Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

Genesis 45:1-7: Seeing God in the details.

“Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, ‘Make everyone leave my presence!’ So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.³ Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still living?’ But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no ploughing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” NIV

Joseph’s brothers must have been ‘’terrified’’ (3). They had thought their sibling was dead, but now here he was, this rather strange and scary Egyptian ruler, talking to them in their own language. At least, he had been frightening and slightly unpredictable at times. But now they saw deep emotion overflowing from him, like a huge waterfall, and they felt his love wanting to enfold them (2,4).

But Joseph’s compassion did not let them off the hook (5a). He didn’t whitewash over their sin, but he pointed to the higher reality that God was at work in the bad stuff that took him to Egypt. This did not condone the wrong, but it helps when you can see God’s Sovereign Hand in the details.

Joseph saw two parts to God’s purpose. In the short term this was ‘’to save lives’’ (5); but in the long term it was ‘’to preserve…a remnant’’ (7) – a remnant of Abraham’s descendants who, during their time in Egypt, would grow into a great nation (Exodus 1:6,7).

In Timothy Keller’s book, ‘Walking with God through pain and suffering’, he says that during Joseph’s years in Egypt he must have often prayed prayers which seemed to go unanswered. However, God was not ‘missing in action’. He was hidden, but He was in control. If Joseph had not been taken to Egypt, numerous people would have died; his own family would have been wiped out by starvation. Furthermore, his family would have been a spiritual disaster: Joseph himself would possibly have been corrupted by his arrogance and pride, and his brothers would have destroyed each other in their anger. Jacob would have self-destructed with his ‘idolatrous’ and ‘addictive’ love for his youngest sons. I think Keller makes good points. It was sin that dumped young Joseph in Egypt, but God had a great purpose in him being there. It was bigger than even Joseph could see at the time.

Genesis 45:1-4: Revelation.

“Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, ‘Make everyone leave my presence!’ So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. ³ Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still living?’ But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. ⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” NIV

What a day it will be when the Lord Jesus reveals Himself to His brethren, the people of Israel. There is coming a day when ‘’All Israel will be saved’’ (Romans 11:26). We may not fully understand all that Paul writes in Romans chapters 9-11, but he seems to indicate that one day there will be a large-scale turning of the Jews to their Messiah, and what a blessing that will be for the whole world, when He brings them close to Himself. We can prayerfully and eagerly look for that day, with joy.

PRAYER: Lord, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Genesis 44:14-34: Guilty.

^“14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁵ Joseph said to them, ‘What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?’ ¹⁶ ‘What can we say to my lord?’ Judah replied. ‘What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves – we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.’¹⁷ But Joseph said, ‘Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.’¹⁸ Then Judah went up to him and said: ‘Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, “Do you have a father or a brother?” ²⁰ And we answered, “We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.”²¹ ‘Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.” ²² And we said to my lord, “The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.” ²³ But you told your servants, “Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.” ²⁴ When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.²⁵ ‘Then our father said, “Go back and buy a little more food.” ²⁶ But we said, “We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.”²⁷ ‘Your servant my father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ One of them went away from me, and I said, ‘He has surely been torn to pieces.’ And I have not seen him since. ²⁹ If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my grey head down to the grave in misery.”³⁰ ‘So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, ³¹ sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the grey head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. ³² Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, “If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!”³³ ‘Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. ³⁴ How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.’ NIV

This was now the third time that Joseph’s brothers bowed had before him (see also 42:6; 43:26), so his dreams had been abundantly fulfilled.  As we observed yesterday, they were caught in the searchlights.

‘’What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt’’ (16).

The fact that these men were not guilty of what they appeared to be guilty of is immaterial. Judah seems to have this overwhelming sense of: ‘We are guilty; and we know what we’re guilty of, and, furthermore God knows, and He has brought us to this place of exposure. It’s interesting that’s the word ‘’found’’ is repeated eight times in this chapter: verses 8, 9, 10, 12, 16 (twice), 17, 24. The phrase ‘’come upon my father’’ in 24 is literally ‘find my father’ in the Hebrew tongue. These men were also being ‘found out’ (Numbers 32:23).

‘It’s when guilty sinners’ mouths are shut and they stop defending themselves that God can show them mercy (Rom.3:19).’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘The Wiersbe Bible Commentary’ (OT)’, p.130.  People can change. We have previously seen a hard-hearted Judah, recommending to his brothers the sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelites (37:27), and then wanting to have his daughter-in-law, Tamar, burned to death (38:24b), after he had unwittingly committed incest with her. But he had gradually been softened by God’s work in his heart, and he gives here a remarkable speech. It’s the longest by any human recorded in ‘Genesis’, and it is one of the most moving in the whole Bible. He shows a Christ-like sprit in interceding for Benjamin, and in his willingness (his desire even) to substitute himself for his younger brother. The words of Hebrews 7:14 are fascinating in this regard:

‘’For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah…’’

 Judah was to be, in the purposes of God, the father of a great royal tribe – the tribe from which Jesus Himself would come (49:8-11). Long before Jesus came, Judah foreshadowed him in these key ways. Who would have imagined that a chapter or two ago?

The speech showed that a new Judah now stood before Joseph. He was a man with a deep concern, both for his father and his young brother. Joseph saw that he could be trusted. It was time to reveal Himself.

PRAYER: Lord, help me never to despair of anyone; but to be confident in your power to transform the worst of sinners into trophies of grace. Thank you for changing me, and I know how rotten to the core I am. You know this even more than I do, but you loved me and gave yourself for me, and I am so grateful. Thank you my Lord.

Genesis 44:1-13: Caught in the headlights.

“Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: ‘Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. ² Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.’ And he did as Joseph said.  ³ As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. ⁴ They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, ‘Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, “Why have you repaid good with evil? ⁵ Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.”’ ⁶ When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. ⁷ But they said to him, ‘Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! ⁸ We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.’ ¹⁰ ‘Very well, then,’ he said, ‘let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.’¹¹ Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹² Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³ At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.” NIV

‘…sometimes God seems to deal harshly and to speak roughly; but there is no change in the tender love of his heart. It costs Him immeasurably more than it does us. Often when some unusual severity has been evinced, if we could but see his face, it would be full of pity, pain and pleading on our behalf.’ F.B. Meyer.  This quote does, I believe, have relevance for chapter 44, because we see In Joseph’s dealings with his brothers, a picture of Christ’s ways with us. At times we experience ‘tough love’, and we need to.

We live in an age where many people don’t seem to fear consequences. But the Bible says, ‘’Be sure your sin will find you out’’ (Numbers 32:23). Joseph’s brothers had sinned, and lied, and, to all appearances, they had got away with it for years. They had no reason to fear exposure because the only person who could expose them was dead (44:20) – or so they thought! Nevertheless, they had in recent times had some unnerving experiences in Egypt, and these had forced them to face what they had done. They were about to be caught in the searchlights, and it seems they maybe felt the imminence of their exposure and punishment. They were not guilty of what they appeared to have done in these verses, but they were guilty of sin, and Joseph’s strategy was to get them to the point where they honestly admitted the fact. He wanted to see what was in their hearts.

When they left Egypt that morning, the sun shone down on them, and the skies were clear. They’d got out alive. They had Benjamin safely with them. I can almost hear them whistling!! Furthermore, they’d been treated royally by this imposing official, and they were sent on their way with an abundant provision of food. But how quickly the sky changed colour, from blue to grey, to black, and a massive storm broke over their heads. They got a drenching. Again, they must have been amazed and disturbed as ‘’the steward’’ worked through their sacks, moving from ‘’the oldest’’ to ‘’the youngest’’ (12). Also, though nothing was said about it, when their money was found in their sacks, they probably felt the walls closing in. Then, when Joseph’s cup was discovered in Benjamin’s sack, they tore their clothes, as if someone had died (13). What were they to think? Could Benjamin have done this? Was it a set-up? How would they prove their/his innocence? What would Judah say to his dad if he had to return home without the youngest brother? It was a mess. Furthermore, they had gone too far in the declaration of (9) – much like Jacob himself in (31;32).

Yes, sin has consequences, whatever popular opinion may say. They were about to have a head-on collision with the results of their sin, but also with the grace and mercy of God. ‘’But where sin increased, grace increased all the more…’’ (Romans 5:20). As we shall see, they were to come out of this car wreck with their lives, and so much more, for God is good.

PRAYER: Lord, I need to confess to you today the sin of…(fill in the blank for yourself). I have carried it and hidden it for too long, and you have seen it all along. As I bring it into the light, I ask for cleansing by the blood of Jesus, who alone can forgive sin. Thank you Lord.

Genesis 43: 32-34: An abundant table

^“32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. ³³ The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. ³⁴ When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.” NIV

Jesus, our Heavenly ‘Joseph’, in His grace and mercy, invites us to eat and drink ‘’freely’’ at His abundant table. We don’t deserve to be there, but He provides for us all the same.

Note here in the text: an explanation, a source of wonder, and a test:

• The explanation concerns the Egyptian eating habits (32). It’s a cultural note. One commentator I read said that this scruple did not simply pertain to the Hebrews; it was, he said ‘’detestable’’ to Egyptians to eat with any foreigners;
• The source of wonder was that this high-ranking Egyptian got it right in terms of their age order (33). What was going on here? There are times, are there not, when we can feel that Jesus knows us through and through? We don’t just believe it as a theological truth, but we know it in a deep down way. (Incidentally, this makes me think about that evidence we see in the universe, which indicates the activity of a higher intelligence. At very least, it surely causes us to question);
• As for the test – well, earlier, when Joseph was favoured, what did the brothers do? How did they treat him? So what was their response going to be to Benjamin’s special treatment? (34). Joseph set things up so that history would essentially repeat itself. It would show if these men had changed.

Genesis 43:24-31: Show, rather than tell.

^“24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. ²⁵ They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. ²⁶ When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. ²⁷ He asked them how they were, and then he said, ‘How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?’ ²⁸ They replied, ‘Your servant our father is still alive and well.’ And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.²⁹ As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, ‘Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?’ And he said, ‘God be gracious to you, my son.’ ³⁰ Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.³¹ After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, ‘Serve the food.’” NIV

‘Very often we move forward with dread into the unknown; but that dread is the child of ignorance. If only we realised that love is waiting for us there, which does not ask for balm and honey, for spices and myrrh, but just for ourselves, how much happier life would become! Lift up your hearts; a feast awaits you!’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.31. An important principle for a story writer to grasp is ‘show, don’t tell.’ We have a fine example of that here. Although, at times, it may have seemed in the telling that Joseph was harsh with his brothers, we get these other glimpses into his heart, and we know that there is more going on than meets the eye. The writer of Genesis doesn’t have to tell us that Joseph loved his brothers; rather he shows us.

Once again we see the brothers at Joseph’s feet, and the point is underlined that the dreams were fulfilled (28). God keeps His Word. We can’t be reminded too often.

Genesis 43:19-23: Treasure in your sack.

^’19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. ²⁰ “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food. ²¹ But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. ²² We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”²³ “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.’NIV

Jesus said, ‘’Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’’ (Luke 6:38).  It should be pointed out that Jesus said this in the context of forgiveness, but it tallies with other references in the Bible to God’s blessing on the generous (e.g. Proverbs 11:25).

I know that many Christians who seek to give generously, according to the Bible’s principles, find their ‘treasure’ back in their ‘sacks’. In fact a testimony you will hear again and again goes along these lines: ‘I found I couldn’t give it away. The more I gave, even more seemed to come back.’

Even if God works through people, as He did here (and as He tends to!), he is the One who sees your secret giving, and your needs, and He gets the treasure into your sack.

No-one should set out to follow God because they want to get rich. That’s a completely wrong motive. But those who trust the Lord prove that He supplies their needs – and often more besides. Who can fathom the mysteries of divine economics?

PRAYER: Lord God, please forgive me for those times when a lack of faith holds me back from giving freely. Help me to trust you, and be generous with all you have so abundantly given me.

Genesis 43:16-18: Guilty conscience.

At every new turn the brothers were apprehensive. They were carrying a burden of guilt, and it was too heavy for them. It needed to be rolled away. They knew what they’d done and they lived in fear of the judgment of God. ‘’Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘’I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin’’ (Psalm 32:1-5)

It is a grievous thing to live with a guilty conscience. But no one has to. In the wonderfully graphic picture painted by ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’, a person may come to the Cross, and the burden will fall from his or her shoulders, roll down the hill and into the empty tomb.

’If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’’ (1 John 1:8,9)

Genesis 43:1-14: People can change.

“Now the famine was still severe in the land. ² So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, ‘Go back and buy us a little more food.’³ But Judah said to him, ‘The man warned us solemnly, “You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.” ⁴ If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. ⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, “You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.”’⁶ Israel asked, ‘Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?’⁷ They replied, ‘The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. “Is your father still living?” he asked us. “Do you have another brother?” We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, “Bring your brother down here”?’⁸ Then Judah said to Israel his father, ‘Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. ⁹ I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. ¹⁰ As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.’¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, ‘If it must be, then do this: put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift – a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. ¹³ Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. ¹⁴ And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.’” NIV

Jacob was prepared to let Benjamin go to Egypt, all-be-it reluctantly, because of the strong leadership Judah showed. He took responsibility. He put himself on the line sacrificially. He stepped up. Could this really be the Judah who led the way in selling Joseph, back in chapter 37; whose moral behaviour was so despicable (chapter 38)? But people can change. Judah changed so much that his father would end up pronouncing a great blessing on him (48:9, 10). We can take heart from this, and allow it to strengthen our faith.

Tom Hale makes a helpful comment about Jacob:

He was ‘full of apprehension: his faith was weak. He could barely manage to pray for the return of Simeon and Benjamin; he couldn’t have imagined that he was about to get Joseph back as well!’ (‘Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.193).

PRAYER: Thank you, Sovereign Lord, that you are able to do far more than we can ask or imagine.