Some of the repetitions include: Joseph recognizes his brothers but they do not recognize him: 42.7; 45.1 Brothers come to buy grain: 42.7; 43.

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1 FALL 2015 SEMESTER 11/01/2015 Week 7 of 10 in session SERMON SERIES: Washington DC is a pressure packed city, and stress is the great separator when it comes to our relationships with God and others. In Genesis, Joseph was able to thrive in many pressure filled situations. We will learn how we can do the same. The story of Joseph s life is found in Genesis GOAL FOR THE DISCUSSION: Nothing seems more complex than God s role in suffering. The emotional element makes it even more complicated. This week you have the opportunity to explore a lot of scripture. The main reason for this is due to the multiple perspectives scripture takes. Within the Bible, the authors struggled with this same issue: How can evil and suffering exist if there is a just and all-powerful God? Whole books of the Bible have taken up this issue: Job, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Habakkuk. Each attempts to answer the question in their own way, often acknowledging 1) the limited understanding and perspective of man; 2) God s role as creator and therefore right to govern as he sees fit; 3) the flawed nature of creation and humanity due to man s rebellion against God that results in man-made evil, rather than God-made evil; and, 4) God s nature as source of justice and restoration, resulting in a future hope. INTRODUCTION Joseph s story works out in his favor: he rises from suffering to power; his brothers bow in submission to him; and, he saves the Near East from famine. We have in our possession an after-the-fact assessment of Joseph s story. In the midst of his situation, however, his reality might have seemed bleaker. REFLECTION QUESTIONS Read Genesis What repetitions do you see in these chapters? What do you consider most surprising about the turns this story takes? 2. Joseph gets back at his brothers for selling him into slavery. Do you consider Joseph s treatment of his brothers in chapters as fair? How do Joseph s interactions with his brothers change over these three chapters? Some of the repetitions include: Joseph recognizes his brothers but they do not recognize him: 42.7; 45.1 Brothers come to buy grain: 42.7;

2 Brothers are questioned about family: 42.11; Joseph sets the brothers up as thieves: 42.25; Brothers are detained: 42.17; Jacob is overcome with sorrow: 42.38; ; The brothers bow down to Joseph: 42.6; Where the brothers betrayed Joseph because he was the favored one, now they fight to save their father s favored youngest son, Benjamin: ; 44:32-34 Joseph goes to great lengths getting back at his brothers. He tests their honesty, care for their father and love for their youngest brother (Joseph s full-brother). Joseph instills great fear in his brothers and even causes agony in his father. Although Joseph seems rather emotional and pained during these interactions with his brothers, he seems to go out of his way to hide his identity and get back at his brothers. Despite the seemingly malicious interactions between Joseph and his brothers, forgiveness and sympathy are ultimately found. Joseph can no longer withhold his emotions in chapter 45 and reveals his true identity to his brothers. Not only does he refrain from blaming them for his pain, but he also welcomes them into the kingdom of Egypt and offers them his best. 3. Everything seems to have worked our perfectly for Joseph when his brothers arrive. How might Joseph s response differed had his situation not turned out so positively? He doesn t seem to blame his brothers for his situation, to whom does he credit his rise to power? And for what purpose? (cf. Romans 8:18-28) 4. Joseph credits God with his journey to leadership (Genesis 45:5-8). He s seems to overlook the negatives in his journey, how is this possible? Should God get credit for both the negative and the positive events? Is this a hard-and-fast rule? 5. What should trust in God look like as you go through dark times (1 Peter 5:6-11)? Is this even possible? How can a person who trusts in God continue trusting God when he could be the cause of the problem? The first element of question three has no right or wrong answer, but can help in revealing how we might act in such a situation. One s response in the midst of suffering is often drastically different from their response after the fact. We cannot know whether Joseph would have blamed his brothers or taken the spiritual path acknowledging God s sovereignty and will. God ultimately gets the credit for Joseph s journey. Joseph assures his brothers that he has no plan for revenge because he sees the bigger picture of what God is doing through him. This transition sums up the essence or main theme of Joseph s story: Joseph s brothers, meaning to harm him, sold him into Egypt, but in reality God sent him there so that he could save Jacob s family and many others. The relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is a theological mystery that is something ultimately beyond human comprehension. Mysteries make us 2

3 uncomfortable, and thus there is always a temptation to rationalize them, that is, to modify one belief to make it more compatible with the other. But this story and the rest of scripture insist that both divine sovereignty and human responsibility are true. 1 That God uses the natural hatred of Joseph s brothers does not, according to Genesis, excuse that hate. Although God guides history, with its evil and malice, does not require its causation by God nor his approval of it. Romans 8:18-28 brings this image of imperfection into the picture of God s plan. This text brings out the fact that humanity and creation is naturally flawed not as they should be. Because of this, pain and suffering logically occur. However, this text presents a hope of future restoration of humanity and creation. The extent of God s sovereignty are not demonstrated by his repression of our choices that inevitably reveal our sinfulness and fallen self-will, but by the fact that there is no choice that we can make that can interfere with his plan. 2 Assigning both positive and negative events to God is likely a theological venture beyond our own capabilities. When assessing negative events, one has to look at the nature of the event: is it a natural consequence of a degrading earth? Is it a natural consequence of someone s actions? Could God be teaching a lesson or disciplining the individual? James 1:13 states that God does not tempt anyone with sin. The biblical authors logically assert, on account of God s holiness and justice, he cannot perform evil. This would be an inconsistent assertion. However, he does issue judgments and discipline. These can easily be interpreted as negative through our limited and emotional perspective. Throughout scripture, God has been seen as the source of peace, blessing and life. However, the same question of source continues in the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Habakkuk and others: Why do the wicked prosper? Matthew 5:45 indicates that God causes blessings to come upon both the righteous and the unrighteous. However, the same questions as before exist: can some blessings be on account of natural consequences? Can someone s actions, apart from God, result in good? The rules for assigning responsibility to God are not hand-and-fast, although they are selflimiting. Due to God s nature, he cannot be the source of evil. 6. The Psalms provide an amazing window into the sufferer s cry, and their source of hope and healing. Read Psalm 13. Do verses 5 and 6 makes sense in light of his struggle? What makes God trustworthy in the mind of the author? 7. How does Psalm 139 describe the relationship between God and man? Give at least 4 reasons why the author trusts God despite going down to the darkest places of the earth (i.e. Sheol, v. 8-10). Various authors wrote the Psalms during various periods of Israel s history. Psalm 13 does not give the occasion for its writing, however, the emotion and pain remain evident. All hope seems lost 1 Gordon Wenham, Genesis in Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), John H. Walton, Genesis in The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001),

4 for the author. Even in the midst of this pain, he relies on God s unfailing love and God s history of being good to him. His trust in God results from a relationship. The author has taken time to remember God s faithfulness in the past. To trust God you have to know him, something about his nature and how he has dealt with and preserved humanity for thousands of years. The greatest act of deliverance came in the Exodus out of Egypt in 1400bce (Exodus 1-14). This event stands as the ultimate promise of restoration, justice and love. Psalm 139 provides another lens through which to interpret our relationship with God during suffering. This Psalm speaks of the intimate relationship that God has with each individual. Only the Lord knows the inner thoughts of an individual, man cannot escape the view of God. 8. Even Jesus finds comfort in Psalm 22 during his greatest period of injustice and affliction (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34). Does Jesus use of Psalm 22 affect your understanding of who goes through suffering? Is Jesus abandoned in suffering? (Consider Acts 2:22-28) 9. Does Jesus own experience change your concept of suffering? Do you find comfort that the leader of the Christian movement and Son of God would come to earth, experience its pain, injustice and evil? 10. What hope does Jesus experience provide? Does this provide hope here-and-now, in the midst of pain? Why or why not? Jesus suffers a grave injustice at the hands of the Roman and Jewish authorities. Near his death, Jesus cries: My God, My God why have you forsaken me? His death results from an act of injustice, however, God uses it for the purpose of exhausting the consequence of sin. In his cry, we discover the function of his death. He takes upon himself the burden or consequence of humanity s sin and experiences the full penalty of that sin separation from God. In this he fulfills the consequences of sin for all humanity because he perfectly and fully obeyed the commands of the Father. In his obedience and trust, God does not abandon him. Acts 2:22-28 picks up Jesus story following his death. Each of the Gospel writings concludes with the resurrection of Jesus from death. In these verses, Peter recounts Jesus resurrection in terms of God s faithfulness in the midst of suffering. First Corinthians 15 stresses the importance of Jesus resurrection. Jesus resurrection means that God has not abandoned humanity. With his resurrection, all of humanity has hope in the ultimate restoration. No easy answer can be given in the midst of suffering, but the biblical story maintains that God s faithfulness is unwavering. Through the experience of Israel, the prophets, Jesus and the church, we can have confidence in the great plan and purpose of God. More importantly, we can have hope in God s desire and ability to establish justice and produce good out of chaos. 4

5 MOVING FORWARD Pain and suffering are natural consequences of a flawed world and humanity. Why God permits these, there is no clear answer. But there is a promise that a restoration of all things will come. In the interim, the challenge to creation is to pursue its creator and trust his overall design and plan. This week, pray for a patient heart that is given to trust and slow to become resentful. Pray: Does anyone have any needs or prayer requests? Do you know anyone that needs prayer? 5