verse 8 we find a very key phrase,

Genesis 42:8 ESV

And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

This becomes a very important theme in this story. Joseph recognizes something that his brothers miss. This isn’t the first time. Joseph saw the meaning of Pharaoh's dreams when magicians and diviners could not. Joseph has been the closest with God and has had things revealed to him that God revealed to no one else. Here, even after the years and years that had gone by God has given him the ability to recognize the brothers while they cannot recognize him. This is also explained by Joseph’s appearance, with his hair and beard shaved in the Egyptian style while his brothers still look like Semetic tribesmen like they did 17 or so years before. Joseph was also justa teenager last time they saw him, now he is a fully grown man. Then verse 9 says something interesting,

Genesis 42:9 ESV

And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

If Joseph remembered his dream accurately, he would have remembered one detail: that his dream showed 11 of his brothers bowing down to him, but in this scene there are only 10. Knowing that they must have left Benjamin behind with their father, and knowing that the dream wouldn’t be fulfilled until the whole family had come up to Egypt and paid him homage, he hatches a plan and accuses them of being spies to see where a potential attack could be launched against Egypt.

The Test

This may seen cruel and vengeful, both characteristics that we have not seen Joseph exhibit, so why does he do this? Does he simply want his brothers to suffer as he suffered? Before we answer that, we can appreciate Joseph’s quick thinking here.

Joseph’s accusation is not unusual. Spies were a very real threat, especially during a famine when food is a scarce resource.

Admition that not all the brothers are there lends some weight to the accusation, as a perceived motive for this may be protection for the family line just in case the infiltration failed. If Joseph wanted to, he could get full revenge on his brothers with essentially no repercussions.

The first clue we get as to Joseph’s intentions here is what the brothers say at the end of verse 11, “we are honest men.” Joseph certainly doesn’t think they were honest the last time he saw them. What Joseph proceeds to do is put his brothers to the test. Will they prove themselves to be honest men, or will they show themselves to be unchanged from the last time he saw them.

Joseph’s character up to this point has been pure, with only hints of self-righteousness at the beginning of the story. I don’t believe that we are supposed to think that Joseph is wrong in what he is doing, or that he is motivated by sinful intentions despite his dishonesty towards his brothers.

Because Joseph’s contrast with his brothers would not make sense.

Because Joseph is acting based on God’s revelation to him through dreams.

Because Joseph’s actions turn out to bring the family together, rather than destroy it. He is actively seeking reconciliation through his actions.

Because later we find that Joseph had forgiven his brothers and had a redemptive outlook on the events he has been put through.

Because Joseph’s dishonest behavior in order to test his brothers and ultimately be united to them again is in line with the dishonest midwives in Exodus and the

Genesis 50:19–21 ESV

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

In verse 18 Joseph makes it known to them that he fears God, and then we discover in verse 19 that he means to test them to see if they are indeed honest men. While they think they are being tested to see whether they are spies, they are really being tested to see if they have changed.

Joseph shows great care for them and for their families. If they all stay in prison than their families and his father and brother will starve. However, the way he goes about this will force them to show him whether they have repented or not.

Verse 21 is a very important first part to this process. “Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother.” They don’t know that Joseph can hear them, one again Joseph knows something they don’t. They see what’s happening and their minds go first to what they did to Joseph. Obviously, the guilt is very near to them despite the years that have passed, and for them to blame their actions towards Joseph shows they’ve given up making excuses, except for Reuben.

Reuben’s excuse is pitiful. Although he was the only one that desired to save Joseph, it was likely for selfish reasons to get back into his Father’s good graces and it was done in cowardice and fear of the other brothers, which is why it failed. It would seem that they were arguing about who would be the one to stay. Joseph overhears the conversation and cries. He cries because he can see that his brothers are sorry, that they never forgot him and that they admit their guilt, although Reuben tries to excuse himself from it in an attempt at self-preservation.

Joseph selects Simeon and sends the rest home, secretly putting their money back in their sacks both as a sign of family provision and a reminder of the silver they sold him with. This makes it seem very dangerous for them to go back to Egypt and risk being accused as thieves, and yet Joseph did not give them enough food to last the rest of the famine, making it so they would have to come back. In this way, Joseph has set up the perfect test for their repentance and love so that he might be reconciled to them.

Test 1: Do they love their brother enough to risk coming back?

While Simeon gets a taste of the suffering he put Joseph through, the rest of the brothers are in dread with their father.

Joseph put them into this difficult position where they are forced to confront their pride and sin if they are to survive. Joseph is not merely testing them, he’s pushing them to do what needs to be done in order for reconciliation to happen. Joseph knows it will because of his dreams, and so he works in that direction without taking short cuts.

The decision: will they risk starvation or will they confront the consequences of their own sin?

Test 2: Can their Father trust them?

This is as much a test for Jacob as it is for his sons. Joseph is testing his father’s faith, which will show his own state of trust in God as well as the state of the boys. If they manage to convince their father to send his favourite son, the replacement for Joseph as it were, it shows that he has reason to trust them. Jacob obviously doesn’t at the end of our text.

Reuben does not help gain his father’s trust. Again, he as the oldest is trying to earn back his place at head of the family by trying to convince the Patriarch of something that isn’t true. He tries to fain self-sacrifice by offering his two sons, but why would Jacob want to put his own posterity to death? Why wouldn’t Reuben put his own life on the line? False sacrificial love makes itself known in such a desperate situation.

Our text ends with a desperate cry from Jacob that if both his favourite sons die he might as well die as well. The epitomizes an attitude of idolatry and unbelief. Rather than looking for God’s hand of providence in the tragedy of losing Joseph and trusting that God was in control even of that loss, he is holding on even tighter to the things in this world which he loves and is proud of, in his case the sons of Rachel. This ironically keeps him from his beloved Joseph much longer than necessary.

Reconciliation is impossible when pride, idolatry, and unbelief stand in the way. This is true both in reconciling with God and reconciling with God’s people.

Test 3: Do they love Benjamin enough to sacrifice themselves for him?

These two tests lead to a third test that we will not look at today, the test of true love and sacrifice. We will spend the next two weeks looking at that test and how reconciliation comes through it.

The Difficult Road to Reconciliation

Joseph’s brothers were in the wrong, Joseph was in the right. Joseph’s brothers were far from God, loaded down by guilt and infighting, Joseph was near to God and enjoyed his pleasure as well as his blessings. The brothers are like beggars coming to the huge nation of Egypt in their poverty, Joseph is second only to the King of that powerful nation. In every way, morally, spiritually, and physically, Joseph is on top. And yet Joseph takes the initiative to begin the process of reconciliation with his wicked brothers. He easily could have sent them away, or even kept them in prison and sent grain to his father and brother with a message about what really happened near Dothan all those years ago. But instead he condescended to his brothers and sought reconciliation with them after all that they had done.

This displays the deep godliness that Joseph had embraced. Knowing God and loving him is to love his people. After all they had done to him, Joseph knew that God still had covenant love with these men and so he should to. However, that didn’t mean he was going to be easy on them.

The Lost Corinthian Sheep

It makes me think of another person that received the harsh love of God through the church in order to be renewed and restored.

2 Corinthians 2:5–8 ESV

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.

Some theorize that Paul is talking about the man in 1 Corinthians 5 who was in an illicit relationship with his mother-in-law, but it is more likely that this is talking about a man who had contradicted Paul and tried to discredit him the last time he had been with the Corinthians. Paul had left and written them a scathing letter rebuking the church for letting a man remain in the church who was not only opposing Paul as a person, but opposing the Gospel he was preaching as well. The church quickly listened and performed church discipline, removing him from their fellowship. Some time after this, the man who was causing a disturbance repented and Paul told the Corinthians to “forgive and comfort” him. In this way, Paul showed church discipline to be an act of tough love, meant to restore the fellowship and unity of the body and keep it from degenerating until the whole church was destroyed.

Tough Love in the Church

Tough love in the church exists because from time to time you are going to get people who get caught in a sin they refuse to repent of, or someone who has commited a sin so damaging to the church that reconciliation becomes a process. It’s important that love is the goal and the motivation. Anything that happens in the church that is motivated by anger or by vengeance.

Why is tough love sometimes necessary in the church?

Love in the church is based on unity in Christ.

It’s not loving to continue to treat someone like a brother or sister who is living in sin and not repentance.

Matthew 18:15–18 ESV

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The church has the collective authority to bar people from fellowship and accept them into fellowship, and that authority is based on the person’s attitude towards sin. No sin should get someone excommunicated except the sin of unrepentance.

It’s impossible to have unity when the foundation of our unity is actively being eroded.

In Joseph’s case, he knew he couldn’t be unity to his brother in the way that God desired until he knew that they had rejected the hatred they had before and embraced sacrificial love. That love in a non-negotiable in the community of God, which is why he will not reveal himself to his brothers until he sees them willing to lay down their lives for Benjamin.

In Paul case, Paul knew that as long as there was someone in the church actively opposing the Gospel and the Spirit’s ministry through him, as an Apostle of Christ, there could be no true unity with them in Christ.

The Eager, Gentle Embrace of Reconciliation

Of course we will dwell on the positive part of this story in the future, but it is important to note that at the end Joseph embraces his brothers with love, gentleness, and an open heart. He recognizes that God was in control of their sin and how it hurt him and that he ultimately used it for good.

Church discipline, when done in a Christ-like way, is never done in bitterness or personal anger, it’s done out of love. It’s done with the goal of reconciliation in Christ. It is done with a willingness to be wronged, a willingness to abandon personal dignity and pride, and a servant’s heart. Most importantly, it is done with an awareness of the presence and glory of God through Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Being in community is not about us, it’s about building the Kingdom the Christ rightfully died for. Because Christ paid such a dear price, it is right that we should keep the people of God united in his name and pure from hatred, from false doctrine, and from love and lifestyle of sin. He deserves a pure people, loving each other just as he loved us. He loved us enough to die for us as well as to remove the power and guilt of sin. We exercise church discipline because we love each other enough to not let them remain in unrepentant sin, and we love them enough to forgive their wrongs against us just as Christ forgave us.

Christian love is always affectionate. When we see a brother or sister in sin, we should feel like Christ feels, sad. Not angry, not self-righteous, but grieved. Our response should be full of prayers of intercession, and a quickness to show warmth and comforting love when their sin is repented of. This is, indeed, the kind of love that Christ shows to us.

And on top of that, we need to be gracious towards one another. Knowing that other Christians will sin against you, just as we unknowingly sin against God everyday, we must have the grace that gives us the ability to overlook each other's sins against us. Our goal, again, is the glory of Christ manifested in a community that loves like he loves, endures wrong as he did, disciplines as he does for our good, and gently restores the repentant to the pure affections of fellow citizens of heaven.

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