In one scene, immediately after the paratroopers hit the
ground in France, Lieutenant Winters and Private Hall wander through the
countryside before meeting up with the rest of the Americans. The private radiates fear and insecurity
because he lacks the exact knowledge of where he is. The lieutenant, however, speaks with a calm
confidence coming from his careful study of the maps and from the maturity of
his training. He sees the big picture,
and following his leadership, they soon find their other comrades and make it
to the rendezvous point with the rest of the Americans.
Here’s the conversation Winters and Hall have as they walk
through a dark, sparse forest with the echo of gunfire in the distance:
The private asks, “Do you have any idea where we are,
sir?” “Some,” says Lieutenant
Winters. “I need your help to locate
some landmarks to get our bearings. Keep
your eyes peeled for buildings, farmhouses, bridges, and roads.” “I wonder if the rest of them are as lost as
we are?” “We’re not lost, Private. We’re in Normandy!”
Every one of us has been like that private. And nothing reduces us to that status any
more than brokenness. It may be physical
brokenness. It may be relational and
emotional. It may be any number of other
deprivations. But what is common in the
midst of our affliction is an inability to see the big picture.
This week we are going to re-examine one of the choice
passages in all of Scripture in which the myopia of Joseph’s brothers runs
headlong into his big picture perspective. Indeed, Derek Kidner, in his commentary on the
last chapter of Genesis, notes that what we find in Joseph’s big picture
perspective is the clearest, most unvarnished presentation of biblical faith in
all of the Scriptures. For here in the wake
of his father’s death, the brothers who had betrayed Joseph, the brothers who
repeatedly seek after their own selfish desire are scared to death of what
Joseph would now do to them. So they
make up a lie and transmit it to Joseph through a messenger. They say, “Your father…” Now get that!
He’s their father too, yet they say, “Your father gave strict orders
before he died that you were to forgive us…”
And yet in the face of his brother’s dereliction and fear,
Joseph exhibits in the essence of the true faith. Kidmer calls it the pinnacle of faith. Joseph makes three statements that reflect
the power of the Holy Spirit on his life.
Indeed, Kidner is right. There is no greater synthesis of godly trust than the three
declaratives Joseph makes in the face of his troubled brothers.
These three declarations are not the product of radical
spontaneity. They are, rather, the
product of a life lived on the battlefield of torment, in justice, abuse, and
loss. Like that lieutenant, Joseph knows
exactly where he is. He knows exactly
where his brothers are. And his
declarations reveal it.
In preparation for Sunday’s message, “Seeing the Big
Picture”, you may wish to consider the following:
1. Briefly
review Joseph’s life from chapter 37 when he’s sold into slavery by his
brothers.
2. How
long is Joseph away from his brothers?
3. How
does God use the sin of his brothers’ betrayal for His purposes?
4. How
does God use the death of Jacob for his purposes?
5. How
long does Jacob live in Egypt before he dies?
6. Why
do the brothers doubt Joseph’s forgiveness in the face of their father’s death?
7. What
three things does Joseph say in the face of his brothers’ lie and fear?
8. What
is he saying in verse 19?
9. What
is he saying in verse 20?
10. What
is he saying in verse 21?
11. How
do these three declarations demonstrate the pinnacle of biblical faith?
12. How
able are you to say them and mean them?
See you Sunday!
