13. God Has Done This

INTRODUCTION - God Has Done This

Psalms 68:34 — Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

• Ascribe to attribute a cause, source, author, or quality to someone.

• honor without dishobour (angry, jealous, taking vengenance, allowing evil, etc) -- It is paramount our SALVATION and HEALTH to Judge God right!

1 John 1:5 — This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Genesis 44:1 — And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

Genesis 45:7 — And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

• Joseph's brothers treatment of him, is clear and obvious to indentify as as WRONG, but how do we square some of the details for which Joseph "gives the glory to God" --- YOU DIDN"T SEND ME HERE, GOD DID!
• THE NARRATIVE: Jacob, over the course of time, took 4 wives, but of the Four - leah, rachel, bilhah, zilpa - Ge 29:18 And Jacob loved Rachel;... After being barren, it was after Rachel gave birth to Joseph that Jacob decided he could finally return to his home country (Genesis 30:25). In leaving, Rachel stole her dad's idols and lies about her health to conceal them.

1. POLYGAMY is always bad. (Jacob had four wives, Appreciating the patriarch Jacob)

• 1. LEAH: Reubon, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Isaachar, Zebulun
• 2. RACHEL: Joseph, Benjamin
• 3. BILHAH: Dan, Naptali
• 4. ZILPA (Leah's Handmaid):

Augustine of Hippo: (the patriarchs like Jacob were righteous...) 1. Duty vs. Lust 2. The Custom of the Time 3. The Allegorical Meaning (Galatians 4:21–31, Paul allegorizes Abraham's relations with Sarah and Hagar)

Galatians 4:24 — Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. [a prolonged metaphor]

• "Moral Anachronism"

the patriarchs like Jacob were righteous, the application of the moral law changed with the arrival of Christ.

• The "from the beginning" principle of Matthew 19 "from the beginning it was not so"
• The Shift from Quantity to Unity - The Old Law focused on physical lineage, while the New Law focuses on spiritual fruitfulness.
• in this Age of Grace, the only reason a man would seek multiple wives is for "the gratification of lust", which is sinful.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

2. FAVORITISM is always bad. - Jacob had a favorite Wife, show favoritism to her 2 children.

• the marrative passages are not condonded to every deatial...

Ro 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

• God demonstrates much grace, in moses prayer

Ex 33:13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

• positive case: honor to whom honor is due

• Negative: It Breeds Jealousy

Genesis 37:2 — These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

Genesis 37:3 — Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

Genesis 37:5 — And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

3. LYING is sometimes bad. - The Framing of Benjamin

4. REDEMPTION - Instructing the Steward

CONCLUSION - There is only 1 that can set Wrong Things Right

• God is Light to our Darkness:

• Ps 7:1 ¶ <<Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.>> --- A diquise maybe for Saul the Benjamin ?!?

Ps 7:3 O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;