Boyd's Commentary. R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
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Название: Boyd's Commentary
Автор: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Религия: прочее
isbn: 9781681677590
isbn:
MAIN THOUGHT: And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. (Genesis 42:22, KJV)
LESSON SETTING
Time: Unknown
Place: Egypt
LESSON OUTLINE
I. Joseph’s Revenge (Genesis 42:6–17)
II. Joseph’s Mercy (Genesis 42:18–25)
UNIFYING PRINCIPLE
Some people allow guilt from their past to poison their present. Is it ever possible to be free from condemnation for our past actions?
When Joseph saw and remembered his brothers who sold him into Egyptian slavery, he showed compassion while motivating them to recall and take responsibility for their earlier actions.
INTRODUCTION
Whether one calls it revenge, vengeance, or reprisal, all forms of retribution are someone’s idea of justice without mercy (which isn’t justice, by the way). In a hostile world, redress is a natural response of those who have been offended. According to popular society, it’s like a “dish best served cold,” referring to the so-called “sweet” benefits of payback. But the sweetness of revenge is bad for our health and fails to deliver the delight one would think it does. Retaliating against one who has wronged us always will result in unsatisfying outcomes. In fact, behavioral scientists have observed that instead of quenching hostility, revenge only prolongs the unpleasantness of the original offense. Merely bringing harm upon an offender is not enough to satisfy a person’s vengeful spirit. This is evidence that revenge was never meant for us to dispense but is an act that should be left for God to orchestrate.
Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, “Never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’ ” (Rom. 12:19, NRSV). Believers who have been offended need to let God exact vengeance on their behalf, for God is God over both the offended and the offender, and only He knows what justice demands.
From Joseph’s perspective, this was easier said than done. At the time of today’s lesson, the famine in the land had become so severe that Jacob, Joseph’s father, instructed all but one of his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain. This meant they would have to unknowingly face their brother and ultimately the shame they had been living with for thirteen years. The dream Joseph dreamed when he was seventeen was finally coming true—his family was coming to bow down to him.
From a position of power, Joseph had a choice to make. He could give into the seductive urge of revenge or choose to forgive. As for the brothers, they too had a choice to make—face their shame or continue to hide from it.
EXPOSITION
I. JOSEPH’S REVENGE (GENESIS 42:6–17)
A few years into the famine, verse 6 opens with the indication Joseph’s position as governor had become the settled norm in Egypt. Second only to Pharaoh, his power was absolute. One of Joseph’s responsibilities was to oversee the allocation of food, especially during the predicted seven-year famine. He sold to all the people in the land who came seeking grain. This was what brought him into contact with his brothers. Being foreigners from Canaan, Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. While it was an act that showed deference to the master of the land and was expected of the brothers, bowing down to Joseph said far more than they realized. As they bowed, Joseph remembered his dreams. After many years, they had come to pass. Joseph recognized his brothers but maintained his anonymity. He acted like a stranger to them. He was able to secure the concealment of his identity easily. In addition to the twenty years that had passed, Joseph appeared and sounded like an Egyptian, and they never would have thought he could have risen to this seat of power. He didn’t disguise his anger from his brothers as he did his identity. Joseph spoke roughly to them as a prelude to the charges against them.
While reunited with his family, the last memory Joseph had of his brothers was of them selling him off to Egypt. His accusation against them in verse 9, calling them “spies . . . come to see the nakedness of the land” (NRSV), was Joseph’s way of testing their character. He wanted to determine what kind of men they turned out to be twenty years later. In protesting their innocence, they disclosed to Joseph details of their family’s current state. They told Joseph they were ten of twelve brothers, the youngest was with their father, and the other was no more, indicating they believed Joseph to be dead. Joseph insisted, despite their denial, that they were spies and rejected the reasoning of their pleas of innocence just as they had once rejected his plea from the pit (42:21).
To examine their claim, Joseph proposed a test to see whether there was any truth to their words. On the surface, this was a test to show if they lied about their family and to confirm to Joseph that they also lied about being spies. Deep down, Joseph knew they were telling the truth. His real intent was to ensure he had an opportunity to see his younger brother Benjamin. He held them all in prison for three days as they decided which one of them would return to Canaan and bring Benjamin, their youngest brother, to Egypt.
Joseph was concerned for his younger brother Benjamin. He most likely wondered if Benjamin was as hated as he was in their household. He may have wanted Benjamin to come to Egypt not simply for emotional reasons, but also to ensure his protection and safety from their older brothers.
II. JOSEPH’S MERCY (GENESIS 42:18–25)
For his fear of God, Joseph had a change of heart. The phrase “I fear God” in verse 18 (NRSV) can be interpreted in a couple of ways. But it literally says, “God, I fear,” meaning Joseph had a moral code to which he adhered. One of the tenets СКАЧАТЬ