Transcript:

Welcome to the Beyond the Basics Bible Study Podcast. My name is Dan Snyder and I am your host. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode of Beyond the Basics where we are exploring the Bible from Genesis to Revelation one chapter at a time.

You know, all families experience some sort of brokenness and dysfunction. We all experience it. Some more than others, of course. And if you are someone who happens to be from a super dysfunctional family, you might look at other families that are less dysfunctional and think that they have it all put together. But the truth is they don’t. No one does. But the good news is that God is in the business of restoring families. That’s what he does. And maybe you’ve even seen God restore your family in some way. Maybe you’ve seen God take family members that were abusive or not present and bring them to repentance.

In Genesis 45, we’re going to see God restore the family of Jacob. He’s been working this process of restoration for several chapters already, if you’ve been following along with the story, but we’re going to see it happen here in chapter 45. And what we’re going to see is that this work ultimately points to the day when God will restore his family back to him, when God will restore his family back to himself. So let’s get into the chapter.

So if you remember from the previous chapter, the very end, Judah offered himself to be a substitute to take the place of Benjamin, who was found with the silver cup belonging to Joseph. He was supposed to be Joseph’s slave, and Judah offered himself to be a substitute. And so, at the beginning of this chapter, Joseph can no longer contain himself after he heard this offer.

It says Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him because he had finally seen the repentance in his brother’s actions that he had been looking for. And so, it says, he cried, “Make everyone go out from me.”

So, no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. Now, it’s not very clear how he did this. It could be that just the fact that Joseph was able to tell his own story the way only his brothers knew. There could also have been a defining physical characteristic that they would have recognized that he could have shown to them.

But so, it says that he wept aloud so that the Egyptians heard it and the household of Pharaoh heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?”

Now, he already knew the answer to that question. Judah had actually already answered this question in the previous chapter. So, it’s probably more of a statement rather than a question. He was surprised and excited that his father was still alive because his father Jacob would have been getting very old at this time.

And it says in verse 3, but his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. Now this word dismayed could also mean terrified. And just imagine the guilt, the confusion, the fear they would be feeling at this time. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine if you had sold your brother into slavery 22 years previously, thinking that there’s no way that he would survive being sold into slavery. Think about 22 years later, all of a sudden you’re staring this man in the face and he says he’s your brother. And he starts telling you things that only your brother would know. Imagine how terrified you would be. “Oh my gosh, this man remembers what I did to him and now he’s gonna kill me.”

They were probably terrified.

So it says in verse four, Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me.”

And they came near and he said, “I’m your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.”

Now Joseph was honest about what they did. He didn’t ignore it, he didn’t try to soften the blow, he came right out and said, “You sold me into Egypt.”

But it proves to his brothers that he actually is Joseph, because they probably did not tell anybody what they had done. He says, “Do not be distressed or angry,” in verse 5.

In other words, don’t grieve. Don’t be angry at what you did. Don’t grieve. Don’t be fearful. See, Joseph had compassion for them. And this proves that Joseph was not after revenge, but repentance. Otherwise, he would have wanted them to feel distress. But instead, he tells them, don’t feel distress. Don’t feel angry. Why? “For God sent me before you to preserve life.”

Now, here we’re gonna find out that God had a three-fold purpose in sending Joseph to Egypt in these next few verses. And that’s the first one. The first one is to preserve life. Not only human life, but animal life that would be suffering as a result of the famine. The second purpose in verse seven was to preserve for Israel a remnant on the earth, to ensure that Israel continues to fulfill God’s purposes. And then the third purpose in verse 7 was to keep alive for Israel many survivors, to ensure that they remain a nation.

So let’s keep moving in verse 7. As I mentioned, the third purpose that God sent Joseph to Egypt is to keep alive for you many survivors. Now, this is actually the second time the purpose of saving lives has been mentioned. Previously, it was mentioned in verse 5 when it says that God sent me before you to preserve life. This repetition shows the importance of what God was doing in the narrative of Joseph and his brothers. The reason it’s repeated here is because it shows how important it is to God that he preserves life, that he keeps alive. This is of the utmost importance here. And this is the culmination of this theme presented throughout the story.

Joseph says, “It was not you who sent me here, but God.”

So Joseph went on and said, “He has made me a father to Pharaoh.”

So Joseph is saying, “Hey, I didn’t do this on my own.”

He’s acknowledging God’s sovereign will over his life. And I think it’s important for us to learn from this that we need to acknowledge God’s sovereign will over our own lives. It’s really, really not good for us to take credit for all the great things that we’ve done when it’s God who is the one who has brought us into those things.

Joseph is saying is that ultimately Joseph was surrendered to God’s will. Joseph surrendered his own will to God’s will. And ultimately, whether there are those who would stand and shake their fists at God, ultimately everyone’s will, all humanity’s will, is submitted to God’s will. Question is, do we want to do that willingly or unwillingly? I want to do that willingly. I want to submit my will to God’s will willingly and give Him credit when He brings me into prosperous times and prosperous places and trust Him when He brings me into dark places and difficult times.

Now what’s interesting about this is that Joseph’s brothers thought that this was Joseph’s intention when he was younger, that it was Joseph’s intention to rule over them when he was younger. His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?”

So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. So Joseph had told his brothers these dreams where they were all bowing down to him in the dreams and they thought that was his intention that he wanted to rule over them. But it wasn’t. It was God’s intention. So it doesn’t matter what our intentions are. God’s intentions are going to win out.

So in verse 9, Joseph says, “Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me Lord of all Egypt.”‘”

Now, why does Joseph tell his brothers to say, “God has made me Lord of all Egypt,” to his father?

Why is that the first thing he would say? Wasn’t the first thing that he would tell them to say is, “Hey, I’m alive?”

But how is Jacob going to believe his sons when they come and say, “We met Joseph and he says, ‘Hey, I’m alive.'”

But instead he makes a reference to his dreams. He said, “God has made me Lord of all Egypt.”

See, Jacob would have remembered the dream that Joseph had because he was the only one who didn’t immediately reject it. Back in chapter 37, it says his brothers were jealous of him when he told them the dream, but his father kept the saying in mind. So, he would have remembered this dream. And these words from Joseph would invoke that memory and prove to him that he was alive.

So, he says in verse 10, “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen.”

Now, the land of Goshen was probably in northeastern Egypt in the Nile Delta, and it was a fertile area for grazing, and it was actually where Israel would remain until the Exodus. For 400 years, they would stay there in the land of Goshen. Now, this is interesting because what’s happening here is God is bringing Israel into a place where He can provide for them all in the same place during the seven-year famine.

So moving on to verse 12. Joseph says, “Now your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that is my mouth that speaks to you.”

So, Joseph was no longer using an interpreter at that time. He had sent the interpreter out of the room. So now he was speaking the Hebrew language and that’s further proof that he is their brother. That’s what he’s saying here.

And so he says in 13, “You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.”

And he says this because it would be easier for Joseph to provide for them when they are close rather than having them return every few months from Canaan for food. You don’t want them to have to make that journey every few months. It’s easier for him to just give them food when they’re right there in the land of Goshen.

Then in verse 15, he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them, so he didn’t exclude any of them. He kissed all his brothers, even the ones that were the most cruel to him. And after that, his brothers talked with him because surely, they wanted to know how he ended up here. I’m sure they had a thousand questions. And this is a significant change from when Joseph was younger. In chapter 37 verse 4, it says, when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. When Joseph was young, his brothers could not even speak to him unless it was something that was hateful and spiteful and bitter. But now, they’re talking with him and conversing with him and, dare I say, enjoying their brother.

So in verse 16, when the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, Joseph’s brothers had come, It pleased Pharaoh and his servants. The reason Pharaoh was pleased because, obviously, Egypt had been rescued by Joseph. It was Joseph’s wisdom and the interpretation of his dreams that had kept Egypt from being completely destroyed during this famine. So Pharaoh would have been very happy to bring Joseph’s family to Egypt if it had meant keeping Joseph there, of course.

And Pharaoh says in verse 18, “Take your father and your households and come to me and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you shall eat the fat of the land.”

Now, this phrase “fat of the land” is very interesting. And if you are listening to the free show and you want to hear more about the fat of the land, you can go subscribe on Patreon. You can click the button on the home page at beyondthebasics.blog. You can click any of the links on the social media pages. Go subscribe and you can hear more about this because there’s a lot of interesting things here. So let’s move on.

In verse 19, Pharaoh says, “You, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this, take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones, for your wives, and bring your father and come.'”

So basically he’s saying, “Bring everybody. Don’t leave anybody behind. Just bring everybody.”

And he says, “Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.”

Now, the best of all the land is an interesting phrase because just like God gave Adam the good land in the beginning in Genesis 1 verses 29 through 31. God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit, you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.”

And it was so, and God saw everything that he had made. And behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

So God saw everything that He had made and it was good and He gave it to Adam. Now Pharaoh is giving Israel the good land, the best of all the land. This is a picture of Eden restoration. This is pointing toward what was supposed to be the purpose of Israel and is what Jesus will accomplish when He returns. He’s going to restore the earth to Eden-like conditions. And I’ll talk more about that later on when we get to the point to Jesus segment of the show. Just want to give a little bit of a tease there.

So in verse 22, it says, to each and all of them, Joseph gave a change of clothes. That’s interesting because Joseph’s brothers had taken Joseph’s coat from him when he was a teenager, but now Joseph gives them all a change of clothes, which symbolizes a new beginning for the brothers and also symbolizes restoration of the family.

Now Jesus was also stripped naked, just like Joseph was, but he was going to give us all new clothes. Luke 23:34 says that Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” and they cast lots to divide his garments.

The soldiers who were crucifying Jesus, they stripped him of his garments and cast lots, divided them up when he was crucified.

But in Revelation 19 verses 7 through 8, it says, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”- For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Just like Joseph, being stripped of his clothes, and then eventually giving new clothes to his brothers, Jesus was also stripped of his clothes. But eventually, one day when he returns, will give new clothes to his bride. Again, another little tease of what’s to come in the Point to Jesus segment. You guys, there’s so much in this chapter that points to Jesus, I couldn’t even fit it all in that segment. I had to start interspersing it throughout the rest of the show. There’s so much.

So then in verse 22, it says, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. So then in verse 23, it says, to his father he sent as follows, ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt. Just like Jacob had sent the good things of Canaan with his sons in chapter 43, he sent that present with choice fruits and a few other things with his sons to Egypt to give to Joseph. Now Joseph is sending the good things of Egypt to his father. Now we’re not told what these good things are, but they’re on ten donkeys. It’s a pretty extravagant gift. Far more extravagant than what Jacob had sent. A little balm, a little honey, gum, some nuts that would have not taken up ten donkeys most likely. This is a very, very large, generous, extravagant gift to his father.

Then in verse 24, Joseph says to his brothers, “Do not quarrel on the way.”

Now, Joseph knew their history of violence. He saw that they were repentant, but their reputation still followed them. And even though they had repented of what they did to Joseph, it doesn’t mean that they were completely without sin. I mean, we repent of stuff all the time and we still sin after we repent. Joseph knew their reputation and they didn’t get offended at that. And we need to not be offended when our reputation follows us, even and especially after we’ve repented of past sins.

And it helps to also recognize that a good reputation is going to follow us as well. If we keep in mind when we are making decisions and acting in whatever situation we find ourselves in, that our actions are going to build up into a reputation and that reputation is going to be around for many, many years, if we can keep that in mind, it’ll help us make wise choices. And ultimately, what that comes down to is asking ourselves the question, who do I want to be known as? I don’t know about you, but I want to be known as someone who loves God, treats others with dignity, respect, takes care of the brokenhearted, the oppressed, the poor, provides for my family. That’s what I want to be known as. I’m not perfect in any or all of those areas, but as I keep that in mind when making decisions in various circumstances. When I keep that in mind, it can help inform my decision and help me make wise choices.

So in verse 25, they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob and they told him, “Joseph is still alive.”

Now, they likely had to tell their father what they had done at this point because how do you just go up to your father who you had previously told many years prior that you found his bloodied coat. How do you tell your father that that son is actually alive? You just met him. Now, Jacob probably was not surprised when they told him this. He seems to have already suspected they had done something in chapter forty-two when he said, “You have bereaved me of my children,” blaming that on his sons.

He says, “Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more and now you would take Benjamin.”

Seems his father already suspected something, so he probably wasn’t surprised, but either way, it says, his heart became numb for he did not believe them.

And then in verse 27, but when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. That word spirit also means breath. So in other words, Jacob was given new breath. It’s as if he was brought back from the dead at hearing the words of Joseph or resurrected at hearing Joseph’s words. We’ll get more into that as well in the points to Jesus segment. A lot to look forward to.

So in verse 28, Israel said, “It is enough,” meaning Jacob believed Joseph was alive without seeing him because of the testimony of his sons.

He didn’t need to see Joseph. He had enough evidence from the testimony of his sons that he believed. There’s a lot of people these days that ask for evidence that God is real and Jesus is real. When you present the evidence of testimony, they say that’s not enough. We want physical evidence.

We have to remember that in the ancient world, testimony was one of the strongest forms of evidence there was. Of course, we live in a day and age where people lie all the time. You can lie on the internet, you can use AI to create images and documents and all kinds of evidence to back up your lie. But in those days, testimony was important. Testimony meant something. Our testimony needs to mean something because ultimately it’s the most powerful evidence we have that Jesus is alive, that God is real. It is simply the power of God working through our testimony that can bring people to believe in Jesus, that Jesus is alive. It’s powerful. Our testimony is very important. We should never, never forget that.

Moving on in verse 28, Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph, my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

So Jacob acted based on his belief.

How does this chapter point to Jesus? Well, I’ve already teased several things. There’s a lot here. So let’s get into it.

The first thing, going back to verse three, his brothers could not answer them, for they were dismayed at his presence. So they were faced with this man that they did not know, and they finally realized that it was their brother Joseph, and they were dismayed.

Israel one day is going to look upon their Messiah and be dismayed when they realize it is Jesus. There is going to come a time when He’s going to return to Israel and they’re going to look at Him and be absolutely devastated because they’re going to realize it was Jesus all along and they killed Him and they rejected Him and they’re going to mourn. Zechariah 12.10 says, “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Just like Israel was dismayed and terrified when they realized they were face to face with Joseph, they’re going to be dismayed and terrified and mourn when they come face to face with Jesus when he comes back.

But there’s good news if you go on in Zechariah 12 and then in chapter 13, Jesus isn’t going to leave them in that place. Just like Joseph didn’t leave his brothers in that place. See, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers the second time he saw them, just like Israel didn’t recognize Jesus the first time they saw him at his first coming, but they’re going to confess Jesus as their Messiah at his second coming. Just like Joseph’s brothers recognized Joseph as their brother the second time they saw him.

And so, in Zechariah 13, verses 8 through 9, it says, “In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “Two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.'”

God will preserve a remnant in Israel that will – yes, they will mourn. They will be terrified when Jesus comes back because they will realize that they killed their Messiah. But He’s going to refine them through that last seven years of testing. And at the end, they’re going to call upon Him and they’re going to say, “The Lord is my God. Jesus is my God.”

Matthew 23 verses 37 through 39 illustrates this principle again where Israel rejected Jesus at His first coming but will accept him at his second coming, just like Joseph’s brothers did not recognize Joseph at the first time they saw him, but recognized him the second time. Matthew 23 verses 37 through 39. Jesus is saying, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you are not willing. See your houses left to you desolate.”

He’s talking about the first time that he came. All he wanted to do was gather the city of Jerusalem to him in love and in protection, and they refused. They didn’t recognize him. And so he goes on to say, “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

Now that’s an encouraging prophecy because what he’s saying is that one day he’s gonna return and Jerusalem is gonna say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Another way that this chapter points to Jesus is that Jacob did not believe that Joseph was alive until he heard Joseph’s words and saw his gifts. I talked about this a little bit already as far as the idea of faith versus works, but the other way that this points to Jesus is that people can’t be saved unless they hear Jesus’ words. Just like Jacob didn’t believe until he heard Joseph’s words, we cannot believe until we hear Jesus’ words. Romans 10:13-17 says: For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

There’s that testimony again. The testimony is so important.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

Just like the brothers were sent from Joseph.

As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.

We need to hear the word of Christ. This whole chapter points to the way the gospel is spread. Joseph’s brothers were sent by Joseph back to his father who told him the words of Joseph. And Jacob believed when he heard Joseph’s words. That’s how the gospel is spread. We’re sent to go give our testimony. And I’m not saying our testimony, like, “I remember when I was growing up.”

Many of you might remember this was a common thing. Get up front of the church and tell your testimony or whatever, you know, your testimony of how you were saved. Well, that’s part of it. But what I’m really talking about is the testimony of Jesus because people need to hear the words of Jesus. That’s how people are saved.

Another way, we talked about the theme of preserving life, and that reveals God’s plans for Israel and the world through Jesus. Because Jesus came to give Israel and the rest of the world life so that we would live and not die. I’ve mentioned those themes several times as we’ve gone through the story of Joseph. Now, the book of Genesis is filled with death. In fact, there’s an entire chapter where everyone dies. Genesis chapter 5, literally, every single person in that chapter we’re told they died, except for one or two. That whole chapter is all about death. We have a flood that kills every human and animal on earth, again, with the exception of just a few.

But this theme here that we’ve been exploring presents a plan to give life to the earth once again. That plan of the gospel going forth, the testimony of Jesus going forth so that people would hear and believe and go see Him, and that would bring life, which culminates in the resurrection, eternal life, life with Jesus forever on the earth, ruling with Him, adoring Him, participating in His government and whatever He might be doing and whatever we might be doing for millions and millions and billions and billions of years. This chapter lays out the whole plan.

Another thing I mentioned earlier, that phrase, the best of the land is mentioned twice and it points to the restoration of Eden. Jesus is going to restore the conditions of Eden on the earth when he returns. So, there’s a lot here in the Bible. I’ve included a few passages on the study guide. You can download for free on the website. Go to the page for the specific episode, Genesis 45. You can go there and download it. You can also go to the free download section of the website and download it from there.

I’ve got a few passages here and I’m not going to read all of them, but I just want to read you one. I’m going to read you Isaiah 11. I love this one. Verses 6 through 10. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the whole of the cobra and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day, the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples, of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

This is a beautiful picture of the restoration of Eden on the earth. That phrase, the root of Jesse is referring to Jesus who is a descendant of Jesse, the father of David, and it’s talking about the nations coming to inquire of him, to ask him questions, to ask him to teach them his law and his commands. And as a result of his rule, the knowledge of the Lord, the knowledge of God will fill the earth and there will be no more hate, anger, destruction, no more death, disease, animal life will flourish. Plant life will flourish.

That phrase, the best of the land being given to Israel, foreshadows that time because Israel is going to take the forefront of the nations. They’re going to take the lead in restoring the earth and spreading the rule of Jesus across the earth and restoring the earth to Eden-like conditions.

So the question I have for you this week is kind of twofold. What are some ways that you’ve seen God work restoration in your life and in your family? And as a result of that testimony of Jesus in your life, what are some ways that you can be an agent of restoration in your own family or friend group? How can you take what Jesus has done in your life and translate that into restoration for others? So think about that. Let this chapter change the way you relate to others, let it influence the way you see your relationships with others.

And let’s pray. Lord, I thank you so much for your word this week for everything that you’re speaking to us in your word. Pray that you would help us to hear your word, hear your testimony, hear the testimony of Jesus and believe and act. Lord, as we, as we meditate on the ways that you have brought restoration and change in our own lives and in our families lives and in our relationships, I ask you that you would give us the strength and the discipline and the desire to act on that belief and act on that faith that you built on us in us and to spread restoration to those around us. God, I ask that you would help us to see your plan that you’re working all throughout the Scriptures to bring restoration to the entire earth, to bring restoration to your people, Israel, your family. We thank you that we’ve been brought into that family. Help us to see and look forward to what you’re doing now on the earth and what you’ll be doing in the future. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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