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Revealed
Genesis 45:1-9
Joseph could no longer control himself in front of all his attendants, so he declared, “Everyone, leave now!” So no one stayed with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household heard him. Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m Joseph! Is my father really still alive?” His brothers couldn’t respond because they were terrified before him.
Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” and they moved closer. He said, “I’m your brother Joseph! The one you sold to Egypt. Now, don’t be upset and don’t be angry with yourselves that you sold me here. Actually, God sent me before you to save lives. We’ve already had two years of famine in the land, and there are five years left without planting or harvesting. God sent me before you to make sure you’d survive[a] and to rescue your lives in this amazing way. You didn’t send me here; it was God who made me a father to Pharaoh, master of his entire household, and ruler of the whole land of Egypt.
__
As I choose to understand it, Jacob is a changed man. That change comes on the night that Jacob wrestles a stranger, the night that his name is changed to Israel, the night that he receives the blessing.
After that night,
He gives up his conniving, scheming ways.
The priorities in his life shift away from taking advantage of others for his personal gain to building his family around his new understanding of God.
He makes amends with his brother.
He listens to the voice of God, builds a place of worship, and commands his family to get rid of their idols so that they can properly worship the God who changed his life.
He pours his life into his two younger sons, Joseph and Benjamin. His older boys are young adults now and Joseph is a teenager and Benjamin is still a child. From Jacob’s perspective, these are two children that he can influence in a positive way.
He is a changed man. But while Jacob is a changed man, most of his sons have learned from the old Jacob.
In an horrific tale, these older sons of his, bent on revenge, convince the men of Shechem to circumcise themselves. And while they recover in agony, Jacob’s sons murder them all and loot their town.
These sons of Jacob hate their 17 year old brother, Joseph, who was born late in Jacob’s life and has experienced more of the new Jacob then the scoundrel Jacob.
The brothers hate Joseph because Joseph is favored by his father, receives special gifts from his father, and because Joseph is a dreamer and because Joseph brags about his dreams to his family.
In a fit of rage and jealousy and hatred, Joseph‘s brothers sell him to some guys who are on their way to Egypt. The brothers tell Jacob that Joseph has died in a wild animal attack, and Jacob’s heart is broken.
In a crazy twist, through a series of amazing events over the next decade and a half, Joseph becomes the king of Egypt’s second in command, and because of his dreams, he is able to discern that a significant famine is on its way. He instructs the Egyptians to conserve their food sources for seven years before the famine hits.
So when the famine comes, while those outside of Egypt are threatened with starvation, there is plenty of food in Egypt because of Joseph. There’s so much food in fact, that the Egyptians sell that food to the nations around them for a hefty profit.
Joseph’s 10 brothers, the ones who sold him 20 years before, come to Egypt to buy food, leaving at home their youngest brother Benjamin and their old father, Jacob.
Joseph recognizes his brothers almost immediately, but they do not recognize Joseph.
Joseph is filled with two contrary and competing emotions. He is filled with rage and wants revenge on these brothers of his, and he is overcome by love and wants nothing more than to embrace his family.
These contrary emotions will battle each other as Joseph makes decisions about his brothers. These two emotions might also represent the two aspects of Jacob that Joseph has learned, the conniving manipulative man who was the old Jacob and the loving father who was the changed new Jacob.
As we share the details of the story, I’m going to ask you to tell me by show of hands or by sharing on the comment section of Facebook live, which aspect of his father Joseph is displaying in each detail.
Although he knows it is not true, Joseph accuses the 10 men from Palestine of being foreign spies. The brothers deny it but Joseph holds steady in his accusation. So much so, that he throws them in jail for a few days and then takes one of the brothers, Simeon, hostage and tells the brothers that Simeon will not be released until they return with the youngest brother, Benjamin. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
As he releases all the brothers except Simeon, he fills their bags with the grain they desire and secretly places the money that they have paid for the grain back into the bags. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
The sons return home to get Benjamin, but Jacob is reluctant to let him return with them to Egypt. He finally relents as the grain runs low.
The sons return to Egypt, and Joseph immediately throws them a wonderful feast as he releases Simeon back to them. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
Again, as Joseph fills their bags with grain, he replaces their money that they had paid for the grain. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
But, Joseph also puts some of his personal belongings into the bag of Benjamin. After the sons leave, Joseph sends soldiers to bring them back accusing them of stealing his stuff. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
Joseph tells the brothers that whoever has stolen his stuff will become his slave while the others are free to return. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
The brothers realize that they are about to lose their youngest brother, and they cannot bear the thought of breaking their father’s heart again, and so they beg the king to keep them as slaves and free Benjamin to go home. It is fair to say that the brothers have come some distance from the day they threw Joseph in the pit, and sold him to those merchants, and covered his clothes in blood, and brought those clothes to their father and announced to him that a wild animal had killed his son.
Now, they are ready and willing to give themselves up to protect their brother and to save their father more grief.
And it is in this moment that Joseph chose which voice, the voice of revenge or the voice of forgiveness, that he would follow.
Genesis 45 from the Message Bible:
Joseph couldn’t hold himself in any longer, keeping up a front before all his attendants.
He cried out, “Leave! Clear out—everyone leave!”
So there was no one with Joseph when he identified himself to his brothers. But his sobbing was so violent that the Egyptians couldn’t help but hear him. The news was soon reported to Pharaoh’s palace.
Joseph spoke to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?”
But his brothers couldn’t say a word. They were speechless—they couldn’t believe what they were hearing and seeing.
“Come closer to me,” Joseph said to his brothers. They came closer.
“I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance.
So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt.
“Hurry back to my father. Tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: I’m master of all of Egypt. Come as fast as you can and join me here. I’ll give you a place to live in Goshen where you’ll be close to me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and anything else you can think of. I’ll take care of you there completely. There are still five more years of famine ahead; I’ll make sure all your needs are taken care of, you and everyone connected with you—you won’t want for a thing.’
“Look at me. You can see for yourselves, and my brother Benjamin can see for himself, that it’s me, my own mouth, telling you all this. Tell my father all about the high position I hold in Egypt, tell him everything you’ve seen here, but don’t take all day—hurry up and get my father down here.”
Then Joseph threw himself on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He then kissed all his brothers and wept over them.
The end! Ahh!
One moral of this story:
Love wins. It is seen in compassion, in empathy, in forgiveness. It takes time, it takes detours, it is a process, it is a struggle, but have no doubt, in the end, love wins!
Amen.
__
Lectio Divina- Pastoral Prayer
From Psalm 136
Give thanks to the Lord because God is good.
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
Give thanks to the God of all gods—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of all lords—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the one who made the skies with skill—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the one who shaped the earth on the water— God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the one who made the great lights—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
The sun to rule the day—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
The moon and the stars to rule the night—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
God, remember us when we fall short—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
God, rescue us from those who would harm us—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
God is the one who provides for all living things—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
Give thanks to the God of heaven—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
View all episodes
By Pastor Steve MechemGenesis 45:1-9
Joseph could no longer control himself in front of all his attendants, so he declared, “Everyone, leave now!” So no one stayed with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household heard him. Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m Joseph! Is my father really still alive?” His brothers couldn’t respond because they were terrified before him.
Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” and they moved closer. He said, “I’m your brother Joseph! The one you sold to Egypt. Now, don’t be upset and don’t be angry with yourselves that you sold me here. Actually, God sent me before you to save lives. We’ve already had two years of famine in the land, and there are five years left without planting or harvesting. God sent me before you to make sure you’d survive[a] and to rescue your lives in this amazing way. You didn’t send me here; it was God who made me a father to Pharaoh, master of his entire household, and ruler of the whole land of Egypt.
__
As I choose to understand it, Jacob is a changed man. That change comes on the night that Jacob wrestles a stranger, the night that his name is changed to Israel, the night that he receives the blessing.
After that night,
He gives up his conniving, scheming ways.
The priorities in his life shift away from taking advantage of others for his personal gain to building his family around his new understanding of God.
He makes amends with his brother.
He listens to the voice of God, builds a place of worship, and commands his family to get rid of their idols so that they can properly worship the God who changed his life.
He pours his life into his two younger sons, Joseph and Benjamin. His older boys are young adults now and Joseph is a teenager and Benjamin is still a child. From Jacob’s perspective, these are two children that he can influence in a positive way.
He is a changed man. But while Jacob is a changed man, most of his sons have learned from the old Jacob.
In an horrific tale, these older sons of his, bent on revenge, convince the men of Shechem to circumcise themselves. And while they recover in agony, Jacob’s sons murder them all and loot their town.
These sons of Jacob hate their 17 year old brother, Joseph, who was born late in Jacob’s life and has experienced more of the new Jacob then the scoundrel Jacob.
The brothers hate Joseph because Joseph is favored by his father, receives special gifts from his father, and because Joseph is a dreamer and because Joseph brags about his dreams to his family.
In a fit of rage and jealousy and hatred, Joseph‘s brothers sell him to some guys who are on their way to Egypt. The brothers tell Jacob that Joseph has died in a wild animal attack, and Jacob’s heart is broken.
In a crazy twist, through a series of amazing events over the next decade and a half, Joseph becomes the king of Egypt’s second in command, and because of his dreams, he is able to discern that a significant famine is on its way. He instructs the Egyptians to conserve their food sources for seven years before the famine hits.
So when the famine comes, while those outside of Egypt are threatened with starvation, there is plenty of food in Egypt because of Joseph. There’s so much food in fact, that the Egyptians sell that food to the nations around them for a hefty profit.
Joseph’s 10 brothers, the ones who sold him 20 years before, come to Egypt to buy food, leaving at home their youngest brother Benjamin and their old father, Jacob.
Joseph recognizes his brothers almost immediately, but they do not recognize Joseph.
Joseph is filled with two contrary and competing emotions. He is filled with rage and wants revenge on these brothers of his, and he is overcome by love and wants nothing more than to embrace his family.
These contrary emotions will battle each other as Joseph makes decisions about his brothers. These two emotions might also represent the two aspects of Jacob that Joseph has learned, the conniving manipulative man who was the old Jacob and the loving father who was the changed new Jacob.
As we share the details of the story, I’m going to ask you to tell me by show of hands or by sharing on the comment section of Facebook live, which aspect of his father Joseph is displaying in each detail.
Although he knows it is not true, Joseph accuses the 10 men from Palestine of being foreign spies. The brothers deny it but Joseph holds steady in his accusation. So much so, that he throws them in jail for a few days and then takes one of the brothers, Simeon, hostage and tells the brothers that Simeon will not be released until they return with the youngest brother, Benjamin. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
As he releases all the brothers except Simeon, he fills their bags with the grain they desire and secretly places the money that they have paid for the grain back into the bags. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
The sons return home to get Benjamin, but Jacob is reluctant to let him return with them to Egypt. He finally relents as the grain runs low.
The sons return to Egypt, and Joseph immediately throws them a wonderful feast as he releases Simeon back to them. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
Again, as Joseph fills their bags with grain, he replaces their money that they had paid for the grain. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
But, Joseph also puts some of his personal belongings into the bag of Benjamin. After the sons leave, Joseph sends soldiers to bring them back accusing them of stealing his stuff. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
Joseph tells the brothers that whoever has stolen his stuff will become his slave while the others are free to return. Old Jacob or new Jacob?
The brothers realize that they are about to lose their youngest brother, and they cannot bear the thought of breaking their father’s heart again, and so they beg the king to keep them as slaves and free Benjamin to go home. It is fair to say that the brothers have come some distance from the day they threw Joseph in the pit, and sold him to those merchants, and covered his clothes in blood, and brought those clothes to their father and announced to him that a wild animal had killed his son.
Now, they are ready and willing to give themselves up to protect their brother and to save their father more grief.
And it is in this moment that Joseph chose which voice, the voice of revenge or the voice of forgiveness, that he would follow.
Genesis 45 from the Message Bible:
Joseph couldn’t hold himself in any longer, keeping up a front before all his attendants.
He cried out, “Leave! Clear out—everyone leave!”
So there was no one with Joseph when he identified himself to his brothers. But his sobbing was so violent that the Egyptians couldn’t help but hear him. The news was soon reported to Pharaoh’s palace.
Joseph spoke to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?”
But his brothers couldn’t say a word. They were speechless—they couldn’t believe what they were hearing and seeing.
“Come closer to me,” Joseph said to his brothers. They came closer.
“I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance.
So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt.
“Hurry back to my father. Tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: I’m master of all of Egypt. Come as fast as you can and join me here. I’ll give you a place to live in Goshen where you’ll be close to me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and anything else you can think of. I’ll take care of you there completely. There are still five more years of famine ahead; I’ll make sure all your needs are taken care of, you and everyone connected with you—you won’t want for a thing.’
“Look at me. You can see for yourselves, and my brother Benjamin can see for himself, that it’s me, my own mouth, telling you all this. Tell my father all about the high position I hold in Egypt, tell him everything you’ve seen here, but don’t take all day—hurry up and get my father down here.”
Then Joseph threw himself on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He then kissed all his brothers and wept over them.
The end! Ahh!
One moral of this story:
Love wins. It is seen in compassion, in empathy, in forgiveness. It takes time, it takes detours, it is a process, it is a struggle, but have no doubt, in the end, love wins!
Amen.
__
Lectio Divina- Pastoral Prayer
From Psalm 136
Give thanks to the Lord because God is good.
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
Give thanks to the God of all gods—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of all lords—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the one who made the skies with skill—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the one who shaped the earth on the water— God’s faithful love lasts forever.
Give thanks to the one who made the great lights—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
The sun to rule the day—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
The moon and the stars to rule the night—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
God, remember us when we fall short—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
God, rescue us from those who would harm us—
God’s faithful love lasts forever.
God is the one who provides for all living things—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!
Give thanks to the God of heaven—
God’s faithful love lasts forever!