Joseph seeks his brethren

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2026 – JASON CRUISE

GENESIS 37 

In our Old Testament scriptures, we read of many people that point to the person and the work of Christ. We think there of the tabernacle and the wilderness. We think of Solomon's temple. We think of Noah's ark. We think of the ark of the covenant. We think of the scapegoat. We think of the red heifer. We think there of Isaac upon the altar. We think of the Passover lamb in Exodus 12. We think of the brazen serpent.  We think there of Moses the prophet and deliverer. We think of Melchizedek the priest king. We think of Aaron the high priest. The list goes on and on and on. All of these things and all of these people fit into a Bible category that we call typology.

Here in the book of Genesis, we read about a man called Joseph. And in the life of Joseph, we find many similarities and many parallels with the person and the work of Christ. You will know, of course, the love and the bond that there was between the father and the son, between Jacob and Joseph. How Jacob he made his son that coat of many colours. How Joseph had the dream and there in that dream he dreams about his sheaf and it rises up and it stood up and the sheaves of his brethren came and made obeisance or bowed down to Joseph's sheaf. How he dreams about the sun and the moon and the 11 stars, they come and they pay obeisance onto Joseph bow down before him. Those dreams were looking forward to a time beyond the suffering and the pain and the agony that Joseph was to endure in the pit in the prison in Egypt. How he would suffer there. How there in the pit they would bring him out and they would sell them to the Israelites, be taken down into the land of Egypt and suffer much. But the dreams that he had were looking ahead beyond that to a time whenever he would sit in authority and sit in power as the prime minister of Egypt. I think about the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 26 and verse 64, Christ is standing before Caiaphas, the high priest "Nevertheless, I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven." The Lord Jesus was looking to a time that was yet to come, whenever he would be sat down in regal splendour, in power and authority, a time that was to come away beyond Calvary. A time that was beyond what he would endure at Golgotha. Because of the coat that Jacob made for Joseph and because of the dreams that Joseph had his brethren hated him – verse 4, “they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.” Verse 5 tells us they hated him yet the more. Verse 8 we read “and they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.” In verse 11 we read “and his brethren envied him.” We see here the hatred that Joseph's brothers had for him and how that hatred grew and how it was boiling up within them. No doubt Joseph was well aware of how his brethren thought and how they felt towards him. But you know despite that in verse 13 we read how Jacob says to Joseph, “come and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, here am I.” Joseph was willing to be obedient to his father and to go to seek the welfare of his brother. He says, "Here am I.” Think of the bond and the friendship and the closeness, the communion that Joseph enjoyed with Jacob there at Hebron. Joseph was willing to go and to seek the welfare of his brethren. It was no easy task. In verse 14 we read “so he sent him out of the vale of Hebron and he came to Shechem.” It would have been a distance of about approximately 50 miles that young Joseph had to travel in order to come and seek the welfare of his brethren. Despite the distance, despite the dangers, despite the hatred Joseph was willing to go in obedience to his father. Perhaps God has been speaking to you lately to do a work for him. In Isaiah 6 the Lord speaks to Isaiah "Who shall I send and who will go for us?" Isaiah responds by saying "Here am I. Send me.” Has the Lord been speaking to you lately, to do some work for him? Maybe it's only to a neighbour across the street. To go and inquire why you haven't seen them lately. Maybe someone who used to attend but now has stopped. Have we, have you and I been willing to say those words, Lord, here am I send me? Have we been obedient to the Lord? Joseph is obedient to his father Jacob. Are you and I like Joseph? Are we obedient to our heavenly father? Are we willing to do what he asks of us?

Verses 15 to 17 Back in the verse number two, we see Joseph feeding the flock of his father reminding us of the Lord Jesus, the one who in John 10 is the good shepherd. But whenever he comes to Shechem, he finds that his brethren are not there and so he goes that extra distance - another 15 miles to Dothan. Joseph the seeker. Remember how the Lord Jesus left the splendour and glory of heaven but he came much more than 50 miles. He came all the way from heaven's glory. Joseph has made his way there to Shechem. He could have said, "Well, I've come this far. This is what my father wanted me to do, and I think this is far enough." But, you know, he went the extra. He went all the way to Dothan. That reminds me of my Saviour, the Lord Jesus. There in the garden of Gethsemane, he could have called an angel from heaven but he didn't. He went all the way to the cross at Calvary. He did not stop short. We read about Dothan in Joshua 24 verse 1 “And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and for their judges and for their officers and they presented themselves before God.” Joshua goes on to say in verse 15 “choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Shechem was a place of decision for Joseph either to turn back or to go on. Shechem was a place of decision for the children of Israel whether to serve the false gods or to serve the one true and living God. The decision that Joseph made at Shechem had an impact for the rest of his life. Whenever Joseph came to Shechem he meets a man who asked him “what seekest thou” and Joseph gives the reply “I seek my brothers.” That would remind us of our Saviour the Lord Jesus. He could have stopped short in the garden of Gethsemane. He could have said “I've come far enough.” He could have called 12 legions of angels. That's 72,000 angels. The scriptures tell us "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." He went all the way to that place called Calvary. There in the garden of Gethsemane he said “not my will but thine be done.” At the end of verse 17 we read “and Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dothan.” He went all the way. Before he gets to his brethren the hatred that they have for him is boiling up within them and in verse 19 we read of his brethren “behold this dreamer cometh.”  In the original Hebrew they refer to him as the master of dreams. What can we do with him? You can see the hatred that they have within themselves.

Look here at Reuben in verses 21 and 22. Here is Reuben and he well knows that's what's that what's going to take place is wrong. Reuben feels unable to stand up and to speak out loudly enough and tell his brethren how that they are wrong. He has him put into that pit believing that he's going to deliver him later on. Reuben here fails in speaking out loudly and clearly enough. None of us could point a finger at Reuben because there are many times that you and I have failed to stand up and speak out whenever we see those around about us saying things that are wrong or maybe involved in things that are wrong. We have that opportunity to speak out yet like Reuben we fail and we fail so miserably. May you and I be bold enough to speak up for the Lord.

Now look at the words of Judah in verses 27 and 28. His eyes are upon what is temporal, on what is the material. He asks in verse 26, "What profit is it if we slay our brother?" Judah is only interested in the money. In the Hebrew if we translate it into the Greek, the name Judah means Judas. And of course, that would remind us of none other than Judas Iscariot, a man who for 30 pieces of silver betrayed the Lord Jesus. A man who in the gospel we would often say kissed the gates of heaven yet passed through the gates of hell. Judah’s eye was not upon that which is eternal but rather was upon that which is material and temporal. We need to always keep our eyes upon that which is eternal. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 6 verse 19 said "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." We are only pilgrims here on Earth. We are only passing through. Your citizenship and mine today is in heaven. Don't get caught up with the material. Don't be like Judah. But keep your eye upon that which is eternal. They sell young Joseph to these merchant men, these tradesmen, these businessmen and they bring him down there into the land of Egypt. They have come with all their spices and all their balms and now in the slave market. I picture in my mind young Joseph as he stands there in the slave market and I wonder as he stood there, did anyone realize that here is one who is going to be a greater blessing than all the spices and balm of Gilead. The one who was the shepherd at Hebron. The one who was the seeker at Shechem would become the Saviour in Egypt. What a picture of Christ he is. We are thankful today for that one that you and I have put our faith and our trust in the one who came to seek and to save you and I.

Whenever we come to verses 31-33, we find that these brothers of Joseph, have a dilemma. They have a great problem. What are they going to tell Jacob? In that great roll call of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 we read about, the great man that Jacob was. But yet, you know, as a young man, he was a man that you and I would have wanted to stay well clear of. For Jacob was a deceiver and he was a twister. And here now these sons of Jacob, they have brought the coat of many colours dipped in the blood of the young goat. A W Pink in his commentary, would make a link here between the coat dipped in the blood and the day of atonement. My mind goes back only 10 chapters to chapter 27 where Rebecca takes the skins of the kids of the young goats and she puts them upon Jacob. And Jacob goes into the presence of his father Isaac and there he deceives him, and he receives the blessing. Now his own sons are seeking to do the very same thing to him. Jacob's sons, of course, weren't there whenever Jacob deceived his father, but I have no doubt that they heard about it. It was something that was talked about - how Jacob deceived his father and how his sons deceived him. We must watch the example that we set to those that come after us. Guard your testimony today. Watch your witness for the Lord. You and I are setting examples that others will follow.

Verses 35 and 36. The Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard. Jacob refuses to be comforted. He  believes that a wild beast has come and killed his son. If you and I could go back in time and see Jacob there that day and put the question to him, “if you had known all that you believe has happened to Joseph, if you had known all that he will suffer, would you have sent him? Whenever you think about the fellowship and the communion and the relationship that you had with him in the vale of Hebron would you have sent your son?” I am sure that Jacob would have said “if I had known all that would befall my son I would never have sent him.” There are many parallels and many similarities between the life of Joseph and the life of Christ. But here we find a great contrast, a great difference. No doubt Jacob wouldn't have sent his son if he had known all that would befall him. Think of our heavenly father, how despite the fact that he knew all that would happen to his son, despite the fact that he knew all that would befall him at Gethsemane and at Golgotha. Despite knowing all the wickedness, the harm, the pain, the torture, the anguish that his son would experience, he was still willing to send them, still willing to send them. To suffer, to bleed, and to die, and to be the Saviour of the world. I put the question to you, the one who died upon the cross. The one that the Father sent knowing that all that would befall him. I ask you, do you know him? Do you know him personally? He is the only Saviour of sinners. If you don't know him today, come and put your faith and your trust in him, and you'll know the joy of sins forgiven and the assurance of a home in heaven.