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Weekly Message | May 30th, 2010
Passage: Genesis 46:1-48:22
Key Verse(s): 46:31-34
This is the fifth lesson about stewardship. The essence of stewardship is to acknowledge that (1) God owns all, and (2) we take responsibility for what is entrusted to us. Each of us is entrusted with precious life, family, work, and the world where we live. What can we learn from stewardship lessons? It is to take responsibility of our lives and how we live. The key for a happy and blessed life does not lie in someone else but in each of us.
We have been studying Joseph’s stewardship in three lessons thus far: (1) His early life was spent in a less than perfect family. He lost his mother early, he was hated by his brothers, and he was sold off as a slave. In his 20s, he was repeatedly betrayed, falsely accused, and seemed to be living a forgotten life; (2) What made him keep going? It was his habits of a faithful walk with God. It was his commitment for responsible living. He did not blame anyone for his misfortunes. Instead, he trusted God in all things. He solved problems of the people around him. (3) Finally, he rose up from a prison, communicated hopeful solutions in the national crisis of Egypt—seven years of abundant years and seven years of famine. He became Pharaoh’s second in command in Egypt. He met his ten brothers. He helped them to repent of their past wrong.
Today’s story is what he did afterward. This is Joseph’s stewardship (i.e., responsible actions) for his family, work, and his two sons—Manasseh and Ephraim. In the first two parts of his life we learned how Joseph became successful through his stewardship—his hard work and faithful walk with God. He has become quite successful. In this lesson we learn about Joseph’s stewardship regarding his extended family and his work.
First, Joseph settled his family in Egypt. (46:1-47:12)
The famine spread throughout the whole world. Joseph’s family in Egypt could not survive in the land of Canaan. Thus, Joseph invited all of his family members to move to Egypt. The total number was more than seventy people including Joseph, his wife, and his two sons (46:26).
Jacob, Joseph’s father, was happy to immigrate to Egypt. It was to see his beloved son, Joseph. He took all of his sons, son’s wives, and grandchildren and moved down to Egypt. When he arrived at Beersheba, the place where he first met God, he offered sacrifices to God. God spoke to him in a vision at night and said, "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." (46:2-4) According to this promise, God multiplied Jacob's seventy plus people into a great nation, Israel, with millions of people in the next 400 years.
Upon arrival in Egypt, Joseph welcomed him. What an excitement and joy it was! Jacob said, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." Jacob certainly wept with many tears upon seeing Joseph. Joseph was no longer a young teenager. He was a man of faith. He was an accomplished man in the world. Joseph also shared his exceedingly great joy of meeting his father, Jacob.
After this dramatic family reunion, Joseph turned his attention to his brothers. He informed them about a plan to meet with Pharaoh. Joseph’s challenges were multiple: (1) Joseph had to settle his large family members quickly without going through major reeducation and retraining; (2) This settlement plan should not invite resentment from the Egyptians. Instead, his family should be welcome in Egypt for their positive roles in the land; (3) The settlement plan was to allow all his family members to gather in a large area to maintain their unique identity as God’s people. They should interact with the Egyptians but not be melted into the surrounding society. So the right settlement plan was to help them to interact but not necessarily integrate in Egyptian society. They should maintain a unique identity as God’s people. After much prayer Joseph came up with this idea and prayerfully implemented it.
Look at 46:31-34. Certainly, Joseph discussed this with Pharaoh the king of Egypt. He generated all the ideas,.but he allowed Pharaoh to make all of the decisions. Joseph involved Pharaoh—his boss—and let him make this decision. Joseph first advised them right away. It was to become shepherds (i.e., "animal handlers" and butchers). The plan was not to take clean, respectful, and well-paying jobs. Rather, they would take the dirty and difficult jobs that no Egyptians would like. In fact, the jobs that they detested and hated!
After his brothers fully understood about the settlement plan, he brought his father Jacob and five of his brothers to Pharaoh. Pharaoh did not have to meet them at all. It was a small matter. Joseph could have handled it alone. Even so, Joseph in wisdom involved Pharaoh and allowed him to approve the settlement plan. In that way, the settlement plan became official, legitimate, and effective. Pharaoh did not have to meet them. But out of respect of Joseph he met Joseph’s family. Pharaoh asked Jacob, "How old are you?" It was kind of small, mere courtesy talk. Jacob said, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." Jacob confessed that his life was a journey with God.
Throughout his life Jacob moved to many different places—Beersheba, Bethel, Haran, Peniel, Succoth, Shechem, Bethel, Egypt, and finally was buried in Mamre—the Promised Land. Jacob's years had been few and difficult. But it was not empty and bitter. Jacob did not beg for the favor of Pharaoh for his life. Rather, it was rich with God's blessings and meaning. So with happiness in his soul Jacob blessed Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world in his time. Now, Jacob became a blessing—ready to bless even Pharaoh—the most powerful man in the world. God's blessings were overflowing in his life. Jacob became a blessing.
What can we learn from Joseph’s stewardship for his extended family? Joseph devised, coordinated, communicated, and implemented the plan well. He enabled his family members to be responsible through hard work, be useful with their skills, and be independent by depending on God. So they all settled in the land of Goshen. There they multiplied into millions of people over the next four hundred years.
The other day I met a retired Jewish professor. More than 150 people of his mother’s side died by the hands of Nazi Germany in the 1940s. His family settled in this land and started a new history. American history shows how immigrants from all over the world settled in this new world, started their families, communities, and this nation. Each group of people came to this land, were allowed to keep their national cultures, and yet interacted and lived together to form a nation. In all these settlement plans, some people acted like Joseph who had settled first and brought many others to live in peace and prosperity. Some of us here also play the role of Joseph on behalf of our families.
Yesterday some of our leaders visited Cleveland. There we saw a house church with three families. Initially, it started with the prayers of Dr. Tom and Maria Kalapos. One family settled there afterward. Another family joined. Now three families form a community to start a community of believers in that city. How do people join and commit to grow as God’s people? The conditions are clear. They find God in a community of believers, find their roles, meaning, and purpose; then they commit their lives.
What is the principle? God calls each of us as a blessing in this world. Then, we accept this calling of stewardship in this world. We settle first as a responsible man and woman like Joseph. Then, what do you do as you are allowed to be in a position of influence? Do not show favoritism. Do not break the law. Instead, involve other important people in order to make decisions together. Help others to settle as responsible and useful people in this world.
Second, Joseph's stewardship in the time of famine. (47:13-31)
Joseph was a faithful steward for all of the Egyptians. As the famine intensified, people had no more food. To avoid starvation they all came to Joseph. Joseph did not put the people on welfare. Rather, he made them pay for the grain they used. Joseph first collected money, then livestock, and then all the land.
Joseph did not give anything away for free. The people paid money to buy grain and then gave their livestock, and finally they sold their bodies and their lands and became slaves of Pharaoh. Even so, Joseph treated them with fairness and compassion. The tax rate was no more than 20%. This is quite low compared to even the current U.S. tax law. People expressed their gratitude to Joseph by saying, "You have saved our lives. May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." (47:25) They pledged their loyalty to Pharaoh.
In a sense, Joseph seems to be so ruthless to take away all the assets of the people. By using the seven years of famine, he strengthened the power of Pharaoh greatly. In the course of this, Joseph made himself quite valuable and powerful in Egypt as well. But in another sense, Joseph was simply a good steward in his world. From his early days, Joseph learned to be a faithful steward (i.e., caretaker) of his life—his faith, his talents, and his work. God kept expanding him with more opportunities. But Joseph remained faithful to care for the needs of people. As long as he cared for the needs of the people, God used him greatly. Eventually, Joseph became a leader for all—his own family, his extended family, and the world.
Joseph’s stewardship (i.e., his responsible management) in the world has some essential elements. First, Joseph made people pay for what they received. Joseph did not give grain freely. Only God’s gift is free. Nothing in this world is free. In principle we must pay for what we receive. Second, Joseph created value in his work. Through his hard work he made Pharaoh—his boss—rich and prosperous. Third, he devised a system of fair governance; Joseph did not exploit people but allowed them to live well—with low tax rates. Most importantly, Joseph continued to live humbly and faithfully before God. He stayed clean. He was free from corrupt personal gains. He did not indulge in pleasures that would give him trouble. He managed his own success well and made others prosper as well. He lived in faith, integrity, and competence. He fought the good fight. He kept his faith. He was running to the end—toward the final mark—his honorable death. We will discuss this in the next lesson.
Third, Joseph received Jacob’s blessings. (48:1-49:33)
Knowing that Jacob's death was near, Joseph took his two sons to get Jacob's blessings. Jacob simply adopted Joseph's two sons as his own. Joseph knew that his father Jacob’s blessings were much greater than all of his worldly blessings in Egypt. By this time, Joseph’s two sons—Manasseh and Ephraim—were teenagers. Joseph wanted them to receive the blessings of their grandpa—Jacob. Why? Look at 48:15 and 16: “Then he blessed Joseph and said, `May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm—may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and may they increase greatly upon the earth.” Here, the key is this: Joseph acknowledged that (1) his father Jacob’s blessings upon Manasseh and Ephraim were much greater than his own worldly blessings (2) Joseph was happy to let his two sons be called by Jacob’s name. Joseph allowed Jacob to adopt his two sons. In this way, Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, became two sons of Jacob and later two tribes of Israel. The name Joseph disappeared but the two sons remained. Prominent leaders like Joshua and Samuel came from the tribes of Ephraim—the second son of Joseph. On the other hand, the most prominent leader from Manasseh is Gideon. (Judges 6:15)
Jacob blessed Joseph by blessing Joseph's sons. It was based on Joseph’s sense of history and his foresight. He did not want his two sons to live as worldly Egyptians and disappear. Rather, he wanted his two sons to live as God’s people and become a part of twelve tribes of Israel.
What is the point here? True success in this life is in effective succession. Real success is not about what we do well, but what those after us do better. This requires humility to allow our sons and daughters and those whom we serve to become a part of something bigger than ourselves. Joseph did not limit his two sons under his influence all the time. Rather, he made these two sons become a part of his father Jacob’s another ten sons. Joseph allowed his two sons to associate with smelly shepherds of Israel rather than respectful, perfumed smell of Egyptians. Joseph passed God’s blessings to his two sons—Manasseh and Ephraim. In this way, these two sons were fully accepted by the other sons of Jacob. 400 years later, both descendants of Manasseh and Ephraim all departed the land of Egypt along with other ten tribes of Israel. Because of Joseph’s faith they lived as God’s people, not as Egyptians.
How could Joseph help his two sons become a part of God’s history? He humbly came to his father Jacob and asked for his blessings. In this way, his two sons—Manasseh and Ephraim—became a part of God’s history. We are here in Toledo to make something bigger than ourselves. UBF is a part of a great Christian mission movement. We are a vital part of God’s work in this generation. We participate in the large flows of God’s history. This will continue from generation to generation.
Life is quite short. This life is intended to be a blessing in this world. Our blessed lives ultimately make sense to fulfill God’s larger purpose—saving many lives in this world. Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it now honors those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and prosperity. In the past I did pay attention to such a holiday. It was just a day of rest, a cookout or chance to go camping. However, as we study the series of stewardship studies, we affirm this gift of life. We are committed to become responsible stewards of our time, talents, opportunities, and blessings. Our life is intended to bless others. May God help us to be good, responsible, and faithful stewards in this generation.
Toledo UBF; Dr. Paul Hong; May 30, 2010.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
