[0.00 --> 11.98] So, our scripture reading this morning is Genesis 37, the entire chapter. [13.66 --> 23.22] And as we read scripture this morning, as we go through the story of Joseph, keep in mind, this is our story. [23.22 --> 29.00] If you are part of God's family, this is your story. [30.00 --> 38.22] Jacob, we read, lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. [39.10 --> 42.88] This is the account of Jacob's family line. [44.12 --> 54.28] Joseph, a young man of 17, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. [54.68 --> 58.42] And he brought their father a bad report about them. [58.42 --> 67.08] Now, Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age. [67.64 --> 70.26] And he made an ornate robe for him. [70.98 --> 79.02] When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him, could not speak a kind word to him. [79.02 --> 82.64] Joseph had a dream. [82.64 --> 87.62] And when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. [88.24 --> 90.44] He said to them, listen to this dream I had. [90.82 --> 96.74] We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheave rose and stood upright, [97.00 --> 101.30] while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. [101.30 --> 107.12] His brothers said to him, do you intend to reign over us? [107.74 --> 109.78] Will you actually rule us? [110.74 --> 114.38] And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. [115.78 --> 119.20] Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. [120.26 --> 127.34] Listen, he said, I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me. [127.34 --> 133.32] When he told his father, as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, [133.84 --> 135.30] what is this dream you had? [135.88 --> 141.38] Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? [143.20 --> 145.34] His brothers were jealous of him. [146.60 --> 151.00] But his father, note, kept the matter in mind. [151.00 --> 156.02] Now, his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, [156.20 --> 160.58] and Israel said to Joseph, as you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. [160.78 --> 162.82] Come, I'm going to send you to them. [163.64 --> 164.76] Very well, he replied. [165.18 --> 169.36] So he said to him, go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, [169.42 --> 171.54] and bring word back to me. [172.48 --> 174.84] Then he sent them off from the valley of Hebron. [175.54 --> 180.84] When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, [181.00 --> 182.94] what are you looking for? [183.64 --> 185.28] He replied, I'm looking for my brothers. [185.38 --> 187.74] Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks? [188.76 --> 190.70] They have moved on from here, the man answered. [190.80 --> 192.74] I heard them say, let's go to Dothan. [193.46 --> 196.44] So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. [197.12 --> 201.88] But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. [202.38 --> 205.02] Here comes that dreamer, they said to each other. [205.26 --> 208.36] Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns [208.36 --> 210.86] and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. [211.12 --> 213.06] Then we'll see what comes of his dreams. [214.64 --> 217.28] When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. [217.52 --> 219.04] Let's not take his life, he said. [219.18 --> 220.44] Don't shed any blood. [220.88 --> 224.78] Throw him into the cistern here in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him. [225.64 --> 229.38] Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. [229.38 --> 235.60] So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped them of his robe, the ornate robe he was wearing, [235.80 --> 238.06] and they took him and they threw him into the cistern. [238.26 --> 241.06] The cistern was empty, there was no water in it. [241.60 --> 247.28] As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. [247.76 --> 253.66] Their camels were loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. [253.66 --> 259.86] Judah said to his brothers, what will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? [260.90 --> 264.74] Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. [264.78 --> 267.86] After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. [268.68 --> 269.72] His brothers agreed. [270.52 --> 274.48] So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern [274.48 --> 279.44] and sold him for 20 shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt. [280.04 --> 283.48] When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, [283.66 --> 286.68] he tore his clothes, he went back to his brothers and said, [286.92 --> 290.06] the boy isn't there, where can I turn now? [291.28 --> 295.66] Then they got Joseph's robe, they slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. [296.04 --> 298.68] They took the ornate robe back to the father and said, [299.34 --> 304.28] we found this, examine it to see whether it is your son's robe. [304.66 --> 308.98] He recognized it and said, it is my son's robe. [309.36 --> 312.20] Some ferocious animal has devoured him. [312.20 --> 315.06] Joseph has surely been torn to pieces. [316.46 --> 323.18] Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. [323.96 --> 328.76] All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. [329.40 --> 334.84] No, he said, I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave. [334.84 --> 337.24] So his father wept for him. [338.68 --> 345.58] Meanwhile, meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, [346.22 --> 350.02] one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard. [350.74 --> 352.60] This is the word of the Lord. [352.60 --> 364.22] Soon after my dad retired from the ministry, he wrote a book entitled On the Move, The Slopster Story. [364.40 --> 369.62] It became an instant bestseller, as you can imagine, at least in our family. [369.62 --> 375.18] It is a genealogy, actually, of our family, along with commentary. [376.44 --> 381.86] Lots of stories describing how our family came to be as it is today. [382.92 --> 388.18] One of my favorite stories is the one about how we ended up in Canada, [388.18 --> 395.16] a move which obviously profoundly affected my life and for which I've always been so grateful. [395.98 --> 396.98] Well, here's how it happened. [397.80 --> 403.30] It was the spring of 1960, and the Christian Reformed Church of Clinton, Ontario, [403.74 --> 406.56] had been without a pastor for a long time. [406.56 --> 412.32] But they had come up with a slate of two persons for the congregation to vote on. [413.12 --> 417.66] One was Reverend Louis Tamminga from Smithers, B.C. [418.18 --> 420.88] The other was my father from the Netherlands. [422.20 --> 425.36] Well, after a lengthy debate about the merits of both pastors, [425.72 --> 430.18] the congregation's sentiments were clearly leaning towards Reverend Tamminga, [430.82 --> 435.66] mostly because the younger people, who had already been in Canada for ten years, [435.66 --> 440.58] were concerned that that other candidate might be a little bit too Dutch. [442.42 --> 445.24] The discussion came to an abrupt end [445.24 --> 449.04] when one of the older brothers stood up and asked, [449.94 --> 450.48] Mr. Chairman, [451.52 --> 457.48] what would it cost us to get Reverend Tamminga here all the way from Smithers? [459.08 --> 462.44] Well, that would be about $2,000, the chairman said. [463.56 --> 466.54] And Mr. Chairman, continued the older brother, [466.78 --> 472.22] what would it cost us to bring Reverend Sloster to Clinton all the way from Holland? [472.22 --> 475.04] The chairman answered, [475.04 --> 479.28] well, that, since the present policy of the Dutch government [479.28 --> 483.12] is to pay the full cost of moving immigrants to Canada, [483.62 --> 485.94] that brother will cost us nothing. [487.64 --> 490.80] The elder brother stood up one more time and said, [491.14 --> 492.92] Mr. Chairman, I call the question. [494.52 --> 495.74] And here I am. [495.74 --> 499.38] And if you ask me, [499.56 --> 502.82] that cheap, sorry, I mean that thrifty Dutchman [502.82 --> 506.44] had God's fingerprints all over him. [508.64 --> 512.08] My dad's book is full of other such stories, [512.20 --> 515.02] stories that look back and reveal patterns [515.02 --> 516.88] of what our family recognizes [516.88 --> 520.80] as God's providence in our lives. [520.80 --> 523.76] God's leading and care, [523.90 --> 525.40] God's fingerprints, [525.96 --> 527.64] evident in sometimes ordinary, [528.30 --> 529.44] sometimes humorous, [529.52 --> 530.42] sometimes sad, [530.80 --> 533.46] sometimes obvious, [533.86 --> 535.72] sometimes fleeting ways. [537.00 --> 539.22] And I suspect that all of you, [540.00 --> 543.30] looking back over your own life up to this point, [544.04 --> 546.48] could find those same fingerprints. [546.48 --> 550.78] It is one of the major themes [550.78 --> 553.90] that ties together the Joseph story [553.90 --> 556.26] told over the last 14 chapters [556.26 --> 557.90] of the book of Genesis. [559.66 --> 562.46] Mind you, I call it the Joseph story, [562.92 --> 565.16] but it isn't just about Joseph. [565.92 --> 568.72] It is part of a bigger picture that began [568.72 --> 570.60] when God called Abraham, [570.98 --> 572.54] the father of all believers, [572.90 --> 574.72] and promised that in him, [574.72 --> 577.92] he would bless all the families of the earth. [579.34 --> 581.10] And throughout the book of Genesis, [581.34 --> 582.74] God's promise to Abraham [582.74 --> 585.78] gets narrowed down as you go along. [586.14 --> 587.76] Abraham has two sons, [588.12 --> 589.92] but God's promise of blessing, [590.34 --> 593.16] contrary to accepted custom and tradition, [593.96 --> 595.62] comes to the younger son Isaac [595.62 --> 598.48] instead of the elder Ishmael. [599.62 --> 601.16] Isaac has two sons, [601.16 --> 603.58] but God's promise of blessing again [603.58 --> 605.68] comes to the younger son Jacob [605.68 --> 608.50] rather than the elder Esau. [610.00 --> 612.30] And so the Joseph story begins [612.30 --> 615.32] in Genesis 37 with these words, [616.58 --> 617.82] Jacob lived in the land [617.82 --> 619.32] where his father had stayed, [619.66 --> 620.66] the land of Canaan. [620.96 --> 623.72] This is the account of Jacob. [623.72 --> 628.74] Jacob has 12 sons. [630.28 --> 631.34] And of these 12, [631.76 --> 635.38] Joseph is definitely the star of this story. [636.64 --> 640.64] But it is a story about a whole family in crisis [640.64 --> 644.24] and how all the members of this family [644.24 --> 647.86] are transformed and changed over time. [647.86 --> 653.82] It is also more than a history of one family. [655.02 --> 658.02] Even though God's name is never mentioned [658.02 --> 660.06] in this first chapter of the story, [660.68 --> 661.34] did you notice that? [662.38 --> 664.90] And only very sparingly in the rest, [666.16 --> 667.92] the last chapter in Genesis [667.92 --> 669.94] makes it absolutely clear [669.94 --> 673.70] that this is a story about our God. [673.70 --> 677.32] And if you know anything about the story, [677.42 --> 678.48] even up to this point, [678.78 --> 680.60] younger sons chosen over the elder, [680.98 --> 681.80] meaningful dreams, [682.20 --> 683.10] family squabbles, [683.44 --> 685.44] flawed characters as chosen people, [685.72 --> 687.42] you know that God's fingerprints [687.42 --> 688.86] are all over it. [689.74 --> 692.36] This is the story about God's loving [692.36 --> 694.96] and saving purposes in history. [695.24 --> 696.98] And so it is our story too. [696.98 --> 703.26] And the mystery of how God's purposes intersect [703.26 --> 706.90] with ordinary, messy people, [707.68 --> 710.70] even people like you and like me. [712.62 --> 715.30] What we find in Genesis 37 [715.30 --> 718.42] is what we nowadays kindly refer to [718.42 --> 721.00] as a blended family. [721.64 --> 724.18] Although this one has been through the blender [724.18 --> 725.90] a few more times than most. [726.98 --> 728.06] Think of it. [728.38 --> 729.72] Jacob has 12 sons [729.72 --> 733.46] by four different mothers. [734.40 --> 735.64] Two of them his wives, [735.86 --> 737.72] two of them his wives' nannies. [739.44 --> 740.64] And of all these sons, [740.82 --> 743.04] Jacob loves Joseph the best. [743.88 --> 745.98] Joseph means added. [747.32 --> 749.82] Added to Jacob's family unexpectedly [749.82 --> 753.08] because Rachel, his best-loved wife, [753.12 --> 753.90] now dead, [753.90 --> 756.00] had been childish so long [756.00 --> 758.56] before Joseph was finally conceived. [760.04 --> 760.64] Added, [761.44 --> 762.80] if ye ask his brothers, [763.20 --> 765.30] as an unwelcome afterthought. [766.66 --> 769.28] For while Joseph is destined like greatness, [769.78 --> 770.80] like other great men, [770.86 --> 773.30] he could also be in insufferable pain [773.30 --> 775.18] in a variety of places. [776.46 --> 778.50] The very first thing you hear [778.50 --> 780.70] about the now 17-year-old Joseph [780.70 --> 782.92] is that he tattles on his brothers. [784.00 --> 785.14] He brought their father [785.14 --> 787.20] a bad report about them. [787.56 --> 788.56] Now, I can remember [788.56 --> 790.34] wanting to sell one of my siblings [790.34 --> 791.52] into slavery for less. [793.52 --> 796.28] Then, there's that dream coat of his, [796.96 --> 798.32] which most scholars agree [798.32 --> 799.62] was a long-sleeved, [800.02 --> 801.90] intricately designed coat [801.90 --> 803.28] befitting royalty. [803.28 --> 806.16] Not a coat that is meant [806.16 --> 807.90] for work of the sort [807.90 --> 810.34] Joseph's brothers were expected to do. [811.58 --> 813.08] Oh, he might have swept the porch [813.08 --> 814.64] for his dad once in a while, [814.84 --> 817.62] but mostly Joseph never got his hands dirty [817.62 --> 818.76] and seemed to serve [818.76 --> 821.14] only as dad's agent or messenger. [824.24 --> 826.02] Jacob, of course, [826.10 --> 828.32] is neither the first nor the last parent [828.32 --> 830.62] to have a favored child. [830.62 --> 834.20] wise parents, however, [834.96 --> 837.50] try very hard not to show it. [839.28 --> 841.48] Jacob was not so wise, [842.48 --> 844.26] which created exactly [844.26 --> 846.52] the kind of sibling rivalry [846.52 --> 848.42] you would expect. [848.88 --> 850.68] His brother, says our story, [851.40 --> 852.62] hated Joseph, [853.40 --> 857.36] could not speak one kind word to him. [857.36 --> 861.06] And it's hard to blame them. [862.74 --> 863.94] Then come the dreams. [864.40 --> 865.58] Not the silly kind of dreams [865.58 --> 867.20] we remember hazily, if at all, [867.36 --> 868.64] when we wake up in the morning, [868.68 --> 869.64] and if we do remember them, [869.68 --> 870.44] we don't have a clue [870.44 --> 871.36] what they might have meant. [872.36 --> 874.48] No, these dreams mean something. [875.00 --> 876.28] These dreams are all about [876.28 --> 877.70] how Joseph will turn out [877.70 --> 879.14] to be greater than his brothers, [879.28 --> 880.90] greater even than his father. [881.34 --> 882.74] And there is no question, [882.94 --> 885.24] both for those who first heard this story [885.24 --> 886.94] and we who read it today, [887.24 --> 889.60] that these dreams came from God, [889.76 --> 891.00] that in these dreams [891.00 --> 892.64] we are meant to sense something [892.64 --> 894.78] of God's plan and purposes, [895.64 --> 897.32] that Joseph is special, [897.42 --> 898.90] whether his brothers like it or not, [899.40 --> 901.52] and that he will do great things [901.52 --> 902.60] with his life, [902.72 --> 903.92] and that in itself [903.92 --> 905.40] is not the problem. [907.58 --> 909.24] It is how Joseph interprets [909.76 --> 911.90] and uses these dreams. [911.90 --> 914.88] He describes them to his family [914.88 --> 917.72] with an air of self-importance, [917.80 --> 920.30] finding a sort of perverse pleasure [920.30 --> 922.08] at the picture of his family [922.08 --> 923.98] bowing before him. [924.20 --> 927.82] And he ends up interpreting [927.82 --> 930.60] the dreams with himself [930.60 --> 934.52] rather than God at the center. [936.56 --> 938.12] Joseph was certainly old enough [938.12 --> 939.20] to know it would be better [939.20 --> 940.50] to keep his dreams to himself. [940.50 --> 944.88] But obviously not mature enough. [946.32 --> 947.10] And so it happens [947.10 --> 948.40] that at breakfast one day, [948.52 --> 949.32] as they're all munching [949.32 --> 950.58] on their bagels and lox, [951.26 --> 952.52] he spills out his dream [952.52 --> 953.32] about his brothers [953.32 --> 954.70] bowing down before him. [955.22 --> 956.32] As you can imagine, [956.80 --> 958.90] this doesn't go over real well. [960.16 --> 961.84] But that does not deter Joseph. [962.86 --> 963.80] A few mornings later, [963.86 --> 964.88] he causes his brothers [964.88 --> 966.12] to spit out their goat's milk [966.12 --> 967.22] by telling the same story [967.22 --> 968.02] all over again. [968.02 --> 969.16] Only this time, [969.24 --> 970.52] the imagery has changed [970.52 --> 971.84] from sheaves of wheat [971.84 --> 973.20] to the sun and moon [973.20 --> 974.42] and eleven stars [974.42 --> 975.82] bowing down to him. [976.28 --> 978.02] Which is when even Father Jacob [978.02 --> 979.32] cannot resist the urge [979.32 --> 981.78] to actually rebuke Joseph. [982.88 --> 984.66] He loved Joseph and all. [985.34 --> 986.30] But enough was enough. [986.54 --> 987.38] Talk like this [987.38 --> 988.86] was only going to lead [988.86 --> 989.82] to something bad. [989.82 --> 990.98] And while we read [990.98 --> 991.74] that his father [991.74 --> 993.36] kept the matter in mind, [993.80 --> 994.58] after all, [995.08 --> 996.84] Jacob knew the power of dreams. [997.10 --> 998.40] Remember Jacob's ladder. [999.52 --> 1000.66] You get the impression [1000.66 --> 1002.28] that Jacob was finally [1002.28 --> 1003.54] beginning to see [1003.54 --> 1004.72] what this was doing [1004.72 --> 1006.08] to Joseph's brothers. [1007.54 --> 1009.02] Our translation says [1009.02 --> 1010.40] they were jealous. [1011.26 --> 1012.70] Technically, of course, [1012.96 --> 1014.60] they were envious. [1014.60 --> 1016.86] You are jealous [1016.86 --> 1018.12] of what is yours. [1019.38 --> 1020.28] You envy [1020.28 --> 1022.06] what somebody else has. [1023.56 --> 1024.84] And envy easily [1024.84 --> 1026.56] becomes both dangerous [1026.56 --> 1027.92] and deadly. [1029.30 --> 1030.74] Envy can churn away [1030.74 --> 1031.66] inside of you [1031.66 --> 1032.98] like psychic heartburn [1032.98 --> 1033.72] and making you [1033.72 --> 1035.26] want to destroy the one [1035.26 --> 1037.58] who has what you don't. [1037.58 --> 1041.54] And so Jacob's home [1041.54 --> 1042.80] became a time bomb [1042.80 --> 1044.66] waiting to explode. [1045.62 --> 1047.08] But life went on [1047.08 --> 1048.38] until one day [1048.38 --> 1049.64] Joseph's brothers [1049.64 --> 1050.28] were grazing [1050.28 --> 1051.28] dad's flocks [1051.28 --> 1052.22] near Shechem [1052.22 --> 1054.34] and Jacob decides [1054.34 --> 1055.26] to send Joseph [1055.26 --> 1056.60] to check on them, [1056.88 --> 1057.54] though it sounds [1057.54 --> 1059.28] more like a spying mission. [1061.30 --> 1062.70] And that brings us [1062.70 --> 1064.26] to a part of the story [1064.26 --> 1065.28] that seems completely [1065.80 --> 1066.54] unnecessary [1066.54 --> 1067.58] to the plot [1067.58 --> 1068.76] now unfolding, [1069.14 --> 1070.10] making it easy [1070.10 --> 1071.38] to skim over [1071.38 --> 1074.02] about how Joseph [1074.02 --> 1075.58] does not find [1075.58 --> 1076.06] the brothers [1076.06 --> 1076.62] at Shechem [1076.62 --> 1077.48] as expected, [1077.88 --> 1078.86] but happens [1078.86 --> 1079.62] to run into [1079.62 --> 1080.40] a stranger [1080.40 --> 1081.86] who in fact [1081.86 --> 1083.22] finds him, [1084.32 --> 1084.96] a stranger [1084.96 --> 1086.94] who somehow [1086.94 --> 1088.36] overheard the brothers [1088.36 --> 1089.28] and knows [1089.28 --> 1090.30] they had moved [1090.30 --> 1091.38] on to Dothan [1091.38 --> 1092.12] an additional [1092.12 --> 1093.76] 30 kilometers away. [1095.30 --> 1095.62] Well, [1095.62 --> 1096.72] Shechem, [1097.08 --> 1097.48] Dothan, [1097.72 --> 1099.18] who really cares, [1099.30 --> 1099.60] right? [1101.22 --> 1102.34] But in the Bible [1102.34 --> 1103.68] it is always important [1103.68 --> 1105.02] to sweat the small stuff, [1105.72 --> 1107.60] to pay attention [1107.60 --> 1108.40] to seemingly [1108.40 --> 1109.94] unnecessary details, [1110.22 --> 1112.02] because sometimes [1112.02 --> 1112.66] that's where [1112.66 --> 1113.66] the deepest meaning [1113.66 --> 1114.44] of the story [1114.44 --> 1115.62] gets exposed. [1115.98 --> 1116.24] I mean, [1116.28 --> 1117.12] it's remarkable [1117.12 --> 1118.58] if you think about it. [1118.62 --> 1119.28] A stranger [1119.28 --> 1120.40] just happens [1120.40 --> 1122.02] to find Joseph [1122.02 --> 1123.62] just happen [1123.62 --> 1125.24] to overhear a conversation. [1128.24 --> 1129.28] Without what [1129.28 --> 1130.10] we might call [1130.10 --> 1131.90] this chance encounter, [1133.52 --> 1134.54] Joseph would not [1134.54 --> 1135.48] have found his brothers, [1136.62 --> 1137.88] would not have been there [1137.88 --> 1139.20] at the precise time [1139.20 --> 1140.26] a trading caravan [1140.26 --> 1141.02] of Midianites [1141.02 --> 1141.76] passed by, [1142.30 --> 1144.04] would not have ended up [1144.04 --> 1145.12] on his long tour [1145.12 --> 1146.38] of duty in Egypt, [1146.88 --> 1147.72] thereby saving [1147.72 --> 1149.24] not only his own people, [1149.58 --> 1150.96] but also the Egyptians [1150.96 --> 1153.00] and many others. [1153.18 --> 1154.66] Without that chance [1154.66 --> 1155.42] encounter, [1156.48 --> 1157.44] Joseph would likely [1157.44 --> 1158.20] have gone back [1158.20 --> 1158.92] to his father [1158.92 --> 1160.32] with another bad report, [1160.66 --> 1161.66] my brothers were not [1161.66 --> 1162.24] where they said [1162.24 --> 1163.10] they would be. [1163.10 --> 1166.40] And that would have been [1166.40 --> 1167.20] that. [1169.66 --> 1170.54] Makes you wonder [1170.54 --> 1172.42] who the stranger [1172.42 --> 1174.24] really was. [1176.94 --> 1177.84] In any case, [1177.96 --> 1178.62] Joseph finally [1178.62 --> 1179.44] finds his brothers [1179.44 --> 1180.58] and already from a distance [1180.58 --> 1181.46] they recognize him, [1181.54 --> 1182.68] probably from the way [1182.68 --> 1183.82] his coat was building [1183.82 --> 1185.04] in the wind behind him, [1186.10 --> 1186.86] the dreamer, [1187.00 --> 1187.52] they call him. [1187.60 --> 1189.08] Here comes that dreamer. [1190.50 --> 1191.16] And their hate [1191.16 --> 1191.76] and their envy [1191.76 --> 1192.70] is so raw, [1192.70 --> 1193.42] it takes only [1193.42 --> 1194.14] the few minutes [1194.14 --> 1195.20] for him to reach them [1195.20 --> 1196.66] that the plot is hatched. [1196.72 --> 1197.46] Let's kill him, [1197.62 --> 1198.06] they say. [1199.20 --> 1200.12] No, no, no, [1200.14 --> 1201.18] says oldest brother Reuben. [1201.72 --> 1202.68] Let's just dump him [1202.68 --> 1203.46] in a pit for now, [1203.56 --> 1204.80] thinking to rescue him later. [1206.34 --> 1207.12] And before Joseph [1207.12 --> 1208.20] knows that he's in a pit, [1208.50 --> 1209.56] minus his royal robe, [1209.78 --> 1210.50] while his brothers, [1210.72 --> 1211.46] minus Reuben, [1211.66 --> 1212.24] who is off [1212.24 --> 1213.02] checking the flocks, [1213.34 --> 1213.96] enjoy a meal [1213.96 --> 1214.60] just like a bunch [1214.60 --> 1215.32] of mobsters [1215.32 --> 1216.62] returning to their spaghetti [1216.62 --> 1218.06] after they've erased somebody. [1218.96 --> 1220.08] Taking care of business, [1220.56 --> 1221.14] that's all. [1222.70 --> 1224.60] That's when the Midianites [1224.60 --> 1225.26] come along [1225.26 --> 1226.42] and Judah, [1226.76 --> 1227.60] one of the brothers [1227.60 --> 1228.32] to watch [1228.32 --> 1229.78] in this story, [1230.28 --> 1231.84] gets the idea [1231.84 --> 1232.78] to sell Joseph. [1233.80 --> 1234.82] And before you know it, [1235.06 --> 1235.28] Joseph [1235.28 --> 1236.58] is on his way [1236.58 --> 1237.46] to Egypt. [1238.50 --> 1239.62] In his novel [1239.62 --> 1240.24] on Jacob, [1241.00 --> 1241.84] Son of Laughter, [1242.68 --> 1243.38] Frederick Buechner [1243.38 --> 1244.16] imagines [1244.16 --> 1245.58] how the transaction [1245.58 --> 1246.38] took place. [1246.48 --> 1246.92] The traders [1246.92 --> 1247.74] inspecting [1247.74 --> 1248.58] Joseph [1248.58 --> 1249.36] like a horse [1249.36 --> 1250.12] at an auction, [1250.50 --> 1251.44] pinching his muscles, [1251.80 --> 1252.84] prying his mouth open [1252.84 --> 1254.02] to look at his teeth, [1254.26 --> 1254.78] then offering [1254.78 --> 1255.74] five silver bits [1255.74 --> 1256.18] for him. [1256.44 --> 1257.06] When their brothers [1257.06 --> 1257.96] insist on thirty, [1258.04 --> 1258.98] they up it to ten, [1259.42 --> 1260.24] then to fifteen [1260.24 --> 1260.96] if a good knife [1260.96 --> 1261.74] comes with a deal, [1261.82 --> 1262.60] then to seventeen, [1262.88 --> 1263.64] one for each year [1263.64 --> 1264.16] of his age, [1264.20 --> 1264.62] and finally [1264.62 --> 1265.28] they all agree [1265.28 --> 1266.12] on twenty bits [1266.12 --> 1266.62] of silver, [1266.94 --> 1267.40] the price [1267.40 --> 1268.22] of a brother. [1270.70 --> 1271.74] We are not told [1271.74 --> 1272.14] here [1272.14 --> 1273.60] if Joseph cried [1273.60 --> 1274.72] or pleaded [1274.72 --> 1275.20] with him. [1277.56 --> 1278.62] He did all [1278.62 --> 1279.02] of that [1279.02 --> 1279.86] and more [1279.86 --> 1281.44] as we learn [1281.44 --> 1281.76] later. [1282.62 --> 1283.66] But the dreams [1283.66 --> 1284.82] have long ago [1284.82 --> 1285.32] hardened [1285.32 --> 1286.76] his brother's hearts. [1287.44 --> 1287.94] There would be [1287.94 --> 1288.64] no sympathy, [1289.24 --> 1290.34] no compassion. [1291.30 --> 1291.58] Joseph, [1292.04 --> 1292.84] like another [1292.84 --> 1293.78] beloved son, [1294.26 --> 1294.86] much later [1294.86 --> 1296.24] in his story [1296.24 --> 1297.84] is betrayed [1297.84 --> 1298.76] for a few pieces [1298.76 --> 1299.32] of silver. [1300.10 --> 1300.98] And as the caravan [1300.98 --> 1301.50] moves off, [1301.56 --> 1302.24] one imagines [1302.24 --> 1302.74] the brothers [1302.74 --> 1303.50] taunting him [1303.50 --> 1304.62] with exaggerated [1304.62 --> 1305.06] bows. [1305.20 --> 1305.46] So, [1305.62 --> 1306.32] little bro, [1306.72 --> 1307.30] dreamer, [1307.58 --> 1308.34] what happens [1308.34 --> 1309.08] to your dreams [1309.08 --> 1309.58] now? [1313.08 --> 1313.90] This part [1313.90 --> 1314.36] of the story [1314.36 --> 1314.84] ends [1314.84 --> 1315.92] when the scheming [1315.92 --> 1316.52] brothers bring [1316.52 --> 1317.02] their father [1317.02 --> 1318.28] Joseph's dream coat, [1318.76 --> 1319.70] now mostly blood [1319.70 --> 1320.50] red in color, [1321.08 --> 1321.94] the blood of a goat, [1322.06 --> 1322.80] and convince him [1322.80 --> 1324.36] that his son, [1324.66 --> 1325.06] note, [1325.50 --> 1326.20] they don't say [1326.20 --> 1326.94] our brother, [1327.26 --> 1328.62] but his son [1328.62 --> 1329.88] is missing [1329.88 --> 1330.70] in action. [1331.60 --> 1332.12] Certainly [1332.12 --> 1332.68] almost [1332.68 --> 1334.30] killed by a wild [1334.30 --> 1334.72] animal, [1335.62 --> 1336.14] and Jacob, [1336.64 --> 1337.64] and only Jacob, [1337.98 --> 1338.48] is left [1338.48 --> 1339.20] weeping [1339.20 --> 1340.30] in a grief [1340.30 --> 1341.46] which, [1341.68 --> 1342.44] with no dead [1342.44 --> 1343.24] body to bring [1343.24 --> 1344.22] any sort of closure, [1344.76 --> 1345.56] goes on [1345.56 --> 1346.50] and on [1346.50 --> 1347.66] and on. [1350.16 --> 1351.26] What a story. [1352.54 --> 1353.78] The classic [1353.78 --> 1355.04] blended family [1355.04 --> 1356.32] in which [1356.32 --> 1356.82] everything [1356.82 --> 1357.74] goes wrong, [1358.44 --> 1359.10] favoritism, [1359.70 --> 1360.12] spying, [1360.12 --> 1361.20] tattletaling, [1361.64 --> 1362.54] sibling rivalry, [1363.18 --> 1363.52] hatred, [1363.82 --> 1364.12] envy, [1364.50 --> 1364.90] strife, [1365.34 --> 1366.28] murder schemes, [1366.50 --> 1366.82] greed, [1367.06 --> 1367.50] violence, [1367.64 --> 1368.02] deceit, [1368.12 --> 1368.62] and grief [1368.62 --> 1370.40] that refuses comfort. [1371.54 --> 1372.76] Unlike the musical [1372.76 --> 1374.22] Joseph and the Amazing [1374.22 --> 1375.52] Technicolor Dreamcoat, [1375.62 --> 1376.32] as much fun [1376.32 --> 1377.40] as it was [1377.40 --> 1378.02] and is, [1379.10 --> 1379.96] there's not much [1379.96 --> 1380.44] in the way [1380.44 --> 1381.10] of laughter [1381.10 --> 1382.32] and dancing [1382.32 --> 1383.36] and singing [1383.36 --> 1384.50] here. [1384.50 --> 1387.56] you wonder, [1388.18 --> 1390.40] where is God [1390.40 --> 1391.34] in all this? [1393.38 --> 1394.14] The question [1394.14 --> 1395.28] we still ask [1395.28 --> 1395.68] today, [1395.76 --> 1396.14] isn't it? [1397.12 --> 1398.00] When we look [1398.00 --> 1399.00] around at the evil [1399.00 --> 1399.78] and heartbreak [1399.78 --> 1400.54] in our world, [1400.62 --> 1401.64] when we look [1401.64 --> 1402.30] at the way [1402.30 --> 1403.26] these days [1403.26 --> 1403.72] our world [1403.72 --> 1404.30] has been turned [1404.30 --> 1405.42] upside down [1405.42 --> 1406.60] by a simple [1406.60 --> 1407.34] virus, [1407.34 --> 1409.90] when we look [1409.90 --> 1410.70] at the brokenness [1410.70 --> 1411.36] we ourselves [1411.36 --> 1412.12] experience [1412.12 --> 1413.38] in our lives [1413.38 --> 1414.22] or in our families, [1414.58 --> 1416.02] where is God [1416.02 --> 1417.60] in all this? [1421.00 --> 1422.00] Sometimes we talk [1422.00 --> 1422.74] easily about [1422.74 --> 1423.58] God's providence, [1423.68 --> 1424.38] mostly when good [1424.38 --> 1424.94] things happen, [1425.02 --> 1425.68] like a thrifty [1425.68 --> 1426.46] Dutchman standing [1426.46 --> 1426.92] up at a [1426.92 --> 1427.70] congregational meeting [1427.70 --> 1428.36] to call for the [1428.36 --> 1428.76] question, [1429.46 --> 1429.82] yes. [1431.92 --> 1432.94] It's great to talk [1432.94 --> 1433.60] about providence [1433.60 --> 1434.42] when you get the job [1434.42 --> 1435.16] you prayed for [1435.16 --> 1436.02] or you meet [1436.02 --> 1437.74] Mr. or Miss Wright [1437.74 --> 1438.46] at just a proper [1438.46 --> 1439.32] time in your life [1439.32 --> 1440.44] or you narrowly [1440.44 --> 1440.90] escaped, [1441.00 --> 1441.88] as you recounted [1441.88 --> 1442.76] in your prayer, [1443.06 --> 1444.08] a terrible accident [1444.08 --> 1445.78] or you experience [1445.78 --> 1446.78] any of the countless [1446.78 --> 1448.22] big or small ways [1448.22 --> 1450.60] by which the strong [1450.60 --> 1452.90] but sure hands [1452.90 --> 1454.54] of the Heavenly Father [1454.54 --> 1457.16] uphold and care [1457.16 --> 1457.94] for our world [1457.94 --> 1460.18] and your life. [1460.18 --> 1464.88] But when bad [1464.88 --> 1465.68] things come along, [1466.46 --> 1467.60] we begin to wonder, [1468.38 --> 1470.10] where was God? [1472.00 --> 1473.40] Because God's providence [1473.40 --> 1474.66] is not all sweetness [1474.66 --> 1475.82] and happiness. [1476.10 --> 1476.76] One of the things [1476.76 --> 1477.60] Genesis 7 [1477.60 --> 1478.66] and the Joseph cycle [1478.66 --> 1479.16] of stories [1479.16 --> 1480.26] have to teach us [1480.26 --> 1481.30] is that there is more [1481.30 --> 1482.74] to God's providence [1482.74 --> 1483.72] than that. [1485.02 --> 1485.62] Sometimes [1485.62 --> 1486.94] the world [1486.94 --> 1487.64] resists [1487.64 --> 1488.44] God's work. [1488.44 --> 1490.68] sometimes [1490.68 --> 1491.80] God's own children [1491.80 --> 1492.90] including you and I [1492.90 --> 1494.86] resist His work [1494.86 --> 1496.12] and His word. [1497.52 --> 1498.64] Because of the sin [1498.64 --> 1499.34] and brokenness [1499.34 --> 1500.18] of our lives [1500.18 --> 1500.84] and the world, [1501.00 --> 1501.72] sometimes it is [1501.72 --> 1503.06] God's work itself [1503.06 --> 1504.04] that can bring us [1504.04 --> 1504.86] unhappiness. [1507.12 --> 1508.20] At other times, [1508.30 --> 1509.30] God does this work [1509.30 --> 1509.84] in the midst [1509.84 --> 1510.86] of some of the worst [1510.86 --> 1511.96] things life can dish [1511.96 --> 1512.60] out to you. [1513.90 --> 1515.06] God did not inspire [1515.06 --> 1515.94] the evil plot [1515.94 --> 1517.28] of Joseph's brothers, [1517.28 --> 1517.40] brothers, [1518.20 --> 1519.04] but that doesn't mean [1519.04 --> 1519.92] He cannot bring good [1519.92 --> 1520.44] out of it, [1520.88 --> 1522.02] that He cannot fulfill [1522.02 --> 1522.66] His purposes [1522.66 --> 1523.74] in spite of it. [1525.34 --> 1526.20] A certain [1526.20 --> 1527.66] Jewish rabbi [1527.66 --> 1528.56] trying to explain [1528.56 --> 1529.04] all this [1529.04 --> 1530.22] writes about [1530.22 --> 1530.80] the following [1530.80 --> 1531.52] conversation [1531.52 --> 1532.56] between a rabbi [1532.56 --> 1533.64] and his student. [1534.84 --> 1535.40] Rabbi, [1536.52 --> 1537.72] do you know [1537.72 --> 1538.26] why Satan [1538.26 --> 1539.02] is so angry [1539.02 --> 1539.96] all the time? [1539.96 --> 1541.68] because whenever [1541.68 --> 1542.34] he works [1542.34 --> 1543.24] a particularly [1543.24 --> 1544.08] clever bit [1544.08 --> 1544.72] of mischief, [1545.54 --> 1546.56] God uses it [1546.56 --> 1547.16] to serve [1547.16 --> 1547.86] His own [1547.86 --> 1549.34] righteous purposes. [1550.52 --> 1551.08] Student, [1551.92 --> 1552.18] so, [1552.96 --> 1553.82] God uses [1553.82 --> 1554.66] wicked people [1554.66 --> 1555.36] as His tools? [1557.16 --> 1557.52] Rabbi, [1558.30 --> 1559.30] God gives us [1559.30 --> 1560.06] freedom to do [1560.06 --> 1560.72] a great deal [1560.72 --> 1561.20] of evil [1561.20 --> 1562.44] if we choose. [1563.20 --> 1563.58] Then, [1564.10 --> 1564.84] He uses [1564.84 --> 1565.58] His own freedom [1565.58 --> 1566.46] to create goodness [1566.46 --> 1567.16] out of that evil [1567.16 --> 1567.94] for that is what [1567.94 --> 1568.78] He chooses. [1568.78 --> 1570.56] student. [1571.38 --> 1571.58] So, [1571.90 --> 1572.90] in the long run, [1573.72 --> 1575.42] God always wins. [1576.34 --> 1576.58] Rabbi, [1577.54 --> 1578.12] yes. [1579.00 --> 1580.28] But in the short run, [1581.14 --> 1582.12] it can be [1582.12 --> 1584.28] very uncomfortable. [1587.10 --> 1588.68] And if you doubt that, [1589.20 --> 1590.24] don't just ask [1590.24 --> 1591.28] Jacob's son, [1591.98 --> 1592.90] ask God's [1592.90 --> 1593.78] own [1593.78 --> 1595.14] beloved son. [1596.26 --> 1597.06] Ask Jesus. [1598.78 --> 1599.86] In the short run, [1600.26 --> 1600.96] we can make [1600.96 --> 1601.64] such a mess [1601.64 --> 1602.40] of our lives. [1603.44 --> 1604.38] In the short run, [1604.90 --> 1605.56] human history [1605.56 --> 1606.64] often looks [1606.64 --> 1607.14] more like [1607.14 --> 1608.02] a train wreck [1608.02 --> 1609.44] than the unfolding [1609.44 --> 1610.02] purposes [1610.02 --> 1611.04] of God. [1612.24 --> 1613.22] God does not [1613.22 --> 1613.94] guarantee us [1613.94 --> 1614.66] the ability [1614.66 --> 1615.64] to see the [1615.64 --> 1616.08] meaningful, [1616.58 --> 1617.62] larger patterns [1617.62 --> 1618.34] of it all [1618.34 --> 1619.76] on this side [1619.76 --> 1620.58] of the grave. [1621.22 --> 1622.08] Any number [1622.08 --> 1622.58] of people [1622.58 --> 1623.20] have lived [1623.20 --> 1624.28] and have died [1624.28 --> 1625.06] without being [1625.06 --> 1625.84] able to look [1625.84 --> 1627.26] back as Joseph [1627.26 --> 1628.16] of one day will [1628.16 --> 1629.02] and declare [1629.02 --> 1630.26] it was all good [1630.26 --> 1631.42] because it was [1631.42 --> 1632.64] all used [1632.64 --> 1633.42] by God. [1635.34 --> 1636.02] Nor do [1636.02 --> 1637.12] Genesis 37 [1637.12 --> 1637.78] and the chapters [1637.78 --> 1638.32] that follow [1638.32 --> 1638.90] tell us that [1638.90 --> 1639.64] we'll always know [1639.64 --> 1640.58] the wherefores [1640.58 --> 1641.42] and the whys [1641.42 --> 1642.12] of what's happening [1642.12 --> 1642.68] to us. [1643.06 --> 1643.44] Instead, [1643.72 --> 1644.40] these chapters [1644.40 --> 1644.98] declare [1644.98 --> 1646.90] the sure hope [1646.90 --> 1648.14] that in the longest [1648.14 --> 1649.12] possible run, [1649.30 --> 1650.78] it will make sense. [1651.28 --> 1652.44] God will not be [1652.44 --> 1653.14] outdone, [1653.64 --> 1654.30] outsmarted, [1654.30 --> 1655.28] outwitted, [1655.64 --> 1656.44] not even by [1656.44 --> 1657.06] the world's [1657.06 --> 1658.16] greatest evil, [1659.06 --> 1659.74] the killing [1659.74 --> 1661.28] of his own son. [1662.92 --> 1663.84] The witness [1663.84 --> 1665.32] of Genesis 37 [1665.32 --> 1666.10] to 50 [1666.10 --> 1667.64] and all [1667.64 --> 1668.06] scripture [1668.06 --> 1669.24] is that somehow [1669.24 --> 1670.56] God can [1670.56 --> 1671.22] and will [1671.22 --> 1672.28] make all [1672.28 --> 1673.22] things new, [1674.02 --> 1675.24] right every [1675.24 --> 1675.70] wrong, [1676.12 --> 1676.92] and return [1676.92 --> 1678.02] all things [1678.02 --> 1678.88] to how they [1678.88 --> 1679.32] should have [1679.32 --> 1680.98] been all along. [1680.98 --> 1684.46] many scholars [1684.46 --> 1685.16] believe that [1685.16 --> 1686.14] the Joseph story [1686.14 --> 1686.92] was first set [1686.92 --> 1687.80] into written form [1687.80 --> 1688.80] during the time [1688.80 --> 1689.92] of Israel's exile [1689.92 --> 1690.70] in Babylon. [1691.74 --> 1692.52] If so, [1692.60 --> 1693.38] then the original [1693.38 --> 1694.74] audience of Joseph's [1694.74 --> 1695.50] story were people [1695.50 --> 1696.18] well acquainted [1696.18 --> 1696.88] with grief [1696.88 --> 1697.84] and with the [1697.84 --> 1698.64] collapse of what [1698.64 --> 1699.44] were the fondest [1699.44 --> 1700.50] hopes and dreams [1700.50 --> 1701.98] of their faith. [1703.74 --> 1704.70] Even if that [1704.70 --> 1705.34] isn't so, [1705.68 --> 1706.72] certainly this story [1706.72 --> 1707.42] has been read [1707.42 --> 1708.28] by any number [1708.28 --> 1709.04] of Israelites, [1709.04 --> 1711.16] Jews and Christians [1711.16 --> 1712.04] who found [1712.04 --> 1713.00] themselves in [1713.00 --> 1714.06] some measure [1714.06 --> 1714.86] of exile, [1715.20 --> 1715.80] at some [1715.80 --> 1717.00] removed from [1717.00 --> 1717.36] God, [1717.52 --> 1718.10] at some [1718.10 --> 1719.02] crisis point [1719.02 --> 1719.52] of faith. [1721.10 --> 1722.14] In other words, [1722.26 --> 1723.10] it really is [1723.10 --> 1723.68] a story [1723.68 --> 1725.22] for all of us. [1727.24 --> 1728.54] And that story [1728.54 --> 1729.60] does not end [1729.60 --> 1730.46] with the [1730.46 --> 1731.52] inconsolable [1731.52 --> 1732.54] weeping of [1732.54 --> 1733.30] Jacob over [1733.30 --> 1734.18] his apparently [1734.18 --> 1735.44] dead son. [1736.34 --> 1737.24] This story [1737.24 --> 1737.72] we know [1737.72 --> 1738.46] is far [1738.46 --> 1739.08] from over. [1740.28 --> 1741.06] For the author [1741.06 --> 1742.46] of Genesis 37 [1742.46 --> 1743.68] has sown [1743.68 --> 1744.26] at least [1744.26 --> 1745.06] three [1745.06 --> 1746.02] seeds [1746.02 --> 1747.00] of hope. [1748.24 --> 1749.16] The first [1749.16 --> 1750.20] is in verse 11 [1750.20 --> 1751.36] when Jacob, [1751.62 --> 1752.12] despite having [1752.12 --> 1752.94] just rebuked [1752.94 --> 1753.68] Joseph for his [1753.68 --> 1754.18] arrogance, [1755.32 --> 1756.60] kept the matter [1756.60 --> 1757.70] in mind. [1759.44 --> 1760.16] Jacob, [1760.38 --> 1760.70] that is, [1760.74 --> 1761.36] who has had [1761.36 --> 1762.12] his own share [1762.12 --> 1762.78] of dreams, [1763.24 --> 1764.46] has the nagging [1764.46 --> 1765.12] sense and [1765.12 --> 1765.94] gives us [1765.94 --> 1766.56] the nagging [1766.56 --> 1767.38] sense that [1767.38 --> 1768.34] if he didn't [1768.34 --> 1768.92] already know [1768.92 --> 1769.32] better, [1769.46 --> 1769.82] there is [1769.82 --> 1771.08] something more [1771.08 --> 1771.88] to Joseph's [1771.88 --> 1773.14] dreams than [1773.14 --> 1773.54] a vivid [1773.54 --> 1774.28] imagination [1774.28 --> 1775.60] or wishful [1775.60 --> 1775.96] thinking. [1778.26 --> 1779.18] The second [1779.18 --> 1779.82] seed of hope [1779.82 --> 1780.18] is the [1780.18 --> 1780.94] appearance of [1780.94 --> 1781.68] that stranger. [1782.56 --> 1783.20] In this [1783.20 --> 1783.60] seemingly [1783.60 --> 1784.88] irrelevant detail, [1785.76 --> 1786.30] it is as [1786.30 --> 1786.80] though the [1786.80 --> 1787.60] storyteller [1787.60 --> 1788.34] is whispering, [1788.34 --> 1790.42] look, [1791.06 --> 1791.48] get it? [1791.58 --> 1792.00] There is a [1792.00 --> 1792.94] bigger picture [1792.94 --> 1793.30] here. [1793.76 --> 1794.24] There is a [1794.24 --> 1794.90] bigger purpose [1794.90 --> 1795.28] here. [1796.40 --> 1796.92] Imagine, [1797.72 --> 1798.42] again, [1798.52 --> 1798.88] if this [1798.88 --> 1799.46] stranger had [1799.46 --> 1800.00] not appeared. [1801.42 --> 1801.98] Joseph would [1801.98 --> 1802.46] have returned [1802.46 --> 1803.18] home to his [1803.18 --> 1803.54] father, [1804.54 --> 1805.18] his family, [1805.84 --> 1806.60] and Israel, [1806.90 --> 1807.36] and the line [1807.36 --> 1807.74] from which [1807.74 --> 1808.38] God's Savior [1808.38 --> 1809.26] Jesus would [1809.26 --> 1809.88] one day come [1809.88 --> 1810.40] would never [1810.40 --> 1810.78] have been [1810.78 --> 1811.28] rescued from [1811.28 --> 1811.66] the great [1811.66 --> 1812.02] famine, [1812.42 --> 1812.96] and God's [1812.96 --> 1813.40] people would [1813.40 --> 1813.80] not have [1813.80 --> 1814.58] ended up as [1814.58 --> 1815.52] slaves in [1815.52 --> 1815.84] Egypt, [1815.94 --> 1816.52] only to be [1816.52 --> 1817.08] delivered by [1817.08 --> 1817.70] Moses hundreds [1817.70 --> 1818.16] of years [1818.16 --> 1818.50] later, [1818.80 --> 1819.62] because the [1819.62 --> 1820.18] stranger [1820.18 --> 1822.04] appears. [1823.14 --> 1823.52] God's [1823.52 --> 1824.06] promise to [1824.06 --> 1824.94] Abraham in [1824.94 --> 1825.90] Genesis 15 [1825.90 --> 1826.80] will yet be [1826.80 --> 1827.22] fulfilled, [1827.52 --> 1827.88] namely, [1828.84 --> 1829.36] know for [1829.36 --> 1830.06] certain that [1830.06 --> 1830.92] your descendants [1830.92 --> 1831.62] will be [1831.62 --> 1832.40] strangers in [1832.40 --> 1832.82] a country [1832.82 --> 1833.30] not their [1833.30 --> 1833.62] own, [1833.84 --> 1834.38] and they [1834.38 --> 1834.78] will be [1834.78 --> 1835.92] enslaved and [1835.92 --> 1836.52] mistreated [1836.52 --> 1838.36] 400 years, [1838.96 --> 1839.78] but I will [1839.78 --> 1840.44] punish the [1840.44 --> 1841.40] nation they [1841.40 --> 1842.12] serve as [1842.12 --> 1842.50] slaves, [1842.58 --> 1843.20] and afterward [1843.20 --> 1844.06] they will [1844.06 --> 1844.58] come out [1844.58 --> 1845.44] with great [1845.44 --> 1846.04] possessions. [1847.08 --> 1848.96] It was [1848.96 --> 1849.52] only later [1849.52 --> 1850.18] that Joseph [1850.18 --> 1851.76] would recognize [1851.76 --> 1852.60] this stranger [1852.60 --> 1853.66] as God [1853.66 --> 1854.44] at work, [1855.40 --> 1856.34] God directing [1856.34 --> 1857.06] his path [1857.06 --> 1858.44] towards slavery [1858.44 --> 1859.96] so that one [1859.96 --> 1860.56] day Joseph [1860.56 --> 1861.10] could tell [1861.10 --> 1861.72] his brothers [1861.72 --> 1862.98] you meant [1862.98 --> 1863.60] it for evil [1863.60 --> 1864.38] but God [1864.38 --> 1865.12] meant it [1865.12 --> 1866.02] for good. [1867.18 --> 1868.16] It serves [1868.16 --> 1868.72] to remind [1868.72 --> 1870.88] us that [1870.88 --> 1871.62] just because [1871.62 --> 1872.34] God is [1872.34 --> 1873.34] hidden from [1873.34 --> 1873.88] our view [1873.88 --> 1875.02] does not [1875.02 --> 1876.02] mean he [1876.02 --> 1876.36] is not [1876.36 --> 1876.74] there, [1877.86 --> 1879.26] keeping [1879.26 --> 1880.20] his promises. [1881.16 --> 1881.92] Even when [1881.92 --> 1882.56] God is [1882.56 --> 1883.08] hidden, [1883.46 --> 1883.98] even when [1883.98 --> 1884.48] life goes [1884.48 --> 1885.24] all wrong, [1885.54 --> 1886.04] even when [1886.04 --> 1886.66] God cannot [1886.66 --> 1887.40] be seen, [1888.54 --> 1889.50] he is not [1889.50 --> 1890.52] absent. [1891.52 --> 1892.78] He is with [1892.78 --> 1893.14] us, [1893.58 --> 1894.60] still in [1894.60 --> 1895.06] control. [1896.34 --> 1897.22] Remember the [1897.22 --> 1898.34] stranger and [1898.34 --> 1899.80] be alert for [1899.80 --> 1900.72] God's strangers [1900.72 --> 1902.30] in your own [1902.30 --> 1902.72] life. [1904.48 --> 1905.44] Remember too [1905.44 --> 1905.88] that when [1905.88 --> 1906.64] God was [1906.64 --> 1907.18] the most [1907.18 --> 1908.28] absent at [1908.28 --> 1908.70] the cross [1908.70 --> 1909.26] of Christ, [1909.64 --> 1909.94] he was [1909.94 --> 1911.16] also the [1911.16 --> 1911.94] most near [1911.94 --> 1912.86] to save [1912.86 --> 1913.24] us from [1913.24 --> 1914.62] sin and [1914.62 --> 1915.12] make us [1915.12 --> 1915.66] heirs of [1915.66 --> 1916.42] his promise [1916.42 --> 1917.50] of a new [1917.50 --> 1918.68] life and [1918.68 --> 1919.06] a new [1919.06 --> 1920.20] creation where [1920.20 --> 1920.98] there is no [1920.98 --> 1922.04] more sin or [1922.04 --> 1923.14] sadness or [1923.14 --> 1924.36] dysfunction or [1924.36 --> 1925.60] disease or [1925.60 --> 1927.10] death anymore. [1927.10 --> 1927.28] him. [1929.28 --> 1930.44] The third [1930.44 --> 1931.30] seed of hope [1931.30 --> 1932.36] is in the [1932.36 --> 1932.88] chapter's [1932.88 --> 1934.22] last verse. [1936.06 --> 1936.68] Meanwhile, [1937.34 --> 1938.06] the Midianites [1938.06 --> 1938.72] sold Joseph [1938.72 --> 1939.48] in Egypt to [1939.48 --> 1940.02] Potiphar, [1940.50 --> 1940.96] one of [1940.96 --> 1941.42] Pharaoh's [1941.42 --> 1941.94] officials, [1942.22 --> 1942.76] the captain [1942.76 --> 1943.60] of the [1943.60 --> 1943.90] guard. [1945.96 --> 1946.96] Joseph lands [1946.96 --> 1947.64] in Egypt [1947.64 --> 1950.58] alive and [1950.58 --> 1951.28] is sold to [1951.28 --> 1952.12] someone closely [1952.12 --> 1953.62] associated with [1953.62 --> 1954.18] no less [1954.18 --> 1954.94] powerful a [1954.94 --> 1955.64] figure than [1955.64 --> 1956.10] the Pharaoh [1956.10 --> 1956.66] himself. [1958.00 --> 1958.76] Verse 36 [1958.76 --> 1959.40] is sort of a [1959.40 --> 1959.98] poke in the [1959.98 --> 1960.42] ribs as if [1960.42 --> 1960.76] to say, [1961.12 --> 1961.32] hey, [1961.44 --> 1961.98] don't give [1961.98 --> 1962.16] up, [1962.22 --> 1962.62] the dream [1962.62 --> 1962.96] is still [1962.96 --> 1963.42] alive, [1963.82 --> 1964.38] God isn't [1964.38 --> 1964.76] dead and [1964.76 --> 1965.24] neither is [1965.24 --> 1965.60] Joseph, [1965.94 --> 1966.30] so keep [1966.30 --> 1966.60] reading. [1968.44 --> 1968.90] Yes, [1968.96 --> 1969.36] the story [1969.36 --> 1969.90] has taken a [1969.90 --> 1970.62] difficult turn. [1970.96 --> 1971.64] Everybody is [1971.64 --> 1972.10] suffering from [1972.10 --> 1972.44] the bad [1972.44 --> 1972.98] choices they [1972.98 --> 1973.50] have made, [1973.88 --> 1974.24] Jacob, [1974.66 --> 1975.02] Joseph, [1975.36 --> 1975.90] the brothers. [1977.18 --> 1977.80] But even [1977.80 --> 1978.98] when people [1978.98 --> 1979.68] take matters [1979.68 --> 1980.16] into their [1980.16 --> 1980.92] own hands [1980.92 --> 1982.44] with often [1982.44 --> 1983.16] disastrous [1983.16 --> 1983.96] consequences, [1984.12 --> 1984.56] even when [1984.56 --> 1984.92] things are [1984.92 --> 1986.04] falling apart, [1987.10 --> 1987.82] there is a [1987.82 --> 1988.46] voice on the [1988.46 --> 1989.98] sideline saying, [1990.76 --> 1991.04] yes, [1991.72 --> 1992.22] but. [1994.14 --> 1994.76] God's [1994.76 --> 1995.46] hidden hand [1995.46 --> 1996.06] is still at [1996.06 --> 1996.36] work, [1997.42 --> 1997.98] weaving the [1997.98 --> 1998.80] tapestry of a [1998.80 --> 1999.66] larger story, [2000.46 --> 2001.46] a story so [2001.46 --> 2002.36] big that its [2002.36 --> 2003.70] loving purpose, [2004.18 --> 2004.94] as we now know [2004.94 --> 2005.52] in Christ, [2005.88 --> 2006.68] will embrace [2006.68 --> 2007.64] the entire [2007.64 --> 2008.70] universe. [2010.38 --> 2011.14] Often we [2011.14 --> 2011.92] cannot see it [2011.92 --> 2012.88] in the struggles [2012.88 --> 2013.52] and sins, [2013.94 --> 2014.56] in the tears [2014.56 --> 2015.66] and tragedies [2015.66 --> 2016.52] of our lives, [2017.12 --> 2017.64] but this [2017.64 --> 2018.86] story bears [2018.86 --> 2019.70] witness to [2019.70 --> 2020.28] the Christian [2020.28 --> 2021.60] hope that [2021.60 --> 2022.40] in the longest [2022.40 --> 2023.44] possible run, [2023.70 --> 2024.70] it will all [2024.70 --> 2026.06] make sense. [2026.68 --> 2027.42] God will [2027.42 --> 2027.80] not, [2027.92 --> 2028.78] to use the [2028.78 --> 2029.58] language of my [2029.58 --> 2030.50] favorite reality [2030.50 --> 2030.78] show, [2030.86 --> 2031.40] Survivor, [2031.86 --> 2032.74] God will not [2032.74 --> 2034.28] be outwitted, [2035.06 --> 2035.92] outlasted, [2036.20 --> 2037.22] or outplayed [2037.22 --> 2038.72] by any human [2038.72 --> 2040.28] evil or any [2040.28 --> 2041.64] human empire. [2041.64 --> 2042.64] God, [2042.64 --> 2043.36] the living [2043.36 --> 2044.14] God whom we [2044.14 --> 2044.72] have come to [2044.72 --> 2045.72] know in Jesus [2045.72 --> 2046.46] Christ as [2046.46 --> 2047.48] faithful and [2047.48 --> 2048.40] gracious and [2048.40 --> 2049.42] full of mercy [2049.42 --> 2050.54] for all, [2051.64 --> 2052.90] will continue to [2052.90 --> 2053.70] write his story, [2054.72 --> 2055.58] a story that has [2055.58 --> 2056.42] been punctuated [2056.42 --> 2057.18] with a cross [2057.18 --> 2058.58] and an empty [2058.58 --> 2060.10] tomb so that [2060.10 --> 2061.76] we know the [2061.76 --> 2062.48] dream will go [2062.48 --> 2063.64] on, God's [2063.64 --> 2064.90] promises are [2064.90 --> 2065.72] not at an end, [2065.98 --> 2066.74] our world, [2067.74 --> 2069.04] our family, [2069.04 --> 2070.76] I do have [2070.76 --> 2071.80] a future. [2073.18 --> 2074.82] Just keep [2074.82 --> 2076.30] reading, keep [2076.30 --> 2077.16] following Christ [2077.16 --> 2078.08] because as the [2078.08 --> 2078.78] last verse of [2078.78 --> 2079.82] Genesis 37 [2079.82 --> 2081.40] nicely reminds us [2081.40 --> 2082.46] when it comes to [2082.46 --> 2083.04] God and his [2083.04 --> 2084.18] people in and [2084.18 --> 2084.64] through even [2084.64 --> 2085.34] life's darkest [2085.34 --> 2086.36] moments, there [2086.36 --> 2087.04] is one more [2087.04 --> 2087.82] word that can [2087.82 --> 2088.80] always be spoken [2088.80 --> 2090.56] and that word [2090.56 --> 2092.22] is meanwhile. [2093.84 --> 2094.48] Meanwhile, [2095.10 --> 2096.66] that is, [2096.66 --> 2098.90] God will have [2098.90 --> 2099.92] the last word [2099.92 --> 2101.08] yet. [2102.02 --> 2102.94] In the name of [2102.94 --> 2103.56] the Father, the [2103.56 --> 2104.90] Son, and the [2104.90 --> 2105.44] Holy Spirit. [2106.22 --> 2106.96] Let's pray. [2107.48 --> 2108.18] Gracious God, [2108.94 --> 2109.84] we thank you [2109.84 --> 2110.62] for this story [2110.62 --> 2113.28] and we thank you [2113.28 --> 2114.26] for the assurance [2114.26 --> 2115.86] which we need [2115.86 --> 2117.08] perhaps more [2117.08 --> 2117.86] now than ever [2117.86 --> 2118.76] before in a [2118.76 --> 2119.62] world that seems [2119.62 --> 2120.20] to have turned [2120.20 --> 2121.10] upside down in [2121.10 --> 2121.98] so many ways [2121.98 --> 2123.98] that you are [2123.98 --> 2124.70] not absent, [2125.28 --> 2126.12] you are still [2126.12 --> 2127.04] here, you are [2127.04 --> 2127.60] still busy [2127.60 --> 2128.36] working out [2128.36 --> 2129.08] your purposes [2129.08 --> 2130.94] even through [2130.94 --> 2131.32] us. [2132.36 --> 2132.88] Help us, [2133.02 --> 2133.32] Lord, be [2133.32 --> 2134.22] attentive to [2134.22 --> 2134.80] your presence [2134.80 --> 2135.48] in our lives [2135.48 --> 2135.94] and world [2135.94 --> 2137.26] and use [2137.26 --> 2138.42] even us [2138.42 --> 2139.78] to bring about [2139.78 --> 2140.74] your kingdom. [2141.22 --> 2141.74] In Jesus' [2141.92 --> 2142.48] name we pray. [2143.08 --> 2143.36] Amen. [2143.36 --> 2143.48] Amen.