WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:04.879 You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk 2 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:12.160 about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. All right, Wesley, 3 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:15.000 I just heard the rollin It says we're supposed to talk about the Bible in 4 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.000 fun and practical ways. Yes, that's what we're gonna do. You better 5 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:20.800 make it fun. So, hey, if you're with us for the first 6 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.839 time, I'm Jeff Forster, one of the co hosts of The Bible Guys, 7 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:31.000 and I have as a guest co host today the Unstoppable, Inspirational and 8 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:37.000 Captivating Wesley Woods. He's been with us all week long, and Chris Sarbaugh 9 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:40.679 is out this week. He's working on a project in the Dominican Republic. 10 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:44.719 And so I am so glad that you are with us. This should be 11 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:50.119 a fun and interesting podcast. Yeah, it's good to be here. So 12 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:52.520 I got to ask this, So this is going to be funny, and 13 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:56.200 it's this is called Who's most Likely? Oh, but we're going to bring 14 00:00:56.280 --> 00:01:00.039 Chris into this. Oh, so Who's more Likely? This is usually the 15 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:03.880 episode where we're asking what made Chris mad? This week, since he's not 16 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:07.799 here, we are going to just add him in here we're gonna add him 17 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:10.879 in. Okay, who's most likely? Who's most likely? So here's the 18 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:14.560 first when there are five of these. Number one, who's most likely to 19 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:21.359 laugh at their own jokes even when no one else finds them funny? Chris, 20 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:27.599 I'm gonna say both of us, but these are gonna get you in 21 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:30.799 trouble. Yeah, I'm gonna say me on that one. I think I 22 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:34.439 think I laugh more at my own jokes than he laughs at his own jokes. 23 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:37.840 Okay, Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna take that one, all right. 24 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:42.959 So Number two, who's most likely to become a viral meme without even 25 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:48.840 by va is a walking viral meme. So that's there's no doubt about that 26 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:52.760 one. He wins that one. Okay. Number three, who's most likely 27 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:57.159 to take a day road trip to another state for one meal? Oh me, 28 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:01.920 I've done it to give the bed. Yeah, I've done it. 29 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:07.400 So my wife grew up near Chicago, and then I worked in Chicago for 30 00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:14.560 years, and I began to realize I was working late at night in Chicago. 31 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:17.039 I used to work for UPS, and the main hub used to be 32 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:22.400 downtown. And then I left UPS and I went to work for Marriott Hotel 33 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:25.520 on Michigan Avenue just north of the river. There a magnificent mile, and 34 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:29.919 so we would get out of work late at night. I was still in 35 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:32.199 college and would have to drive an hour home. So a lot of times 36 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:37.520 we're starving college guys. And we began to realize that wherever there were a 37 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:39.800 bunch of cop cars at a restaurant at eleven o'clock at night, it was 38 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:44.000 gonna be a good restaurant, and so we just would pull in if we 39 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:47.039 drive past. Back then, Mayor Daily was the mayor, and he allowed 40 00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:52.919 restaurants to give free food to police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers. And 41 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:55.439 so you know, if you could eat for free anywhere, and you keep 42 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:58.840 going and there's five cops in one place, what you want to go there? 43 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:02.479 Five firefighters? And so we found this place called Ricabines, and Riccabines 44 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:07.680 is underneath the freeway bridge, just north of where the White Sox play baseball. 45 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:10.560 Back then, it sounds like one of those places that's been around since 46 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:14.000 like the fifties. So it's the twenties. Yeah, yeah, it was 47 00:03:14.039 --> 00:03:16.360 the twenties. And when I found it, it was a hole in the 48 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:22.639 wall literally it had like a rail, like like a shelf against the wall. 49 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:25.680 That was the only table, and they just fixed the food handed over 50 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:29.639 and it was a carry out kind of a place. And they make the 51 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:34.000 most amazing bread and steak sandwiches. Wow. So they'll pound the steak flat, 52 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:37.840 they'll bred it, fry it right, and then they dip it in 53 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:39.719 marinera and fold it up. They put it on an Italian bund, cover 54 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:46.599 it marinera and with peppers and onions, and they cover it in mozzarella. 55 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:51.240 Wow, on this Italian bun. And then they fresh cut their fries. 56 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:54.280 And it's my favorite sandwich in the world. I'm sure it's a week's worth 57 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:59.120 of calories. Yeah right, but hey, when you're twenty years old, 58 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:01.840 you need anything you want. So I did. And uh Man, Bonnie 59 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:04.000 and I we were just talking about it one day. This is this is 60 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:08.000 a few years ago, probably a decade ago. I was just talking about 61 00:04:08.039 --> 00:04:10.199 Ricky Beanies and I would love to go back there. I said I would 62 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:13.560 go right now, and she goes, let's go. And I had gotten 63 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:15.960 out of work early. I didn't have any more meetings that day, and 64 00:04:15.040 --> 00:04:17.360 so we got the kids. We put them in the car and we drove 65 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:21.000 all the way to Chicago fresh sandwich, and then drove back. Well, 66 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:24.839 no, we stayed the night. I got a hotel there. Yeah. 67 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:27.439 Well because because we left it like three and the fno, so we didn't 68 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:30.680 get there until eight o'clock four four and a half hour, and so we 69 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:34.480 stayed and then we stayed overnight. I got the same sandwich the next half 70 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:38.600 morning, so you're committee. We go for lunch and then we drove all 71 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:40.720 the way home. We didn't. We didn't do anything else that she gotten 72 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:44.639 winch got the sandwich two times and came home. Oh wow, Yeah, 73 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:46.560 so definitely, so you win the record on that way, I drove seven 74 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:50.720 hundred miles round trip for a time sandwich. I might do that for the 75 00:04:50.759 --> 00:04:55.680 waffle house I went too. I went to I Love You and I both 76 00:04:55.720 --> 00:05:00.720 get in a car. Because our closest waffle house is in har he can 77 00:05:00.759 --> 00:05:03.959 go to the one in Toledo. I just prefer the people. Yeah. 78 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:08.959 I like to get my my hash brown scattered, smothered and covered. May 79 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:14.120 I get him? Yeah? So number four, who's most likely to try 80 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:20.839 to break a world record for the silliest reasons imaginable? Ye? That's funny. 81 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:24.920 Uh. And then last one, this is it number five. Who's 82 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:30.360 most likely to accidentally set off the fire alarm while trying to cook a simple 83 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:34.600 meal? I don't know, I've never heard talk about cooking. Well, 84 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:39.160 he's not a cook. He'll say that he's not a cook. So then 85 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:41.519 that's gonna be me. It's going to be me. But I don't really 86 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:44.560 set off the fire alarm very often. Yeah, but yeah, so he 87 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:47.279 doesn't, he's not It might be if he doesn't cook. Well, yeah, 88 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:50.639 that's true, since he's not a cook. He set it off boiling 89 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:56.240 water. That's pretty good. Okay, all right, well we're gonna put 90 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.079 that on Zara. Yeah all right, Hey that was a fun one. 91 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:00.519 Yeah, well we may see Chris. We're looking forward to being back in 92 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:05.439 the studio. So I think I think the next time he's in the studio, 93 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:09.560 I am not. Oh wow, Yeah, I'm on my way. 94 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:14.360 I have a project in London. We're working with a church planting group. 95 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:18.439 They're introducing this idea. And then I'll be in Tanzania. And then I'm 96 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:23.959 leaving Tanzania and going to Sri Lanka. Wow. And so yeah, I'm 97 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:27.240 gonna be gone for two weeks popping around the world. Yes, I think 98 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:30.360 Zarabas is going to be with guest hosts over the next couple weeks, so 99 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:35.120 that's pretty good. Yeah. Anyways, Hey, we are continuing with the 100 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:40.959 story of the life of Joseph, and all these promises God had made are 101 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:46.759 coming true. We have wrapped up the last time we wrapped up where Joseph 102 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:51.399 had sent his brothers with grain and kept Simeon back saying go get my Go 103 00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:59.439 get Benjamin and bring him back and prove that he is really alive. And 104 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:02.120 that will prove to me that you guys aren't spies and he's just yank in 105 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:05.480 their chains, right, because they don't know who he is. Well, 106 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:11.000 then they do. They come back with Benjamin and in the previous chapters, 107 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:15.040 now we're skipping that part, but in the previous chapters then Joseph is so 108 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:19.360 happy he still has not exposed to them who he is. He has a 109 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:26.399 big banquet and he gives Benjamin five times as much foods as now. Remember, 110 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:31.639 Benjamin is Joseph's full brother. All the rest of their brothers are Benjamin 111 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:39.040 are Joseph's half brothers. Because Jacob was married to four women, right, 112 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:43.519 bib doesn't endorse that. That's just the truth of it. And so the 113 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.120 other brothers, the other ten brothers are his half brothers, but he had 114 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:54.759 never met Benjamin was Benjamin was born after he had so he then gives them 115 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.439 a bunch of bags of grain. He puts their gold or their the money 116 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:01.600 that they paid back in the bags of grain, and then he had one 117 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:09.199 of his servants hide his silver cup in Benjamin's bag. And then after they 118 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:13.120 leave, he sends some police to go and arrest them for stealing his cup. 119 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:20.079 And they're like, oh, you can't do this. And Ruben says, 120 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:26.160 our father is at home, and I promised him that I would bring 121 00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:30.079 Benjamin back, and if I don't, then he's going to execute my kids, 122 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.080 right, and so don't do this. Please don't do it, Lord, 123 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:35.039 Please let me stay here. And Ruben is saying, I'll be the 124 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:39.159 slave and send Benjamin back. And then that's where we pick up in Genesis 125 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:45.879 chapter forty five. It says Joseph could stand it no longer. There were 126 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:48.200 many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, out all 127 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:52.240 of you. And so he was alone with his brothers when he told them 128 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:56.000 who he was, and then he broke down and wept. He wept so 129 00:08:56.320 --> 00:09:00.320 loudly that Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carry to the 130 00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:03.480 Pharaoh's palace. I am Joseph, he said to his brothers. Is my 131 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:11.399 father still alive? But his brothers were speechless. I could imagine they were 132 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:15.360 stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. Please come 133 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:16.960 closer, he said to them, And so they came closer, and he 134 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:20.200 said again, I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery 135 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:24.399 in Egypt. But don't be upset, and don't be angry with yourselves for 136 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:28.080 selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of 137 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:33.279 you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two 138 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:35.919 years will last five more years, and they'll be neither plowing nor harvesting. 139 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:41.279 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and 140 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:43.799 to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not 141 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:48.559 you. And He is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh, 142 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:52.480 the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt. Now hurry 143 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.879 back to my father and tell him this is what your son, Joseph says. 144 00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:00.480 God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. Come down 145 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:03.840 to me immediately. You can live in the region of Goshen, where you 146 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:07.080 can be near me, with all your children and grandchildren, your flocks and 147 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:09.919 herds, and everything you own, and I will take care of you there, 148 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:16.240 for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you, 149 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:20.279 your household, and all your animals will starve. Then, Joseph added, 150 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:24.279 Look, you can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, 151 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:26.320 that I really am. Joseph, go tell my father my honored position 152 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:30.279 here in Egypt, describe for him everything you've seen, and then bring my 153 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:33.919 father here. Quickly, weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin, and Benjamin 154 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:37.639 did the same. Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and wept over them, 155 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:43.279 and after that they began talking freely with him. That's an amazing story. 156 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:48.159 They were the beginning of his life. To the end of this story 157 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:54.600 here is just absolutely amazing. In verse five, I love that last sentence. 158 00:10:54.720 --> 00:11:00.279 It says, it was God who sent me here ahead of you to 159 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:05.759 preserve your lives, and I think about how God can use a bad situation 160 00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:11.799 but turn it out for your good. Now, it's not that God is 161 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:16.440 causing the bad, And I think that's where sometimes people confuse it. God 162 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:20.639 isn't causing the evil that you see in the world, but in the midst 163 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:24.840 of that evil, God can preserve and bless and do all types of things. 164 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:26.720 So it's I think it's important to separate that. You it's not God 165 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:31.639 causing the bad, but in the middle of bad, God can cause good 166 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:33.759 to spring forth. Yeah, which is exactly so God's not saying it was 167 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:39.639 good or it was even God's plan for his brothers to sell him into slavery. 168 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:43.480 Yeah, it wasn't God's plan that he would suffer in slavery or suffer 169 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:48.639 in prison. But all those things happening, God was guiding Joseph in a 170 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:52.840 way that Joseph could save the whole family, which ultimately from Jacob's family comes 171 00:11:52.919 --> 00:11:58.120 Jesus. This was a part of the whole strategy of getting Jesus to the 172 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:07.320 planet through Abraham's family. Isaac was Abraham's son. Jacob is the chosen one 173 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:11.320 of Isaac's sons. And then now you have you know, one of Isaac's 174 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:16.080 sons or one of Joseph's sons or jacob sons. There you go, Yeah, 175 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:20.759 one of jacob sons rescuing Jacob in the family to keep this going. 176 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.200 So, yeah, you're right. God uses a bad thing. He didn't 177 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:26.240 cause the bad thing, but he made good come out of the bad thing. 178 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:31.080 Yeah, But I do think it's funny how you mentioned in verse three 179 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:37.879 how the brothers were speechless and they were stuned, which I can understand how 180 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:43.440 they were shocked to see Joseph's standing in front of them, But they caused 181 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:50.000 this whole mess that they were It's not like Joseph caused the mess that they 182 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:52.039 were in. They really caused the mess, but they were in in that 183 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:54.720 moment. So it's just hilarious to me, Like they don't know what to 184 00:12:54.799 --> 00:13:00.399 say in that moment, right, Yeah, I would have apologized with like, 185 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:03.120 yeah, I don't know what to say right now. At first, 186 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:05.279 I think they must have been thinking, how does he know this story? 187 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:09.519 Yeah, he's using this against because he's been playing mind games for them all 188 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:11.360 along. Yep, right, this has been you think about it. It 189 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:16.679 would have taken months to get to back to Canaan and then to come return 190 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:20.519 again. And so Simeon's been in jail all this time. I don't know 191 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:26.320 what kind of jail it was. He's certainly been being held back. Yeah, 192 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:31.200 and then he's kind of playing games with them. He arrests them after 193 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:37.159 having placed this cup in Benjamin's bag, all this stuff, and then finally 194 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:43.759 he can't stand it anymore. And the thing that pushed him over was Ruben's 195 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:48.200 desire to be willing to sacrifice his own life for the benefit of his brother. 196 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:52.840 Yeah, right, But I wonder, and we don't know the motivation 197 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:58.840 in the heart of Ruben, but I wonder what was his motivation. Was 198 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:07.559 it really that he cared about Benjamin or was it more so he cared about 199 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:11.879 his family more? Like, I wonder what the motivation. His argument is, 200 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:15.759 our father's life is bound up in the boy's life, is what it 201 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:18.559 says in the previous chapter forty four, and he says, if he sees 202 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:22.600 that the boy is not with us, our father will die. So he's 203 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:26.080 appealing. But it's interesting he didn't know that Joseph was Joseph. Yeah, 204 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:31.639 so he wasn't appealing to Joseph like like, hey, if you don't do 205 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:35.639 this, you're your dad. Yeah. What he's thinking is if this happens 206 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:41.519 again, Dad's gonna die, right, Yeah. And so I think Joseph 207 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:45.919 can see a little bit of repentance in them, at least in Reuben, 208 00:14:46.440 --> 00:14:48.559 the idea that I can't put my dad through that again. Yeah right, 209 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.240 this is so keep me that doesn't care about me. Yeah, he cares 210 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:56.720 about Benjamin. Keep me, I'll do it. Ruben's the oldest brother, 211 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:01.240 and so he's speaking on behalf of all the other brothers when he says this, 212 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:05.200 right, that's how it worked in the Middle East culture, and so 213 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:07.840 he's speaking on behalf of all the brothers. Keep me. Let Benjamin go, 214 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:11.960 because our dad will die if he doesn't show back up again. And 215 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:18.360 that's when finally, Joseph, I think it is realizing my dad almost died 216 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:20.879 because I was gone. He loves me. My brothers are feeling guilty about 217 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:24.240 what they did. That's why they don't want to do this again to their 218 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:28.000 dad. All these things, and I think that was enough. It was 219 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:31.519 enough to realize they're in anguish. It was enough to understand that they they 220 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:35.559 had realized what they'd done before was wrong and they can't do it again, 221 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:37.919 you know, all those things. And that's when finally he can't stand it 222 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:41.759 any longer and he goes, Okay, hey, I need to tell you 223 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:46.679 something. I'm Joseph. Yeah, And then they're like, what Sometimes I 224 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:52.519 wish I could get the backstory behind something. So how it talked about how 225 00:15:52.840 --> 00:15:58.039 he wept so much that it made it all the way to Pharaoh's house, 226 00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:00.360 right, so I want to know, like the bet will, what were 227 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:03.320 they thinking was going on? You know, call the nuances and backstories. 228 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:07.799 But I do love verse ten when it says you can live in the region 229 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:14.879 of Ghoshen where you can be near me with all your children and grandchildren, 230 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:18.080 your flocks and herds and everything you own. So number one, after everything 231 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:23.080 that happened, he wants the brothers and the family near him, Yeah, 232 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:27.799 which I think is just absolutely amazing. And then to take it a step 233 00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:36.440 further, how Joseph chose holiness over revenge. He could have had revenge in 234 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:41.000 his heart, he sure did, but he chose holiness instead. And for 235 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:44.919 our listeners, I think, how often do we do that? You know, 236 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:48.440 do we choose holiness or do we choose revenge? Because revenge is what 237 00:16:48.519 --> 00:16:52.320 makes the flesh feel good. We would love to get back and have the 238 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:57.240 last word and to do all that, but is that the holy response or 239 00:16:57.279 --> 00:17:00.039 is that what's just going to make your flesh happy? Boy? That's the 240 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:06.119 challenge. It that that'll preach Wesley, that'll preach Hey. I just realized 241 00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:08.200 by the way I think I said Reuben was the one who stepped forward, 242 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:12.680 it wasn't. It was Judah. So I for our Bible students in there, 243 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:17.279 we get everyone saw somebody catch me. You can say, I know 244 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:18.279 what I was thinking, and then I was a sadden went I think I 245 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:22.039 said Reuben. So went back and check that it was Judah who was the 246 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:26.160 one who stepped forward. And this would have been a great test for Joseph 247 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:30.039 to be able to know did they really change? And there is something about 248 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:33.000 that too. It's not wrong if you've been hurt by somebody, God calls 249 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:37.200 us to forgive them, but to let them back into your life. It's 250 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:40.720 fair for you to say, I need to know that you've changed before we 251 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:42.960 going to let you back in my life. I can forgive you where forgiveness 252 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:47.119 is. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna punish you I'm not going to take 253 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:51.440 real forgiveness, and I know this in my own life. Real forgiveness is 254 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.279 saying, I'm giving up my right to be the judge, jury, and 255 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:59.680 executioner. I'm going to give that over to God. Joseph did that clearly 256 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:02.720 because could have executed them and he didn't. He blessed them anyways, so 257 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:04.599 he forgave them, but he wasn't sure if he's going to let them in 258 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:10.279 his life again. And he let them in his life once he realized even 259 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:15.759 Judah was willing to step up and take responsibility for the family for the benefit 260 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:18.480 of his brothers. Where they've changed since I knew them, and looking for 261 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:22.759 that change is what I believe changed Joseph, And I think that's a reasonable 262 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:26.640 thing for us that we can forgive. Hey, God, I'm giving up 263 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:29.519 my right to be the judge, jury and executionery and that's up to you 264 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:32.799 now. But I don't have to let people who hurt me back in my 265 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:36.480 life. And I think, Jeff, that's what people struggle with right there, 266 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:41.440 with not having a good understanding of forgiveness. For some people, in 267 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:47.279 their mind, forgiveness means that I'm just accepting you back and letting you back 268 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:52.720 in. But I think of that person struggling in let's say an abusive relationship. 269 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:57.519 They're dating someone, it's abusive relationship. They separate themselves from that relationship. 270 00:18:57.960 --> 00:19:02.000 The Bible says that you have to forgive, and they're thinking, well, 271 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:03.640 you know, I don't want to let this person back in. You 272 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:07.440 don't have to let you. You should forgive, but you don't have to 273 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:11.599 let that person back in. He let me go strong with that. He 274 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:15.759 let them go. A long time where he was he was trying to figure 275 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:18.559 out have they changed? And this is the moment when he realizes they did 276 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.519 change, is when Judah steps up and goes, our father's going to die, 277 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:27.279 right we I'll suffer for the benefit of the rest of the brothers. 278 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:32.200 Whereas before they had so much hatred in them that they were willing to kill 279 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:37.039 their brother and now it's Judah's saying, I'll suffer so that the rest can 280 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:40.079 have peace. And he realized, okay, hey, even Judah, kind 281 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:47.680 of the ringleader of the group, was the one that had demonstrated that he 282 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:51.400 changed. And Joseph went, okay, now you can move to goshen Ye 283 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:53.839 right now, you need to know who I am. I'm Joseph. I've 284 00:19:53.839 --> 00:20:00.160 been testing you for months and you've proven to me that you're legit yea. 285 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:06.920 And so he I'm not saying that you should treat people like you're the Pharaoh 286 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:11.319 and you get the abusive back to test them. You're let the thumbs up 287 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:14.559 or thumbs yeah, yeah, I'm gonna kill you or not kill you. 288 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:18.920 But I am saying that there is value and having people who've hurt you prove 289 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:23.400 that they've changed, and that can take time and maybe it's unprovable sometimes, 290 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:29.759 but so forgiveness and restoration are two different things, and in this situation you 291 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:32.559 get them both. And not only that, but Goshen is up in the 292 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:37.039 Nile River delta where there's if there was any place in Egypt that you were 293 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:40.519 going to be able to grow food and take care of your your sheep and 294 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:42.240 your goats and stuff, it was going to be there, yeah, right, 295 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:47.200 And so he not only restored them, he put them back in the 296 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:52.200 best place in applying location. So, Jeff, we're talking about forgiveness, 297 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:56.680 and we saw how Joseph did that. But someone's listening right now and they're 298 00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:03.960 thinking, how can I even forgive when a person did me wrong, when 299 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:07.519 they did something against me. How can I even get to that point? 300 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:11.599 You know, you could have a child angry at a parent, You could 301 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:15.799 have all different types of situations. How can you Someone is thinking that right 302 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:18.720 now, that sounds great, you know, to forgive and all of that, 303 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:22.200 But how can I even do that based on what was done to me? 304 00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:23.119 Yeah? What would you say to that? Well, I think we 305 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:30.160 have to redefine our concept of forgiveness and have it aligned with God's concept of 306 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:33.400 forgiveness. When God forgives you of your sin, he's not saying your sin 307 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:36.640 was okay. Yeah, he's not saying, oh, it's no big deal. 308 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:40.680 But that's what we think. When God forgives our sins, he still 309 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:45.480 executes justice. Jesus died and that fulfilled the justice of God with regard to 310 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:49.559 our sin. So then God says, I'm not going to punish you anymore. 311 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:56.240 I don't need to execute judgment on you anymore. And that is if 312 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:59.039 we can get to that point where we say, okay, I'm going to 313 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:03.920 choose not to execute judgment on you. Yeah, that is God's level of 314 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:08.720 forgiveness there, right, Yeah, And then you know in Romans chapter twelve. 315 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:14.319 It says to don't repay evil for evil, but pay good, right, 316 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:19.160 and then don't try to get revenge. Instead, God says, vengeance 317 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:22.920 is mine. I will repay. So if you can say, Okay, 318 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:26.640 I'm not going to be the one getting revenge for what you did, and 319 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:30.640 I don't feel the need to execute judgment on you, I'm gonna let God 320 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:36.000 do that. That is the threshold of biblical forgiveness to set there, and 321 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:37.839 it sets you free because no, no longer do you have to hunt this 322 00:22:37.880 --> 00:22:41.319 person down. No longer do you have to figure out and connive some solution 323 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:45.680 for revenge. Now you are free now to go about your life. Yeah, 324 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:48.319 and it's over. That doesn't mean you restore them. Restoration was a 325 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:51.599 whole other process for Joseph. Yeah, way beyond free. He chose to 326 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:55.200 forgive them when he met them. He'd probably already forgiven them because he chose 327 00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:57.200 not to execute them the minute he knew they were because the Bible says he 328 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:00.680 knew who they were immediately, and these were the guys that you know Judah 329 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:07.240 wanted the killing, right, yeah, uh, And and instead he forgave 330 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:11.480 them then and chose not to kill them back. He blessed them anyways, 331 00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:14.559 but you don't have to let them back into your life, yeah immediately. 332 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:18.279 Restoration and forgiveness are two different things. Yeah, but I think the Western 333 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:22.480 view is forgiveness is everything's okay, we're back to normal, yes, And 334 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:26.880 that's not that's not biblical forgiveness. What people struggle with that if I say 335 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:30.920 I forgive you, it means I've given a green light to what you did, 336 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:34.079 right. I think that's how people sometimes configure it in their minds. 337 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:38.680 But that's not the Biblical that's that's right, that's right. So I think 338 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.279 that, you know, we can look at Joseph's life here and see that 339 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:45.720 there's a difference and there's a big gap between the moment he forgave, yeah, 340 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:48.799 versus the moment he restored. Those are two different things. Yeah, 341 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:52.160 yep. Now this has been a great story. Oh that's fantastic. Well, 342 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:55.880 thank you Wesley for joining us this week, and uh, we're thank 343 00:23:55.880 --> 00:23:57.559 you for joining us here on the Bob. Guys. We look forward to 344 00:23:57.559 --> 00:23:59.599 seeing you the next time.