The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying God's providence or divine providence in the lives of David and Joseph and how we can apply His providence in their lives to our lives today.
The providence of God is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. Divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe. He is in control of the physical world. He is in control of the affairs of nations. He is in control of human destiny. He is in control of human successes and failures. He protects His people.
Last week we looked at how grace operates, as Joseph deals with his brothers on their second visit to Egypt. This week we see real repentance as Judah finally confesses to the brothers' actions toward Joseph fueled by their hatred of him because their father favored him over them. In his confession we see that he and his brothers really have a change of heart and mind which is true repentance.
When Joseph sees this true repentance, he reveals himself to his brothers and tells them that all the bad that happened to him as a result of their actions of hatred by them was all part of God's plan. i it didn’t matter what they did it was really God and he did it so I could save them and their families.
The lesson for us today is that when you see God's hand in every situation it will allow you to not get frustrated or depressed no matter what you are going through. God has a plan; you just don’t see all of it right now. With a vertical focus you will not stay stuck even in a bad situation you can say like Joseph “you meant it for bad, but God meant it for good.
The providence of God or divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. Divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole, He is in control of the physical world, He is in control of the affairs of nations, He’s in control of human destiny, He’s in control of human successes and failures, He protects His people. Through divine providence God accomplishes His will.
Last week we talked about what real grace looks like. Joseph was now in a position to extract revenge on his brothers for all that had happened to him, starting with being thrown in a well, then being sold as a slave, which resulted in his being falsely accused and thrown into prison and forgotten. We know and we know that he knew that the Lord was with him
Genesis 39:2-4 NIV The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
Genesis 39:21 NIV the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
He know that because He gave the credit to God for the interpretation of dreams that finally got him out of prison and for keeping him from falling into temptation that may have changed everything.
Genesis 39:8-9 NIV But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
Genesis 40:8 NIV “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Genesis 41:15-16 NIV Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
We’ve talked about first trip to Egypt where Joseph recognizes his brothers, and they don’t recognize them. They tell him that their father, who is also his father, is still alive and that his younger brother is still alive. He tells them that in order to prove that they are not spies, and to get Simeon who he holds hostage they have to bring their brother back with them. Their father Jacob refuses because he thinks that something will happen to Benjamin, the youngest son and Joseph’s brother and he couldn’t take it. Judah agrees to take responsibility for Benjamin's return.
Genesis 43:8-10 NIV Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”
Ultimately, they go back not knowing what to expect and they are met with extreme grace. They are invited to Joseph’s house for a feast. Joseph arranges them in order of their birth around the table, gives his brother the biggest portion, release Simeon sells them the grain and sends them on their way. They still don’t know that the prime minister is their brother.
Now let’s get to today’s study.
The thing that we have learned about Joseph is that he has always maintained a positive attitude, and we can attribute that positive attitude to his faith in God. He knew that in whatever situation he was in that the Lord was with him. He wanted to see that same attitude in his brothers, so he set up a test.
Remember on the first trip to Egypt Joseph had their money put back into their sacks. They didn’t see this as a act of grace because their consciences started to bother them about what they did to Joseph 20 years before.
Genesis 42:25-28 NIV Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
They remembered, but still, they had not yet fully repented their evil ways. So, Joseph set up a test.
He had his steward put their money back in their sacks as before but this time he had him put his own silver cup placed in the top of Benjamin’s sack.
Genesis 44:1-13 NIV Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said. As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ” When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, “Why does my Lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my Lord’s slaves.” “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.” Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
Now we have a big problem. They know that they had not done anything wrong so when they see that the money is there and Joseph’s cup they are dumbfounded.
They had to return to the city with the steward, of course, where they were immediately ushered into the prime minister’s presence. There, Judah did the talking.
He didn’t admit to taking the money and cup, but he did confess of what they had done to Joseph and that he know that God was not having them deal with it, and they, all of them had to deal with the consequences. This was a vertical focus.
Genesis 44:16 NIV “What can we say to my Lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my Lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
He didn’t try to put the blame on anybody, not even Benjamin. He didn’t blame his father he didn’t put the blame on anybody because they were all in this together.
Joseph said all of you may have been involved with the sin you’re talking about, but I am dealing with the guy who stole my cup so the rest of you can go.
Genesis 44:17 NIV But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”
It looks to me that Joseph is trying to see if they have changed. Are they going to sacrifice Benjamine to save their own skins? Are they going to sacrifice him and abandon him like they did him?
Judah spoke up again and said if you are going to keep anybody keep me. I told my dad if I don’t come back with Benjamin hold me responsible
Genesis 43:8-9 NIV Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.
Genesis 44:30-34 NIV “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’ “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my Lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”
Judah and his brothers were becoming transformed men, and Joseph recognized this. They were changed men their hearts had changed. Now was the perfect time for Joseph to reveal his identity.
Genesis 45:1-3 NIV Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
Obviously they were terrified, but Joseph tried to reassure them.
Genesis 45:4-5 NIV Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
All of this, even the bad that you did to me was all par of God’s plan.
Genesis 45:6-8 NIV For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, Lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.
Joseph was God’s man. He had always acknowledged God which meant he had s vertical perspective. How else could he have forgiven his brothers and said it didn’t matter what they did it was really God and he did it so I could save you.
Genesis 45:7-13 NIV But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, Lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
Joseph was both forgiving, and he was humble. He was a man of great integrity and forgiveness. It was possible because his focus was always vertical and not horizontal.
With a vertical focus, which means you have faith because without it, faith that is, it is impossible to please God.
Hebrews 11:6 NIV And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
With a vertical focus you can see God’s plan. Joseph said God sent me, you didn’t do it God sent me and set everything in motion so that we are where we are today.
You can see God’s hand in every situation. That will allow you to not get frustrated or depressed no matter what you are going through. God has a plan, you just don’t see all of it right now.
Isaiah 55:9-11 NIV “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
With a vertical focus you will not stay stuck even in a bad situation you can say like Joseph “you meant it for bad, but God meant it for good.
Bible Study Audio
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