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Burial Of Israel; Death Of Joseph

50:1-3

Immediately upon Israel’s passing, Joseph mourns and grieves over the passing of his beloved father. His emotional weeping and crying and kissing of Israel reveals his deep love and honor of his father. He orders that Israel be embalmed in order to preserve the body for it’s return trip to the land of Canaan, and to allow for the mourning and grieving of the family, and Egypt, of Israel’s passing. We are told that this embalming process took 40 days! The family and the Egyptians mourned for Israel for 70 days, which was just two day short of the time of mourning for a Pharaoh. This showed the great respect and honor the Egyptians had for Joseph, by honoring his father.

50:4-6

When the time of the formal mourning was over, Joseph requested that he be allowed to leave Egypt and bury his father, as he had made him swear, in the family grave site in the land of Canaan. He promises Pharaoh that he will return to Egypt to continue his rule as the Prime Minister of Egypt. Pharaoh trusts Joseph and allows him to fulfill his promises to his father and take his body to Canaan for burial.

50:7-8

Joseph, all his brothers, and all the elders of their tribes as well as the leaders and elders and servants of Pharaoh, all went with Joseph to the land of Canaan. In fact, we are told the only ones who stayed behind were the small children and those who cared for them, as well as their flocks and herds all remained in Egypt in the land of Goshen. Keep in mind that it has been 39 years since Joseph has seen his homeland!

50:9-11

We can imagine the huge caravan of chariots and horsemen that began the trip back to Canaan. When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, beyond the Jordan, they all stopped and mourned with Joseph for a full seven days. This wailing and crying and loud demonstration was according to the Egyptian custom. Then all the inhabitants of the land saw and heard the mourning, noting that this was a very grievous mourning for the Egyptians. They actually called the place the ‘Mourning of Egypt’. This place was west of the Jordan river.

50:12-13

We see that all Israel’s sons participated in this procession and mourning for Israel; as well as participated in the actual burial of their father in the cave in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham had purchased long ago for a permanent burial place for himself and his descendants.

50:14

After the burial, Joseph, all his brothers and all those who had traveled with him for the burial, all returned to Egypt. It is interesting that none of them even thought, or attempted, to try to stay in the land of Canaan, but willingly returned to Egypt. Obviously the excellent land they had in Egypt, as well as the success they were experiencing there, caused them to return.

50:15-17

Yet, after the funeral is over the reality that the presumed ‘buffer’ their father may have been to protect them from any ‘retaliation’ from Joseph was now gone. Their guilt kicks in and they discuss among themselves that Joseph may now hate them and pay them back ~ payback time ~ for the evil that they had done to him. So they send a messenger to Joseph ‘claiming’ their father had commanded that Joseph was to forgive all their evil, and was not to be resentful, and was to give up any thought of getting even; even to the point of completely forgiving them for all their trespasses and sins; for all the evil that they did to him. Then on their own behalf, they ask for forgiveness for all their trespasses; that Joseph would forgive them as the ‘servants of your father’s God’. When Joseph heard this request and their confession and begging for forgiveness, he breaks down and weeps.

50:18-20

The brothers then all come before him and bow down before him, stating that they are all his servants, or slaves. Yet Joseph tells them to ‘FEAR NOT’ for he is not in the place of God; that only God is to exact vengeance. Joseph again tells them that what they thought was evil against him, God meant it for good, and God used everything to bring about the saving of all the people of Israel, even up to this very day. Romans 8:28. Notice how Joseph constantly gives God the credit for everything.

50:21

Joseph goes on to assure them that they should not ever be afraid; and to be assured that he would continue to provide for and support all of them, including their entire families, right down to the little children. He goes on to comfort and encourage them giving them hope and strength and speaks graciously and lovingly to all of them. We see total and complete forgiveness on Joseph’s part. Do we forgive that same way; loving and encouraging those who have hurt us?

50:22-23

Joseph and his entire family, and all the family of Israel remain in Egypt, continuing to prosper and grow. We are told that Joseph lives to be 110 years old, seeing Ephraim’s children down to the third generation. The bringing of the children of Machir, son of Manasseh, and also placing them on his knees at their birth, was a sign that all these children belonged to him. Joseph lives another 54 years after the death of Israel; presumably constantly caring and providing for his extended family of Israelites.

50:24-25

Joseph tells all his family that he is dying, BUT, ~ now begins the Prophecy ~ God will certainly visit them in the future and God will bring all of them out of the land of Egypt back to the Promised Land that He swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Joseph takes an oath from all the children of Israel and commands them to take his bones from Egypt into the Promised Land, as God will surely visit them and bring them out of Egypt. This double emphasis is the absolute assurance that God will bring them all back into the Promised Land. Joseph is clearly prophesying of future events that God is revealing to him. He is so certain of these promises that he emphasizes it with an oath from all the people of Israel to take his bones back into the Promised Land when they all leave Egypt in the future.

50:26

Because of the promise to take his bones back into the Promised Land, Joseph commands that his body be embalmed and placed in a coffin at his death. Joseph then dies and is embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

It will be over 400 years before these prophesies are fulfilled as the children of Israel, now becoming a great Nation, will be led out of the land of Egypt by God. God uses Moses as His instrument to bring all of the Israelite Nation out of the land of Egypt, none are to be left behind. In the book of Exodus, Moses takes Joseph’s bones with him to be taken back to the Promised Land. See Exodus 13:19. Then in Joshua 24:32, the bones of Joseph are finally buried at Schechem in fulfillment of his request. Genesis began with the exciting ‘IN THE BEGINNING GOD…’ and ends with this sad ending ‘..IN A COFFIN IN EGYPT.’ God created everything, including mankind, absolutely perfect! Yet, we, mankind, chose to disobey God’s Will and believe the LIE that we can live outside the Will of God. This LIE is perpetuated down into our own day; ‘we can live any way we want to’! Yet living outside the Will of God will never bring satisfaction and will always bring disaster, as we are living outside of Reality. The Truth is Reality. God is so good, loving and forgiving, that He has provided a way for us to return to Him. The Way, the Truth and the Life is ONLY through Jesus. See John 14:6. All through Genesis we see the struggle of good versus evil. ONLY God is good, therefore anything outside of God is evil. There is NO GREY AREA! That is a LIE from the devil. Joseph believed God and PROVED it by his obedience. Joseph is a ‘type’ of Christ. Joseph obeyed God and developed the Character traits of Jesus. You say you are a Believer? Do you ALWAYS obey God? Seek the Holy Spirit in your life NOW, to learn obedience and become more like Jesus!

Israel’s Final Prophetic Blessings

This Chapter contains more Prophetic Blessings than any other Chapter of the Bible. Many of these Prophecies are partially fulfilled in the old Testament, some in the new Testament, and others are still to be completely fulfilled in the “end times”. Remember, many Prophecies have more than one meaning, and therefore more than one fulfillment. We will only look at some of the most significant ones. Keep in mind that the only One who can know ALL the meanings and fulfillment is the Holy Spirit, Whom we should ALWAYS seek; asking for understanding and discernment.

49:1-2

Israel gives a formal request to ALL his sons to present themselves before him for the Patriarchal Blessings. He announces that the Blessings would be a foretelling, and certain Prophecy of what would come in the future for each of his sons and their descendants, all the way into the future of the last days. This is the first time we see a specific notice to ALL the sons that his words are to be Prophetic! The Holy Spirit doesn’t want them, or their descendants, or even US to miss the crucial importance of what will happen in the future. A dying Patriarch’s words were considered to be irrevocable. Israel’s words were divinely inspired by God. Notice the emphasis to ALL the sons to be gathered together at the same time to hear the Prophecies for each one of themselves, and all the other brothers and all their descendants. “Hearken” means that they are to pay close and careful attention to Israel’s Prophetic words and to record and remember for all their lives what is being foretold. When God gives you a Truth and a Life Lesson, do you write it down and record it somewhere? We should memorize and focus on that Truth for our own life and benefits. Sometimes God allows adverse circumstances in our lives because we have FAILED to remember and focus on His Word and those Life Lessons for us. Ever feel like you are re-learning a lesson? Each one of us must focus on a Truth that God reveals and is teaching us and commit to obeying Him ALL our life! Of all the lessons in life, the most important are those taught to us by the Holy Spirit. It is utter foolishness to ignore God’s Word and His Truth!

49:3-4

Reuben is the firstborn son, the son who should have received the honor and double blessings; and Israel identifies him as his firstborn son. He was to have his strength, excellency of dignity and power. Yet that coveted place of honor and blessings was lost because he committed adultery with Israel’s own concubine; showing himself to be unstable, having a lack of control of his sexual appetite, not caring if he defiled his own father, or perhaps, even worse, he intended to deliberately defile his father as a way of showing that he was intent upon ‘taking over’ Israel’s position as the Tribal Ruler. The pagans would consider it the ultimate usurping of the Ruler’s authority by taking the ruler’s wife or concubine. We don’t know if Reuben was just out of control, or if he was deliberately challenging Israel. Either way he was not honoring his father, or obeying God, but rather sliding down into immoral pagan practices. God’s moral law NEVER CHANGES, regardless of what the culture or society allows. God wants all of us to be pure and holy in every area of our lives. Reuben would fail in leadership. In the future, the tribe of Reuben would be involved in the rebellion in the wilderness, see Numbers 16:1; and in the future in the time of the Judges, Judges 5; 15-16, the tribe of Reuben was characterized by irresolution. As the firstborn son, he lost the double portion to Joseph. He lost the position and honor as priest, which would be given to the sons of Levi. His right to be the ruler, or king, of the Tribe would be given to Judah. No Judge, Prophet or Prince ever comes from the tribe of Reuben. Moral sin has terrible consequences for the sinner and their posterity.

49:5-7

Both Simeon and Levi joined together to viciously avenge their sister Dinah for her rape by Hamor. They deceitfully used circumcision to render all the men incapable of defending themselves, then murdered all the men of the entire city. Their cruelty and lack of moral righteousness was unbelievably vicious and heartless. Israel states that he knew nothing about their secret horrible plot to viciously slay all the men until after the deed was done. Israel curses their anger and wrath because it was so cruel and vicious. Levi’s zeal against idolatry was a cause of the tribe’s future priestly appointments in Exodus 31:26-28. They were to be divided and scattered, yet the Levites would NEVER inherit any land, they were scattered to several cities. In the future his tribe was to be decreased in the wilderness, Numbers 1:23 26:14. Moses pronounced no blessing on this tribe. Then Simeon’s descendants became the fewest and were given only a few cities in Joshua 19:1. The Levites also did not keep their position of spiritual leadership and moral righteousness.

49:8-10

Now the fourth son of Leah, Judah, receives a shocking praise; that he will be the one his brothers praise. Remember that his very name meant “praised”. He will be strong and overcome his enemies. All the other brothers will bow down before him, indicating that the Tribe of Judah would remain the ruling Tribe of the Israelites. The “Scepter” represented the right to rule the Tribe and enforce the laws, including punishment that included death. The Hebrew word Shiloh means “Whose it is”, the Scepter would not leave Judah until the right to rule came to the One to Whom it truly belonged, the Messiah. After the death of King Herod in about 4 B.C., Caesar Augustus placed Archelaus over Judea. He was unable to properly rule and was replaced by a procurator named Caponius, It was at this time that the right to rule and retain the legal power to exact the death penalty was removed from the Sanhedrin in A.D. 6-7. The Jews cried and wept in the streets of Jerusalem, throwing ashes upon themselves, because they believed that the Word of God had been broken, since the Scepter, or right to retain their legal power to exact the death penalty, had been removed and Shiloh (Messiah) had not come! Yet, unknown to them, a young son of a carpenter, named Yeshua (Jesus), was growing up in Nazareth. Shiloh had come, yet they did not know it! On Palm Sunday, He would present Himself as the Messiah the King on the exact day which had been predicted by the Angel Gabriel to Daniel five centuries earlier! God’s Word NEVER fails!

49:11-12

These Prophecies regarding the coming Messiah would be partially fulfilled in Isaiah 63:1-3, Zech. 9:9, and Revelation 19:11-16. In the Gospels, the foal, the ass’s colt, the choice vine, all these allusions are to Jesus, as the choice vine; he rode the colt into the city of Jerusalem as he presented Himself as the Messiah. His garments were drenched in blood when He was beaten and crucified. The blood of grapes? Jesus stated that the wine was His blood, to be shed for the forgiveness of sins. Remember the figures of speech? These verses give types and metaphors to future revelations.

49:13-15

The tribe of Zebulun would become wealthy because of seaborne trade. They would be settled between he Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean. Joshua 19:10-16. Issachar was likened to a strong ass, a beast of burden that would submit itself to a yoke. This ‘yoke’ would be submission to slavery, so they could enjoy ease and comfort, rather than struggle for freedom. The tribe of Issachar would be located in the fertile plain of Esdraelon, where they were invaded by armies of Canaanites; they would submit to slavery rather than fight for freedom.

49:16-17

Although the tribe of Dan was to provide justice; Dan means “Judge”; yet the tribe failed to be righteous and honest. Instead they chose treachery, like a ‘snake in the grass’. At the time of the Judges, the first major practice of idolatry was done by the tribe of Dan in Judges 18:30. Then in 931 B.C., Jeroboam set up a golden calf in Dan for pagan worship. The tribe of Dan is omitted in 1 Chronicles 1-10 and in Revelation 7. Samson was one of the Judges that came from the tribe of Dan. Yet he failed because he lacked faithful obedience to God; moral failure and idolatry are often linked. In other listings of the 12 tribes, they are listed last. God hates idolatry and moral unrighteousness.

49:18

Waiting for God’s Salvation should not be inactive. We should be waiting for the return of Jesus with great hope and active anticipation. We are to be obeying God’s Word and seeking righteousness and holiness in all we do, say and think. If Jesus came today, would He find you obeying His Word in everything?

49:19

Gad was Israel’s 7th son, by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid. This tribe was fierce and warlike. They were known to be strong men of war for the battle. They were experts at handling the shield and buckler. Their faces were fierce, like lions. 1 Chronicles 12: 8 5:18-22. Elijah the Prophet came from this tribe 1 Kings 17:1.

49:20

Asher was a full brother of Gad. This tribe would settle along the rich northern coast of Canaan; Mt. Lebanon to the Mediterranean. See Joshua 19:24-31. This Tribe would become agriculturally productive. Deuteronomy 33:24 states that Asher would ‘dip his foot in olive oil”. The Royal Dainties would be the workmen and material providers to David in 2 Samuel 5:11 and for Solomon in 1 Kings 5:1-10. This tribe kept the Passover under King Hezekiah, see 2 Chronicles 30:1, 10, 11 and the Prophetess Anna was from the Tribe of Asher. See Luke 2:36.

49:21

Naphtali’s tribe would eventually be known for their deer-like speed and agility, making them effective in military efforts. See Judges 4:6 5:18. Barak, with the help of Deborah, won a great military victory over the Canaanites in Judges 4:6 and 15. Naphtali was excellent with words; read the song that Deborah and Barak composed to celebrate their victory in Judges 5:1-31.

49:22-26

Joseph, the favored son, was the most faithful and obedient to God. Israel gives him the longest prophetic statement. It concerns Joseph and Ephraim and Manasseh. His sons will be both fruitful and prosperous. Greater blessings were predicted for Joseph than any of the other brothers. The Prophet Samuel descended from Ephraim and the Prophet Gideon came from the line of Manasseh. As we had studied before, Joseph had become a type of Christ, and we will see over 100 Prophetic allusions and types of references that are fulfilled in Jesus! You are encouraged to take the time to look them all up and note how God had blessed Joseph, despite his severe trials and tribulations. Be encouraged by these scriptures, and seek to implement the Life Lessons into your own life.

49:27

Benjamin, the youngest, and the only full brother of Joseph; receives this rather gruesome and perplexing Prophetic Blessing. Yet, in the future, his tribe becomes a warlike tribe well known for their excellent archery skills and the ability to be left-handed ‘slingers’. See Judges 20:16, First Chronicles 8:40, 12:2; and Second Chronicles 14:8; 17:17. Saul, the first king of Israel was of this tribe. See 1 Sam. 9:1-2. The apostle Paul, originally Saul, was also a Benjamite with warlike attributes as he sought to destroy all the Christians.

49:29

After Israel concludes his Prophetic Blessings, he has them bound under oath to bury him with his forefathers in the family burial cave in the land of Canaan. He reminds them that Abraham and Sarah were both buried there. Genesis 23:17-20. His father Isaac, and mother Rebekah, were also buried there, along with Leah, in the same cave. After he finishes all his Prophetic pronouncements and request to be buried in the Promised Land, he lays down in his bed and breathes his last and peacefully gives up his spirit. The term ‘gathered to his people’, indicates that the Holy Spirit is confirming that Israel is now with the Believers that had gone on before him. What a wonderful assurance to know that we, too, as faithful Believers will one day be ‘gathered together’ with our loved ones!

Israel (Jacob) Prophetic Blessings

We know from the previous Chapter 47, that 16 or 17 years have now passed since the Israelites have entered and settled in Egypt; since Israel lives to age 147.

48:1-2

Joseph is told that his father is very ill and dying. Knowing this is the time of Prophetic Blessings and inheritances, he immediately goes to see his father, bringing his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
In turn, Israel is told that Joseph is coming to see him; when he hears this good news, he is strengthened and sits up in his bed. Good, positive news tends to strengthen us and give us renewed hope.

48:3-4

Israel wastes no time in setting the stage for the Prophetic Blessings, by giving Joseph, whose sons were with him, a summary of his lifetime relationship with God Almighty. He confirms that God actually appeared to him in the land of Canaan at Luz. God told him that He would bless him, causing him to have many children, who would become a multitude of people, who would become a nation. God also confirmed that He would give the land of Canaan to his descendants as an everlasting possession. This is the exact same promise that was given to Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather. We refer to these promises as the Abrahamic Promises, or Abrahamic Covenant. Israel no doubt wants his precious grandsons to hear these words from his own mouth, knowing that Joseph has already told his family history to his sons. There is something about hearing the Truth directly from the person who experienced a personal relationship and revelation from God, that solidifies the Truth in their hearts and minds. This is also true of us, that is why we must read and study the Bible for ourselves, getting the Word of God directly from the Bible, rather that just hearing sometime give us excerpts, or their interpretation of God’s Word. NEVER take someone’s else’s interpretation of God’s Word, ALWAYS check it out for yourself. See Acts 17:11. Search the scriptures daily to find the Truth!

48:5-6

Israel names Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, showing he clearly knows who they are, yet he reverses their birth order when he names them. He states that these two sons are to now become his sons, and will inherit the Blessings, just as though they were his direct offspring. Israel goes on to state that all future sons, and children, will remain as Joseph’s heirs and legal children; but these two are to be formally adopted as Israel’s own children; receiving an inheritance directly from Israel. Joseph no doubt has a large number of possessions as the Prime Minister of Egypt, yet the most important and valuable possession is the Prophetic Blessings of God. No matter how wealthy or rich we are in material possessions, they are all worthless in comparison to Heavenly, Eternal Blessings. Yet, most people, even Christians, fail to understand this crucial Truth! We should be seeking after Eternal Wealth, NOT earthly wealth. We can’t take one thing from earth into eternity, EXCEPT relationships with other Believers.

48:7

Now Israel continues with his history by focusing on Joseph’s mother, Rachel, who would have been the grandsons grandmother. He confirms that Rachel died beside him in the land of Canaan just before they came to Ephrath, now identified as Bethlehem. So we are given this additional bit of information that when Rachel died in childbirth, that Israel was right there with her during her entire ordeal. Israel confirms that he buried Rachel there on the way to Ephrath. Remember that he set up a monument at her grave to honor his beloved Rachel.

48:8-10

Then Israel, although nearly blind, sees Joseph’s sons and asks whose children are these? Both sons would have been young men by this time. Joseph immediately identifies them as his sons whom God had given to him in this place, meaning Egypt. Israel immediately tells Joseph to bring them close to him so that he may bless them. When Joseph brings his sons close to Israel, he reaches out and hugs them and kisses them; he receives them as his own sons.

48:11-13

Israel now emotionally tells Joseph that he had never thought he would ever see him again, and now God has even allowed him to see his grandsons! Joseph now bows down before Israel with both his sons. Joseph and his sons are honoring Israel and preparing themselves for the Patriarchal Blessing, this was a formal Prophetic Blessing that would be given to each of Israel’s sons. Since Israel has formally adopted Ephraim and Manasseh, they would then become part of the twelve tribes of Israel and be entitled to an inheritance in the Promised Land. We are told that Joseph carefully places Ephraim on Israel’s left hand side, and Manasseh on his right hand side. Joseph now knows that the firstborn, double blessing will be given to him, through this blessing and he wants it to go to Manasseh.

48:14-16

Israel intentionally stretches out his right hand and lays it on Ephraim’s head, the younger son, (the right hand would always be placed on the one given the firstborn son blessing) and then places his left hand on Manasseh’s head, knowing he was the firstborn son. He then blesses Joseph first with the Prophetic Blessing. The God Almighty, Creator of the Universe, whom his father’s worshiped and followed, and Who has been with him his entire life; and the Angel of the Lord (Who would be the pre-incarnation of Jesus the Messiah) has redeemed me from all evil; (Notice that Israel knows that Jesus has already redeemed him from all evil. This is true as Jesus forgives all sins past, present and future. His death on the cross reached back through the corridors of time and gave forgiveness to all Believers) “Bless these young men, let my name, Israel, be upon them and the name of Abraham, and let them grow into a multitude of peoples throughout the earth”. This would mean that they would become Nations of peoples! Israel is giving the firstborn double blessing to Joseph by blessing both of his sons, as his own sons. Reuben had lost the blessing because of his adultery with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. Both Simeon and Levi lost their blessings because of their disregard for moral righteousness.

48:17-20

When Joseph sees that his father has laid his right hand on Ephraim instead of Manasseh, he is displeased and tries to remove his father’s hand from Ephraim so as to place it on Manasseh’s head, saying to his father, “No father, this one is the firstborn, put your hand on his head!” BUT, Israel knows full well whom he is blessing and assures Joseph that Manasseh’s descendants will also become a great people, but that Ephraim’s offspring will be far greater and shall become a multitude of Nations. This Prophetic Blessing will be fulfilled in the future, as Ephraim’s posterity becomes much larger and more effective than Manasseh’s. As Israel blesses them, he prophesies that in the future the Nation of Israel will have a saying that they use repeatedly to reflect the great number of descendants of both sons: “May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!” This blessing is used to this very day for a newly married couple to indicate that they are to be blessed with many children.

48:21-22

“Behold I am dying,” It is amazing that Israel knows he is at death’s door, yet God has given him the wisdom and strength to make certain that the Prophetic Blessings are given to Joseph. Israel assures Joseph that God will continue to be with him and that God would bring Joseph back to the Promised Land. This will be partially fulfilled when Joseph’s bones are actually carried back into Canaan. The final fulfillment will be when Jesus returns in the Millennium and all Believing Jews, including Joseph, are resurrected to live in the Promised Land. In addition, Israel states that Joseph is being given a double blessing, by his giving the Blessing to both of his sons. Ephraim and Manasseh are part of the twelve tribes of Israel to this very day. Since there are now 13 sons, it is adjusted to read 12, when different listing’s of the twelve tribes omit one of the brothers tribes for very specific reasons. Remember that YOU have also been adopted into God’s family with Eternal Blessings promised to YOU!

Joseph Is Ruler Of Egypt – Israel & Family Honored

God continues to direct and inspire Joseph to take the lead in establishing Israel and his extended family safely in Egypt. Notice how gracious and encouraging Joseph is in honoring his brothers and his fathers before Pharaoh. Keep in mind that their very lives have been saved by Joseph. In addition, the fact that Pharaoh ‘gives’ them the best land in Egypt is truly a sign of God’s magnificent, miraculous love for His Chosen People. We would expect them to be very appreciative and thankful for this unbelievable generosity.

47:1

Once Joseph has carefully instructed his brothers and father in how to speak and behave in Pharaoh’s presence, and has seen to it that the families are settled in the best land, the land of Goshen, he then speaks with Pharaoh and tells him his father, brothers, families and all they have, are now settled in the land of Goshen.

47:2

Then Joseph takes five of his brothers and presents them to Pharaoh. We are not told which five brothers he presented, but it was probably the four sons of Leah and his brother Benjamin. Why could we assume this? The sons of the two wives, Leah and Rachel, were truly the sons God would have selected to honor. Remember, we already know that Joseph was chosen by God to save his people. Judah was chosen to be the head of the Israelite family in Goshen, as well as the line of the Messiah.

47:3-4

Just as Joseph had predicted, Pharaoh immediately asks the brothers what is their occupation? Instead of remembering to tell Pharaoh that they are keepers of cattle, or livestock, and NOT to refer to themselves as ‘shepherds’ as shepherds were an abomination to all Egyptians; they blurt out that they are shepherds, just as their fathers had been. At least they remember to refer to themselves as ‘your servants’. Then they continue to tell Pharaoh that they have come to dwell in Egypt because there is no pasture for their flocks in the land of Canaan because of the severe famine in the land. They do remember to say ‘please’ when requesting that Pharaoh ‘let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.’ The cultural differences are great, as the Hebrews are accustomed to be allowed to continue to speak until they are finished. In Egypt, one would only answer the specific question Pharaoh asked, and NOT add anything else, or request anything of Pharaoh. Remember, Joseph carefully answered Pharaoh, but did NOT ask to be put in charge, or to be given ANYTHING for his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph politely waited until Pharaoh told him what was to happen; then he obeyed all that Pharaoh had said, not arguing with anything, as he knew to even interrupt Pharaoh, could mean death.

47:5-6

We immediately see their error in telling Pharaoh they are ‘shepherds’ and then adding the additional request to be allowed to dwell in Goshen! Pharaoh does not speak to them again, instead he speaks to his trusted Governor, or Prime Minister, of Egypt, Joseph. Pharaoh keeps his word and tells Joseph that his father and brothers have come to him, and that he may allow them to dwell in the land of Goshen. Then Pharaoh adds that IF there are any competent men among them, Joseph may make them chief herdsmen over Pharaoh’s livestock. Pharaoh has obviously decided that these five men are NOT competent; probably because they spoke without being asked and identified themselves as ‘shepherds’. Remember, Joseph had warned them about identifying themselves as “shepherds”. Thinking before we speak; and better yet, praying before we speak, particularly in an important situation like this, is so important. How many times have we carelessly blurted out something that we should not have said? Remember, we only learn while LISTENING, NOT when SPEAKING! Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps his mouth shut. Have you ever said :”I wish I hadn’t said THAT!”?

47:7-8

Now Joseph brings in his father, Israel, and presents him to Pharaoh. Israel immediately blesses Pharaoh. Remember, the superior one would usually give the blessing to an inferior; yet Pharaoh is the unquestioned Ruler of all Egypt! Yet Pharaoh doesn’t appear to be disturbed by the blessing, instead he asked Israel how old are you? Pharaoh is no doubt shocked at how old Israel appears.

47:9-10

Israel responds to Pharaoh by telling him that the days of his ‘pilgrimage’ on earth are 130 years; these years have been few and evil days; and they had not attainted the days and years of his forefathers in their pilgrimage on earth. He is letting Pharaoh know that his people lived very long lives. Remember, long life was, and still is, considered to be a blessing from God. Israel is well aware of the Truth that his life on earth is only a PILGRIMAGE, a time of trial and learning; his ultimate home is Heaven. Read Hebrews 11:1-16. Israel blesses Pharaoh and then goes out from before him, being honored.

47:11-12

Joseph carefully assigned lands to his father and his brothers, giving them possession of the best of the land of Goshen, also known as Rameses; obeying Pharaoh’s command. Joseph also makes certain that they are all given sufficient grain to sustain them from the famine.

47:13-14

Just as prophesied by Joseph, the severe famine continued in Egypt, Canaan and the surrounding lands. As people continue to come to Joseph for grain, he sells grain to the Egyptians, and gathers all the wealth of the land and brings it into Pharaoh’s house. We can assume that he is also continuing to sell grain to foreigners, also bringing their money to Pharaoh.

47:15-17

The next year the famine continues in Egypt and all the surrounding lands. The people continue to come to Joseph, now telling him their money is all gone; begging Joseph to provide grain for them. Joseph then tells them that they must bring in their horses, cattle and livestock to trade for grain. The people bring all their herds and flocks to Joseph and he provides enough food for the entire year. Keep in mind that all these people had an abundance of extra grain and wealth during the seven years of plenty, yet they FAILED to save ANYTHING for times of emergency. They probably lived luxuriously during the first seven years, not planning for the future. What a tremendous lesson for us! These are your years of PLENTY; are you saving for times of emergency and ‘famine’? If not, perhaps it’s time to pray about your own lifestyle.

47:18-20

Another year of famine comes and now the Egyptian people have nothing left but themselves and their land to sell to Joseph! Can you imagine once being very wealthy, as most Egyptians at that time were very well off, then being reduced to begging for your very life? The people offer themselves to Joseph to become servants of Pharaoh, giving him all their land, for enough grain to survive on. Joseph agrees to accept all the land as well as the people to become possessions of Pharaoh.

47:21-22

Joseph moves all the population into cities. This was probably to streamline the distribution of grain, and to ensure they remained slaves of Pharaoh. It also protected the people from starving people of other lands. (22.) Since the priests of the land received rations that were allotted to them by Pharaoh, that would mean they could keep their land and possessions.

47:23-24

The end of the Seven years is nearing, so Joseph now provides seed to all the peoples, telling them that they can now sow the land. At harvest time they shall continue to give one fifth; 20%, to Pharaoh and keep the other 80% for themselves and their families; yet of the 80% that they keep, they are to reserve a portion as seed to plant for the next growing seasons. Joseph is telling them that they are to be taxed the 20%, yet the remaining portion is to be used partially for seed, or savings, for future years. What a concept! Pay the government 20% in taxes, save another 10% or 20% for your future, and live on the remaining 60% or 70%! Perhaps we should be doing the same thing! After all, WE are not slaves, we are free; and we can own our own land! Remember, if you continue to save year after year, and do not need it for ‘emergencies’, you can then be a blessing and a help to those in need.

47:25-26

Notice that the people are NOT unhappy with this proposal; in fact they seem to be thankful that Joseph has saved their lives. They ask to find favor in his eyes and continue to be Pharaoh’s servants. Joseph then makes it a permanent law of the land, that Pharaoh shall receive 20% of all their increase each year, except for the priests, since they had not become slaves. Our country would do well to find a way to have a ‘flat tax’ of 20% like this. This would be far less then we are currently paying!

47:27-28

Israel, meaning all the Israelites, lived in Goshen, gaining many possessions and at the same time their families grew and multiplied exceedingly. This reveals to us that from the very beginning, the Israelites were very successful in every endeavor of their lives. They were already becoming a very large tribe of people. Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, making him 147 years old.

47:29-31

It is interesting that Israel knows that his life is drawing to an end, as he calls Joseph and asks him to promise to take his body and bury it in the family burial place. This would have been the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for Sarah. Israel knows that the Promised Land will be given to all those who trust and believe in the Lord; both he and his believing forefathers. Israel also knows that his sons will be the fathers of the Israelite people, who will become the People of God. To this very day, the Jewish people insist that there are twelve tribes of Israel, referring to the twelve sons of Israel and their offspring. Remember, even Paul knew he was of the tribe of Benjamin, Joseph’s brother! Israel Insists that Joseph place his hand under his thigh as a commitment to his request. In addition he asks Joseph to take an oath to bury him with ‘his fathers.’ This insistence upon being buried with his forefathers shows us his total trust and belief in God’s Promises.

How do we show and prove our belief in God’s Promises to us? Are we being good stewards of our years of plenty? Are we tithing 10% to God and saving another 10%? Do we live our lives with a focus on the Eternal Life we know and believe we have, or on earthy wants we will lose? Everything we do, say and even think, should be with an Eternal Focus. Our lives here on earth are just a flicker, a blinking of the eye, compared to Eternal Life. Keeping our hearts and minds on Jesus MUST ALWAYS be our goal.

Israel Enters Egypt

God confirms a major move from the Promised Land into Egypt by directly speaking to Israel. In addition, all the circumstances also point to a move to Egypt by the entire Family of Israel. God continues directing all events to bring about His Perfect Eternal Plan. Remember, the ultimate Plan is all about JESUS! We will see the establishment of the Israelite Family into the Israelite Nation. These chosen people will be used by God to bring us the Holy Scriptures and Prophecy of the coming Messiah, our LORD & SAVIOR, YESHUA. Be sensitive of all the unusual events that continue to occur to reveal Gods Sovereign Will in all people’s lives; even yours and mine! We should be open to whatever God allows in our lives and seek to understand His Perfect Will for us. Continue to pray to understand and apply the Truths that the Holy Spirit is revealing to your own heart and soul.

46:1-2

Israel (Jacob) now begins the journey by going to Beersheba, where so many important events and worship had taken place. He offers sacrifices to Almighty God. We can assume that he also prayed to God regarding moving into Egypt since his father Isaac had been told by God NOT to go into Egypt and Abraham had bad experiences when living in Egypt. We should consider past experiences before making decisions, yet always seek God’s wisdom and confirmation before making any major changes. Obviously moving from the Promised Land into Egypt was a major change. God then speaks to Israel in ‘visions of the night’, calling Jacob by name twice. This would confirm to Jacob that God is once again speaking to him and that it is urgent that he respond.

46:3-4

Israel responds with “here I am” which indicates he is listening with an obedient heart, ready to obey whatever God commands of him. God confirms that He is the One True God and tells Israel NOT to fear to go into Egypt, as it will be in Egypt that God will make a great nation from Israel’s lineage, fulfilling His promises to Israel. In addition, God tells Israel that He will go down with Israel, and his lineage, and will also bring them up again; meaning God would bring them back into the Promised Land. God also reveals to Israel that Joseph would put his hand on Israel’s eyes. This would mean that Joseph would be the one closing the eyes of the deceased Israel; a foretelling of Israel’s death in Egypt, and the revealed promise that Israel’s body would be brought back into the Promised Land. Israel no doubt told the entire dream to all his sons. Keep in mind that we are seeing God’s Promises and Prophecies beginning to be fulfilled. Stop and reread Genesis 15: 12- 16.

46:5-7

Israel and his entire family, sons, wives and children, all leave Beersheba to go into Egypt. Since Israel is quite old he is unable to walk for the trip and he and the wives and children are all carried into Egypt in the wagons the Pharaoh had provided to Joseph. We are told that they bring all their livestock, goods and valuables with them into Egypt. All Israel’s entire family goes with him; all his sons, their wives and grandchildren; no one is left behind, except those who had already died.

46:8-12

The genealogy of each of the sons begins with the eldest, Reuben, then Simeon, then Levi, then Judah. We are reminded that Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez are also listed. Since Perez was the son of Tamar, the one who was to be of the lineage of Jesus, he is listed. Since he already had sons, it gives us an indication that at least some of the happenings in Chapter 38 had obviously happened prior to Joseph being sold into Egypt.

46:13-15

The rest of the sons of Leah are now given, with references to ‘his daughters’ even though only Dinah is specifically mentioned. Thirty three persons are listed.

46:16-18

The next group of sons and their lineage are the sons of Zilpha, the ‘secondary wife’ or concubine, given to Israel by Leah. Sixteen persons are listed.

46:19-22

Joseph and Benjamin are the sons of Rachel; and their sons are listed. Notice that Benjamin has 10 sons! Fourteen persons are listed.

46:23-27

The sons of Rachel’s maid Bilhah, and their lineage are listed as seven persons. The total of persons who came with Israel were given as 66 persons. Then in verse 27 we are told that the total number of persons, including the two sons born to Joseph in Egypt; was 70 persons. Many people think this number is in error; however remember that the 66 came with Israel, so he was not included in that number. So if we add Joseph and his two sons, already in Egypt, plus Israel, being a total of four people; it adds up to 70. The Bible is always correct!

46:28

Judah is now acting as, and being directed as, the family ‘leader’ under Israel. He is sent by Israel to go to Joseph to be directed exactly where in the land of Goshen, they are all to settle.

46:29-30

When Judah comes to Joseph to let him know they are in Egypt, Joseph immediately leaves to meet his father by using the fastest method possible, his chariot. He presents himself to Israel and hugs and cries on Israel’s neck. Obviously this would be a very emotional reunion between the father and son who loved one another so deeply. Israel tells Joseph he is now ready to die, meaning he is satisfied and comforted to truly know and see his beloved son is alive and well.

46:31-34

Joseph now instructs his brothers, and all in his father’s house, exactly how he will present them to Pharaoh. He will confirm to Pharaoh that his entire father’s house has entered Egypt, bringing all their flocks and herds. He will tell Pharaoh that their ‘trade’ is to feed livestock. Joseph tells his brothers to be discreet when Pharaoh asks them ‘what is your occupation?’, to respond by telling Pharaoh that ‘his servants’, identifying themselves as servants of Pharaoh; this would honor Pharaoh and assure him that they would be acceptable to live in Egypt. Further they should state that their ‘trade’ has been with livestock. Joseph is warning them that in order to dwell honorably and peaceably in the land of Goshen with the Egyptians, they must NOT refer to themselves as ‘shepherds’ because every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians. Remember that Hebrews were considered inferior and unclean to the Egyptians. Thus it was very important for the brothers, and their families, to assimilate themselves into Egyptian culture so as not to offend and anger the Egyptians.

This is an important lesson we must remember: When we travel and/or live in a foreign country, we must respect and honor their culture, not insist that our culture and language be implemented. This does NOT mean that we must give up our Christianity and moral beliefs, just be willing to honor their culture. This lack of respect and honor for others, especially in THEIR country, is one of the problems, and sources of strife, that we have to this very day.

Joseph Reveals Himself – And God’s Divine Purpose

We are now privileged to see, through the revealing lens of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Plan of our All Knowing Creator God, as the Eternal Plan of God is revealed to us through the corridors of times past. God ALWAYS knows everything, past, present and future. He carefully plans all events to bring about His Perfect Eternal Plan, which is far above and beyond anything we can imagine or even understand. Yet, we are given a rare glimpse of one of the most Prophetic and important events in all of history that actually begins the establishment of the Israelites as the Jewish Nation. These chosen people bring us the Scriptures and Prophecy of the coming Messiah. They will continue to exist and be a part of the First and Second coming of the Savior and Lord of the Universe for all Eternity ~ YESHUA! (Jesus, in English.) As we study and pray about these events, look for insights into your own life; how Jesus has orchestrated and used, even the painful and difficult trials and tests of your own life, to bring you into a deeper and closer personal relationship with Him. Pray to understand and apply the Truths that the Holy Spirit is revealing to your heart and soul.

45:1-3

As Joseph commands, in a loud voice, to all the Egyptian men around him and in his household to leave him alone with the Hebrew men; all of them immediately obey him and leave him totally alone with his brothers. Joseph cannot restrain himself as he now speaks to his brothers in Hebrew. Weeping and sobbing uncontrollably; as he reveals to them who he REALLY is, their long ago, presumed dead, brother, Joseph. We are told that the entire household hears his sobbing and weeping, and that even the Pharaoh hears about it! Notice that his first question to his brothers regards his father, whom he loves dearly, “Is MY father still alive?” Joseph understands the importance of sacred values and Eternal relationships. Are you aware of Eternal values and relationships? Joseph is keenly aware of God’s guidance and direction for himself and all the house of Israel. Keep in mind that he would now be approximately 39 years old, so it has been 22 years since he has seen, or even heard from, his beloved father. His deep concern and love for his beloved father, Jacob, clearly shows through. Yet his brothers are so shocked and distressingly disturbed at this realization and confrontation, that they are unable to even speak. It would be like ‘one from the dead’ has suddenly been revealed to them! We can be certain that all their emotions of guilt, sorrow, repentance, grief, fear, disbelief, shock and who knows what else, is causing their minds and hearts to have great difficulty in processing the Truth that is being presented to them by Joseph, that he is, indeed, alive and well and now the Ruler of Egypt! Nearly this same reaction, and more because they had seen Him die, would have been experienced by the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus when He appeared to them after His resurrection from the dead!

45:4-5

Now Joseph has his brothers come close to him and he reveals the Truth that he is their brother, Joseph, whom they sold as a slave into Egypt. Remember, ONLY the brothers knew this terrible Truth about what REALLY happened to Joseph! He tells them this so that they will not doubt for a moment that he truly is Joseph, their long lost brother. But now… This tells us there is a revealing of something they do not know; that they are forgiven and should not be distressed, disheartened, grieved or angry with themselves, for God was in control! Joseph tells them that God sent him ahead of all of them in order to preserve their very lives and existence as a people. This preservation of life also involved the preservation of the Egyptian Nation.

45:6-7

As Joseph continues to reveal God’s prophetic plan, of telling them there are five more years of this great famine, where there will be no plowing, planting or harvest. Joseph explains to his brothers that God sent him to Egypt so that God could use himself, Joseph, to preserve for posterity, a remnant on the earth for Himself. This ‘remnant’ would be the Israelite people. God would provide for His people through this great deliverance, so that there would be many survivors. What a shock it must have been to the brothers to realize Joseph was really alive! Then to hear Joseph reveal that God used all that had happened for their ultimate good, their actual escape from certain death!

45:8

Joseph NOW summarizes the severity of the situation by telling them that God sent him to Egypt; not them. In other words, if they had not sold him into slavery, God would certainly have provided another way for Joseph to be sent to Egypt. Notice that Joseph continues to tell them that God did this and God did that, so they will begin to clearly understand and believe that God is in Control! Joseph reveals that he is as a ‘father’ to Pharaoh and he is the Lord of all his house and Ruler over all the Nation of Egypt. Joseph has now reached the position that he is in total control of Egypt. But… Remember Who is Really in Control! God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe!

45:9-13

Hurry… This command from Joseph underlies the necessity of acting quickly and going back to the land of Canaan and telling Jacob, that his son, Joseph is alive and is now the Ruler of Egypt. That God has put Joseph in that position so that Jacob, and all his family, flocks, herds and all that he has, MUST come to Egypt as quickly as possible, as there are five more years of severe famine coming to all the lands. Joseph tells his brothers to assure Jacob that he, Joseph, at the direction of God, will sustain and provide for all of the them in the land of Goshen, so that Jacob and all his household and ‘all that are yours’ will not die of hunger and starvation. He tells them to tell Jacob to NOT DELAY! Joseph tells them to believe their own eyes and ears; that they see and hear Joseph speaking to them in their own language, and that his own brother Benjamin can see and hear that Joseph is truly their brother. He continues to emphasize that they should tell ‘MY father’ Jacob, that God has given him great glory in Egypt, that he is the Ruler, and that they should hurry and bring ‘MY father’ here to Egypt quickly. We can understand the importance of acting quickly and not delaying!

45:14-15

After presenting the entire dire situation to his brothers, and telling them of the future coming to all the lands of continued famine and starvation, Joseph then turns his attention to his beloved brother Benjamin and holds him tight, weeping on his neck. Benjamin finally realizes it is indeed his long ago lost brother, Joseph, and hugs Joseph and weeps with him. Then Joseph goes to each brother and kisses them and weeps upon each one of them. This would assure them of Joseph’s complete and total forgiveness of their past treatment and unbelief, and would also assure them of his magnificent godly love for all of them. Finally, his brothers are able to find the words to begin speaking with Joseph. Notice that the entire reconciliation is because of the mercy and grace of Joseph, the brothers do nothing to earn or bring about this reconciliation. This reminds us that our reconciliation with God is all done by the mercy and grace of God, through Jesus, we do NOTHING to earn it or bring it about.

45:16

These next few verses truly show us how God IS in TOTAL CONTROL! Remember, the Egyptians considered it an ‘abomination’ to eat with, or associate with, the Hebrew people; as they considered them far inferior to themselves. Yet, when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it well pleased Pharaoh and all his servants! Can we see God’s miraculous hand at work in their minds and attitudes?

45:17-20

It get’s even better! In fact, it becomes quite humorous to hear what Pharaoh tells Joseph.
Pharaoh tells Joseph to have his brothers load up their animals and return to Canaan and get their father and all their household and come back to him. He, Pharaoh, will personally give them the best land of Egypt and they can live on the fat of the land. Command them to take wagons loaded with provisions, from the land of Egypt for their little ones, their wives and all they have, and bring them, and their father, to Egypt. He goes on to say that they should not look with regret or concern upon the goods they must leave behind for all the best of the land of Egypt will be theirs! Can you clearly see the Holy Spirit directing and inspiring Pharaoh to ‘command’ Joseph to tell his brothers of all ‘his’ unbelievable generosity? We know that the Egyptians, on their own, would NEVER have even wanted these Hebrew people in their land, much less offered to give them ‘the best of all the land!” When we realize the dynamics of this incredible miracle, it becomes both amazing and quite amusing. We can see Romans 8:28 at work here: “all things work together for good to them that love God.” Yes, God IS in Control!

45:21-22

The brothers waste no time in loading up the wagons that Joseph gives them, at the order of Pharaoh, himself. In addition, Joseph gives them changes of clothing, so that they will be well dressed for the return trip. Yet to Benjamin he gives 300 pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. His brothers show absolutely no jealousy or any indication that they object to the generosity offered to Benjamin. It appears that they have indeed learned how to be humble and accept the Will of God. Why would Joseph continue to lavish five times as much of everything on Benjamin?

45:23-24

Joseph sends the ten donkeys loaded with all the provisions and goods for his father, so that they will have plenty of nourishing food for the return trip to Egypt. As he sends his brothers back to Canaan he gently reminds them that they are not to quarrel, or even disagree, on their trip back to their father.

45:25-28

They leave Egypt and arrive in Canaan, and immediately tell Jacob that his son Joseph is still alive! They tell their father that Joseph is now the Governor over all the land of Egypt. Jacob is so shocked that his heart fails and he faints at this unbelievable news. As they revive him, they continue to tell him all the words of Joseph and when Jacob sees all the wagons, provisions and their fine clothing, he is revived. Israel then says that it is enough, he will go to see his son Joseph before he dies. We cannot imagine the shock and joy Israel must have experienced as this miraculous news was given to him. How he must have longed to go to see his beloved son, Joseph!

Ever have God give you an unexpected miracle? God is still in the miracle business, longing to bless us as we yield ourselves to Him in obedience. God used this famine to bring His people, the Israelites, to Egypt, to keep them together in the land of Goshen. They will not intermarry with the Egyptians, so they will remain a unique people, eventually becoming the Nation of Israel. This ‘isolation’ from other peoples in the middle east is used by God to create His special people. We often fail to understand the plan of God to keep His people separate, and to cause them to be ‘unique’ on the face of the earth. Remember, when Jesus returns the second time, the Jews will still be His unique chosen people. Are you obeying God’s direction and Will for your life? God wants you to be His Unique and Special Child, but to accomplish this, you must always obey His Word and Will for your life.

Joseph Tests His Brothers Hearts

As these ‘Tests’ are given to Joseph’s brothers, think of areas of your own life where you have faced various kinds of ‘tests’. Is God ‘testing’ you now in any areas of your life?.

44:1-3

Notice how precise and organized Joseph is in implementing a carefully thought out plan to REALLY Test the brother’s true heart attitude toward Benjamin and their father. The Steward of Joseph’s household would be an extremely trusted individual that Joseph knew would fulfill all his commands and keep everything confidential. Notice that he again gives them all the grain they can possibly carry and then has their money, now doubled, placed BACK in their sacks. Joseph’s Silver Cup would have been an ornate silver goblet that ONLY he would use. All the household would recognize it as ‘Joseph’s Cup’. When we are fooled or deceived the first time by someone, we are probably caught ‘off guard’, so to speak. However, when dealing with that same person again, we should be more cautious. There is an old saying: Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on ME! Yet, the brothers obviously don’t even think to check their bags before leaving Egypt this time!

44:4-6

Joseph wastes no time in implementing his plan to severely ‘test’ his brothers. He has his trusted Steward go after them with the explicit instructions of what to say and how to search their bags for his ‘stolen’ Silver Cup. Although Joseph did NOT see the future using the cup, the superstitious Egyptians believed he saw the future somehow through this Silver Cup. Joseph evidently let them think that since they did not believe in the One True God. (6.) The Steward obeys Joseph and overtakes the brothers and accuses them of stealing the Governor’s special Silver Cup, using the exact words Joseph had instructed.

44:7-9

Immediately the brothers begin to defend themselves, insisting that they had returned the money that they ‘found’ in their sacks; and insisted that they would not have stolen anything. Then they tell the Steward that they are so sure they are innocent that IF they find the Silver Cup in one of their sacks, then that person shall die, and the rest of them would become slaves of the Governor. How quickly they forgot the earlier trip; when the money mysteriously ‘appeared’ in their sacks, although none of them had put it there. Yet they foolishly promise that whoever is found with the Silver Cup shall die! We must be very careful about making statements regarding situations, and then promising outrageous things because we THINK we are absolutely right. Ever make a rash promise, and then discover you cannot keep it?

44:10

The Steward says that it shall be as they spoke. Yet he deliberately changes the terms of their rash promise to state that the guilty person would be the slave, yet the rest of the brothers would be found innocent. We can almost feel the tension and anxiety they all must have felt at this point.

44:11-13

Each brother takes his sack, places it on the ground, and opens the sack for the search. The Steward, as Joseph had instructed, began with the eldest and then searched each sack carefully. He then searched each brother’s sack going from the eldest in their correct birth order all the way down to Benjamin. Keep in mind that the brothers are clearly seeing that the Steward knows who is the eldest, and their exact birth order. Remember that the mathematical chance of knowing their exact birth order was one out of 39,917,000! They must have been overwhelmed with anxiety and fear by this time. They also see that their money is back in their sacks, just as happened the first time! As the Steward began to search Benjamin’s sack, their hearts and minds do doubt were severely stressed. We can imagine the absolute horror they felt when the Silver Cup was lifted out of Benjamin’s sack!

44:13-14

The tearing of their clothes is a sign of severe sorrow and grief, beyond what they can endure. Remember, they had told the Steward that the person found with the Silver Cup would DIE! They all load up their donkeys and return to the city with the Steward. Obviously the Steward has armed men with him to make certain the brothers return to Egypt and back to Joseph. When they arrive at Joseph’s house, he is there waiting for them. They immediately fall down before him, laying prostrate before Joseph, with their faces on the earth as a sign of total and complete submission to him.

44:15

Joseph immediately asks them ‘what is this evil you have done?’ He goes on to tell them that they should realize that a man such as he can detect and know by ‘divination’ everything that they do; that they can hide nothing from him. Joseph is telling them this to elicit a confession and find out what their hearts are regarding Benjamin and their father.

44:16

Judah confesses, saying they have no defense, they are ALL guilty, God has exposed their iniquity. God will also expose our iniquity if we refuse to confess and repent of all evil. Our inner thoughts of evil and wickedness is this ‘iniquity’ that is spoken of. For out of our hearts, comes the evil words, thoughts and actions. God’s Word clearly tells us that our hearts are the source of all evil. That is why we ask God to search our hearts and cleanse us of all evil. The world’s ridiculous mantra of “just follow your heart!” is utter foolishness! Don’t fall for it. Judah tells Joseph that he, and all his brothers, are now ‘my lords slaves.’ He says that they all are guilty.

44:17-18

Joseph replies that God forbid that he should make them all slaves, but says that only the man who was found with the Silver Cup shall be his servant. He tells them that the rest of the brothers are free to go in peace back to their father. Judah had promised his very life to protect Benjamin, and now he bravely steps close to Joseph and begs him to allow him to speak to him privately. This would mean that only the interpreter would be present with them, IF Joseph allowed this conversation.

44:19-34

It appears that Joseph allows it, as Judah begins the narrative of telling Joseph, through the interpreter, what has transpired since they were asked if they had a father and another brother. Notice that Judah now gives more details about the background of Benjamin being Rachel’s only other son, and that the first son of Rachel, Joseph, was torn to pieces, or so Jacob thought; and he had grieved all these years. Judah’s sincere concern for his father’s experiencing the grief, and certain death in terrible sorrow, over the loss of Benjamin has caused him to willingly insist that he must stay in Benjamin’s place, giving up his life for him, becoming Joseph’s slave forever. Judah knows that he is the one who suggested they sell Joseph as a slave, and that he is guilty of his presumed death. Judah does not want to cause his father any additional sorrow and grief by not bringing, or sending, Benjamin home safely to him. We now see a genuine spirit of self-sacrifice in Judah’s heartfelt plea. This willingness to die, or sacrifice himself, for Benjamin and his father, is a clear Type of the coming Messiah and Savior, Jesus, who would sacrifice Himself and die for us. When we confess and repent of our evil ways, God can, and will, turn us back to Him. God can bring good out of even our foolish and selfish sins, when we truly repent. Remember, nothing is impossible for God! Thank you Jesus!

Israel Drawn Again To Egypt – Famine Severe – Survival At Stake

Keep in mind that those in other lands have no idea how long this Terrible Famine will last; all they see is that many are starving to death! Jacob’s entire family is also at risk of starvation. As the Holy Spirit reveals the dynamics behind this continuing ‘Tribulation’, keep in mind the future ‘Tribulations’ we must also face. We continue to see History fulfilling the Promises given to Abraham in Genesis 15:13. Look for the figures of speech: SIMILE: Resemblance; ALLEGORY: comparison by representation; METAPHOR: Representation; HYPOCATASTASIS: An implied resemblance or representation; TYPE: A figure or example of something future; ANALOGY: Resemblance in some areas between things otherwise unlike. Again, be aware of things pointing to our Redemption only through Jesus.

43:1-2

The famine is now so severe, that many people and animals are dying of starvation. Although Jacob and his family had carefully rationed out the grain they obtained from Egypt, they saw no lessening of the famine, and their very lives were now threatened. Jacob, who was wealthy, still had money and valuables that might be traded for food to save his family from certain death. So he again tells his sons to go back to Egypt to buy more food for their survival.

43:3

All the brothers knew that they didn’t dare try to return to Egypt unless the met the requirements of the Governor; whom they identified as ‘the man’. So Judah steps up to be the one who confronts his father, by reminding him that ‘the man’ sternly and solemnly warned them not to return to Egypt UNLESS their younger brother, whom they had said was with their father, was with them, and came before him. Judah is seemingly begging his father to send Benjamin with them, so they can safely return to Egypt and purchase the desperately needed grain. Judah also hopes to be able to rescue his brother, Simeon who is being held in the Egyptian prison.

43:4-5

Judah continues his negotiating with his father by telling him that IF he will allow Benjamin to go with them back to Egypt to by ‘you’ food. Notice that Judah tells Jacob the food is being purchased for Jacob! Yet, the food is needed for all of them. Perhaps it was because the responsibility of providing for the family was put on the head of that family, which was Jacob. keep in mind that all the brothers are now adults, some with families of their own! Yet, the survival of the entire ‘family’ or ‘household of Israel’ would fall on the Ruler of that household, who was Jacob. Judah goes on to say that IF Jacob refuses to allow Benjamin to go with them to Egypt, then none of them can dare go, because ‘the man’ said they would NOT be allowed to even see his face unless their youngest brother was with them.

43:6

Now we see the ‘blame game’ we all know so well; Jacob tells them: IF you hadn’t done this wrong, and told ‘the man’ about having another brother, then all this evil would not have come upon me! This disaster is ALL YOUR FAULT… because…. Have we ever done that? Instead of trying to find a solution or remedy for the problem, we begin to point fingers at others, who may even be responsible for the problems, yet, blaming and pointing a ‘you are guilty’ finger at others, never solves the problem, does it? What happens instead? We try to defend ourselves.

43:7

Sure enough! They all begin to defend themselves, saying that ‘the man’ asked them specific questions about themselves and their family. Remember, at first Joseph had accused them of being ‘spies’. They had insisted they were ‘honest men’ and they knew that they had to tell the truth about anything he asked them. Why? Because all Joseph had to do was separate them, ask each one the exact same questions, and the answers would have to be exactly the same, OR he, Joseph, would KNOW they were lying. They were on the defensive, and fearful, after being accused of being spies! So the brothers tell their father that ‘the man’ specifically asked if their father was still alive, and did they have another brother? So they all answered truthfully. Then they ended their defense with: “How could we know that he would demand that we bring our brother back to him in Egypt?.”

43:8

Jacob is silent. Probably because he is dreading making the decision to release Benjamin to them so they can return to Egypt to buy the desperately needed grain. The only alternative is for all the entire family of Israel to die of starvation. Jacob is no doubt frantically thinking what other alternatives he can come up with. Have we ever done that? We can’t face the reality of any of the answers that are before us, all look like disasters to us. That is the position that Jacob finds himself in. Judah again begins to negotiate and beg his father to allow him, personally, to take Benjamin with them back to Egypt so that they may buy the desperately needed grain for Jacob, for their families, and especially the little children, who would certainly die without the grain.

43:9

Judah continues to negotiate with Jacob by pledging before all of them that he, Judah, will be the Security for the safety of Benjamin, that he will personally be responsible to bring him back safely to Jacob. If he fails to do so, then he will personally bear the blame forever. By this pledge, Judah is stating that all he has, and is, will be the Surety for his, Jacob’s, beloved son. Not just for this world, but forever, meaning for all eternity. Can we see the prophecy here? Remember, Jesus, our Security for all eternity, was to be born of the house of Judah.

43:10

Jacob is still silent. So Judah continues his heartfelt pleas by stating that the more they linger, the longer it will take to return the second time. This is also a reminder to Jacob that they had returned to him after their first trip to Egypt; so Judah is asking his father Jacob to trust him to also return the second time. Remember it was Judah who had the plan to sell Joseph; now he must again plan for the future good of all of them. Putting off a painful decision sometimes can make the situation worse. In this case, it was the absence of enough food to even survive; so this was certainly true.

43:11-12

Obviously Jacob has been carefully, and no doubt prayerfully, considering exactly how they must plan their return trip to Egypt to see ‘the man’. Jacob’s comment of ‘IF it must be so,’ …means that he concurs with Judah’s plan; that they have no choice, if they hope to survive, they and their families and children. Jacob tells them they must take with them the choicest produce of their land, balm, honey, spices, pistachio nuts and almonds; as a gift to ‘the man’. He then tells them to take double the grain money with them, as well as all the money that had been put back in the sacks. Although Jacob states that the money being back in their sacks ‘might’ have been an ‘oversight’, he probably knows otherwise. He carefully plans everything to make certain that they have made every effort to find favor with ‘the man’. When we are in a difficult situation, do we make every effort to carefully plan out the details of trying to find the ‘best way’ to please or ‘find favor’ with our benefactor? Who, exactly is our True Benefactor?

43:13-14

Jacob then tells them they may take their brother and go and return to ‘the man’. Then Jacob ends with the most important thing he can do: he ends with a prayer for God Almighty to give them all mercy and favor before ‘the man’, that he would release their older brother Simeon as well as Benjamin to them, so that they all may be safely returned to him. Jacob ends with ‘If I am bereaved of my sons, I am bereaved’. He is now openly telling all of them with his heartfelt prayer to God, El Shaddai, that he is willing to accept the Will of God Almighty, no matter what it is. Jacob has no guarantees, yet he is trusting God for the outcome; stating he will accept whatever God allows. Jacob echos True Truth and Faith: “Not my will, but your Will be done.” Can we do that with our prayers? If God allows the outcome to be something painful to us, can we still Trust God and accept His Will? Remember, Jesus did exactly that; He obeyed and trusted His Father and suffered and died, just for us.

43:15

They all take the ‘present’ that Jacob had arranged; also taking double the money for the food they wanted to buy, and also the money that had been returned to them and quickly returned to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

43:16-17

When Joseph sees Benjamin with his brothers, he now knows that they are continuing to ‘turn around’ and do what is right and good. He would have also known that it would not have been easy for his father to allow Benjamin to go to Egypt with the older brothers, especially since he had imprisoned Simeon. So he immediately tells the Steward of his own household to slay an animal and make a feast for all of them; bringing the men to his own home, to eat at noon. The Steward obeys Joseph’s command and has the men brought into Joseph’s house.

43:18

All the brothers now fear the very worst; obviously still feeling the guilt of their past sins against Joseph and their father. They fear that the reason they are being brought to ‘the mans’ house, must be the money that was mysteriously placed in their travel bags; and that Joseph will force all of them to become his slaves, even taking their animals. It’s amusing that they ‘worry’ about losing their animals when they possibly could lose their lives, or be made slaves! Do we also get our priorities mixed up when we fear the worst?

43:19-22

So when they came to Joseph’s house they immediately began to tell the Steward of the house of their defense on behalf of themselves. They insisted that they came only to buy food, and that when they stopped at the inn for the night, they ‘discovered’ the money they had paid for the food back in their sacks, not realizing it was there as they had traveled from Egypt. They insisted that they knew nothing about how it got there, and brought back every bit of it to return to Joseph. And in addition, they had brought more money to pay for more food that was needed by their families.

43:23-24

The Steward shocks them by giving them a godly greeting of Peace be to you, fear not! He goes on to say that their God had given them treasure in their sacks. Notice that he identifies God as their God and the God of their father. He states that he had received their money; he then brings Simeon out to join them. So they received a welcome greeting of Peace and were assured they had nothing to fear; and Simeon was released unharmed to them! We can be certain that they were probably in a state of shock; receiving a warm welcome instead of being enslaved! They were fully expecting God’s judgement to fall on all of them, instead they are receiving God’s blessings! They are brought into the house and given the gracious courtesy of giving them water to wash their feet and also the men feed their donkeys. They no doubt wonder, ‘What is happening?’

43:25-26

The brothers quickly make the ‘present’ they had brought, ready to present to Joseph when he came at noon; for they were told they were to eat a meal there. When Joseph arrives, they immediately bring him the ‘present’ and bow down to the earth before him, doing him great honor and respect and again fulfilling Joseph’s dreams of Genesis 37:7.

43:27-30

Joseph continues his testing and questioning of his brothers, still without their knowledge of who he really is. He now graciously asks about their own welfare first, then asks about the ‘old man’ who is their father, and if he is still alive. It is interesting that they refer to their father as ‘Your servant’. They continue to bow down to the earth and indicate total submission to Joseph. Joseph looks up and see’s his brother Benjamin, his mother’s only other son; and asks if this is the youngest brother, whom they had told him of. They affirm he is and then Joseph says “God be gracious to you, my son.” In their culture this would have been a particularly loving and endearing blessing. At this point, Joseph cannot contain his heartfelt emotions and hurries from the room to his private chamber to weep.

43:31-32

After Joseph takes some time to restrain himself, he washes his face to hide his weeping; then return to the room, actually a great hall, and orders that the dinner is to be served. The servants carefully set food before Joseph in a separate area, probably above the lower floor. Then they set food before the brothers, who are served at the lower level at a separate table and area by themselves. They then serve the Egyptians who eat with Joseph by themselves according to their custom. Notice that we are told the Egyptians would have considered it an ‘abomination’ to eat food with the Hebrews. Discrimination against ‘inferior’ people was a part of their culture.

43:33-34

Joseph’s eleven brothers are all given seats below him, where he can see and view them all. Each one is assigned a seat in their exact birth order, from the eldest down to the youngest, Benjamin. All the brothers are amazed and shocked to see that the Egyptians know their very birth order. The mathematical chance of knowing their birth order was one out of 39,917,000! Yet, they seem to minimize this important fact. Then Joseph takes and sends additional servings down to the table to his brothers. The amount he orders given to Benjamin was five times as much as any of the others. They all noticed the obvious difference. They relaxed, and ate and drank freely and became merry with him.
It is interesting that they so easily let their guard down to trust the Steward and of course, the Governor, who is Joseph, after being filled with such fear and dread just a few hours earlier. Perhaps it was because of the special references to ‘their’ God and the blessings pronounced on all of them. The fact that they were placed in their respective birth order for the seating, may have also assured them that God was in charge; yet that fact should have made them uneasy. In any case, when things seem to suddenly improve, we should not become complacent or neglectful of thanking God for His provision and care for us; even thinking that our testing is over. Ever have things get better, or seem to have the difficulties resolved; and you fail to continue to thank and trust God? Little do the brothers know that Joseph is preparing to continue his testing of his brothers with even stronger methods to the point of causing them to fully submit themselves to God. God is NEVER finished testing us; when we finally learn a Truth and fully obey God, new ‘Tests’ will come, count on it! Remember, this is the ONLY way God changes our character traits into those He has planned for us. Our goal should be to become more and more like Jesus. That is exactly what Joseph learned during his years of long and painful trials and tribulations.

Israel Drawn to Egypt – Abrahamic Prophesies

JOSEPH continues to be the center of Genesis, with the foreshadowing of Jesus: Joseph is a ‘TYPE’ of Christ/ Messiah. Joseph is now Ruler over Egypt; Pharaoh being like a ‘figurehead’. We begin to see History being made to fulfill Promises given to Abraham. Genesis 15. The world will be given the Jewish Nation, a Nation foretold by God’s Word. Keep in mind the figures of speech: SIMILE: Resemblance; ALLEGORY: comparison by representation; METAPHOR: Representation; HYPOCATASTASIS: An implied resemblance or representation; TYPE: A figure or example of something future; ANALOGY: Resemblance in some areas between things otherwise unlike. Be sensitive to things pointing to Redemption through Jesus.

42:1-2

Jacob hears that there is food in Egypt, that is being sold to those who go to Egypt. Since all areas and lands are experiencing the severe famine, the Israelites are also on the verge of starvation. So Jacob orders his sons to go to Egypt to buy food for his family.

42:3-4

Yet, Jacob fears for Benjamin’s safety, since he believes he is the only son left from his wife, Rachel, so he keeps Benjamin with him in the land of Canaan.

42:5

The ten brothers then join the caravans going to Egypt to buy grain. We are again told that the famine was severe in the land of Canaan. It appears that the Holy Spirit does not want anyone to misunderstand the severity of the situation and the dire need to go to Egypt for food in order to survive.

42:6

The ten brothers come before Joseph who is the Governor, or Ruler, over Egypt, and they bow down before him with their faces all the way to the earth. This type of ‘bowing’, by kneeling down and putting one’s face all the way to the earth, was a way of showing total submission to, and respect for, the person one bowed down to. They knew their lives, and the lives of their families all depended upon them being allowed to buy grain. Keep in mind that Joseph was under no obligation to sell grain to anyone, regardless of who they were, or how severe the need.

42:7-8

Joseph immediately recognizes his brothers, yet knows they do not recognize him. So he acts as though he does not know them, demanding to know where they have come from. We can assume that Joseph speaks to them in Egyptian, having an interpreter speak to them in Hebrew; this would further conceal his identity. Remember, Joseph is shaven and dressed as the Ruler of Egypt; it has also been more than 20 years since the brothers have seen Joseph. The brothers truthfully tell Joseph that they are from the land of Canaan, coming to buy food; yet they do not recognize him.

42:9

This ‘remembrance’ of Joseph’s dreams, does not mean that he had forgotten them, but that he is now keenly aware of all the implications of the dreams. He knows with great discernment that the entire family of Jacob must come to Egypt in order to survive, and that they must be under his Rulership. He speaks harsh accusations to his brothers to test them; accusing them of being spies with a devious purpose to see what weaknesses are in the land of Egypt. This is a serious accusation, that could result in all of them being killed!

42:10-11

Keep in mind that the brothers are speaking to a person they believe is dead! They immediately begin to defend themselves, insisting that they are the Governor’s servants, calling Joseph, Lord, meaning they are putting themselves entirely under his Rulership, subjecting themselves to being his servants, or slaves; continuing to insist they have only come for food! They go on to tell Joseph that they are all one man’s sons; we are true men, meaning we are telling the entire truth. Again, they say they are his servants, and not spies. We begin to see the panic and fear they must be feeling as they realize their dire situation before the Ruler of Egypt.

42:12-13

Joseph pours on the pressure by again accusing them of being spies by saying that they are not telling the truth, that they are really spies with a wicked and evil purpose against Egypt. (13.) Now the brothers are in utter panic, confessing to Joseph that there are a total of twelve brothers, all the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest son is with their father, and one brother is dead. This they said because of their guilt in believing they had caused Joseph to die. When trials and tribulations come upon people, they often remember their sins, and begin confessing them, believing they are being given the painful situation because of their own sin. That Truth of ‘we reap what we have sown,’ is imbedded deep within our soul and spirit, and comes to mind when hard times come upon us. Our modern version is ‘what goes around, comes around’; yet this fails to really deal with sin.

42:14-17

Joseph again severely tells them; It is I, by my authority as the Ruler of Egypt, who has accused you of being spies! Therefore, you will be tested for your truthfulness, by the very life of Pharaoh, you cannot leave this land until, and unless, your youngest brother comes here to Egypt! You are to send one of you back to the land of Canaan, to bring your brother back to Egypt; while the rest of you will be kept in prison. This will be the test to prove whether there is any truth in your words. Otherwise, by the life of Pharaoh, you will be proved to be spies! This would mean certain death to the nine who remained in prison! Then he puts them all in prison for three days! They no doubt thought that they were all going to die at this point.

42:18

During those three days they probably didn’t get much sleep, or rest, but probably all discussed their situation, their past sins, and no doubt reviewed their very lives up to this point! Remember, Joseph was thrown into a pit by these very same brothers; thinking he was to die. Where else, in the future, do we see these three days? Jesus, dead and buried for three days! Remember, during that time, all the followers of Jesus thought he was dead and gone forever! Joseph now has them brought out of the prison and tells them to do what he has commanded and they will live, as he reverences and fears God. For the first time, they have some hope, as the Ruler of Egypt has told them he knows God! Notice that Joseph does not ‘get even’ or have an attitude of ‘you’re getting what you deserve’. Instead he keeps true to the Truth God has revealed to him, having an attitude of patience, forgiveness and discernment in doing God’s Will for his own life, and the lives of all his family. It is extremely difficult to remain positive, kind, forgiving and loving to those who have harmed us. Yet, we remember that Jesus died for us when we were hateful, sinful, disobedient and unloving!

42:19-20

Joseph continues by stating, that IF they are true men, meaning they speak and keep their words as True Men must do, then they are to leave one of their brothers to remain in prison, and he, Joseph, will relent and let the rest of them have grain to be carried back for those in their households who are weakened from hunger and starvation. Yet, they must still bring back their youngest brother to Joseph, so that their words can be proven as true; and then they all shall be allowed to live.

42:21-22

Now we see that some true soul searching has been done, as they confess that they are truly guilty regarding their brother, Joseph. Even though they saw the distress, anguish and suffering of his soul, begging them to let him go; their hard hearts, jealousy and greed, had caused them to ignore his pleas. So they now believe they had earned their own current distress and difficulty. Keep in mind that they had also ignored the suffering and tears of their own father regarding his belief that Joseph was torn apart by a wild animal. Think of the years of suffering they had allowed their own father to experience! Reuben goes on to tell them that they had also ignored his warnings to not sin against the boy; now his blood was required of all of them! They believed that anyone who killed another, God would require their own blood. They all knew the story of Cain and Able. Do you ever ignore God’s laws and commit sin, even though you know there are severe consequences? Remember; The wages (what you earned) of sin is DEATH! Romans 6:23a.

42:23-24

Yet none of them knew that the Governor (Joseph) understood them because he, had been communicating with them through an interpreter. After hearing their heartfelt confessions of sin and guilt, Joseph turns away from them and leaves their presence and weeps. He then composes himself and returns to them, again speaking through an interpreter. Joseph binds Simeon in front of the other brothers, no doubt so they can see for themselves the sorrow they have all caused, and has him kept in prison. Remember, that Simeon was the brother who took a lead part in persecuting Joseph; thus the brothers would all recognize that his being ‘selected’ was probably a further ‘proof’ that God Himself was dealing with them. Joseph continues to put the pressure on his brothers so they will fully repent of all their lies, hardheartedness, greed, jealousy and deceit. Half-hearted repentance is of no value at all; we must TRULY repent, and turn away, from ALL sins and selfishness. Saying ‘I’m sorry’, yet NOT doing anything to mend the damages done, is WORTHLESS! If you are truly repentant, you will do, and say, whatever is necessary to heal the hurt and damages done. That is why, in a Court of Law, Restitution is required! Just as saying ‘I forgive, but I’ll NOT forget’, is a lie from the pit of hell; you REALLY have done neither one! If you truly forgive, then you have learned to love an unlovable person. Remember how unlovable you were when Jesus died for you?

42:25

Then privately, without them knowing it, Joseph commanded that their sacks be filled with grain and that all their money be placed secretly back inside their sacks. He also provided necessary provisions for them to make the journey back to Canaan. All their donkeys were loaded with the grain sacks and provisions and the nine brothers left for Canaan.

42:26-28

At their first stop for rest on the long journey back home, one of the brothers opened his sack to give his donkey food and he saw his own money near the top of the sack. He immediately tells his other brothers that his money he had paid for the grain is back in his sack! Now all of them became afraid and their hearts failed them. They all trembled and said to each other: “What has God done to us?” They now feared that the Ruler (Joseph) would accuse them of STEALING from Pharaoh. Notice that they still were filled with guilt and fear, knowing that God was dealing with them. They also know that they would have to confess all this to their father, telling them they HAD to bring Benjamin back to Egypt in order to rescue Simeon from certain death. Keep in mind that they still do not know how long this famine will last.

42:29-34

When they returned to Canaan and their father, Jacob; they tell him all that had happened to them in Egypt. They tell Jacob that the Governor of Egypt took them for spies and spoke harshly to them. We told him we are true men, not spies. We further told him that we are 10 of 12 brothers, all with the same father, one brother is dead and the youngest brother is with our father in Canaan. They continue by telling Jacob that the Lord of the country told them he would test them to see if they were truthful and honest by keeping Simeon in prison until they brought back their younger brother to the Governor. IF they did as they were commanded, then he would release Simeon and they would be allowed to do business in Egypt.

42:35

As they carefully unpack their sacks of grain, they each discover the money they had paid for the grain was back in each man’s own sack. Now they were all terrified, both the brothers and Jacob; because the exact payment from each brother was back in his own sack! The brothers secretly knew that God was dealing with them for their sin against Joseph; and perhaps also for other unconfessed sins!

42:36

Jacob instantly realizes the seriousness of the bundles of money that should have gone to Pharaoh being back in their possession. He tells his sons that all of them have bereaved him, causing him great grief and sorrow as Joseph was dead, Simeon was as good as dead, and now they wanted to take Benjamin from him! All these things that are happening are all against him, meaning they are all bringing evil and suffering to him. We can imagine the guilt, grief and sorrow each brother must have been feeling. Sometimes we need to feel the repercussions of our actions in order to understand that all sins brings some kind of sorrow, grief and suffering. EVERY sin brings sorrow and pain to our Creator God, do we realize that we CAUSE our Creator to suffer?

42:37-38

Reuben again steps up and offers the lives of his two beloved sons if he does not bring Benjamin safely back to Joseph. Yet Jacob refuses to allow Reuben to take Benjamin to Egypt to rescue Simeon, stating that if Benjamin, the only remaining child of Rachel, were to be harmed it would cause him such extreme and terrible grief that he would die and go to the grave (the place of Sheol).

God’s ways are far beyond our human understanding. As this prophetic scenario unfolds, we see that situations that appear hopeless and beyond any way of being turned to good, are used by God for the ultimate good of everyone. Not just for their physical well being, but even more important, for their spiritual growth and well being. All the brothers needed to learn to believe and trust God; to believe and trust the dreams God had given Joseph, and most of all, to repent from their evil thoughts and ways. Is the Holy Spirit showing you areas of your life that need repentance? Are there sins that have caused you and others grief, sorrow and suffering? You and I are not immune to selfishness, pride, arrogance, unforgiveness, jealousy, lies, and a host of other sins that stop us from having a holy, pure and fulfilling relationship with our Creator, Lord and Savior. Begin right now by asking God to clearly identify the areas you need to repent of. Seek God’s Will for your life; seeking to obey Him regardless of what others do or say. Joseph chose to obey even in the most horrible and depressing circumstances. As he passed tests allowed by God, his character traits were developed and strengthened. Only after Joseph continually obeyed God, did God raise him to a position of power. God CANNOT bless us IF we refuse to obey Him in ALL areas of our life. Wonder why God is NOT answering your prayers? Maybe there is an area of your life you need to repent of. Joseph became more and more like Jesus as he Trusted God for everything. Remember, YOU are NOT in control! Any control you may think you have is only an illusion. God is in Control of EVERYTHING!

Pharaoh’s Prophetic Dreams – Joseph’s Rise To Power

Our study of the life of JOSEPH is very important for several reasons: Joseph is a ‘TYPE’ of Christ, or Messiah. Joseph endures tremendous persecution and suffers greatly. He gives us a ‘PATTERN’ to truly learning Godly PATIENCE. His obedience to God literally changed the course of History and firmly established the Jewish people as a Nation. The world would be blessed forever because of Joseph’s faithfulness, willingness to endure hardships and his endless PATIENCE. Remember the figures of speech mentioned earlier in our studies to help you as we study the life of Joseph. SIMILE: Resemblance; ALLEGORY: comparison by representation; METAPHOR: Representation; HYPOCATASTASIS: An implied resemblance or representation; TYPE: A figure or example of something future; ANALOGY: Resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike. We will discover many similarities to the life of Jesus, so be on the lookout for them. Look for character traits, words and actions that reflect Godly characteristics in Joseph. Seek to incorporate these same traits into your own life, not just for here on earth, but for all ETERNITY! Think of it; you can establish Godly character traits in your own soul and spirit that will carry on into Eternity. These attributes will be used by God to give you the most satisfying existence and experiences for ALL ETERNITY! Now isn’t THAT worth the effort??!! May God richly bless you as you diligently search God’s Word for His Truth and seek His Eternal Will for your life. We pray you will become even more excited about Prophecy and what lies ahead for ALL of us who claim to be God’s Followers. Remember, Faith without obedient action is utterly worthless. ( see James 2:14-26; Romans 1:16-17)

41:1-4

We are told that it was a full two years after Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams of the Butler and the Baker that Pharaoh has his dreams. His dreams are vivid and clear dreams specifically depicting a clear sequence of events. The first dream of seven healthy fat cows coming from the Nile River was certainly something important as the Nile represented the source of water and rich silt that made their land so fertile and productive. Keep in mind that their economy is booming at this time. Then the coming of the seven sickly, gaunt cows that were near death, must have been a shock to Pharaoh. The dream is so startling and real to him that Pharaoh suddenly wakes up; vividly remembering every detail of the dream.

41:5-7

Pharaoh then goes back to sleep and again has another vivid and clear dream, one that seems so real, he believes it is really happening. Again there are seven of each of the grains; first the plump and healthy ones, then the scrawny, dried up worthless grains; these we are told, were blighted by the east wind. Severe, dry winds can quickly destroy crops. Again, Pharaoh perceives the dream to be reality and wakes up remembering every detail of this second very disturbing dream.

41:8

We can imagine that his spirit was indeed troubled. We would also be very disturbed by such a dream. So first thing in the morning Pharaoh sends for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt to interpret what these dreams could mean. The word ‘Pharaoh’ actually means “the great house’. Ancient Egyptians believed that Pharaoh was the ‘living representation’ of their chief god, Horus. The fact that Pharaoh could not understand his own dream reflected badly on him and their god. Since no one in Pharaoh’s court could interpret the dreams, this clearly shows the obvious failure of their Egyptian gods.

41:9-13

Suddenly, the chief Butler remembers his own dream and the fact that Joseph had correctly revealed the dream and the meaning. He remembers that both he and the chief Baker both had dreams the very same night and that Joseph gave the correct and accurate interpretation for both their dreams. So the Butler speaks to the Pharaoh and ‘confesses his faults’ and then tells the Pharaoh of Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams. He tells the Pharaoh all the details of what had happened more than two years ago. He ends his story by correctly telling Pharaoh that every single detail of the interpretation had been fulfilled exactly as the young Hebrew man had interpreted them. Could it be that God allowed the Butler to ‘forget’ about Joseph because of Joseph’s trying to influence Pharaoh through the Butler? Then, when the time was right, God may have ‘jogged’ the Butler’s memory to recall all the specific details of both his dream and the Baker’s dream and their respective outcomes.

Remember that the Butler gave the wine to the Pharaoh in his dream; and his life was redeemed. The wine is a future symbol of the blood of Christ, which brings redemption to Believers. Yet the Baker, who bakes and produces bread, symbolic of physical life, died. Remember that Jesus, our true ‘Bread of Life’, also died. This unusual reference to ‘Bread and Wine’ first came about when we studied Genesis 14 and learned about Melchizedek giving Bread and Wine to Abraham. Be very sensitive to multiple meanings of Scriptures.

41:14

Pharaoh wastes no time in sending for Joseph to be brought quickly out of the dungeon. Yet, Joseph takes the time to shave himself, clean up and changed into Egyptian attire. No doubt provided for by the Chief of the Guard. Once Joseph is ‘presentable’, then he enters the Pharaoh’s presence. Is it important to be ‘presentable’ when representing God? Absolutely! As Christians, the only ‘Jesus’ some people may see is You!

41:15

It is interesting that Pharaoh immediately tells Joseph that he has dreamed a dream and no one in his Kingdom is able to interpret it or give any meaning to it. He tells Joseph he has ‘heard’ that he can both understand dreams and interpret them. Pharaoh clearly is asking Joseph if he is able to understand and interpret his own dreams.

41:16

Joseph immediately answers Pharaoh by telling him that he has no ability or power to interpret dreams; that only God can give Pharaoh a favorable answer, and bring him peace. Remember, Pharaoh was very troubled and upset about his dreams. Joseph knew that the ability to understand and interpret dreams came only from, and through, God. This would be a direct revelation from God to Joseph. In the future, Daniel, another Hebrew slave in captivity, would also be given this same ability; yet again, only through the power of God. Notice how careful Joseph is to give God immediate credit for His revelations; he gives God credit before he gives the interpretation. Why is this important?

41:17-21

Pharaoh tells Joseph all the details of his dream, adding his own reflections on what he saw. Notice that he tells Joseph that he had never seen such horribly emaciated, only skin and bones, cows in all of Egypt! Then he tells Joseph that the ugly, thin cows ate the fat and healthy cows; but it could not be seen that they had even eaten them because they were still as thin and gaunt as before they ate them! All this was very disturbing to the Pharaoh. He then tells Joseph, that at this shocking sequence of events, that he woke up. Yet, he falls back to sleep again.

41:22-24

Then Pharaoh continues to relate the second dream to Joseph. Pharaoh adds the term, Behold, indicating the importance and significance of the seven ears of grain, all growing on one stalk, being health, plump and good. As he continues, he again uses the term ‘Behold’, to indicate that it is a shocking and unusual happening; and that he really focused on the number and condition of the grains. Again the withered, thin and worthless grains sprouted after the good, plump and healthy ones and then devoured the good grain. He tells Joseph he has told all this to his magicians, yet no one can tell him what his dreams mean. It seems Pharaoh is almost begging Joseph to reveal the meaning of his dreams.

41:25-28

Joseph then reveals to Pharaoh that the meaning of both of the dreams is the same; God is revealing to Pharaoh what He, God, is about to do. Joseph tells Pharaoh that the seven cows and seven ears of grain are one and the same, they represent seven years of abundance; their meaning is exactly the same. He then tells Pharaoh that the seven sickly cows and shriveled ears of grain are also the same, representing seven years of hunger and severe famine. Joseph is speaking for God: ‘Take note, Pharaoh!’ God is revealing to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

41:29-32

Then Joseph uses the exact same phrase that Pharaoh did; BEHOLD! It is like saying ‘Pay very close attention to this information, it is crucial to your survival!’ Beware and Be prepared! Joseph tells Pharaoh that seven years of great abundance and plenty are coming to Egypt. There will be a large surplus of everything! Then, right after these wonderful seven years of abundance, there will come a time of seven years of such a severe famine that all the plenty will be forgotten in the entire land of Egypt! The famine will consume the land; it will be very grievous, there will be severe starvation, consuming and destroying all. The reason for the two dreams is that it was given in two forms to Pharaoh to indicate that these events have been pre-ordained and established by God and they will come very quickly. In later years, the Jewish people would determine that two reliable witnesses were necessary to prove a fact! God will certainly and absolutely bring these events to pass. Remember that Joseph told Pharaoh that God would give him a favorable answer of peace to his dreams. At this point, the interpretation sounds like a death sentence, a terrible disaster, not a favorable answer, bringing a sense of peace!

41:33

Yet, Joseph continues with wise counsel for Pharaoh. Therefore, because of this crucial information, ‘let’ Pharaoh seek out and provide a man, discreet, understanding, proficient and wise; and set him over the land of Egypt as a governor. Notice that Joseph knows the character qualities needed for this serious situation.

41:34-36

Now Joseph continues his counsel by stating that this governor, whom Pharaoh will select, should appoint officers over the entire land and take one fifth, or 20%, of the produce of the entire land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty. They are to store this food in fortified granaries in the cities. This food, or grain, would then be used to provide for the people during the time of the famine, so that Egypt would not be destroyed. We see here the ideal amount we also should save during our years of ‘plenty’. Joseph is now giving Pharaoh the ‘favorable answer’. If we have more than we need to survive, then we ARE in the time of plenty. Too often, when we have ‘plenty’ or ‘extra income’, we seek ways to SPEND it rather than SAVE it for times of disaster. God is giving us a ‘rule of thumb’ to follow so that when a disaster strikes, and it will, we will have a reserve, and ‘emergency fund’ to see us through our times of ‘famine’. Saving 20% of your income is the best way to be obedient to God’s years of blessings. Remember, at the same time, we are also to be giving at least 10% back to God. This ‘Saving and Giving’ is called ‘good stewardship.’ Think about those who are ‘needy’, often they claim that some disaster caused them to be in their dire situation, and they want ‘others’ to ‘bail them out.’ Yet, when we ask them about their ‘emergency fund’ they have none! The majority of people in our country have been living in the ‘land of plenty’ with no thought of being good stewards with God’s resources. See Matthew 25:13-30. Hopefully, you are the exception; being diligent about Giving to God and Saving for the coming time of famine. Think about it for a moment, God has already warned us about a coming time of tribulation, war and famine! Remember, the coming final Tribulation time will be SEVEN years! BUT, we could have severe tribulation before the final Tribulation time! Even if we are not here for the final Tribulation, wouldn’t it be wise to be prepared for other trials and tribulations? So, IF you don’t need the food and water you leave behind when you are Raptured; you could leave Bible Study materials informing others of the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!

41:37-38

Pharaoh and all his servants believe the plan presented by Joseph is a very good one. There is no doubt that this ‘plan’ was also a revelation from God to Joseph, to be given to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his servants; we can assume this would mean those who assist in running the government: “ Where can we find this man’s equal? One who obviously has within him the spirit of God!” Even a pagan ruler clearly sees that God is present in the spirit of Joseph. Why? Because of the character traits that have been developed in Joseph through his obedience to the Will of God. Godly character traits do not come quickly, they must be developed by God over time through obedience, trials, tribulations and prayer. We can be certain that Joseph also studied the history of God’s dealings with Abraham, Isaac and his father Jacob. You and I are privileged to have God’s Word in our very hands; we can also learn the lessons of life directly from the Giver of Life, our Creator, Lord, God and Savior, Jesus. God wants us to be prepared for hard times. Proverbs 6:6-11; Matthew 25:14-30.

41:39-41

Now Pharaoh speaks directly to Joseph stating that since ‘His’ God has shown him all this, meaning the understanding and interpretation of the dreams, then there is nobody as intelligent, discreet, understanding and wise he is. ‘You are to have charge over my entire house, even over my kingdom; all my people shall be governed according to your word. Only in matters of the Throne will I be greater than you’. Wow! What a promotion, from the dungeon to being the Ruler of the most powerful country in the world! Joseph would report to Pharaoh, yet Pharaoh was giving him control over his kingdom. Pharaoh obviously now has ‘peace’ about what is coming. Joseph had been faithful to God in all the ‘little things’ that God had sent him; now God was promoting him to be ruler over all the land of Egypt under Pharaoh. Can we see some life lessons here? Jesus teaches us these same Truths in numerous examples in the New Testament. See Matthew 13:3-12; 21:33-43; Luke 19:11-27.

41:42-43

Pharaoh honors Joseph by giving him his Signet ring, which shows the power and authority of the Ruler of Egypt, and has Joseph dressed with official vestments for the Ruler of Egypt, putting a gold chain around his neck. This presumably would be an official notification to all who saw it that Joseph represented the Pharaoh directly; and was to be obeyed and honored as the unquestioned Ruler of Egypt. Then Pharaoh had Joseph ride in the ‘second chariot’, which directly followed Pharaoh’s chariot, and his officers all went before them shouting out to the people to ‘bow the knee’ before the Pharaoh and Joseph. They went all over the land of Egypt so that everyone in the land knew that Joseph was in charge of Egypt. So what is expected of Joseph? See Luke 12:48; 16:24-26;

41:44-46

Pharaoh tells Joseph that no one can do anything without consulting Joseph! He is given absolute authority and rule over the entire land of Egypt and all its people. Pharaoh gives Joseph an Egyptian name of Zaphenath-paneah. In addition, he gives Joseph Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to be his wife. Then Joseph makes an inspection tour of all the land of Egypt. Joseph had now been in the land of Egypt for 13 years; and was now 30 years old. It is interesting that in later years one could not become a Rabbi, or teacher, until he was at least 30 years old. Remember, Jesus, Himself did not begin His ministry until He was 30 years old.

41:47-49

During the seven years of plenty that immediately came; the crops are so abundant and fruitful that there is plenty of surplus food and grain to be stored in all the cities of Egypt. Each city has large surpluses of food stored in the storage granaries. Joseph actually stopped counting how much grain was stored because the grain was so plentiful it could not be measured.

41:50-52

During this time Joseph’s wife, Asenath, bore him two sons. Joseph gave his sons Hebrew names. The first he named Manasseh, meaning ‘making to forget’. Joseph said God has made me forget all my toil and hardship and all my father’s house. Evidently the homesickness he had felt all those years, was now giving way to satisfaction with his God-given position of ruling Egypt. Joseph named his second son, Ephraim, meaning ‘to be fruitful’. Joseph gave God all the credit for his being fruitful, meaning successful; in the land of his affliction. Notice that he identifies the land as ‘affliction’ rather than adopting the land as his homeland. Joseph knows his true ‘homeland’ is the one ordained by God for his people.

41:53-54

Just as Joseph had foretold, at the end of the seven years of abundance, there began seven years of famine. This was happening just as Joseph had warned Pharaoh. The famine was also in the surrounding lands; yet in the land of Egypt there was food for the people. Malachi 3: 10; Hebrews 13:16.

41:55-57

As the famine worsened, the people of Egypt cried out to Pharaoh (the government) for food. Notice how things haven’t changed? Pharaoh told the people to go to Joseph, and do as he says. Joseph then opened all the storehouses and sold food to the Egyptians, for the famine grew extremely worse throughout the land. (57.) Word soon got out that there was food available in Egypt; so other peoples from other Nations came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph. The famine was severe over all the (known) earth.

This long period of trials resulting in the ‘training’ of Joseph; are now bearing fruit. Luke 21:33 tells us that Heaven and Earth will pass away, but God’s Words will NEVER pass away. See also Luke 8;16-18; Hebrews 2:1. Note that 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us that physical training is of little value, yet spiritual training is of great value for all Eternity. What does the ‘world’ focus on? Which should we focus on? This time of suffering in Egypt, and the surrounding lands, WILL be repeated, but on a much larger and more severe scale in our own future. Are you prepared? You can read Revelation Chapters Six through Nineteen, and see the extent of the destruction of the earth and the severe suffering, famine, death and Tribulation that comes to all on our planet. God’s judgement is coming! What must we do? 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18; 5:16-21; Ephesians 4:20-32; Acts 20:24-36. Diligently search God’s Word to see what HE would have YOU do!

Jospeh In Prison In Egypt

Genesis continues to focus on the life of JOSEPH. Notice that although Joseph is obedient to God, the trials and tribulations allowed in Joseph’s life seem to become worse, and last longer. Despite the suffering of these trials, they will serve to transform his character in such a way that he will eventually have the ability to lead the most powerful country in the world.

40:1-3

This term ‘some time later’ would indicate that quite some time had passed. Both the Butler and the Baker were two of the Pharaoh’s Officers. The Butler was the “Cupbearer”. It was his responsibility to make certain that the drink of the Egyptian Monarch was of excellent quality and free of any poison. In addition, the Cupbearer was often a highly trusted confidant of the Monarch. The Baker was the Superintendent of the Royal Bakery. He also was an important Official in the Royal Household. Remember, this ‘prison’ was only for those of the Royal household who were held in the Prison until there was an investigation regarding their ‘offense’. We are not told what the charges, or ‘offenses’, were, but they must have been serious to warrant being thrown into the prison.

40:4

Even these ‘important’ prisoners are given to Joseph by the Captain of the Guard to take care of. This would be an important responsibility, so obviously the Warden fully trusted Joseph. We are told Joseph ‘served them’. We must assume that would mean Joseph would provide all that they needed. Note that they were in prison for ‘some time’. The idea of a right to a ‘speedy trial’ did NOT exist in their government. Remember, Joseph has been in prison for quite some time.

40:5

Both men dream a very significant and clear dream that they both remember. The fact that both of them had their own dream on the very same night would indicate that the dreams came from God and were no doubt a ‘message’ from God.

40:6-8

The next morning when Joseph comes in to ‘serve’ them, he sees that both of them appear to be very dejected and sad; obviously more than they had been in the past. Joseph shows concern for them and asks them why they both look so depressed and down. Both men tell Joseph that each of them has dreamed a clear and troubling dream; one that seems very important, yet they are unable to understand the meanings. Obviously, they have both shared their dreams with one another, and each of them have no clue as to what the meaning of the dreams are. Joseph tells them that the interpretation of all dreams belongs to God. He no doubt tells them that since dreams come from God, only He would know their meaning. Then he says something very unusual: “Tell me your dreams, I pray you.” Why would Joseph believe he could understand and interpret their dreams? Perhaps because God had given him clear and understandable dreams when he was younger. At that time, God gave Joseph the meaning and interpretation of his own dreams. Joseph had been so certain and sure of the meaning of his own dreams that in his excitement, he had shared them with his brothers and father. Joseph obviously remembered that God gave him revelation through his own dreams, and still believed they would somehow come to pass. He continues to believe that clear and vivid dreams are a message from God and graciously offers to assist both of them.

40:9-11

Since the Butler had been in the prison for some time, he clearly saw that Joseph was in charge and obviously had the favor of God and the Warden; so he tells his dream to Joseph. Notice that the dream is clear and precise. The Butler carefully describes exactly what he sees; the vine, with the three branches. Then he tells Joseph the vine budded, the blossoms burst forth and then the clusters of blossoms produced ripe grapes; all this in a very quick sequence. Then the Butler, in his dream, takes action; he has the Pharaoh’s cup in his hand and he takes the grapes and presses them into wine and then gives the cup into the Pharaoh’s hand. You and I would probably think the dream strange and probably have no idea of the meaning, other than perhaps having something to do with the Butler’s position of being the Pharaoh’s Cupbearer.

40:12

Joseph is clearly being given spiritual insight into the dream, as he doesn’t even hesitate; he says ‘This is the interpretation of the dream:’ “The three branches represent three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your former position. You will once again be the Cupbearer for the Pharaoh.”

40:13-15

‘But ..’ Remember, when we see the word ‘but’ something else or different, or negative; will be revealed. Joseph asks the Butler to ‘remember him’ when he is restored to his Official position. He asks the Butler to ‘mention’ him to the Pharaoh and ask that he be released from prison. He continues with his story and tells the Butler that he was abducted by unlawful force from the land of the Hebrews and sold illegally into slavery; and then did nothing to deserve being thrown into the dungeon. What is Joseph doing by asking the Butler to help him get out of prison? Relying on his own efforts? Is he failing to trust God? Should he be seeking some way to get out of prison?

40:16-17

Now after the Chief Baker sees the good interpretation for the Butler, he is now ready to also tell Joseph of his dream, since he too saw something with three in it. Three cake baskets on his head. The one on the top contained some of all the kinds of baked good for the Pharaoh; But.. The birds of prey were eating out of the basket on his head. Birds of Prey are an evil sign.

40:18-19

Again Joseph immediately gives the interpretation of the dream: The three baskets represent three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head, but will have you beheaded and hung on a tree and the birds of prey will eat your flesh. Notice in the first dream the Butler squeezed the grapes into wine and presented the cup to the Pharaoh. In the second dream the baker had the baked goods for the Pharaoh, BUT.. the ‘birds of prey’ those which would eat flesh; are eating the baked goods.

40:20-23

On the third day, which is the Pharaoh’s birthday, he has a feast for all his servants; bringing both the Butler and the Baker before him. The Pharaoh then restores the Butler to his position; and the Butler gives the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. BUT, then Pharaoh has the Chief Baker hanged. Both men saw the fulfillment of the interpretations given by Joseph. Despite this outcome, the Butler gives no thought to Joseph; and forgets all about him.

Although Joseph gives God the credit for having the power to reveal dreams; he then tries to use that revelation to his own advantage to get out of prison. Perhaps God intended to use these dreams to cause the Butler to tell Pharaoh of his experience; and thus have Joseph released from prison and elevated to a high position. Yet because Joseph was impatient and tried to ‘help God out’, God caused the Butler to ‘forget’ about Joseph. God wants us to rely totally on Him and not try to rely on our own efforts to force an outcome. If the Butler had remembered Joseph, perhaps Joseph would have thought the outcome was due to his own efforts rather than God. Can you identify in any way with Joseph? Ever try to ‘help God out?’ Remember, God should receive all the Glory for His Will and direction for our lives; we must be careful to not take any credit for our successes, or to use them for our own advantage.

Joseph In Egypt

Now the Book of Genesis returns to the life of JOSEPH. The trials and tribulations allowed in Joseph’s life serve to test and form his character, his very identity, his soul. God uses these trials to transform Joseph into the image and likeness of his Creator, God and Savior. We need to remember that ALL that God allows in our lives is also for our ultimate transformation. Keep in mind that at our conversion, we received SALVATION. Yet, the lifelong transformation is our SANCTIFICATION. And yes, it DOES take a lifetime to accomplish! We are not GLORIFIED, truly completely transformed into the likeness of Jesus, until after we leave this earth. In Genesis 37 we saw how Joseph’s pride, a bit of arrogance and self-reliance caused his downfall. Can we identify? As we seek to learn from Joseph’s choices and reliance on God; it should cause us to also seek to rely on our Savior and Lord, and seek to follow the Holy Spirit in all we think, say and do.

Remember: SIMILE: Resemblance; ALLEGORY: comparison by representation; METAPHOR: Representation; HYPOCATASTASIS: An implied resemblance or representation; TYPE: A figure or example of something future; ANALOGY: Resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike. We are about to embark on an exciting journey following the life of Joseph to discover hidden prophesies and Truths that pertain directly to us and into the future! Remember, we believe we ARE in the last days!

39:1

We are given some very important information here. Egypt, during this Middle Kingdom Age, was a very powerful and unified land. It was a land of peace, an effective powerful government, and enjoyed general prosperity. These confident, powerful people were destined by God to receive not only Joseph, but also the Hebrew family of Jacob, into their haven of safety. Potiphar was a very high ranking Egyptian official, the Captain of the guard. Potiphar, with his position, no doubt had the privilege of selecting the very best slaves available; thus he chose Joseph to become one of his servant/slaves. Notice that the Ishmeelites were the ones who sold Joseph to Potiphar. These decedents of Ishmael were always to be in conflict with the decedents of Isaac. All of this had been prophesied during Abraham’s time.

39:2

Even during Joseph’s trials, the LORD was always with him. Immediately we are told that Joseph was a prosperous man in the household of his Egyptian master. To be prosperous means two very important things: God was with Joseph, AND Joseph was obedient to the Will of God. We can NEVER be prosperous outside God’s Will. We may foolishly think we are ‘prosperous’ because we may have money or material wealth, but none of those ‘things’ are true prosperity in God’s economy.

39:3

Potiphar sees and understands that the LORD was with Joseph and that the LORD made ALL that he did to be successful and flourish. Isn’t it interesting that even a Gentile Egyptian could see and understand that GOD was blessing this Hebrew slave! Notice that Joseph did not sit around, or complain, or refuse to do his best, or try to escape, or do any of the things we might assume we would do in our flesh; instead he did his very best, worked hard, and chose to obey God in EVERYTHING! Obviously, that time in the ‘pit’ taught him some very important lessons about being obedient and humble. It allowed him time to reflect on his own actions and words that led to his being thrown into the pit. Remember, he also heard his brothers say they were going to KILL him, so the pit was the better place to be! Do we reflect on what is happening to us and how we can learn from those trials? Is God allowing ‘trials’ in your life to teach you how to trust and obey Him? God is so good to us, when we fail to learn a lesson the first time, He allows more trials to give us more chances to learn His Eternal Lessons for our lives. Trust and obey God ALL the time, even in the trials. Too often we say we ‘Trust God’ yet our actions, attitude and mind set tell the truth about our hearts!

39:4

Potiphar is more than just pleased with Joseph, he is thrilled to have such a hard working, honest, trustworthy, wise and Godly servant. Potiphar then promotes Joseph into the position of supervising and running his entire household. In fact, he puts Joseph in charge of all he owns! When we do more than what we are paid for, or what is expected of us, on a consistent basis; those in charge will notice. We are not told how much time has gone by, but it appears that Joseph was an obedient hardworking go-getter from the very beginning.

39:5

Not only did God bless all that Joseph did, but from the very time that Potiphar elevated him to be his Overseer of all his house and all his holdings; God also chose to bless all that was in Potiphar’s house and all his fields. We can imagine that Potiphar was probably dancing for joy at the prosperity he was experiencing at the hand of Joseph.

39:6

Potiphar eventually puts everything, every decision, EVERYTHING into Joseph’s control and authority. In fact, he doesn’t even oversee anything, or check on Joseph. We are told he doesn’t even pay attention to anything EXCEPT the food he eats. This is a dangerous mind set he has allowed himself to be in. He has chosen to satisfy his appetites only. We are also told that Joseph was a very attractive man, very fine-looking. When things are prosperous and successful for us, do we then just satisfy our fleshly desires and wants? What do you do with the ‘extra’ time that God has given you? Do you seek after worldly pleasures as Potiphar did? When God gives us time to use at our own discretion, we should pray about how to ‘spend’ that time. Are you ‘spending’ your ‘free’ time on earthly desires, or are you focused on Godly choices? You see, our focus is either on earth or on heaven; NOT both. Spending time in prayer, seeking to discover the Truth of God’s Word for yourself, and God’s Will for your life; all these pursuits will lead you to a truly PROSPEROUS and SUCCESSFUL life, just like Joseph had. Not only that, but you can chose to be a Servant of the Most High God! I want to serve Jesus, how about you?

39:7

‘It came to pass’, means that some time had gone by. Potiphar’s wife also sees how successful this attractive, handsome Hebrew has been. Let’s face it ladies, we are attracted to handsome, successful men. She begins to ‘cast her eyes’ upon Joseph. Oh, oh, trouble brewing. Remember, Eve cast her eyes upon the forbidden fruit in the garden, and sin resulted. We must avoid even looking at that which is NOT allowed, or good, for us. I need to avoid even looking at that yummy dessert! So whatever the ‘thing’ is that we desire that is NOT GOOD for us, we should avoid even looking at it. Eventually, she asks, really demands, Joseph to Lie with her. It’s interesting that the Holy Spirit had the author emphasize, or capitalize the word LIE. It would have a double meaning: If Joseph were to engage in adultery with his Master’s wife; they would both have to continually Lie about their relationship. Who is the author of Lies? So who is behind this desire that Potiphar’s wife has? When we carefully analyze our attraction to ANY sin, we can see the author of all sin, which brings DEATH, is Satan. Romans 6:23a “The wages of sin is death…” That is EXACTLY what we EARN when we sin!

39:8-9

Joseph immediately refuses. He even tries to explain to her why this request would be wrong and evil. He points out that the ONLY thing his Master has kept from him is her, as his wife; as it should be, and that this action would be a GREAT EVIL! Notice that Joseph admits that in his present position, his Master has made him GREATER than himself. Joseph emphasizes that the GREAT EVIL would be a sin against his Master and against God! Joseph clearly understands that all EVIL, which is sin, is against self, others and God. He doesn’t try to sugar coat the sin, nor does he call it anything by what it is: EVIL. In our world today, much sin is ‘sugar coated’ and called ‘other names’ to try to thinly hide that it is SIN and EVIL. An affair, rather than Adultery; Abortion, or ‘Choice’ is MURDER of an unborn child. Gay, is Homosexuality, an ABOMINATION in God’s eyes. ‘Adult humor’ is VULGAR BLASPHEMY against God. All manipulation, stealing, lying, hatred, immorality, killing, cruelty… all these things are EVIL. Calling them by another name is a LIE. We can assume God was ‘testing’ Joseph to form in him a Godly and moral character. Not all trials are ‘painful’, some involve ‘temptation’, yet Joseph stood firm.

39:10-12

Yet this persistent woman doesn’t give up. She hounds him day after day. Yet Joseph continually ignores her. We can be certain that he is very uncomfortable and irritated with her persistence. Finally, she finds a time when no other men are in the household; and Joseph is in the house attending to his duties. She brazenly attacks him, grabbing him by his garments, presumably to try to tear them off him. Yet, he gets free of her, leaving his garment, or cloak, in her hands, and flees out of the house.

39:13-15

She now has his cloak in her hands. She is probably furious that he has repeatedly rebuffed and rejected her attempts to seduce him. So she now plots to destroy him! She calls to the men, presumably outside, and claims Joseph attacked her and she screamed with a loud voice, and then when Joseph heard her scream, he left his cloak, and ran out of the house. She probably knew the men saw Joseph come running out of the house, and wanted to concoct her own version of what had happened. Perhaps she feared Joseph would tell the other men what happened, and her husband would hear of it and would be furious with her; we don’t know, but we can be sure, she knew she was in trouble. Since she had NOT screamed, perhaps even the men knew she was lying.

39:16-19

She keeps his cloak with her as ‘evidence’, and probably rehearsed her ‘story’ of what happened to tell her husband, Potiphar. When he came home, she repeated her lies, telling him the Hebrew servant had mocked and insulted her. She insisted she screamed, and told him ‘this is the way your servant treated me.’ She showed his cloak to Potiphar, as ‘proof’. Potiphar’s wrath is kindled when he hears his wife’s words.

39:20

Potiphar has Joseph put in the royal prison, which housed prisoners that were connected with official life. Some translations refer to it as a ‘Round House” a tower where these types of prisoner’s were kept until their fate was decided. Potiphar is Captain of the guard, which is part of the ‘royal prison’. Common prisoners were not held in this prison. Potiphar could easily have had Joseph executed, yet for some reason; (perhaps he knew his wife was not telling the truth), but couldn’t bring himself to admit she had done anything wrong; he just had Joseph imprisoned. Remember, he knew that God was with Joseph. Notice that this is the second time Joseph’s cloak was used to bring a false report about him. In both cases he had been serving faithfully; yet in both cases, he ended up being held as a prisoner. Sometimes when something harsh and unfair happens to us, we cry out ‘why God, why are you allowing this unfair situation or treatment of me to happen??” We demand that God rescue us, or free us from the ‘unfair situation’. These are the times we must remember, Joseph, Daniel and Job, all of whom suffered ‘unfair situations’ and ‘trials’ for a good part of their lives. Yet, we know from God’s Word that He loved all of them deeply and was molding and forming their character, their very souls into His image and likeness. All of them would be used by God for eternal good. It takes deep, trusting faith to endure these kinds of trials. We should pray to seek after this powerful, deep faith in our own lives.

39:21-23

‘But’, a key phrase that tips us off to pay attention, as something unusual will be revealed. Despite this unfair imprisonment of Joseph, God is still with him, showing him His mercy and loving kindness. God gives Joseph favor in the sight of the Warden of the prison. Then the Warden gives all the care of the prisoners over to Joseph’s care. Joseph is eventually put in charge of all that was done in the prison. Can you imagine putting a ‘prisoner’ in charge of the prison?!, Yet that is what the Warden did with Joseph. Then the Warden also paid no attention to anything that was under Joseph’s control. Why? Because the LORD was with Joseph, and all he did was made to prosper in the prison. The Warden was probably also keenly aware of the fact that God was with Joseph.

What tremendous lessons of obedience and trust we are being given. Despite being falsely sold as a slave, Joseph remains faithful and true to Godly principals. Then, because he remained morally faithful and pure, he is persecuted by a wicked woman! Her lies cause him to be imprisoned unfairly and unjustly! Yet, despite all these continuing trials and tribulations, Joseph continues to Trust and Obey God in such faithfulness that the Bible says nothing evil about Joseph! Keep in mind that Joseph always kept the prophetic dreams in his mind; no doubt wondering how all of those dreams could possibly come to pass with his current situation. Yet he kept his faith in God, trusting that He was in control and would bring those dreams of great power and prosperity to a reality. Joseph knew in his heart that God had promised him that something marvelous was in his future. He refused to commit any sin, despite the temptations and pressures. We don’t even see him cry out to God because he suffered persecution for his faithfulness. Would you be that patient and trusting of God? What kind of patient faith and trust do we exhibit when we suffer for our faith? We all need to pray for the powerful strong faith of Joseph for our own lives. We CAN have this unbelievable faith and trust in God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Why not seek it for your own life?