Gen 44:1-45:28

Timeline:

1899	Selling of Joseph (at 17 years old)	Gen 37:2
1886	Joseph (30 yrs old - out of prison)	Gen 41:46
1879	Beginning of famine	Gen 41:54
1878	Brothers’ first visit to Egypt	Gen 42:1-2
1877	Brothers’ second visit to Egypt	Gen 43:1; 45:6, 11
1876	Jacob's descent to Egypt	Gen 46:6; cf. 47:9
1845	Israel is enslaved
1446	Israel leaves Egypt after 400 years of bondage	Gen 15:13,16; Acts 7:6
1395	Conquest of Canaan complete (essentially)	Acts 13:19,20

Review: Look up Gen 15:13 and other verses on 400 years


Gen 44:1-13 (ESV) Then he commanded the steward of his house, "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, 2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph told him.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, "Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?  5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.'"

6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. 7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? 9  Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord's servants." 10 He said, "Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent." 11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.



• What about the divination, since Joseph makes the same claim in vs15?
• While the idea of an object with special powers for telling the future was common, it is more probable that the divination was a hoax, much like the theft was a hoax.  The divination angle only added importance to the object
• Now how do they feel, especially Judah?
• I'm sure the walk back was difficult
• There was a tremendous amount of pressure
• Why Benjamin?
• He was no one's full brother. He is also, like Joseph, from the "favored mother"
• It was important to know how the half brothers would respond
• Jacob really created this situation by favoritism, but Joseph needed to know there hearts


Gen 44:14-34 (ESV) When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. 15 Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?" 16 And Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found." 17 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father."

18 Then Judah went up to him and said, "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father, or a brother?' 20 And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.' 21 Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.' 22 We said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' 23 Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.'

24 "When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And when our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food,' 26 we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' 27 Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.'

30 "Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.' 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father."



• Who takes the lead?
• Judah
• What is Judah's argument before Joseph?
• His father's life
• He will take Benjamin's place
• What could have Judah and the brother's done?
• Sold out Benjamin (last time, Judah was the one who suggested slavery, although to save Joseph's life)
• Let their Father die
• Joseph has succeeded in recreating the previous incident, and so therefore their actions now show their repentance
• Maybe Judah had changed the most.  Their Father still played favorites, but they loved their Father and they loved Benjamin
• APPLICATION:  Sometimes a person's needs to see repentance.  A word is not good enough.  We want to see actions that confirm a person's words


Gen 45:1-15 (ESV) Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, "Make everyone go out from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

4 So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 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. 10  You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11  There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.' 12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here." 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.



• Why does Joseph give up the charade?
• Because his brothers have proven to him their change
• What does Joseph tell his brothers?
• That God had providentially used their actions for God
• This doesn't dismiss their actions, but it reaffirms Rom 8:28
• What is another theme of Joseph's life that is seen in his actions toward his brothers?
• Joseph is not bitter or vindictive
• APPLICATION:  Real reconciliation is seen in tears.  Real reconciliation requires getting rid of bitterness, anger, and the desire to get revenge. 
• What situation do we need to change our attitude toward? 
• What situation do we routinely think of how we might get back? 
• Thinking about revenge only breeds more bitterness


Gen 45:16-24 (ESV) When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, "Joseph's brothers have come," it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.' 19 And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, 'Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'"

21 The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. 23 To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way."



• Pharaoh is pleased (a common theme in Joseph's life)
• What would our supervisor's and boss say of us?
• Would they be pleased?
• Joseph wants the whole family to come to Egypt
• Restoration of the family
• Healing
• Interestingly, Pharaoh is the one who gives instructions and who gives directions
• He takes a personal interest
• He has great respect for Jacob and his family
• Offers the family the best of all Egypt
• Joseph gives his brothers a gift, but he gives a lot more to his full brother Benjamin
• Then gives instructions "not to quarrel with each other"
• Could be another test -- it could also be cultural


Gen 45:25-28 (ESV) So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, "It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."



• What is the effect on Jacob?
• First: Stunned (thought he was dead)
• Second: His spirit is revived
• Jacob had allowed bad news to stunt him for 22 years
• The good news changes his attitude
• The good news revives his walk
• But, what a waste of 22 years (not because of the sin of the brothers, but because of how Jacob chose to respond to the circumstances)
• Joseph, in contrast, grew during the 22 years spiritually
• APPLICATION:  What is stunting our spiritually growth? 
• What do we need to get rid of in order to revive our own walk with God?
• We can't blame others -- we choose our response to life!