Ben Brinkerhoff – Overcoming Resentment – Class 2 – The Compromiser

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This is the 2023 Rocky Mountain
Bible School.

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Today is day 2.
For our first class we have our

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brother Ben Brinkerhoff from the
Christchurch, New Zealand

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ecclesia.
His topic for the week is Judah

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Overcoming Resentment, and his
title for the day is Judah the

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Compromiser.
All right, so my wife isn’t here

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nor my children, but I want to
give them a sense of what it’s

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like here.
All right, so everyone say hi,

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say we miss you, Alyssa.
And the four kids will love them

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too.
All right?

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Love you.
OK.

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Just trying to avoid a bit of
resentment, that’s all.

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See, that’s your lesson for
today in our, in our last class

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together, brothers and sisters,
if I did my job correctly,

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hopefully we’re able to do a few
things.

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You know, the first thing I want
you to be able to do is

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empathize with Judah.
Now, if you had been in his

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circumstances and you had seen
his mother’s pain and pining for

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the acceptance of his father,
then came to understand because

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you had the wrong mother, that
you would never really be

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accepted no matter what you did,
Then maybe you would have felt

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what Judah felt, and maybe you
would have thought what you’d

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have thought.
And secondly, upon empathizing

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with Judah just a little bit,
that you might be able to lay

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aside judging him well, not
excusing his sin.

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I would never ask you to do
that.

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Of course we cannot do that.
You were able to see him apart

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from his sin and maybe even
relate some of his thinking with

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with your thinking.
And I hope you saw that.

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Like Judah, we all reason like
children, we go around saying

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it’s not, it’s not fair.
The F word thinking that life

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does not treat us right.
And, and based on this childlike

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reasoning, what do we do?
We, we count, we count the sins

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of others and, and we hold on to
those wrongs that we and we

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nurse the feelings that that
holding all of those wrongs

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elicit within us.
And resentment has begun.

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And then thereafter, once the
resentment has begun, then we

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distort the truth of the
memories.

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For example, when we remember
the hurts, accidents, they

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become intentional.
When we assign motives to what

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might have been just mindless
acts of selfishness, we

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conveniently minimize or excuse
that that we had any part in

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what happened.
And recalling these memories and

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distorting the truth of them
creates what I can only describe

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as this negative spiritual high.
And we use that to cover and

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excuse and justify getting
redemption, retribution, hurting

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others, and sinning against our
brethren.

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And I call this the path of
justified sinning.

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Of course, there is no such
thing as justified sinning, is

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there?
But if there was such a thing,

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this is the path that it would
would take.

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So we begin with self
importance.

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It’s really hard to begin the
path of justified sinning

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through humility, by the way,
which is why God prizes humility

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so much.
We begin with self importance

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then because we’re important.
We’re always looking out to see

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if we get what we deserve.
And as a result of not getting

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what we deserve, because you
know, that’s the way life works.

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It doesn’t treat us this way.
We think it’s not fair, and

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because things are not fair,
then we get to count the wrongs

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of others.
And once we count the wrongs of

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others and we’ve seen that
wrong, well then we get to hold

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on to that wrong.
And then once we hold on to that

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wrong and we think it over in
our minds a few times and we re

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remember the hurt and imagine it
again, well then we get to

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distort the truth of the
memories.

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It’s not actually how it
occurred.

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It’s how it occurred through our
eyes and through our memories

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and our part becomes just that
little bit less.

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And your part, you know, the
part that makes you a monster,

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that becomes a little bit more
and and doing that, it makes us

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feel you.
Ever you ever had one of those

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feelings, brothers, sisters,
where it feels good to feel bad?

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Do you know what I’m talking
about, right?

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It feels so bad that it just
feels good to feel bad, right?

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And and that’s what happens.
We get a self-righteous high,

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and now as a result of all this
process that we’ve indulged in,

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we now are reached the point of
justified sinning, you know, but

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hurting others based on getting
even has no lasting ability to

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make us feel better.
So surprised by that, we replay

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again the original hurt.
We’re looking for answers.

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We’re trying to recapture that
that feeling that that seemed to

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so clearly justify our every
action.

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Now hopefully looking at this,
you can see how deadly serious

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resentment is it.
It’s the seed of self justified

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sinning.
And Judah was absolutely full of

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it as he went with his brothers
to feed the flocks in Shechem.

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And the story begins with Jacob
concerned about his sons and

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about the flocks.
Now turn over, please, to

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Genesis chapter 37.
We’re going to take some of our

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most of our columns today out of
Genesis 37.

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And when I want to look up a
passage in Genesis 37, I’m not

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going to show it on the screen
because, you know, that’s your

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part of participating in in the
class Steve Heim.

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This is the only way you get to
participate in the class today.

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OK, I’m going to hear about that
at lunch.

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I’m sure of that.
So so turn over there and we’ll

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pick up a few details of our
story in in verses 13 and 14,

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Jacob says, do not thy brethren
feed the flock and Shechem come

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and I will send thee unto them.
And he said to him, Here my And

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he said to him, Go, I pray thee,
and see whether it be, whether

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it be well with thy brethren,
and well with the flocks, and

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bring me word again.
So he sent him out of the veil

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of Hebron, and he came to
Shechem.

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Well, the first question that
immediately pops the mind upon

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considering this passage is, is
why was Jacob concerned?

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Well, there’s a few good
reasons, you know.

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Remember that Joseph had earlier
in the chapter given an evil

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report of the sons of the
Handmaids, and so one can only

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guess what the evil report might
have been.

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But perhaps the brethren had a
tendency to neglect the flocks

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and not be as diligent of
shepherds as Jacob had been

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fighting the cold and awake at
night as he had been for the

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flocks of Laban when he watched
over those animals.

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But beyond that, just, you know,
where were they feeding the

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flocks?
They’re feeding the flocks in

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Shechem.
Well, do you think they’re very

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popular in Shechem?
You know, you think, you think

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they, you think that that
Joseph’s brothers came to

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Shechem and they’re like, Oh,
good, they’re back.

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You know, they murdered my
cousin, you know, you know, and,

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and what’s interesting about
that is, you know, Jacob would

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have had this intuition and the
intuition would have been this I

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ought to fear resentment.
The resentment’s a problem.

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And I’m sure that the extended
family that were left in Shechem

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would have had a little bit of
resentment, probably again,

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although God had put the, the
fear of Jacob in them, right?

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But Jacob would have intuitively
said, you know what, they

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thought he might have a
resentment there.

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And what does he do?
He unwittingly sends his, his

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son directly into the, the eye
of resentment.

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So in in the process of fearing
it, he exposes his son to it.

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So after not finding the
brothers in Shechem, Joseph asks

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about them and hears that
they’re in Dothan.

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And so we’re told in Genesis 37.
Now verse 18 and, and when they

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saw him afar off, even before he
came near unto them, they

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conspired against him to slay
him.

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Now I’m not sure if, if you like
word studies and you find any

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significance in Word studies.
I’m from Christchurch, N so I

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have to love word studies and I
have to find amazing

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significance in them, right?
And sorry, they’re going to

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listen to this in the tape.
They’re going to say, why did

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you call us out that way?
I love you, I love you, right?

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But but afar off is one of those
phrases.

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It’s it has a lot of meaning and
has meaning because we know that

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when Abraham was taking his son
Isaac to sacrifice him at Mount

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Moriah in Genesis chapter 22 and
verse 4, what what it says is

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that he saw Moriah far off.
And then, and then we also know

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that Hebrews picks up on that
phrase afar off, and Hebrews

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assigns it a significance.
And we read about that in

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Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 13
here.

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These all died in faith, having
not received the promises, but

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having seen them afar off, and
were persuaded of them and

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embraced them and confessed that
they were strangers and pilgrims

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on the earth.
Now when Abraham saw Moriah afar

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off, he might very well have
felt dread for the pain and

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bitter work of the moment.
Mariah is where he was

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instructed to sacrifice his son
Isaac.

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But Abraham, his hope was not
bound up in present trials, but

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in the promises to come, so that
he could endure the the the

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bitter work of the moment.
But maybe you might consider

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that when Joseph’s brethren’s
brethren saw Joseph afar off,

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it’s like we see the exact
opposite.

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It’s interesting how Scripture
describes these opposites.

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I want you to you know, I’m sure
you had marked up in your Bible

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Abraham’s version of afar off.
I’m sure you’ve crossed

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referenced that to Hebrews.
If you haven’t, your your margin

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has.
So it’s done right.

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But I just want you to consider
this is the exact opposite afar

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off, right?
In fact, I’ll, I’ll put it to

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you in a, in a table, right.
So this was me messing around

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with PowerPoint this morning
trying to get this to animate,

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right?
So we’ll see if this works,

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right.
So Abraham and, and Judah, his

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brethren.
Now the phrase is they both saw

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something afar off.
Abraham saw Mariah far off and

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and Joseph’s brethren saw Joseph
afar off.

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So that’s the same phrase, you
know, similarity is that in both

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instances, their present
circumstances were painful.

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OK, so they’re both caught up
in, in a, in a painful, bitter

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moment.
OK, But the difference is

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Abraham was persuaded of future
glory, but but Joseph’s brethren

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were unconvinced of future
glory.

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So the attitude is that Abraham
entrusted God, but the attitude

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of the brethren were not to
trust God.

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So the result was Abraham was
persuaded to endure the trial

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and suffer as a stranger, but
Judah’s brethren persuaded to

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take the future into their own
hand through sin.

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See.
What are we seeing afar off?

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What do you see afar off?
You’re caught.

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You’re caught in the bitterness
of a moment and there’s

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something afar off.
And what’s the difference?

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You know, the difference is not
the bitterness of the moment.

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That’s the same.
The moment’s hard.

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The difference is your ability
to have a hope for the future.

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The Brethren version of that
hope was that his brother’s

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going to reign over them.
They didn’t consider that much

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of A hope.
So we have these two opposite

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versions of afar off.
So for the resentful, this kind

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of attitude of being caught in
the moment, it’s like a way of

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life, trusting God, trusting
God, like hope for the Kingdom.

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You know, those are nice ideas,
right?

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They’re they’re good ideas.
I might send it to you in a

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postcard, right?
You know, but they but it feels

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distant.
So being separated from God’s

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hope for the future.
What do you have to do?

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Well, if I can’t put some trust
in the future, then the obvious

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alternative from sisters, the
obvious alternative is to change

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the circumstances for the
present.

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Why wouldn’t you?
Why would you be caught in the

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in the trap where you’re not,
you have no hope for the future

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and you’re not willing to change
the circumstances in the

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present.
So, so they’re going to take it

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into their own hands and, and
the record says that they

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00:15:16,920 –> 00:15:20,400
conspired together saying,
behold, this dreamer cometh.

216
00:15:21,640 –> 00:15:29,400
Now notice that Judah and his
brethren do not refer to Joseph

217
00:15:29,480 –> 00:15:32,600
by name.
Joseph is not Joseph here.

218
00:15:32,920 –> 00:15:38,000
Joseph is the dreamer.
So this is another symptom of

219
00:15:38,000 –> 00:15:40,520
resentment.
I, I call it labeling.

220
00:15:40,520 –> 00:15:48,760
You can call it what you like.
You can label it who’s who’s in

221
00:15:48,760 –> 00:15:51,440
the front row.
That really laughed at that was

222
00:15:51,440 –> 00:15:54,600
that you Ken?
Ken likes dad jokes.

223
00:15:55,080 –> 00:16:03,280
Ken, stay there all week please.
So labeling is another symptom

224
00:16:03,280 –> 00:16:05,800
of resentment.
See, by labeling Joseph, what do

225
00:16:05,800 –> 00:16:07,480
you do?
You strip him of his personal

226
00:16:07,480 –> 00:16:10,880
identity, right?
And if someone has a personal

227
00:16:10,880 –> 00:16:13,800
identity, you actually might
have to feel compassion or

228
00:16:13,800 –> 00:16:17,600
empathy or pity.
See, Joseph is not a person that

229
00:16:17,600 –> 00:16:20,640
feels he’s no longer their
brother.

230
00:16:20,880 –> 00:16:23,640
He’s a thing.
He’s he’s a dreamer.

231
00:16:25,240 –> 00:16:29,240
And if you listen carefully and
listen to other people talk to

232
00:16:29,240 –> 00:16:36,000
you, if they want to judge
someone, they will often remove

233
00:16:36,000 –> 00:16:39,720
the name.
They’re we’re not talking about

234
00:16:39,720 –> 00:16:41,800
a person.
We’re talking about the

235
00:16:41,840 –> 00:16:46,800
unamended, right, right.
We’re not talking about an

236
00:16:46,800 –> 00:16:49,840
ecclesia.
We’re talking about Denver,

237
00:16:51,720 –> 00:16:56,480
right, right.
So, you know, we, we, you know,

238
00:16:56,480 –> 00:16:59,400
we’re not talking about an
individual, We’re talking about

239
00:17:00,200 –> 00:17:03,480
Brinkerhoffs, right, right.
We’re going to give them a

240
00:17:03,480 –> 00:17:05,760
label, right?
They we’re going to, we’re going

241
00:17:05,760 –> 00:17:07,720
to deny them.
I mean, some poor people were

242
00:17:07,720 –> 00:17:09,880
married in this family.
They never, you know, it’s, I

243
00:17:09,880 –> 00:17:12,920
guess that’s their choice, like
the rest of us didn’t get to

244
00:17:12,920 –> 00:17:16,000
choose.
So you know, you’re going to lay

245
00:17:16,000 –> 00:17:19,040
you want to judge somebody.
I know what listen for it,

246
00:17:19,440 –> 00:17:25,359
listen for the label and and and
and you ask yourself is the next

247
00:17:25,359 –> 00:17:28,880
thing that comes out of that
person’s mouth of judgment is

248
00:17:28,880 –> 00:17:31,280
the next thing that comes after
that person’s mouth of judgment,

249
00:17:31,600 –> 00:17:35,560
because they can deny someone
their humanity, whereby they

250
00:17:35,560 –> 00:17:40,960
might actually feel pity or
compassion or they might relate.

251
00:17:42,520 –> 00:17:45,360
I mean, you can contrast that
with the anti labeling words of

252
00:17:45,360 –> 00:17:48,400
Paul, which are we are no,
neither Jew nor Greek or rich

253
00:17:48,400 –> 00:17:53,680
nor poor.
And so the brother plot to to

254
00:17:53,680 –> 00:17:57,600
kill Joseph.
And you wonder to yourself,

255
00:17:57,600 –> 00:18:02,480
like, you know, how often had
the brothers actually fantasized

256
00:18:02,840 –> 00:18:06,600
about killing Joseph before the
the situation actually presented

257
00:18:06,600 –> 00:18:09,280
itself?
You know, what sort of like

258
00:18:09,280 –> 00:18:15,240
sordid pleasure had they gotten
with these unchecked fantasies

259
00:18:15,880 –> 00:18:21,520
that danced around in their
imagination and now they had

260
00:18:21,520 –> 00:18:27,000
their chance.
It’s interesting that the

261
00:18:27,000 –> 00:18:30,680
brothers minds go immediately to
how they can avoid getting

262
00:18:30,680 –> 00:18:35,480
caught, right?
So Genesis 37 verse 20 says come

263
00:18:35,480 –> 00:18:38,160
now therefore, and let us slay
him and cast him into some pit,

264
00:18:38,760 –> 00:18:45,120
and we’ll say some evil beast
hath devoured him and we shall

265
00:18:45,120 –> 00:18:47,360
see what will become of his
dreams.

266
00:18:49,160 –> 00:18:55,440
Now I’m sure that most of us
don’t want to admit that how

267
00:18:55,440 –> 00:19:00,360
often it was simply the fear of
getting caught that is the only

268
00:19:00,360 –> 00:19:01,800
thing that stopped us from
sinning.

269
00:19:03,200 –> 00:19:09,160
So the brothers might have must
have felt this like this rush at

270
00:19:09,160 –> 00:19:13,080
the thought that they might
actually be able to get away

271
00:19:13,080 –> 00:19:17,840
with this.
To the brother, the idea of of

272
00:19:18,280 –> 00:19:22,120
of hurting Joseph, it would have
given them this immense

273
00:19:22,120 –> 00:19:25,800
pleasure.
This was this was the answer.

274
00:19:26,680 –> 00:19:29,600
This was the solution.
This was this was the thing that

275
00:19:29,600 –> 00:19:32,320
was going to take the pain away.
This was the thing that was

276
00:19:32,320 –> 00:19:36,720
going to make it even.
See, these are the sort of crazy

277
00:19:36,720 –> 00:19:39,800
answers that those full of
resentment come up with.

278
00:19:40,120 –> 00:19:46,640
Resentment creates such
strenuous emotional conditions

279
00:19:47,720 –> 00:19:50,480
that that we fantasize about
getting even.

280
00:19:51,240 –> 00:19:55,280
And often the only thing that
separates an unchecked fantasy

281
00:19:56,960 –> 00:20:05,280
from reality is opportunity and
opportunity.

282
00:20:06,920 –> 00:20:12,080
Was walking towards them.
Now why should I say that?

283
00:20:12,080 –> 00:20:17,120
Unchecked fantasy leads to
reality and you might be

284
00:20:17,120 –> 00:20:19,120
thinking to yourself a couple
fantasies you have.

285
00:20:22,920 –> 00:20:28,840
See, resentment driven fantasy
creates pleasure because what

286
00:20:28,840 –> 00:20:35,960
happens is it releases dopamine
in your in your mind and and it

287
00:20:35,960 –> 00:20:39,080
feels good.
And remembering how good it

288
00:20:39,080 –> 00:20:43,000
feels you, you’ll recall the
fantasy again.

289
00:20:43,320 –> 00:20:46,680
Except when you recall it again,
something awful happens.

290
00:20:48,200 –> 00:20:53,120
It doesn’t produce the same
quality of feeling that the

291
00:20:53,120 –> 00:20:57,080
first fantasy did.
And so kind of feeling

292
00:20:57,080 –> 00:20:59,880
disappointed by the fact that
you don’t get the same pleasure

293
00:20:59,880 –> 00:21:02,000
you did the first time.
What do you do?

294
00:21:03,440 –> 00:21:06,040
Well, you intensify it.
How do you intensify it?

295
00:21:06,160 –> 00:21:07,720
Well, easy.
You add details.

296
00:21:09,080 –> 00:21:12,080
Oh, yeah, I do it like this,
Right.

297
00:21:15,120 –> 00:21:17,880
And then, you know, feeling a
bit down again because, you

298
00:21:17,880 –> 00:21:20,320
know, you’re still in the in the
bitterness of the moment.

299
00:21:20,440 –> 00:21:23,480
What do you do?
You you go back to the fantasy.

300
00:21:23,480 –> 00:21:25,400
That makes me feel better.
I’ll do that, Right.

301
00:21:25,680 –> 00:21:28,560
And you go back to the fantasy
and you’re like, oh, you know,

302
00:21:28,720 –> 00:21:31,200
it’s not making me feel as good
as it did the last time.

303
00:21:31,200 –> 00:21:35,160
So what am I going to do?
I’m going to add some more

304
00:21:35,160 –> 00:21:39,960
details, right?
Yes, that’s what you know.

305
00:21:40,120 –> 00:21:42,440
And then I’ll do this and then
I’ll say that.

306
00:21:43,400 –> 00:21:45,680
And then she’ll be properly
ashamed of herself, you know,

307
00:21:45,680 –> 00:21:52,560
whatever it is, right?
And so you build this structure

308
00:21:52,640 –> 00:21:59,400
of fantasy intolerance.
Fantasy intolerance and tell the

309
00:21:59,400 –> 00:22:04,320
only thing that separates you
from doing that because you you

310
00:22:04,320 –> 00:22:07,920
get to the point, no, that no
matter how much you fantasize,

311
00:22:10,480 –> 00:22:13,520
you just can’t re recreate that
high that you got before.

312
00:22:15,840 –> 00:22:18,240
And then the only way you’re
going to recreate that feeling

313
00:22:19,000 –> 00:22:22,120
that you’ve elicited within you,
the phenomenon of craving that

314
00:22:22,120 –> 00:22:25,800
you’ve elicited within you with
dopamine is to do it.

315
00:22:30,040 –> 00:22:32,640
And now you have a craving to do
it because that’s what dopamine

316
00:22:32,640 –> 00:22:34,080
does in you.
It creates a craving.

317
00:22:37,760 –> 00:22:39,480
And now you’re just seeking an
opportunity.

318
00:22:40,560 –> 00:22:41,960
And you think, how did I get
here?

319
00:22:44,040 –> 00:22:45,440
Because you didn’t check the
fantasy.

320
00:22:47,240 –> 00:22:50,920
You let yourself think it.
You let yourself recall it.

321
00:22:51,920 –> 00:22:55,840
You let yourself tumble it
around in your mind, thinking to

322
00:22:55,840 –> 00:22:59,800
yourself, thinking to yourself.
It’s not sin.

323
00:23:01,120 –> 00:23:04,880
I haven’t actually done it just
feels kind of good to think

324
00:23:04,880 –> 00:23:10,720
about it.
Wasn’t Jesus wise when he said

325
00:23:11,600 –> 00:23:25,000
that’s where sin starts?
And Genesis six verse 5

326
00:23:25,000 –> 00:23:28,120
Scripture says that every
imagination of the thoughts of

327
00:23:28,120 –> 00:23:31,880
man’s heart were only evil
continually and his wickedness

328
00:23:31,880 –> 00:23:36,480
was great.
The guys that it’s only a

329
00:23:36,480 –> 00:23:40,840
thought and no one can see it.
And allowing ourselves to linger

330
00:23:40,960 –> 00:23:48,600
in our imaginations is really a
very, very a very great danger.

331
00:23:49,720 –> 00:23:53,920
Sin lieth at the door, and I
think if we reflect a little bit

332
00:23:53,920 –> 00:23:58,800
on our own experience and maybe
our own worst actions will

333
00:23:58,800 –> 00:24:05,320
recognize that the process
started far, far sooner after

334
00:24:05,320 –> 00:24:08,160
Reuben intervenes in the story
in Genesis 37.

335
00:24:08,960 –> 00:24:14,160
We’re told this in verse 23.
It came to pass when Joseph was

336
00:24:14,160 –> 00:24:18,080
come unto his brethren, that
they stripped Joseph out of his

337
00:24:18,080 –> 00:24:21,680
coat, his coat of many colors
that was on him.

338
00:24:21,680 –> 00:24:25,800
And they took him and cast him
into a pit, and the pit was

339
00:24:25,800 –> 00:24:31,560
empty and there’s no water in
it, and they sat down to eat

340
00:24:31,560 –> 00:24:36,000
bread.
What do you think Joseph was

341
00:24:36,000 –> 00:24:42,080
saying as they stripped him off
of his coat and threw him in a

342
00:24:42,080 –> 00:24:45,080
pit?
What was he saying as the

343
00:24:45,080 –> 00:24:48,440
brothers cried as as he cried to
them?

344
00:24:50,120 –> 00:24:51,720
How would his voice have sound
him?

345
00:24:52,560 –> 00:24:57,720
Wouldn’t he have been sobbing?
Would he have been saying,

346
00:24:57,720 –> 00:25:01,200
brothers, brothers, don’t
please, please don’t, no, please

347
00:25:01,200 –> 00:25:06,640
don’t, please.
And do you want, do you want?

348
00:25:06,640 –> 00:25:13,040
The scripture says they do.
Immediately after that, it says

349
00:25:13,040 –> 00:25:18,280
they sat down to eat bread.
Comfortable.

350
00:25:19,800 –> 00:25:23,840
It’s amazing how good you can
feel just in that moment.

351
00:25:24,480 –> 00:25:27,520
Boy, it feels good, You know?
It’s it.

352
00:25:27,720 –> 00:25:29,560
My uncle Fred knows this.
Hi, Fred.

353
00:25:30,840 –> 00:25:31,560
How you doing?
Fred.

354
00:25:31,960 –> 00:25:34,880
Fred.
To manage Fred’s pain, he takes

355
00:25:34,880 –> 00:25:38,080
pain medication.
The pain medication is a variety

356
00:25:38,080 –> 00:25:41,360
of morphine.
And what does morphine do in the

357
00:25:41,360 –> 00:25:44,600
body?
It makes you feel pleasure.

358
00:25:45,920 –> 00:25:48,880
And what does pleasure do?
It stops pain.

359
00:25:50,240 –> 00:25:54,000
So the body’s main way to
regulate pain, by the way, is,

360
00:25:55,040 –> 00:25:58,240
is pleasure.
Everyone who has kids know this.

361
00:25:58,400 –> 00:26:02,640
Ever gone to the beach and, and
as a, and as a parent, you’re

362
00:26:02,640 –> 00:26:07,920
walking up and the water’s cold
and you’re thinking yourself

363
00:26:08,600 –> 00:26:11,240
nap, right?
And what and what do the kids

364
00:26:11,240 –> 00:26:13,600
do?
They just run straight in the

365
00:26:13,600 –> 00:26:15,760
water.
You’re thinking, do kids not

366
00:26:15,760 –> 00:26:17,120
feel cold?
Right?

367
00:26:18,920 –> 00:26:19,440
What?
What?

368
00:26:19,640 –> 00:26:21,600
What’s wrong with these
children?

369
00:26:21,760 –> 00:26:25,120
They’re brain damaged.
They’re not brain damaged.

370
00:26:26,520 –> 00:26:29,720
They just get more pleasure from
swimming than you do.

371
00:26:29,880 –> 00:26:34,120
And the pleasure they get blocks
out the cold, right?

372
00:26:38,200 –> 00:26:39,920
And they might be brain damaged,
right?

373
00:26:41,760 –> 00:26:44,720
Might be right.
But but, you know, as an adult,

374
00:26:44,720 –> 00:26:46,200
you don’t get as much pleasure
from that.

375
00:26:46,200 –> 00:26:52,240
So you feel the cold and you
know, they were they were so

376
00:26:52,760 –> 00:26:58,400
high at that moment that they
could be comfortable listening

377
00:26:58,400 –> 00:27:02,920
to him scream and cry and yet
eating bread.

378
00:27:04,440 –> 00:27:08,320
And then but you, you wonder
what they’re thinking, you know,

379
00:27:08,320 –> 00:27:14,200
like, but you know, they, they
had finally done it.

380
00:27:16,000 –> 00:27:20,520
And but of all of them, the one
that cracks first is Judah.

381
00:27:20,520 –> 00:27:22,840
And we get Judah’s first
speaking line in the Scripture,

382
00:27:22,840 –> 00:27:27,120
and that’s found in Genesis 3726
to 27.

383
00:27:29,080 –> 00:27:30,960
We read there.
And Judah said unto his

384
00:27:30,960 –> 00:27:34,880
brethren, what prophet is it if
we slay our brother and conceal

385
00:27:34,880 –> 00:27:38,520
his blood?
Come and let us sell him to the

386
00:27:38,520 –> 00:27:42,640
Ishmaelites, and let not our
hand be upon him, for he is our

387
00:27:42,640 –> 00:27:46,640
brother, our flesh, and our
flesh and his brethren were

388
00:27:46,640 –> 00:27:50,360
content.
So what do we learn about Judah

389
00:27:50,720 –> 00:27:52,760
from this quote?
It’s the first speaking line he

390
00:27:52,760 –> 00:27:54,880
has in Scripture, so we might as
well pay attention to it.

391
00:27:55,440 –> 00:28:00,240
Firstly, we learn he’s a leader.
The the brothers heeded him and

392
00:28:00,240 –> 00:28:01,800
were content.
They’re not willing to listen

393
00:28:01,800 –> 00:28:05,760
really to Reuben, but they are
willing to listen to Judah.

394
00:28:05,880 –> 00:28:09,720
They respected his opinion, but
you have to believe that from

395
00:28:09,720 –> 00:28:12,400
Judah’s perspective, knowing
that he was in a position to

396
00:28:12,400 –> 00:28:15,760
influence would haunt him for
years afterward.

397
00:28:15,960 –> 00:28:17,640
It proved that he wasn’t
passive.

398
00:28:17,920 –> 00:28:20,480
He wasn’t complicit.
He couldn’t say, well, that was

399
00:28:20,480 –> 00:28:23,720
Simeon’s idea.
He couldn’t say, well, that was

400
00:28:23,720 –> 00:28:25,960
Levi.
And I was just kind of a

401
00:28:25,960 –> 00:28:29,000
bystander, right?
He was like, no, he was active

402
00:28:29,000 –> 00:28:31,720
in this.
He took part.

403
00:28:31,720 –> 00:28:33,560
His voice mattered.
His actions mattered.

404
00:28:33,760 –> 00:28:36,880
The next thing we learned about
Judah beyond the fact that he

405
00:28:36,880 –> 00:28:39,320
was a leader, it was he learned
he was a compromiser.

406
00:28:40,320 –> 00:28:43,240
This is born by looking at 2
words in Judah’s statement that

407
00:28:43,240 –> 00:28:46,760
are really at complete contrast
with one another.

408
00:28:46,960 –> 00:28:49,960
See, the first word reveals he
has a conscience and the second

409
00:28:49,960 –> 00:28:51,880
word denies he has a conscience.
Right.

410
00:28:52,120 –> 00:28:55,040
And what were those two words?
Well, the first word, you might

411
00:28:55,040 –> 00:28:56,560
have guessed his brother.
We’ve already mentioned it.

412
00:28:56,560 –> 00:28:59,160
You can’t help but notice that
you just referred to Joseph,

413
00:28:59,440 –> 00:29:02,400
this time with the label
dreamer.

414
00:29:02,400 –> 00:29:07,040
He doesn’t call a dreamer.
This time he doesn’t say let’s

415
00:29:07,040 –> 00:29:11,600
not hurt the dreamer.
He says he’s a brother.

416
00:29:11,920 –> 00:29:13,880
And here Judah displays a
conscience.

417
00:29:13,960 –> 00:29:17,880
The idea that murdering his
brother felt too far to him to

418
00:29:17,920 –> 00:29:20,920
it was wrong.
He’s our brother in our flesh.

419
00:29:20,920 –> 00:29:24,440
So Judah removes the label and
in that way it removes some

420
00:29:24,440 –> 00:29:30,240
impunity from feeling guilty.
But we see the word brother

421
00:29:30,400 –> 00:29:34,280
coupled with another that stands
in complete contrast to the word

422
00:29:34,280 –> 00:29:35,240
brother.
And guess what?

423
00:29:35,240 –> 00:29:42,400
That word is Steve.
This is the participation part

424
00:29:44,520 –> 00:29:50,280
prophet.
What prophet is it if we slay

425
00:29:50,280 –> 00:29:54,120
our brother?
So in Hebrew, the word prophet

426
00:29:54,120 –> 00:29:58,640
stands for gain or an unjust
gain acquired by violence.

427
00:29:59,960 –> 00:30:03,760
It’s sometimes translated
covetousness, a bribe or spoil.

428
00:30:03,840 –> 00:30:08,360
In fact, in relation to the sons
of Eli in First Samuel chapter

429
00:30:08,360 –> 00:30:13,160
8, it’s used this way.
And his sons walked not in his

430
00:30:13,160 –> 00:30:15,120
ways, but turned aside after
lucre.

431
00:30:15,120 –> 00:30:19,000
That’s that word, prophet and
took bribes and perverted

432
00:30:19,040 –> 00:30:22,360
justice.
It’s a word most often

433
00:30:22,360 –> 00:30:26,720
translated as gain by unjust
means or exploitation of the

434
00:30:26,720 –> 00:30:31,400
weak by the powerful.
And so we see it’s like an

435
00:30:31,400 –> 00:30:35,920
astonishingly appropriate word
that Judah chooses to apply to

436
00:30:35,920 –> 00:30:40,160
himself.
It appears that Judah avoids one

437
00:30:40,160 –> 00:30:44,080
passion of the heart, which is
wrath or murder by satisfying

438
00:30:44,080 –> 00:30:48,080
another, which is his desire for
for gain, which we’ll recognize

439
00:30:48,080 –> 00:30:50,200
later story.
He had a strong desire to

440
00:30:50,200 –> 00:30:53,640
accumulate wealth and to Judah
this makes sense.

441
00:30:53,640 –> 00:30:57,600
This is a good trade off if
nothing else.

442
00:30:58,600 –> 00:31:02,200
What this verse shows us is
Judah has a long, long way to go

443
00:31:04,000 –> 00:31:10,320
and to come.
God must take someone willing to

444
00:31:10,320 –> 00:31:17,560
use power and authority for
selfish gain and change him to 1

445
00:31:17,560 –> 00:31:21,000
using willing to use power and
authority for self sacrifice.

446
00:31:21,000 –> 00:31:22,800
That’s the journey that Judah
has to go on.

447
00:31:27,240 –> 00:31:29,640
And so putting the words
together, brother, brother and

448
00:31:29,640 –> 00:31:33,840
prophet, the short statement by
Judah shows us a character trait

449
00:31:33,840 –> 00:31:36,320
of Judah which we’re going to
encounter in the next chapter.

450
00:31:36,640 –> 00:31:40,760
Judah is a compromiser.
He doesn’t want to do wrong,

451
00:31:40,840 –> 00:31:43,640
he’s just unwilling to do right.
Ever.

452
00:31:43,800 –> 00:31:45,240
Ever found yourself in that
position?

453
00:31:47,160 –> 00:31:49,160
So Judah’s answer is to
compromise.

454
00:31:49,480 –> 00:31:52,360
He’s going to ease his
conscience by not murdering his

455
00:31:52,360 –> 00:31:56,400
brother, but he’s going to
profit by selling him into

456
00:31:56,400 –> 00:32:02,800
Egypt.
Now I want you to imagine how

457
00:32:02,800 –> 00:32:10,360
many times must Judah have
thought back on the Prophet that

458
00:32:10,360 –> 00:32:18,520
he gained by selling Joseph.
Now Joseph was sold for 2020

459
00:32:18,520 –> 00:32:21,320
pieces of silver.
Now let’s just say that Benjamin

460
00:32:21,320 –> 00:32:23,360
wasn’t with the brethren,
because he probably wasn’t.

461
00:32:24,480 –> 00:32:28,880
And so I have 10 brethren.
Then up there at Dothan, if I

462
00:32:28,880 –> 00:32:33,840
take 20 pieces of silver and I
divide it by 10, I get 2 pieces

463
00:32:33,840 –> 00:32:40,160
of silver each. 2 silver silver
coins.

464
00:32:41,600 –> 00:32:44,120
Now I want you to imagine Joseph
if you can.

465
00:32:46,840 –> 00:33:00,500
He has a blood stained coat in
one hand and has 2 silver coins

466
00:33:02,220 –> 00:33:09,700
in the other hand.
I want you to imagine that walk

467
00:33:11,420 –> 00:33:18,520
back to Hebron, every step
taking you closer to your

468
00:33:18,520 –> 00:33:24,880
father.
What do you think you thought of

469
00:33:24,880 –> 00:33:29,400
that prophet?
Don’t you wonder how sometimes

470
00:33:29,920 –> 00:33:33,040
this is how we’ll think it is at
the judgement, See.

471
00:33:36,400 –> 00:33:42,520
We’ll look at our prophet.
Am I off the mic now?

472
00:33:44,040 –> 00:33:45,360
Oh, because I never turned it
on, did I?

473
00:33:45,760 –> 00:33:46,560
So now I’m.
I’m not.

474
00:33:47,600 –> 00:33:49,520
I’m now messing up with the
recording, aren’t I?

475
00:33:51,320 –> 00:33:56,320
OK, sorry.
Is it on now, David?

476
00:33:56,400 –> 00:34:01,040
Sounds like it’s on at the
judgement seat.

477
00:34:04,280 –> 00:34:12,600
Looking at our profit and I
wonder how small the profit will

478
00:34:12,600 –> 00:34:16,400
seem to us.
Now.

479
00:34:16,480 –> 00:34:19,080
It’s the scripture actually kind
of gives us a sense that this is

480
00:34:19,080 –> 00:34:23,520
what we’re meant to think
because the Scripture says in

481
00:34:23,520 –> 00:34:31,239
Matthew chapter 16, verse 26,
for what will it profit a man if

482
00:34:31,239 –> 00:34:36,880
he gains the whole world and
forfeits his life gains the

483
00:34:36,880 –> 00:34:42,600
whole world.
Judah had two silver coins.

484
00:34:48,440 –> 00:34:53,120
What would he have given?
What profit would he have paid

485
00:34:58,630 –> 00:35:02,030
to not have to face this, to
take it back?

486
00:35:04,310 –> 00:35:09,190
Romans says this is the same
word as profit in Matthew.

487
00:35:10,270 –> 00:35:14,550
Romans says in Romans 6 verse
21, What return, What profit did

488
00:35:14,550 –> 00:35:19,590
you get from the things of which
you are now ashamed?

489
00:35:26,360 –> 00:35:28,360
To Judah, that prophet would
have felt like death.

490
00:35:31,520 –> 00:35:37,440
You think he spent that money?
You think he could barely even

491
00:35:37,640 –> 00:35:44,640
manage to look at it.
So he takes that long journey

492
00:35:44,640 –> 00:35:46,120
home and what?
What do you think he’s doing on

493
00:35:46,120 –> 00:35:48,640
that journey?
What do you think he’s doing?

494
00:35:51,120 –> 00:35:55,000
Big shows on the inside tell you
what he’s doing.

495
00:35:55,440 –> 00:35:59,480
He is rehearsing what he is
going to say to his father.

496
00:36:00,720 –> 00:36:04,360
I’m going to say this and he’s
going to say that.

497
00:36:04,480 –> 00:36:07,400
Then I’m going to say this and
he’s going to say that.

498
00:36:09,560 –> 00:36:14,880
But oh, he might say this.
Ever done the wrong thing?

499
00:36:16,440 –> 00:36:18,720
And then rehearse what you’re
going to tell someone to cover

500
00:36:18,720 –> 00:36:25,960
your tracks over and over in
your mind, trying to find the

501
00:36:25,960 –> 00:36:27,960
softest way you can get out of
it.

502
00:36:31,120 –> 00:36:33,400
The conversations in his head
would have been endless.

503
00:36:35,680 –> 00:36:40,640
Now, much to Judas surprise, I’m
sure the plot worked perfectly.

504
00:36:41,520 –> 00:36:45,680
Jacob seizes the coat.
He concludes for himself that

505
00:36:45,680 –> 00:36:50,080
his son had been torn by a wild
beast and he mourn for many days

506
00:36:50,880 –> 00:36:54,760
and it says that his boys tried
to comfort him in Genesis 37

507
00:36:54,760 –> 00:36:57,280
verse 35.
Now they would have been

508
00:36:57,280 –> 00:37:00,040
miserable comforters.
You think Job had some bad

509
00:37:00,040 –> 00:37:03,880
comforters, right?
I mean, they didn’t feel sorry

510
00:37:03,880 –> 00:37:05,880
for Jacob.
They would have felt sorry for

511
00:37:05,880 –> 00:37:14,250
themselves.
So so obviously Jacob refused

512
00:37:14,250 –> 00:37:17,210
their comforts.
Of course he refused their

513
00:37:17,210 –> 00:37:19,730
comforts.
Jacob knew that his sons didn’t

514
00:37:19,730 –> 00:37:22,330
like Joseph.
He didn’t think perhaps that

515
00:37:22,330 –> 00:37:25,720
they had murdered Joseph,
although maybe, maybe he had

516
00:37:25,720 –> 00:37:35,160
some suspicions of that.
And so, so Jacob would have been

517
00:37:35,200 –> 00:37:40,520
a constant and loathsome
reminder of the enormity of

518
00:37:40,520 –> 00:37:43,280
their sin.
Their guilty conscience would

519
00:37:43,280 –> 00:37:46,560
find no relief.
You wake up, there’s your father

520
00:37:46,560 –> 00:37:49,240
mourning.
The next day there’s your father

521
00:37:49,240 –> 00:37:51,760
mourning.
The next day there’s your father

522
00:37:51,760 –> 00:37:53,920
mourning, looking at your two
coins.

523
00:37:59,200 –> 00:38:02,800
They would be reminded again and
again and again of what they had

524
00:38:02,800 –> 00:38:04,160
done.
And every time they look at

525
00:38:04,160 –> 00:38:06,680
their father, what would happen?
Well, I’ll tell you what would

526
00:38:06,680 –> 00:38:09,720
have happened.
That not in their stomach would

527
00:38:09,720 –> 00:38:13,200
have just turned a little bit
more and a little bit more and a

528
00:38:13,200 –> 00:38:17,280
little bit more.
So that the brothers are just

529
00:38:17,280 –> 00:38:20,480
doing something that all of us
understand when we combine

530
00:38:21,320 –> 00:38:24,800
conscience and sin.
And that’s guilt.

531
00:38:26,240 –> 00:38:29,600
Now think back to Joseph’s
brothers eating bread within

532
00:38:29,600 –> 00:38:32,560
earshot of Joseph’s.
Cries for distress, cries for

533
00:38:32,560 –> 00:38:35,560
help.
Cries which they could ignore.

534
00:38:35,680 –> 00:38:38,560
Of course they could ignore it.
Why, they had the equivalent of

535
00:38:38,560 –> 00:38:40,000
morphine floating around their
brain.

536
00:38:40,000 –> 00:38:42,280
You can ignore anything.
I could ignore cold oceans,

537
00:38:42,920 –> 00:38:47,160
right?
But you know The funny thing

538
00:38:47,160 –> 00:38:49,600
about medicine, right, Uncle
Fred?

539
00:38:49,680 –> 00:38:50,920
What?
What’s the problem with it?

540
00:38:52,120 –> 00:38:55,360
It wears off, right?
Right.

541
00:38:57,120 –> 00:38:58,720
And what happens when it wears
off?

542
00:39:00,400 –> 00:39:04,080
Pain comes back because it’s
never really gone.

543
00:39:05,520 –> 00:39:10,360
It just got covered up.
And we’re told what happened

544
00:39:10,360 –> 00:39:16,240
when the pain wore off.
We’re told this in Genesis

545
00:39:16,240 –> 00:39:22,160
chapter 42 and verse 21, and
this is when the brothers are

546
00:39:22,160 –> 00:39:29,280
sitting in an Egyptian jail and
they said to one another, we are

547
00:39:29,280 –> 00:39:34,600
verily guilty concerning our
brother and that we saw the

548
00:39:34,600 –> 00:39:39,480
anguish of his soul when he
besought us and we would not

549
00:39:39,480 –> 00:39:42,520
hear.
Therefore is this distress come

550
00:39:42,520 –> 00:39:46,920
upon us.
So while they would not hear

551
00:39:46,920 –> 00:39:50,200
Joseph that day as they ate
bread, do you know what else

552
00:39:50,200 –> 00:39:55,000
they got in return?
They got to hear that voice

553
00:39:56,000 –> 00:40:02,360
every day for 22 years.
Maybe there’s something in your

554
00:40:02,360 –> 00:40:09,040
past that you’re hearing that
voice every day.

555
00:40:10,600 –> 00:40:16,280
Like Joseph’s brothers, they
didn’t hear him that day, but in

556
00:40:16,280 –> 00:40:20,400
their mind’s ear, they heard him
from that day forward.

557
00:40:23,000 –> 00:40:27,840
So we have a clue then that self
importance had turned into self

558
00:40:27,840 –> 00:40:31,720
justification, had turned into
self righteousness, had turned

559
00:40:31,720 –> 00:40:40,240
into self loathing, grinding
guilt.

560
00:40:42,480 –> 00:40:45,240
The brothers had thought that
lying to their father about

561
00:40:45,240 –> 00:40:50,880
selling Joseph would help them.
That was it was the solution to

562
00:40:50,880 –> 00:40:53,280
avoid Jacob’s wrath, to not get
caught.

563
00:40:55,080 –> 00:40:57,920
It’s funny how doing the wrong
thing to avoid pain doesn’t

564
00:40:57,920 –> 00:41:02,600
avoid pain.
But that wasn’t a lesson that

565
00:41:02,600 –> 00:41:04,520
Judah was ready to learn in this
chapter.

566
00:41:05,320 –> 00:41:07,680
So let’s finish briefly this
way.

567
00:41:08,600 –> 00:41:11,840
How much time I have left?
10 minutes.

568
00:41:12,400 –> 00:41:23,720
Look at me, Mark, see if you can
top that one.

569
00:41:25,280 –> 00:41:30,080
So turn over to Genesis chapter
37 verses 9:00 to 11:00.

570
00:41:30,080 –> 00:41:32,880
Again, I just want to make an
observation as we conclude

571
00:41:35,480 –> 00:41:37,480
Genesis chapter 37 verses 9:00
to 11:00.

572
00:41:37,480 –> 00:41:45,240
We read there and he dreamed
another dream and told it to his

573
00:41:45,240 –> 00:41:49,880
brothers, and said, Behold, I
have dreamed another dream.

574
00:41:50,800 –> 00:41:54,840
And behold, the sun, the moon,
and the 11 stars were bowing

575
00:41:54,840 –> 00:42:00,800
down to me, Joseph says.
But when he told it to his

576
00:42:00,800 –> 00:42:05,280
father and to his brothers, his
father rebuked him and said to

577
00:42:05,280 –> 00:42:07,800
him, What is this dream that you
have dreamed?

578
00:42:08,360 –> 00:42:11,960
Shall I, your mother and your
brothers indeed come to bow

579
00:42:11,960 –> 00:42:14,240
ourselves to the ground before
you?

580
00:42:16,080 –> 00:42:20,400
And his brothers were jealous of
him, but his father kept the

581
00:42:20,400 –> 00:42:26,320
saying in mind.
So we’re told that the brothers

582
00:42:26,320 –> 00:42:28,800
were jealous or they’re envious.
That’s that word Khanna.

583
00:42:30,320 –> 00:42:33,560
But we’re told that Jacob wasn’t
jealous or envious.

584
00:42:34,320 –> 00:42:40,240
Jacob did something different.
Jacob observed the saying.

585
00:42:40,240 –> 00:42:46,360
Now that word observed stands
for to treasure up something in

586
00:42:46,360 –> 00:42:49,680
memory, the treasure of
something in memory.

587
00:42:51,040 –> 00:42:55,360
Now.
Now, we can be sure then, given

588
00:42:55,400 –> 00:42:59,440
what that word means, that this
is not an incident that Jacob

589
00:42:59,440 –> 00:43:02,040
would have forgotten.
Brothers certainly didn’t forget

590
00:43:02,040 –> 00:43:05,920
it, did they?
And Jacob wouldn’t have either.

591
00:43:06,280 –> 00:43:08,840
He pondered it.
He thought about it.

592
00:43:09,680 –> 00:43:11,320
What does it mean?
Maybe he was thinking about it

593
00:43:11,320 –> 00:43:15,480
in relation to his now wife who
was asleep.

594
00:43:18,640 –> 00:43:22,800
But it’s interesting then, if
Jacob did think about this dream

595
00:43:22,800 –> 00:43:32,520
so carefully that we read this
in Genesis chapter 49 and verse

596
00:43:32,520 –> 00:43:40,440
8 when speaking about Judah and
blessing his sons.

597
00:43:41,880 –> 00:43:47,800
What does Jacob say?
Jacob says, Judah, Thou art he

598
00:43:48,120 –> 00:43:52,160
whom thy brethren shall praise.
Thy hand shall be in the neck of

599
00:43:52,160 –> 00:43:57,600
thine enemies.
Thy father’s children shall bow

600
00:43:57,600 –> 00:44:06,480
down before thee.
Jacob changes it so in Genesis

601
00:44:06,480 –> 00:44:11,400
37.
Judah was so incensed.

602
00:44:12,840 –> 00:44:15,120
And what was he insisted about?
We know what he was.

603
00:44:15,200 –> 00:44:17,960
He was incensed about the dream.
Why do we know that?

604
00:44:18,160 –> 00:44:22,040
Because he said, behold, the
dreamer cometh.

605
00:44:24,400 –> 00:44:26,800
They were not going to allow
that dream to take place.

606
00:44:26,800 –> 00:44:31,480
They were not going to bow down
before that man, that boy, that

607
00:44:31,480 –> 00:44:38,560
brother, absolutely not so much
so that they’re going to make

608
00:44:38,560 –> 00:44:42,360
him not merely a brother,
they’re going to transform into

609
00:44:42,360 –> 00:44:44,680
a slave.
Well, who’s going to ever bow

610
00:44:44,680 –> 00:44:49,440
down before a slave?
No one bows down before a slave.

611
00:44:54,560 –> 00:45:06,120
And yet somehow, through the
process of this book and through

612
00:45:06,120 –> 00:45:18,920
the process of being willing to
be a slave, Judah, we become a

613
00:45:18,920 –> 00:45:24,600
king.
The very thing, the very thing

614
00:45:25,600 –> 00:45:29,680
he was jealous over.
How does that happen?

615
00:45:30,840 –> 00:45:33,560
Well, that’s a question we’re
going to have to answer the rest

616
00:45:33,560 –> 00:45:34,000
of this week.