So again, thanks for being here this morning and for your faithfulness and praying for me during this past week as I worked on today's message. covering the entire chapter of Genesis 43. When we allocated this out, it was hard to decide where to break this. So we're going to do the whole thing. I feel like I need to have, when I listen to things on a tape recorder, I usually speed it up a little bit. And I feel like that's what I need to do, speed it up. So I'll try to not talk too fast. I want to begin this morning by showing you two pictures. First, one of the top 10 roller coasters in the world. And why is it one of the top 10? Because it's one of the tallest, and it's one of the steepest. How many of you like roller coasters? So how many would you ride that? A few. Well, most of you. My wife sometimes says, why do you ride those things? Second picture. A German shepherd. Nice, friendly dog, right? How many of you'd like to pet this thing? A few of you. You don't value your fingers at all. The question I have is, what do these two have in common? What is the similarity? And you may be thinking, what does this have to do with today's message? This morning I want to talk, by way of introduction, about something that can cause great havoc in a person's life. Something that we all deal with at one time or another, whether we want to or not. And that something is fear. One kind of fear, like riding a roller coaster, is what I call anticipatory fear, standing in line. The other kind of fear, being attacked by a German shepherd, which I have, and that's why I used that illustration, is more of a reactionary fear. If you look up the word fear in the dictionary, it goes something like this. Fear is an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. It actually helps protect us as it makes us alert to danger and prepares us to deal with it. And like all emotions, fear can be mild, medium, or intense, depending on the situation and person. For instance, children, you may be scared to be alone in the dark. Or maybe a storm, particularly a tornado, you get scared. Adults, you might be fearful of public speaking. or maybe you're fearful of heights, or being in an elevator all by yourself. Certainly one of the top fears among non-Christians would be the fear of death, and rightly so, without Christ in your heart. Some fears can even be considered phobias, where they overwhelm a person, even to the state of being totally disabled. Fears like, and I'm not gonna pronounce all these fears, Like the fear of spiders, or the fear of snakes, or the fear of flying, or the fear of cancer, the fear of needles, the fear of water, the fear of lightning. The list goes on and on. I mean, you can find hundreds of these. And they all have these long, complicated names. But one of the fears that was particularly interesting to me as I looked at this was a fear called anaclophobia, which is the fear of crowds. And I remember years and years ago, when I first started employment at the company I worked for, my boss called me in on one Friday afternoon and said, we have this apartment complex and the residents are really upset. And they want to have a meeting with whoever's in charge of this complex. And it's tomorrow, Saturday, and I want you to go and I want you to try to get them settled down. And whatever you do, don't make any promises before you talk to me first. the fear of crowds. I remember that got the best of me that night. I don't think I slept at all. And Lord willing, I mean, God, He handled all that and I was so thankful. But only after I really put my confidence in Him. I remember verses in Psalms particularly that were very helpful. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Who shall I be afraid? I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears. What time I am afraid I will trust in Thee. In light of today's message, I want you to consider this morning A fear which I am sure that none of you have ever faced. And that is the fear of starvation. We live in a very rich country. I'm not gonna, I'm gonna call this the why fear. And it is the fear that because there's not enough food, or no food at all, you'll be starving to death. Now, I can probably say that most of you have been in situations where you've been really, really hungry. Maybe even, you didn't eat breakfast this morning, you're here, your stomach's growling, you're really, really hungry. In fact, you might have said at times, like, you go on a diet and you go for several days on this stringent diet and you are so hungry. In fact, you might have said, I'm starving to death. But you really weren't, because you could go to your cabinets, or you could go to your refrigerator, you could go to the nearest grocery store, and there's food. But today's account... This is actually taking place. And you have to kind of picture it, because it sets the mood for the entire narrative that we're looking at. Food was running out. A severe famine was throughout the land. And without food being replenished, the family would face starvation and die. Pretty scary. And yet, you also have to picture God's providence. This is all according to his plan. This is exactly where Joseph's family was to be. So with that long introduction, I've called this From Famine to Feasting. Let's just pray before we begin. Father, thank you for this word of your holy scriptures, and I pray that you would help us to really understand it, better yet, apply it, I pray that you would use me as your instrument. Help me to be truthful in what I say. Help me to be humble in what I say. Lord, thank you for what you've taught me. And I pray, Lord, that you would use this time in a powerful way that the Holy Spirit would have free reign in people's lives. We pray this in Christ's name, amen. So I broke this up into four sections. So the first section is verses one through seven. So follow along as I read this. And the famine was sore, severe in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judas spoke unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, You shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. "'If thou wilt send our brother with us, "'we will go down and buy the food. "'But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down. "'For the man said unto us, "'You shall not see my face, "'except your brother be with you.' "'And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, "'as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? "'And they said, The man asked us straightly of our state, "'and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? "'Have ye another brother? And we told him according to the tenor of these words, could we certainly know that he would say, bring your brother down? I call this first section the fear of Jacob. If you remember from Kent's message last week, the brothers had returned from Egypt with the food they had purchased and told their father of all that had taken place. How Joseph had taken Simeon from them and ordered them that on their return trip back to buy more food to bring their youngest brother Benjamin as well. And Jacob's response to this news, if you look back just a few verses to chapter 42, verse 36, it says, and Jacob, their father, said unto them, me have ye bereaved of my children. Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me. Now no doubt the fear of losing another son engulfed Jacob, else why would he say, all these things are against me? And as Kent noted last week, no doubt it was this consuming fear pressing down all around him. Yet even after hearing his sons explain the situation, Jacob did nothing at all. In essence, his response was to put it off or delay in taking any action until the matter had reached crisis proportion. Some would call this kicking the can down the road or out of sight, out of mind. He simply didn't want to think about it, even with Simeon held captive. And certainly by this response, there was no way you could tell Benjamin is not leaving my side until another fear was upon them, and that was the fear of starvation, the fear of losing his life. So that is where we pick up here. One year later, we're in verse 1, we see that the famine was severe throughout the land. So severe that the grain they had previously bought from Joseph had run out and starvation was upon them. It is finally at this point that Jacob tells his sons in verse 2, okay, go again and buy us a little food. Daniel mentioned little food. That is an interesting thought, because why not buy as much food as you can carry home? Commentators say it appears not only did Jacob put off this trip until there was no way around it, but now was playing it down by thinking if I just purchased a little grain, possibly Joseph would not hold to his original demand of Benjamin accompanying them and maybe even release Simeon at the same time. So just go on down to Egypt like before without Benjamin and we'll see what happens. But his sons knew differently. And in verses three through five, Judas specifically was unwilling to accept his father's proposal. And speaks out to say very bluntly that Joseph had insisted that he would not see them again until their youngest brother was with him. After all, it was not Jacob who would have to stand before Joseph and explain Benjamin's absence. So Judas stood his ground. Either Benjamin goes with us, and we will go and buy the food, or if you will not allow him to go, we won't be going." This is a pretty strong stand because Judah himself would be faced with starvation if he didn't go. And yet he also knew the consequences of not having Benjamin with him could also lead to death as well. I would think Jacob, the father, would have been much more understanding given the stance of Judah and his brothers. But in verse six, he was still unwilling to give in to their demands. To me, what stands out here is the apparent lack of leadership and the real self-centeredness on Judah's part, which was driving him to try and change the minds of his sons by now placing responsibility for these circumstances solely on them. Why have you brought this upon me by telling Joseph you had another brother? In other words, it's all your fault. Why would you jeopardize the life of Benjamin and the happiness of your own father? Again, the brother's response in verse seven. The man asked us pointedly about us and our relatives and about you, our father, and were you still alive? How could we possibly know that he would say, bring your brother down? So much bantering going on now between father and sons as we end this section of scripture. But what really stuck out to me as I thought about Jacob's handling of this entire matter was how the fears he was facing, the fear of starvation, the fear of losing another son, really affected his leadership. Putting off the matter initially and then playing it down when the crisis did occur was no way to act when called to be the patriarch and the spiritual leader in their family. Now some would argue that we should maybe feel sorry for Jacob and all the problems he was dealing with, but every leader faces problems, everyone. which brought me to the application that I want to focus on this morning, and that's spiritual leadership. Men, particularly you married men, how do you, how do I rise to be the spiritual leaders we're called to be? A few verses pertaining to leadership in the family. You're all very familiar with these. Ephesians 5, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body. 1 Corinthians 11, but I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. And then towards children, Ephesians 6, and you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up, train them, lead them, encourage them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Spiritual leadership. I would surmise in a group this size, and the number of Christian marriages represented here, that if I were to ask each of you wives, is your husband a good spiritual leader? I might not get all positive answers. As often is the case in many Christian homes, the wife becomes the spiritual leader by default. because there's a lack of leadership on the part of the husband. Here's a true account of the question asked of a wife if her husband was a good spiritual leader. This is what she said, and I quote, I definitely agree that spiritually the husband should be the spiritual leader in the family, but it just doesn't happen that way in our house. My husband rarely discusses anything spiritual with me or the children, nor do we read the Bible together or pray together. The reason our family makes it to church on Sundays is because I wake the children up and see that they all get ready. If we have family devotions, it's done at my insistence, and I'm the one who always prays with the children at bedtime. If I didn't do these things, our kids would have no spiritual training at all," unquote. Why is that the case? And it often is. Either men don't care, or maybe they're too busy, or probably they're just too lazy. And so their wives take over. It's so much easier. But sadly, when this happens, there can sometimes be a problem that leads a wife to have a critical spirit or a husband, or develop spiritual pride on her part, or worse yet, lead to a comparison and develop unfair expectations of what her husband, a spiritual leader, should be doing. So man, I don't know how you would rate your spiritual leadership in your home, but I wanted to give you some thoughts on what I would call being a good spiritual leader. Now, let me say up front, every home is different. So these are just some thoughts for you to consider for your own home. First, as a spiritual leader, you care. You have a deep concern about the spiritual condition of your family. It really does matter to you whether they are pursuing God. Therefore, you desire to stay tuned in to your wife's needs and the needs of your children. How do you do that? Well, you certainly have to spend time with them. You have to know them. You listen carefully and you pray regularly. Christ modeled this and told husbands to care in the same way. 1 Peter 3, 7, a verse you men should know backwards and forwards, likewise you husbands dwell with them. That means care for them. According to knowledge, it means you know them. You know the scriptures. Giving honor as unto the weaker vessel and as being heirs together to the grace of life. That your prayers be not hindered. First Thessalonians 2, as you know how be exhorted and comforted and charged or implored every one of you as a father does his children. So that's the second thing. Are you exhorting, comforting, charging your children that they would walk worthy of God who has called you into his kingdom and glory? Secondly, you serve. You don't come home from work demanding to be waited on. You pitch in and help with the task and challenges that your wife and your children have in order that they can succeed. Christ modeled servant leadership all throughout the scriptures. Matthew 20, even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, minister, but to minister. That's what you do, you minister to your wife and family and to give his life a ransom for many. Thirdly, you take responsibility. Unlike Jacob, you don't passively sit around waiting, kicking the can down the road, letting your wife be responsible for the home. Instead, you embrace your role as spiritual leader. You own it. For a home to function smoothly and with purpose, the buck stops with you. Does that mean you don't delegate? Absolutely not. You have to delegate as a leader. But you know what's going on. 1 Timothy 3, 4. One that ruleth well his house, having his children and subjecting with all gravity. And you say, that's for an elder. No, that's for every spiritual leader in a home. And lastly, you have a vision. That means you have a picture in your mind of what it looks like for your wife and your children to walk with God. You envision a target, a biblical responsibility. I remember when my children were growing up, once a year my wife and I would go away and we would try to think of things specifically to help each of our children reach a target. a biblical target. So if they weren't believers, and at that time many of them weren't, that they would see Christ. Did we fail? Oh, we failed many times. But you have to have a vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish. So just a few other things I thought of. Men, you have to be in the word. You have to obey God's commands. You have to be the example in your home. You have to pray, and you have to pray, and you pray again. You establish protective boundaries. You have to protect your children. And you make church a priority. So you're spiritual leaders. I just trust you embrace it. It fleets by so fast. Your children are so young and then all of a sudden they're gone. Your wife, I mean, Ethan told me this morning, Dave and Juanita were married 35 plus years, but that time just goes by like that. Second section, verses eight through 14. And Judah said unto Israel, his father, send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and thou, and also our little ones. I will be surety for him. Of my hand shall thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever. For except we had lingered surely now, we would have returned a second time. Then their father Israel said unto him, if it must be so now, do this, take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels and carry down the man a present, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds, and take double money in your hand and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand. Peradventure, it was an oversight. Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man. And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. I call this second section, The Faith of Judah. is at this point in the conversation that we see something take place in Judah that's really remarkable. Unlike his father, he begins to merge as a leader, one who has faith that God will take care of both himself and Benjamin. As we see him stating in verses 8 through 10, send the lad with me and we will live and not die. I will act as a surety and he will return. And if not, then I take full responsibility and full blame forever. For if we had not delayed, surely by now we would return twice. There's quite a contrast here between Jacob and Judah, for it is Judah who steps up and takes responsibility. In any event, whether it be the faithful assurance of Judah that Benjamin would be okay, or the severity of the famine and the depleting grain they had on hand, or simply the stance of the brothers to absolutely not return to Egypt without Benjamin, Jacob finally consents in verse 11. Instructs them to take the best of the fruits, add to that balm, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts and almonds. Not only was Jacob wanting to sweetened the pot for Joseph, but added to that in verse 12, take double money, as perhaps it was an oversight that it was misplaced. And this would add even better credibility to your honesty. And then in verses 13 and 14, take also your brother and arise, and may God Almighty give you mercy that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. And then these words, if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. We see again this state of anxiety, fear, this welling up in Jacob's heart, kind of like a state of mourning or sorrow and misfortune. He in no way saw these obstacles as a hand of God working in his life like Joseph did. Which brings me to another application. When you are faced with various obstacles in your own life, would you say you're more apt to demonstrate fear or demonstrate faith? Which describes you, fear or faith? It's been said that fear is a terrible master. It creates anxiety, it kills hope, it can even destroy us. When fear is the motivation, there always comes a snare, there's a trap. Think about when Abraham feared man, causing him to deny that Sarah was his wife. Or the fear leading Peter to deny Christ. As Proverbs 29.25 says, the fear of a man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust or faith in Jehovah shall be safe. Fear gives way to a distrust in God. It leaves one with a conscience that is anxious and never at rest. It really does bring a snare into a person's life. At the very opposite end, though, there's faith. Like we've seen throughout Genesis, faith is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area of our life. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the total opposite of unbelief. But we do need to understand that faith is not something we can produce in ourselves. Faith is a gift from God, as stated in Ephesians 2. And faith itself is described as a fruit of the Spirit that is produced in our lives, as found in Galatians 5. A Christian's faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts, and who cares about our deepest needs. And that faith continues to grow as we study the Bible, as we learn the attributes of this amazing character, as we get to know God more and more. And the more we know about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith becomes. I like what one commentator summarized, fear ends where faith begins. Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Fear or faith, what describes you? Third section, 15 through 30. follow along as I read here. And the men took the presents, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with him, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay and make ready, for these men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house. And they said, because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time we were brought in, that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondsmen, and for our asses. And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house. and said, oh, sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food. And it came to pass when we came to the end that we opened our sacks and behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack. Our money was full and white, and we have brought it again in our hand. And the other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food. We cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. And this is the steward or ruler saying, and he said, peace be unto you. Fear not, your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their asses for vendor. And they made ready, the present against Joseph came at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present, which was in their hand, into their house, and bowed themselves to him and to the earth. And he asked them of their welfare, and he said, Is your father well, the old man of whom you spake? Is he yet alive? And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health. He is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads and made obeisance. And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom you spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste, for his bowels did yearn upon his brother, and he sought where to weep, and he entered into this chamber and wept there." I call the third section, The Fellowship with Benjamin, The story continues in verse 15 where we see the brothers departing with the presents and double money along with their brother Benjamin and arriving at Egypt, now standing before Joseph. Upon seeing his brothers, especially his younger brother, Benjamin, with him, in verse 16, Joseph instructs the ruler or steward of his house to take all these men to his house, slaughter an animal, and prepare dinner, for they are to eat with him at noon. Now whether Joseph had made this plan in advance is unstated, but surely he must have sought or thought about what he would do if and when his brothers did return to Egypt. So that's exactly what happened in verse 17, as the brothers were taken into Joseph's home. And then in verse 18, it would be assumed that all of these men were in Joseph's house for one particular reason, because they had taken the money. The money was no longer in their sacks on the first visit. And Joseph would now take this occasion to capture them as slaves and take their donkeys as well. But while fearing the worst, they began a conversation with Joseph Stewart in verses 19 through 23. And they tell their whole side of the account about what happened the first time they were there, and they had no idea how the money given for the grain was found back in their sacks. But they brought double money now for that mistake. And then the steward. Sometimes you just gloss over the steward. But if you look at his responses in verses 23 and 24, they're quite comforting. First he says, peace be unto you. He immediately puts them to ease by using the Hebrew word shalom. And this word is used throughout the Old Testament. And it really is sometimes said in a way to encourage people to overcome fear. Fear not. In essence, don't be afraid, because your God and the God of your father has given you a treasure. The gift has gone back in your sacks for a reason. I had your money. It's very apparent that the steward knew Joseph well enough to know how he spoke of the one true God, and the return of their money was to regard as a divine gift, not an error on the part of the Egyptian. And then his actions. He brought Simeon out. I can't imagine, it doesn't say anything about the reunion, but I'm sure it was very, very heartfelt. There was no need to be fearful. Here's your brother to be reunited with y'all. He gave them water and washed their feet. This has been no way to treat someone who may end up as a prisoner and provided further assurance of Joseph's grace and generosity. And then lastly, he gave their donkeys feed. Rather than taking their donkeys away, they were instead fed and cared for. Now I'll come back to the steward in a few minutes, but the noon meal was rapidly approaching, so they made ready their gifts, and in verse 26, they presented their gifts before him as they bowed in humility in his presence. And it's at this point that Joseph now begins a round of questions concerning them and their father. Is your father yet alive? Their response in verse 28, they prostrated themselves before Joseph and replied that their father was alive and well. It was at this point in verse 29 that Joseph looked directly at Benjamin. And when he gazed upon him, asked, is this your younger brother? And immediately, pronounced a blessing upon him. God be gracious unto thee, my son. It had to be such an emotional time for Joseph, seeing his brother. And he was so moved that he didn't want to weep in front of the rest of them, so he hurried out to his chamber and wept there. Now let's go back to the steward's responses for my third application point. One commentator said this, rather than finding rebuke in Joseph's house as they had feared, they found peace and refreshment. And rather than losing their donkeys, their donkeys were fed. In the midst of famine and tribulation, Joseph made provision for his brothers. As I thought about that, I thought, such it is with our Lord. In the midst of famine and tribulation, God provides. He always does. Even though his brothers had blown it big time, they'd sinned greatly against Joseph, they'd sinned greatly against the Lord, they deserved to be severely punished, but instead they found incredible grace and unbelievable mercy. Joseph truly is a shadow of Christ and his amazing forgiveness. I thought about all the times I've blown it big time, that I have sinned before the Lord and my family. I don't deserve anything, and yet God grants mercy and grace. I mean, if you don't know Romans 520, where sin abounded, grace abounded more. That describes the Lord to a T. And I trust each of you who know Christ truly realize the grace and mercy that's poured out over your sins daily. Don't take that for granted. Don't forget the price that was paid on your behalf. Rejoice in the fellowship that you have with your Christ as your Redeemer. And if you don't know Christ, if you don't know this grace and mercy, you are missing so much. Having a personal relationship with Christ is the only way to experience true peace and no longer be fearful. It is only fellowship with God that provides eternal security and hope. last four verses, verses 31 through 34. And he washed his face and went out and refrained himself and said, set on bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him by themselves. Because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And they set before him the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled one another. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him. But Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs, and they drank and were merry with him." I called this last section, The Feast with Joseph. So after a while, Joseph composed himself from his weeping, washed his face, and as verse 31 states, returned and ordered the meal to be served. However, in complete harmony with the Egyptian culture, plus to continue concealing his identity, verse 32 tells us that Joseph ate at one table, his Egyptian servants at another table, and his brother still at another table, which was somewhat separate, yet in front of him. The Egyptians actually considered all other peoples uncultured, so they would not associate with them, especially in the intimate action of eating. And then to the amazement of the brothers, we learn in verse 33 that each of them were seated in the exact order of their ages. And then the conclusion, verse 34, Benjamin the youngest was given five times as much food as the others. Why was that? It may very well have been a test to see if the brothers were in any way jealous of Benjamin as they previously were of Joseph. But we see nothing to that nature, as they feasted with Joseph and made merry with each other. My final application point today surrounds a sin that initially began this story back in Genesis 37, when Joseph was given the coat of many colors. What was the response from his brothers? If you look at Genesis 37.4, they hated him. And the response when Joseph told his brothers his dream? One verse more, 37.5, they hated him. What was the underlying sin for this hatred? It was jealousy. It does seem apparent to me that Joseph wanted to see if his brothers would deal with Benjamin the same way they had dealt with him years early. But there seemed to be a change. Didn't see any sense or part of jealousy in how they responded. I thought about the sin of jealousy, and I tried to think of it in the sense of the church body. If you read Romans 12, it speaks of the different gifts within a body. And with these differences, we are still to be kindly affectioned one to another, with broadly love and honor, preferring one another, distributing to the necessity of the saints, giving to hospitality, being of the same mind one towards another, And then you come upon this verse in Romans 12, 15. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that do weep. It's been said in Christian circles that it's easier to weep with those that weep than to rejoice with those that rejoice. Why? Often it's because of jealousy and envy. We know that jealousy is wrong, and yet at times, do we not wrestle within ourselves when another person is rejoicing? For instance, someone's getting married. Someone's having a baby. Someone got a promotion at work. Someone bought a new house. Someone got some new clothes. Someone became grandma and grandpa. Someone, you fill in the blank. Someone is rejoicing. The question is, are you? Are you rejoicing with them? There was definitely a change in these brothers. Has there been a change in you towards this end? Or is there still a seed or should I say a sin of jealousy and envy residing within? Are you making comparisons with others or instead finding contentment in the Lord and praising Him for what He has done for you? As we close this morning, I'd like you to think about this whole aspect of from famine to feasting. When I was growing up, there was a cliche. I don't hear it as much now, which is probably good. But I remember many times work, school, I'd hear the phrase, usually people would shrug or sigh and say, well, it's either feast or famine, meaning that if everything was going great in their life, it was a feast. If everything was going terrible in their life, it was famine. I thought I'll leave with you as we see God's providential plan continuing to unfold in these passages we're studying is what is the right response for a Christian when those hard times, those hard times of famine come? How will you respond? Do you trust the Lord? I like how one commentator, what he said, and I'll end with this. You probably can't read that, but I'll read it. When hard times come, we always have two choices. We can be a student, or we can be a victim. A victim says, why did this happen to me? The student says, what can I learn from this? A victim complains he is being treated unfairly. A student thanks God that he is not being treated as he really deserves. A victim tries to get even with those who have hurt him. A student seeks ways to serve others in the midst of his difficulty. A victim believes the game of life is stacked against him. A student believes that God is at work, even in the trying situations. A perceptive reader can think of hundreds of other comparisons, but the point is clear. In every circumstance, each of us has the opportunity to choose how we respond. How will you? That's the question I'll leave with you. God, do you believe God is sovereign? Do you believe God is providentially at work in your life, even in the times of famine? So let's pray. Lord, thank you for this passage today. We pray that you would continue to conform us to your image, Lord, even in those trying and difficult times. In those times when we are prone to make comparisons, we're prone to ask why, we're prone to complain. Lord, give us instead an assurance a faith that knows that you are exactly making us go where we need to go and what we need to do. And I thank you, Lord, for the passage today, and thank you for how we see your providential hand at work. So just, again, thank you for what you taught me in Christ's name. Amen.