Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and shows how God has used their hatred to save His people.
I. Joseph, a second time, sends his brothers home with money in their grain sacks (1-5)
1-2: Not only was all of the brothers’ money returned, Joseph also planted his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack.
4: Evil for good. Nobody likes ingratitude.
5: His servant is told to announce that Joseph’s "divining" cup is missing
II. When faced with the accusation of stealing, his brothers confidently submit to a search (6-12)
7-8: The brothers cannot imagine why anyone would accuse them of stealing from Joseph.
9: They propose death for the one who has stolen and slavery for the rest if any of Joseph’s good be found amongst them.
11. Speedily the search is begun.
12: Benjamin has been framed.
III. "Take all of us." "No, just one." (13-17)
16: "How shall we clear ourselves?" God has found us out. With such evidence against them, they do not deny being in possession of stolen property.
17: Joseph declares his intent to punish only Benjamin
IV. "Take me." "No, none." (18-34)
18: Judah asks permission to speak again; and he provides Joseph details of their full adventure.
29: Jacob’s love for Benjamin is presented.
33: To save his father from grief that would kill him, Judah offers to die in Benjamin’s stead.
V. God’s purpose in Joseph’s slavery (Genesis 45:1-14)
1-2: If it had been a practical joke, everyone would have had a good laugh; instead Joseph cries.
3-4: He proves that he is their brother whom they sold into slavery.
5-8: Though the brothers had willed to destroy Joseph, God’s intention was to save him and his family.
9-14: With five more years of famine before them, Joseph invites his brothers to bring their families to Egypt to live, where he can care for them.
Meditation Points:
- Would you have checked your sack before departing from Egypt the second time?
- Quickly the brothers denounced the accusations against them, and quickly they submitted to the search of their stuff, and quickly they returned to Egypt to accept punishment for a crime that they did not commit. Perhaps guilt for the crime against Joseph 20 years earlier lay heavy upon their conscience.
- A loving son will do almost anything to keep his father from grief.
- Joseph’s explanation of the events: God sent me here; God intended to preserve life; God is saving you a posterity; God is saving your lives; God is effecting a great deliverance; God elevated me to authority in Egypt. You meant it for evil; but God worked it for good (Acts 3:14-18).
- Had God foretold Abraham that his descendants would be 400 years in a foreign land and oppressed (Genesis 15:13-14)? This is the beginning.
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