THE SPIRIT OF GOD
MIKE CUNNINGHAM
FEBRUARY 17, 2011

In the story of Joseph and his brothers we’ve been seeing a remarkable chain of events as they were unfolding. These events serve as a wonderful illustration of what is referred to as being the Providence of God. J. I. Packer defines it as being, “The unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill, He upholds His creatures in ordered existence, guides and governs all events, circumstances, and free acts of angels and men, and directs everything to its appointed goal, for His own glory.”

The principal objective in the story was the fact that God was going to exalt a person whom men had rejected, and then produce in those same men a sense of their sin in rejecting him. How is all this going to happen? It’s simple for God. The most trivial and the most important, the most likely and the most unlikely of circumstances are made to work together to fulfill God’s purposes. In chapter 39, Satan used Potiphar’s wife; and in chapter 40, he used Potiphar’s chief cupbearer. Satan used the woman to put Joseph into the prison and he used the ungrateful cupbearer to keep Joseph there.

But all of Satan’s diabolical activity was in vain. Why? God was orchestrating everything behind the scenes. It was God’s finger that was guiding all the springs of the vast machine of circumstances. When the fullness of the time arrived God brought Joseph into a large room in the king’s palace exactly as He had planned to do before He spoke the world into existence. God’s ways are not our ways; God’s ways are infinitely higher than our ways and are impossible for any human being to figure out.

God’s children will receive a huge blessing if they remember the fact that He uses folks who love and care about them greatly as well as those who hate and despise them. For instance, He uses people to help lighten their burden, to encourage and to pray for them. God uses His holy angels to minister to and protect His children. He also uses Satan and his demons who are steadfastly trying to harm, discourage and throw them into a depression. His children should remind each other that each of those acts without exception is under the absolute control of God’s all-powerful hand.

In the story of Joseph and His brothers we can see the Providence of God unfolding in an incredible manner. Instead of allowing his brothers to kill Joseph like they had wanted to, God arranged for them to sell him for twenty pieces of gold to a passing caravan of Midianite merchants who were riding on donkey’s and headed towards Egypt. The all-knowing God was aware of the fact that the price would be acceptable to everyone and it was God who had inclined the merchants and Joseph’s brothers to make a deal.

For His own glory and to work all this stuff out for the good of Joseph, God next sees to it that, at the auction, a certain Egyptian named Potiphar would buy Joseph and make the 17 year-old kid his personal slave. The man just happened to be one of Pharaoh’s officials, yeah right! There’s no such thing as luck! This guy was the manager of all of the Pharaoh’s household affairs. He must have had a lot of smarts to score such a high position. Potiphar was quick to recognize Joseph’s intelligence and organizational skills which were far beyond that of a 17 year-old kid. Although he was an unbelieving idol worshiper, the man was able to recognize the fact that the Spirit of God was with Joseph and was blessing everything Joseph set out to accomplish.

It was part of God’s perfect plan to allow this guys wife to attempt to unsuccessfully seduce Joseph several times and also to accuse him of attempted rape when Joseph refused. Can you imagine the kind of thoughts that were flowing through this kids head? He obviously loved God and wanted to please Him. He believed that God had given him those dreams and had destined him to become a ruler. He thought he was doing God’s will. And now he’s a slave. He misses his father and mother and he’s lonely. If fact; Joseph doesn’t even know if his elderly dad is dead or alive. Can you think of a question he might have for God? Of course, you can; “why God, why?” I’m also certain that during those times when your world seems to be unraveling at the seams and there’s nothing you can do to stop it; I believe that many of you folks have asked God the same question. Why God, why?

It was also part of God’s providential dealings that the Spirit of God would zoom invisibly into the Pharaoh’s palace right past the man’s guards and descend on the sleeping kings’ bed. The Spirit of God then saw to it that the man would have dreams that neither he nor anyone else could figure out. The Scriptures tell us that God often communicated to people by dreams thousands of years ago. God certainly moves in mysterious ways.

We’re seeing in the story of Joseph and his brothers, that what’s going on in the life of an individual person is extending far beyond him or her. The same is true for everyone who is alive today. C. H. Mackintosh, in his insightful, “Notes on Genesis” in 1880 wrote that,“ ”Nor is it merely individuals and their circumstances that we see are taken up and used for the furthering of God’s ends; but Egypt and the surrounding countries are brought into the scene. In short, the whole earth was prepared by the hand of God to be a theatre on which to display the glory and greatness of the one “who was separated from his family.” Such are the ways of God; and it is one of the happiest and most encouraging exercises for the soul of one of His children to trace the magnificent workings of his or her heavenly Father. How powerfully is God’s providence brought about in this profoundly interesting history of Joseph!

Stop for a moment and visualize it. Look into the dungeon of the captain of the guard. Look at the man chained in irons, charged with a most abominable crime. Joseph had become an outcast of society. And yet, almost in a moment he is elevated to a position of the highest eminence. Who can deny that God is orchestrating it all?” Now let’s read the Biblical account of these amazing events and allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves.

Genesis 41:39-44 (MSG) 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You’re the man for us. God has given you the inside story—no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom. 40 From now on, you’re in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you. Only as king will I be over you.” 41 So Pharaoh commissioned Joseph: “I’m putting you in charge of the entire country of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and slipped it on Joseph’s hand. He outfitted him in robes of the best linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He put the second-in-command chariot at his disposal, and as he rode people shouted “Bravo!” Joseph was in charge of the entire country of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh told Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but no one in Egypt will make a single move without your stamp of approval.”

Mackintosh comments, “We see here extraordinary exaltation. Contrast this with the pit and the dungeon and mark the chain of events by which it was all brought about. You have at once a marked exhibition of the hand of God, and a striking type of the sufferings and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph was taken from the pit and the dungeon because of the envy of his brothers and the false accusation of the gentile to be ruler over the whole land of Egypt; and not only for that, but to be a channel of blessing and the sustainer of life to Israel and the whole earth.

That is all typical of Christ. Indeed, a type could hardly be more perfect. We see a man laid for all intents and purposes, in the place of death, by the hand of man, and then raised up by the hand of God, and placed in dignity and glory.

Acts 2:22-24 (KJV) 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

The following are the passages of Scripture of what transpires next in this amazing story of Joseph and his brothers.

Genesis 41:47-57 (MSG) 47 During the next seven years of plenty the land produced bumper crops. 48 Joseph gathered up the food of the seven good years in Egypt and stored the food in cities. In each city he stockpiled surplus from the surrounding fields. 49 Joseph collected so much grain—it was like the sand of the ocean!—that he finally quit keeping track. 50 Joseph had two sons born to him before the years of famine came. Asenath, daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, was their mother. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh (Forget), saying, “God made me forget all my hardships and my parental home.” 52 He named his second son Ephraim (Double Prosperity), saying, “God has prospered me in the land of my sorrow.”

53 Then Egypt’s seven good years came to an end 54 and the seven years of famine arrived, just as Joseph had said. All countries experienced famine; Egypt was the only country that had bread. 55 When the famine spread throughout Egypt, the people called out in distress to Pharaoh, calling for bread. He told the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you.” 56 As the famine got worse all over the country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold emergency supplies to the Egyptians. The famine was very bad. 57 Soon the whole world was coming to buy supplies from Joseph. The famine was bad all over.

Genesis 42:1-17 (MSG) 1 When Jacob learned that there was food in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you sit around here and look at one another? 2 I’ve heard that there is food in Egypt. Go down there and buy some so that we can survive and not starve to death.” 3 Ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to get food. 4 Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with them; he was afraid that something bad might happen to him. 5 So Israel’s sons joined everyone else that was going to Egypt to buy food, for Canaan, too, was hit hard by the famine.

6 Joseph was running the country; he was the one who gave out rations to all the people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they treated him with honor, bowing to him. 7 Joseph recognized them immediately, but treated them as strangers and spoke roughly to them. He said, “Where do you come from?” “From Canaan,” they said. “We’ve come to buy food.” 8 Joseph knew who they were, but they didn’t know who he was. 9 Joseph, remembering the dreams he had dreamed of them, said, “You’re spies. You’ve come to look for our weak spots.”

10 “No, master,” they said. “We’ve only come to buy food. 11 We’re all the sons of the same man; we’re honest men; we’d never think of spying.” 12 He said, “No. You’re spies. You’ve come to look for our weak spots.” 13 They said, “There were twelve of us brothers—sons of the same father in the country of Canaan. The youngest is with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said, “It’s just as I said, you’re spies. 15 This is how I’ll test you. As Pharaoh lives, you’re not going to leave this place until your younger brother comes here. 16 Send one of you to get your brother while the rest of you stay here in jail. We’ll see if you’re telling the truth or not. As Pharaoh lives, I say you’re spies.” 17 Then he threw them into jail for three days.

Genesis 42:18-29 (MSG) 18 On the third day, Joseph spoke to them. “Do this and you’ll live. I’m a God-fearing man. 19 If you’re as honest as you say you are, one of your brothers will stay here in jail while the rest of you take the food back to your hungry families. 20 But you have to bring your youngest brother back to me, confirming the truth of your speech—and not one of you will die.” They agreed. 21 Then they started talking among themselves. “Now we’re paying for what we did to our brother—we saw how terrified he was when he was begging us for mercy. We wouldn’t listen to him and now we’re the ones in trouble.” 22 Reuben broke in. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t hurt the boy’? But no, you wouldn’t listen. And now we’re paying for his murder.”

23 Joseph had been using an interpreter, so they didn’t know that Joseph was understanding every word. 24 Joseph turned away from them and cried. When he was able to speak again, he took Simeon and had him tied up, making a prisoner of him while they all watched. 25 Then Joseph ordered that their sacks be filled with grain, that their money be put back in each sack, and that they be given rations for the road. That was all done for them. 26 They loaded their food supplies on their donkeys and set off. 27 When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get food for his donkey; there at the mouth of his bag was his money 28 He called out to his brothers, “My money has been returned; it’s right here in my bag!” They were puzzled—and frightened. “What’s God doing to us?” 29 When they got back to their father Jacob, back in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened, saying,

Genesis 42:30-38 (MSG) 30 “The man who runs the country spoke to us roughly and accused us of being spies. 31 We told him, ‘We are honest men and in no way spies. 32 There were twelve of us brothers, sons of one father; one is gone and the youngest is with our father in Canaan.’ 33 “But the master of the country said, ‘Leave one of your brothers with me, take food for your starving families, and go. 34 Bring your youngest brother back to me, proving that you’re honest men and not spies. And then I’ll give your brother back to you and you’ll be free to come and go in this country.’ ” 35 As they were emptying their food sacks, each man came on his purse of money. On seeing their money, they and their father were upset.

36 Their father said to them, “You’re taking everything I’ve got! Joseph’s gone, Simeon’s gone, and now you want to take Benjamin. If you have your way, I’ll be left with nothing.” 37 Reuben spoke up: “I’ll put my two sons in your hands as hostages. If I don’t bring Benjamin back, you can kill them. Trust me with Benjamin; I’ll bring him back.” 38 But Jacob refused. “My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead and he is all I have left. If something bad happens to him on the road, you’ll put my gray, sorrowing head in the grave.

It’s been my prayerful hope that the Spirit of God has spoken in various ways to the mind and heart of each of you folks through this message, and that you will take the time to seriously think about it-and be blessed!

Lord willing, next week….