God Meant It For Good - Genesis 45:1-28
INTRODUCTION:
Last week we witnessed Joseph’s final test on his brothers, a test to see if they would willingly turn over Benjamin as a slave as easily as they had sold Joseph into slavery 22 years earlier. The chapter ended with Judah admitting that God had found out the iniquity of the ten brothers who had mistreated Joseph by their hatred of him, by their throwing him into a cistern, and by their selling him as a slave. Judah then shows that he and his brothers are not the men they were 22 years ago, the grief that they had brought their father had softened them, the thought that they had brought about the death of Joseph plagued them with guilt and had caused them to look at Benjamin in a much different light. Judah speaks to Joseph very passionately about his father and his brother Benjamin, Judah willingly offers to be a substitute for Benjamin that he might return to his father. Judah’s speech shows how much he loves and cares for Jacob and how he loves Benjamin and feels the responsibility for him having offered himself as a guarantee for the young man. Judah ends his speech by telling Joseph that he cannot bear to see the evil that will overtake Jacob if returns without Benjamin. This word that is translated evil has within its meaning the idea of giving pain, or unhappiness, or misery to someone. Judah had already witnessed for 22 years the grief, the pain, the unhappiness, the misery brought about by him and his brothers in their deception about what had happened to Joseph. He imagined that if he did not return with Benjamin that he would be the cause of not only Joseph’s death, but also the death of his father Jacob. Benjamin not returning with them would be more than Jacob could bear. It is now Joseph’s turn to respond to this passionate pleading. Let’s pray and then read our Scripture for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 45, like the last two weeks we are going to tackle the whole chapter. This one is a little shorter than the last two, it is only 28 verses. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along.
Genesis 45:1-28,
“Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, ‘Have everyone go out from me.’ So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come closer to me.’ And they came closer. And he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”’ ‘Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.’ Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him. Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Say to your brothers, “Do this: load your beasts and go to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land.” ‘Now you are ordered, “Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.”’ Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father on the journey. So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, ‘Do not quarrel on the journey.’ Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. They told him, saying, ‘Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ But he was stunned, for he did not believe them. When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Then Israel said, ‘It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’” (Genesis 45:1–28, NASB95)[1]
JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN (Genesis 45:1-5)
Having passed Joseph’s final test and with the earnest plea of Judah to be made the substitute slave in place of Benjamin, the heart of Joseph was so touched and he was overwhelmed with emotion, he could no longer keep his disguise and there was no reason for him to continue, the time had come for him to reveal himself to his brothers. Joseph’s attendants were with him, his interpreter, and possibly other Egyptian officials, but Joseph did not want them present when he revealed himself to his brothers, he did not want a public show for all to see, so with his last ounce of composure he sent everyone away except his brothers. Barely had they removed themselves from his presence and the floodgates burst and Joseph wept loudly. The Egyptians in the house heard it and the message was carried to the Pharaoh.
Then Joseph announced through sobs that he was Joseph and he asked if his father was still alive. My version says that the brothers could not answer because they were dismayed at his presence. This does not capture what is truly happening here. The Hebrew word translated “dismayed” is a word that means to be terrified. Warren Wiersbe writes, “The simple statement ‘I am Joseph’ exploded like a thunderclap in their [the brothers] ears and brought terror to their hearts.”[2] They could not answer Joseph as their minds were suddenly flooded with confused thoughts. How does this Egyptian ruler know the name of their deceased brother? Why is he claiming to be someone who they thought for sure was dead? If this was truly Joseph why had he not announced it before and how was he going to punish them for their sins?
Two things should have encouraged the brothers, first, Joseph asked them to come closer to him, something Egyptians would never ask of Hebrews. Second, Joseph was weeping uncontrollably, this is the third time that he has wept, but the first time that he has done so in their presence. As they come closer to him, he announces again that he is Joseph, the one whom they had sold into Egypt as a slave. Then he quickly goes on and tells his brothers not to grieve or be angry with themselves for selling him because God was in control, God used your evil deed for good and sent me here before you to preserve life. Joseph recognizes God’s sovereignty in his life and over the circumstances of his life and he wants his brothers to know that he does not hold what they did against them.
JOSEPH FORGIVES HIS BROTHERS (Genesis 45:6-15)
Joseph is not condoning his brothers’ wrongdoing, they are guilty for how they treated Joseph and the suffering that they caused him, but Joseph was willing to forgive them and show them mercy in view of how God had turned their wrongdoing into good. Joseph fully understood God’s sovereignty and the truth that Paul expressed in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NASB95)[3] Five times in verses 5-9 Joseph gives credit to God for bringing him to Egypt, for making him father to Pharaoh, a title that was given to a faithful and trusted advisor of the king, for making him the lord of all of Pharaoh’s household, and ruler of all Egypt. Joseph recognized that God had brought him to Egypt to preserve for his family a remnant on the earth. Joseph understood the covenant promises that God had given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he knew that God was going to make his father’s family into a great nation. Joseph told his brothers that it was not them who sent him to Egypt, but God so that they might be saved by a great deliverance. Joseph explains that the famine which has been in the land for two years will continue for five more years and he wants them to hurry and return to Canaan and get his father and bring him down to the land of Egypt. Joseph promises to settle Jacob’s family in the land of Goshen which is in the delta of the Nile and a very good area for grazing their flocks. He tells them to bring everyone in Jacob’s family and he will provide for them. Up until this chapter Joseph had used an interpreter to speak to his brothers, but now he says that they see and Benjamin sees that it is Joseph speaking to them in their own language, another way of saying, “It is truly me!” They must tell their father of all of Joseph’s splendor in Egypt and all that they have seen; then hurry and bring their father down. Joseph then embraced his brother Benjamin and wept and Benjamin wept and Joseph kissed and embraced each of his brothers and wept. Because the hidden sin was finally exposed and dealt with, forgiveness had been granted and joy and peace returned, but this time it was true peace and true joy founded on the truth and grounded in forgiveness and reconciliation. Keep in mind that this reconciliation was only possible because Joseph had suffered and triumphed. We read that after the forgiveness and reconciliation the brothers talked with Joseph. This little sentence speaks volumes in what it doesn’t report. Remember that when Joseph was home before being sold his brothers hated him so much they did not even greet him let alone talk to him, but now that they had been reconciled and forgiven, communication was restored. No doubt they apologized for how they had treated him, they certainly updated him on the family news, especially news about their father. Joseph freely forgave them and welcomed them into his heart and his home.
PHARAOH INVITES JOSEPH’S FAMILY TO SETTLE IN EGYPT (Genesis 45:16-20)
The news got out that Joseph’s brothers had come to Egypt and word of it reached Pharaoh and his court. We are told that Pharaoh and his servants or officials were pleased with the news. Pharaoh’s gratitude for what Joseph had done for Egypt overflowed to his family and Pharaoh told Joseph to have his brothers take back to Canaan as much grain as they could carry and take your father and all your households and come to me and settle in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh promises Joseph’s family the best of the land of Egypt and promises that they will live off the best that Egypt has to offer, the fat of the land. He ordered Joseph to send with them wagons to carry their children and wives back to the land of Egypt and he told them not to worry about their household goods because the best of all the land of Egypt would be theirs. Pharaoh could never repay Joseph for his wise management of the land and for saving the land of Egypt during the years of famine. The least he could do was provide for his family and this he promised to do with all generosity.
JOSEPH’S PROVISIONS AND JACOB’S RESPONSE (Genesis 45:21-28)
The sons of Israel did as Pharaoh ordered and got ready to return to Canaan. Joseph supplied them with wagons as Pharaoh had ordered and gave them provisions. Joseph also gave gifts to them all. To his ten half-brothers Joseph gave each a new garment. Often in Scripture, a change of clothes is the sign of a new beginning, just as Pharaoh had given Joseph the rich raiment of an official of Egypt. This was certainly a new beginning for Jacob’s sons. To his full-brother Benjamin Joseph gave 300 pieces of silver and five new garments. His brothers had sold him for 20 pieces of silver and he gave Benjamin 15 times that amount. He also sent a lavish gift to his father of ten donkeys loaded with the finest things of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father on his journey to Egypt.
As his brothers departed, Joseph said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.” Remember on the brothers first visit to Egypt when they had expressed their guilt to one another, Reuben and basically told them, “I told you so!” and Joseph did not want that to happen again. He did not want them casting blame for what they had done on one another, but I am sure that there was plenty of discussion of how they were going to explain to their father why Joseph was still alive. Joseph had forgiven them, but they still had to confess and ask forgiveness from Jacob.
Jacob was happy to see his sons home safely, especially Benjamin. Jacob was not prepared for the incredible report that poured out of his sons. They told him that Joseph was alive, he was the second highest ruler in all the land of Egypt, he was the ruler that they had been dealing with, he wanted the whole family to move to Egypt to be near him, and he would care for them. This was more than Jacob could handle. My Bible says that Jacob was stunned, the word actually means that his “heart grew cold” or “grew numb.” Jacob almost had a heart attack from the news. If you remember back a couple weeks ago I said that Jacob had to surrender Benjamin to God and give God first place in his life again and in yielding to God he had no idea of the unspeakable blessing he would enjoy as a result of his submission. The thought that Joseph was alive, after he had grieved for him for 22 years, never imagined that he would ever see him again was too much for him to believe. But as his sons told him all that Joseph had said and as he saw the wagons and all the provisions that Joseph had provided we read that Jacob’s spirit revived. His faith in God’s goodness and faithfulness was awakened anew in Jacob’s heart and he contemplated seeing Joseph again, his beloved son and having all his family around him until he died. Not only would he have the blessing of seeing and embracing Joseph, but also the blessing of seeing and embracing Joseph’s two sons, his grandsons that he had never seen and had never even heard about.
Joseph’s brothers told Jacob everything that Joseph had said to them, and I am sure that they included with their report the truth about what they had done to Joseph, and how they had deceived their father and I am sure they asked forgiveness for causing him 22 years of grief and sorrow. It is likely that Jacob was not too surprised at their confession, we saw back in chapter 42 that he had some suspicion that his sons carried a dark secret in their hearts. Jacob would have his day in the future when his sons gathered around his bed and he would tell the truth about each of them and God’s plan for their future.
God’s sovereignty is seen throughout this history of Jacob’s family. God had overruled the plots of sinners and accomplished His will for Jacob, Joseph, and his brothers. Notice in this last verse Jacob is again referred to as Israel, God’s covenant name for him. Why the switch, because Jacob or Israel is resting in the blessing, the unspeakable blessing of God that comes from surrendering your all to the Lord and making Him the Lord of your life. Israel in thanksgiving to God says, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” (Genesis 45:28b, NASB95)[4] The worship of a man who is surrendered to his God.
CONCLUSION:
As I wrap up this morning I want to bring out one truth that jumped out at me this week as I prepared this message. I alluded to the it already when I said that the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers was possible only because Joseph had suffered and triumphed. If Joseph would have given into the temptation of Potiphar’s wife, if he would have given up when he was falsely accused and sent to prison, then Joseph and his brothers would have never been reunited and forgiveness and reconciliation would not have been possible. Joseph’s suffering and triumph is a beautiful picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for sinners in His death on the cross, His resurrection and His ascension. Like Jesus, Joseph went from suffering to glory, from prison to the throne, and was able to share his glory and wealth with others. Jesus went from the cross, His suffering, to His triumph over that suffering in His resurrection. He went from rising from the dead to ascending back into heaven to be seated on His throne at the right hand of God the Father. Since that day, He has shared His wealth and His glory with all who will put their faith in Him, agreeing with Him that they are sinners deserving judgment, but believing that His death paid the price for their sin and His resurrection assures their forgiveness and reconciliation to God. Have you received the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus, have you been reconciled to God through Christ? You can be today by agreeing that you are a sinner and believing that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead.
Finally, for you who are believers, Israel was blessed by God when he yielded and surrendered to Him in faith. Have you yielded and surrendered everything in your life to the Lord in faith, have you made Him the Lord of your life? When we give Christ first place, His blessings follow.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Authentic, Colorado Springs, CO : David C. Cook, 1997
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995