Familiar Faces

Transcript

GRS 11
4/13/1986
Familiar Faces
Old Testament Survey
Genesis 41-45
Gil Rugh

The Book of Genesis in you Bibles. The book of Genesis and the 41st chapter. I trust you’re able to keep up with your reading in the Book of Genesis on a somewhat regular basis as you may be doing from time to time that cause you to miss a day or having to pick up two chapters. Let me encourage you to discipline yourself the regular pattern for proceeding through the scriptures.

We’re in a section of Genesis that is relatively familiar. Usually when we start reading the Bible we read the book of Genesis we just read Genesis pretty well. That are interesting stories, exciting stories and relatively easy to understand. We’ll be getting into less familiar parts of the Old Testament as we proceed along and it will be even more important that you have the content of these passages settled in your mind by your reading so that you might profit from our study together.

We come to chapter 41; remember the background. We are focusing attention on the life of the man Joseph who is a son of Jacob. In chapter 39 Joseph was in prison in Egypt. He is in Egypt because his brothers has sold him into slavery. In Egypt God elevated him to a position of importance as a servant or slave in the house of Potiphar because of a lie told by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph is cast into the dungeon. Now we find that while he’s in the dungeon he’s given responsibility. So God has taken care of Joseph but it is in every step is a step down foe Joseph. He is in a position of favor and the choice son in his father’s home but he’s removed from that and sent to Egypt and then he’s given a place of responsibility in Potiphar’s home but it is as a slave. Then he’s removed form Potiphar’s home and cast into the dungeon, he’s given responsibility but as a prisoner in the dungeon. It seems as though Joseph’s life is going down and we have to remind ourselves that it is God controlling the circumstances and really Joseph is on his way up. Humanly speaking it is down but it is up because God is preparing him for greater and more important things even though Joseph does not know or understand that.

In chapter 40 Joseph met two interesting men in prison; they were servants of Pharaoh. They were cup-bearer and Pharaoh’s baker. Both of these men had dreams, Joseph interpreted the dreams and his interpretations came true. The baker was hanged by Pharaoh, the cup-bearer was restored to his former position of importance. Joseph asked the cup-bearer “when God brings you back into Pharaoh’s service remember me before Pharaoh, because you know I’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t deserve to be here.” I’m sure that it may have seemed to Joseph that this was God’s plan to get him out of the dungeon and it was, but not on Joseph’s timetable.

Then come to chapter 41. We are ready now in God’s plan and God’s schedule to elevate Joseph to a position greater than anyone could’ve ever dreamed possible. The position of second in all of Egypt ruling that great nation. Chapter 41 has three basic breakdowns: The dream of Pharaoh covers the first 13 verse, then the interpretation of Joseph in verse 14-36 and it concludes with the exaltation of Joseph being established as a ruler in Egypt. We find that in all these years, and they have been years of suffering, years of discouragement have been part of God’s training process to prepare Joseph for great responsibility. And I’m sure that Joseph has time in his years in prison to wonder why God had removed him from his father’s home. Then to wonder why God had demoted him in Potiphar’s house when he tried to be so faithful to God. Now it all comes together – God had been preparing him, training Joseph for greater things. God has greater things in mind for Joseph than he be an important son of Jacob. Greater things in mind for Joseph than he rule the house of Potiphar. Joseph was going to rule Egypt and provide for the deliverance of God’s own nation Israel.

The chapter opens up now, “It happen now at the end of two full years.” Now you see time is going by; two years have gone by since Joseph interpreted the cup-bearers dream and he’s languished in that dungeon. Keep in mind where he is. We leave chapter 40 and come into chapter 41 and two full years have gone by. You know what it’s like to spend two full years in a dungeon, to wonder every day has God forgotten him, “am I going to die in this miserable place.” We see it is easy to forget when we read the highlights, we jump right to 41 and say, “Oh, Joseph is destined to glory.” But you know what it is like when you’re going through the depths; we’re destined to glory too but it is hard going through the trials. Two full years have passed, now Pharaoh has a dream and dreams become important in Joseph’s life. And Pharaoh’s dream, I’ll summarize for you, first there’s cattle. Look at verse 2: note from the Nile there came up seven cows, now if you wonder why the cows came out of the Nile river will it is the practice in Egypt that the cows stand have emerged in the water along the banks of the Nile. There they got the refuge from the blistering heat of Egypt, the flies and so on, then they would come up out of the shallows of the Nile and graze on the pastures, so that is what he sees here. Theses cows have been standing along the banks of the Nile half submerged in water; now they come up on the land and first there are seven fat cows. They are good looking cows sleep and fat, they are healthy cows they come up in their grazing. Following them there comes seven ugly skinny cows they’re called ugly and gaunt in verse 3. Verse 4 the ugly gaunt cows ate up the fat sleep cows and Pharaoh wakes up. The servant dreams cows don’t eat cows, skinny cows eating fat cows. Hmm, better go back to sleep. Goes back to sleep and has another dream. Ears of corn this time, ears of grain. Verse 5, seven plump ears of grain growing up a stalk, verse 6, seven thin ears scorched by the desert wind, the east wind strattled up after them the thins ears swallowed up the plump ears. Pharaoh awoke but it was all a dream, but Pharaoh is troubled. He has a sense there is something being communicated in this dream, it is something significant and important but he doesn’t understand what it is. So he calls for his wise men, his magicians, magicians that would be familiar with the books of magic. They would research this out to find out what they could these dreams mean but none can find anything. And verse 9 the chief cupbearer remembers Joseph. Now couldn’t God have called Joseph to his side two years earlier? Right but Egypt wasn’t ready for Joseph. Joseph wasn’t ready for his position in Egypt. Now it’s the cupbearer’s time and he tells Pharaoh, “You know I’ve committed a terrible offense, I’ve sinned because back when I was in the dungeon, when you sent me there I had a dream and there was a man interpreted my dream and it happened just like he said it would, both to me and the baker.” He’s a man who couldn’t interpret dreams, he’s a man who understands dreams. Verse 14 Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph. They had hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon. I like that, you know when it’s God’s time; it’s God’s time and they don’t take a few weeks getting Joseph ready now. Now it’s God’s time and before Joseph knows what’s happening, he’s left the dungeon and he’s standing in the presence of the king of Egypt and Pharaoh says to Joseph in verse 15, “I have had a dream, no one can interpret it. I’ve heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” What did Joseph answer? Joseph then answered Pharaoh saying, “It is not in me, I wish you to understand I don’t have any particular ability in myself to interpret dreams. God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer, God will give you the interpretation of your dream, and I want you to understand Pharaoh I don’t have that ability.” And you know what is great about this; after years of languishing in prison, after all that has transpired with periods of about 13 Joseph’s confidence in God in facing God is unshaken. Now he stands in the presence of Pharaoh. He doesn’t have any doubts about the reality of God, of God’s presence, of God’s power and God’s ability. God will give you the answer of the interpretation of your dream and Joseph is confident that the answer will come through him. Tremendous faith on Joseph’s part. Joseph interprets the dream and down in verses 25 and 26 after Pharaoh has related the dream. Joseph says, “Both dreams are saying the same thing. There are going to come seven years of abundance and prosperity in Egypt, overwhelming prosperity and abundance and those seven years of abundance will be followed by seven devastating years of famine.” So you see the seven years of famine swallows up the good years. That’s the simple interpretation, both are saying the same thing but you have two dreams but one interpretation. Seven good years of abundance followed by seven years of great famine. It’s interesting Joseph doesn’t stop there but in verses 32 to 36 he tells Pharaoh what he has to do in light of this. Now I take it, this is also wisdom that God has given to Joseph. He tells him in verse 32 that the repeating of the dream emphasizes the importance and that it is a settled fact and that when it happens it will happen quickly. So in other words they are on the verge of the beginning of the fulfillment of these dreams. Seven years of prosperity are going to begin. So that is not like this is down the road. It’s going to happen quickly. We’re going to move into this time. Now he says, “Pharaoh you ought to take a wise man a discerning man, put him over the land of Egypt and then you ought to take a fifth of everything that is grown during these next seven years and store it up for the famine have the things that belong to Pharaoh become storehouses for the grain. And verses 36, “let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish during the famine.” You know that’s remarkable, you can see how God had to be at work. Here you have a pagan Pharaoh and now he has two dreams. They mean there’s going to be seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine. You better put some over the land of Egypt and start the affairs of the famine and this Pharaoh is going to believe it. Now we have some experience with other Pharaohs in the Old Testament. We know they weren’t always so receptive to the message from God. But God has prepared this Pharaoh’s heart. He has no question, “Isn’t that foolish? Look how good things are.” He believes Joseph. He recognizes the perception and wisdom of Joseph and so his conclusion and beginning with verse 37, “Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said, ‘Then can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” Now I don’t think there’s any indication that Pharaoh understood the truth of the spirit of God at work in Joseph’s life, but they did understand what was going on was a supernatural matter. Remember Joseph had told him only God could give him the interpretation of a dream. Now he’s given the interpretation and the action should be taken in light of the interpretation. Pharaoh recognizes that God is at work in this man’s life. Who better to oversee the operation than a man in whom God is working. And so he delegates to Joseph the responsibility. And you know it is not limited to just storing up the grain. Joseph is not just in charge of the grain. And you know when God elevates him he goes right to the top. He’s going to be second in command in the whole land of Egypt. It is amazing to me that God just doesn’t put him in charge of the grain in Egypt but the whole land of Egypt. Verse 43, “And he had him ride in his second chariot.” There’s going to be only one person greater in Egypt. They proclaim before, “Bow to me they sent him over all the land of Egypt. So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Thou I am Pharaoh yet without your permission no one will raise his hand or foot in the land of Egypt.” Now you tell me, could have anyone but God accomplished that? Then within a matter of within a few short hours here’s a man who is taken from a dungeon and now the whole land is going to bow down when he passes and Pharaoh says no one will raise a hand or a foot in this land unless you say it’s okay. Can you get any stronger contrast, any greater contrast when God moves? You see why God had to prepare Joseph through those years. It had taken leadership responsibility, but leadership under pressure and that developed the character of Joseph for this great responsibility. He’s ready for it. Pharaoh gives him an Egyptian name which is good for a Bible trivia question. Who was Zaphenath-paneah.? If you want to have some people over to your house and start out the evening, one of the best known Bible characters is Zanphenath-paneah. Who is he? He is Joseph! And if that doesn’t give him a clue his wife was named Asenath and her father was Potiphera. There are all kinds of clues you can give from verse 45. So what Pharaoh does is gives Joseph an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife and a wife that is the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Interesting how God works. Here we have a pagan system with a non-Israelite, someone not from the family, becoming the wife of Joseph, this key man. He is the priest of On and the city of On was also called Helleopulus, seven miles north of Cairo was where this city was located and so on. That’s where the wife came from. Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt. Note verse 46, “Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh.” Joseph was thirty years old and in thirteen years have gone by approximately, because back in chapter 37, verse 2 we’re told that when Joseph was seventeen years of age and pastoring the flock of this brothers the conflict develops. So evidently when Joseph was about seventeen years of age, he had the conflict with his brothers and sold into slavery. Now thirteen years later the Bible has summarized a fantastic king thirteen years later. Joseph is still a relatively young man but I imagine those thirteen years being a slave and a servant and in a dungeon have aged him beyond his thirty years. He’s thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh as the king of Egypt and Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. What he does now for these seven years, he oversees the process of storing up the grain in Egypt to prepare for the famine that will be coming and he stored up so much in verse 49 they even quit measuring it. Joseph really believes it’s going to be a devastating famine. So he has so much stored up they don’t even bother to keep track of it any longer. Now before the years of famine in verse 50 two sons are born to Joseph. The first, verse 51, and these are going to become king as the book of Genesis draws to a close, is Manasseh; he is the first born; the name means to forget. Joseph named Manasseh because for Joseph has said “God has made me forget all the trouble in my father’s household.” What it used to be may be an indication. Joseph now forgotten but he evidently spent a lot of time in those thirteen years thinking back to those good times when he lived as his father’s favorite son. And he says now at last I can forget that. I can forget all the trouble I’ve gone through. So he names him Manasseh. Then he had a second, named him Ephrarim, fruitful because that is what means fruitful. Because God made him fruitful, blessed him in the land of my affliction. And you see that strange turn of events, the land of his affliction, the land that has kept him as a slave is now a land over which he rules. Verse 63 to 67, we’re reminded that the famine encompasses not only Egypt but the surrounding countries including Palestine. That becomes significant, the land of Canaan is enveloped by this famine when usual for both Egypt and Palestine encompassing famine at the same time. Palestine has the rains and Egypt had the Nile that this famine is of such immense proportions that it is enveloping both of the land and that’s because it’s working God’s purposes. All people, verse 67, of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe in all the earth. Look how God has worked. He not only brought Egypt under the domination of Joseph, but people from all the other nations as well are coming and submitting themselves to Joseph to buy grain from him in the land of Egypt. So you know what happens next, chapter 42. Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt. In that first 3 verses we’re told that Palestine was suffering from the famine and Joseph’s family, his father and his brothers were suffering in the famine. And I like verse 1, “Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt. Jacob said to his sons, ‘Why are you staring at one another?’” Good fatherly question, why don’t you do something? And we think our teenagers staring at the tube is something new, why it started way back then! “I’ve heard there’s grain in Egypt, get up and get going. Why don’t you go to Egypt, are you going to just stay here until we die? There’s grain in Egypt! Get down there and get us some grain!” The ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain in Egypt and verse 6, Joseph was the ruler of all the land, he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. See a fulfillment there. And then go back to chapter 37 verses 7 and 8, Joseph had shared with his brothers that in the field they were binding sheaves and my sheaf grows up and the other sheaves bow down. Their sheaves bowed down, indicating that his brothers someday would bow down before him. Now you see in verse 6, chapter 43 they bow down to him with their faces to the ground.

Joseph recognized his brothers, but his brothers didn’t recognize him. Lot of changes took place when he was seventeen to when he was thirty. Life has been hard for Joseph in those thirteen years as a servant and as a slave. Joseph recognizes his brothers but they don’t recognize him. So he speaks to them harshly, and the harsh treatment here in verses 7 to 8 simply is a means of getting vengeance, but here you see something of the wisdom God has given Joseph. He’s going to really find out where his brothers are thirteen years later. Has there been any change in their character? Or are they the same despicable bunch that sold him into slavery? And he’ll find out through the process that he’s going to take them through. So he speaks to them harshly, where has he come from, the land of Canaan. Verse 8, we’re reminded Joseph recognized them, they didn’t recognize him and Joseph remembers the dream he had about them. He remembers that God had told him that someday your brothers will bow down. Can you imagine as Joseph stand there as the ruler of Egypt the impact on him as he recalls the dreams that went back so long ago with his brothers bowing down before him and now is being fulfilled before him. Well Joseph speaks harshly to them, and what he does is he accuses them as spies. “You’ve come down here to spy out the land. You’re really preparing the way for an attack on Egypt.” The brothers jumped on him, “No, we’re all the brothers of one man.” Joseph asks them penetration questions, they tell about their father; they tell him about Benjamin! Joseph’s brother, the other son of Rachel and so Joseph says, well the only way I’ll know if you’re telling the truth is if you have your brother, your young brother that you say is at home come down here. Then I’ll know you didn’t make up a story about a family with a younger brother. Now you see how he’s beginning to work here to test him. What he wants to really do, have opportunity to see what their attitude is toward Benjamin. Is it any different than it was for their attitude towards him. Which will indicate if there has been a real change in their character. So he tells them in verses 18 to 24, he puts them into prison for three days in verse 17 which is a nice touch, I appreciate the character of Joseph for if I was in his place I would’ve put then in there for three years. But he just puts them in there for three days. All of this is part of them to take him seriously, then brings them out, tells them go back home but don’t you come back to Egypt without your younger brother then he takes Simeon and he’s going to keep him as captive. Now I want you to note something that happens here: That he tells them, verse 19, if you’re honest men, let one of your brothers be confined into prison, the rest of you can go home and take grain, and go on to your household. You know what it’s been about twenty years now, remember Joseph is about thirty years since he’s been elevated to ruler in Egypt. There’s been a famine going on in the land, for ‘X’ number of years. That was preceded by seven years of flooding. When you put the seven years onto the thirteen years, Joseph is at least 37. At least twenty years later, when you have this confrontation with his brothers. I think I said earlier thirteen years, but it’s really about twenty years later because the seven good years fit in there, before the brothers meet him. But you know there’s guilty consciences here. They begin to talk to one another. They don’t know that Joseph san speak their language. He’s speaking to them through an interpreter in the Egyptian language. Then verse 21 they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty to one another concerning our brother, because we saw the distressed soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen.” Now he gets another glimpse. When they took Joseph and cast him into that cistern and then took him out and sold him into slavery. Joseph was pleading with them not to do it. We would not listen, therefore this distress has come on us. Sin has a way of plaguing us and there twenty years later they are plagued with their guilty conscience. They thought they would sell Joseph and would be done with him. So all these twenty years that have weighted on them the sin that they’ve committed. And now here they’re confronted. What happens when a person gets into sin, how many people when they have sinned, they thought they got away with and time has passed. Something happens and what is the first thing that comes to mind – God is judging them. That’s exactly what happens to them.

Reuben said in verse 22, “Did I not tell you do not sin against the boy, you would not listen; now comes the reckoning for his blood.” And they all come to face reality – God is dealing with us for our sins. Amazing how sharp and alert their minds are to this issue, twenty years later and still pressed upon them. Well Joseph takes them in, he binds them in verse 24 then he’s going to send them on their way. Wonder why he took Simeon as the prisoner. Simeon is the second oldest, maybe that’s why he took him. Reuben is the oldest and would be the leader, he could go back. Simeon, next to the oldest would stay. It may also be that Simeon would be of a more violent and cruel character and so he deserves to be imprisoned in Egypt while his brothers are gone. We do know back in chapter 34, there you remember, in verse25, that it was Simeon with his brother Levi who went and executed the men of Shecem and something of his vile and cruel character comes out. Later on in chapter 49 verses 5 to 7, Jacob is going to allude to the violent and cruel character of his son Simeon. So that much we know about Simeon and that may be why Joseph selects him out because he is going to languish in prison until his brothers get back. We don’t know, but perhaps Simeon was involved in the mistreating of Joseph back then, we don’t know but we do know that much about Simeon. He’s going to be the prisoner at any rate.

The brothers go back to Joseph and when he sends them back in verses 25 to 28 he puts their money in their bag. So they bought grain, he had their bags filled with the grain and he has his servants put the money back in the mouth of the bag so when they open their bags up to get the grain, there their money will be. So on the way back, verse 27, one of them opens his sack to get his donkey some food. He saw his money, behold it was in the mouth of his sack. Then he says to his brothers, my money has been returned, behold, it’s even in my sack. Their hearts sank, they turn trembling to one another saying, now note this, “What is it that God has done to us?” You see how much they’re weighed down with their guilt for sin. They see the hand of God at work here but they don’t understand, but they know this isn’t good. Because they’ve just taken food out of Egypt and haven’t paid for it. And their brother is a prisoner back there. So things just don’t look good. So they come back to their father Jacob, they tell everything that has happened. And then they find out that everybody’s money was returned. Well things just don’t look good. Jacob says we can’t take, you can’t take Benjamin back then. I’ve already lost Joseph, Simeon is gone and I’m not sending Benjamin back there. What guarantee do I have that they’ll let Simeon go? This is not what he says, but in his thinking, What’ll happen to Benjamin? So I just can’t send a son back there. Obviously he didn’t like you guys, he thinks you’re spies. Seems to me just because Benjamin goes back, that won’t help anything. You ought to note something in verse 36. “Their father Jacob says to them, ‘You have bereaved me of my children.” He centers the responsibility on the part of his ten sons now. “Joseph is no more! Simeon is no more and you would take Benjamin. All these things against me.” You know I think that’s interesting because to Jacob it seems like everything is against him. But you know what, really God is working everything out for him. He’s on the verge of his greatest blessing, being restored to his young son Joseph and this is all part of the process. But he doesn’t know that. Often the case we’re going through a trial we don’t understand it; it seems like my world is caving in on me. Look at what Jacob says, “All things are against me, nothing is working out, my world is collapsing, but you know what God’s at work to bring great victory and great blessing to him – good reminder and I can see it true for Jacob, but if he only knew. I need to remind myself that’s true for Gil as well. When things seem so desperate, God is in control, God’s working his purpose for me, all things do work together for good. You can believe it Jacob, even though you can’t see it.

Well you come to chapter 43, the famine was severe in the land, and you know what amazes me? You see how God controls the affairs of nations to accomplish His purposes with His people. Israel has to go through a terrific famine; nations of the world are suffering great distress. You know why, God wants to elevate Joseph and bring the family of Jacob to Egypt and this is how He’s going to do it. The famine has to get worse for this to happen. Then it excites me, it reminds me how important I am as God’s child. That He controls nations to accomplish His purposes with His children. They ate all the grain they got in Egypt, now what do we do? Egypt is the only place to go for food. Jacob says to them, “Go back,” in verse 2, “and buy us some more food.” And Judah speaks up, says, Dad, let me have a word with you. Than man in Egypt said don’t come back without Benjamin, and you’ll not see my face and unless you let us take Benjamin, we’re not going. Now you can appreciate why Joseph was so stern, he puts the fear of the Lord, or so to speak, in these men. They’re not going back to Egypt if they have to starve to death, unless they do it on Joseph’s terms. Benjamin comes! When Jacob realizes they won’t go back for food and Judah tells him, You might as well let us take Benjamin, ‘cause if we don’t we’re all going to starve to death here, men, women, and children, and you won’t have Benjamin or anybody. Jacob relents. Verse 11, “Then father Israel said to them, ‘If it must be so, do this.” Verses 13 to 15, he has them take some great gifts to Egypt to Joseph. Things that wouldn’t be readily available. You take them down and maybe this gift will help appease him and his wrath. And he says, verse 14, “May God Almighty, El Shadah! May God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man. This has been good to Jacob. So he can’t fall back on his sin and he can’t protect Benjamin. It’s out of his hands. Then he says may God Almighty have compassion and release you, your brother Simeon; as for me if I’m bereaved of my children, I’m bereaved! That’s what it comes to, God you’ll have to do what is right, you’ll have to take over. Whatever God Almighty goes will have to be alright. A good position to come to. Over in verse 16 may we turn to Egypt. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them he tells his house stewards, Get dinner ready, dinner meaning during the noon meal. When I’m talking about meal, so Joseph says we’re going to eat at noon. Now the men are really afraid, verse 18. This doesn’t at all look good. We came down here, he accused us of being spies, he imprisoned one of our brothers, he says he wouldn’t see us unless we brought Benjamin, then we leave and we found out that our money is in our sack. Now we come back and we are invited to his house for dinner, can’t be a social call. You know what it is; probably found out that we didn’t pay for the grain. We had our money when we left. He’s just going to look for the chance to execute us. So we’d better talk to, get somebody on our side. So they talk to Joseph’s children and explain to them what had happened. His steward, verse 19. Interesting, his steward tells him in verse 23, “Be at ease, don’t be afraid, your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sack,” and they don’t think Joseph put it back. God works it out you got your money back. I had your money so be at ease. I had your money. There’s no question about the issue of the money. Then he brought Simeon to them. Now I take it that Simeon hadn’t been let in on any of this. There’s no indication that he tells his brother anything. So evidently for however many months that they ate the grain up there he’s languished in prison in Egypt. Then Joseph brings the food out, they came to the house of Joseph, they sit down for dinner and they all, verse 26, Joseph came, brought into the house the prisoner they bowed down to the ground before. Not enough for God to fulfill that dream once. It’s going to happen several times. Then he says is you old father well? I heard he’s still alive. You know he says he has an old father, tell me about him. Still living, still doing well? Wants to find out how his father is. And they tell him about Jacob. Then he sees Benjamin, asks for him, give him a word of blessing and then he has to leave, he’s overwhelmed with his emotions. The confrontation with Benjamin is more than he can take and so he goes out, weeps in his own room. Then he comes back and has dinner served and verse 33, he seated before him the firstborn according to his birthright, the youngest according to his youth. The men look at one another in astonishment. Yet there is this air of fear hanging over them, something abnormal is going on here. They look, How does he know our order of birth for each one? Now a lot of mysterious things have been going on here. We call it spooky. But whatever it is they’re really uncomfortable. He took portions for them but Benjamin’s portions was five times as much as theirs. I take it this may not have been just to honor Benjamin, but also to test the brothers. What kind of jealousy is going to be manifested toward Benjamin? He’s going to do what he can to provoke them a little bit here. But it’s also true, he wants to honor Benjamin. There will also be a chance to test the brothers.

Well we come to chapter 44. He’s going to send them back home, but there’s a plan. He tells his steward fill their sacks with the grain, put each man’s money back in the sack but take my special cup and put it in the sack of the youngest. Then off they go! Then when they just get out of the city, Joseph sends his steward after them, and accuses them of stealing Joseph’s prize, important cup, and of course the brothers are flabbergasted. Ummm, we wouldn’t steal his cup. We brought the money back, didn’t we; that shows some honesty on our part. In fact you search us and whoever has the cup deserves to die. Servant says, Fine, that’s the way we’ll do it. And there’s an air of suspension, because you know how the servant does it? He starts with the bag of the oldest. Down to the next, down to the next, down to the next, down to the next till he comes to Benjamin. Verse 12, “The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.” You have to say, I love verse 13, “They tore their clothes and when each man loaded his donkey they returned to the city.” These men are devastated, they despair but there is something beautiful in that picture. That they come to the end of themselves. This time they’re going back to Egypt. They’re going back with Benjamin. Can you imagine what’s going on in their minds? Oh, what are we going to do now? You know what we had, we told about the money in the bag, now we’re going to go back and now the cup has been found in Benjamin’s. You know what? It is interesting that when they get back there Judah does the speaking, he doesn’t even make up any excuse. He doesn’t even try to say, You know I don’t even know how the sup got there. You know what he says to Joseph? “Here we are, we’re all your prisoners.” What is he going to say, I mean really think up any story. Let me tell you a story about the cup. Remember the story about the money. The money back, the cup . . . there’s nothing to say. So Judah says, “Here we are.” Verse 16 Judah says, “What shall we say to my Lord? What shall we speak? How can we justify ourselves?” Note, God has found out the iniquity of your servants, “Behold we are my Lord’s slaves. Both we and his possessions have been found.” Now that’s a good step of progress. But you know what it reveals here and helps Joseph to see? They’re not willing to abandon Benjamin. They were willing to sell Joseph and make up a story. That here Judah says, “The cup was found with Benjamin’s and we’re here with Benjamin to be slaves.” Well Joseph is going to test them. A little farther he says, “Far be it from me to do this, the man in his possession the cup was found; he shall be my slave and the rest of you can go in peace to your father.” Now here’s their chance. You can leave Egypt; but leave Benjamin. Judah approached him and gives a very moving explanation what happened. About the condition of their father Jacob; about Jacob’s great love for Joseph, that first son that he had loved is gone and how now he love Benjamin so much and it will bring a premature death to their father if something happens to Benjamin. Because he loves Benjamin so much. You know what’s happened here. We see that these brothers have come to grips with the fact that even though Jacob loves Benjamin more than them, they don’t have to react to jealous and hatred. They can face that. Then they say Benjamin is too important to our father for us to leave him. So Judah makes the offer, I’ll stay in this place. Let him go. You have to understand the importance of Benjamin. What he’s saying is, I’m not as important to my father as Benjamin is. A fact of great change of attitude some twenty years earlier when they sold Joseph callously without any regard to the feelings toward Joseph or Jacob into slavery. And it is interesting also how God works verse 33 to 34 of chapter 44, when Judah offers himself to go back and read the account of the sale of Joseph, it was Judah who proposed the sale of Joseph to the Midianites. So here now Judah, the one who proposed the sale of Joseph is making the proposal: I’ll take Benjamin’s place. And some have noted that it is from the family Judah that the one who would take the place of all men will come: Jesus Christ. And you need to keep that in mind. The promise will come through the family of Judah even though Joseph is so prominent. When we read these chapters of Genesis here’s the idea that Joseph is such an admirable and great character, he must be the one who through whom the Messiah will come but he’s not. The Messiah will come through the line of Judah, remember. So the revelation even of the character of Judah here becomes very important. Judah is satisfied and he can’t withhold making himself known to his brothers anymore. There’s no reason to carry on. So he reveals himself.

We have verse 31 leads in verse 1 and then he weeps and wails. It is hard for us to identify with this in our part of the world. But there the weeping was so loud that everybody heard it. Everybody was aware of the weeping and the wailing that was going on. In verse 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph? Is my father still alive?” It’s a wonder these brothers didn’t have a heart attack on the spot. For all that has happened and now here’s this ruler of Egypt says to them, “I’m Joseph, how’s my father doing?” They could not answer him. They were dismayed at his presence. And I mean this has got to be the end. This is the Joseph – they can’t believe it. He says, “Come closer?” They came closer and Joseph says come closer, they come closer. “I’m your brother Joseph whom you’ve sold into Egypt.” Now here’s a time really the _____ baits them. If it had been my brothers I’d have given them a piece of my mind. And unfolded for them what wretched characters they were and on and on and on. But note what Joseph does immediately. “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life.” And here you have a great verse that you ought to mark of the providential care of God. They meant it for evil, God meant it for good. Note, underline 2 things in verse 5, “You sold me, God sent me.” Now you see here how God is in control. You sold me but God sent me. And behind it all it was God’s intention to get Joseph into Egypt to prepare him to rule Egypt and to make the way for his family to come into Egypt and how did he do it, through the sinfulness of man to accomplish his purposes. The wickedness of those brothers for which they are accountable and they know it. Joseph presents it from God’s perspective. You sold me but God sent me here. He had a purpose to preserve life he sent me here before you. You ought to get down here, you know he could’ve waited and go when the famine came and then we’d all been down here but no – he sent me before you to preserve life. So the famine has been in the land these two years. There’s still five years in which there will be neither planting or harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth to keep you alive by a great deliverance, and now therefore not you who sent me here, but God. So Joseph is taking advantage here to accuse them making them feel bad. If anything he says, Rejoice with me at the mighty hand of God. How could he use even me sold into slavery to accomplish His purposes? So that it ended up a good thing because it was the plan and purpose of God that I be here. Now he wants them to go back and het his father Jacob and bring Jacob to Egypt with all the family because he says, There’s still five years of famine left. You need to come down here where I can take care of you and I’ll put you in the land of Goshen, verse 10, and you and your flock, and herds will be here. Verse 11, I’ll provide for you. There’s still five years of famine unless you and your household and all you have be impoverished. Now you can see it’s me, verse 13, you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt and all that you see. Now tarry and bring father here. And then he kisses Benjamin. Pharaoh hears: Joseph’s family is in Egypt and Pharaoh loves it, why? It would be great to have Joseph’s family here, because one person he wouldn’t want to leave to do. Joseph and all the nations coming and bowing down in Egypt because of Joseph. So if Joseph’s family is here, then let Joseph’s family move down here, that’ll be great. So Pharaoh says, Load up your beast, take provisions and you head back home. Take carts from Egypt, chariots so you load all your children and to your wives and all and come on back, and note what he says in verse 20, Pharaoh here, “Don’t concern yourselves with your goods for the best of all the land in Egypt is yours.” You just get back here and get your family. Everything Egypt has is at your disposal. We got plenty to take care of you. Remarkable, the Pharaoh here. Verse 21, “The sons of Israel did so.” Can you imagine that procession going back? I would wonder why I wish God has told us, what are they going to tell Jacob? I mean now it’s already come out. Over twenty years now and their sin is going to find them out. And you know what they are thinking now. How are we going to tell our father Jacob, to find out that we have deceived him all these years? We allow Jacob to live for over twenty years under the burden of the lass of Joseph and we lied to him and we lived that lie day after day, year after year, and they were conscious of it every day you can tell by how fresh it is in their mind in these events. Now it’s going to find them out. The Bible says nothing about that. I like what Joseph says as he sends them back, verse 24, “So he sent his brothers away,” and as he sent his brothers away, and as they depart, he says to them do not quarrel on the journey. He still knows them and he does not want them to get into a fight on the way up or maybe an argument over this very thing. What are we going to say? They came back to tell Jacob Joseph is alive and he’s ruler over all the land of Egypt. He was stunned! I love the way that’s put. He did not believe them. Now what would you think after twenty years of thinking you son had been killed by a wild animal now your children come back after the last they told you that this man dealt harshly, imprisoned one of us. Now they come back and say, It’s Joseph, and he rules the land of Egypt. Jacob knew these guys because he had some trouble with these sons in their telling the truth anyway, but when he hears everything he sees the parts and he hears it from Benjamin then Israel said, in verse 28, “it is enough, my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” All that so, all that suffering all the part of preparing into depart in God’s plan and it always happens in God’s time.

Back in chapter 26, verse 2, “There was a famine in the land.” And you know what God had told Isaac? “Don’t go down to Egypt but stay in the land.” Now there is a famine in the land and God’s plan and get down to Egypt. In fact, chapter 46 will open up with vision for Jacob telling him to get down to Egypt to remove any doubt. So God’s purposes and God’s plan for Isaac it wasn’t His plan for him to go down to Egypt, for Jacob it is His plan to go to Egypt because he’s going to take the children of Israel now into Egypt and there in a period of four hundred years is going to build them into a great and mighty nation. You know what’s going to happen in Egypt? They’re going to maintain their identity. Because we didn’t read, but you ought to note, back in verse 32 of chapter 43, “They serve him, Joseph by himself and them by themselves the brothers and the Egyptians who ate with them by themselves,” because the Egyptians can’t eat bread with the Hebrews for that is loathsome to the Egyptians. So you see what God is going to do, He’s going to take these people down in favorable circumstances into Egypt but with a people who do not want to intermingle with them and there He will build them into a great nation so that 400 years later He’ll bring them out. Now all that has significance because remember Moses is writing this down at a time when he has brought Egypt out of Israel. So here the children of Israel here is being delivered under Moses having presented to them God’s perfect plan in having them in Egypt in the first place to build them the land from which he removed them 400 years earlier. Is that amazing the sovereignty of God and His ability to work all things out for our good and His glory.

Let’s pray together. Father, what a joy and privilege to belong to you, to call you Father, to be reminded as we look into the word that You are in control. How blessed we are to know that our times are in your hands. That we can rest secure and confident that even in the face of discouragement, hardship, heartaches or amidst the situations that make no sense, we can have full confidence that our God has all things under control. That you are accomplishing your plan for good for us and that we be encouraged even by the life of Joseph as we see your hand at work in him. Lord we praise you that you’re a God that is working in our lives and in this world. Give us the faithfulness of the Josephs that we might learn in our difficulties, that we might grow under pressure, that we might be quick to serve you and glorify you in whatever way you see fit to use, we praise you for it, in Jesus’ name, Amen.