This is KonnectwaSkip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us for today's program. At Connect with Skiff-Heitzig, we're all about connecting you to the timeless truth of God's Word through verse-by-verse teaching. That's why we make messages like this one today available to you and others. Before we get started with the program, we encourage you to check out connectwithskip.com, where you'll find resources like full message series, weekly devotionals, and more.
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Now let's get started with today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. There's something that I learned about Middle Eastern cultures, both ancient and modern. That are interesting and I like. They don't hold back emotion. It's not considered a sign of weakness to emote.
Even men emote. in those cultures.
Now here we are in our Western civilization. And we have been taught, especially if we came from European ancestors, especially if you came from British ancestors. And uh you've been told to keep a stiff upper lip and Men don't cry. And I remember I had three older brothers. If I cry, it's like, boys, don't cry.
Then When I started going to college, and I realized that men have these little things in the corner of their eyes called lacrimal glands that they're not just given to the female gender, but Men have lacrimal glands as well. That means we cry too?
So we're designed by our Creator to emote and to weep. Then I thought, hmm, they've been wrong. Maybe it's not a sign of weakness. Maybe it's a sign. Being real.
Being genuine. And I love it. I think it's healthy to do. When somebody dies in the Middle East, there's a whale. that you hear.
A tearing of the robe and a whale, and it's healthy to some extent. I mean, um. In Jesus' day, there were professional mourners that they would hire so that if somebody died, everybody in the village would think, wow, everybody loved that guy. It could be that they loved him. It could be that the family has a lot of money because they just hire people to make up.
A lot of noise. But nonetheless, It was regarded as healthy.
So, Joseph reveals himself. He weeps aloud in their presence. I am Joseph, verse 4. Your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But now, therefore, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you.
to preserve life. I want you to notice a word. He says to his brothers, come near. Come near, come here, come closer. The word is nagash.
It means to come close in proximity. and in intimacy. What he's saying to them is, I want you to come close and look me in the eye. I want you to study my face up close. I want you to see by my body language that I'm not angry, that I'm not bitter, that I'm not holding anything against you.
Check this out. Look at my face. In ancient cultures And today, in some even in Muslim Middle Eastern culture, to look somebody in the eye is considered a sign of disrespect. When you're in a superior's presence, you lower your gaze. You don't look them in the eye.
To look somebody in the eye was a sign of aggression. or superiority. or choosing somebody on. But what Joseph is saying, I may be the ruler of Egypt, but look me in the eye. I'm your brother.
I may be the ruler, but right now I'm your brother. And I'm not angry at you. I love you. That's another sign of genuine forgiveness. Genuine forgiveness wants to set people who have wronged you at ease.
At ease. If you haven't forgiven somebody, Here's the telltale sign. You want him to squirm a little bit. You want them to feel a little embarrassed. And when they feel embarrassed, you kind of like it.
If you've genuinely forgiven them, If it's total forgiveness, You want to set him at ease. His brothers shafted him. He's trying to set him at ease. Come closer. Look me in the eye.
Verse 5, but now Do not therefore be grieved nor angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you. to preserve life. For these two years, the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will. be neither plowing Nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Now we're getting to the heart of Joseph's theology. Joseph always had a vertical perspective. This is how he always saw life. He'd always bring in a vertical perspective. He was saying to them, This isn't your ploy that got me here.
This is God's plan that got me here. You know, that's what you wanted to do. It was a ploy to you. You hated me and you sold me here, but I've discovered something while I've been here. It really wasn't your ploy.
Behind your ploy was God's plan. That's his theology. His theology is: I live in a world where God is sovereign above everything that happens, and I'm okay with that. Even the bad stuff, I pray take into a vertical perspective. God sent me here.
God Sent me here. Wait a minute, you were sold as a slave That was a vicious act. God sent me. And then you were accused by Potiphar and his wife falsely, and you were put in jail. God sent me.
And then, because you're a very talented young fellow, you are promoted. No God sent me. Hey. I don't know what's going on in your head or in your life. I don't know what pain you personally have gone through.
I don't know what acrimonious words somebody may have said to you that severed a relationship. I don't know how somebody may have done something to you that. you're suffering consequences for right now. But Happy is the man or woman that can see God's plan in everything. You know what it turns life into?
An adventure. An adventure. Because something that you're suffering through right now, what's God going to do? What's up, God's what's what is up his sleeve? What is he planning?
God planned it. It's beautiful. God sent me for you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth. To save your lives by a great deliverance. For now it was not you Who sent me here but God?
And he has made me a father to Pharaoh. and lord of all of his house, and a ruler throughout all of the land of Egypt. What does it mean when it says God made me a father to Pharaoh, simply an advisor. A counselor. I'm in the place, a relationship of giving him advice.
Many of the lords of Egypt, the The subordinate officers were called fathers. to the Pharaoh, though he was in a role as simply an adviser. Hurry up, verse 9. Go to my father and say to him. Thus says your son Joseph.
God has made me Lord, but Of all Egypt. Come down to me. And do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen. And you shall be near to me, you and your children.
and your children's children, Your flocks And your herds And all that you have.
Now, the land of Goshen, let me just tell you a little bit about that. You know how the Nile River that starts in Central Africa and works its way up, at least on a map up. Toward Egypt, and then it fans out into a delta. That lush Nile Delta. The northeastern section.
of the Nile Delta was called Goshen. It was the best place for shepherds to go. And they were shepherds, the family of Jacob. It was verdant, it was lush.
So he gives him the best of the land, the land of Goshen.
Now keep that in mind because when you fast forward some 400 years, 430 years, by the time we get to the Exodus, and it says, There arose a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, the children of Israel will be greatly multiplied and still living in the land of Goshen. It's where God planted them. It's where they grow. It's where Joseph abundantly provided for them in the land of Goshen.
Okay, so by now you're getting the gist of this. Joseph did not deal with them like he could have dealt with them. And perhaps he should have dealt with them. But he dealt with them as God deals with us. I've told you before, but it's good to rehearse.
There's three things that go hand in hand by comparison. Justice, mercy, and grace. Justice is simply getting what you deserve. You drive 100 miles an hour on a Suna road, you get a traffic ticket, you deserve it. That's justice.
You commit a crime, you get arrested for it. That's justice. Mercy is different. Mercy is not giving you what you deserve. You deserve punishment.
But I won't give it to you. You deserve a ticket, but let's just Have a nice evening and drive safely. That's mercy. Mercy is justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
Grace. is something different. Grace is getting what you don't deserve. Joseph could have given the mercy. You guys, go back home, or you guys, I'm killing you, justice.
Or you guys, I'm putting you in jail, justice. But he dealt with them in mercy and grace. You guys, I see the hand of God in this, so I'm not going to punish you. That's mercy. And not only that.
But I'm going to lavishly add to your life so that you will be taken care of for the rest of your life. You're going to come to Goshen, I'm going to give you the best of the land. That's grace. If the police officer writes you a ticket, Justice. If the police officer said, You were going 100 miles an hour, I'm not going to give you a ticket, but go have a nice day.
Never happened, but that's mercy.
Now, if the police officer says, not only will I not give you a ticket, But I'm going to buy you dinner. The finest restaurant in the state. That's grace. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we return to the message, consider this.
Abraham's life was full of ups and downs, but God was in every moment. In God print, The Life of Abraham, Pastor Skip unpacks seven engaging messages from the book of Genesis to show how God shapes the hearts of those who trust Him. Through trials and triumphs, Abraham learned what real faith looks like. And this powerful seven message series will encourage you that you can too. This resource is our thanks for your gift of $50 or more to help reach more people with God's word through Connect with Skip Heidzig.
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Now, let's rejoin today's teaching. Joseph is extending mercy and grace. God extends to you. Mercy. not giving you hell, though you deserve it, as do I But giving you heaven, making you his child, promising to watch out for you, taking care of you.
Grace. giving you what you don't deserve. Tells him to hurry up, go get dad, come back. You'll dwell in the land of Goshen. I'll give you everything I have.
I'll take care of you. Verse 11: There I will provide for you. Lest you and your household and all that you have come to poverty. for there are still five years of famine. And behold your eyes and The eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth.
That speaks to you. And probably at that point, he pulled his little fake beard off so they could really get a look at his face.
So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and all that you have seen, and you shall hurry and bring my father down here. Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover, he kissed all of his brothers and wept over them. He's a sappy guy, and I love it. And after that his brothers talked with him.
It's an interesting phrase and notion. After that, his brothers talked with him. In other words, They had nothing to say before. They were going And now They're confident.
Now they feel okay.
Now they talked with him. And boy, 21 years of catching up to do, I bet they talked. Beautiful. What a comparison. Chapter 37, if memory serves.
It says that when Joseph was sent by his dad to go check on his brothers. Remember when they were way, way up north feeding their flocks? It says his brothers hated him so much they couldn't speak to him.
Now it says they freely spoke with him, they talked to him.
Now the report of it was heard. in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brothers have come. And so it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Say to your brothers, Do this Load your animals and depart and go to the land of Canaan. Bring your father and your household and come to me.
And I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.
Now you are commanded. Do this. Take carts out of the land. Of Egypt, you and your little ones and your wives, and bring your father and come. It was a five to six-day walk.
from Canaan to Egypt, five to six day walk back.
Now he's saying take carts. Good idea. You don't have to walk. You'll ride in style, man. You know The wheel was used in Egypt long before it was used in Canaan.
By the children of Israel, or many of those cultures. Egyptian chariots and carts were cutting-edge technology. For the time. They had wheels with six spokes to distribute the weight and lighten the load. They had sides on the chariots or the carts.
To protect them from arrows. They had umbrellas that stretched over the top to protect people from the sun and to. carry loads of people or or goods. Yeah So These brothers got to go back. In a long caravan, Of colorful Egyptian carts and chariots.
I wonder what the Canaanites thought as they saw these chariots going down. With the sons of Jacob riding in them. And they're writing in first class. Look at this. Take carts out of the land for your little ones, your wives.
Bring your father and come. Do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours. Then the sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them carts according to the command of Pharaoh. He gave them provisions for the journey. He gave To all of them, to each man, changes of garments, new duds, new clothes.
But to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five changes of garments. Yeah.
So, new clothes, Armani robes. Johnson Murphy sandals. In and out burger, they got provisions on the way. And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.
So they sent his brothers away and departed. And he said to them: See that you do not become troublesome. Troubled along the way. Why would he say that?
Well It could simply mean don't be troubled and worry about Robbers or marauders who would come seeing these chariots and lots of food on them. There's a famine going on. You could be attacked.
So don't worry about them. I'll make sure that you're well protected. Or It could be knowing his brothers. Personalities that they were a bit cantankerous and rough. Yeah, repentance is one thing, but you know what?
A long journey traveling together. gets to the best of people. Think of family vacations, all of your family for two or three weeks at a time in a car. I think back to the White Rambler station wagon from California to Minnesota, no air condition, four boys in the back, a lot of driving. We loved each other as a family, but boy, did we we couldn't stand each other during those trips.
He knew his brothers.
So listen, don't stir it up is the Hebrew word literally. Don't get stirred up. Don't get troubled along the way. They went out of Egypt and they came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. And they told him saying, Think of all the years that have passed, and he's about to hear these words.
And they told him, saying, Joseph is still alive. And he is the governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart stood. Still. That's the translation of the Hebrew word, his heart was numb.
He didn't know what to feel. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to make of these words. Is this a psych? Is this a joke?
What's happening? All of the memories of Joseph that he never really dealt with. triggered all those memories. They came back to him. His heart stood still.
Because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts, Which Joseph is sent to carry. Him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived, and Israel said. It is enough. Joseph, my son, is still alive.
I will go. and see him before I die. Let's close with the thought of forgiveness. Forgiveness is always a choice If you base it on your feelings, you may never go through with it.
Well, I'll forgive her if she forgives me first. It may never happen.
Well I'll say that I'm sorry if he says just Repent. take responsibility and see results. But yeah, but I don't feel in fact, of course, you don't feel like it. It's counterintuitive. It's a choice.
Okay. The greatest example I ever read about this was. Written by Corey Tin Boom. She used to talk about it when she would do her speaking before she went to heaven, but she wrote about it. In World War II, you know the story that Corey Tin Boom and her family was taken to a Nazi concentration camp.
They were Christians, they were not Jews, but they housed Jews. In that House that was above the jewelry shop in Haarlem, the Netherlands, where they lived. Her father was a watchmaker. They store Jews in the wall. They were uncovered and they were taken to a concentration camp.
and for years mistreated. And there was one guard in particular that was nasty to them and made life miserable for them, and she grew to hate him in her heart. Years later, after she was released, and years later, after she was telling a story and she was speaking one night. A man walked up to her. Extended his hand and said, Would you forgive me?
She looked up and saw the eyes. It was that guard. She didn't know what to do. The hand was extended. All of the memories flooded back, the hatred.
The maltreatment. Here's her words, she writes about it. I stood there. with coldness clutching at my heart. But I know.
that the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. I prayed. Jesus help me. Woodenly, Mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And I experienced an incredible thing.
The current started in my shoulder, raced down into my arms, and sprang into our clutched hands. Then this warm reconciliation seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. I forgive you, brother. I cried. With my whole heart.
For a long moment, We grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I have never known the love of God so intensely as I did in that moment. To forgive is to set a prisoner free. and to discover that the prisoner Was you? They were freed that day.
What a day that was as Joseph said. I forgive you. They were set free. Joseph, I believe, was also set free, taken to a whole new level. Free indeed.
What a day that was for those brothers. They stood there in shock as he said, I'm Joseph, and then thinking, We're dead. And then another wave of shock as he said, I don't hold anything against you. I love you. You're forgiven.
God sent me here. Shock. I remember the day I discovered I was a sinner alienated from God. And I was shocked that day. That God wanted to forgive me, and shocked that He was willing to love me and make me His Son.
But I would have been Idiot to pass it up. I encourage you tonight. If you've never discovered the shock. Of how much Jesus loves you and how much God wants to forgive you and accept you just as you are. You'd come to know it.
Because I fear if you reject it, one day you will be shocked. By hearing the words of Christ, Depart from me. I never knew you. You workers of iniquity. I would much rather have the pleasant shock of his love and forgiveness.
and the dreaded shock. of hearing those words. We're so glad you joined us for Connect with Skiff Heidzig. Before we go, we want to remind you to request this month's featured resource, GotPrint, The Life of Abraham. This seven-message series from Pastor Skip traces Abraham's walk with God and invites you to discover how faith can grow even through fear, doubt, and delay.
It's our gift to you when you support ConnectWithSkip Heitzig with a donation of $50 or more. Call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. Thanks for spending time with us today.
And we'll see you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection never for. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of connection communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
