Jump Start # 401 

Genesis 45:5 “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

  We conclude our week long look at Joseph. He is a man of remarkable character. His life was not easy and in fact, he had many struggles and defeats, from family members, from his boss. He was rejected. He was falsely accused. He was the victim. He was forgotten. He had all the ingredients of being an emotional wreck—selfish, looking out for no one but himself. But that is not the way Joseph was. He did not let these set backs define his life nor detour him from the great person he was inside.

  In our verse today, as Joseph meets his brothers for the first time in decades, he reminds them that God has used him to help the family—the very family that sold him and forgot him. Three times Joseph refers to God working through him.

  We look at Joseph and we must look at ourselves. Many of us have had hardships, tragedies and disappointments. There were jobs that you really wanted but you didn’t get. There were transfers that moved you and your family to another location, when you didn’t want to move. There were family troubles. All of these have a way of leaving scars on our hearts and they can make us bitter, instead of better.

  James told the brethren he wrote to count it all joy when they encountered various trials. The trials lead us to a character that God wants. Often, God will use the trials to put us in a position to glorify Him and help others. I wonder how many times we have fumbled here. Stuck on our own problems, feeling very pitiful, and unable to understand why we have to go through things like this, we fail to use the times to become a person of character.

  Joseph reminds us that our lives touch so many others and we need not to be so fixed upon ourselves that we fail to see what we can do for others. Joseph used his position and influence to help the nation, save his family and fulfill the purpose of God.

  You meet people like that from time to time—generous beyond belief. I have seen brethren though the years pay the college expenses for someone else’s kid. I have seen, just this week, a preacher give away his entire library for free. I have seen people use their position to help others get jobs. Many of these folks started off humble, struggled through life, but when they reached a position they used it to help others.

  God was with Joseph—he always was. He was with him when his brothers put him in a pit. He was with him when he was sold to traveling merchants. He was with him when he was tempted by his boss’ wife. He was with him when he was in prison. He was with him when he was forgotten in prison. And he was with him during the successes.

  Because you have endured hard times is not an indication that God is not with you. God may be looking pages ahead in your life and putting you in position or putting you through things so that you can be the person he wants you to be.

  The easy life is not always the best life. Character forged upon trials and hammered by the grace of God tends to become what God wants. Not only was God with Joseph, but Joseph was with God. He never gave up on God. In a foreign country, he remained loyal to God.

  Your life now may be the “prison time” that Joseph went through. Don’t give up. Don’t quit on God. He wants you to still pray to Him. He needs you to praise Him for His greatness. He wants you to continue to stand for Him, love Him, and proclaim His message wherever you can. God needs you—even in the prison time. Maybe you have been falsely accused, or maybe you feel like you have been sold by your own family. Tough times. Many tears may flood your eyes. Don’t give up. God needs you. Another page will be turned in your life and God needs you to be there.

  There are few people in all the Bible like Joseph. I want to meet him someday in Heaven. His life has helped my life, so much. I only hope that my life can help others as well.

Roger

Jump Start # 400

NOTE: This is our 400th Jump Start. We are thankful for those who have taken the time to read and share these simple writings. We are in the process of putting all of our Jump Starts on the website. Thank you for allowing me to help “Jump Start” your day—Roger

Genesis 45:3 “Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.”

  We continue our look at Joseph this week. We left him yesterday heading to prison for something he didn’t do. The righteous suffer. Joseph spends two years in prison. He is forgotten by one who promised to help him. The righteous suffer.

  Because of some dreams that Pharaoh has, word is brought that Joseph, who is in prison, can interpret them. He is released. He interprets accurately what the dreams mean. Pharaoh puts Joseph in high command, second only to Pharaoh himself. During Joseph’s leadership, the nation saves grain in the good seasons to ready and position itself for coming famines. It would do well if our country and many families could learn to do that. The famine comes. They always do.

  Joseph’s brothers are suffering because of the famine and come to Egypt for help. It is here the they encounter Joseph. They don’t recognize him, but Joseph knows who they are. He weeps and can hardly hold his excitement. Twice in this context he says, “I am Joseph.”

  Now the victim is in the position of setting the score straight with his abusers. It’s been a long time, but one doesn’t forget pain. Joseph doesn’t go that direction. Instead he forgives. He restores. He removes the shame and guilt his brothers felt. Three times he tells them that God was behind all these things to get him in this position.

  Joseph does two remarkable things that demonstrates forgiveness. First, he moves all his brothers, his father and all their livestock to Egypt. He wants them near him. Second, he promises to take care of them. This puts the people of God in Egypt. Later, it will be Moses who leads them out of Egypt.

  It was this act of forgiveness, which is based upon love and grace that shows the character of Joseph. No one would have thought less of him if he had at first put his brothers in prison, just to experience what he went through. Or, maybe sold them, as he had been sold. But not Joseph—he took the higher road and forgave.

  What a lesson for all of us. Forgiveness is tough. It’s hard because we have been hurt. It’s hard because we want to make them hurt as well. We want to even things. We use expressions like, “get even,” or “settle the score,” to define what we often feel like. God wants us to forgive. He forgave us. He continues to forgive us. He doesn’t give up on us nor refuse to give us a second chance with Him. That is what we follow. The example of the father in the story of the prodigal is similar to the Joseph story. Forgive, restore, accept—hard concepts when we have been hurt.

  Without forgiveness, a marriage will suffer. Two people living together are bound to disappoint and hurt one another. The only hope is forgiveness. Without forgiveness, a congregation can not move forward. Members disappoint. They hurt one another. Without forgiveness people leave  – with hurt feelings. With forgiveness, fellowship continues.

  To forgive is to not remind the person of the wrong done nor make them feel uncomfortable around you. To forgive is to not make them feel unwelcome nor second class. I tend to think if we were writing the story of the prodigal son, it would read differently. We’d have him come home, but he’d be sleeping in the barn for a while. That’s not how Jesus’ story went. He was home and at the table with his father. He was restored and forgiven.

  Matthew 18 tells us that forgiveness means to release one from what they owe. A debt has been paid. Nothing more needs to be done.

  Joseph forgave. I wonder if the brothers could forgive themselves. They were wrong. Foolish brothers who are jealous do things without thinking. They hurt others to make themselves feel better. They do a lot of harm. But thankfully, there are Joseph’s. Those that tend to see the big picture and not focus upon themselves. Those that understand that forgiveness is the best way. Forgive others as God has forgiven you—is what Paul told the Ephesians.

  Not easy. Many feelings, emotions and thoughts run through our hearts. Joseph, in a small way, mirrors what the Lord did for mankind—he forgave.

  Forgiveness is a choice you make. Either you refuse to forgive and bitterness, hate and resentment swells in your heart, or you choose to forgive and release it. You know what’s the best choice. You know what God wants you to do. Can you do it?

  I am Joseph—not stated to make the brothers run, but to let them know that they had one they could count on, they had a friend, they had a brother!

Roger

Jump Start # 399 

Genesis 39:9 “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” 

  We continue our study of Joseph this week. He was the favorite of his father and hated by his brothers. They sold him to some traveling merchants who took him to Egypt and sold him there to Pharaoh’s bodyguard.

  It seems that Joseph’s world was upside down. He wasn’t rescued by his father, because he assumed that he was dead. Alone and in a strange place, God was with Joseph. Our chapter tells us that in verse 2 and the next verse states that “his master saw that the Lord was with him.” Joseph excelled. His master made him the overseer of his house—which is remarkable since Joseph was a foreigner.

  Things seem to be going well for Joseph. That’s when temptation knocked on his door. His master’s wife was a loose, immoral woman who didn’t care about her marriage. She tries to seduce Joseph—not once  but nearly every day. One time she grabbed Joseph but he escaped, leaving his garment in her hand. She cried rape and Joseph was arrested and put in prison. The Lord was with Joseph.

  Our verse today is a powerful answer to sexual temptation. Joseph’s reply reveals two great thoughts:

• First, it was a great evil. Sexual activity is only right within marriage. God designed it to be enjoyed and fulfilled that way. It is the greatest expression of love and the most transparent of feelings and emotions. Outside of marriage, sexual activity is wrong! The Bible says that over and over (1 Cor. 6:18). What is good and healthy becomes a great evil when not expressed in marriage. Joseph knew that. One of 10 Commandments specifically said, “Thou shall not commit adultery.” He knew. Even away from home in a foreign land, it’s still wrong. Even with someone who doesn’t follow the Bible—it’s wrong. It’s wrong. There is no way it could be right. She was married to someone else.

  Our sex saturated society doesn’t get it. There is a movie playing at the theaters now about a young couple who decide to have a sexual relationship without any strings attached. It’s supposed to be a love comedy. I don’t see God laughing. Satan smiles though. I wonder how many going to that movie will think, ‘that’s a great idea.’ Purely physical—purely sin! We’ve taken something good and ruined it by not following God’s way. Sex outside of marriage layers life with trouble and burdens the heart with things not supposed to be there.

• Secondly, Joseph released that this great evil was against God. It wasn’t against his boss’ wife—it was against God. Joseph was responsible to God. He knew that. He understood that. He didn’t use his dysfunctional upbringing as a reason why he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t use the fact that he was abandoned and lonely as a reason. None of those things matter. It was his choice and he chose NO.

  I am glad this story is in our Bibles. Joseph was a young man. He shows that yes, a young person can be pure. Yes, a young person can control them self. Yes, a person can do what God said. God can depend upon us.

  Joseph never was far from God and as a result God was never far from Joseph. When this daily temptation came up, Joseph remembered God. That’s what got him through. That’s what helped him. He didn’t think about her—he didn’t think about himself. It was God. And those thoughts led him to running. Sometimes that’s the best solution. Sometimes that is the only solution. Leave. Leave the party. Leave the date. Leave the situation. Get out.

  You might say, ‘Well, Joseph still got in trouble.’ Yes, but he was innocent. He knew that and God knew that. Sometimes the righteous suffer at the hands of the wicked. Sometimes standing costs—but it’s the right thing to do. We can be a Joseph. Walk away from those tempting situations. Walk away from those tempting people. Keep God in your heart.

  How could I do this great evil? What an impressive statement. Joseph saw sin as God sees it. There’s nothing thrilling about evil. There’s nothing good about evil. There’s nothing fun about evil. There’s nothing exciting about evil. It’s pure evil! Leave it alone. Walk away from it.

  How could I…

Roger

Jump Start # 398

Genesis 37:34 “So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.”

  We continue our look this week at the incredible life of Joseph. His father, Jacob, favored Joseph, more than all the other sons. This caused jealousy and hatred among them. They plotted to kill Joseph. Reuben would not consent with this and rescued Joseph and allowed them to throw Joseph into a pit. A band of Ishmaelite traders were passing by and the brothers sold Joseph to them. In turn, these traders sold Joseph to the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard in Egypt.

  Much later in his life, Joseph will see the hand of God in his life and how all things worked out for the glory of God. We, too, see these things, much later. It’s the present that bothers us. Often we don’t see that God’s hand is in our lives, but He’s there. I can’t imagine the fear and the horror as Joseph is first thrown into a pit and then sold, taken from his home and then sold again and is in a place he has never been before. He surely thought his dad will come and rescue him. Days passed. Nothing. Days turned into weeks. His life was not going to return back to normal. This was his life now—in Egypt.

  Back home, Jacob has been brought the coat of many colors that he had given Joseph. It was covered in blood, goat blood, but back then who knew, who could tell. He thought the obvious, Joseph was dead, killed by a wild animal. The thought wasn’t out of line. It happened.

  It seems that Jacob did not know or did not choose to know how much the other sons hated Joseph. He never thought that they had a hand in his disappearance. Is it possible that parents are so clueless to how the kids feel about each other? Jacob certainly was.

  Our verse reveals the awful pain from the depths of a parent’s heart over a child that has died. Our news tells of children who drown or are taken and murdered. Children are not supposed to die before the parents do. That’s not how things are supposed to be. I have preached the funeral of many people whose parents sat in the audience. It’s a tearful experience to see the hearts of these aged people looking at their child who has died.

  In our story though, Joseph wasn’t dead. Jacob had been fooled, deceived and tricked, by his own children. Jacob believed what wasn’t true. He had false evidence in his hands. With all his heart he believed, he believed that Joseph was dead. He tore his clothes, he put on sackcloth, which is like burlap. It’s rough, scratchy and uncomfortable. He wore that because that is how he felt on the inside. His child, his favorite child, was dead, he thought.

  Faith is based upon evidence that is true and right. We don’t fault Jacob. He’s emotions were genuine. He had no idea that his sons would lie to him. But the truth is, Joseph was alive. He was waiting for dad to come and dad wasn’t coming. He didn’t know.

  What does this say about our faith? The foundation of Christianity is faith. This is the thread that is woven throughout the Bible, but especially in the New Testament. Jesus came with convincing proofs that He was the Son of God. He was examined, questioned, and put to the test. He revealed signs and miracles to demonstrate who He was. He spoke as no one else had. He knew what others could not know. He cared and was compassionate upon all. He never stumbled. He never messed up. He never lost focus. He never sinned. Our faith is in Jesus Christ and His words.

  Is it possible for someone to bring us a bloody coat and convince us of things that are not true? Is it possible for us to believe something that didn’t happen? Yes. Many religious beliefs are founded not upon a consistent study of God’s word but the ideas of man. Many assumptions can be turned into truth if one does not examine carefully what God says.

  The answer is the Bible. The Bereans were hearing new and different things from the apostles. They searched the Scriptures every day to see if the things said were true. The Scriptures were the proof. The Scriptures were right.

  What Jacob didn’t have was a body. He had a bloody coat, but no body. Had he found the body of Joseph, that would have confirmed what the boys were trying to get him to believe. “Our body” today is the Scriptures. This is God’s proof. This is the standard. This is where we go to for verification, proof, evidence, and authority.

  Folks believe all kinds of things, some of them really off the wall and way out. They read it in a book or they heard some guy preach it or they have just always wondered about such things. Could be? Is it possible? That’s as far as some will go with these ideas. STOP. Look in the Bible. Do some studying. What saith the Scriptures? This is what Jesus did. This is what the Bereans did. This is what God wants you to do.

  Crazy ideas about origins of life, about morality, about human sexuality, about aliens, about life after death, about Heaven, about angels, about messages from beyond—these fill the shelves of many bookstores, they attract interest on blogs and web pages. Tales from folks who died and came back…stories about encounters with angels and demons…miraculous adventures—these all fall into the category of the bloodied coat of many colors. Seems possible but where’s the body? Open the Bible. Look at it carefully. Many of these things are the imaginations of some who have not looked carefully in the Bible.

  Poor Jacob mourned for a boy that was still alive. Wicked brothers. Poor Joseph. Gone and no one looking for him. Forgotten by all, except one, God. He is still with Him. He has plans for him. God always does.

Roger