Joseph and his

 Brothers

GENESIS 42 – 45

42:1-6

When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, 'Why do you look at one another?' And he said, 'Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.' So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, 'Lest some calamity befall him.' And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, 'Where do you come from?' And they said, 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.' So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him."

Notice here that Jacob now had a new favorite. Baby Benjamin had taken Joseph's place in Jacob's heart. Also note the sarcasm with which Jacob speaks to his sons as he was forced to send them all, except for Benjamin, off to Egypt. My, how we parent's need to oft be reminded to take care how we speak to our children. Negative, angry and cutting comments can do so much damage to our children and our relationship with them. Parents are the most important people in a child’s life. To a child, they are everything. When a parent pours the acid of negative, cutting and harsh words on his or her child, not only does it hurt but it leaves scars. Verbal abuse can be more damaging than physical abuse, beloved. Parents often do real damage to their children with their tongue ... especially when a particular child is clearly not the "favorite". Jacob's sons experienced something of this as they set out on a mission for their father to go to Egypt. How much better it would have been had he blessed them, encouraged them, told them he would be praying for them and expressed to them how much he appreciated them going on this long and dangerous journey for him!

Driven by famine, the sons of Jacob arrived in Egypt and subsequently appeared before Joseph. Our text says that they bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. Joseph's dream, which had caused so much trouble with these brothers, was now partially fulfilled (37:5-8). The day had finally come when they did indeed bow their knees before him. Joseph recognized them immediately but they didn’t recognize him. There were probably several reasons for this. One, they hadn’t seen him since he was teenager and they all had a faded memory of him and now, he was in his late thirties (41:46). Second, Joseph spoke Egyptian to them through an interpreter (v.23). Third, Joseph's makeup and dress were those of an Egyptian lord. He no doubt used facial paint, braided hair, jewelry and was decked out in all the expensive clothing of an Egyptian ruler. Fourth, the thought that this might be Joseph would have been the last thing on earth that would have crossed the minds of these brothers.

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42:7-20

"Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, 'Where do you come from?' And they said, 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.' So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, 'You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!' And they said to him, 'No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. We are all one man's sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.' But he said to them, 'No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.' And they said, 'Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.' But Joseph said to them, 'It is as I spoke to you, saying, "You are spies!" In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!' So he put them all together in prison three days. Then Joseph said to them the third day, 'Do this and live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.' And they did so."

How Joseph's heart must have been moved when his brothers spoke to him of the one who is no more! I am sure that Joseph was asking himself questions about his brothers at this point. Have they changed? Are they sorry for what they did? Do they ever think about me? How do they treat my little brother, Benjamin? Quickly, he came up with a strategy. Speaking to them roughly, he said, “You are spies!” It caught them "flat footed". They objected vociferously. Then, he informed them that they would have to prove there was indeed another son by producing him. One of you, he said, will have to go and get him and bring him to Egypt. "The rest will remain here until your youngest brother arrives." Then, Joseph promptly put them all in prison. This certainly must have been a first for the sons of Jacob. They were given a taste of what Joseph had had to endure for years. However, after only three days, Joseph released them and informed them that he had changed his mind about keeping them all in Egypt. Instead, he would only keep one of them until they returned with their little brother. By the way, did you catch the first hint that Joseph gave to his brothers here of who he was? It was when he told them, “I fear God”.

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42:21-24

"Then they said to one another, 'We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.' And Reuben answered them, saying, 'Did I not speak to you, saying, "Do not sin against the boy"; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.' But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes."

In this one conversation between the brothers, Joseph's questions were all answered. Joseph knew what they were saying to each other but they were unaware of that fact. They had been speaking to Joseph through an interpreter and had no idea he could understand their native Hebrew tongue. They were sorry for what they had done. The memory of their little brother’s pleadings had been seared on their brains and had been bothering their consciences for years.

Reuben told his brothers that all this trouble was come upon them because of their sin against Joseph saying, his blood is now required of us. Reuben believed in divine retribution, you see. At these words, Joseph was suddenly compelled to leave the presence of his brothers and weep. What emotionally charged events these were! After he had regained his composure, Joseph returned and then chose Simeon to be the one to be left behind as a pledge of their sincerity. Then, he had him bound in front of them all.

Simeon was the second brother of four ... Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. They were all Leah's boys. Simeon and Reuben were probably close and Judah was the one who had hatched the scheme to sell Joseph into slavery in the first place (37:26). Joseph was really testing them but, also, God was at work. Not only was he dealing with the hearts of these men but He also was working out his sovereign plan to get all of Israel into Egypt. He purposes were on track and unstoppable.

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42:25-28

"Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. So he said to his brothers, 'My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!' Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, 'What is this that God has done to us?'"

Again, these brother's belief in the principle of divine retribution came to the front. The mysterious appearance of their money in their grain sacks seemed to them to be nothing short of supernatural ... and panic came upon them all. "What has God done to us," they asked. Now, they concluded, they would not only be suspected of being liars and spies but thieves as well! They never dreamed that all their money had been restored to them by Joseph himself. In reality, I believe that Joseph returned their money simply because it belonged to his father and Joseph wanted to bless him.

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42:29-38

"Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: 'The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. But we said to him, "We are honest men; we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan." Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, "By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.'" Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their father said to them, 'You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.' Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, 'Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.' But he said, 'My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.'"

When the brothers delivered their sad report to Jacob, to say that Jacob didn’t receive it well is an understatement. However, Reuben pressed his father to allow them to  take Benjamin back to Egypt. Ruben's full blood brother, Simeon, was precious to him, you see (much more so than Benjamin). But Jacob adamantly refused. He told them Benjamin was the last of his two sons by Rachel and if anything were to happen to him, it would literally kill him. Noe, there may have been more going on here than meets the eye. Jacob may have also said, “No” to Reuben because of something festering in their relationship. Namely, what Reuben had slept with his concubine, Bilhah (35:22). Such serious transgressions in a family tend to live on and taint almost every conversation. They almost never die.

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43:1-7

“Now the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ But Judah spoke to him, saying, ‘The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ And Israel said, ‘Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?’ But they said, ‘The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, “Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’” And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

Once again, Jacob's family ran out of food. Again, they found themselves "between the Devil and a hard place". Jacob was being unreasonable and had resorted to playing the blame game. “Why in the world did you tell him you had another brother!” he whined. These type of discussions, by the way, lead nowhere and never have any positive results.

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43:8-14

 “Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. ‘I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.’ And their father Israel said to them, ‘If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!’”

Finally, Judah became the spokesman to his father rather than Reuben, and he offered himself as the guarantee for Benjamin’s safety. Jacob was forced to capitulate. It was either that or they would all starve. His prayer for Judah was, God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. This was the right place to be. It was exactly here Jacob needed to be in this otherwise impossible situation so fraught with foreboding and peril. Jacob had turned loose. He put the whole matter in the hands of his Almighty God. Perfect. Can you do that with your impossible situations, dear believer? It’s the place to be.

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43:15-18

“So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, ‘Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.’ Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, ‘It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and fall upon us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.’”

When Joseph saw Benjamin, his little blood brother, now grown, he immediately opened his home to him for dinner. Remember, Benjamin had no part in selling of Joseph into slavery. Immediately, however, the other brothers attributed a different motive to the invitation to come to Joseph’s home and dine. They said it was because he planned to make house slaves of them all for stealing their money back from him. Isn’t it amazing how quickly our hearts will attribute wrong motives to other people? (as if we had a clue what their real motives were in something). Beloved, only God can read hearts. He alone can weigh motives. As you have it in. Hebrews 4:13...

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

We believers aught to get out of the judging of others and their motives business. Projecting motives onto other people cause more trouble than you can "shake a stick at". Am I right? We all need to take special care not to do that.

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43:19-25

“When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house, and said, ‘O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.’ But he said, "Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.’ Then he brought Simeon out to them. So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.   Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.”

When Joseph’s brothers arrived at his home, because they had totally misread Joseph’s motives, they stopped at the door ... afraid to go in. Ever notice how 99% of the things we worry and fret about never happen? So it was with Joseph’s brothers. They thought the worst was about to happen and instead, it was the best. They approached Joseph’s steward and related how they had found their money mysteriously in their sacks of grain. Amazingly, Joseph's steward assured them that the money that they had found was a gift from the God of your father. Furthermore, the steward said, he had the money that they had paid him for the food (a little white lie). Then, he brought Simeon out to them and they were reunited while awaiting Joseph’s arrival for dinner.

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43:26-34

“And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, ‘Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?’ And they answered, ‘Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.’ And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, ‘Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?’ And he said, ‘God be gracious to you, my son.’ Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.  Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, ‘Serve the bread.’ So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.”

When Joseph saw Benjamin, no doubt a flood of memories came into his mind. Benjamin was his only full brother (all the others were his half brothers). He, being much older than Benjamin, could recall Benjamin as a baby and how he had played with him as a toddler, had looked after him and enjoyed him. Now, there he stood, a grown young man. It was just too much. Once again, Joseph had to excuse himself and went out and wept. When he returned, he resumed his seat, according to Egyptian custom, separate from his sheep-herder brothers. He was still not ready to reveal himself to them and continued to play the part of an Egyptian. However, what amazed his brothers was the seating arrangement. They had each been placed around the table in the exact order of their births! This was the second hint Joseph gave to them as to who he was.

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44:1-13

“And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, ‘Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.’ So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, ‘Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.' So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. And they said to him, ‘Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves.’ And he said, ‘Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.’ Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.”

This is the story of a real set up. Benjamin was the target. Joseph's steward had been instructed to put Joseph's own cup in Benjamin's grain sack. The purpose was to see if these half brothers of Benjamin (Leah’s boys) would throw Benjamin to the dogs like they had so nonchalantly done with Joseph years before. When the caravan was intercepted, the brothers could not conceive that any of them could have stolen the cup of the ruler of all of Egypt. So, they confidently pronounced the death penalty on any of their number with whom it might be found. Further, they said, if any one of them had stolen it, the rest would also voluntarily become Joseph’s slaves. Then, of course, the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. What a horrible moment that must have been. Our text says, They tore their clothes ... and returned to the city.

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44:14-17

“So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said to them, ‘What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?’ Then Judah said, ‘What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.’ But he said, ‘Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.’”

Like I said, this was a set up. Joseph had deliberately put Benjamin in peril to see what his brothers would do. When they arrived back in the city, once again Joseph’s brothers fell down before him. God’s Word certainly had come to pass. In Joseph’s dream, God had said these men would one day fall before him and so they did ... not just once ... but several times. At this point, Judah became their spokesman. He said to Joseph, God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Judah was acknowledging that all this was come upon them because of what they done to their little brother so long ago. Judah then offered that they all become Joseph's slaves. Joseph, however, refused Judah’s offer, keeping Benjamin in the hot-seat. He said, “only the thief shall be my slave”. That, brother, was ghastly news to Judah and his brothers. They had truly changed. They would have rather been Joseph’s slaves themselves than leave their little brother, Benjamin, in Egypt. It was what Joseph wanted to know. People can change, beloved. Praise the Lord.

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44:18-34

“Then Judah came near to him and said: ‘O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?' And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.' Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.' And we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.' So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, 'Go back and buy us a little food.' But we said, 'We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons; and the one went out from me, and I said, ‘Surely he is torn to pieces’; and I have not seen him since. But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.' Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life, it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever. Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?’”

My what an intercession Judah, the son of Leah, made on the behalf of Benjamin, the son of Rachel. The old rivalry was gone. It is probably not possible to fully convey the passion or sincerity with which Judah presented his case. Here stood Leah’s boy making intercession for Rachael’s boy. Amazing. Furthermore, Judah pled for Joseph's compassion on his father, Jacob. Judah hadn’t cared about the feelings of his father when he and his brothers had disposed of Joseph. But, now he does. Joseph needed to know that too. Throughout this impassioned plea, I believe that Judah made his case with tears. I can’t see how it could have been otherwise. The result was that Judah demonstrated to Joseph that he was clearly not the Judah that Joseph had known so many years before. By the way, isn’t it a wonderful thing to have an intercessor on one’s behalf!? No doubt, throughout all this, Benjamin was standing there shaking in his boots! I’m so glad you and I have someone who intercedes for us before the holy and righteous Father, aren’t you?  As you have it in Hebrews 7:24-25...

“But He (Jesus), because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

And, again in Romans 8:26-27...

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Isn’t that wonderful?! Actually, we have two intercessors within the Godhead. I really appreciate that because I really need it. How about you?

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45:1-15

“Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Make everyone go out from me!’ So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph; does my father still live?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come near to me.’ So they came near. Then he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine. And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here. Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.  Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.’”

 

This is an incredibly moving scene. The broken words .. the sobs ... the volume ...the pathos … it all made Joseph’s words to be heard by all the Egyptians that were in the house. His brothers were stunned. They couldn’t believe their ears. They didn’t know what to say. Then, Joseph said, “Please come near to me”. Some believe that at this point Joseph revealed to the eyes of his brothers his circumcision, the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant, as the concrete proof of his identity. Personally, I concur. I believe that is just what happened. Joseph told his brothers not to be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me for God sent me before you to preserve life. Exactly. The whole thing was orchestrated by the sovereign and good hand of God who was working out his perfect plan for all concerned both then and in the future. As you have it in Psalm 105:17...

“He sent a man before them; Joseph; who was sold as a slave.”

Truly, as you have it in Isaiah 55:8-11...

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Can you let God be God, dear saint? When we do, life can sure be a lot easier. And, if we can’t, God is going to be God anyway. Romans 8:28 says...

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Joseph knew that which had happened to him was from God and for God’s sovereign purpose. So, how could he blame his brothers? Wow. That’s deep and wonderful, is it not? Joseph then told his brothers to hurry home and tell Jacob that his son, Joseph, was alive and that he wanted him to come down to Egypt so that he could care for him. Then, Joseph fell on Benjamin’s neck and visa versa and the two blood brothers wept. Doubtless, both had distant memories of each other from back when they were young. Afterwards, Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them as well and, it says, his brothers talked with him. Joseph gave them his unreserved affection. They didn’t respond in kind. They were still in shock and filled with fear. I believe they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. It sure would have been interesting to listen to those conversations as each one talked with him, wouldn’t it?

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45:16-20

“Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, ‘Joseph's brothers have come.’ So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Say to your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan. Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’ Now you are commanded; do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come. Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'"

Joseph was surely a greatly loved and highly respected man before Pharaoh and all the Egyptians. He was honest, fair, compassionate and a great administrator. In the Egyptians eyes, he had saved their bacon. He could do no wrong. Therefore, they rejoiced with Joseph when his family showed up and they did everything in their power to help and to make room for them and make them feel welcome.

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45:21-28

“Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, ‘See that you do not become troubled along the way.’ Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. And they told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.’ And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Then Israel said, ‘It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’”

What a shocker it must have been, when Jacob saw his sons coming home! Their caravan was laden with food and they were driving carts and his sons were saying,  Joseph is still alive and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. The text says that Jacob’s heart stood still. Don’t you wonder what the boys told dad when he said, “How can this be?” We are not told … but you can bet that question was asked. Jacob said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” God had said to Abraham,

“Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”

Once again, God’s word was being fulfilled and his plan was right on track. He would build a great nation of these brothers down there in Egypt. They would be his people. He would be their God. He was placing them right where they needed to be in order to fulfill his purposes and glorify his name. This is how Israel got into the land of Egypt. Four hundred years later, the Lord would deliver them from there with a mighty hand and, through it, bring great glory to his name for all time. By the way, God’s sovereign plans are still on track today, brother. Today, he is calling out another people for his name’s sake. They are his people from the Gentiles. They make up the vast majority of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Soon he will come for them so that where he is they may be also (John 14:1 and following).