God Sent a Man Before Them

Exodus 1:6-12

 

 

Exodus 1:8 (NKJV) Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

 

As we begin Exodus, we immediately encounter the shadow of Joseph. If we do not understand Joseph, we will not fully understand Exodus. Previously, we looked at the opening verses of Exodus and considered the family that became the nation of Israel, God’s own special people. As we see how God worked in the life of this family, we will gain a greater understanding of God and His works. Here again is the family tree.

 

 

 

Joseph was a chosen vessel of God, used to prepare the way for the family of Israel to be protected and multiplied in Egypt. Joseph’s story is not merely about a man betrayed by his brothers. It is about the hidden providence of God, the God who protects and multiplies us.

 

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob (Israel), the first son of Jacob’s wife Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel uniquely, and Joseph, Rachel’s firstborn son, became the object of Jacob’s favoritism. Jacob made this painfully obvious to everyone when he gave Joseph a “coat of many colors.

 

To understand how deeply Jacob favored Joseph, consider an incident that occurred many years later. By that time, Joseph was serving as prime minister of Egypt. During a time of severe famine, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy food. Joseph tested his brothers by insisting they bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, to Egypt if they ever returned. Later,Joseph framed Benjamin for theft. 

 

The brothers all tore their robes in grief. They were not willing to abandon their little brother to slavery and imprisonment. Judah, the fourth son of Leah, pleaded with Joseph to punish him in Benjamin’s place. Listen to what Judah said concerning his father:

Genesis 44:27-29 (NKJV) 27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 ‘and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. 29 ‘But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

 

Let’s look a little closer at this statement. Judah, Jacob’s fourth son, born by Leah, Jacob’s first wife, was quoting his father. Jacob says, “My wife bore me two sons.” With this statement, Jacob shows his heart. In Jacob’s heart, Rachel remained the love of his life, and Joseph and Benjamin held a uniquely treasured place in his affections. The “coat of many colors” was a visible symbol of Joseph’s exalted position in the family. Whenever Joseph wore it, the entire household was reminded of Jacob’s favoritism.

 

This favoritism produced deep bitterness among Joseph’s brothers. Therefore, Joseph was set apart from his earliest days. Joseph appears to have carried himself with youthful confidence, only intensifying his brothers’ resentment. When Joseph went out to check on his brothers while wearing the special coat, he was not dressed for field labor. The coat symbolized privilege, authority, and distinction.

 

Joseph was only seventeen years old when his brothers decided to kill him. Reuben intervened to spare his life, and eventually Judah suggested they sell him as a slave instead.

 

This is why Exodus tells us Joseph was already in Egypt before the rest of Jacob’s family arrived there.

 

A high-ranking Egyptian official purchased Joseph. Even as a slave, Joseph prospered. He eventually rose to become steward over his master’s household. God was preparing Joseph by teaching him responsibility, administration, leadership, and faithfulness.

 

But Joseph’s trials were far from over.

 

His master’s wife repeatedly tried to seduce him. Day after day, she urged him, saying, “Lie with me.” Joseph refused her advances and ultimately was falsely accused and thrown into prison.

 

Psalm 105 gives us insight into what Joseph experienced there:

Psalm 105:17-19 (NKJV) 17 He sent a man before them-- Joseph--[who] was sold as a slave. 18 They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. 19 Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.

 

Joseph suffered deeply. He was in chains, and the iron fetters hurt his feet. A literal translation of verse 18 says, “Iron hath entered his soul,” (YLT)

 

Iron passing through Joseph’s soul is not a reference to Joseph being as strong as iron. No, rather it tells of great, deep suffering. Joseph’s suffering was not merely physical. Pain entered the depths of his soul.

 

Yet Psalm 105 also reveals what God was doing through Joseph’s suffering. “Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.” 

 

God was not merely preserving Joseph. God was preparing Joseph. 

 

Joseph suffered in obscurity for nearly a decade. Think about that. Years passed in darkness, chains, disappointment, and apparent abandonment. Yet all the while, God was shaping Joseph into the man He intended him to be.

 

Let us pause and consider suffering for a moment. Joseph’s suffering was not meaningless. God used suffering as a tool of preparation. 

 

Please consider the words of Scripture:

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NKJV) 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, [being] much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

 

Notice Peter’s words carefully: “if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.”

 

That phrase “grieved by various trials” can sound mild to our ears, but the Greek word translated “grieved” speaks of deep emotional pain, severe sorrow, and anguish. It is used to describe the pain of childbirth.

 

Do not pass over this too quickly. Peter compares suffering to the refining of gold in fire. When you suffer, remember this: God’s people suffer greatly, but never meaninglessly.

 

Notice how 1 Peter 1:6 begins: “In this you greatly rejoice!” 

 

Compare this to James 1:2-4.

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

 

Although there are times when we feel abandoned or even think God is against us, Scripture teaches the opposite. God disciplines and trains His people because He loves them.

 

Jacob spoiled Joseph, but God shaped Joseph.

 

God took a favored and immature young man and forged him into a wise, faithful servant who would preserve nations and save his own family from destruction.

 

Please remember this: your suffering does not mean God has stopped loving you. Very often, suffering is one of the chief tools God uses to prepare His people for His purposes.

 

Even when sinful men intend evil against us, God is still at work.

 

We need to return to Psalm 105 because it reveals the great truth running beneath Joseph’s entire story.

Psalm 105:17 (NKJV) He sent a man before them-- Joseph--[who] was sold as a slave.

 

“He sent a man before them.” 

 

Long before Jacob’s family knew they would need deliverance, God had already prepared the means to preserve them.

 

Before the famine came, God had already sent Joseph.

 

Before Israel needed protection, God had already positioned Joseph.

 

Joseph later understood this and said to his brothers.

Genesis 50:20 (NKJV) “But as for you, you meant evil against me; [but] God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as [it is] this day, to save many people alive.

 

This is one of the great comforts of the Christian life. We are God’s people, but that does not exempt us from suffering. Rather, we trust that God works even through suffering for our good and for His glory.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose.

 

Joseph was called according to God’s purpose. Therefore, his suffering served a divine purpose.

 

And because this is true, we can obey the words of Christ even in the midst of fear, confusion, and pain.

John 14:1 (NKJV) “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

 

The same God who guided Joseph through betrayal, slavery, false accusation, chains, and prison is still ruling over the lives of His people today.

 

God had not forgotten Joseph.

 

God had not abandoned Israel.

 

God will never abandon you.

 

And God will never abandon His people.

 

We have this promise.

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) [Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God Wants You—Not a Better Version of You

Exodus 1:1-5

 

 

Exodus 1:1 says:

Exodus 1:1 (NKJV) Now these [are] the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

 

Who are these “children of Israel,” and why did they go to Egypt? 

 

First, let’s orient ourselves to the Biblical timeline. Google Gemini helped me construct the timeline below.

• Adam to Noah: 10 Generations (approx. 1656 years).

• Flood to Abraham: 10 Generations (approx. 427 years).

• Abraham to Jacob: 3 Generations (Abraham→Isaac→
→Jacob).

• Jacob's Birth: Often placed around 2025 BC in traditional timelines

 

Later in Jacob’s life, God changed His name to “Israel.” This is the name of the nation that arose from Jacob’s descendants, and verses 2-5 of Exodus 1 list Jacob’s (Israel’s) children. They are as follows:

Exodus 1:2-4 (NKJV) 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin; 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher

 

The story of this family is unique, just as every family's story is. Therefore, in some ways, this family is not too different from any other family. As we work our way through just a little of their history, I am sure you will be able to find parallels in your own family (include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and such).

 

We are going to see that every family on earth needs the healing found only in Jesus Christ, our Lord. The devil will whisper to you that you are no good, godliness is for others, but it is too late for you, and other such things. These are the lies we all face.

 

Let’s begin, then, to visit this family. Looking up again to verses 2 through 4 of Exodus 1, do you see how, in the NKJV, verse 3 ends with a semicolon, setting the 4 following names off by themselves? Let me show you a picture that will help explain this.

 

In this family tree, we see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). Under Jacob, we see four names. Leah and Rachel are sisters, and they are married to Jacob. Bilhah and Zilpah are slaves. You will notice that the slaves’ children are the ones that Exodus 1:4 sets apart from the others. 

 

Rachel and Leah used the slaves in a competition to produce babies. I find it appalling that while Leah and Rachel were trying to be valuable in their husband's eyes, they disregarded the human rights of their slaves. Rachel, Leah, and Jacob did not ask Bilhah and Zilpah if they wanted to sleep with Jacob or have his children. Nope, they didn’t have any say in the matter, and then their children weren’t considered as valuable as the others.

 

But this wasn't new for this family. Abraham had a child with Sarah’s slave. When Sarah's own child was born, Abraham had to send Ishmael and Hagar away. And what God said about Ishmael was God's explanation of the natural consequences of Abraham and Sarah’s actions. Genesis 16.

Genesis 16:12 (NKJV) “He shall be a wild man; His hand [shall be] against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

 

Consider the sentence, “His hand shall be against every man.” The wild man was Ishmael. Islam came from his descendants. Islam teaches that Ishmael was the faithful son who continued Abraham’s line and the true worship of God. The covenant and land are not part of their relationship with God. Abraham and Ishmael submitted to God; therefore, the name of the religion, “Islam,” means submission. Please do not think that I am saying that all followers of Islam are bad or violent, but Islam is a violent religion. Even more regrettable, billions of people have been led astray, and every person led astray is a soul lost for eternity.

 

Abraham set an example. But Jacob’s family contributed even more to the dysfunction of this family. (Dysfunction is a description of sin in action.) Let’s list just a few of the things that happened in this family.

• Reuben slept with his father’s slave woman, Bilhah. Most likely, this act was not just sexual but a power move to assert authority over his father's house.

• Judah had sex with his daughter-in-law and fathered children with her. He thought she was a prostitute and didn’t realize she was his daughter-in-law, but she knew him well enough to understand that she could trap him by pretending to be a prostitute.

• Ten of the brothers plotted to kill Joseph, but the opportunity for profit led them to sell him into slavery. Later, they told Jacob they didn’t know what happened to Joseph, but “Look, we found his torn and bloody clothes!”

The list is long, and we've only just begun to scratch the surface. God reveals all of this stuff in His Word, the Bible! Why?

 

No one knows all of God’s reasons, but for one thing, this was a real family dealing with the struggles that all families face. Since Adam, the only person who lived a sinless life is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

When God chose Abraham, he was an idol worshipper who lived among a people who worshipped idols. God brought Abraham out from the group and chose him to be God’s vessel. Abraham was not perfect, and God mentions some of his sins. Jacob and his family also had faults. Yet, amid their sinful, dysfunctional mess, God chose them and set them apart as His own special people.

 

Has Israel ever been anything but a sinful, selfish, prideful people? No, of course not! Have any of us ever been anything but a sinful, selfish, prideful people? No, of course not! Look at what Romans 3 says to anyone who thinks they might be better than someone else.

Romans 3:9-12 (NKJV) 9 What then? Are we better [than they?] Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

 

What then? Can anyone be right with God? Can anyone be saved from this wretched condition? Yes, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

As we journey through Exodus, we will see how God works to bring His people out from the idol-worshipping, rebellious world and shape them into His own special people, a people for His own possession to proclaim His glory. As we see and understand how God dealt with Israel and Egypt, we will grow in our understanding of how He is working in our lives.

 

In closing, I want to return to something I said earlier. I said,

The devil will whisper to you that you are no good, godliness is for others, but it is too late for you, and other such things. These are lies that we are all faced with.

 

I hope that today you have seen that it is never too late. Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. Abraham and Sarah’s treatment of Hagar was a sin, and yet God did not say, “That is enough! I am through with you!” On the contrary, God brought good out of it. God loves the great nations that have come out of Ishmael, and many of Ishmael’s descendants are mighty servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s mercy and grace are much greater than any sin. The people that have descended from Ishmael are precious and of as much value before God as any other people on the face of the earth, be they Jew or Gentile, slave or free, rich or poor. In His word, God says, 

Galatians 3:28 (NKJV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

Let me return to the point I am trying to make. No matter what sin you have committed, God wants you as His own. If you can understand these words, understand that God is speaking to you right now. He wants you! He doesn’t want you to clean up your life first. He will take care of that. He wants you! Just YOU. He loves you and is asking you right now to say to Him, “Okay, Lord, I am Yours. I trust You to make of my life what You will.”

 

His Own Special People

 

 

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV) 9 But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once [were] not a people but [are] now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

 

The Scriptures are talking to us, the Church, the followers of Jesus Christ, and they tell us that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. God has set us apart for Himself so that we can proclaim His praises. 1 Peter 2:9 calls us “His own special people,” and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1-2 affirms this when it says:

1 John 3:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

 

How incredible! How marvelous! That we should be called children of God, and that is exactly what we are!

 

When 1 John 3 says “We,” it is referring to all those who believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. According to 1 John 4, anyone who denies that Jesus is fully God is not God’s child. So, we need to be sure to believe in the Jesus we meet in Scripture and guard against those who would redefine who Jesus is. Any person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ has been born again. Such a person is God’s child and is a member of the Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Church is a spiritual house being built to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5 says:

1 Peter 2:4-5 (NKJV) 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 

Belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ is what makes a person God’s Child. Who a person is according to the flesh makes no difference. You do not need money, nor do you need to be born into the right family. Race, nationality, and social standing do not matter. In the Church, there is no difference between Jew or Gentile, male or female, and rich or poor. Galatians 3:28-29, along with other Scriptures, makes this point.

Galatians 3:28-29 (NKJV) 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

In the Church, we belong to Christ, and we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to God’s promises.

 

At this point, we must make a distinction. Galatians 3:29 says we, the Church, are “Abraham’s seed.” It does not say we are “Israel.” Nowhere does the Bible say that the Church is the new Israel, or that Israel and the Church are the same thing.

 

When Galatians was written, the Church was in transition. The Church began in Jerusalem and spread from there. In its early years, it was made up entirely of Jews; there were no Gentiles in the Church (Gentiles means “nations,” which means anyone who is not Jewish/Hebrew). The shift to including Gentiles was not without challenges. In Galatia, some Jewish people came and taught that to be a Christian, a person also had to convert to Judaism. Galatians was written to stop this nonsense (and the book of Galatians makes it clear how false it is). In Galatians 6, the Scriptures say:

Galatians 6:15-16 (NKJV) 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

 

Some argue, “Look! The Bible calls the Church the Israel of God!” But if you look again, this passage actually distinguishes between the Church and the Israel of God. The Israel of God is the remnant mentioned in Romans 9, whom God always reserves for Himself (Jewish people who have accepted their Messiah).

 

The New Testament did not abolish Israel as a nation. Romans chapter 11 is especially helpful here. Romans 11 says:

Romans 11:25-26 (NKJV) 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;”

 

Romans 11:25-26 is part of a larger argument, but clearly, a distinction is being made between Gentiles and Israel. In the Church, however, this distinction is not observed. The Church is the Body of Christ, and Israel is a nation. They are entirely different entities. This distinction is vital because if God fails to keep His promises to Israel, how can we trust Him to keep His promises to the Church? God says:

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NKJV) “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He [is] God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

 

In this verse, God explains to Israel that they are His own special people (the same thing He tells the Church in 1 Peter). God is faithful and keeps His promises. He is fulfilling the promises He made to Israel. Many events happening today reflect Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel, making it clear that God is honoring His covenant with Israel.

 

As a nation, Israel is God’s own special people, and He has plans for them. The Church, meanwhile, transcends political, racial, and national boundaries, and it is also God’s own special people. God used Israel to bring the Word of God and salvation to all nations. Now, He is using the Church to do the same. Both will serve God together in the Millennial Kingdom, but before that, Romans 11 explains that “Thus all Israel will be saved.”

 

The God of Israel and the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the Church and the New Testament. That’s why the entire Bible is vital for knowing God. Without understanding the Old Testament, we can’t fully grasp the New Testament. And if we understand the Old Testament, we understand what God is doing in the world, in the Church, and in our lives.

 

As the Lord allows, I plan to guide us through the first chapters of Exodus. Our goal is to learn how God works. His ways are beyond finding out, but He has revealed what He wants us to know in Scripture. By understanding God’s revealed ways, we can see what He is doing in the world, the Church, and in our personal lives.

 

Our journey through Exodus, like life, will have highs and lows, joys and sorrows, and challenges. You won't want to miss any part of it as we seek to know and love our God more deeply.

 

As we begin this study, I want to remind you that if you have asked Jesus Christ to be your Savior, you are a member of the Church. It’s not about being part of a local church or denomination. If you call upon the name of Jesus for salvation, you are a child of God, part of His Church, and you have eternal life. Go out and live with this confidence.