Complimentary Story
January 2026I have been preaching through Genesis for the last two years. Many excellent sermons along the way. You can check them out at YouTube at our channel titled “Mercy Seat Christian Church.”
In verse 18 of chapter 42, the Scripture reads: “Then Joseph said to them (his brothers while he is now second in command in all of Egypt) the third day, ‘Do this and live, for I fear God.’”
Notice that life is connected with fearing God. Notice also that Jospeh says this as a magistrate – as a government official. Joseph wanted to assure them that he was a just man who ruled in the fear of the Lord. Joseph never forgot the Lord, even though he had been in Egypt for over twenty years now and had enculturated with the Egyptians to an extent. He even had an Egyptian wife. But what he was taught regarding the Lord as a child and a young man still stuck with him. He knew right and wrong.
Though he was speaking roughly with them, he wanted them to understand that he feared God, and would therefore act justly in his actions towards them.
Matthew Henry says of Jospeh’s statement “for I fear God” — “Note, with those that fear God we have reason to expect fair dealing. The fear of God will be a check upon those that are in power, to restrain them from abusing their power to oppression and tyranny. Those that have no one else to stand in awe of ought to stand in awe of their own consciences. See Nehemiah 5:14 and 15.”
The Scripture reads in Nehemiah 5:14 and 15:
“Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.”
Notice that Nehemiah was not a socialist. He did not look to the state to meet their needs like so many do in America. He did not burden the people with heavy taxation — again, like America. Nehemiah was not a statist dog — like the people and magistrates of America are.
In verse 22, Jospeh’s brother Reuben brings up innocent blood. He was feeling the guilt of the innocent blood they had shed of Jospeh (not realizing it was Joseph standing before them). Innocent blood was a matter understood by Joseph’s brothers and all Hebrews. Innocent blood is a theme found throughout Scripture.
We first see it with Cain slaying Abel. His blood cried out from the ground. When someone kills someone unjustly — in other words, not in self-defense or defense of others — they procure what the Bible declares as “bloodguilt.” As the Lord declares in Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God He [God] made them.”
When someone kills someone, the blood of the one who killed him is to be shed, through execution. Deuteronomy 21 gives the procedure to follow if the murderer is unknown — and after the process is given, verse 9 concludes by saying, “So you shall put away the of innocent blood from among you.”
One example of innocent blood and blood guilt in our day is abortion. When it comes to abortion we are talking about innocent blood being shed. We’re talking about bloodguilt. God will bring His judgment for all this shedding of innocent blood in America. It may not come on Friday, but it will come. Even Thomas Jefferson had to utter this fact when he said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."
Someone must be responsible for the shedding of innocent blood. The Jews demonstrated they knew this even when it came to Christ — Pilate said he did not think Jesus was guilty of anything — “What wrong has He done?” — and the Jews cried out “His blood be upon our heads!”
When it comes to the slaughter of the preborn - we cannot say – “Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it!” as Deuteronomy 21 speaks of. ALL Americans know this killing — this shedding of innocent blood — is taking place. Every day. Week after week; month after month; year after year, for over 50 years now. And we have tolerated it. We have accommodated ourselves to it.
Why do we show the signs — the large photographs of the murdered preborn? To inform people that abortion is truly the brutal murder of an actual person; to inform the people that they have bloodguilt; that the righteous judgment of God is upon our nation. Our photographs stand as a haunting indictment upon this nation that we have impugned God’s law — and He will bring retribution — He will establish justice.
This whole nation’s hands are covered in blood. ALL OF US have bloodguilt as Americans.
Innocent blood is a terrible thing for which the Scriptures are repeatedly clear — God judges nations. America is awash in it. As it says in Isaiah 1:15, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”
May we take action on behalf of these little ones in our nation. May we call the Church in America and the inhabitants of this nation to repentance for the indifference to their slaughter.
Matt Trewhella is pastor of Mercy Seat Christian Church (MercySeat.net); founder of Missionaries to the Preborn (MissionariesToThePreborn.com); and teacher of the lesser magistrate doctrine (DefyTyrants.com). He and his wife, Clara, have eleven children and 30 grandchildren and reside in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. To hear sermons by Pastor Trewhella, go to the Mercy Seat Christian Church channel at YouTube.com.
