Changed Attitudes

the man solemnly warned us saying, you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down. For the man said to us, you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.

And I think this is a good example of how to speak to an authority who's being unreasonable. Jude is not accusatory or argumentative. He's not like, I'm taking Benjamin whether you like it or not. He's not like, you're gonna get us all killed. He's firm, he's clear, he's reasonable. And he's being respectful while not being a pushover. And because Jacob can't really argue with this, he responds with an accusation. He says, why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother? And of course, this is unfair, because they had not gone out of their way to share that information. And so it's as if all the brothers respond to defend themselves in unison, saying, well, it's because he asked us pointedly. What else were you going to say? And how could we in any way know that he was going to say, bring your brother down here? So it's wrong for Jacob to blame them in this situation. But then Judas speaks up again. And notice that he's both trying to resolve a tense situation and also show care for his father. He says,

send the boy with me and we will arise and go that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

Notice he's appealing. He's saying, father, you need to do this for the welfare of the whole family. Otherwise, we're all going to starve. And then he says,

I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

" Judah voluntarily takes full personal responsibility for Benjamin. And unlike Reuben, who seemed to be just trying to twist his father's arm into sending him and seemed so overconfident of his own ability to protect Benjamin, Judah doesn't make promises he can't keep. But he does compassionately reassure his father that he will do everything he possibly can to ensure Benjamin's safety. He's showing tremendous leadership and love for his family. It's an amazing change from 22 years earlier when Judah was actually the one who first suggested selling Joseph as a slave. And if you're wondering why Judah has suddenly changed so much, I think that's part of what chapter 38 is there to help us understand. But finally, Judah adds, if we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice, probably meaning we would have now returned for the second time. And I don't think he's complaining to his father about how long they've had to wait. I think he's actually trying to say, look, if we hadn't waited, you could already have Benjamin back by now. Father, by waiting, this painful situation is being dragged out. Let's bring it to an end. So Judah's speaking compassionately, wisely, and respectfully. And amazingly, Jacob listens. He had said so emphatically before, I will not send Benjamin, but he changes his mind. He realizes that there is no other way. And so he says, if it must be so, then let me give you some advice. He says, take a gift of some fruits of our land. And obviously, you couldn't just go to the grocery store and buy international foods back then. So this was the sort of gift that would be appreciated even by an Egyptian ruler. And he says, take double money. So be proactive about returning the silver that was found in the mouth of your sacks, both because this is the right thing to do and because it would, of course, help protect against the charge that they had stolen it. Also interestingly, Jacob literally says here, take double of silver. And if the 10 brothers each take two units of silver, that's 20 of silver total. And back in chapter 37, when Joseph is sold as a slave, the narrator notes, they sold him to the Ishmaelites for literally 20 of silver. Whether or not that's ever realized by the brothers, it's as if in the providence of God, Jacob is symbolically sending them to return the money they had sold Joseph for. This whole thing is about repentance. But most importantly, we come to verse 14, where Jacob says,

May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin, And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

Now you could read that last line as if Jacob's being fatalistic, hopeless. But I think that would be totally wrong. He just spoke here of almighty God and his mercy. After being so depressed, Jacob is finally looking up to God. And so this last line isn't an expression of faithlessness. It's an expression of his surrender and his submission to God. Jacob's acknowledging that he can no longer hold on to and protect Benjamin himself. He must entrust him to the mercy of Almighty God. And you know, I wonder if that's why the narrator starts calling him Israel in this chapter. Four times in chapter 42 he's called Jacob, but now three times in this chapter, verse 6, 8, and 11, he's called Israel. And of course, that was the new name God gave him when he had returned to the promised land. And so perhaps it's a subtle clue from the narrator that this isn't the same man we saw a chapter before. This is a man who's found his faith in the Lord again. And it's also a man who's being taught by the Lord a new lesson. Because throughout Jacob's life, he has always been the one to assert his own will. Whether by deceiving his father to steal Esau's blessing, or later by wrestling with God and refusing to let go. He has always obtained the blessing by asserting himself. In fact, the name Israel means one who strives and prevails with God. But now, as he nears the end of his life, God is teaching Israel to surrender. No longer can he have things his way. No longer can he struggle and control. He must resign himself to the fact that Benjamin's future is in God's hands, not his. And now through Judah's counsel, he finally lets go. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved. God's will be done. Maybe for some of us this morning, that's what we need to do as well. Maybe there's something in your life that you have been trying to control. Maybe there's something like Benjamin in your life that you've been holding on to, even to the detriment of others, even to the abdication of your responsibilities. And you need to listen to the wisdom of Judah. Will you let that thing go? Will you entrust it to the mercy of God Almighty and surrender to His will? And notice that because Jacob lets go, and because he now finally looks up to God in faith, he's also able to proclaim an incredible message of hope to his sons. He says, may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man. And what a loaded statement that is. You see, that's what God had said to Abraham back in chapter 17.

I am God almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.

It's what Jacob's own father had said to him before sending him away to a foreign land.

May God almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you.

And it's even what God himself had told Jacob before sending him back to have to face his brother Esau,

I am God almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you.

You see, this is not only a reminder that God is almighty and merciful, it's a covenant formula. It's Jacob pointing his sons not just to God, but to their God, not just to God's might and mercy, but to the fact that God has pledged his almighty power and mercy to bring about the blessing and the prosperity of their family. And for brothers who are about to go back to Egypt, back to face Zaphonath-Penea, back to all the circumstances that had so convicted their consciences, what an incredible message for guilty consciences to hear. Your God is God Almighty and He is a God of mercy. He is a God who is forever faithful and true. He is the God we can look to even when our sins go up higher than our heads and say,

but this I call to mind and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.

Oh friends, he is a God of kindness, even to sinners like these brothers. And so this time as they head to Egypt, it's not with the words, why do you look at one another, ringing in their ears, but may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man. That's Jacob's prayer and it's his blessing on his sons. And it brings us to the second scene. So scene number two, the brothers and the steward, verses 15 through 23, the brothers and the steward. So the brothers come to Egypt and again stand before Joseph. And when Joseph sees that Benjamin is with them, he commands his steward to bring them to his house for lunch. And when the brothers are brought there, they're afraid. Why is this ruler taking such interest in us? What's the catch? What ulterior scheme is he plotting? He doesn't even cross their minds that he could just be wanting to show them kindness. So they try to preempt this by telling the steward about the money. Their guilty consciences are continuing to expect the worst. But then look at what the steward says in verse 23.

Peace to you. Shalom. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.

" Now, this is amazing for two reasons. First, because of what it tells us about the steward. I mean, this man actually seems to know what Joseph is up to. It seems that Joseph has confided in him about his brothers and revealed to him his plan. And he says, your God and the God of your father as if he knows who they are and he knows who Yahweh is. And probably that's because through Joseph he's become a believer. And notice how honestly and yet shrewdly he speaks here. I received your money and God put treasure in your sacks. He doesn't give away any of Joseph's plan, but he also shows that he understands the providence of God. That regardless of whether it was his hand that put the money there, God in his providence put the treasure in their sacks. In fact, Psalm 105 verse 22 says of Joseph that Pharaoh made him lord of his house

to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.

I wonder if this incident is part of what the psalmist had in mind as he wrote that. Because surely the wisdom Joseph taught his elders began with the fear of the Lord. See, Joseph was being an evangelist in Egypt even as now he's seeking to bring his own brothers to repentance. But the second reason the Stuart Statement is so striking is because of what it tells us about God. You see, although the steward may have known about Joseph's plan from Joseph, he could not have known the question Joseph's brothers had asked when they had found, when they first found the treasure in the sack. What is this that God has done to us? Surely God is bringing our sin to account. God, what are you doing to condemn and destroy us? And now through the mouth of the steward, it is as if God himself is answering their question, saying, I put treasure in your sacks for you. And I didn't do it to condemn you. I didn't do it to bring your sin to remembrance so that you would be destroyed. I did it to bless you. I did it to bring you to myself, to open your eyes, to see that I am a God of kindness and grace. who by that kindness and grace am now leading you to repentance. I can only imagine that those words from the steward must have hit the brothers harder than any rebuke ever could. I remember in college meeting another student who had recently become a Christian. He was telling me his testimony. He shared about the various things that had led him to begin to question atheism, that had begun to help him see his sin, And then he said, you know, the thing that finally broke me, the thing that brought me to my knees to worship Jesus as God is when I read that as he was on the cross, he prayed,

Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

It was the kindness of God that brought him to repentance. And if your conscience is tender, it's the kindness of God that hits us with the greatest force. And that brings us to the third and the final scene. The steward brings out Simeon to them, and then the 11 brothers go into the house to meet Joseph. So scene number three, the brothers and Joseph. Verses 24 through 34, the brothers and Joseph. And the first thing we see here is that they're treated with warm hospitality. They're given water to wash their feet, fodder for their donkeys, a feast is being prepared, an animal was slaughtered. I mean, this is an amazing blessing in the midst of a famine. And then when Joseph arrives, he speaks kindly to them. He asks them how they're doing. He asks about their father. This must have been a bewildering change since he had spoken so roughly to them before. It's an example of Joseph showing genuine kindness and love. He's not repaying them evil for evil, but he's exemplifying what Jesus tells us in Matthew 5.

You have heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you so that you may be sons of your father in heaven.

so that you may show your enemies the very kindness of God. Also note that twice more the brothers bow down to Joseph, both in verse 26 and 28. Again, emphasizing the fulfillment of Joseph's dreams. And then notice Joseph's interaction with Benjamin in verse 29. And remember, Joseph hasn't seen Benjamin for about 22 years. He was just a boy. Now he's probably over 30 years old. And so Joseph asks, is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me? And then he says, God be gracious to you, my son. And what emotion was behind that? Verse 30 says,

Joseph had to hurry out because his compassion grew so warm within him.

And remember Jacob's prayer, may God almighty grant you mercy, or it's the same word, compassion, before the man. And here the brothers see God answering that prayer. They see this man full of compassion toward Benjamin and even toward them for Benjamin's sake. And for the third time, and from the third person, God has reminded and assured them of his kindness and grace. So they sit down to eat, and though the brothers and Joseph and the Egyptians were all separated because for reasons scholars aren't sure, it would have been an abomination to the Egyptians for them to eat together, but they're still there in the home of the Egyptian ruler enjoying a feast in the midst of a famine. What an incredible kindness and grace. And then as if to underline for the brothers that this whole thing is a gift ultimately from God himself, brothers look up and look around and realize they've been seated in their exact birth order. Now I worked out the odds of this happening by chance and it's like 1 in 39.9 million. Right. And even if you say, OK, well, maybe he could have figured out who looked a little older than others. I mean, the odds are still quite remote that this would ever happen by chance. But it's a sign to the brothers that that God is somehow working in this situation. That ultimately, this is not just happening by chance. But God himself is the one who in his kindness has ultimately prepared this feast for them. And then finally we come to Joseph's test. Because Joseph knows from the previous visit that they were convicted over what they'd done to him. He heard their confession of guilt. But now he wants to test them. Have they really changed? Have they actually been brought to repentance? And so when the food is served, Joseph has Benjamin given a portion five times as much as any of theirs, just flagrantly, obviously more than them, so that everyone will be aware of the favoritism being shown to Benjamin. And you can be sure that Joseph was looking to see if any of that jealousy, which had caused them to hate and enslave him, was still ruling in their hearts. and how it must have been to Joseph's great delight when he sees, and they ate and they drank and were merry with him. He sees no trace of envy, no bitterness, no begrudging what Benjamin had received, just laughing together, smiling, rejoicing, celebrating the kindness that God had shown to them. And you see, they finally realized what they deserved. So they're finally able to appreciate what they had instead of begrudging the blessings of others. They'd been touched by the kindness of God. So they could begin to show kindness to others. And through it all, we see that God has brought conviction and he's coupled it with kindness to lead them to repentance. And friends, what does this mean for us? Well, I'd like to turn now to three points of application. And the first is this, allow God's kindness to lead you to repentance as well. Allow God's kindness to lead you to repentance as well. And that's true whether you're here as a non-Christian, who needs to come to God in repentance for the very first time, or as a believer. who's realized there's some sin in your life that you need to repent of. Consider what an awful thing it is to refuse to repent against such a kind God. Jesus says that God makes his son rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. And just as God did in the plagues of Egypt, I mean, God can make it so that the sun only shone on good people, and he could leave the unrepentant in perpetual darkness. But in his kindness, he makes the sun shine on you. And God can make it so that the rain would only fall on the fields of righteous people, and that all the unrepentant would starve and die. But in his kindness, he gives rain and food to you. In every moment of every day, he keeps our hearts beating. He keeps our lungs breathing. He causes us to wake up every morning. He gives us friends and family and clothes and everything in life. As James says,

every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights.

So how will you respond to this kindness? Will you spurn it? Will you ignore it? Will you try to take advantage of it? Or will you allow the kindness of God to lead you to repentance? Also consider how God's kindness should lead us to repentance because it assures us of the way he'll receive us. As I mentioned last week, repentance is a scary thing. I mean, maybe for you, the notion of repenting feels to you kind of like it would have felt to Joseph's brothers. Had they had to go and confess to their father what they'd done? To say, you know, actually, Joseph wasn't torn by wild beasts. It was our hand that we lifted up against him. I mean, I said last week, repentance is kind of like playing dead before a bear. I mean, you make yourself completely vulnerable. You've given up on trying to hide. You've given up on trying to run away or escape. You've given up on trying to defend yourself or fight back. You're just casting yourself before the offended party's mercy. And when that party's another human being, it doesn't always go well. Friends, we need to see this morning that God in his kindness is not like us. God says to us,

let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

How could this be? How could the holy God show that kind of kindness and mercy and love to sinners like us? And so God says,

for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

And if you want to see the example and be assured of this incredible kindness of God that he tells us about through the prophet Isaiah, well then look at Jesus Christ. Look at the one who is the visible image of the invisible God. The one who perfectly shows us what the kindness of God is really like. Consider whoever came to him in repentance and was cast out. What sinner did I ever look at and say this sinner is too far gone for my love to embrace? Remember that notoriously sinful woman who barged into a dinner uninvited, who began weeping, wiping his feet with her hair, making a scene. Others are looking at Jesus thinking less of him for letting this woman touch him. And yet Jesus thinks much of this woman, looks at her and says,

your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

Think of Zacchaeus, a little man no one liked, who swindles his own people to make himself rich. Yet when he climbed that tree, just trying to look at Jesus, Jesus looked at him and said, I must stay at your house tonight. And then when others begrudged this and Zacchaeus professed his repentance, Jesus said,

today salvation has come to this house since he also is a son of Abraham. For the son of man has come to seek and to save the lost.

Friends, never, not even once do we see Jesus turn away someone coming to him in repentance. In fact, Jesus himself assures us,

whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

And so may the kindness of God give you the confidence to go to him in repentance today. And may you experience what John Newton did, another former slave trader, when he wrote, "

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

" At one time, he was blind to his sin. His conscience was numb. He was a wretch and he didn't even know it. But then God opened his eyes. He convicted him of his wretched condition. And so he says, "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.' But then God opened his eyes still wider, and he saw that the holy and righteous God is also a God of kindness and grace." He saw that this God has given his son to die on the cross for his sins, that through Jesus all his sins were washed away, that he stood righteous, accepted before God. And so it was grace that taught his heart to fear, and grace his fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour he first believed. Oh friends, may the kindness, that same kindness of God, lead you to repentance today. as well. Secondly, this teaches us that we should proclaim God's law and kindness to others. Proclaim God's law and kindness to others. This story reminds us of our evangelistic role because we see God using Jacob, the steward, and Joseph all to speak of him to the brothers. And further, if you put together chapters 42 and 43, I think it teaches us something about how we can evangelize wisely. You see, there's a usual order to how God works in people's hearts. What kind of effect do you think all these repeated affirmations of God's kindness and mercy would have had on the brothers had they come before the events of chapter 42? Probably little to none at all. Right, as I said before, if coming to repentance is like a heart surgery, well, then kindness is like the scalpel that does the deepest and most delicate work. But before the scalpel can even access the heart to do the work, you need, you know, the heavy duty saws and other instruments to crack the sternum and pry open the chest. And that's what the events of chapter 42 did for the brothers. And the point is, when it comes to evangelism, We generally need to start with the holiness of God and the law of God so that people can understand their sin. Because before they will ever appreciate the grace and kindness of God through the gospel, they have to understand that. It's conviction in combination with kindness that leads us to repentance. Otherwise people will be like those in Romans chapter two. who think they're righteous. So they judge other people, and then they misinterpret God's kindness as God's approval. Listen to how Paul puts it.

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Do you suppose, O man, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

You see, instead of them realizing that God's kindness is meant to lead them to repentance, They misinterpret it as his approval. They think, well, I can sin and get away with it. Or this must not really be sin at all. Or why not sin that grace may abound? And so in our evangelism, we have to be clear with people about the judgment of God and the law of God and the wrath of God, because without conviction, there will be no repentance. But then we also have to be clear with people about God's kindness. Because without kindness, conviction leads only to despair. But when you proclaim the kindness of God to a convicted heart, this is what leads them to exclaim, my Lord and my God, you are worthy of my every breath. You have loved me with a love that I cannot describe. And I trust you as my Lord and Savior. And so may we learn from Genesis 42 and 43 to be wise evangelists. And then thirdly and finally, know that you can change. Know that you can change. I began this sermon by observing the amazing transformation we see in these brothers. And noting the way that that's often viewed with much skepticism by our society. Well, I want to end the sermon by encouraging you that you do not have to stay the way you are. Whether you need to come to repentance for the very first time, like many of Joseph's brothers, or you need to return to the Lord like Jacob, you can change. Besetting sin does not have to control your life. And whether you struggle with jealousy and envy, and you find it hard to rejoice with others' blessings, or you struggle with some totally different kind of sin, you can change. I mean, if Joseph's brothers can change, if slave traders like John Newton can change, If murderous, blaspheming, insolent persecutors like the Apostle Paul can change, so can you. And that's not because of how special or strong you are. It's because of the grace of Almighty God. And so if you are outside of Christ, you must trust him and receive the new life that only he can give you. You will not be able to change without Christ. And if you're in Christ, you need to realize that you are not who you used to be. You see, the old self will still often appear in your life. Sometimes it will even feel like the old you is dominating your life. And one of the greatest lies of the devil and one of the greatest ways he stifles our sanctification is by convincing us we just can't change. That there's just no hope. Sin is just too strong. Brothers and sisters, as we've been reminded today, thinking about Pentecost Sunday, if you are in Christ, the spirit of the living God is inside you. You are forgiven and free from sin. You have been given a new heart and new desires have been placed within you. And God has not saved you so that you would just grovel in sin, but so that like Joseph's brothers, you might rejoice and know his kindness. And what you must now do is learn to walk in accordance with who you now truly are in Christ. As Paul says in Romans 6, you must know you have been baptized into Christ's death and raised with him to walk in newness of life. You must therefore consider yourself to be dead indeed to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. and you must now present your members as instruments for righteousness to God. As Galatians chapter 5 says, you must learn to walk by the Spirit so that you don't gratify the desires of your flesh. Those old desires are still in you, they're still raging against Christ. But as you walk by the Spirit, you can crucify those desires of your flesh. And as Ephesians 4 says, We must learn day by day to put off the old self, which belongs to our former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Brothers and sisters, as we learn to do these things, we will change. Sometimes it will be three steps forward and two steps back. But by God's grace, you will grow and you will develop and you will begin to bear the fruit of the spirit in your life. And though in this life we will always fall short and our race will never be finished. If we do those things, then we will be able to say with John Newton,

I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be in another world. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am.

Brothers and sisters, God uses conviction coupled with his kindness to lead us to repentance so that we might know his forgiveness and so that we might experience his transforming grace. Amen. Let's pray. Oh, Father, how we praise you and thank you for your amazing kindness to us in Christ. Thank you that you have convicted us in our sins. You have not left us numb and oblivious. But thank you that before our sin could consume us, before we could be overcome by guilt and shame, you point us to your kindness, you show us Christ, you reveal to us what you have done for us through him. And now we pray that the mind of Christ would be in us. We pray that your spirit would be at work mightily in our lives so that we might live transformed lives that you have called us to live. We pray these things in Christ's name and for his glory. Amen.