Gen 44b, 45, and 46; Family Reunion

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Great to be with you again as we continue our journey in the book of beginnings, Genesis. Last week we learned the rest of Gen 1:1 in Hebrew, “Beresheeth bara Elohim eth ha’shamaim v’eth ha’erets.”

Genesis 1:1 (NASB95)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Tonight we will pick in Chapter 44 where his own brothers have been overtaken by Joseph’s stewards, on their way back to Canaan, to find the silver bowl which Joseph had hidden in Benjamin’s sack. So we begin where the 11 brothers are trying to explain to the Vizier of Egypt (really Joseph) what has happened and the complicated relationship of Jacob, their father, with Benjamin.

Article - Ancient Egyptian Vizier

Keep in mind as we begin that Joseph has not revealed his identity to his brothers but the tension you could cut with a knife.

So let’s stand as we read beginning at verse 25 Judah trying to explain what had happened to his brother in disguise, the Prime Minister or Vizier of Egypt;

Genesis 44:25–34 (NASB95)

25 “Our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’

26 “But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27 “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;

28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces,” and I have not seen him since.

29 ‘If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’

30 “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,

31 when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

32 “For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.’

33 “Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

34 “For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me—for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

You may be seated.

So that’s where we ended at this great cliffhanger in our story. Let’s pick up in the this high emotion high tension moment in chapter 45.

Genesis 45:1–3 NASB95

1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. 3 Then 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.

The word used in verse 3 for dismayed means to be troubled, terrified, and anxious. It would be good to take a moment to consider just why the brothers would be feeling that way.

Well, they had been caught red handed stealing from the Vizier of Egypt with no alibi and have just learned the man, this same Vizier is your brother with whom you had plotted to kill, thrown into a pit in the wilderness, and then sold as a slave. All over jealousy and envy. We talked last week about how no one gets away with anything. The day of reckoning had come.

There is a day coming when many will learn that the very Jesus the mocked and hated and even crucified is the one they will be standing before. As it says;

Philippians 2:7–11 NASB95

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is interesting how close these verses mirror the life of Joseph one who was also a lowly servant to becoming one who is highly exalted.

We continue;

Genesis 45:4–15 (NASB95)

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

5 “Now do not be grieved 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 still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

7 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.

8 “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Now here in verse 8 is the third time Joseph tells his brothers, This wasn’t your doing, but it was God.” There is so much here to glean. God had given Joseph a supernatural ability to see the big picture. We can see a type or picture of Jesus on the Cross saying;

Luke 23:34 NASB95

34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

What is also amazing to me is the absence of bitterness in Joseph. How easy it is to hold onto hurts and wrongs done to us. Yet Joseph did not hold on to the poison of bitterness.

On this Paul wrote;

Ephesians 4:31–32 NASB95

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

The writer to the Hebrews writes;

Hebrews 12:15 NASB95

15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

So what do you do if you have bitterness? The answer is prayer, prayer for the person involved, prayer against the very thoughts of bitterness in your mind.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NASB95

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

So Joseph continues;

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 delay.

That must have been an interesting conversation! How would they tell Jacob what they had done.

10 “You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have.

11 “There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.” ’

12 “Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you.

Just think about seeing a friend from 30 or 40 years ago. It takes a minute to recognize them. But you look in their eyes, see their mouths and then you come to see its really them.

13 “Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.”

14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15 He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.

Finally, the get a moment to actually visit as brothers.

Genesis 45:16–21 NASB95

16 Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go 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 will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 “Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 ‘Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ” 21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey.

They had come back to Egypt expecting severe punishment even death and are returning home overloaded with blessings. There is Proverb that speaks of what the blessings of the Lord is like;

Proverbs 10:22 NASB95

22 It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.

In the Hebrew its stronger and says “the blessing of the Lord causes you to be rich and adds no pain, hurt, or hardship.”

This is what the brothers were receiving, not because they deserved it, but because of the blessing of Grace.

Genesis 45:22–24 (NASB95)

22 To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

Favoritism again. It’s a part of life.. Is it fair no but rejoice with those who rejoice. When God blesses someone rejoice with them. Many cannot do this.

23 To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father on the journey.

24 So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the journey.”

Joseph knew that there would be some harsh conversations on the way home and cautions them to see the big picture as God had shown him.

Genesis 45:26–28 (NASB95)

26 They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But he was stunned, for he did not believe them.

Literally; in Hebrew his heart fainted.

27 When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

28 Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Video - Joseph Tomb and Palace at Avaris 7:42

Genesis 46 (NASB95)

1 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Beersheba is in the very south of the promised land, just North of Egypt.

2 God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.”

3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.

4 “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.”

So here, Yahweh meets Jacob in a night vision and reassures Jacob about his future, that Israel would become a great nation as had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that in fact Joseph would be there.

5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6 They took their livestock and their property, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him:

7 his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

8 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch and Pallu and Hezron and Carmi.

10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan and Shelah and Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

13 The sons of Issachar: Tola and Puvvah and Iob and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered and Elon and Jahleel.

15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.

If you clever enough to do the math you will notice that the text tells us that 33 souls are included in the number from Leah that entered Egypt, however only 31 sons are listed and Er and Onan died in Canaan leaving the total sons at 29. The answer is that only Dinah is listed but there were 3 additional Daughters/Grand daughters who were not listed.

16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri and Arodi and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher: Imnah and Ishvah and Ishvi and Beriah and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and she bore to Jacob these sixteen persons.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

20 Now to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.

21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard.

22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; there were fourteen persons in all.

23 The sons of Dan: Hushim.

Hushim may be a name, notice it is a plural (im ending) it may be translated Hush and others. I mention this to say that the HS treats Dan differently in scripture. Most notably in Rev 7 Dan seven is left out of the list. The thought is that it was through Dan that idolatry entered Israel.

24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel and Guni and Jezer and Shillem.

25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and she bore these to Jacob; there were seven persons in all.

26 All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons, 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 to Egypt, were seventy.

This can lead to some confusion as we see the number as 66 and 70 and in other place 75.It all about who is counted.

Image - Jacob’s Descendants

28 Now he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out the way before him to Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared before him, he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time.

30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”

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,’ that you may live in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.”

Joseph apparently had a plan to keep his family separate from the Egyptians and wanted to be sure they told Pharoah that they were Shepherds and would be given the land of Goshen to live in.

Now the location of Goshen is an area of some debate. The book of Exodus connects Israel the cities of Pithom and Raamses. The problem is that the have found no Archaeological evidence until recently. This alluded to in the video and area under Raamses called Avaris.

Pray