When a father finally acts like a father

You know the story. Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery. He ends up in Egypt only to endure more harsh treatment and false accusations. Eventually, in the sovereign plan and providence of God, Joseph is promoted to second in command of Egypt saving the known world, including his family, from starvation.  

All through this God was with Joseph and had “tented over” him his steadfast love. (39:21). When Joseph had two sons born to him in Egypt, he named them Manasseh - “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house” - and Ephraim - “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (41:50-51). 

Steve preached today from Genesis 48. I learned a new piece to this fascinating story.

At this point in the story, Jacob and his sons have lived in Egypt for 17 years. The famine has been over for 10-12 years. Jacob is 147 years old. Joseph is 56. His two sons are probably 18-22 years old. Joseph has come to understand God’s purpose in his life. (45:4-8). He has brought his family to Egypt and they have thrived there, gaining possessions in it, they “were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” (47:27). We can assume that Joseph is still working for Pharaoh. 

Before Jacob dies, he wants to adopt Joseph’s two sons as his own and bless them. It is an amazing story of God’s transforming grace. Jacob the schemer and deceiver finally acknowledges that it was God who had been his shepherd all his life long and it was God who had redeemed him from evil. (v. 3,4 and 15,16). In crossing his hands to give the first born blessing to Joseph’s second son, Manasseh, he is making the point that every blessing is from God who can not be, will never be, manipulated to do our will.  

Joseph does a lot of weeping throughout his life. (42:21, 24; 43:30; 45:1; 46:29; 50:1, 10,11,17). Here in the story is the only time we are told that Joseph is displeased. So much so that he tried to correct his father! (v. 17,18).  I want to overlook this in Joseph. Joseph’s relationship with his family was difficult. His father had not been much of a father or a role model. Jacob deceived his own father to get the firstborn blessing. He foolishly sent Joseph into harm's way totally blind to the murderous jealousy that his selfish favoring of him had produced in his other sons. (Gen. 37:3,4). His brothers sold him into slavery deciding money was better than murder! Even given all this, Joseph still loved his family and went out of his way to provide for them. So didn’t he have the “right” to be displeased if his aged father messed up and blessed the wrong son?

Here is the new piece of amazing grace. God has so changed Jacob, that he is able to give appropriate, gentle and helpful correction to Joseph. In his last days, he becomes the father to Joseph that Joseph always needed. 

Joseph has lived in Egypt 39 years. He will live there another 54 years. He rules as second in command. He has been given an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife. He looks so much like an Egyptian that his brothers do not recognize him. (42:8). It was good that God had made him fruitful in Egypt (Ephraim). It was good that he had forgotten all the hardship of his imprisonment (Manasseh). Was it good that he had forgotten his father’s house? (41:51). Might it be that Jacob could sense that Joseph was too comfortable in the “land of his affliction”? If this were so when Joseph was 56 years old, what might it be like when he’s lived there doubled that time so that of his 110 years he has only lived 17 years in the promised land? 

Jacob overlooks Joseph's attempt to correct him. Instead he says, 

“Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope [Shechem*] that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and my bow.” (21,22).

In doing this, Jacob is reminding Joseph of all the times the Lord had been with him,  (39:2,3,5,21,23) and that God will continue to be with him. More than that, he is reminding Joseph of his true identity and his true inheritance. 

“Joseph,” I can hear Jacob saying, “you are not an Egyptian. You are of God’s chosen seed. The land of Egypt is not your home. Your inheritance is in the land promised to me, your grandfather Isaac and your great-grandfather Abraham. God brought you to Egypt for a specific purpose, but don’t forget to live here as an alien. There are greater things that can only be seen by faith.”  

Have you ever wondered why in the hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, Joseph is highlighted for a comment he makes when he is dying? Joseph “single handedly” saves the civilized world from annihilation. He endures so much from his dysfunctional family and then provides for them. And we are supposed to be impressed that “Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones”? (Heb. 11:22). 

Maybe, just maybe, living as an alien for 93 years was a bigger test of faith that anything else Joseph was asked to do. And maybe, just maybe, his father Jacob knew this would be hard. And maybe, just maybe, Jacob in his dying days, by gently and wisely correcting Joseph and giving him Shechem, was able to demonstrate love to Joseph like he never had before. And maybe, just maybe, God used this to restore the father-son relationship and equip Joseph to live out the remainder of his days in faith. 

That is grace unmeasured. 

*Joseph’s bones will eventually be buried in Shechem. (Josua 24:32)