Gen 48

Genesis 48:1–7 (ESV) —
1 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”


• Something very significant happens in this passage -- what is it?
• Jacob elevates Ephraim and Manasseh to the level of his sons (vs5)
• In essence, Joseph gets a double blessing in the land of Canaan (two tribes - vs6)
• Some have puzzled over why Jacob brings up Rachel's death. Any thoughts in context with the passage?
• Rachel's death prevented her from having other children and Joseph's sons are the sons Rachel couldn't deliver
• Rachel delivered two sons to Jacob prior to entering the land, and Joseph delivers two sons to Jacob upon entering Egypt


Genesis 48:8–20 (ESV) —
8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ ”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.


• How would you describe Joseph (the most powerful man in Egypt), his interactions with his Father?
• He is respectful of his Father as the one with more honor
• He might disagree, but he obeys
• This is the first instance in scripture of laying on hands
• It is used to bless
• It is used to give honor
• It is used to give responsibility
• What do we know later about Ephraim and Manasseh?
• Ephraim would be one of the more influential tribes during the period of the Judges
• Ephraim would become leader of the 10 tribes, the northern kingdom [See the Judges and their Homelands in Biblical Places Map]
• Manasseh would split up the tribe on both sides of the Jordan river
• Num 26-27, We need to be careful of our company also see chart
• What is faith?
• It certainly is believing that God will do as he promised
• Later in Exodus, after God had done amazing powerful things, the people complain and gripe about water
• Did they not believe God was powerful enough to provide water?
• God is angry with them for their lack of faith
• Jacob is absolutely convinced God will bring them back. Still, what is faith?
• Hebrews 11:21 (ESV) — By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
• Hebrews 11:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.
• Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) — 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
• What two things are required?
• God exists
• God rewards those who love him
• Psalm 95:8–11 (ESV) —
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
• Hebrews 3:12–19 (ESV) — 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

• What is rest?
• I believe it is maturity in Christ that gives hope in the midst of pain
• I believe it also refers to our inheritance, reigning with Christ in the millennial kingdom
• It does not refer to eternal life in heaven -- that is guaranteed by Christ's death
• They knew his power
• They did not believe he cared -- that he was a rewarder
• APPLICATION: Do we really believe God cares for me? What does that look like? How does that change our response to situations of life?

Gen 46-47:31

Gen 45:25-46:4 (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."

46 So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here am I." 3 Then he said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes."



• There is something unusual in these passages which we have not seen in a long time?
• God refers to Jacob as Israel in the narrative, the name God had given him after the years of struggling and the victory that was finally achieved as he entered the land
• Why now?
• Jacob has been emotionally self-absorbed.  He has spiritually plateaued,  if possible.
• Now he is revived
• Now he is walking by faith
• Now he is worshipping again
• What had happened before at Beersheba?
• Jacob had stole the blessing from Esau at Beersheba with his mother's help
• Jacob once again realizes that it is not his deceit that got him where he is today (stealing birth right), but rather God is the one who has restored his life once again
• This is the fourth "do not be afraid" conversation that God has in Genesis (15:12-16 (to Abram); 21:17 (to Hagar); 26:24 (to Isaac)).  Why does God speak to him now?
• Possibly, because he is out of the funk
• Read Gen 15:12-16 (ESV) As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
• Jacob knew what lay ahead
• Jacob was leading his family out of the promised land
• That must have been really hard to do
• Without Joseph where he was, I'm not sure it could have ever happened
• APPLICATION:  What is dragging us down spiritually?


[We are skipping the listing of the 66 persons.]


Gen 46:26-30 (ESV) All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. 27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.

28 He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30 Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive."


• How does the math work?
• 33+16+14+7=70
• Verse 26: 66 who belonged to Jacob came into Egypt -- then you add Jacob, Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim to get 70
• Acts 7:14 says 75 (and some other texts) and may have also included the 3 grandsons and 2 great-grandsons of Joseph . (Or the seven grandsons and not Joseph and Jacob).
• "It can hardly go without notice that the number of nations in Genesis 10 is also 'seventy.' Just as the 'seventy nations' represent all the descendants of Adam, so now the 'seventy sons' represent all the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the children of Israel. Here in narrative form is a demonstration of the theme in Deuteronomy 32:8 that God apportioned the boundaries of the nations (Ge 10) according to the number of the children of Israel. Thus the writer has gone to great lengths to portray the new nation of Israel as a new humanity and Abraham as a second Adam. The blessing that is to come through Abraham and his seed is a restoration of the original blessing of Adam, a blessing which was lost in the Fall." (Sailhamer, The Pentateuch, p225, 1992)
• Actually, Egypt is a good place to keep the people, why?
• The Egyptians had a great disdain for shepherds
• Verses 47:3-4 suggest that the brothers were learning to be honest since they admit to being shepherds and to staying in the land for a long time. They also asked to live in Goshen (the best of the land) rather than allow deception to get them the land
• Jacob is "ready to die" -- might suggest that Jacob was debilitated by his son's "death"
• Or that he is content now, ready for the day of death


Genesis 46:31–34 (ESV) —
31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
Genesis 47:1–12 (ESV) —
1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.



• Why did the Egyptians loath shepherds?
• They were agriculturally based
• Their fields were very organized and controlled
• Sheep, goats, and cows were difficult to control
• Also, there was a bias against nomadic people. Egypt was civilized, nomads were not
• It is an interesting place, this bias actually kept the two races distinct, and the Jews distinct religiously (all would be considered wrong today)
• The use of Rameses is a bit of an issue
• Critics point out that Rameses lived many years later, and so also want to re-date everything
• I Kings 6:1 and our knowledge of Solomon's reign put the movement of Israel into Judah as 1876 BC
• The name Rameses simply means "Ra [the sun God] has created it"
• The area was probably renamed after the Pharaoh later, but that does not mean it was named differently prior
• Finally, anything unusual about Jacob blessing Pharoah?
• I think the Patriarch's lived considerably longer than the Egyptians did (at least at this point)

Genesis 47:13–26 (ESV) —
13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” 16 And Joseph answered, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”



20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25 And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.



• This is an example of God blessing the nation that blesses Israel
• Later Egypt will be an example of a nation that God curses (Exodus 1:8-11)
• Besides saving his people and his nation, what else did Joseph do?
• He saved Gentiles
• That is one reason why Joseph is a type of Christ (the first coming) because he suffered and then saved Jews and Gentiles from death


Gen 47:27-31 (ESV) Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.

29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place." He answered, "I will do as you have said." 31 And he said, "Swear to me"; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.



• How does this verse describe how Egypt treated Israel?
• Well (at least at first)
• The previous verses describe how God blessed Egypt, later, in Ex 1, we will see a later Pharaoh who forgets Joseph and a different attitude toward Israel, ultimately resulting in the near destruction of Egypt
• I'm not going to try to prove it or argue it from scripture, although I believe you can, but even now I still believe that God blesses the nation that blesses Israel
• Later, Joseph will also request o be buried in the promise land -- why didn't they bury him as they did Jacob (next chapter grand procession)?
• It could be that Joseph is already forgotten and that the Pharoah's attitude has already changed
• Scripture doesn't say, but in Exodus, when they finally leave the land, they make special mention of taking Joseph's bone with them

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!

Gen 42:29-43:34

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 (37 yrs old)	Gen 41:54
1878	Brothers’ first visit to Egypt (38 yrs old)	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:  Last week, the long term problem with guilt.


Gen 42:29-38 (ESV) When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 "The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"

35  As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me." 37 Then Reuben said to his father, "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." 38 But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."



• What does the return of the money do?
• It now makes it appear that they stole the grain
• I wonder how the Father looked at the return of the money
• Did he think that maybe they were dishonest?
• Was he less likely to send Benjamin as a result?
• "Every time they return without a brother, they also return with extra money"
• The return of the money is the emotional breaking point for Jacob
• How is Jacob's statement ( vs 36 "everything is against me (NIV)") ironic?
• During his time with Laban, everything was for him
• So now, life is without any meaning. He might as well die if something happens to Benjamin (he is between 21 and 27 years old)
• What does Jacob's statement reveal about Jacob?
• Very emotional
• All is lost (Eeyore - like) -- "Everything is against me"
• Gen 45:26-27 provides insight in Jacob's life
Gen 45:26-27 (ESV) 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.

• Jacob has allowed a painful situation to take the joy out of life for 20 years
• Yes, it is good to grieve
• Yes, it is good to be honest with our feelings (Example as Elder at Derwood CMA and survey about being angry with God)
• But, at some point, we need to give our disappointments and hurts to God and move on with life
• Yet the reality is -- the truths of the situation -- God is doing something very good in Jacob's life
• APPLICATION:  No matter what good has happened in your life previously, when hard times initially hit, for most people, it is forgotten. It was one of the reasons God set up reminders for the people--it is too easy to forget (example: Ebenezer)
• Why does Reuben make his suggestion (occurs during a very emotional moment)?
• He is the oldest
• He is a man and so during an emotional moment offers a solution
• It is a stupid suggestion -- why would Jacob kill his grand-children?
• It does reemphasize the importance of what happened to Joseph, which is the reason Jacob protects Benjamin.  As a result, Jacob will not give in for a whole year, and in the meantime, Simeon sits in prison
• APPLICATION: We need to trust God and not trust our circumstances


Gen 43:1-10 (ESV) Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little food." 3 But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 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.'" 6 Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?" 7 They replied, "The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?" 8 And Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I will be a pledge of his safety. 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. 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice."


• Who takes the lead this time in confronting their Father? Judah
• How does Judah initially reply to his father's command to get food?
• He stands up to him and says he will not go without Benjamin
• I think he shows moral integrity. He gives the right answer, not the answer the person wanted to hear
• Jacob's response is very emotional and has nothing to do with the situation.  Asking "why did you" for the umpteenth time does not help things or change the situation
• Isn't that what we do to people when we don't get our way? We blame others for our troubles
• How is Judah's solution different from Reuben?
• Is it not ridiculous, i.e., kill your grandchildren
• It is personal -- he takes responsibility -- which is really all he can do.  Judah is emerging as the leader among his brothers
• Judah also shows some character improvement, which is good considering there was a lack of integrity regarding his daughter-in-law
• APPLICATION: Judah shows both integrity in standing up to his father but also in showing his humanity in his passion-ed response to his father


Gen 43:11-16 (ESV) Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty  grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

15 So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon."


• What does Jacob recommend doing and what does it suggest?
• Is Jacob going back to his old ways (scheming) or is this a rational suggestion in light of the events?
• Also it is a similar thing that the did with Esau
• Eg.  I struggle with pride, and my weakness sometimes handcuffs me, because when it might be appropriate to say something (that hedges on prideful), it also might be the most appropriate thing to say at the time
• APPLICATION:  We do need to be careful with our weaknesses but we shouldn't let them handcuff our actions.  The best action is to pray and ask God to reveal our motive
• Jacob is not completely in a funk (or state of depression), why? He takes two positive steps
• He appeals to God's mercy
• He takes a realistic approach, "if I am bereaved, I am bereaved." Of course, you could also see it as a comment from someone who has ceased to care anymore


Gen 43:17-25 (ESV) The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys." 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, "Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks." 23 He replied, "Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24 And when the man had brought the men into Joseph's house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 25 they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.



• Do you notice how nervous the brothers are -- why?
• Certainly, the situation is unusual
• But, guilt is always in the background
• What are some positive things from the passage?
• They immediately try to resolve the money problem -- shows some courage and integrity (they could have tried to hide the issue) -- I would hope that all of us would give back extra money if we were refunded too much; we certainly say something when we are shorted …
• The servants are aware of "their God and the God of their Father," suggesting that Joseph is having an impact in Egypt, and that the servants are aware of what's going on (which would have to be true since they knew he was an Eber)
• They have brought a gift -- while it could be seen as a bribe, it could also show generosity
• APPLICATION: There are a lot of positive signs suggesting his brothers have changed


------- Extra Passage ---------
Gen 43:26-34 (ESV) When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?" 28 They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!" 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, "Serve the food." 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34  Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.



• What catches you as unusual in this passage, especially if you were the brothers?
• They are all brought to his home without any explanation [previous passage]
• The leader remembers them, their father, and their brother (very unusual)
• They are seated oldest to youngest
• Benjamin was given a portion designated for only the highest of dignitaries
• Why? possibly looking for jealousy
• What is Joseph doing?
• Some writers suggest he is creating tension and uncertainty in the brothers mind.  In a sense, he is setting the stage
• Why did he have to have dinner with them?
• To give them the opportunity to steal his cup (or rather to set the stage, suggesting the planning of the event)
• APPLICATION: ??


APPLICATION:
1. Good times in the past are most often forgotten during bad times. Remembrances, journals, etc, can be a help
2. Good leadership is standing up for what is wrong but also showing compassion for what is right
3. Be careful not to let your weaknesses handicap your response