Genesis 43:16-18 Fear

16When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.” 17The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.

18But the men were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the money that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”

Fear can be crippling, it’s an emotion that comes to us naturally and it’s hard to overcome. But when we put our trust in the Lord, our Father watches over us and the emotion of fear dwindles within us. 

A perfect example of this is a person on their deathbed. 

A person without Jesus is fearful because they don’t know what awaits them when they die.

But a person that has accepted Jesus as their savior isn’t fearful because they know they are going home, to their Fathers house, a place that Jesus prepared for them.

John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

Joseph’s brothers are frightened and nowhere in this scripture do we read they were men of God. But on the other hand, Joseph had the Spirit of God in Him.

Life is hard and everyone has trials and tribulations. 

Are you like Joseph or his fearful brothers?

If today finds you on your deathbed, will you be fearful or will you look forward to going home?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 43:11-15 I am bereaved!

11Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. 12Take double the money with you so that you may return the money that was put back into in the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once. 14May God Almightygrant you mercy before the man so that he will release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

15So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of money, and Benjamin as well. They made their way down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

It’s interesting to note that ten brothers originally went to Egypt each carrying money and Israel tells them to take double the money. That is 20 units of money. (Silver)

Genesis 37:28 (ESV)

28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

“As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” Israel wasn’t putting his trust in the Lord. He was worried what tomorrow may bring.

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

God has a plan, it started years ago. Soon they will see, but for now they are still unaware (blind) of His stewardship over their lives.

Are you bereaved or do you put your trust in the Lord?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 43:8-10 Sooner or Later?

8And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children. 9I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible! If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then let me bear the guilt before you all my life. 10If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.”

Judah steps up to the plate and hits a home run! He takes responsibility and reassures his father. 

But could he have done so sooner?

Why did he wait until later?

But what about poor Simeon who’s being held captive in Egypt?

We are no different than Jacob! Sooner or later....

We don’t like change, we don’t like being forced into doing something, we delay, we postpone, we make excuses. 

Sooner or later....

“If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.” 

A close friend recently shared his testimony and said he asked the Lord why He waited so long to change him. The reply he received was.......

“I was waiting for you!”

Sooner or later.....

Jacob should have given his response to go to Egypt sooner. My friend should have stopped sinning and trusted in the Lord sooner.

I should have come to Christ and the cross sooner!

Sooner or later.....

What about you?

What’s your excuse?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 43:1-7 Knock, knock!

The Return to Egypt with Benjamin

1Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy a little more food for us.”

3But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”

6“Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”

7They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

This was most likely the second year of the famine.

Knock, knock, who’s there? Simeon, Simeon who? You know, the brother you left in Egypt?

“So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy a little more food for us.”

I’m sure this discussion came up before but Jacob (Israel) wouldn’t allow Benjamin to go for fear of loosing him. 

Little do they know the surprise God has waiting for them!

God surprises all who love Him with gifts everyday.

Can you guess what surprise He has in store for you today?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 42:37-38 Wrestling with a God!

37Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Reuben was the first born and he offered up his two sons as a gesture and assurance.

It would seem Jacob didn’t think too much of Simeon because he was unwilling to send Benjamin to Egypt.

Jacob was still wrestling with God! Unwilling to fully trust Him. We are no different, we read the Bible and see all His promises but we still don’t fully trust Him. 

We try to fix things ourselves instead of putting our trust in Him.

God was about to bring Jacob good news, that his beloved son of Rachel who was once thought dead is alive! 

Another beloved Son brought good news!

John 20: 15“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?”

Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”

16Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

17“Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.

Do you still wrestle with God?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 42:35-36 The River of Affliction!

35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of money, they were dismayed.

36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is happening against me!”

Each brother was given a undeserving gift, it paints a picture of undeserving gifts we receive from Jesus!

“Everything is happening against me!” Jacob was drinking from the cup of affliction, he woke up and went to bed thinking of his affliction even though he was a blessed man!

“If you drink of the river of affliction near its outfall, it is brackish and offensive to the taste, but if you will trace it to its source, where it rises at the foot of the throne of God, you will find its waters to be sweet and health-giving” (Spurgeon).

Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Consider Joseph’s affliction and circumstances, he never drank of “the river of affliction” as Jacob did! Joseph was “called according to His purpose”.

“· If Joseph’s family wasn’t messed up and weird, his brothers would never have sold him as a slave.

· If Joseph’s brothers never sold him as a slave, then Joseph would never have gone to Egypt.

· If Joseph never went to Egypt, he would never have been sold to Potiphar.

· If Joseph was never sold to Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife would never have falsely accused him of rape.

· If Potiphar’s wife never falsely accused Joseph of rape, then Joseph would never have been put in prison.

· If Joseph was never put in prison, he would have never met the baker and butler of Pharaoh.

· If Joseph never met the baker and butler of Pharaoh, he would have never interpreted their dreams.

· If Joseph never interpreted their dreams, he would have never interpreted Pharaoh’s dream.

· If Joseph never interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, he never would have become prime minister, second in Egypt only to Pharaoh.

· If Joseph never became prime minister, he never would have wisely prepared for the terrible famine to come.

· If Joseph never wisely prepared for the terrible famine, then his family back in Canaan would have died in the famine.

· If Joseph’s family back in Canaan died in the famine, then the Messiah could not have come from a dead family.

· If the Messiah did not come forth, then Jesus never came.

· If Jesus never came, then we are all dead in our sins and without hope in this world.

· We are grateful for God’s great and wise plan.” Guzik

Are you like Joseph or Jacob?

Do you drink from the river of affliction or do you ask the Lord to help you endure it?

Joseph’s affliction saved a family, brought forth a nation, gave us the Messiah, and Salvation to the world!

What will your affliction bring?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 42:29-34 Honesty!

29When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them: 30“The man who is the lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

31But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies. 32We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33Then the man who is the lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. 34But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”

“We are honest men” except for a big cunning lie they told twenty years ago!

“One is no more” they knew this wasn’t true because they put blood on the coat of many colors to perpetuate the big cunning lie!

But they were honest with their father Jacob in everything that transpired in Egypt. 

Little do they know that the lord over the land is Joseph!

Joseph is testing their honesty concerning his younger brother. 

God wants us to be honest with him too. Do you have hidden sin in your life like Joseph’s brothers? God already knows it, so confess it to Him and repent, take the weight of the sin off your soul.

Blessings, David 

Genesis 42:23-28 What is this that God has done to us?

23They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. 24And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

Joseph's Brothers Return to Canaan

25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, return each man’s silver to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out, 26and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

27At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack. 28“My money has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.”

Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

The brothers openly admit their sin against Joseph amongst themselves but Joseph understood them and he turned away and wept. Reconciliation is an emotional roller coaster but the brothers still need to repent.

The first part of reconciliation is admitting to ourselves that we hurt (sinned against) someone.

We don’t know why Simeon was chosen but all of this is part of God’s plan.

Joseph gave them provisions and hidden gifts and sent them on their way. 

When they discovered the silver in their sacks they became fearful and said,  “What is this that God has done to us?”

Our Father gives us gifts before we repent also. HE returned their silver as a test and instead of being joyful with the riches of silver they became fearful. 

They passed the test!

In what way have you been tested?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 42:14-22 Distress has come upon us!

14Then Joseph said to them, “Just as I said, you are spies! 15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

17So Joseph imprisoned them for three days, 18and on the third day he said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God. 19If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households. 20Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.”

And to this they consented.

21Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

22But Reuben replied: “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

A guilty conscience haunts us until we correct the sins that caused the guilt. But in the hands of God it is putty and He molds and shapes it any way He wants.

God had Joseph remember the dreams for a purpose and  God had Joseph put his brothers in prison so they would remember their guilt of what they did to Joseph.

They all needed to be restored and healed. 

Restoration is a slow process and restoration is coming.

“Distress has come upon us.” “Now we must account for his blood!” They told the lie so many times about Joseph they began to believe it themselves.

Are you haunted by a guilty conscience?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 42:7-13 One is no more!

7When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked.

“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

10“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

12“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

13But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

We have to remember that the Spirit of God was in Joseph.

Genesis 41:38 (ESV)

38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”

Joseph wasn’t acting out in the flesh, it was the Spirit beginning to restore a relationship with his brothers.

“Your servants are honest men,” the same honest men sold a brother off to slavery!

“and one is no more.” This must have cut Joseph to the heart!

What will Joseph do with the spies? Joseph will give them time in confinement to reflect on their lives and the sin they committed against the “one” brother.

God does the same with us, He disciplines us, giving us time to reflect on our sin, time to repent.

Blessings, David 

Genesis 42:1-6 They bowed down before him!

1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

2“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

5So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan. 6Now Joseph was the ruler of the land, who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

“Why are you staring at one another?” They looked perplexed because of the famine which is believed to be in the first year. 

Could it be that they knew Egypt had grain and their past deed of selling Joseph was haunting them?

“I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

Benjamin was the last son Jacob had with Rachel and he was fearful of loosing him like Joseph.

“So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.” Joseph’s dream comes true!

Genesis 37:5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 

Notice the significance of the sheaves.

Sheaf: A quantity of the stalksand earsof wheat, rye, or other grain, boundtogether; a bundleof grain or straw.

Do the brothers recognize Joseph?

Does Joseph recognize his brothers?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 41:53-57 Every nation came to Joseph!

The Famine Begins

53When the seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt. 55When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

56When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

“25At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.”

The dreams and prophecy came true exactly as God revealed to Pharaoh and as Joseph interpreted.

Notice the condition, “extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food”....

Notice the response, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

How many of us in Joseph’s position would have gloated and become boastful? 

Let’s face it, there was a reason God selected Joseph for this mission of slavery, imprisonment and to be exalted to the second in command of Egypt, our hearts would have melted under the stress while Joseph’s heart stayed focused on God.

“57And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.” 

When was the exact moment that Joseph realized that God put him in this position because of the severe famine?

Our church has a saying, “meeting people where they are and moving them to where God wants them to be.”

Joseph was where God wanted him to be.

Are you where God wants you to be?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 41:46-52 Forgetfulness and Fruitful!

The Seven Years of Plenty

46Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

47During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully. 48During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it. 49So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.

50Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh,saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.” 52And the second son he named Ephraim,e saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

Manasseh means forgetfulness, the Lord made Joseph forget all the pain and trials of his previous life.

Ephraim means fruitfulness as the Lord made Joseph fruitful in Egypt.

“We can’t be doubly fruitful until we are also forgetting.” Guzik

How many of us who are under Grace continue to relive our past sins because the devil keeps whispering our sins in our ear?

Be doubly fruitful forgetting your sins, the Lord has!

Do you have pain and trials from your previous life? Lift them up to the Lord.

He may help you forget them or He may want you to use them to help others. 

Just like a friend who the Lord is using as a beacon of light for His glory because everyone can tell the Spirit of Lord is with him. He uses his testimony for the glory of God. In his moving testimony he asked God why He waited so long to change him and God told him, I was waiting on you.

What are you waiting for?

Blessings, David