Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20000514.htm

GENESIS: THE SOURCES OF GOOD AND CALAMITY IN OUR ORIGINS
Part III: God's Ongoing Program Of Countering Man's Apostasy At Babel
HH. Round Thirty-Three - Living Above A Vengeful Spirit By Noting God's Sovereign Plan
(Genesis 45:4-28)
  1. Introduction
    1. If we have been seriously wronged by a party, the temptation rises for us to feel bitter at the cost of the wrong to us, and have that bitterness smolder into vengeful hatred.
    2. However, God is sovereign over events in our lives, and if we take the time to recall God's precedents, and note His workings, we can make sense out of why He allows even wrongs to occur to us as follows:
  2. Living Above A Vengeful Spirit By Noting God's Sovereign Plan, Genesis 45:4-28
    1. After Joseph revealed his identity to the brothers who had so badly hated and mistreated him, his brothers feared he might want to kill them, Genesis 45:3; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn.
    2. Yet, Joseph stilled their fears, urging them to come near to him and not be upset, Genesis 45:4-5a.
    3. He explained God's sovereign oversight had led to his arrival and rise in Egypt so he could be used of God to save them, Gen. 45:5b. Looking over his past as Joseph could see it, we see signals of God's fore knowing use of the sinful hatred of his brothers to do God's good will as follows:
      1. Joseph knew the dreams from God of his dominance over his brothers in reference to their need for grain (Gen. 37:5-10) had come between their initial hatred of him and their selling him into Egypt:
        1. Joseph's brothers could not speak peaceably unto him before he had dreamed a dream of his ruling over them, for this hatred had sprung from his being favored by Jacob's gift of a coat, Gen. 37:3-5.
        2. The dream had also followed Joseph's bringing a bad report about them to Jacob, a fact that had added to their distaste for Joseph, Genesis 37:2.
        3. Yet, the dreams had come BEFORE the brothers had sold him into Egypt, for they had plotted to sell him by even calling him "this dreamer of dreams," Genesis 37:19, 20-28.
      2. Thus, Joseph could tell GOD planned to USE his brothers' preexisting hatred to move him into Egypt so as to use him to save them from famine as well as end the hatred they had against him!
    4. Accordingly, Joseph made plans to minister to his brothers' welfare, Genesis 45:6-23:
      1. He instructed his brothers that another five years remained for the famine, so he realized God had sent him ahead of them to prepare for their welfare, Genesis 45:6-7.
      2. He explained God had elevated him with great power in Egypt with its rich grain reserves, Gen. 45:8.
      3. Accordingly, he urged his brothers to tell his father, Jacob of his welfare and of his desire to move the family into the prized area of Goshen in Egypt, Genesis 45:9-13.
      4. Following this news, Joseph mingled with his brothers and resolved their old conflicts, Gen. 45:14-15.
      5. God even arranged for Pharaoh to welcome Joseph's family into Egypt, so Joseph was able to acquire the best means of transportation to move his aged father and kin into Egypt, Genesis 45:16-23.
    5. Now, in sending his brothers back to Canaan, Joseph ordered his brothers not to argue on the way about the past: he wanted them to put it behind them as they had repented, and Joseph himself could see GOD'S hand had allowed the past hardships en route to reuniting the family, Gen. 45:24.
    6. Hence, the brothers returned to Jacob in Canaan. They told him Joseph was alive and governor in Egypt, and that they were to move there, Gen. 45:25-26a. Though Jacob at first did not believe Joseph was still living, the evidences of the (1) rich Egyptian wagons, (2) Joseph's words to them along with (3) his memory of Joseph's dream about his elevation (Gen. 37:10-11) caused Jacob to agree to go to Egypt.
Lesson: Because of the DREAMS from God he had BETWEEN the START of his brothers' hatred against him and when it LATER blossomed into selling him into Egypt, Joseph could see how God had planned all along to RESOLVE the animosity of his brothers against him: God had planned do so through USING their hatred to set Joseph up to SAVE them. Thus, Joseph was able to put the last thirteen hard years behind him as they had repented.

Application: We can use the PRECEDENTS of God's PAST leading as SIGNPOSTS to reveal the purposes of God that help explain even HARD times SINCE those signposts first appeared. In doing so, we can see the POWER and GRACE of God to utilize even man's EVIL for His final GOOD!