Transcript

Bob Benson, in his book, “See You at the House,” tells of a good friend who had a severe heart attack and almost died, but was now well on the road to recovery. Visiting him, Bob asked, “Bill, how do you feel about your heart attack?”

Bill answered, “I hate it. It nearly killed me.” Bob asked, “Would you like to have another one?” “Certainly not!” was Bill’s obvious reply. “Would you recommend it for someone else?” “Absolutely not” he said.

Bob went on, “Bill, now that you’re feeling better, do you treasure your life more than before?” “Yes, I guess I do.” “You and your wife have always had a good solid marriage, but are you closer to each other now than before?” “Yes,” Bill said.

Bob asked, “And how’s your relationship with your children.” Bill said “Stronger than ever,” Bill answered. “And what about your relationship with God? Has that changed since your heart attack?”

“Yes, I feel a whole lot closer to God now than I ever did before” Bill said. Then Bob asked, “Bill, in the light of all this, how do you feel about your heart attack now?”

God can take the most negative things that happen to us in life, and make them positive and for our good. In the midst of our trials, this is hard to see.

But as we look at things in retrospect, we can see the hand of God and how He works all things together for good. And many years after Joseph’s trials, Joseph was able to look back with gratitude to God and say, “God meant it for good.”

Genesis 45:5-8: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

“For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

“So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

At this point, Joseph has just revealed his identity to his brothers, and his brothers were standing there shaking in their sandals. Joseph could see his brothers’ bewilderment and fear, and he encouraged them with words that came from a forgiving heart.

From a human point of view, the average individual, when faced with people who have done them a grievous wrong, would look for revenge or a way to humiliate them. But not Joseph. He was no ordinary Joe.

And with the Lord’s help, he looked into his brothers’ eyes and in all sincerity, he could say, “Don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me into Egypt. It was not you who sent me here, but God. He sent me before you to preserve life.”

They had done wrong and were guilty; but Joseph didn’t want them to dwell on their sins or what they’d done to him, but instead on what God had done for all of them.

By faith Joseph saw that the Lord had worked all these circumstances out in such a way that Joseph had been placed in Egypt to preserve life through the great famine, not only of those in Egypt, but also to save those of his own family.

Joseph knew that it was the Lord who saw into the future and saw the needs of the world and chose him to be His servant to solve the famine problem of the future.

Joseph lived his life with a divine perspective. Again and again, he says here, “GOD did send me,” “GOD sent me,” “it was not you that sent me hither, but GOD,” “GOD hath made me a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

God had even made Joseph a “father” to Pharaoh, as Joseph advised him on his decisions, was lord of his household, and ruler over all the land. All the glory for this was due to God.

Joseph reassured his brothers that God had sent him there. It was all part of His plan. He had remade him and given him this position. They did not need to be afraid or angry with themselves, the whole problem between themselves and Joseph could be forgotten. It was all a part of the providential working of God.

John Sailhamer says this: “Joseph’s words pull back the narrative veil and allow the reader to see what has been going on behind the scenes. It was not the brothers who sent Joseph to Egypt; rather it was God. And God had a purpose for it all.

“We have seen numerous clues throughout the narrative that this has been the case; but now the central character…reveals the divine plans and purpose behind it all.

“Joseph, who could discern the divine plan in the dreams of Pharaoh, also knew the divine plan in the affairs of his brothers. Through it all, he saw God’s plan to accomplish a great deliverance.”

Genesis 45:9-15: “Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

“And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

“And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

“And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.”

On top of the forgiveness and reassurance, Joseph made them an offer they could not refuse. He urged them to return quickly to Canaan and bring their father to Egypt, where they could enjoy relief from the famine and be near him.

Joseph told them that now they needed to hurry back and share the news with their father, and to tell him that he was alive and that he wanted the entire family to move down to Egypt with him. And that he would arrange for them to settle down with their families, flocks and herds in the land of Goshen, a fertile region in northeast Egypt.

Joseph emphasized that there were still 5 years of famine coming, and if they weren’t near to where he could care for them, they could “come to poverty” and be destitute.

The brothers had remained silent during the revelation of who he was and all these instructions. They still could hardly believe their eyes and ears. Joseph could see this and again assured them that it was really him they were seeing and hearing.

Verse 12 is like Joseph telling them, “Guys, it’s really me!” (v. 12). He was speaking to them in their own language and about things which no one but Joseph could possibly know.

Joseph urged them also to tell his father about his “glory” or authority in the land, so that Jacob would not be hesitant to move down to Egypt. Joseph was more than able to care for them, and again he urged them to make haste in moving to Egypt.

Then Joseph, who’d regained his composure long enough to say all this, lost it again, as Joseph “fell” on his brother’s shoulder, and he and Benjamin embraced and both wept.

Then he turned to the other brothers, one after another, and he hugged, kissed, and wept over each of his other brothers. Each was forgiven, each needed to be shown that the reconciliation was real.

Finally, the brothers then started to talk with him, knowing and believing it was really him and that he held no ill will toward them.

As they talked, Joseph probably recounted everything that had happened to him in Egypt. He probably called in his wife and two sons and introduced them.

The brothers probably told him all the news from home and about their own families, and everything that had happened in the past 22 years. It was a day to remember.

Warren Wiersbe says this, “This reconciliation was possible only because Joseph had suffered and triumphed, and it’s a beautiful picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for sinners in His death on the Cross and His resurrection.

“In his defense before the Jewish council [in Acts 7], Stephen took pains to point out that Joseph revealed himself to his brothers ‘the second time’ [they came to Egypt for food].

“This too is a picture of Christ’s experience with His own people Israel: They rejected Him when He came the first time, but they will recognize Him and receive Him when He comes the second time, and they will weep and repent.”

In verses 16-24, we learn how the servants in the house overheard as Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers and word spread fast in Joseph’s house as they couldn’t keep the glad news to themselves.

The news also reached Pharaoh quickly. Without Joseph even asking, Pharaoh gladly joined Joseph in the invitation for all his family to move to Egypt, as this gave the Egyptians an opportunity to show Joseph their appreciation of what he had done for them.

Joseph in accord with Pharaoh’s command equipped his brothers with wagons. Joseph also gave them provisions for their journey to Canaan.

To his brothers, who had taken his coat of many colors from him years earlier, in grace, he gave them changes of special garments and fine Egyptian clothing. Benjamin received an extra special gift of fives changes of garments and 300 pieces of silver.

To his father he sent 10 donkeys loaded down with “good things of Egypt,” and 10 donkeys loaded down with food.

In verse 24, Joseph told them, “See that ye fall not out by the way,” or not to be troubled or to let doubts or fears arise after they’d left him. His kindness, forgiveness, and every one of his promises was genuine.

Genesis 45:25-28: “And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.

“And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.”

Arriving in Canaan, the brothers share the good news with Jacob their father. (Nothing is said, however, as to how Joseph got to Egypt in the first place).

They tell Jacob the glad news: “Joseph is yet alive!” and that the governor, the man they had so greatly feared before, was actually Joseph.

Jacob couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was stunned. The Hebrew words for “His heart fainted” mean “His heart stood still,” or as we might put it, he had a mild coronary!

The last time Jacob had seen his sons he wondered if he’d ever see any of them again. Now they come home, and they’re ALL safe, including Benjamin, Simeon, and even Joseph!

After hearing the shocking words that Joseph was still alive, at first, Jacob didn’t believe them. And who could blame him! He thought for 22 years that Joseph had been dead. He had not entertained the thought of ever seeing him again in this life.

Now he’s told that his long-dead son, was actually alive; and if that wasn’t enough, he was an important official, second-in-command over the most powerful nation in the world! It seemed too good to be true.

And yet, in front of him, he saw the evidence of loaded-down donkeys and full wagons of supplies and spiffy new clothes, and he heard his sons telling him all about Joseph, and what he had said to them, and about his invitation to move to Egypt.

Then Jacob slowly started to realize that it was all really true, and he didn’t need to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. He understood that his sons were telling him the truth, and it hit him and he believed it: Joseph really is alive.

As the full realization of what he was hearing flooded in on him, Jacob’s inner spirit came to life, and he became excited and his joy was beyond measure.

This reminds you of Christ’s resurrection and the reaction to the truth that He was alive. It’s been rightly said that “Jacob’s response on hearing that Joseph is alive is parallel to the response of the disciples when they were told that Jesus was alive—shock, unbelief, which eventually turned to uncontrollable joy.”

Now convinced that Joseph was alive, Jacob resolved to go down to Egypt immediately. He could’ve cared less about all the material blessings lined up in front of his home. There was only one thing that mattered now: seeing his son, Joseph.

Genesis 46:5-6, and 28-30 read: “And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

“And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him…And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

“And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

“And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.”

In Genesis 46:1-4, we learn that as Jacob started on his journey to Egypt, taking his livestock and possessions, along with all his family and servants, on his way out of Canaan, he stopped by Beersheba, where he had lived with his father Isaac many years previous.

There at Beersheba, in the middle of the night, God appeared to Jacob in a vision.

God sets Jacob’s mind at ease, telling him he should “fear not” about going down to Egypt. God assured him that He would be with him, protect him, and bless him in Egypt.

The Lord told Jacob that in Egypt He would make of him “a great nation.” Furthermore, God promised Jacob that He would bring him back up out of Egypt.

This promise found its ultimate fulfillment in the lives of his descendants in the days of Moses and Joshua. God didn’t tell Jacob how long they would be in Egypt.

But we know that for the next 400 years the children of Israel were in Egypt, first as honored guests, and then as suffering slaves, growing to a nation of somewhere between 1 and 3 million.

But through it all, God was with them, and He molded them into a great nation, and as He promised, He brought them out by His strong hand in the Exodus.

Leaving Beersheba, Jacob and his sons continued their journey until they came into Egypt. As they entered Egypt, they went to Goshen, because they knew they would end up there according to Joseph’s instruction. Then Jacob sent Judah to Joseph to get directions for exactly where to go.

Joseph had been anxiously waiting for this day. As soon as Joseph saw Judah and heard his father had arrived, Joseph didn’t just send Judah back with directions, he had his chariot hitched up and he raced to Goshen to meet him himself.

Alfred Edersheim portrays the reunion this way, “On his journey, Jacob sent Judah in advance to inform Joseph of his arrival.

“[Joseph then] hastened to receive his father in…Goshen. Their meeting, after so long a parting, was most affectionate and touching. The Hebrew expression…‘Joseph presented himself unto him,’ implies extraordinary splendor of appearance.

“But when in the presence of his Hebrew father, the great Egyptian lord was once more only the [young boy] Joseph.”

Joseph melted when he saw Jacob and he just “fell” on his father’s neck, and he wept, wept, and wept. No words could be spoken in this moment. Joseph could only weep and weep “a good while.”

Jacob held the son he had given up for dead, and Joseph embraced his aging father, the man he’d missed so dearly, and feared he would never see again.

When Jacob could finally manage to speak, Jacob could only say that he was now able to die happy and in peace, because his son was still alive and he had seen his face.

Someday, the trump will sound and Christ will descend from heaven and catch us, the Body of Christ, up in the air to take us to glory.

And at that time, families will be reunited forever in the presence of the Lord, and moments like this will take place there with family members who have gone on before us. And the reunions, I imagine, will be similar to this, with embraces and tears of joy.

Genesis 50:15-21: “And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

“So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

“And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”

In the verses previous to this we learn that after Jacob had died, his body was taken back to Canaan and buried by Joseph and his brothers, and they had all returned to Egypt.

Because their father was gone, the brothers became afraid once again that Joseph might finally take vengeance on them because they had sold him into slavery.

Their thinking was that with the death of their father, a restraining influence on Joseph had been removed. So with Jacob gone, they wondered what might happen to them now.

Though Joseph had previously assured them that he would take care of them, and that he regarded his sale into Egypt as the providence of God, their guilt was still strong, and they still had trouble believing he had forgiven them.

Joseph’s grace and forgiveness still seemed too good to be true. Thus, fears took hold of the brothers and their imaginations took charge.

So they decided to send word through messengers to Joseph to tell him that, before he died, Jacob had commanded Joseph to forgive them (although there is no previous record in Genesis telling of this command of Jacob to Joseph).

They brought up a past sin that had already been fully forgiven by Joseph, but which had not been fully forgotten by them.

Joseph had no thought of punishing them, and their plea caused him to weep at their doubt, because they hadn’t completely believed his love, grace, and forgiveness.

Then the brothers came to see Joseph, and when they came into his presence, they fell down and bowed low, desiring mercy, and telling him they were his servants.

Joseph told them to “Fear not,” to not be afraid. Believers are sometimes fearful and doubt the full forgiveness we have in Christ, and guilt and fears can take charge, but, like Joseph, Christ reassures us “Fear not; you are forgiven.”

Joseph responded to his brothers’ fears and doubts by assuring them again of his forgiveness. “Am I in God’s place?” Joseph asked them.

Many like to play God in the lives of others and take things into their own hands, but Joseph refused to do so. He had completely forgiven them.

He had no intention or thought to judge or punish them. God had so clearly used their deed to accomplish His purpose to “to save much people alive” during the famine that Joseph knew it would be wrong to punish them for what they did.

Then comes the Romans 8:28 of the Old Testament: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good.”

Joseph answered them with grace and mercy. But he also didn’t sugarcoat it: he knew that there had been evil in their hearts and motives, but he also knew that God had overruled their evil to accomplish good.

In saying, “But God!” Joseph allowed his understanding and faith in God to eclipse his emotions and painful memories. “But God meant it for good.” He assured them that he knew that there was a divine purpose of good behind everything that happened to him.

Joseph reassured his brothers of his forgiveness, but he again assured them of his constant care, that they and their children would always be cared for, protected, and nourished.

Joseph never stood taller than at this moment in his life. He saw the big picture of how God worked, and how God made all things beautiful in His time.

Joseph was a man of grace. Because of grace, when his brothers cowered before him in fear, he said, “Fear not! Get on your feet! Stand up! You’re forgiven! God meant it all for good!” And in grace, he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

In verse 22, we learn that at the rich old age of 110, Joseph passed from this life. And his was a truly magnificent life, a life of “pristine integrity and grace-filled forgiveness.”

Henry Morris wrote this, “There is no greater example in the Bible of God’s gracious watch and care over His own.

“A multiplicity of seemingly accidental and unrelated events—events which seemed to be ugly and difficult at the time—is gradually woven together by an unseen divine hand into a glorious tapestry in which every portion is ideally situated in its proper and unique place.

“To believers going through sufferings and reverses, undeserved and unexplained, the story of Joseph has always given assurance of ultimate understanding, with the believer discovering a greater good and God receiving a greater glory than could ever have been possible without them.”