Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 44-Genesis 45 

"Revelation" • 8.5.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro.

- Joseph has brought his brothers, including Benjamin, into his personal house. They have been invited to a grand luncheon.

- While there, Joseph has shown preferential treatment toward his younger sibling, so as to completely test his brother's reactions.

- You might be wondering: Why does Joseph go to all of the trouble? Why not just reveal his identity to them from the very beginning? Why the charade?

- Restoration to a proper relationship demands repentance. Had they repented? Were they different men than they had been two decades ago? That is more important to Joseph than anything.

- This feast went a long way toward establishing what Joseph needed to know.

- The last verse in Genesis 43 says it all: They all drank and were merry. The feast was a complete success all the way around, but one final test remains.

Text

• Genesis 44:1-5 : "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.'" : This last test will make his own brother Benjamin vulnerable. This time Benjamin would find both his money and the Egyptian divining cup in his sack.

- Egyptian mythology is a deep part of the culture. To Joseph, it was just a cup. To the Egyptians, it was a source of power and magic. It was very valuable.

- To have stolen it was to invite serious trouble. All this was concocted during the party.

- This party lasted most of the evening, the boys taking their leave in the cool early morning.

- As they were leaving, Joseph tells his steward of his latest plan. He was to again accuse them of this offense, which they had no idea was a frame job.

• Genesis 44:6-13 : "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." : When the steward catches up with the men, they are confident that this time, there has been a serious mistake. Their bravado was well founded, as they had been with Joseph all day!

- But one has to ask: Haven't you read your own story!? It hasn't been that long ago that you found your own money in your sacks! That being the case, they were sure this time.

- They were sure enough to request death. The steward said, "Slavery will be good enough!"

- They continued confidently by speedily opening their sacks. There was nothing to fear.

- That is until Benjamin opened his sack. What a surprise!

- The shock of this moment cannot be underestimated. It's a complete betrayal of every sense that they had!

- How could this have happened and how could it have happened to the one guy it couldn't happen to!? Of all the brothers, of all the luck! Why couldn't it have been Simeon!?

- When they saw this, they tore their clothes, a deep sign of mourning and sadness.

- But then notice, each man instinctively got back on their donkeys and returned to the city.

- They did not leave this to Judah, who had made a declaration of responsibility. They all went back. They all went back to face the music together.

• Genesis 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.'" : Judah took the lead, knowing the he would be doing the lion's share of speaking. It's notable that when things went south, Judah stuck to his word.

- He faithfully marched back in there and sought to work out a deal, but he's speechless.

- Judah offers the entire group into Egyptian slavery. All of them were now willing to give up their freedom, their very lives for Benjamin.

- This must have been incredibly touching for Joseph to see, but he kept playing it straight. He tells them, "Look, I would never have all of you suffer for one man's sin. Go back to your Father."

- That's just the thing isn't it!? By actions, the boys were showing that it was better to stay and live as slaves, than it was to go home in freedom. Judah explains:

• Genesis 44:18-29 : "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.’" : Judah tells Joseph the content of what we have read over the last few weeks. Joseph is hearing this information for the first time.

- He knew now that the brothers had never told about what they had done. He learned here that His Father believed that he was dead, indeed torn to pieces.

- He is understanding the depth of what had happened, why it was that Jacob never came to Egypt looking for him, as a man with the means that Jacob had, could surely have done.

- Additionally, Joseph learns how heartbroken Jacob has been through these 20 years. He knows how deeply that he was loved in the midst of it all.

- That will never bring back the years that were lost. It will not make up for the pain that was experienced. But it would be a comfort to Joseph to know that he was not just forgotten.

- Judah continues with his plea.

• Genesis 44:30-34 : "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?'" : Judah, in one paragraph, rights the wrongs of a 20 year period. First, he takes his Father into consideration. He knows what the man has gone through. He knows what he feels.

- He cannot bear seeing it again. He will not stand there and tell Jacob the bad news.

- Second, he takes his responsibility for his brother personally. He has promised that he would become surety for Benjamin. He stands for the sake of his brother's freedom.

- Finally, Judah offers his own life for the life of his brother. He stands in the gap and says, "Take me instead."

- Had Judah acted on these principles in the first place, he never would have had to act on them here in Egypt!

- Had he considered what his sin would have cost his Father, the story would have been different. Had he defended his brother, Joseph might never have gone to Egypt.

- Had he been willing to stand up to his brothers with the same boldness that he stood before Joseph, this whole story would not have happened.

- I say that simply as a warning for us. Sin is deadly. If we took every opportunity and put it against this criteria, we would definitely curtail our sin potential.

- What will my sin do to others? Who will it effect? If I stand against it now, how much better will it be for me? This is a perspective for us to consider in our times.

- But there is so much more to what is happening here. Judah, you'll recall, is not the first born. His line however, will be the line of the Kings.

- What he does here, typologically foreshadows what the ultimate King will do for His people. Judah offers Himself in exchange for his guilty, doomed brother.

- He offers his life for the life of Benjamin. In the same way, Christ offers His life for the life of guilty humanity, vicariously atoning for their guilt, allowing them to go free!

- What Judah offers in type, Jesus did in history! What was offered for Benjamin here, is offered for us in Christ at Calvary!

• Genesis 45:1,2 : "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." : It has been over 20 years and Joseph finally emotes for all to see.

- He has broken down before, but this time, he does so openly, in front of his brothers and in the hearing of the Egyptians.

- This show of emotions has been building in this story. With every genuine action that the brothers revealed, Joseph knew that he was one step closer to reuniting with his family.

• Genesis 45:3-8 : "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." : What an earth shattering moment. "I am Joseph."

- The shock of this rumbled through their bodies. They stood there afraid and wondering how this could be true.

- And for the first time, Joseph speaks about what he has learned through this experience. They had sold him, but God had sent Him!

- God sent Joseph before the brothers into Egypt for the purpose of preserving life. All the pain and sorrow had this one purpose in mind.

- Joseph had come to peace with his own placement in the divine order of things. He saw his circumstance through God's providence.

- It is a wise person who sees their lives in a similar fashion. What circumstances have you faced that were troubling and difficult?

- They were far from good, but they ordered something in your life. They gave you a perspective that you would not otherwise have had.

- Perhaps, like Joseph, the Lord used the circumstance to put you in a position to do something for Him! Joseph has preserved the life of the Egyptians and now the hope of Israel.

• Genesis 45:9-15 : "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." : Joseph wants to relocate his family immediately, in his mind, for the next 5 years of time.

- What he has no conception of is that in God's calendar, there are about 425 more years! God was doing something greater than saving their lives. God was creating a nation!

- He would put them in a place where there was no hope of intermingling with the Egyptians, who were extreme racial supremacists.

- Joseph's vision was for the next 5 years, but God always has way more in mind! Don't be surprised! In His providence, God is setting up generations!

• Genesis 45:16-24 : "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.’ 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.'" : The brothers had gone down to Egypt for food. They have returned with food, clothing, ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, et all.

- They are not to be troubled any longer. All of Egypt is at their disposal. God has made a way for them when there was no other way.

• Genesis 45:25-28 : "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.'" : One wonders what they thought about having to tell Jacob the entire story of how Joseph got to Egypt!

- Through it all, I am sure that that was little worry to them, as Joseph had encouraged their hearts and his words did the same for Jacob.

- Jacob, when he first heard of Joseph's life, nearly had a heart attack! But when he heard of Joseph's faith and his belief in God's providence, Jacob was revived in Spirit.

- You can say that he got a second wind of sorts! Now, Jacob is intent on one thing before he dies: See Joseph!

Conclusion

- This story is such a grand arrangement for us to take in. Tonight, we are reminded again, that God has more in store, more in His mind that what we could have imagined.

- Jacob and Joseph never thought that the day would come, but here it was! Joseph often wondered if God could change his brothers, and there it happened.

- How could they ever be reconciled? One man's willingness to stand in the gap and give his own life! Jesus does the same thing for us!