Two of the greatest truths that Scripture teaches are that God is both sovereign—in control of all events—and good—righteous and benevolent in his character and all he does. This means that even though bad things happen and evil people and forces exist, God’s good plan will prevail in the end. In fact, Scripture says God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11), and that he works all things for the good of those who love the Lord (Rom 8:28). God oversees and overrules random events, routine circumstances, good works, and even evil to ultimately accomplish what is good, which includes blessing his people and glorifying his name.
This is clearly seen in the story of Joseph. Born into a polygamous and divided family, his older brothers hated Joseph and sold him into slavery. While a slave in Egypt, he was falsely accused of sexually assaulting his master’s wife and consequently thrown into prison. After interpreting Pharaoh’s prophetic dreams and providing wise counsel concerning them, Joseph was promoted from a prisoner to Egypt’s governor in a single day. As governor, God used him to save Egypt, the infant nation of Israel, and other nations during a seven-year worldwide famine. Though evil happened to Joseph, God used it to train Joseph, bless him and others, and glorify God’s name. God’s plan is to do the same through us (Eph 2:10, cf. Jer 29:11). However, to not short-circuit or delay God’s plan, we must trust and remain faithful to him throughout the process. Are you trusting him—regardless of your current circumstances, any evil deeds you’ve committed, or evil deeds that have been done to you? Reflecting on God’s sovereignty and goodness in Joseph’s story will help you trust and obey God more (cf. Heb 12:1). May the Lord grant you great faith and perseverance to inherit his promises (Heb 6:12)!
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.
BTG Publishing all rights reserved.
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And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.
2 Timothy 2:2 (NET)
Paul’s words to Timothy still apply to us today. The church needs teachers who clearly and fearlessly teach the Word of God. With this in mind, The Bible Teacher’s Guide (BTG) series was created. This series includes both expositional and topical studies, with resources to help teachers lead small groups, pastors prepare sermons, and individuals increase their knowledge of God’s Word.
Each lesson is based around the hermeneutical principle that the original authors wrote with the same goal as we write today—with the intention of being understood. Each paragraph and chapter of Scripture centers around one main thought, often called the Big Idea. After finding the Big Idea for each passage studied, students will discuss the Big Question, which will lead the small group (if applicable) through the entire text. Alongside the Big Question, note the added Observation, Interpretation, and Application Questions. The Observation Questions point out pivotal aspects of the text. The Interpretation Questions facilitate understanding through use of the context and other Scripture. The Application Questions lead to life principles coming out of the text. Not all questions will be used, but they have been provided to help guide the teacher in preparing the lesson.
As the purpose of this guide is to make preparation easier for the teacher and study easier for the individual, many commentaries and sermons have been accessed in the development of each lesson. After meditating on the Scripture text and the lesson, the small group leader may wish to follow the suggested teaching outline:
On the other hand, the leader may prefer to teach the lesson in part or in whole, and then give the Application Questions. He may also choose to use a “study group” method, where each member prepares beforehand and shares teaching responsibility (see Appendices 1 and 2). Some leaders may find it most effective to first read the main section of the lesson corporately, then to follow with a brief discussion of the topic and an Application Question.
Again, The Bible Teacher’s Guide can be used as a manual to follow in teaching, a resource to use in preparation for teaching or preaching, or simply as an expositional devotional to enrich your own study. I pray that the Lord may bless your study, preparation, and teaching, and that in all of it you will find the fruit of the Holy Spirit abounding in your own life and in the lives of those you instruct.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.
BTG Publishing all rights reserved.
Two of the greatest truths that Scripture teaches are that God is both sovereign—in control of all events—and good—righteous and benevolent in his character and all he does. This means that even though bad things happen and evil people and forces exist, God’s good plan will prevail in the end. In fact, Scripture says God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11), and that he works all things for the good of those who love the Lord (Rom 8:28). God oversees and overrules random events, routine circumstances, good works, and even evil to ultimately accomplish what is good, which includes blessing his people and glorifying his name.
This is clearly seen in the story of Joseph. Born into a polygamous and divided family, his older brothers hated Joseph and sold him into slavery. While a slave in Egypt, he was falsely accused of sexually assaulting his master’s wife and consequently thrown into prison. After interpreting Pharaoh’s prophetic dreams and providing wise counsel concerning them, Joseph was promoted from a prisoner to Egypt’s governor in a single day. As governor, God used him to save Egypt, the infant nation of Israel, and other nations during a seven-year worldwide famine. Though evil happened to Joseph, God used it to train Joseph, bless him and others, and glorify God’s name. God’s plan is to do the same through us (Eph 2:10, cf. Jer 29:11). However, to not short-circuit or delay God’s plan, we must trust and remain faithful to him throughout the process. Are you trusting him—regardless of your current circumstances, any evil deeds you’ve committed, or evil deeds that have been done to you? Reflecting on God’s sovereignty and goodness in Joseph’s story will help you trust and obey God more (cf. Heb 12:1). May the Lord grant you great faith and perseverance to inherit his promises (Heb 6:12)!
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
BTG Publishing all rights reserved.
But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son born to him late in life, and he made a special tunic for him. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly. Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down to it!” Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and because of what he said. Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said….
Genesis 37 (NET)
Joseph is one of the more exceptional characters in the Bible. In the fifty chapters of Genesis, one fourth of the book is devoted to his story. Abraham has fourteen chapters; Joseph has twelve. This in itself shows how special he is. God used Joseph to fulfill his promise to Abraham: that his descendants would spend 400 years in Egypt as slaves and then would leave with great wealth to enter the promised land (Gen 15:13-16). Though Joseph’s brothers sent him to Egypt as a slave, in God’s providence, God used Joseph to save his family during a famine. His character is so special, many commentators have called him a type of Christ. Though never specifically called that by Scripture, the resemblance is unmistakable. Matthew Henry said, “His story is so remarkably divided between his humiliation and his exaltation that we cannot avoid seeing something of Christ in it.”1 Joseph was loved by his father, hated and rejected by his brothers, exalted to second in command over Egypt, and saved those who rejected him. Joseph is a magnificent figure.
With that said, Joseph’s story also shows us how God works in all of our lives. God doesn’t always work through miracles—suspending his laws of nature to bring change. God most often works through ordinary life events—guiding and overruling them for his higher purposes. That’s what he does in Joseph’s life, as God takes his brothers’ selling him into slavery, Potiphar’s wife’s lie about him that got him imprisoned, etc., and uses them for good. God does the same for us (Rom 8:28).
In this specific chapter, we see Joseph’s messy family background. He came from a dysfunctional home, which no doubt negatively affected him in various ways. This is no surprise, as many of the families in Scripture were broken. When sin came into the world, it hurt families. Cain killed his brother Abel. Abraham and Lot had to go separate ways because of discord in their two tribes. Abraham’s wives fought and his children fought. He eventually sent his second wife and child away. Jacob married two sisters who had birthing wars—trying to outdo one another—for Jacob’s affection. Joseph, too, came from a dysfunctional family. No doubt, many of the trials he went through were meant to rid him of negative roots that were deeply embedded because of his family background, which could spoil his calling. God often does the same with us.
As we study Joseph’s family, we learn principles about how to protect our family from sin and dysfunction. In the narratives of Scripture, God often gives us negative examples, not so we can model them, but so that we learn from them (cf. 1 Cor 10:11).
Big Question: What principles can we discern from the Genesis 37 narrative about protecting our families from sin and dysfunction?
But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 37:1
As we begin this chapter, we must first notice a good thing. The narrator emphasizes that Jacob stayed in the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, formerly lived (v. 1). Earlier in Genesis 28, Jacob moved out of Canaan to Haran because of fear of his brother, Esau. There he worked for his uncle, Laban, and earned two wives. After twenty years, he eventually returned to Canaan—the land of promise (Gen 31). God promised Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, that his descendants would inherit that land. Abraham lived there; Isaac lived there, and then Jacob lived there. It wasn’t an easy place to live; there were many ungodly people in it, so much so, that the patriarchs were not allowed to take wives from the land (Gen 24, 28). The sins of the Canaanites were part of the reason God was going to give the land to Israel (cf. Gen 15:16). While living in Shechem, a small city in Canaan, Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped, and in return, Jacob’s sons murdered the men in the land (Gen 34). Life in Canaan was difficult, but it was where God called Jacob and his family to reside and to be lights in that community. Unfortunately, the Canaanites seemed to be having more of an effect on the Israelites than the Israelites were having on them. This is probably why God soon sends the Israelites to Egypt and providentially protects them through Joseph.
Similarly, if we are going to protect our families, there is no better place for us to be than right in the center of God’s will. Here are a couple of quick thoughts about being in God’s will with our families:
In this aspect, Jacob did well. He was where God wanted him to be in the promised land—the narrator, Moses, reminds us of this. Similarly, the best place to protect our families is in God’s will. There will still be trials and temptations, but God’s grace is available so that we can remain faithful.
Application Question: How can we discern God’s will for our individual lives and our families (cf. Rom 12:2, Prov 3:6, 11:14, etc.)? What might be some consequences of neglecting God’s will for our family?
This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
Genesis 37:2
Out of the twelve sons, Joseph is the second youngest. His mother, Rachel, died while giving birth to his youngest brother, Benjamin (Gen 35). They were the only two sons of Jacob’s favorite wife. Jacob had three other wives from which the other ten sons were born.
At seventeen, Joseph was a shepherd. While working with four of his brothers—Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher (the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah)—he brought a bad report to his father. We don’t know exactly what the brothers did wrong, but it probably had to do with their work. Maybe they were slacking on the work or lacking integrity when they did it—leaving the flocks to do other things.
Even as a young man, Joseph possessed great integrity and was a hard worker. His work ethic, integrity, and leadership ability will be more clearly demonstrated throughout the rest of his narrative. He will be exalted to chief servant while working for Potiphar. He’ll maintain his integrity even when Potiphar’s wife tries to sleep with him. He will also be put in command of prisoners while imprisoned, and finally, he will be put in command of all of Egypt. From the beginning, Joseph worked diligently and with integrity as he served his family. These virtues stirred up jealousy and anger from his brothers. When others aren’t working hard and with integrity, they will at times get angry with those who are.
Working diligently and with integrity is very important for the health of a family. Parents need to work to provide for their family’s needs. Each family member needs to work to keep up and maintain a house: Somebody must cook, clean, and maintain the house. Though one may do the bulk of the work, this is often a shared family endeavor.
When members of the family don’t contribute to the household (whatever that means in each context—being a good student, cleaning, making an income, etc.), then negative emotions often develop, discord ensues, and the household begins to fall apart. Joseph was bothered by the transgressions of his brothers, and we can assume that Jacob was also. Similarly, in families, wives sometimes get upset at husbands because they feel like the husbands aren’t doing their part. Husbands become bothered when they don’t feel like their wives are fulfilling their roles. Children feel upset when their role is overly burdensome or unappreciated.
It takes work to provide for a family financially, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. When others aren’t working with integrity, things fall apart, which stirs up bitter feelings. In this part of Joseph’s narrative, four of his brothers weren’t doing their part or weren’t doing it with integrity, which caused conflict.
How has God called you to work to maintain a healthy household? Does that mean listening when one is upset, being a spiritual influence, contributing manually through cleaning, working a job, being a good student, caring for a sick family member, etc.? What it means to maintain a healthy household will differ between families. These responsibilities often need to be planned, discussed, agreed on, and put into practice by family members. When this is done correctly, it helps protect the family from needless disagreements and bitter feelings that can build up and destroy a family.
Application Question: What does working diligently and with integrity look like in your household or an ideal household for the various members? In what ways have you seen or experienced how bad feelings and conflict develop when members of the family don’t do their part?
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son born to him late in life, and he made a special tunic for him. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly.
Genesis 37:3-4
A major flaw in Jacob’s home was favoritism. He came from a background where favoritism was common, and he practiced it with his own family. Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, favored him, and his father, Isaac, favored Esau. This not only divided the parents but divided the children, as they competed for their parents’ affections. Though many children hate the negative patterns demonstrated in their homes, most repeat them. For example, people from backgrounds with alcoholism often struggle with alcoholism. People from backgrounds with domestic abuse often struggle with the same. Jacob repeated the flaws of his parents with his own children—creating discord among them.
Interpretation Question: What was the special tunic Joseph received and what did it represent?
In verse 3, Jacob gave Joseph a “special tunic.” Other versions call it “a coat of many colors,” “a richly-embroidered tunic,” or “an ornate robe.” It was the kind of robed used by royalty. In 2 Samuel 13:18, King David’s virgin daughter, Tamar, also wore this kind of tunic. The Hebrew phrase used here means that the tunic extended all the way to the wrists and ankles.2 It was a robe of privilege. Typically, people wore shorter robes so they could work without any hinderance. Joseph’s tunic probably represented two things: (1) Joseph was made the manager over his brothers. They would work while he managed. (2) Joseph was to receive the right of the firstborn in the house, which meant receiving a double portion of his father’s wealth.
This caused great discord with the brothers. It was clear that Jacob loved Joseph more than them all. The brothers hated Joseph so much, they couldn’t even speak a kind word to him (v. 3-4). They probably tried their hardest to ignore him. The favoritism Jacob showed towards Joseph tore apart the brothers, just as Isaac’s and Rebekah’s favoritism tore apart Jacob and Esau.
Interpretation Question: Why did Jacob favor Joseph so much?
There were many reasons:
Jacob was right to reward righteousness and punish bad behavior—that’s what God has called all authorities to do (Rom 13:1-4)—but Jacob was wrong for loving Joseph more than the others. The older children could sense that and hated Joseph because of it. In addition, from the beginning, Jacob shouldn’t have shown favoritism between his wives, which probably initially led to distrust and rivalry among the sons. Favoritism ultimately destroyed Jacob’s home.
Unfortunately, this same practice often divides our homes: (1) Parents favor one child over the other. They say, “Why can’t you be as smart as your sister?” “Your brother is such a better athlete!” “Your sister is so much more attractive?” This often causes insecurity and jealously—leading to discord. (2) Sometimes, favoritism is shown by a child to the parent. Children often gravitate to the easier parent—whoever they can manipulate and get their way with. Sometimes that’s the father, and other times, it’s the mother. This can make one parent feel discouraged and unloved, angry with the ‘easier parent,’ and/or angry with the child who is side-stepping him or her. (3) Another way that favoritism is shown is when parents focus all their attention on the children—to the neglect of their marriage. When God first made the family, it started with a husband and wife—representing how this was to be the priority relationship. Husbands and wives were even called to leave their extended family and cling to one another (Gen 2:24). When parents neglect their marriage to focus on the children, it ultimately hurts the children by fostering attitudes of pride and selfishness in them and setting a destructive model for future generations. Husbands are called to love their wives like Christ loves the church, and wives are called to submit to their husbands as the church submits to Christ (Eph 5:22-27). Parents must prioritize their marriage over their children. Certainly, there are seasons when children will need more attention—for example, when they are infants or when they are sick. However, that should not be the norm. A healthy marriage is the basis for a healthy family. Favoring children over the marriage is a recipe for disaster. No doubt, that’s the reason year twenty is one of the highest years of divorce. When the children leave home, there is no longer any marriage.
If we’re going to protect our families, we must be careful of favoritism. This can be difficult, especially when each child excels in different areas. Parents must make sure to honor each child’s uniqueness and remind them that God made them and has special plans for them. Parents must help children figure out their unique giftings and not put them in a box that society has made or a pattern that one sibling has set. This only leads to jealousy, discouragement, and conflict.
Application Question: Why are people so prone to show favoritism in their families and relationships? How have you seen favoritism negatively affect a family or some other relationship? How can we protect ourselves from showing favoritism in our relationships (cf. Jam 2:1)?
Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down to it!” Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and because of what he said. Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said.
Genesis 37:5-11
After receiving the robe, God gives Joseph two dreams. In one, the brothers were working in the field binding sheaves of grain, and suddenly, Joseph’s sheave stood upright. Then, the brothers’ sheaves bowed to it. The message was unmistakable—the brothers would eventually submit to Joseph’s leadership. They hated him even more because of the dream. In the second dream, the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him, which represented Joseph’s parents and brothers submitting to him (cf. Rev 12:1). Even Jacob rebuked Joseph after this—though he kept the dream in mind and pondered it (v. 11).
Scripture confirms that the fact that these dreams came in pairs meant that God would surely complete them. God gave a pair of dreams to Pharaoh as well. When Joseph interpreted them, he said, “The dream was repeated to Pharaoh because the matter has been decreed by God, and God will make it happen soon” (Gen 41:32). The repetition represented the nearness and surety of the dreams. Similarly, God was soon to bring Joseph’s dreams to fruition.
Interpretation Question: Why did God give Joseph these dreams?
As with Pharaoh’s dreams, they were meant to prepare Joseph for the future. With the events that were going to happen—betrayal by his brothers, slavery, and imprisonment—Joseph was going to need hope to remain faithful. Even through the bad times, God was going to overrule them to exalt and favor Joseph. He needed to cling to those dreams so he could stand strong when circumstances were difficult. Paul said something similar to Timothy, “Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well” (1 Tim 1:18 NIV). By recalling the prophesies made about him, Timothy would be able to fight the battle well.
Often God may give a strong impression or a clear calling to something, so that we can stand firm when difficulties and discouragements arise. Most times, our understanding of God’s will is not very clear. We pray, gather information, pray again, and make the best decision possible—trusting that God is guiding us. At other times, God makes his will unmistakable: whether by closing or opening doors, through the confirmation of others, a supernatural peace, a clear, applicable passage in Scripture, or a combination of these. He often does this to not only guide us, but also so we can have ample courage to endure when things get tough. Pastors often say the same about their call to ministry—it was because of their clear call that they stayed in ministry instead of quitting when things got tough. In God’s sovereignty, he often makes his will very clear so we can battle well despite discouragements.
With that said, this is also vital when ministering to our families. We must cling to God’s words. He may not give a prophecy or a dream, but he has given us Scripture, with many promises in it (2 Pet 1:3-4). Apart from these promises, we will find ourselves weak, discouraged, and sometimes ready to give up when we encounter various trials in our family and life in general. Romans 15:4 says, “For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.” Scripture was written to instruct us, to help us endure difficult times, to encourage us when we’re down, and to give us hope.
Families are messy, even ‘good’ families. We need God’s Word to be the foundation of our home. We need it personally through consistent, spiritual disciplines (Ps 1:2-3). We need to teach our children the Word—raising them in the instruction of the Lord (Dt 6:1-8, Eph 6:4). Husbands are called to ‘wash their wives’ with God’s Word (Eph 5:25-26)—practicing disciplines such as family devotions and regular church attendance. Establishing these routines will help families withstand difficult times.
This prophecy would help Joseph persevere and have hope while suffering in Egypt. It was probably also meant to encourage his father, Jacob—when confronted with the possibility of Joseph being lost forever.
Application Question: What are some practical ways for parents to build their home on God’s Word? Have you ever experienced clear direction from God, which was meant to encourage you to be faithful during a difficult season? If so, when and how?
Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down to it!” Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and because of what he said. Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said.
Genesis 37:5-11
Now, even though God gave Joseph dreams which were meant to encourage and strengthen him for the future, they weren’t given for everybody. It would seem that it was wise for him to privately share his dreams with his father, but it certainly wasn’t wise for him to share them with his brothers. They already hated Joseph because of the favor that his father had shown him—sharing the dreams with them only increased their hatred. In Matthew 7:6, Jesus said: “Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.” Giving what’s holy to wild dogs and pigs is dangerous; they might turn and tear the offeror to pieces. Not everything God gives us is to be shared with others. In Luke 23:8-9, when Herod asked Christ many questions, hoping to see a miracle, Christ said and did nothing. It appeared to be an opportune time to share the gospel, but Jesus knew that Herod was a wild animal. He didn’t care about the truth; he just wanted to be entertained. In the same way, when Joseph shared the ‘pearls’ of his divine dreams with his brothers, he only endangered himself.
Similarly, we must use our words wisely, especially with our family. Proverbs 18:21 says the power of life and death is in the tongue. We can build up or destroy with our tongues. James compares it to a small fire that can destroy a forest (Jam 3:5-6). Marriages and families can be destroyed by the words we use: Words that may be true but fail to consider others’ maturity-level or their feelings, wound those close to us. Children often grow up with great insecurities because of evil words spoken to them by their parents: “You’re not smart enough, pretty enough, etc.” These wounds can fester forever. Some wives feel worthless in their marriage because of the words of their husbands. Many husbands don’t want to go home at night because of the nagging of their wives. Though Joseph’s words were true, they weren’t helpful or wise. They only poured lighter fluid on the explosive fire in his family.
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) says this about our words: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (1) Paul says our words should never be unwholesome or corrupt. (2) They must be according to the needs of others. This means our conversations shouldn’t just be about expressing ourselves or our heart—they must also be given in consideration of our audience. “What are their needs? How will they receive this if I say it? What’s the best way to communicate this to them?” This is where many fail. They spend all their time thinking about communicating what’s on their heart or mind and not about the other person. Therefore, they miss the mark. (3) Our words must not only consider others’ needs but how to edify them by our words. The ESV translates 29b this way: “that it may give grace to those who hear.” “Grace” means unmerited favor. This means blessing those who don’t necessarily deserve it or who have hurt us. Yes, they may deserve our wrath or indifference, but we should give them unmerited favor instead.
Our words must be wholesome and uncorrupt; they must be according to the needs of others, and finally, they must impart grace. Joseph messed up because he wasn’t able to discern the feelings of his brothers. Clearly, he was really excited about his dreams and just wanted to share them. He probably had no desire to hurt his brothers, but nonetheless, he did. He failed to discern that they were hurting and frustrated. They needed encouragement. They needed him to be humble, and because he missed this, he only hurt them more.
In our families, we must put these principles into practice. We should never speak corrupt words. The Bible is clear: whatever we sow, we will reap (Gal 6:7). If we sow complaining and nagging, we won’t get back diligence. If we sow fear and insecurity, we won’t get back peace. If we sow anger, we won’t get back gentleness. What are we sowing into our relationships with our words? Sometimes, it’s best to say nothing, which is probably what Joseph should have done, at least when it came to sharing the dreams with his brothers. The dreams, though they were God’s promise, would only hurt and embitter them.
Application Question: How have you seen words destroy families and friendships? What are some other disciplines that will help us be wise with our words and use them in an edifying manner (cf. Prov 15:1, 25:15, etc.)? In what ways have you experienced how it’s difficult to rejoice with those who rejoice?
Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt…
Genesis 37:12-36
The final lesson we learn from this section of Joseph’s story is the importance of guarding our hearts from wrong thoughts and emotions. The brothers probably started to dislike Joseph early on because he was born from the favored wife—Rachel. This dislike spiked when Joseph gave a bad report about his brothers’ work habits. It grew more when Joseph received the special robe. The negative emotions further intensified when Joseph shared his dreams. Finally, they spilled over when Jacob sent Joseph to check on the brothers while they were supposed to be taking care of the flocks in Shechem. Shechem was where the brothers killed all the men in the village for raping their sister, Dinah (Gen 34). Perhaps there was some type of famine going on, so they were willing to venture out fifty miles into dangerous area to feed their flocks. When Joseph got to Shechem to check on their welfare, they had moved to Dothan another fourteen miles north (maybe because of the lingering hatred towards them in Shechem).3 When they saw Joseph in his fancy robe coming in the distance to check on them, all their emotions exploded. They took him, ripped the robe off him, and threw him into a pit, with plans to kill him. After seeing some Ishmaelite merchants on their way to Egypt, they instead sold Joseph into slavery. His brothers must have figured that it would be impossible for Joseph to earn his freedom in Egypt—therefore, nobody would ever know of their wicked deed. They deceived Jacob into thinking Joseph was dead, and they thought they would never hear anything about him again.
The point to be emphasized is that the brothers harbored negative emotions—possibly for years—that continued to fester, eventually leading to their horrendous act. This happens in homes all the time. Wives and husbands harbor hurt emotions towards one another because of unsettled, unforgiven, past events which culminate in explosive blowups. The same commonly happens with children who are hurting emotionally.
We must beware of negative emotions that creep into our psyche—threatening to destroy our peace and relationships. Christ taught that anger was the moral equivalent of murder (Matt 5:21). When these negative roots are left unchecked, they lead to greater sins that we would initially have never thought could happen. James 3:14-16 says,
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice.
When we harbor negative emotions like jealousy and selfishness, though appearing harmless, they are really demonic in nature. Wherever these negative emotions lie, they can ultimately lead to disorder and every evil practice.
Apparently, some in the Hebrew Christian churches to whom James was speaking were harboring these emotions against one another—leading to quarrels and even murder. In James 4:2, he said, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” Instead of abiding in prayer about their heart issues, they instead harbored wrong attitudes which led to explosive conflict. Similarly, it’s good to remember that Jacob’s family was ‘the people of God’ during that time frame, and his sons committed a heinous act. The New Testament church today can commit these same types of evils—both in our families and local churches.
In Ephesians 4:26-27, Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” It’s not necessarily a sin to be angry; the question is, what do we do with that anger? If we hold on to it and let it fester, it gives the devil authority in our life and community—authority to bring depression, jealousy, and frustration which lead to ungodly actions. How many marriages and churches have been destroyed because people didn’t properly handle their unhealthy emotions?
Application Question: What should we do with our unhealthy emotions?
You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.
Whether the other person repents or not, we must forgive as Christ forgives us. This doesn’t mean that there are not additional wise actions to be taken (like getting spiritual or civil authorities involved) or that we should remain in the same situation. This does mean, as far as our hearts are concerned, we cannot allow ourselves to become in bondage to unforgiving emotions. It’s too dangerous. It opens us up to God’s discipline (Matt 6:14, 18:23-35, 1 Cor 10:10) and also potentially allows the emotions to lead to greater sin. If we allow them to fester, we will handle them in unhelpful ways that can destroy our family or other relationships. We must recognize that unhealthy emotions open the door for Satan and lead to every evil thing—including lying, fighting, kidnapping, and murder, as seen in Joseph’s narrative.
Application Question: How do you deal with unhealthy thoughts and emotions? How have you seen how harboring unhealthy thoughts and emotions can lead to fractured relationships and further sin?
As we study the narratives of Scripture, it is clear that many of the families struggled with sin and dysfunction. David’s son raped his sister. Another of David’s sons killed that brother. Eventually, the son that murdered his brother tried to kill his father, David. Since sin came into the world, it has ravaged the family unit, as seen in the Joseph narrative. How can we protect our families? Often God gives us negative examples so we can learn from them.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
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1 Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible – Genesis II.
2 Guzik, D. (2013). Genesis (Ge 37:1–4). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
3 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 444). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful and lived in the household of his Egyptian master. His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From the time Potiphar appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both in his house and in his fields. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; he gave no thought to anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” But he refused, saying to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought to his household with me here, and everything that he owns he has put into my care. There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” Even though she continued to speak to Joseph day after day, he did not respond to her invitation to have sex with her. One day he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants were there in the house. She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Have sex with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran outside…
Genesis 39 (NET)
How can we conquer temptations?
No matter, who we are or where we’re from, we will encounter temptations. Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden. Israel was tempted in the wilderness. David was tempted while walking on the roof of his house. Christ was tempted, and we’ll be tempted as well. First Corinthians 10:13 implies that we all will experience temptation and, at the same time, be provided a way of escape. It says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” We will all experience temptation, the only question is, “How will we respond to it?”
In this section of Joseph’s narrative, he experiences major temptations: He was tempted to be upset and bitter at his circumstance of being sold into slavery. When he became successful, undoubtedly, he experienced temptations towards pride and independence from God. He experienced sexual temptation from his master’s wife, which is the major temptation in this narrative. After being wrongly imprisoned, it is very possible that he was tempted towards hopelessness and despair. In all these temptations, God was faithful to provide ways of escape, and he does the same for us.
Unlike the previous narrative, where we learned from the failures of Joseph’s family (Gen 37), in this narrative, we learn from Joseph’s success in conquering temptation.
Big Question: What principles can we learn about conquering temptation from Joseph’s responses to various temptations in this narrative?
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. The LORD was with Joseph. He was successful and lived in the household of his Egyptian master. His master observed that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made everything he was doing successful.
Genesis 39:1-3
When Joseph is taken by slave traders to Egypt, he is purchased by a high official in Pharaoh’s court named Potiphar. His name meant “devoted to the sun,” which demonstrated his pagan, religious background.1 He was captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard, which was a prestigious position. Historical documents tell us that the bodyguards were Pharaoh’s executioners. They not only protected Pharaoh, but when he was upset with somebody, they executed that person. Therefore, Potiphar was Pharaoh’s chief executioner.2 In all likelihood, he had a very decorated military resume and was a rough, no-nonsense guy.
For Joseph, it was probably initially intimidating working for Potiphar. If he failed in any way, Potiphar might put him in prison or even worse, execute him. However, what we see is that God was with Joseph. Eight times Yahweh is mentioned in this chapter. Yahweh is only mentioned one other time in the rest of Genesis3, which shows how active God was in this part of Joseph’s life. When things were bad, God moved in a special way in his life, even if Joseph was unaware of it.
With that said, Joseph’s example also teaches a principle about how to go through trials and temptations. When a person goes through trials, he or she can be tempted to become bitter, to turn away from God and others. Instead of being bitter and upset, Joseph submitted to God and trusted him in the midst of his trial. We can discern this by two things: (1) If he were bitter about his family, bitter about being enslaved, and mad at God, it would have negatively affected his attitude while working, which would have kept him from being so quickly promoted. (Nobody promotes a bitter, whiny, solemn person! He or she hurts the workplace instead of making it more productive.) (2) Also, if Joseph were bitter, instead of experiencing God’s blessings as he did, he would have experienced God’s discipline. First Corinthians 10:9-10 warns us about complaining like Israel did in the wilderness, because if we do, God will discipline us. It says, “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.”
This is where many succumb to temptation. When they go through hard times with family, work, school, or other relationships, they become bitter and constantly complain. By complaining instead of praising God, they are really saying that they don’t trust God, that he is not in control, or that he doesn’t know what he is doing. That’s what Israel did—causing them to miss God’s blessing in their trial and instead experience his wrath.
Many fail to submit to God in the midst of their trials and temptations and instead succumb to them. They commonly harbor anger and bitterness for years after some traumatic event: They are angry at parents, the school system, government, or someone else who harmed them. It is clear that Joseph trusted God and wasn’t bitter towards him, which would have hindered God’s blessings. Joseph had previously foreseen God using the bad for good in his dreams (Gen 37:5-11) and he believed those dreams. He didn’t know how, but Joseph knew that God was going to exalt him, and his family would bow to him.
We may not have clear, predictive dreams from God, but we do have a clearer word than Joseph had. We have God’s written Word! God is working all things for our good and to make us into his Son’s image (Rom 8:28-29). We are called to let perseverance finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (Jam 1:4). Also, Hebrews 12:5b-7 and 11 says,
“My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline or give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children… No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
The writer of Hebrews warns against scorning or becoming upset at God’s discipline. He defines God’s discipline as “hardship.” He doesn’t even qualify whether the hardship is from the devil, humans, or God himself. Therefore, we should consider all hardship as under the sovereign hand of God—used to train us. It is meant to develop righteousness in us and give us more peace, regardless of our circumstances. It is meant to mature us for our calling, as James said, and that’s exactly what God was doing with Joseph.
During this trial, he was learning humility, as he was no longer Jacob’s favored son—he was now a slave. He was learning administrative skills, as he led all of Potiphar’s household. This was preparing him to lead all of Egypt. He learned the Egyptian language and customs. God used this humbling circumstance as a boot camp—meant to discipline and train Joseph. Because Joseph submitted to God in the test and trusted God’s promises to him, he received God’s blessing. He was exalted in Potiphar’s house, and even after he became a prisoner, he was exalted again. As Joseph submitted to God in the trial, God was with him to bless and not to discipline.
To congregations struggling with persecution, Peter said this: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:6-7). If we humble ourselves before God in our trials and temptations, he will lift us up as well.
Are you submitting to God’s discipline? One of the best ways to do this is by “giving thanks in all circumstances (including bad ones) for this is God’s will for our lives” (1 Thess 5:18; cf. Phil 4:6-7). Are you giving thanks or becoming bitter? Do you realize your trials and temptations are just ways God is preparing you for more? What Satan means for bad, God is going to use for your good (cf. Gen 50:20, Rom 8:28).
Application Question: Why is it important to see God as sovereign over trials and temptations in order to be faithful in them (cf. 1 Cor 10:13, Jam 1:3-4, Heb 12:7)? How has God used seemingly bad things—like trials and temptations—for your good?
So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From the time Potiphar appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both in his house and in his fields. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; he gave no thought to anything except the food he ate.
Genesis 39:4-6
Another principle about conquering temptation that we can discern is the need to practice integrity in all areas of life. The text says that Potiphar put Joseph in charge of everything he owned. This is repeated four times in verses 4 to 6 for emphasis. It implies that Joseph had shown himself trustworthy, and therefore, Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything. Joseph’s personal integrity was impeccable in all areas—not just when it came to sexual purity.
This is a reason many people fall when temptation comes. If Joseph had been cheating in business matters, such as stealing money from Potiphar or lying about certain things under his care, it would have been a lot easier to have an affair with Mrs. Potiphar. It’s a very basic principle, which the New Testament teaches as well: “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Lk 16:10).
Often Christians compartmentalize their life: certain deceptions are OK, and others are not. It’s OK to cheat on a test—”Everybody else is doing it!” they say. It’s OK to illegally download—”The product shouldn’t cost that much anyway!” It’s OK to cheat on taxes—”The government is taking too much money as it is!” When Christians do this, they are preparing themselves to be unfaithful in other areas of their lives.
But this wasn’t true of Joseph. His integrity was preparing him for further exaltation—to be second in command over Egypt. He was faithful with little—Potiphar’s house—therefore, it was easier to stand when tempted by his wife. Also, it would be easier for him to stand when other major temptations would come while he oversaw matters in Egypt.
How is your integrity? Are you preparing to conquer temptation by having integrity in all things or preparing to succumb to future temptations by small compromises?
Application Question: Why is it important to practice integrity in little things to protect us from stumbling in bigger things? Why it is so easy to compartmentalize—to say something like being unfaithful in schoolwork or taxes won’t affect my faithfulness in bigger things, like marriage?
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.”
Genesis 39:6b-7
Joseph was good looking. He was one of four men the Bible describes in this way, including Saul, David, and Absalom. However, though Joseph was good looking, Potiphar’s wife didn’t notice him until he was exalted. The narrator said, “Soon after these things” (v. 7). It was when Joseph was successful that he experienced greater temptations.
Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish historian, once wrote, “Adversity is hard on a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.”4 Promotion and success open doors to more temptation: The more successful people become, the less they have others looking over their shoulders; the more freedoms and perks they receive, the more temptation they experience to abuse their power. How commonly do we see successful pastors, athletes, businessmen, or government officials fall? With success, comes more temptations, and therefore we must be even more disciplined if God allows those opportunities. Saul fell when success came, and so did David and Solomon. Unfortunately, this sudden fall has happened to many others as well.
When successful, we’ll need greater accountability—people to speak into our lives and hold us accountable. We’ll need to be more transparent, as a means of protection. We’ll need to be more disciplined with our time and money. We’ll need to guard our family more—greater responsibility and popularity means we’ll have to say “no” more often, in order to spend time with our family. If we are going to conquer temptation, we must especially guard ourselves in times of promotion or success.
Application Question: In what ways have you seen people change negatively when they gain success or are put into authority positions? What types of disciplines are necessary to protect someone in seasons of promotion and exaltation?
But he refused, saying to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought to his household with me here, and everything that he owns he has put into my care. There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”
Genesis 39:8-9
When Potiphar’s wife asked Joseph to sleep with her, he refused and gave two reasons for doing so: First, he talked about how his master trusted him and favored him, and second, he indicated that it would be a sin against God.
This is a discipline that we must always practice whenever we are tempted: we must seriously consider the consequences. Sin drastically affects us and others around us. Solomon said this to his son about avoiding the temptation of adultery:
Can a man hold fire against his chest without burning his clothes? Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet? So it is with the one who has sex with his neighbor’s wife; no one who touches her will escape punishment… A man who commits adultery with a woman lacks wisdom, whoever does it destroys his own life. He will be beaten and despised, and his reproach will not be wiped away;
Proverbs 6:27-29, 32-33
When considering adultery, Solomon said the consequences last forever—the reproach will never be wiped away. We must remember that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Sin is not the end game of temptation—destruction is. It is good for us to think deeply about the potential consequences—considering how our sins affect ourselves, friends, family, other Christians, and non-believers. Personally, I always think about how spiritual failure would negatively affect my daughter for the rest of her life. It would devastate my wife. Some members of my church might never return to church again. Others might turn away from Christ altogether. Considering the consequences of our sin is a wise practice.
Most importantly, like Joseph, we must remember that participating in sin hurts God deeply. Ultimately, all sin is against God. For some, this reality might not mean much, but the more we get to know God and his grace, the more sinning against him will deter us. Spurgeon said this:
“When I regarded God as a tyrant, I thought sin a trifle; but when I knew him to be my father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against him. When I thought that God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against one who loved me so, and sought my good.”5
Titus said this, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (2:11-12). The more we know God and his grace, the more it will help us reject godless ways and worldly desires. We don’t want to grieve God’s heart; we don’t want to lose his favor and empowerment to serve others. The cost of sin is too much. Thinking of its consequences will help us stand against temptation.
Application Question: When tempted, how often do you consider the consequences of sin? Why is this such an important discipline?
So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”
Genesis 39:9b
When invited by Mrs. Potiphar into an adulterous relationship, Joseph called it a “great evil and sin against God” (v. 9b)? In the pagan world, adultery was normal. Husbands, especially if they were wealthy, commonly had concubines or mistresses. Having a wife was primarily for providing an heir and overseeing the household. Marriage was not about love and monogamy. Wives often were lonely, and some sought the love they lacked outside of the marriage. Egyptian women in the ancient world were especially known for immorality and loose morals (even married women).6 Mrs. Potiphar probably said, “There is nothing wrong with this! It’s normal. You’re a handsome guy! I’m a great-looking older woman! It will be fun! Plus, my husband has many other women! What’s the big deal?!”
This is exactly how the world and Satan promote sin: It is not a great evil! Promiscuity is natural. We’re creatures with needs—sleep, food, sex. It’s not normal to forbid yourself these basic needs, they say. Homosexuality is not an abomination like Scripture says. It’s an alternative lifestyle. It’s meant to be celebrated! Getting angry is just self-expression—sharing what’s on one’s mind! You can’t hold it in. That would suppress who you really are! Let it out! You can even get angry at God! However, Christ says to be angry is morally equivalent to murder (Matt 5:21-22)! Sometimes, the evilness of sin is lowered by calling it a disease. “Oh, getting drunk and abusing your wife, that’s not your fault! You have a disease! It’s OK!” This is one of the ways Satan makes evil attractive—he rebrands it, like a great businessman.
This is the very reason many people can’t get free from sin; they simply don’t see it as bad. If one doesn’t recognize how heinous something is, he or she won’t desperately work to get rid of it. If we don’t hate it, then it will linger in our lives.
Application Question: In what ways does the world and Satan aim to make sin more acceptable and less heinous? How should Christians overcome this reprogramming?
Even though she continued to speak to Joseph day after day, he did not respond to her invitation to have sex with her. One day he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants were there in the house. She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Have sex with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran outside.
Genesis 39:10-12
After Joseph rejected Potiphar’s wife, she didn’t stop pursuing him. It says she spoke to him “day after day” (v. 10). No doubt, she not only spoke but probably tried to tempt him by wearing revealing clothing and alluring perfume. Obviously, Potiphar’s wife wasn’t used to being rejected and wouldn’t take no for an answer. To fight this temptation, Joseph not only refused but also stopped being around her. Verse 10 in the NIV says, “he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” Whenever Joseph saw Mrs. Potiphar, he simply went the other direction. He didn’t look at her or even listen to her. Eventually, she became so desperate that on a day none of the other servants were around (a possible setup), she grabbed Joseph and tried to force him to sleep with her. Joseph ran away—leaving his outer garment in her hand.
Similarly, if we are going to conquer temptation, we must intentionally and persistently avoid it as well. First Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Stay away from every form of evil.” Christ taught that if our eye offends us, to pluck it out, if our hand offends us, to cut it off, and if our foot offends us, to do the same (Matt 5:29-30, Matt 18:8-9). Essentially, he taught that we need to be drastic in order to be holy. If it means avoiding a certain person or group of people, so be it. If it means getting rid of the TV or cutting off the Wi-Fi in the house, so be it. We must do whatever it takes to be holy. We are not to entertain sin through the radio or TV—declaring how strong we are and how it doesn’t affect us. We are called to flee it, like Joseph. Kent Hughes said, “The word is out … God is looking for a few good ‘cowards’!”7 The rest of Scripture supports this: Second Timothy 2:22 (NIV) says, “Flee the evil desires of youth…” First Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee sexual immorality…”
It’s the strong who are weak and the weak who are strong. Some believers are just too strong to conquer temptation. If they were weaker, willing to flee, they would be more successful.
Application Question: Why is it so important to flee temptation instead of trying to faithfully endure it? What should we do when we can’t avoid it entirely?
When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run outside, she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought in a Hebrew man to us to humiliate us. He tried to have sex with me, but I screamed loudly. When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside me and ran outside.” So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home. This is what she said to him: “That Hebrew slave you brought to us tried to humiliate me, but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran outside.” When his master heard his wife say, “This is the way your slave treated me,” he became furious. Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison.
Genesis 39:13-20
Without doubt, Joseph was aware that scorning Potiphar’s wife could have hazardous consequences. Mrs. Potiphar quickly went from humiliation to rage—leading her to frame Joseph. She called all the servants together—declaring that the “Hebrew” that Potiphar brought to them came to humiliate them (v. 14). Not only was she declaring to the other slaves that Joseph was a threat, but she catered to their ethnic pride and fear of foreigners. The “Hebrew” would try to hurt them as well. Then she called Potiphar and, by implication, blamed him. She said, “that Hebrew slave you brought to us tried to humiliate me” (v. 17). Because of this, Potiphar threw Joseph into prison.
Interpretation Question: Did Potiphar believe his wife’s accusations?
There is circumstantial evidence within the text that Potiphar didn’t completely believe his wife. (1) When it says, he became “furious” (v. 19), it does not say that he became furious at Joseph. (2) The consequence for adultery would normally be execution. However, Potiphar, though Pharaoh’s chief executioner, gave Joseph a lenient sentence—imprisonment. (3) Also, in Genesis 40:2-3, it appears that Joseph was imprisoned in a prison that was attached to Potiphar’s house. It says, “Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, the cupbearer and the baker, so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined.” The captain of the guard was probably still Potiphar. If Potiphar believed that Joseph really tried to rape his wife, he most likely would have sent him somewhere that he would never see him again. (4). Finally, in Genesis 40:4, Potiphar entrusted Pharaoh’s prisoners to Joseph’s care. It says, “The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them.” Why would Potiphar entrust Joseph with anything again if he had broken the ultimate trust—trying to rape his wife? It is also clear that Joseph was overseeing all the prisoners under the warden (Gen 39:22), not just Pharaoh’s special prisoners. This scenario doesn’t seem likely if Potiphar believed his wife’s accusations.
When Joseph was imprisoned based on Mrs. Potiphar’s accusations, apparently, it was more like Daniel being thrown in the lions’ den (Daniel 6). When the Persian king put Daniel in prison, he knew that Daniel was righteous and had been framed by the other administrators; however, he had to obey the law. Similarly, to not punish Joseph would have been an extreme loss of face for Potiphar and, obviously, would have further hurt his relationship with his wife. The circumstantial evidence seems to point to the fact that Potiphar believed Joseph was righteous—though he had to punish him in some manner.
With that said, Joseph was willing to pay the cost for maintaining his integrity—even if it meant imprisonment. This is the very reason many people fall into temptation. They don’t want to offend or lose someone who is tempting them (or leading them to areas where there is temptation)—whether business associates, friends, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or even family. Some don’t want to get skipped over for promotion or shunned at their workplace, so they compromise with their peers. Many aren’t willing to pay the price for being holy. The price could be loneliness, being made fun of, losing one’s job, or even losing one’s life.
What price do you have to pay in order to maintain holiness and conquer temptation?
Application Question: What are some common costs of maintaining our integrity and conquering temptation? How has God called you to at times pay a price for following God? In what ways, have you, at times, compromised out of fear of the cost?
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. The warden did not concern himself with anything that was in Joseph’s care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.
Genesis 39:21-23
Finally, while Joseph was imprisoned, God showed him great kindness. He gave him favor with the prison warden. The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. Everything that Joseph did prospered. God’s blessing over his child, Joseph, is an important reality that we must consider when being tempted. Essentially, temptation always says that taking part in it will satisfy us, and that the temptation is better than God’s will for us. It’s the same lie Satan told Eve. He essentially said, “God is lying to you. If you eat of the tree, you won’t die. You will be like God.” Similarly, Satan says, “Getting drunk will be lots of fun, and it won’t hurt anybody!” He says, “Sex outside of marriage will only make you closer to your mate.” “Living with your girlfriend only makes sense. How else can you tell if you’re compatible for marriage? Also, you’ll save lots of money!” Satan always contradicts God’s will for our lives and tries to convince us that succumbing to temptation is better than following God’s way.
Therefore, in order to conquer temptation, we must trust God and what his Word says. Eve had to trust God to not succumb to temptation, and it’s the same for us. Even though Joseph had to suffer a cost for being holy—being put in prison—God was with him in the prison and blessed him. Also, as we’ll see later, Joseph needed to be put in prison in order to eventually interpret the dreams of Pharaoh and be exalted to second in command of Egypt (Gen 41). God’s plans, though mysterious and unpredictable, are always good. Joseph just needed to trust them.
Are you willing to trust God even when things don’t make sense, when compromise seems an easier path? Are you willing to trust what God says about your trials—that he is using them for good? If not, you will eventually succumb to temptation and reap the consequences of it.
Application Question: If Satan is always tempting us to not trust God so that we’ll fall into sin, how can we increase our faith in God to stand?
How can we conquer temptation? We learn a great deal from Joseph’s triumphant example, as he faced multiple temptations as a slave and later a prisoner in Potiphar’s house.
Application Question: What are some other principles that will help us conquer temptation? In what ways is God calling you to further employ strategic principles to overcome temptation in general or with a specific temptation?
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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1 Guzik, D. (2013). Genesis (Ge 39:1). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
2 Swindoll, Charles R. Joseph (p. 24). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
3 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 461). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
4 Swindoll, Charles (1998-12-03). Hand Me Another Brick (p. 98). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
5 Guzik, D. (2013). Genesis (Ge 39:7–10). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
6 Guzik, D. (2013). Genesis (Ge 39:7–10). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
7 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 464). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
After these things happened, the cupbearer to the king of Egypt and the royal baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, the cupbearer and the baker, so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. They spent some time in custody. Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream the same night. Each man’s dream had its own meaning. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” They told him, “We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me.” So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent three days. In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before when you were cupbearer. But remember me when it goes well for you, and show me kindness. Make mention of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, for I really was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.” When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread on my head. In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.” Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent three days. In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.” On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph—he forgot him.
Genesis 40 (NET)
How does God prepare his leaders—those he especially uses to bless others?
There are common preparatory experiences that happen in the lives of those God fashions for great works. We see many of these in the life of Joseph. In Genesis 37, he had a vision of his parents and siblings bowing down to him—God was going to use him to lead. However, Joseph had no idea that God was preparing him to not only lead his family but a nation—Egypt. As second in command of Egypt, his leadership would not only bless Egyptians and his family but many nations during a widespread famine.
In Genesis 40, we find this unlikely leader in prison. Because of his brothers’ hatred for him, they sold him into slavery (Gen 37). While working in Egypt under the captain of the guard, Potiphar, Joseph was framed by Potiphar’s wife because he wouldn’t have an affair with her, which led to him being placed in prison. This seems like a strange pathway to leadership; however, that is how God often moves with us. His pathways are not typically linear—the direct path, as one might expect. They can be quite varied. From the outside looking in, the paths often don’t make sense. However, God is more focused on developing his people’s character than the chronological time it takes to get to a certain destination. Therefore, he paves various paths to develop godly character and competency for his peoples’ callings. We see this with Joseph’s path to leadership and many other saints God used in special ways.
In this narrative, we’ll learn principles about how God prepares leaders. He places them in various schools to equip them for future leadership and to be a blessing to many.
Big Question: What aspects of leadership preparation can we discern from Joseph’s experience in prison, right before his exaltation to leadership in Egypt?
After these things happened, the cupbearer to the king of Egypt and the royal baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.
Genesis 40:1
Interpretation Question: What does “after these things” refer to?
“After these things,” refers to the unfortunate events Joseph experienced in the previous chapter (Gen 39). As mentioned, Joseph was framed for not sleeping with his master’s wife and then sent to prison. However, while there, God was with him and prospered him. Though a prisoner, he was entrusted with caring for other prisoners. These difficult circumstances were part of God’s preparation process for Joseph’s future exaltation.
Often in times of suffering, we’re tempted to think God is angry with us or that we are suffering because of sin. Many times, suffering actually comes because of our faithfulness and is a necessary path for increased ministry. John 15:1-2 says: “‘I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit.”
Pruning is cutting away from a branch so it can bear more fruit. Branches have a tendency to grow lots of foliage (and attract parasites) that can block sunlight and hinder growth. Gardeners, therefore, need to trim branches in order to create more productivity. If the branch was fruitless, the gardener would just get rid of it.
While in Potiphar’s house, Joseph had been fruitful. Genesis 39:2-3 says, “The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful and lived in the household of his Egyptian master. His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful.” God blessed Joseph so much that Potiphar could discern the success was Divine in origin. Potiphar, who would have recognized many gods, was being introduced to Yahweh through Joseph. In fact, when Joseph was promoted over everything, God blessed everything in Potiphar’s house and fields for Joseph’s sake (39:6). Joseph, essentially, was participating in God’s promise to Abraham—that all nations would be blessed through his lineage (Gen 12:3).
Therefore, Joseph’s humbling circumstances were not because of God’s displeasure. Far from it! He was suffering for righteousness’ sake, and God was using this suffering to purify him, to take their relationship deeper, and to prepare Joseph for even more fruitfulness. Christ said it is to the Father’s glory that his disciples produce much fruit (John 15:8). Because of this, Christians will go through various seasons of exaltation (God using us mightily) and humbling (including seasons of little activity or influence), all meant to prepare us for greater fruitfulness.
With Abraham, after he left his father’s home in obedience to God’s command to go to the promised land, he encountered a country in the midst of a famine (Gen 12). No doubt, Abraham was shocked by the immediate hardship after obeying God. In another example, immediately after Elijah brings judgment on the prophets of Baal and ignites a revival in Israel, Jezebel promises to kill him (1 Kgs 18-19). Elijah then flees for his life and begins to struggle with depression and a desire to die.
Those unaware of this necessary leadership training often become disillusioned by the repeated trials they encounter. They commonly question God and ask, “Why?” Again, often it’s simply because they have been faithful, and God is preparing them for greater fruit and effectiveness.
Application Question: What is learned by believers during the school of hardship?
When we are bearing much fruit, we are more prone to pride and self-sufficiency. Therefore, trials are a form of protection for us—keeping us from pride. This is what God did with Paul, who was very fruitful in his service to the Lord and had experienced many special revelations from God. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul said, “even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant.” For the one who is fruitful, trials are a necessary protection. If Satan could become prideful, without having a sin nature, while serving the Lord, how much more are we prone to this when we already have prideful inclinations in our flesh? God fights against the proud and gives grace to the humble (Jam 4:6). In one sense, reoccurring hardships keep God’s servants in a place of blessing—a place where God can give them grace in their weakness and use them more.
If we have exceptional advantages like Joseph—being good looking and having superior intellectual, spiritual, and leadership abilities—we may need more hardship than others to keep us from pride. With that said, we can trust that God will not allow us to be tried beyond what we are able to bear and is fitting to equip us for our calling (cf. 1 Cor 10:13).
James 1:2-3 says, “My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” “Endurance” is a word that simply means to “bear up under a heavy weight.” This is important because, like lifting weights at the gym, enduring trials builds greater strength in believers. This strength will allow them to not only stand in hard times but also to help others stand, which is important for leaders. It enables them to better carry others’ burdens and therefore fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). Trials build this type of strength in leaders. Without it, we won’t be able to help others, as we will crumble under the weight of our own trials and difficulties. In this narrative, Joseph ministered to the baker and cupbearer, though he was in his own trial—carrying their burdens, even as Christ carries ours.
David said this about his trials, “Before I was afflicted I used to stray off, but now I keep your instructions” (Ps 119:67). When life was easy, David was more prone to neglect God and sin against him, but the experience of suffering made David cling to and obey God more. This is what God was developing in Joseph’s life—great humility, endurance, and obedience to prepare him for greater responsibility.
With that said, though trials are meant to train and equip us for greater fruit, it is possible to become angry at God because of them—leading to greater strongholds. Satan’s desire through the trials he brought against Job was for him to curse God. Certainly, many leave trials with less faith and more entangling sin. Instead of turning to God, they turn to unhealthy endeavors: relational codependency, alcohol and drug abuse, dishonesty, or other toxic, harmful behaviors. God’s intention is to nurture their spiritual growth; Satan’s intention is to bring their spiritual demise. Each trial brings an opportunity for both. We must turn to God in our trials so he can train us for his purposes.
Application Question: Recall a season where God put you in the school of hardship. What were the difficulties and rewards of that season? Why is it so easy to neglect and sin against God in seasons of ease? How has experiencing hardship created greater humility, endurance, and obedience in you?
After these things happened, the cupbearer to the king of Egypt and the royal baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, the cupbearer and the baker, so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. They spent some time in custody. Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream the same night. Each man’s dream had its own meaning. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” They told him, “We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me …
Genesis 40:1-19
While in prison, Joseph was tasked with overseeing all the prisoners; and at some point, he was given responsibility for serving two special prisoners—Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. The cupbearer oversaw Pharaoh’s vineyards and tasted his drinks to make sure none of them were poisoned.1 The baker prepared and oversaw the quality of all the king’s food.2 These were high ranking officials in the government. Both of these men had the king’s ear and were in his confidential circle.
The narrator says that these officials “offended” Pharaoh, which led to their imprisonment (v. 1-3). We don’t know exactly what they did, but the fact that one of them ultimately received capital punishment implies they were suspected of a serious crime. Since both officials oversaw Pharaoh’s food and drink, most likely the suspected crime had to do with Pharaoh’s table—maybe some poison was intercepted. Also, the fact these two officials were not treated like common criminals but instead received favorable treatment in prison, probably meant that their guilt was not yet determined. Maybe both were guilty, or one of them, or neither of them. While they were imprisoned, Joseph served them and probably even befriended them.
God typically does this with people he is going to exalt. He first places them in the school of service—teaching them how to put others before themselves. With Christ, before taking the crown, he came down to the earth as a servant to serve people. Philippians 2:6-7 says:
who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.
Paul continues to describe Christ’s humiliation and exaltation this way: “As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow —in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (v. 9-10). Serving came before Christ’s exaltation.
Similarly, Christ taught his disciples that the person who wants to be great must become the servant of all (Matt 20:26). God trains those he will use greatly in the school of service. Joseph entered this school at his father’s house—shepherding sheep. He continued it in Potiphar’s house as a slave and while in prison.
Application Question: What aspects of service are learned in the school of service, as seen from Joseph’s serving the political prisoners?
In Genesis 40:6-7, it says,
When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”
When Joseph approached the political prisoners one morning, it was apparent that they were depressed, and he inquired, “Why?” This is significant. In Genesis 37, when Joseph was a youth, he was very unaware of his brothers’ hatred of him. After Jacob exalts Joseph by giving him a special robe, Joseph shared with his brothers the dreams of him ruling over them. They were already angry at him and hurt by their father’s favoritism towards Joseph; Joseph’s sharing only made the situation worst. The brothers couldn’t even speak kind words to him (Gen 37:4). At that point in Joseph’s life, he had no comprehension of their emotions. He was too consumed with himself to discern his brothers’ murderous, emotional state. He didn’t seem to be sharing his dreams to antagonize them. He was simply totally oblivious to their pain.
However, after God allowed Joseph to experience the pain of betrayal, the pain of being a foreigner in Egypt, the pain of losing his freedom as a slave, the pain of suffering evil for doing good, God created a tremendous sensitivity in him—an ability to relate to others, feel their pain, and a desire to minister to them. How can we minister to somebody who is lonely if we’ve never experienced loneliness? How can we minister to somebody who has experienced loss if we haven’t? How can we minister to somebody who has experienced depression when we know nothing of it? It is through experiencing our own pain that God equips us with sympathy and compassion to better serve others. After experiencing various pains, we’ll often ache as we hear the stories of others. It will remind us of our own past pain and provoke us to help alleviate theirs.
In addition, not only did Joseph’s experience of hardship create sensitivity in him but specifically, it increased his capacity to care for hurting people. Serving others takes our mind off ourselves. It delivers us from being self-focused and makes us others-focused. As we vicariously experience the suffering and pain of others, God broadens our capacity for compassion and sympathy. Not only through hardship but also by serving others, God developed compassion and sensitivity in Joseph. God often does the same with us.
Certainly, this is, in part, why Christ became human. He became human to relate to us, so he could better serve us. Hebrews 2:17-18 says,
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
Are you developing a compassionate heart for others? This is something God develops in those he prepares to bless many. This is one of the reasons that going on mission trips can be so helpful to one’s spiritual life. Many times, on the mission field—serving others—God delivers people from immaturity and selfishness and develops a compassion in them to serve others with their lives.
Application Question: How has God used both pain and serving others to make you more compassionate?
After the officials shared the fact that they were disturbed because of dreams, Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me” (Gen 40:8). Again, Joseph was speaking to pagans who worshiped various gods—each having dominion over different spheres (the water, the moon, the sun, the stars, etc.). However, Joseph essentially says the one God is over everything. He points them to God as sovereign over dreams and the interpreter of them.
Joseph’s response to their dreams is pretty remarkable and telling of what had happened in Joseph’s heart. After having his own dreams, being sent into slavery and then prison, it would be understandable if Joseph wanted nothing more to do with dreams. However, his response of seeking interpretations from God for their dreams implies that he still believed his own. Throughout those eleven years of slavery and imprisonment, Joseph persevered in believing God’s word to him—spoken through his dreams. In fact, after Joseph’s interpretation of their dreams came true, it confirmed his belief even more. God would one day set Joseph free and exalt him. Joseph had faith in God and, therefore, could help others have faith. And while he served others, his faith in God continued to grow. This is the same thing God does with us. As we minister to others and see God’s power move in their lives bringing healing, encouragement, and restoration, it builds our faith.
Again, this is one of the reasons it’s so important for young believers to get into serving ministries early on in their faith journey, as it will transform their little faith into big faith. Not serving or getting involved in ministries only keeps their faith stagnant. In order to mature in Christ, we all need to continually experience God using us to bless others. As we do this, it will build our faith and prepare us to help more people.
Application Question: How has serving others increased your faith? How have you experienced a decline in your faith when not serving?
To Egyptians, dreams were very important, and therefore, the skill of interpretation was prized. They believed that dreams put them in contact with the netherworld.3 Because the high officials were in prison, they didn’t have access to professional interpreters who used dream books and other methods to interpret. Since Joseph had experience with his own dreams, he trusted God to interpret theirs. With nothing to lose, the officials shared their dreams with Joseph. In the cupbearer’s dream, he saw a vine with three branches. On these branches were buds that quickly blossomed and turned into grapes. Then the cupbearer squeezed the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup. We don’t know for sure, but it is probably wise to assume, that Joseph sent a quick arrow prayer to God—asking for grace to interpret (like Nehemiah praying while talking to the Persian king in Nehemiah 2). Then Joseph shared that the three branches symbolized that God would restore the cupbearer to his position of serving the king in three days.
Being encouraged by the positive interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream, the baker shared his dream. In it, he had three baskets on his head with baked goods for the king. However, there were birds eating from the top basket. This scenario was not uncommon: in those days, men and women both carried all sorts of items or heavy burdens on their heads. Also, in Egypt, birds were considered sacred and, therefore, were left unmolested. This made them a constant nuisance, especially when food was around.4 Birds swooping down to steal food was normal; however, the fact that the baker could not stop them would have been unacceptable. It was his job to ensure the safety and quality of the Pharaoh’s food—this would have been an utter failure on his part. Joseph interprets that in three days Pharaoh would have him decapitated. Perhaps this confirmed the fact that the baker had previously failed to protect the king’s food and would suffer the consequences. The cupbearer was the innocent party.
However, this is the point we must understand from this part of the narrative: in serving the officials, not only did Joseph have faith in God, but he also faithfully shared God’s word with them, which would encourage them to believe in the sovereign God. Indeed, it was easy to share the interpretation about the cupbearer’s release, but it must have been difficult to share the distressing message with the baker. It seems that Joseph didn’t hesitate—he simply spoke for God. This is where many Christians fail as servants, and therefore in their preparation for leadership: they won’t speak God’s Word at all, preferring to remain silent, or they speak only messages of encouragement and not messages of rebuke.
Every believer has the responsibility to speak for God. God has given us his complete revelation in Scripture, and we must share it with all. It has been given, according to Paul, for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness to equip God’s people for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). By sharing it with others, we equip them to be used by God, but we also equip ourselves by both our studying and sharing of it.
Consider what God said to Joshua as he began to lead Israel: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful” (Josh 1:8). Not only was Joshua to memorize and obey Scripture, but he was also called to never let it depart from his lips in order to be a successful leader. Essentially, Joshua was called to teach God’s Word: to share it with his family, friends, co-workers, etc. If he did this, God would prosper his leadership over Israel. Likewise, one of the ways God prepares us for fruitful leadership is by our faithful sharing of God’s Word with others—speaking both encouragement and rebuke. If God can trust us with his Word, he can trust us with other duties.
Is God’s Word constantly on your lips? Are you talking about it with your friends, family, and co-workers? In Acts 20:26-27, Paul said, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” We will be held accountable for not sharing all of God’s Word as well—both the good and the bad. This is one of the truths God teaches in the school of service—our need to be faithful stewards of God’s Word (1 Cor 4:1-2), which can only be done if we faithfully study God’s Word.
As seen with Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David and many others, preparation for leadership starts with serving others. Great servants become great leaders. Again, even God made his own Son a servant before he made him King, and Christ taught that the pathway to greatness was becoming the servant of all (Matt 20:26).
Who is God calling you to serve? Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works.” We must consider others—thinking about how we may best serve and encourage them. For most, the school of service starts with our family, including a future spouse and children (cf. 1 Tim 5:8). If we don’t serve our families well, we won’t serve others well either. This is why potential elders must run their households well before even being put into church leadership (1 Tim 3:1-7). As we learn to excel in serving others (including our family), God by his grace, opens the door for greater responsibility.
Application Question: Recall a season where God put you in the school of service. What were the difficulties and rewards of that season? Why is serving others the best preparation for leadership? What lessons has God taught you while serving others? Who is God calling you to serve, as he prepares you for greater service?
On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph—he forgot him.
Genesis 40:20-23
After interpreting the cupbearer’s dream, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and speak to Pharaoh positively about him (Gen 40:14-15). He had done nothing to deserve imprisonment. No doubt, the cupbearer responded positively. In three days, the king, on his birthday, granted clemency to the cupbearer while putting the baker to death.
After the cupbearer was set free, one would imagine that Joseph was very excited. Not only did this confirm God was going to bring Joseph’s dream to fruition, but also that he might soon be set free. Possibly, he could be set free the same day or within the week. Every time someone visited the jail, Joseph’s heart probably pounded in his chest as he looked up to see who it was. However, after weeks, the excitement slowly decreased. He realized that the cupbearer forgot.
Why did the cupbearer forget? We are not told. Maybe he was so wrapped up in excitement about his own freedom that he simply forgot about Joseph. Maybe he was busy completing all the work that had been neglected in his absence. Maybe he was just afraid to remind Pharaoh of the past by bringing up Joseph’s name, so he remained quiet. Whatever the reason, Joseph remained in the prison. He was there for two more years (Gen 41:1). Altogether, he waited thirteen years for God to exalt him, and over twenty for his dreams to manifest of his family bowing down to him.
Joseph was in the school of waiting—the same school God placed others who received his great and precious promises. Abraham waited twenty-five years for a child from his wife, Sarah. Moses waited forty years in the desert before God called him to lead Israel into the promised land. David was anointed to be king as a young child, but spent years in Saul’s army and, later on, running from Saul’s army before God made him king of Israel. Jesus also waited a long time to begin his ministry—thirty years.
Application Question: Why does God place his leaders in the school of waiting?
Waiting weans us from dependence on self or others until we trust solely in God. Jeremiah 17:5 and 7 says:
The LORD says, “I will put a curse on people who trust in mere human beings, who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, and whose hearts have turned away from the LORD…My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in me.
God has to teach his people through failure to not put their trust in their own hard work, wisdom, networking ability, good looks, family background, education, or resume. The blessing can only come through God. Therefore, God allows failure and disappointment to help us learn that the blessing must come through him and him alone
Certainly, we see this training process with Jacob. He was a deceiver. He had to fail at deceiving his brother Esau, his father Isaac, and even his uncle Laban—there was nothing he could do to receive God’s promises but trust in God and remain faithful to him. God buffeted Jacob’s flesh in the waiting season, and he does the same to us.
Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope.” James 1:4 says, “And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.” Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.”
Are you waiting for some promise from God? Trust him. He is working on your heart, while at the same time working through circumstances to prepare you for his blessing. If Joseph would have been released from prison with the cupbearer, he just would have been free to return home. However, two years later was God’s perfect time. God was creating a leadership gap in Egypt that Joseph would fill to save nations including Egypt and Israel.
God is doing the same in your life through hardships, disappointments, and specifically waiting seasons. As you remain faithful, God is preparing you for more. Victor Edman, the former president of Wheaton College, said this, “Delay never thwarts God’s purposes; it only polishes his instrument.”5 Psalm 46:10 (NIV) says, “‘Be still, and know that I am God.” Hebrews 6:12 says, “so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.”
What are you waiting on God for—healing in your family, wisdom for the future, open doors for further ministry? To receive the promises, you must faithfully persevere through waiting seasons and let God perfect you through them. Psalm 37:4-5 (ESV) says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.”
Application Question: Recall a season where God put you in the school of waiting. What were the difficulties and rewards of that season? What major promises has God answered that he made you initially wait for? Are there some promises or dreams that you’re still waiting on? What are some of the fruits developed in waiting seasons? Why are waiting seasons so difficult?
How does God prepare his leaders—those he uses to significantly bless others? We learn principles from Joseph’s time in prison right before his exaltation to governor over Egypt.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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1 Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis record: a scientific and devotional commentary on the book of beginnings (p. 569). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
2 Getz, Gene A.. Joseph: Overcoming Obstacles Through Faithfulness (Men of Character.) (pp. 73-74). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
3 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 469). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
4 Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis record: a scientific and devotional commentary on the book of beginnings (pp. 573–574). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
5 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 473). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
…Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard about you, that you can interpret dreams.” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, but God will speak concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing by the edge of the Nile. Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. Then seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows as these in all the land of Egypt! The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven fat cows. When they had eaten them, no one would have known that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. I also saw in my dream seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. Then seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent seven years of famine. This is just what I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. But seven years of famine will occur after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land. The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. The dream was repeated to Pharaoh because the matter has been decreed by God, and God will make it happen soon. ”So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh should do this—he should appoint officials throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority they should store up grain so the cities will have food, and they should preserve it. This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.” This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning as you are! You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. Only I, the king, will be greater than you. “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place you in authority over all the land of Egypt…
Genesis 41 (NET)
How should we handle success and prosperity? In comparison to all the books and sermons that discuss how to handle adversity or trials, very few speak about how to handle success. Chuck Swindoll said this:
Few people can live in the lap of luxury and maintain their spiritual, emotional, and moral equilibrium. Sudden elevation often disturbs balance, which leads to pride and a sense of self-sufficiency—and then, a fall. It’s ironic, but more of us can hang tough through a demotion than through a promotion. And it is at this level a godly leader shows himself or herself strong. The right kind of leaders, when promoted, know how to handle the honor.1
Success and prosperity are hard on a person. Not many can handle the new authority and freedoms that come with it. How often do we see successful pastors, athletes, businessmen, or government officials fall? Saul fell when success came, and so did David and Solomon. Unfortunately, prosperity and the temptations that come with it often cause many to fall.
With that said, there is probably no greater success story than Joseph’s. Not only does he go from rags to riches within twenty-four hours, but he also handles the sudden elevation well—not only to his benefit but the benefit of many. He goes from prison to overseeing all of Egypt, which was probably the most powerful nation during that time period. Most people couldn’t handle such a quick elevation. Certainly, we see this with professional athletes. They frequently leave their college years, during which they had few financial resources, to quickly having millions of dollars. Many don’t make it. It’s common to hear of bankruptcy stories soon after leaving the professional ranks or how they fell into drugs and other negative traps.
In God’s sovereign plan, Joseph had thirteen years of slavery and prison to prepare him for this elevation, and his example tells us something about how to properly handle success and prosperity. We learn not only from how he handles his personal success, but how he handles Egypt’s prosperity as governor.
Big Question: What principles can we learn about properly handling success and prosperity from Joseph’s example in Genesis 41?
Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard about you, that you can interpret dreams.” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, but God will speak concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.”
Genesis 41:14-16
Observation Question: How many times does Joseph mention God to Pharaoh?
The story takes place two years after Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream. At the end of that time, Pharaoh had two dreams that haunted him. He saw seven cows that were fat and well-fed coming out of the Nile. (This was not an unusual occurrence, as cows and other animals would stand in the river to drink and experience relief from the heat.) Next, seven thin, anemic cows came up after them and stood next to the fat ones and devoured them. This would have been especially startling as cows represented divinity in that religious culture.2 This dream shocked Pharaoh so much that he awoke. Then, Pharaoh fell back asleep and had a similar dream with seven, healthy heads of grain—possibly corn—and seven, thin, heads of grain which devoured the first seven.
Since the pharaohs were considered divine, a great deal of credence was given to their dreams.3 Pharaoh sought competent people throughout his kingdom to interpret these two dreams; however, all failed. Then the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh the story of Joseph interpreting both his and the baker’s dreams, and how the dreams came true. So, Pharaoh sent for Joseph.
After being released from prison, Joseph immediately shaved and washed up. Unlike Hebrews who grew beards, Egyptians were clean-shaven. They would only let their hair and beards grow during periods of mourning, as they generally gave extreme care to cleanliness.4 It was appropriate for Joseph to approach the king in a suitable fashion.
When the king acknowledged Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, Joseph replied, “It is not within my power, but God will speak concerning the welfare of Pharaoh” (v. 16). In fact, three other times in this narrative, Joseph pointed to God (vs. 25, 28, and 32). In verse 25, he says, “‘Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.” In verse 28, he says, “God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.” In verse 32, Joseph says, “the matter has been decreed by God, and God will make it happen soon.”
Joseph could have just told Pharaoh the interpretation without continually referring to God, but he didn’t. He always pointed to the divine cause of the dream and the future events. Joseph was totally consumed with giving glory to God. He did the same thing when interpreting the cupbearer’s and baker’s dreams while in prison. He said, “Don’t interpretations belong to God?” (40:8). Then he asked them to tell him the dream. This is a very important principle that we must practice if we are going to handle success and prosperity well.
For many, when they become successful, instead of becoming consumed with God and his glory, they become consumed with themselves and their glory. Therefore, life becomes all about their brand and promoting it at every venue. They become obsessed with seeking opportunities to gain a greater following and make more money. However, when Joseph had a chance to promote himself and possibly seek to earn freedom and wealth from Pharaoh, he did not pursue it. While in slavery and prison, God weaned him from self-promotion. As a young boy, he seemed to struggle with this, as he boastfully shared his dreams with his brothers, who eventually enslaved him (Gen 37). However, before Pharaoh, who could release him, he simply glorified God: “I can do nothing; God will interpret your dreams.” “God has declared this to happen” (paraphrase). Even after Joseph advised Pharaoh to select a wise person to oversee the kingdom in order to prepare for the famine, Joseph didn’t volunteer himself. He didn’t lay out his resume: “My father had me overseeing my older brothers when I was only a young shepherd; Potiphar had me overseeing the slaves in his household, and I also oversaw the prisoners while in prison. I would be great for the job!” Joseph didn’t do that—though it wouldn’t necessarily have been wrong to do so.
Interpretation Question: Why does Joseph not self-promote?
Probably, for at least two reasons:
These realities are important for us to embrace because they will keep us from pride and from becoming consumed with ourselves when exalted. If we believe promotion comes from others, then we will exalt ourselves or other people in order to seek favor. However, if we believe God promotes those who promote him (cf. 1 Sam 2:30)—those who seek his kingdom first (cf. Matt 6:33)—then we will focus on God and his kingdom, instead of ourselves.
Proverbs 3:6 says, “Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.” When we put God first and seek his glory in everything, he will guide our steps, open and shut doors for us, protect us, and give us his peace in the midst of chaos. When he is first, he leads us into the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Ps 23:3). If we don’t put him first, we will often miss God’s guidance and blessing. This is an important practice, especially when experiencing prosperity.
Seeking God’s glory in everything doesn’t mean we never say, “Thank you,” when people compliment us and only respond, “To God be the glory!” Joseph clearly pointed to God when interpreting the officials dreams in prison (Gen 40:8) and when talking to Pharaoh (Gen 41:16). Since Potiphar recognized that God was with Joseph (Gen 39:3), we can assume Joseph was vocal about his faith there as well. However, more important than always being vocal about God is the character and condition of one’s heart. Honoring God is much more a matter of our heart attitude. It’s the type of heart that says like David, “May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my sheltering rock and my redeemer” (Ps 19:14). It’s the kind of heart that seeks to honor God in everything, including the mundane. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, whether we eat, drink, or whatever we do, it should all be done for the glory of God.
Are we seeking to glorify God in everything we do—our social life with friends and family, our professional life at work, our religious life with other believers, and our private life when nobody is looking? This is the type of life that can handle success and prosperity well—a life that is all about God’s glory. Otherwise, we will grow in pride and become consumed with our own glory. As mentioned, in 1 Samuel 2:30, the Lord says, “For I will honor those who honor me.” Lord help us to be consumed with your honor and glory, especially in times of success and prosperity.
Application Question: Why is it so easy to become consumed with our glory in various areas of life—socially, vocationally, religiously, and privately? How is God calling you to seek to glorify him more in various areas of life? How can we seek to glorify God in everything without demonstrating false humility—where we never accept compliments?
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. But seven years of famine will occur after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land. The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. The dream was repeated to Pharaoh because the matter has been decreed by God, and God will make it happen soon. “So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh should do this—he should appoint officials throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority they should store up grain so the cities will have food, and they should preserve it. This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.”
Genesis 41:29-36
Observation Question: After interpreting the dream, what advice did Joseph give Pharaoh?
After Pharaoh shared his dreams, Joseph interpreted them: There would be seven years of plenty and then seven years of famine. The famine would be so extreme that the years of plenty would be forgotten. Then Joseph gave Pharaoh advice: (1) He should find a wise man and give him authority over all of Egypt. (2) He should appoint officials under this man to oversee various districts. (3) These officials should collect twenty percent of the produce during the years of abundance in order to provide for people during the famine.
Historical records show that it was normal for Egypt and other nations during that time to give a tithe to their kings. So instead of only receiving a tithe, Pharaoh would collect a double tithe during the years of prosperity. It is not clear whether the people were just commanded to give a higher tax, which would have caused a great backlash, or whether the government paid for the extra food. Obviously, since the food would be so plentiful during the years of abundance, the cost would go down, as a high supply would lead to lower demand. Therefore, the government could buy all the excess inexpensively and keep everybody happy. They probably used both methods—taxing the normal ten percent and purchasing the rest.
However, the main principle we need to see in this text is the divine wisdom that Joseph demonstrated. This is seen in both the interpretation of the dreams and also his prudent plan to survive the famine. Clearly, all this wisdom came from God. Even Pharaoh could discern it was divine in origin. After Joseph’s suggestion, Pharaoh said: “Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” (v. 38). Similarly, if we are going to handle success and prosperity well, we must have the Lord’s wisdom.
Application Question: How can we gain divine wisdom, so we can properly handle success and prosperity, as well as difficult seasons?
Psalm 19:7b (NIV) says, “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” God has given us divine wisdom in his Word. For many circumstances, Scripture tells us exactly what to do. For example, we should always tell the truth and never lie or steal. And for other situations, Scripture presents godly principles: There are principles about marriage, parenting, friendship, business, and conflict management. We must know Scripture in order to gain God’s guidance. David said God’s Word was a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path (Ps 119:105). By being in God’s Word, he gained direction.
Now certainly, Joseph did not have Scripture, as it had not yet been written. Therefore, God spoke to him in more charismatic ways. But God has given us his completed Word, and therefore, we have access to clearer principles than Joseph had. Joseph had a dream of God working things out for him, and he learned it was so by experience. But God has taught us these same truths clearly apart from dreams or experience. According to Romans 8:28, all things work for the good of those who love the Lord.
If we are going to handle success and prosperity well, we must have God’s wisdom which comes through Scripture. If we don’t drink deeply from God’s Word, we will often make bad decisions and reap their negative consequences.
We don’t clearly see Joseph praying, but we can have no doubt that he lived a life of prayer and that God directed him through prayer. Similarly, God will give us supernatural wisdom through prayer. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Both in our trials and times of prosperity, we should pray for divine wisdom.
In this text, Pharaoh sought the wisdom of God through one of God’s children, Joseph. In the same way, many times God will give us direction through others. He has made the church a body (1 Cor 12)—one person may function as the hands, another the eyes, and another the feet. If the foot says to the eye, “I don’t need you,” that person will be directionless. The metaphor of the church being the body tells us we must be dependent upon one another to receive much of God’s grace. We should not be afraid of asking for help from other believers. By God’s grace, some may function as the ‘eyes’ for our situation. Proverbs 11:14 says, “there is success in the abundance of counselors.” Many lack God’s wisdom simply because they are unwilling to be humble and vulnerable before others.
We especially need this wisdom in times of prosperity and success. Luke 12:48 says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Lk 12:48). God gives us success and prosperity to provide for our future and bless more people, and therefore, we have a greater accountability for how we use the extra authority and resources he gives us.
Application Question: Why is it so important to have divine wisdom, especially in times of success and prosperity? In what ways is God calling you to seek his wisdom for a specific situation you are in? How has he given you insight and wisdom in the past?
We see this principle clearly in Joseph’s plan to collect twenty percent of the food during harvest time for the coming famine. But another aspect of this situation must be pointed out: Pharaoh delegated someone to steward Egypt’s thriving economic years, rather than simply advise the Egyptians to store up resources on their own for seven years. Why? One reason is that when most people have plenty, they spend plenty. If they have greater wealth, they buy a bigger house, a better car, the best cell phone and laptop. For this reason, bankruptcy is a problem for rich people as well as poor people. Therefore, Pharaoh placed a person, in whom God’s Spirit dwelt, to collect and manage the wealth for the whole nation.
Scripture actually speaks about money more than heaven and hell. It is very important to God how we handle our wealth because it reveals what’s in our hearts. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Therefore, if we look at our receipts, we can tell very easily what our priorities are—whether that be God, food, education, entertainment, or family. Unfortunately, many people mishandle their finances, which is probably what would have happened if the Egyptians, apart from Joseph’s leadership, had been given responsibility to prepare for the famine.
Application Question: How can we be good stewards of our financial resources?
This is where many believers fail. They think ten percent (if that) of their wealth is God’s, and the rest is theirs. However, it’s all God’s. Psalm 24:1 says, “The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it.” If our wealth is God’s, we must prayerfully and wisely use our resources. One day, God will hold us accountable for how we use his wealth. Luke 16:11 says, “If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches?” One day, God will reward us based, in part, on how we used the financial resources he gave us. We have to understand this concept if we are going to use our wealth well.
In Matthew 6:19-21 and 24, Christ said,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Christ warned against storing up wealth not because wealth in itself is evil. It is because our hearts are evil and therefore prone to love and idolize wealth. Essentially, wealth often becomes our master instead of God—guiding and leading us away from God’s necessary and wise direction. In 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Paul warned of this very temptation. He said,
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Many who love wealth have harmed their families by neglecting them in pursuit of wealth. They have harmed their spiritual life by neglecting it or turning away from it altogether. Having wealth can be very dangerous, and we need to understand this reality. For some, like the rich man, it is best for us to not have it, as Christ told him to give it away (Matt 19:21). For others, we must be wise in our use of it and always guard our hearts (Matt 6:19-21).
Now, this may seem contradictory because, at times, it seems that God rebukes people for storing up wealth. In Luke 12:13-21, a rich man continued to fill up his barns so he could live the easy life, and Christ called him a fool because he stored up wealth and was not rich towards God (v. 21). However, his sin was not having wealth; his sin was trusting in his wealth instead of trusting in God and not seeking to honor God with his wealth (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17).
With that said, Scripture does encourage saving. Certainly, we see it implied in this narrative, as God provided wealth for Egypt to provide for future needs. Similarly, this is the primary reason we should save as well. We should save to provide for our future needs, those of our families, and for others.
Proverbs 6:6-8 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; observe its ways and be wise! It has no commander, overseer, or ruler, yet it prepares its food in the summer; it gathers at the harvest what it will eat.” The ant gathers during harvest so it can eat when food is scarce. Proverbs 21:20, likewise, says this about wise people: “There is desirable treasure and olive oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish person devours all he has.” The fool simply devours what God gives him and doesn’t prepare for the future. Unfortunately, many people are not good with their financial resources—in part, because they lack foresight for the future.
As seen with Egypt, God blessed them to help not only Egyptians but also Israel and the surrounding nations. Similarly, it is important for us to save so we can help others. Ephesians 4:28 says, “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” In order for the former thief to have something for people in need, he would have to save above his own needs. We must do the same.
Not only does Scripture advise us to save but also warns us against debt. Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” The borrower is a servant or slave of the lender. Similarly, Romans 13:8 says, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” Because of unwise debt, many believers can’t fulfill God’s law to love others. They can only pay their lenders. Remaining in debt hinders our ability to love others. Now with that said, God doesn’t forbid debt, he just warns against it—describing it as slavery—so we must be wise.
In Luke 16:9, Christ said: “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Since our resources are the Lord’s and because we love him, we must use them to build his kingdom, which includes seeking for people to be saved and discipled. As Christ said, if we use our resources for this purpose, when we get to heaven many will welcome us there, as they’ve come to know Christ because of our generous giving.
Those who are generous will be tremendously blessed in the coming kingdom and here on earth. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, Paul said this about cheerful givers: “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” If we’re cheerful givers, God will bless us abundantly with all our needs and also grace for every good work—serving others, evangelizing, understanding the Bible, etc. (2 Cor 9:6-11). When we’re faithful with our financial resources, God will bless us in many ways.
In Egypt, Pharaoh chose for Joseph to save for the nation’s future, in part, no doubt, because of people’s tendency to be irresponsible with money. When people have much, they tend to spend much. As seen in Joseph’s example, we must be good stewards of our finances, especially in times of prosperity. God allows prosperity so we can provide for ourselves and also for others.
Application Question: What are some good disciplines for both saving and giving money? Why is getting in debt so common and how can it hinder people from doing God’s will? In what ways is God calling you to be a better steward of his financial resources?
…Now Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by Pharaoh and was in charge of all the land of Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.
Genesis 41:37-49
When Pharaoh promoted Joseph, he gave him the signet ring which was used to sign documents with wax. It represented Joseph’s freedom in making decisions and handling finances. He was given fine clothing and a gold chain which represented his high position (v. 42). After the promotion, he was paraded through the streets of Egypt. As he went by, officials yelled for people to bow down to their new leader (v. 43). Pharaoh also Egyptianized Joseph by giving him a new name, Zaphenath-Paneah. The translation is not clear, but many have translated it “Savior of the World” or “God speaks and lives.” He also received an Egyptian wife named Asenath (v. 45).
After his promotion, Joseph got straight to work. Genesis 41:46b (ESV) says, “And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.” No doubt, he went throughout the land to survey its resources and strategically plan for the seasons of abundance and famine that were coming. He then set up district leaders and places to store grain near the cities. As they collected grain, it says the amount of grain stored was like the sand of the sea. Eventually, Joseph and those under him stopped counting grain because there was so much (v. 49).
We must recognize how diligently Joseph worked: he surveyed, planned, hired (and probably fired), built storage facilities, and gathered grain. When the famine occurred after seven years, he distributed grain wisely—allowing people to pay for it (v. 56-57). In Genesis 47, we see that after the people’s funds ran out, Joseph allowed the people to sell their land to Pharaoh for grain. After they sold their land, they became servants and paid a reasonable tax in order to eat. When Joseph was promoted, he worked hard and sought to excel at his vocation.
Unfortunately, when God promotes some people, for example, by giving them more resources and authority, they abuse it by their lack of discipline and effort. We get a picture of this in the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30). God gives one person five talents, another two, and another one. The first two invested their talents—doing their best with them—and God rewarded them. The third person simply hid it in the ground and God punished him. Two of them did their best to honor God, while one was lazy and thought nothing of his responsibility to his master.
As mentioned, some, after receiving success and prosperity, become lazy like the servant with one talent. Success often means less accountability and more freedom, and if we don’t have the right character, those privileges will often be abused. Unfortunately, lazy leadership typically has negative effects on the work climate, as the subordinates often become bitter or just as lazy as their leader. By God’s grace, Joseph wasn’t lazy, as that would have not only negatively affected Egypt, but other nations as well, since the famine was so widespread. He worked hard in the position God gave him, which opened the door for many to be blessed.
Similarly, if we are going to handle success and prosperity well, we must also seek to do our best by working diligently. This includes developing our abilities so we can be more effective. This might involve getting further education, attending seminars, reading books, and/or being mentored. We should do this because, first of all, it is the Lord we are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Joseph not only worked hard to honor Pharaoh and care for the Egyptians: most importantly, he worked hard to honor God.
Application Question: How have you seen or experienced people who abused their positions of authority by not working hard? How does lazy leadership affect the work environment? How is God calling you to work diligently in your current vocation, as a way to honor him and bless others?
Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “Certainly God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” He named the second child Ephraim, saying, “Certainly God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end.
Genesis 41:50-53
As mentioned, when Joseph was first promoted, Pharaoh Egyptianized him. Pharaoh gave him an Egyptian name, Egyptian clothes, and an Egyptian wife. His wife, Asenath, was the daughter of a pagan priest, Potiphera. Potiphera meant “devoted to the sun.” This means Joseph’s wife had a pagan belief system.
Therefore, one might ask, “Why did Joseph marry her?” Certainly, Scripture warns us against marrying unbelievers. Believers are called to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, which certainly at the minimum applies to marriage (2 Cor 6:14). Those who married unbelievers in Scripture most times were drawn away from God, as seen with Solomon and his pagan wives. Obviously, the narrator does not tell us why or the whole story. With that said, for an Egyptian, it certainly wouldn’t have been a big deal to accept Yahweh as God. Egyptians, as did most pagans, believed in many gods. There was always room for more deities in the Egyptian worldview. The more difficult thing would be accepting that Yahweh was the only God. Maybe, in marrying Joseph, she committed to following only Yahweh (just as Ruth would in the future). For a wife to submit to the husband’s belief system would not be uncommon in the ancient world, as most cultures were patriarchal, and the husband’s authority was absolute.
Either way, it is clear that Joseph raised his household in his faith. Though Joseph had an Egyptian name, Egyptian clothes, and an Egyptian wife, he gave his children Hebrew names—symbolizing that he was raising them in the faith of his fathers. The oldest son’s name was Manasseh, which meant “forgetting.” After thirteen years of slavery and imprisonment, God caused Joseph to forget the pain in his family background. The second son’s name was Ephraim, which meant “doubly fruitful.” God richly blessed him in Egypt with two sons and great prosperity.
The important aspect to notice in this is that Joseph, though prosperous, did not neglect his family. He raised them in the Lord, which was the most important thing he could do. Unfortunately, many sacrifice their families on the altar of prosperity. To become successful, they neglect their spouse and children—often leading to resentment and discord in their home. Joseph, it appears, did not do that. He raised two children who became heads of two of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Similarly, when success and prosperity come, we must take great pains to guard and invest in our families, as there will be a tendency to neglect them. We must continue to develop their faith, pray for them, set a godly example for them, and spend undistracted time with them. After God, we must prioritize our families above everything else including career and ministry. Scripture says that anyone who neglects his or her family has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5:8).
Application Question: In what ways can prosperity and success (or the pursuit of these) lead to neglecting one’s family? How have you seen this happen? What types of disciplines must be put in place to protect our families, especially in times of prosperity? Are there any applications that can be taken from the fact that two of the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel were half Egyptian?
As Joseph named his children, he essentially was saying, “The past problems I went through were for my good and God meant them to bless me.” That’s what the names “forgetting” and “double blessing” seem to imply. Joseph had trusted God throughout his thirteen years, and his trust is confirmed at this stage of his life.
It is good to consider that many times in life we will not fully understand why God allows certain things. Certainly, we always have general Scriptural principles, such as how trials are used to develop faith and character in us (cf. Rom 5:4, Jam 1:4, etc.), but how those experiences fit into God’s great plan to bless us and others is often unclear. However, at times, God may allow us to go on the mountain top where we can look back and see how those experiences—good and bad—fit into God’s perfect and beautiful tapestry for our lives. This seems to be what is inferred at this point of Joseph’s life after being exalted in Egypt and having a blossoming family of his own. His brothers’ hatred of him, being sold into slavery, becoming a prisoner, and living thirteen years in Egypt, truly were meant for his good. God’s plans were far better than Joseph could have ever imagined. His early dream was just a shadow, and the reality was much better. This is true for us as well, whether we ever get to the mountain top where we can better discern God’s reasoning for certain experiences, or not. We must trust that God’s will is good, and that one day, his wise plan will all be crystal clear to us (cf. 1 Cor 13:11-12), either during brief periods on earth or ultimately in heaven.
If we don’t trust God, whether in the prison or in the palace, we will be tempted to become bitter towards him and others. In times of prosperity, we may even be tempted to use our greater power and authority to harm those who have hurt us. However, if we, like Joseph, see God’s sovereign hand over all our troubles, we can “Manasseh”—forget and forgive even those who hurt us (cf. Gen 41:51, 50:20). Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.”
At the mountain top, for a brief period, Joseph understood that all his experiences—even the negative ones—were used by God to doubly bless him. A double blessing was always God’s plan, such as it was with Job’s suffering. We can trust that this is true for us as well, whether we only experience this in heaven or also on earth. To handle success and prosperity (as well as humbling and trials), we must trust in God’s good plan for us. Do you trust him?
Application Question: Why is continuing to trust God as important in the palace as it is in the pit? How can we continue to cultivate our faith in both seasons, and the times in between?
How can we properly handle success and prosperity? We learn principles from Joseph’s exaltation from prison to the palace and how he used the prosperity to bless not only Egypt but his family and the surrounding nations.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
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1 Swindoll, Charles (1998-12-03). Hand Me Another Brick (p. 98). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
2 Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis record: a scientific and devotional commentary on the book of beginnings (p. 576). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
3 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 476). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
4 Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis record: a scientific and devotional commentary on the book of beginnings (p. 579). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us so that we may live and not die.” So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “What if some accident happens to him?” So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” But they exclaimed, “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.” “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive.” But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: You are spies! You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. One of you must go and get your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison. In this way your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” He imprisoned them all for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say and you will live, for I fear God. If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison while the rest of you go and take grain back for your hungry families. But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then your words will be verified and you will not die.” They did as he said. They said to one other, “Surely we’re being punished because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!” Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!” (Now they did not know that Joseph could understand them, for he was speaking through an interpreter.) He turned away from them and wept. When he turned around and spoke to them again, he had Simeon taken from them and tied up before their eyes…
Genesis 42 (NET)
How does God lead people to repentance?
In Genesis 41, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams—there would be seven years of abundance in the land, followed by seven years of famine. Joseph advised the king to select a wise and discerning person to rule over the land. He should collect twenty percent of the harvest during the years of plenty to provide during the years of famine. In response, Pharaoh selected Joseph to oversee Egypt during this critical time. Joseph went from the prison to the palace within twenty-four hours.
Genesis 42 begins more than seven years later. According to Genesis 45:6, these events took place sometime during the first two years of famine. Therefore, Joseph would have been around thirty-nine years old. Apparently, this famine did not affect only Egypt and the surrounding regions, it affected the whole world. Genesis 41:57 says, “People from every country came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.” Like the world-wide flood, maybe this was a global judgment, and God called for Joseph to not only save his family and the Egyptians, but nations throughout the world.
As mentioned, since the famine was so severe, it affected Joseph’s family who was living in Canaan. No doubt, caravans were passing Jacob’s house heading to Egypt for supplies, so he decided to send ten of his sons for supplies. When they arrived, Joseph recognized them and began to test them by accusing them of being spies and imprisoning them.
Interpretation Question: Why did Joseph test his brothers by calling them spies and imprisoning them?
Some think Joseph was being unfair in his ruthless treatment of them, and that he should have just revealed his identity. However, Joseph knew his brothers. Previously, they were a group of scoundrels. They murdered a village of men because of one man’s sin in raping their sister (Gen 34). Reuben slept with his father’s concubine in a power grab (Gen 35)—trying to become the leader of the family. Judah slept with his daughter-in-law because he thought she was a prostitute (Gen 38). And, of course, they all had a part in Joseph being enslaved in Egypt.
It appears Joseph had already forgiven them—as implied by his naming of his oldest son Manasseh. The name means “forgotten”—Joseph had forgotten the troubles in his father’s house (Gen 41:51). However, one-sided forgiveness doesn’t reconcile a relationship when there is no repentance from the other side for the evil done. There were many questions Joseph needed answered: Was his brother, Benjamin, still alive? Did they kill or enslave him because he now was the favored child? Was his father alive? Had they harmed him out of anger or jealousy? Reuben had already sought the inheritance by sleeping with Jacob’s concubine. Ultimately, Joseph needed to know if they had changed or if they were still the same untrustworthy people.
In his role as governor of Egypt, Joseph’s responsibilities would include overseeing legal disputes and handing down judgments (Gen 41). Romans 13:1-7 says government authorities are God’s ministers to reward the righteous and punish the wrongdoers. It seems that God was using Joseph as an agent of justice in Genesis 42. Joseph tested the character of his ten brothers by trying to compel them to true repentance for the evil they committed. God would ultimately use these tests to help prepare them to be heads of the tribes of Israel, who were called to be a blessing to the world. Through Joseph and other circumstances, God was drawing these men to repentance to prepare them for greater works.
As we look at how God works on the hearts of Joseph’s brothers, we can discern similar paths God leads us along to bring us to repentance. As we repent, he draws us away from various sins and into right relationships with himself and others.
Big Question: In what ways does God draw people to repentance, as discerned from how God worked on the hearts of Joseph’s brothers in Genesis 42?
While the famine was over all the earth, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. People from every country came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth. When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us so that we may live and not die.”
Genesis 41:56-42:2
As mentioned, this famine was over the entire world—not just Egypt. In God’s sovereignty, the famine was probably being used as a form of discipline to turn people throughout the world to God. God at times uses weather, and its effects on the land, as a form of discipline. In Amos 4:6-8, God says:
“But surely I gave you no food to eat in any of your cities; you lacked food everywhere you live. Still you did not come back to me.” The LORD is speaking! “I withheld rain from you three months before the harvest. I gave rain to one city, but not to another. One field would get rain, but the field that received no rain dried up. People from two or three cities staggered into one city to get water, but remained thirsty. Still you did not come back to me.” The LORD is speaking!
Certainly, God was using the famine this way in the lives of Joseph’s brothers, who were unrepentant. With that said, it’s good to recognize that some natural disasters may be demonic in origin—though God is still in control of them. For example, in Job 1, Job experienced a “great wind” that destroyed his house and “fire” from heaven—possibly a meteor—that burned up his flocks and servants. These natural disasters came from Satan. God gave Satan permission to do such evils in order to test Job’s heart and help him grow in his faith.
Either way, God permits seasons of lack to turn people to himself. In seasons of ease, people are tempted to forget God, become comfortable without him, and/or comfortable with their sins. Therefore, God allows lack to show us that we need him and to turn us back to him. This is exactly what the father, who represents God, did with the prodigal son. He allowed the prodigal son to leave his household—spend all his money—and then experience a severe famine (Lk 15:14). While the son was taking care of pigs and starving, Christ said this about him:
But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.”‘
Luke 15:17-19
It was when he was starving that he “came to his senses” and decided to return to the father’s house. Certainly, God often allows that in our lives when we are in sin. He allows us to experience lack—possibly financial lack, emotional lack, lack of health, etc., until we turn back to God. David said this about his experience of being unrepentant:
When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.” And then you forgave my sins.
Psalm 32:3-5
While refusing to repent, his body wasted away, and he groaned all day long. He experienced physical and emotional lack until he repented; then, God forgave him. Similarly, God allows us to experience forms of lack in order to lead us to repentance.
Application Question: Why are we so prone to fall away from God when things are good? How has God used trials and specifically the experience of lack to lead you or others away from sin and back to God?
When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us so that we may live and not die.” So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “What if some accident happens to him?” So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan… Their father Jacob said to them, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. And now you want to take Benjamin! Everything is against me.”
Genesis 42:1-5, 36
As mentioned, it was clear that Egypt had resources during this severe, world-wide famine. As shepherds, this famine would have threatened not only Jacob’s family’s food source but also their business. Eventually all their flocks would die if not provided with grain. Therefore, Jacob looked at his sons and said, “Why are you looking at each other? … Go down to Egypt and buy grain?” (Gen 42:1-2 paraphrase). Apparently, when it became clear Egypt had grain, the brothers started looking at each other but not saying anything. This confused Jacob, so he said, “Why are you looking at each other?”
Most likely, the thought of going to Egypt was unattractive to the brothers, even if it meant saving their lives. This probably was because the thought of Egypt triggered memories of how they sold Joseph into slavery, after which he was sent to Egypt. Perhaps they would see him there. If so, what would they say or do? The word, “Egypt,” probably pricked their conscience—resurrecting memories of their sin, so they said nothing when it was brought up and just looked around at one another. God was jogging their memory—reminding them of their sin.
Observation Question: What are some other ways that God reminded the brothers of their sin against Joseph in this narrative?
God apparently reminded them in various ways: (1) When Jacob sent the brothers, he held back his son, Benjamin, who was Rachel’s second son after Joseph. Jacob said, “What if some accident happens to him?” (v. 4). This also would have reminded the brothers of their sin, as Jacob held tightly to Benjamin after losing his other favorite son, Joseph. (2) In fact, after the ten brothers returned from Egypt, they asked Jacob if they could return with Benjamin in order to get more food and get Simeon out of prison. However, Jacob responded, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. And now you want to take Benjamin! Everything is against me” (Gen 42:36). It seems that Jacob was blaming the brothers for his loss of Joseph, Simeon, and the prospect of losing Benjamin. Possibly Jacob always suspected that his sons had something to do with Joseph’s death, and the brothers could sense it.
Similarly, one of the ways that God draws us to repentance is by reminding us of unconfessed sin. Christ taught this was one of the Holy Spirit’s jobs (cf. John 16:8). The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, so we can repent and turn back to God; he does this through many means, including various reminders.
With that said, we must discern the difference between conviction and condemnation. Romans 8:1 says there is now “no condemnation” to those who are in Christ. Christ bore the judgment for our sins on the cross and gave us his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). Therefore, we are always welcomed into God’s presence—in fact, we should come into his presence boldly (Heb 4:14-16). However, Satan often condemns us. He says that we are not worthy to come into the presence of God—not worthy to read the Bible or go to church. He condemns us for our failures in order to push us away from God and obedience to him. But the Holy Spirit convicts us so we can repent—turning away from our sin and returning to God and others.
Here, in this narrative, we see the Holy Spirit working on the brothers’ hardened hearts. Certainly, they didn’t want to think about Joseph or anything associated with him. They wanted to suppress the truth instead of letting the truth set them free (cf. John 8:32). Scripture describes how we tend to suppress the truth because of our sin (Rom 1:18). Therefore, the Holy Spirit gently, and at times loudly, uses various circumstances to remind people of the truth—that they sinned against God and others and need to repent. God loves us and died for us, so we would no longer be slaves of sin but of righteousness (cf. Rom 6:17-18). Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Application Question: How can we discern the difference between condemnation and conviction? Why is it important to do so? In what ways have you experienced the Holy Spirit’s pricking of the conscience when in unrepentant sin or to help you discern something was a sin? How have you experienced Satan’s condemnation?
Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” But they exclaimed, “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.” “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive.” But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: You are spies! You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. One of you must go and get your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison. In this way your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” …
Genesis 42:6-24
When the brothers reached Egypt, they came before Joseph to purchase grain. It is unlikely that Joseph, the governor of Egypt, had to meet with all who bought food. There were granaries set near various cities, with administrators over those granaries, from which people could purchase (cf. Gen 41:34, 48). Most likely, Joseph only met with foreigners who were seeking to purchase grain. As Egypt was a world power and one of a few, if not the only nation, with abundant resources during this famine, they would have enemies who wanted to steal from Egypt or conquer it—to take its resources. Therefore, screening the foreigners, as a means of national security, was an important job that it appears Joseph felt he should personally oversee.
When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them instantly; however, they didn’t recognize him. Joseph was sold into slavery at seventeen years old, and he was now around thirty-nine. Also, Joseph was dressed in Egyptian clothing, speaking through an interpreter, and was clearly royalty—none of the brothers would have suspected that the Egyptian governor was Joseph, their younger brother whom they sold into slavery.
After Joseph recognized his brothers, instead of revealing himself, he chose to speak harshly to them. Again, this was clearly a test. Joseph needed to see if Benjamin and Jacob were alive. He needed to see if the brothers had mistreated either of them and if the brothers had become trustworthy men. Therefore, Joseph spoke harshly to them and accused them of being spies three times. With each reply, they gave more information: (1) First, they answered that they were from Canaan—trying to buy food (v. 7). (2) Next, they said they were brothers and had the same father (v. 11). (3) Finally, they said they came from a family with twelve brothers, the youngest was with their father, and the other was no longer alive (v. 13).
After the brothers revealed that they had a younger brother, Joseph said that they must send one person back to bring Benjamin, so he would believe they weren’t spies. He imprisoned them for three days and then decided to detain only one, Simeon, while the rest delivered grain to their family and then returned to Egypt with Benjamin.
Interpretation Question: Other than to test the brothers, for what other reason did Joseph accuse the brothers of spying and then imprison them?
Many commentators believe that Joseph was actually doing exactly what they had previously done to him. In Genesis 37:2, Joseph was working in the field with his older brothers, after which he related a bad report about them to Jacob. They had done something wrong—possibly neglecting their duties. After that, Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors, which showed how he was favored but also possibly indicated how he was to be their manager. These types of coats weren’t worn by workers—they were worn by royalty, those who didn’t engage in manual labor. This angered the brothers, but they became even angrier when Joseph was sent to see how they were doing while they shepherded far away from home. Possibly, when the brothers first saw Joseph, they said, “What are you doing here? Are you here to spy on us? Are you going to tell daddy?” Though Joseph appealed to them many times, they put him in a pit and then sold him to slave traders.
Evidence that they recognized that this man (not knowing, of course, that it was Joseph) was repeating what they had done to their own brother is evidenced in their response after being accused as spies and then imprisoned. While in prison, they said: “Surely we’re being punished because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!” (Gen 42:21). After they were subjected to similar treatment, they concluded that their circumstances were judgment for how they treated Joseph. Again, God was using Joseph to help the brothers remember their sin and repent.
God often does the same to us. We may think that nobody knows about some sin we’ve committed, but God knows. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows.” We may think that we’re getting away with sin; however, there is a physical and spiritual principle operating in the world—what we sow, we will reap. When we sow apple seeds, we get an apple tree—not an orange tree. In the same way, our evil deeds and good ones have a way of reappearing in our lives. Numbers 32:23 (ESV) says, “be sure your sin will find you out.”
If we were an employee of a business or member of a church who complained and criticized our leadership, then many times, if we assume leadership positions, others will be inclined to criticize us. If we are dishonest in our dealings with others, we’ll often experience others being dishonest with us. Certainly, this was happening not only to the brothers but also to Jacob: He deceived his father, Isaac, to obtain the inheritance. Then his father-in-law, Laban, deceived him by giving him a different wife. Now, his ten sons were deceiving him about what happened to Joseph. His sins were finding him out. Similarly, God often does the same with us, allowing us to reap what we’ve sown in order to help us repent.
With that said, even after we have confessed our sins and experienced God’s forgiveness, many times the forgiveness doesn’t remove the negative fruit of the seeds we’ve sown. For example, after David repented for committing adultery with Uriah’s wife and murdering him, God assured him that he would not die, but that nonetheless, the sword would not depart from his house (2 Sam 12:10-13). His son, Absalom, killed another of David’s sons. Absalom slept with David’s concubines and also tried to kill David. Though forgiven, negative fruits still grew out of the seeds he had sown. Similarly, some have wondered if the tremendous persecutions Paul experienced might have, in part, been negative fruits of his initial persecution of the church. Among other things, he was stoned, whipped, beaten, and imprisoned (cf. 2 Cor 11:16-33), which were the same abuses he unleashed on Christians before he was saved (Acts 8-9). He was forgiven and redeemed, but the principles of sowing and reaping possibly were still at work in his life.
This principle has been noticed by most religions and even the unreligious—some call it karma. It seems that this is the way God made the world. Give and it will be given to you (Lk 6:38). Those who refresh others will also be refreshed (Prov 11:25). Those who show mercy to others will also receive mercy (Matt 5:7). What we sow, we will definitely reap, whether good or bad.
The principle of sowing and reaping is meant to turn us away from sin but also to encourage us to do good. In this narrative, the brothers experienced the fruit of what they had sown, and it reminded them of their unconfessed sin from more than twenty years earlier.
Interpretation Question: Why did Joseph choose to imprison Simeon and not some other brother?
It is possible that, after hearing that Reuben, the oldest, had tried to save him as the brothers discussed their circumstances (Gen 42:22), Joseph concluded that Simeon must have encouraged the treacherous act of his enslavement. Joseph knew the character of his brothers: Simeon was the second oldest. Along with Levi, they murdered the men of Shechem (Gen 34). Simeon was an ungodly person. In fact, when Jacob blesses the sons before he dies, Simeon and Levi received non-blessings. He called them weapons of violence and cursed their anger (Gen 49:5-7). Perhaps, that’s why Joseph imprisoned Simeon—maybe he needed it more than others. Certainly, Simeon was reaping what he had sown.
Application Question: How have you experienced reaping what was sown—both in a positive and negative sense? How should the principle of sowing and reaping encourage believers?
Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out. So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. When one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; they turned trembling one to another and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” … When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man’s bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid. Their father Jacob said to them, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. And now you want to take Benjamin! Everything is against me.”
Genesis 42:25-28, 35-36
When the brothers were going to leave for Canaan, Joseph first encouraged them with the fact that he “feared God” (v. 18). He wanted them to know that he was an honest man and that if they brought their younger brother back, he would free Simeon. Then, Joseph had his servants give them grain, return their money, and even give them provisions for the journey. On the way home, which would have taken perhaps three weeks of travel, they stopped to rest.1 While resting, one of the brothers checked his sack and found his money there. When the other brothers heard this, they all became afraid and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” (v. 28). In fact, when they got home, they all found their money returned—making them all, including Jacob, afraid (v. 35).
The reason they were afraid was because they thought the Egyptian governor might accuse them of stealing. However, it doesn’t seem that Joseph was trying to trick them—he was trying to show them that he was a God-fearing, honest, and generous man. Later, when the brothers returned to Egypt, they shared about the mix-up with Joseph’s servant—how they found the money in their sacks even though they paid. Joseph’s servant simply replied, “Everything is fine. Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money” (Gen 43:23). If the servant truly received the money, it is likely that Joseph paid for them.
Similarly, that is how God often works in our lives to draw us to repentance. He not only sharpens our conscience by reminding us of our sin, allowing us to experience lack, and reap what we’ve sown, but he also allows us to experience grace—his unmerited favor. Romans 2:4 says that God’s kindness leads people to repentance.
Application Question: How do we experience God’s kindness which helps lead us to repentance?
With regard to the brothers, they deserved to experience serious consequences for what they did to Joseph—potentially life in prison or even death. However, they only spent three days in prison. David’s story also illustrates God’s unmerited favor. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband. According to the law, the punishment for each was death. But God was merciful. David still suffered consequences, but he would not die. If we look back over many of our sins, we will see that God was merciful with us, as well. He didn’t allow us to experience the full consequences of our sin as things could have been much worse. Certainly, this is true in salvation. We deserve death and eternal separation from God because of our sins; however, Christ bore our penalty. God’s mercy is meant to bring people to repentance. This is also true in sanctification, as God forgives us when we confess and repent of our sins (1 John 1:9). God’s kindness shown through mercy is meant to turn us away from sin and draw us back to himself.
Certainly, we see God’s grace as Joseph blesses his brothers with provisions for their journey, as well as providing grain without cost. Again, this was to help them understand that Joseph was ultimately just and gracious. God, too, gives us grace in many ways: (1) For unbelievers and believers, God bestows common grace. In Matthew 5:45, Christ describes how God gives rain and sunshine to the just and unjust alike. Though undeserved, God blesses even those who reject him. (2) He not only died to pay our penalty, but he also gives us his righteousness if we accept him as Lord and Savior (2 Cor 5:21, Rom 10:13). Christ’s death demonstrates mercy—canceling the penalty we deserve. God imputes Christ’s righteousness to our spiritual account and demonstrates his grace by giving us unmerited favor. And this gift is offered to all. It’s truly amazing grace. (3) Certainly, his grace is seen in many other ways as well: He may bless our careers, families, or hobbies, even when we’re not faithful. When Abraham lied about his wife being his sister, Pharaoh took her for marriage and gave Abraham great possessions. However, though Abraham lied, God cursed Pharaoh’s household—ultimately leading Pharaoh to return Abraham’s wife (Gen 12). Abraham left Egypt not only with his wife but with great wealth. Similarly, when Abraham lied about his wife to Abimelech—also leading Abimelech to take her—God cursed Abimelech’s house until she was restored (Gen 20). Certainly, this was a great example of God’s grace, his unmerited favor over Abraham, even while he was not trusting God to protect his family. The Psalmist describes how goodness and mercy follow believers all the days of their lives because God is their Shepherd (Ps 23:6). God loves his people; therefore, the grace and mercy he allows in their lives are meant to draw them to repentance.
Despite these examples, we can understand how many misinterpret God’s kindness and therefore continue to reject God and hold onto their sin. For example, when the brothers received their money back, they cried out, “What in the world has God done to us?” (v. 28). Also, when Jacob realized their money was returned and that they needed to bring Benjamin back, he cried out, “Everything is against me” (v. 36). Joseph’s family misinterpreted God’s gracious dealings. The returned money was a symbol of God’s love and provision—not his judgment. Also, for Jacob, sending Benjamin back to Egypt would only restore Joseph to him and open the door for more blessings from God, as Egypt would provide long-term protection and provisions for them. To not send Benjamin only delayed God’s blessings.
Sadly, many of us misinterpret God’s kindness as well: We cry out like Jacob’s family, “Why are you doing this?! Everything is against me!” Nothing could be further from the truth. Even our trials are for our good (Rom 8:28). At any moment, God is doing millions of things for our eternal good. He is the Sovereign over natural events, chance meetings, good gifts, and even the evil of men and demons. God uses all these for our eternal good. Therefore, we should recognize them as such and give thanks in all circumstances instead of complaining (1 Thess 5:18). When we don’t give thanks, but instead cling to wrong attitudes about God, others, or our circumstances, we can miss out on God’s blessings. Therefore, repentance tarries and so does our experience of God’s perfect plan.
Application Question: How does God reveal his kindness even to unbelievers in order to draw them to repentance? In what ways have you experienced God’s kindness in such a way that it drew you to repentance and worship? Do you remember a time when you misinterpreted God’s kindness—maybe through a trial or other confusing event—that ultimately worked out for your good? If so, please share.
How does God lead people to repentance? We get a clear picture of this from God’s work in the lives of Jacob’s brothers. Like Joseph, they had a great calling. They were to be heads of the tribes of Israel—the nation God called to be missionaries to the world. To fulfill this calling, God needed to change their character and bring them to repentance. God used circumstances and Joseph to begin the process of transforming their stony hearts into hearts of flesh.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
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1 Boice, J. M. (1998). Genesis: an expositional commentary (p. 1007). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Now the famine was severe in the land. When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return, buy us a little more food.” … Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. Then we will live and not die—we and you and our little ones. I myself pledge security for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life…
Genesis 43-44 (NET)
How does God change people’s hearts?
In Genesis 37-41, the focus was on God’s development of Joseph for leadership in Egypt, so he could save not only his family but many nations during a world-wide famine. In Genesis 42-44, the focus is God’s development of Joseph’s brothers, who had previously sold Joseph into slavery. Not only did God have plans to use Joseph greatly, but also his brothers. They would be the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. However, before that, God needed to change their character. He had to deliver them from being untrustworthy scoundrels to being men who followed the Lord.
God does the same in the lives of all those he plans to use in a special way: God shaped and established Moses’ character for forty years in the wilderness before calling him to lead. He shaped and fortified Jacob’s character by allowing him to experience years of servanthood and humility, so as to deliver him from deceitful practices and help him to trust God more. God also refined Joseph through many trials, and now God was speeding up the development of the brothers’ character—which needed a lot of work.
In Genesis 42, the brothers went down to Egypt to get grain during a world-wide famine. There, Joseph recognized them and initially treated them harshly. Joseph was not seeking revenge; he was testing his brothers to discern their character: Were they the same evil men who sold him into slavery? Had they also mistreated Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin? Had they mistreated their father, Jacob? Therefore, Joseph imprisoned them for three days, then released them on the condition that they would go get Benjamin and bring him back to Egypt while Simeon remained in prison. This was part of how God was preparing the brothers—revealing their previous sins, which they had suppressed. While they were imprisoned, they confessed to one another how they were receiving their just punishment for how they treated Joseph (Gen 42:21-22). God used Joseph’s harsh treatment to remind them of and help them confess their sin; however, God wasn’t through with them at this point. Not only did the brothers need to confess, they needed new character. In fact, many commentators believe that previously the brothers weren’t even redeemed. They were born into a family of faith but had not adopted that faith for themselves. They murdered a village of men; Reuben, the oldest, committed incest with his father’s wife; Judah slept with his daughter-in-law, believing she was a prostitute, and all of them, with the exception of Benjamin, had something to do with Joseph’s slavery in Egypt. They needed not only to confess their sins; they needed a reformation of their character—new hearts.
In Genesis 43-44, their growth in character is very apparent. In fact, not only were they becoming more godlike, so was Jacob. Therefore, in this study, we’ll learn how God changes people’s hearts—making them more like himself.
Big Question: In what ways does God change people’s hearts—preparing them for greater service—as discerned from the Genesis 43-44 narrative?
Now the famine was severe in the land. When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return, buy us a little more food.” But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we won’t go down there because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” Israel said, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had one more brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us thoroughly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered him in this way. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. Then we will live and not die—we and you and our little ones. I myself pledge security for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. But if we had not delayed, we could have traveled there and back twice by now!” Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. Take double the money with you; you must take back the money that was returned in the mouths of your sacks—perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother too, and go right away to the man. May the sovereign God grant you mercy before the man so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.”
Genesis 43:1-14
In the beginning of this narrative, we see that the famine persisted throughout the ancient world. Though Jacob’s family had previously received abundant provisions from Egypt, they apparently didn’t last long, perhaps only three months or so. We can discern this from the fact that Judah rebukes his father, saying if they had returned to Egypt earlier, they could have gone and returned twice within the time frame (43:10). Traveling round trip between Canaan and Egypt typically took about six weeks—twelve weeks to do it twice. Therefore, it hadn’t been very long since the brothers returned. Previously, Jacob forcibly told the brothers that Benjamin would not go to Egypt with them, as he was afraid Benjamin might die (42:38).
After most of the provisions were used up, Jacob said, “Return and buy a little more food” (43:2). In response, Judah challenged him saying that they would not return without Benjamin. The Egyptian ruler swore that they would not see his face without their brother. Jacob simply responded, “Why did you tell him in the first place about your brother?” (43:6). As one might imagine, this argument probably happened several times over the previous months. Judah, who apparently had become the leader of the brothers, pledged security for Benjamin—he would take care of him at all costs (43:9).
At this point, there is a change in Jacob. Where he previously was hard-hearted and unwilling to send Benjamin, he now agrees. He tells them to take some of the best products of the land and to bring double the money to the ruler, as previously, their payment was mysteriously returned to them. Jacob also prayed for the brothers: “May the sovereign God grant you mercy before the man so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin!” And then he said, “As for me, if I lose my children I lose them” (43:14). This was a remarkable change. It also doesn’t seem to be pessimism. Rather, it was Jacob deciding to trust God’s sovereign will. It was like Christ saying, “Take this cup from me but nevertheless your will be done.” Jacob, who in the previous chapter, was pessimistic, saying, “Everything is against me” (Gen 42:36); now he trusts God’s sovereign hand.
In fact, this character change is even seen in the fact that the narrator, Moses, uses the name “Israel” instead of “Jacob” in this chapter (43:6, 8, 11). In the ancient culture, names reflected someone’s character. Previously, after Abram’s name was changed to “Abraham” (Gen 17:5), his new name was always used. That represented a “profound and prominent change in his character.”1 However, with Jacob, most times his old named is used—probably showing how his old character as a deceiver was still prevalent. The name “Israel” has not been used since Genesis 37:13.2 After Joseph’s supposed death, it seemingly devastated Jacob, and from that point in his life, he mourned for twenty-two years—not trusting God as he should. In fact, he promised that he would mourn in such a way: In Genesis 37:35, Jacob declared to his sons, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.”
This happens to many believers. They are growing in Christ, demonstrating more and more the character of “Israel,” and then some trial or unexpected experience sets them back to their previous character—sometimes for years. They doubt God’s goodness and therefore revert back to their old habits. Again, with Jacob, he carried bitterness from Joseph’s loss for twenty-two years. However, in this chapter, God not only began to restore Jacob’s children’s character, but also his own.
Observation Question: In Genesis 43:1-14, how was God changing Jacob’s character?
Certainly, God used the persisting famine as a season of testing and growth for Jacob, but he also worked through Jacob’s son, Judah. Judah, the one who convinced the brothers to sell Joseph into slavery (37:26-27), now was leading in a positive way. He confronted Jacob’s irrationalism, pointing out that by keeping Benjamin home, they all would die (43:8). Also, he promised to protect Benjamin with his life.
This is a recurring method by which God changes our character. He uses the love and accountability of others. With David, God used Nathan. When David was in rebellion towards God after committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, the prophet Nathan boldly confronted David—leading him to repent (2 Sam 12). When Peter was compromising with the circumcision group by not eating with Gentiles, Paul confronted him as well (Gal 2). Though David and Peter were godly men, they both had periods of walking in unrepentant sin and needed others to hold them accountable. Paul said this to Timothy, “But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22). Timothy needed to run away from sinful passions and pursue righteousness with a company of believers who were genuinely pursuing the Lord. That was the only way he was going to be successful in his spiritual life, and it’s the same for us. James says, “So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed” (5:16). By confessing our sins to others and receiving their prayers, God often delivers us from many evils.
Even godly people become discouraged, doubt God, and compromise with sin. For Jacob, it happened after the loss of his son, and he needed Judah to speak truth into his life, so he could start to live like “Israel” again—a man of faith.
Who is speaking into your life? Who is the company of believers that is loving you and holding you accountable as you flee sin and pursue God? To whom do you confess your sins to in order to receive prayer and healing? These are some of the ways that God changes our hearts.
Application Question: Why is having the accountability of godly brothers and sisters so important for our spiritual growth? What makes these types of relationships difficult? How should we develop accountability relationships with others? Who are the Judahs, Nathans, or Pauls in your life who challenge and encourage you in the midst of your spiritual struggles?
The servant in charge brought the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave food to their donkeys. They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to have a meal there. When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought inside, and they bowed down to the ground before him. He asked them how they were doing. Then he said, “Is your aging father well, the one you spoke about? Is he still alive?” “Your servant our father is well,” they replied. “He is still alive.” They bowed down in humility. When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother and was at the point of tears. So he went to his room and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out. With composure he said, “Set out the food.” They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians are not able to eat with Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting to do so.) They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn and ending with the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment. He gave them portions of the food set before him, but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk.
Genesis 43:24-34
When the ten brothers went to Egypt, they were immediately invited to Joseph’s house for a meal (43:16-17). With such a kind gesture, the brothers immediately became afraid—thinking that it wasn’t genuine. They said to themselves, “He must be about to enslave us” (43:18). It was common knowledge that high officials in Egypt often had prisons in their homes—just as Potiphar did (Gen 40:3). So they immediately told Joseph’s interpreter that they had brought double the money, as their previous payment was put back into their sacks. The servant simply replied, “I had your money, the God of your fathers must have returned it to you” (v. 23 paraphrase). Clearly, the servant believed in the Israelite God—he probably was taught about Yahweh by Joseph.
The servant continued to show them kindness—he gave them water for their feet and food for their donkeys (43:24). After that, Joseph came home and showed further kindness by inquiring about their welfare and that of their father (43:27). Then Joseph saw Benjamin and asked if he was the younger brother. Before they could answer him, he blessed Benjamin saying, “May God be gracious to you, my son” (43:29). After meeting Benjamin, Joseph was overwhelmed with emotion, went to his room to cry, and then returned (43:30). Joseph will cry seven times throughout his narrative.
Next, the people were arranged in separate groups for the meal—the brothers together, then the servants, and Joseph by himself. Egyptians believed they originated from the gods and that other people were from lesser origins3; therefore, it would have been shameful to eat with the Hebrews. Joseph was separated because of his high rank. Egypt was a very segregated society. This insight about the Egyptians may give further information into how the Hebrews eventually became slaves. Ethnic pride and pride in one’s social class are poisonous roots that often lead to hate-crimes such as enslavement and genocide. Any types of partiality and prejudice are incompatible with being followers of the true God (cf. Jam 2:1-13).
After the people were segregated, the brothers were arranged from oldest to youngest, which was shocking to the brothers (43:33). They were amazed and bewildered as to how this personal knowledge about their correct birth order was known. Maybe they suspected that the Egyptian ruler had used some type of prophetic powers. Then Joseph had a feast set before the brothers and when the food was served, Benjamin got five portions more than any other brother (43:34). The next day, further kindness was shown to them as they were given abundant supplies and had their money returned (44:1).
This was not the first time that they received special blessings from the Egyptian ruler. Previously, when they first left Egypt, the ruler returned their money (42:25). This was the ruler’s way of showing them that though he was harsh, he also was honest and kind. Ultimately, the Egyptian ruler was representing God to the brothers. Romans 13:1-7 says that authorities are God’s servants meant to reward the righteous and punish wrong-doers. In some sense, all authorities, including parents, are meant to represent God to others.
Through Joseph, God was demonstrating his love for the brothers, even though they were sinners. As mentioned in the study of Genesis 42, God’s kindness is meant to lead people to repentance (Rom 2:4). God demonstrates his love to unbelievers and believers through his common grace—rain, sunshine, life, breath, and every other good thing. He also demonstrates his love ultimately through Christ—Christ coming to earth as a man and dying for the sins of the world, so that whosoever believes in him can be saved (John 3:16).
In fact, accepting God’s love not only saves us, but also transforms us. Consider what Paul prayed for the Ephesians:
I pray that… you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16, 18-19
The reason Paul prayed for them to comprehend Christ’s love was so that they would be flooded with the fullness of God. Being filled with God seems to represent being empowered and controlled by him. It parallels Ephesians 5:18, where believers are called to not get drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit. In the same way that wine can control a person, so can God’s Spirit. One of the ways God fills and empowers us for good works is through our comprehension of his love. People who are most on fire for God are typically people who most comprehend God’s amazing love.
John said that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). When we comprehend God’s love, it removes fears and worries about the future or some trial we are going through. We trust that God is controlling all events and working them specifically for our good (Rom 8:28). Understanding his love gives us peace. Also, understanding God’s love empowers us to serve. In 2 Corinthians 5:14, Paul said “the love of Christ controls us” or “compels us.” Why did Paul spend so much time evangelizing, preaching God’s Word, and suffering persecution? It was because he was controlled and empowered by God’s love. The more we know God’s love, the more we will serve him.
Application Question: How can we comprehend the love of Christ and be transformed by it?
Certainly, this is clear from Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians to comprehend the depth, height, and width of Christ’s love for them. As we pray for it, God will help us know it in a variety of ways.
Paul says that “you may be able to comprehend ‘with all the saints’…” (Eph 3:18). Certainly, as others love us by caring for us, rebuking us, and walking beside us, we know more of God’s love. This is what God was doing to the brothers through Joseph. He was loving on them in the midst of a famine. He was loving on them even though they had done much wrong.
This also reminds us of why it’s important for us to accept love from others. For some, it is easy to give love but hard to receive it. Pride can be an obstacle to accepting prayer from others, financial help, counsel, or other forms of support, and therefore a barrier to experiencing and knowing God’s love, which comes through the body of believers.
Paul told the Philippians how he longed for them with the affections of Christ (Phil 1:8). Paul discerned that his love for the Philippians was supernatural—originating from Christ himself. Many experience this when they become parents. As they love their children, they sense how God loves his children, as well. Also, we often experience this when genuinely loving our enemies. Often in the midst of forgiving those who hurt us, praying for them, and serving them, people experience God’s heart for them, and it’s as if the suffering and hurt they caused are removed and only love remains (cf. Rom 12:18-21). Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” As we love and serve our enemies, it not only changes their hearts but ours as well. Good overcomes the evil in us.
This is how God changes hearts. As we experience his love, he transforms us—we are filled with the fullness of God and made more into his image. Certainly, God was doing that in the lives of the brothers through Joseph, as he was preparing them for a great work—becoming the heads of a nation that would bless the world.
Application Question: When are the times that you feel God’s love the most—while praying, serving, meditating, during trials? Why do you think you experience God’s love most at those times? How is God calling you to seek to comprehend his love in a deeper way?
He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup—the silver cup—in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph instructed. When morning came, the men and their donkeys were sent off. They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once! When you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? Doesn’t my master drink from this cup and use it for divination? You have done wrong!’” When the man overtook them, he spoke these words to them. They answered him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? If one of us has it, he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves!” He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! The one who has it will become my slave, but the rest of you will go free.” So each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the man searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
Genesis 44:1-13
After Joseph had his servant give the brothers grain and return their money, he also had the servant place a silver cup into Benjamin’s sack (44:2). Why was Joseph doing this? He was re-creating the temptation that led to his enslavement. Previously, because the brothers were jealous of him, they sold him into slavery for silver. They didn’t care about his livelihood or their father’s heart. Joseph had already given Benjamin five more portions than the brothers, even as Jacob had given Joseph a coat of many colors, which made the brothers jealous. Now, Joseph was going to accuse Benjamin of stealing the cup and enslave him. Joseph’s purpose was to see how the brothers would respond: Were they the same people? Did they only care about themselves and not their brother and father? Or had they matured?
In a similar fashion, God tests us, both to prove our character and to develop it. In Genesis 22:1, the narrator says that “God tested Abraham” by commanding him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Did Abraham love God more than he loved Isaac? Did Abraham believe God’s promise that through Isaac a nation would come? After Abraham passed the test, God promised not only that a nation would come through Abraham’s seed, but also the messiah would come and bless the nations. God said, “through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed” (Gen 22:18 NIV, cf. Gal 3:16). Passing God’s test always leads to blessing. In Luke 4, God tested Christ by leading him by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Would the Son of Man fall to temptation in the wilderness, as Adam did in the garden? Or would he obey God’s Word and eventually crush the head of the serpent? When Christ passed the test, Scripture says he left the wilderness empowered by the Holy Spirit and then began his ministry of preaching, healing, and discipling (Lk 4:14-15, Matt 4:12-25). Passing the test led to blessing.
It’s the same for us. As God tested Abraham and Christ, God tests us. First Peter 1:6-7 (ESV) says:
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Peter not only says trials test the “genuineness” of our faith but also that they are only given “if necessary.” It was necessary for Joseph’s brothers to be tested. They needed character founded on God’s truth, mercy, and grace to become the heads of the tribes of Israel. On one occasion, after Israel failed the test by worshiping idols while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, God, in anger, said he was going to wipe Israel out and make a great nation out of Moses instead (Ex 32:10). If it wasn’t for Moses’ intercession, God would have done that (Ex 32:11-14). Similarly, if these brothers couldn’t pass the test, God might have chosen to develop the nation of Israel through Joseph and Benjamin alone. The brothers needed the right character to receive the promise. Likewise, the Israelites who initially went into the promised land failed their test. They didn’t believe God could enable them to conquer giants, so God allowed them to die in the wilderness. Then he brought their children into the promised land. God only allows us to go through the test “if necessary” to complete us and prepare us to bring a greater glory to God.
In fact, with Jacob, if he had trusted God after their first return, their test in the famine would have been shorter. Instead of waiting three months, they could have immediately returned with Benjamin, passed the test, been restored as a family, and received the continual protection of Egypt. However, Jacob’s lack of faith made the test longer. Sometimes, it’s that way with us: We don’t believe God’s promises about his good future for us and therefore live in worry and anxiety instead of peace. Sometimes in our own relationships, we choose to hold on to bitterness instead of immediately forgiving others. When we harbor bitterness, we cannot receive God’s blessing of restoration. Instead of practicing the spiritual discipline of giving, we choose not to give at all and therefore miss God’s promise of meeting all our needs and his provisions for greater righteousness (2 Cor 9:7-8). Instead of practicing the discipline of delighting in and reading God’s Word, we neglect it and miss the promises of bearing fruit in season and prospering in everything we do, including trials (Ps 1:2-3). Therefore, our tests often continue longer than they should. We repeat them until we pass the tests—developing the character God desires for us. That’s what was happening with Jacob and his sons.
For Jacob, he was bitter for more than twenty years after Joseph’s death. Even when God was trying to re-unite them, Jacob cried out, “Everything is against me.” He just didn’t trust God, and his distrust prolonged their reunion. In this narrative, Jacob finally says, “If God takes all my children so be it” (paraphrased). Essentially, he says, “God, your will be done.” And for the brothers, it had been over twenty years of selfishness—loving themselves more than Joseph, Benjamin, and their father. Now they were repeating the test until they passed it.
One of the ways God changes our character is through repeated tests. Passing the tests lead to blessing and failing leads to discipline and repeating the test.
Application Question: Why does God test us if he already knows our hearts (cf. Dt 8:2)? What are some practices that help us pass our tests instead of failing them? Share any tests that you feel God has brought you through or that you’ve had to repeat, and what you’ve learned from them.
So Judah and his brothers came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” Judah replied, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has exposed the sin of your servants! We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.” … “So now, when I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us—his very life is bound up in his son’s life. When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave. Indeed, your servant pledged security for the boy with my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before my father all my life.’ “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father’s pain.”
Genesis 44:14-16, 30-34
When the servant caught up to the brothers, he accused them of stealing Joseph’s silver cup, which he used for divination (44:4-6). Did Joseph really use the cup for divination? Since Joseph was so faithful to God, probably not. It was probably part of the act. As an Egyptian ruler, he was expected to both be a political and priestly leader.4 Ancient records show that bowls or cups in the ancient world were commonly used to discern the future. Pagans believed that divine spirits caused reflections in the water, and that the alignment of particles in the water revealed the future.5
When the brothers were accused, they countered that they had brought back the payment for the previous food, so why would they steal a cup? Then they declared that whoever was found with the cup would die and the rest of them would become the ruler’s slaves (44:8-9). The servant replied that only the person with the cup would become a slave. When the servant checked all of the luggage, the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Therefore, the brothers tore their clothes and returned to Egypt (44:10-13).
When they got back to Joseph’s house, Judah again spoke for the brothers. After Reuben’s committing incest and Simeon’s and Levi’s murder of the men in a village, he was the fourth oldest and now the apparent leader. Judah said to Joseph, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves?” (44:16). He recognized that there was nothing they could say or do to clear their name—the evidence was too strong. In fact, Judah said, “God has exposed the sin of your servants!” (44:16). What did he mean by that? He either meant that the evidence was conclusive, and therefore, someone must have stolen the cup, or he was confessing that God was punishing them for other sins—possibly their enslavement of Joseph (cf. Gen 42:21). Then Judah shared that all the brothers would become Joseph’s slaves—not just Benjamin (44:18). Joseph replied, “No.” Only the person who stole the cup would become a slave (44:17).
Then Judah recounts the story of the Egyptian ruler asking them to bring Benjamin, how their father Jacob had lost a previous son, and how Jacob’s life was bound with Benjamin’s. If Benjamin did not return to Jacob, Jacob would die. Judah could not watch his father die, and therefore requested to take Benjamin’s place (44:18-34).
In doing this, it was clear to Joseph that all his brothers had changed. They were all willing to be slaves with Benjamin, and Judah offered to take Benjamin’s place while everyone else went home. They now cared more for their father and brother than their own lives. No longer were they the same selfish, untrustworthy people. And Judah, the very brother who had encouraged the others to sell Joseph into slavery, was now willing to sacrifice himself for Benjamin (cf. 37:26-27). Their transformation was complete; and therefore, Joseph wept uncontrollably and revealed his identity to them (Gen 45).
With that said, this is exactly what God is trying to do in all our lives. He is aiming to make us just like Christ, who willingly died on the cross to please his Father and take the place of those he loved (John 3:16, 10:11). In fact, Romans 8:28-29 says,
And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters
God is making all of us into the image of his Son—including the Son’s sacrificial nature.
It was this same character trait that we saw in Moses as well. When God was going to destroy the Israelites for creating an idol in the wilderness and worshiping it instead of God, Moses interceded for them, saying: “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written” (Exodus 32:31-32 NIV).
Similarly, Paul said this about Israel:
I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me in the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed—cut off from Christ—for the sake of my people, my fellow countrymen, who are Israelites…
Romans 9:1-4
Judah, Moses, and Paul demonstrated sacrificial love because Christ was their Master, and Christ’s love was being manifest in them. In fact, Christ said this to all his disciples: “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Christ said this shortly before he went to the cross. He called for all his disciples to love each other sacrificially. In fact, this sacrificial love marks all true believers. In the early church, they sold all they had so the poor could have enough (Acts 2). This is what God is doing in each true believer—creating a sacrificial love in them. Romans 5:5 says, “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” He has given us this supernatural love; we just have to grow in it and walk in it.
Are you growing in love for God and others? It’s often while serving people that God’s sacrificial love begins to grow in us. As it does, God delivers us from selfishness and prepares us for greater blessings. For Judah, after God developed the sacrificial nature of Christ in him, God chose for the messiah to come through his lineage. Before Jacob died, he prophesied: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him” (Gen 49:10). Similarly, as we demonstrate Christ’s sacrificial love in our lives, God will use and bless us more.
Application Question: How does God create a sacrificial, loving nature inside us? What experiences has God used to develop more sacrificial love in your life? What are some specific ways that we can practice sacrificially loving others? Who is God calling you to sacrificially love—spending time with them, encouraging them, etc.?
How does God change people’s hearts? We learn much about this as we watch Jacob begin to manifest the characteristics of “Israel” again—somebody who trusted God. Also, we see it in how God transformed all the brothers, particularly Judah. Judah initiated Joseph’s slavery but later offered himself to become a slave in place of Benjamin.
God’s work of changing people’s hearts often takes a long time and, at least on this earth, it doesn’t happen apart from our submission and effort (Phil 2:12-13); however, we can be confident that God will complete this work. In Philippians 1:6, Paul says, “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” For Jacob and his sons, it took almost twenty-two years. Though at times long in coming, God’s work is perfect. We can trust he will complete his work in our hearts and in all his children’s hearts as well.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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1 Boice, J. M. (1998). Genesis: an expositional commentary (p. 1025). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books.
2 Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis record: a scientific and devotional commentary on the book of beginnings (p. 605). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
3 Guzik, D. (2013). Genesis (Ge 43:31–32). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
4 Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis record: a scientific and devotional commentary on the book of beginnings (p. 613). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
5 Morris, H. M. (1976). The Genesis record: a scientific and devotional commentary on the book of beginnings (p. 613). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
“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. 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. Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants, so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remained with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. He wept loudly; the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him. Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life! For these past two years there has been famine in the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to preserve you on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Now go up to my father quickly and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay! You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. I will provide you with food there because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise you would become poor—you, your household, and everyone who belongs to you.”‘ You and my brother Benjamin can certainly see with your own eyes that I really am the one who speaks to you. So tell my father about all my honor in Egypt and about everything you have seen. But bring my father down here quickly!” Then he threw himself on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked with him. … So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.”
Genesis 44:33-45:28 (NET)
How should we pursue reconciliation with others?
Unfortunately, since the fall, humanity has been prone to discord. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, one of the major consequences was discord. The woman would desire to control the husband, and the husband would try to dominate her (Gen 3:16). From this dysfunction came every relational dysfunction: brother would fight against brother, sister against sister, neighbor against neighbor, ethnic group against ethnic group, and nation and against nation. Clearly, we still struggle with discord today. It’s in our families, friendships, workplaces, churches, and nations.
How should we pursue reconciliation—the renewing of relationships with one another? One of the reasons that Christ came and died for our sins was not only to reconcile our relationship with God, but also to reconcile us with others (Eph 2)—no more racism, ethnocentrism, elitism, or caste systems. As Christians, as much as it depends on us, we must seek to live at peace with others (Rom 12:18). Sometimes, reconciliation is not possible if the other side refuses to restore a relationship, but as for us, we must do our best to pursue it.
In this text, Joseph, who was originally sold into slavery by his brothers (Gen 37), had been exalted to governor of Egypt (Gen 41). God had been using him to provide for the world during a world-wide famine. In Genesis 42, this famine caused his own family to come to Egypt for resources. Since Joseph’s brothers didn’t recognize him, he tested their character to see if they had changed. He provided resources for them but kept the second oldest—Simeon—as prisoner, while they went home and brought back Joseph’s youngest brother, Benjamin. Joseph wanted to know if they mistreated him as well. When the brothers returned with Benjamin, he prepared an elaborate feast for them and sent them home with great provisions (Gen 43). However, in Genesis 44, he tested the brothers one more time to see if they had truly changed. Joseph planted a silver cup in Benjamin’s luggage, accused him of stealing it, and was going to enslave him. Would the brothers take the resources and leave Benjamin, like they did twenty-two years previously, when they sold Joseph into slavery? No, they didn’t; they had changed. They offered to be slaves along with Benjamin, and Judah, specifically, offered to take his place while the others went back. Joseph now knew he could trust his brothers, and in Genesis 45, he revealed his true identity to them and began the process of reconciliation—renewing their relationship.
As we study this reunion, we can learn principles about renewing our broken relationships as well—relationships with family members, friends, co-workers, and church members.
Big Question: What principles about pursuing reconciliation can be discerned from Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers?
“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. 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.
Genesis 44:33-34
Often, we confuse forgiveness with reconciliation. Forgiveness is actually only a part of the reconciliation process. A wife can forgive an abusive husband, but there is no reconciliation if there is still abuse. In order for their relationship to be renewed, there must be a change in the husband’s character.
Joseph understood this reality. He had forgiven his brothers many years ago—maybe right after they sold him into slavery. His forgiveness is clearly seen in the naming of his firstborn, Manasseh, which means “to forget” (Gen 41:51). God had caused him to forget the pain in his household. However, though he had forgiven the brothers, reconciliation wasn’t possible if they had not changed their abusive and selfish character. That’s why Joseph tested them. Throughout the tests, he showed them great love—he gave them abundant resources without charging them—but he still tested their character, nonetheless.
Many actually hinder their relationships from ever experiencing true reconciliation by not properly recognizing the evil committed. Sometimes, they brush off gossip, lies, cheating, or even theft, by saying things like, “It’s not a big deal!”, “Kids will be kids!”, “Guys will be guys!” or “Girls will be girls!” However, sin is a big deal—it drives a wedge between relationships and hinders true fellowship. Certainly, we should forgive and return good for evil, but without recognizing evil and asking people to turn from it, there is no true reconciliation. It just becomes pacification of sin or a treaty at best.
Let’s consider the difference between Joseph’s reaction to his brothers’ sins and David’s reaction to his own children’s sins (2 Sam 13-19). When David’s son, Amnon, raped David’s daughter, David did nothing. This caused David’s other son, Absalom, to kill Amnon and then flee from the family. Eventually, Absalom was restored to the kingdom, but David never disciplined him or communicated with him—he just left him alone. Then, eventually, Absalom tried to kill David and take over the kingdom. By never dealing with any of the sons’ sins, there never was any reconciliation in his family, only pacification. Possibly, David never disciplined his children because he remembered his own sins—he had previously committed adultery and murder, and perhaps he believed it was impossible for him to be a righteous judge. Whatever the reasons, eventually the unresolved conflicts blew up in David’s face.
As seen with David, because of flaws in our own character, we tend to tolerate various sins and unhealthy relationships. This happens in dating relationships, marriages, parent-child relationships, workplaces, and friendships. When sin or wrong views about ourselves persist (for example, believing that we’re not worth anything because of past failures, or that nobody will ever love us), we tend to tolerate things that should not be tolerated. Therefore, in order for there to be reconciliation, we may need to develop our character first.
Pursuing a character change in others means pointing out sin in an appropriate manner, being patient when they fail, and ultimately trusting God to bring the change. When trying to help others turn away from sin in order to have reconciliation, the process often isn’t easy. Conquering sin is a difficult task—some sins reappear for years, even when a person has right intentions. We don’t change people; God does. However, we do have a role in the process. In talking about how people change, Paul said that he and Apollos planted and watered, but God made the seed grow (1 Cor 3:6). Therefore, like farmers, we patiently plant and water, and trust God to bring the increase in his time.
True reconciliation begins when both parties have repented of their sins. It begins when the gossip stops gossiping, the wife stops criticizing, the husband stops using harsh words, and the offended party stops holding a grudge. In order for there to be true reconciliation, righteous character is needed on both sides—the innocent party and guilty one. Here in this narrative, the brothers had changed, and therefore, true reconciliation could be pursued. Character change in us and others is necessary for true reconciliation.
Application Question: Why is pursuing a change in character needed to have reconciliation between people? What happens when one side is not willing to change? How should that affect our pursuit of reconciliation?
Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants, so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remained with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. He wept loudly; the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him. Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life! For these past two years there has been famine in the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to preserve you on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Now go up to my father quickly and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay!
Genesis 45:1-9
After Judah pleaded to take Benjamin’s place (Gen 44:33-34), Joseph breaks down (45:1-2). He couldn’t hide his identity any longer. He screamed at his servants to leave the room, and then began to weep. You can imagine what was going through the brothers’ minds. They had been accused of stealing by the governor of Egypt, and now the governor had screamed at his servants to leave and was crying. Surely, they must have been afraid of what was about to happen. Then, out of nowhere, the Egyptian governor spoke to them in Hebrew. Up to this time, the governor had always used an interpreter to speak to them, but now it was revealed that not only did he speak in Hebrew, he said, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” Initially, they probably could not believe what they were hearing; they must have questioned: “What is going on? How does he know Hebrew and our dead brother’s name?” Then Joseph motioned for them to come closer, so they could look at him and consider his face, eyes, and other features. Then Joseph gave them more convincing evidence when he revealed further information that he could not have known if he were not who he said he was. He declared, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt” (45:4). Although shocked, afraid, and ashamed, they began to believe his story. Joseph quickly comforted them by saying, “Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life!” (45:5). Joseph aimed to comfort them with God’s ultimate purpose through their evil act—to preserve lives.
Interpretation Question: In what ways does Scripture teach God’s sovereignty over every event, including evil works, such as the brothers selling Joseph into slavery?
From verse 5 to 9, Joseph mentions God’s name four times. This was classic Joseph: When he met with the baker and the cupbearer, he said, “Doesn’t the interpretation of dreams belong to God?” (Gen 40:8 paraphrase). When he met with Pharaoh, he said, “I cannot interpret your dreams, but God can” (Gen 41:16 paraphrase). Even when Joseph sent the brothers back home the first time, he said to them, “I fear God” (Gen 42:18). Joseph was a man who saw God in everything. It was who he was. He couldn’t hide it—not even in a pagan world that worshiped different gods, not even when confronting his brothers who sold him into slavery twenty-two years before.
However, this is the part that we must understand if we are going to seek reconciliation with others. Like Joseph, we must have a strong theology of God’s sovereignty. Scripture doesn’t teach that God is a clock maker who simply winds up the earth, and lets it run on its own. Scripture teaches that God is intimately involved with everything that happens on earth. Colossians 1:17 says this about Christ, “He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.” God holds all things together. Scripture further describes God’s sovereign control over all things:
No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.
Trial can be translated “temptation.” God will not allow believers to be tempted beyond what they can bear. That means he is in control. Satan is not running free; he is on a leash, as God sets his boundaries. As with Job’s trials and temptations, Satan can only do what God gives him permission to do (Job 1, 2).
In fact, Ephesians 1:11 says, God “accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.” Nothing happens on this earth apart from God’s counsel. This is a marvelous fact. Certainly, it creates mental difficulties for us. How can this be, especially when we consider evil? Scripture teaches that though we as creatures make “free decisions,” including evil ones, God is in control of them in such a way that he can rightly be called the first cause behind all events. Pharaoh hardened his heart, but God ultimately was the sovereign who did it (Ex 4:21, 8:32, Prov 21:1). Birds feed themselves, but as Christ said, God feeds them (Matt 6:26). Disasters happen because of many causes, but Amos says God is the ultimate cause (Amos 3:6). God can be called the first cause of everything. However, the paradox in Scripture is that God can rightly be called the first cause of all events, including evil ones like hardening Pharaoh’s heart, but God cannot be blamed for the evil actions creatures commit. James 1:13-14 says: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.”
Evil is the fault of creatures; however, God is still in control. Again, this is a paradox—two seemingly contradicting statements. Nevertheless, Scripture teaches this because we need to accept both realities. (1) It would be an error to think of God as being evil or delighting in it. Scripture does not teach this. Thinking this way would only lead us to discouragement and hopelessness. (2) Likewise, the alternative is just as bad. If God is not in control, then many dire circumstances in life are hopeless, as well. Why pray if God is not in control? Scripture teaches that God is not evil, that he doesn’t directly commit evil, nor does he delight in it, but he is in control of it. This is important for our hearts to accept: Dictators and wicked presidents are not in control! Terrorist are not in control! Our boss is not in control! Our family is not in control! God is!
The sovereignty of God over evil is always taught in Scripture to give comfort to believers. God is in control of evil and, therefore, can use it for good (Rom 8:28). For Job, it was this reality that allowed him to navigate the loss of riches, children, and health. He said, “The Lord gives, and he takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21 paraphrase). It’s not that Job didn’t recognize the accountability of evil men or Satan who hurt him; he just saw God in control of them. And since God was using those evil works for his good, he could bless the name of the Lord for them. It gave him a tremendous comfort. And this was true of Joseph: he said that the brothers sold him into Egypt (45:4) but also said God sent him so he could eventually save them (45:5). At the end of Genesis, he reaffirms this truth to the brothers when they thought that Joseph would enslave them after Jacob’s death. He said:
As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:20-21
In this, we learn the reason why many believers are constantly in discord with others and unwilling to seek reconciliation: Instead of accepting that God is in control, they focus all their thoughts and energies on secondary causes—family, friends, co-workers, or the government, for example. They forget that God holds the temperature gauge on any trials and that people or chance circumstances are not in control of their future—God is. The brothers tried to hurt Joseph, but that was all part of God’s eternal plan. God even gave Joseph a vision to help him have hope while experiencing the evil. Before the brothers enslaved him, Joseph saw the eleven brothers eventually bowing down before him (Gen 37:5-8). God was in control of their evil act. Certainly, the greatest way we see this reality is in the cross—predestined even before time, carried out by wicked men, but intended for our eternal good. Acts 2:38 says this about Christ, “this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.” Therefore, if we are going to seek reconciliation, we must focus on God’s control of evil acts and people, instead of the evil acts and people themselves. This doesn’t remove people’s guilt or the real pain we experience, but it should give us hope, regardless.
Our God is using evil acts and failures, our own and others, for our eternal good (Rom 8:28)—maybe to teach us patience, to trust God more, to love the unlovable as he does, to help us read our Bibles and pray more, or any other host of reasons. However, just as with Joseph and Jesus, we too can trust that God ultimately uses our worst circumstances to help us to better help others. This is what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:3-6:
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.
God uses trials and difficulties in our lives for the purpose of changing us and enabling us to help others in a greater capacity. In the trial, we learn empathy—to hurt with others who are suffering. We learn comfort and hope that we can offer the hurting. Without these lessons, which are formed in the fire, we won’t be able to be like our Savior. God uses ‘bad’ to enable us minister to others—to comfort, strengthen, and equip them. Therefore, like Joseph, if we are going to seek reconciliation, we must focus on surrendering to the sovereignty of God over any trial we are in, be it a conflict at work, church, or at home.
On whom or what is your focus: the secondary causes or the first cause—our sovereign God who works all things for our good? Your focus will affect how you go through trials, and it will affect your ability to forgive others, even as it did with Joseph. The one who focuses on the evil of others will find it hard to forgive and seek reconciliation. Their unforgiveness might actually keep them from God’s purpose—to use that evil to bring about something great in their lives.
Application Question: How do you reconcile God’s sovereignty over all events, including the evil of people and demons? How can Scripture say God is the first cause of evil things like disasters or the hardening of people’s heart and yet not be blamed for evil (cf. Ex 9:12, Prov 21:1, Amos 3:6, Jam 1:13)? Why should God’s sovereignty comfort believers and also help them reconcile with others?
Now go up to my father quickly and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay! You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. I will provide you with food there because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise you would become poor—you, your household, and everyone who belongs to you.”‘ You and my brother Benjamin can certainly see with your own eyes that I really am the one who speaks to you. So tell my father about all my honor in Egypt and about everything you have seen. But bring my father down here quickly!” Then he threw himself on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked with him…So the sons of Israel did as he said. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and he gave them provisions for the journey. He gave sets of clothes to each one of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of clothes. To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, food, and provisions for his father’s journey.
Genesis 45:9-15, 21-23
After Joseph revealed his identity, he commanded the brothers to tell their father that Joseph was alive, was lord over Egypt, and to come to Egypt quickly. He told them the famine would last for five more years, which would lead them into poverty without Joseph’s help (45:11); therefore, they should move everyone to Egypt. They would be given the fertile land in Goshen. After saying this, Joseph threw himself on Benjamin and they wept together. Then he kissed all the brothers and wept on their necks (45:14-15). Eventually, Pharaoh heard that Joseph’s family was in Egypt, and he also commanded them to move to Egypt (45:17-20). The brothers were given wagons, donkeys, new clothes, and great provisions for the journey.
Now, Joseph showed all this generosity and affection to his family because he loved them, but it also was a way to comfort them and help build their trust. Though they had sold him into slavery twenty-two years ago, Joseph wasn’t going to hold that wicked act against them. He only wanted to bless them.
Similarly, this is one of the ways that we must pursue reconciliation with others, especially those who have hurt us. Romans 12:19-21 says,
Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
In general, we should overcome the evil of others by doing good to them. When they are hungry, we should feed them. When they are thirsty, we should give them drink. By doing this, it will prick their hearts and help change them.
When somebody hurts us, our natural reaction is retaliation. However, Scripture says we should leave vengeance to the Lord and instead serve them. With that said, this does not mean we never pursue justice. According to Romans 13:1-7, God has given us authorities for this very reason. Authorities are meant to represent God by rewarding the righteous and punishing wrong-doers. Essentially, Joseph, as the Egyptian governor, had taken that role by testing his brothers.
More important than changing others’ heart attitudes, blessing those who hurt us will change us. Often times it is hard to forgive those who have hurt us, especially emotionally. When painful emotions surface, we must forgive in faith and begin to bless our attackers. Christ said to love our enemies and pray for them (Matt 5:44). In the midst of praying for these people, and at times serving them, God often gives us new hearts. We will often find ourselves experiencing a supernatural love for them, coupled with a passion for their restoration to God. By serving those who hurt us, we not only might be used to overcome the evil in their hearts but also the unlove in our own hearts.
In this passage, Joseph pursued reconciliation by blessing those who hurt him. For the brothers, who were afraid for their lives because of their past evil act, Joseph’s loving actions heaped burning coals on their heads. It further convicted them of their wrong and opened the door for true reconciliation.
Application Question: How does holding grudges and unforgiveness often have more negative effects on us than others (cf. Matt 18:23-35)? In what ways have you experienced overcoming evil with good, specifically when it came to relational discord? How does blessing those who’ve hurt us often change their hearts and our own?
Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.” So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.”
Genesis 45:24-28
Before Joseph sent the brothers on their way, he said to them, “don’t be overcome with fear” (45:24). However, most versions translate this, “do not quarrel” (NIV, ESV) or “do no argue” (HCSB, CEV). Previously, in Genesis 42:21-22, when Joseph tested the brothers by imprisoning them for three days, they discerned that they were being punished by God for enslaving Joseph. Then Reuben declared how he originally warned them to not hurt the boy. Essentially, he said, “I told you so!” Joseph knew, on the way home, the brothers might start to blame one another again, which would only interfere with the family’s full reconciliation.
A significant hinderance to reconciliation is a tendency to continually bring up past failures. Now, there is a place for that if there has never been any true confession and repentance from the erring party. However, when there has been genuine confession and repentance, and even though a person may fail again, the past should not be continually brought up. This constrains many relationships from ever truly reconciling. The party in error begins to feel as if it’s impossible to reconcile for his or her past mistakes—eventually succumbing to despair, giving up, or reverting back to old ways.
When describing agape love—God’s love—in 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV), Paul said love “keeps no record of wrongs.” Unfortunately, many people are astute historians in this area. They continually bring up past failures, recalling every detail, and throwing them into the face of the other party. Often both sides do this—effectively sabotaging true reconciliation. If we are going to love someone as God calls us to, and experience reconciliation with that person, we must learn to forgive and let go of past failures, especially when there has been confession and repentance.
When there is confession and a genuine commitment to change, we must let go of the past and not continually bring it up. This creates an environment where true change and reconciliation can happen, instead of nurturing on-going quarrels. Sin takes time to root out. We all have had habitual sins that we continually fell back into, which took time to get over. It wasn’t that we were insincere in our fight to conquer those sins; we were just weak in our flesh. Paul had the same struggles: In Romans 7, he declared “the things I would do, I don’t do, and the things I wouldn’t do, I do. Who can save me from this body of sin?” (paraphrase). If we remember our own weaknesses, although they may be different from the weaknesses of those who hurt us, it will help us be more patient with them. Joseph wisely warned his brothers against the temptation to continually bring up the past and fight amongst themselves on their way to Canaan. We must be wise and commit to do the same in our relationships.
When Jacob heard that his son, Joseph, was alive, he was “stunned” (45:26). It can also be translated that Jacob’s heart became “numb” or “faint.” He possibly almost experienced a minor heart attack. However, when he saw the Egyptian clothes the brothers were wearing, the great caravan outside the house, including the Egyptian wagons, he believed. It says Jacob’s “spirit revived” (45:27). Then Jacob said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die” (45:28). Jacob was 130 years old when he went down to Egypt (47:9), and he was 147 when he died (47:28). Therefore, Jacob was able to enjoy all his children and grandchildren together for seventeen years. His family had been reconciled. May the Lord reconcile all of our families and friendships as well. Amen!
Application Question: Why is it important to refrain from bringing up the past when seeking reconciliation? When is bringing up the past appropriate? Share a story of how God reconciled a broken relationship of yours. What relationships are you still praying for God to reconcile?
How should we pursue reconciliation? We learn a great deal from Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers after twenty-two years of being estranged.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
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So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.” So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had. When he came to Beer Sheba he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there. Joseph will close your eyes.” Then Jacob started out from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him. Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt. He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters—all his descendants … All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.) Counting the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy. Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen. So they came to the land of Goshen. Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him, he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time. Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”
Genesis 45:25-46:30 (NET)
How should we discern God’s guidance? In this narrative, Jacob moves his family from Canaan to Egypt. There had been two years of famine, and there would be five more (Gen 45:11). By the end of the famine, if precautions weren’t taken, Jacob’s family would become impoverished. Through God’s sovereignty, God used the evil works of Jacob’s sons to provide for the family’s future. In Genesis 37, because the brothers were jealous of Joseph, they sold him into slavery. After thirteen years of serving as a slave and prisoner in Egypt, Joseph was exalted to governor of Egypt (Gen 41). God used him to collect great resources during seven years of plenty to provide for Egypt and other nations during seven years of a world-wide famine. In Genesis 45, after subjecting his brothers to two tests, Joseph revealed his identity to them. Joseph then called for his father, Jacob, and the rest of the family to move to Egypt, so they could be well provided for.
Jacob’s family moving to Egypt seemed like a no-brainer—they needed food and Joseph could provide it; however, it wasn’t that easy. God had called for Jacob’s family to become a great nation and to inherit the land of Canaan. If they moved to Egypt, how would God fulfill that promise, which was originally given to Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob? It seems that these realities were troubling Jacob. Though he initially left his home with his family, he stopped in Beer Sheba and offered sacrifices to God. God spoke to Jacob and told him to not be afraid of going down to Egypt (46:3).
Surely, God doesn’t waste words. God told Jacob to not be afraid because he was afraid and for good reasons. (1) Certainly, there were natural factors to consider, such as his advanced age. Moving when one is old and established is a lot harder than moving when one is young. For young people, moving is often an adventure; when older, it’s more of a burden. (2) But more importantly, as mentioned, Jacob must have questioned: “How would God fulfill his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and himself about giving them Canaan as an inheritance?” (3) Furthermore, Jacob’s descendants did not have a good history with Egypt. When Abraham first moved to Canaan, there was a famine. Instead of staying in the promised land, Abraham left for Egypt, which demonstrated a lack of faith in God. In Egypt, Pharaoh took Abraham’s wife, although God eventually delivered her after cursing Pharaoh and his family (Gen 12). In addition, Jacob knew that God appeared to Isaac at a time of great famine and warned him to not go down to Egypt, but to stay in Canaan (Gen 26:1-3). Jacob didn’t want to make the same mistake by going down to Egypt. If God had called for his family to stay in Canaan, God would provide for their welfare, even in a famine. Indeed, in Genesis 26:12, Isaac reaped 100 times what he sowed during that famine. Surely, God could provide for Jacob’s family in the same way. (4) Finally, another possible problem that might have caused Jacob to be afraid was an early prophecy Abraham received. In Genesis 15:13-16, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, be enslaved there for 400 years, God would judge that country, and then Israel would return to Canaan with great wealth. Was Egypt the “foreign country” where Jacob’s descendants would be enslaved? There were significant reasons for Jacob to be afraid.
Jacob was in a quandary: There were logical reasons to go down to Egypt and yet there were logical reasons to stay put. Similarly, for us, many decisions are not clear cut. How can we accurately discern God’s guidance? As we watch Jacob navigate this quandary and discern God’s guidance, we learn principles about discerning God’s guidance for our lives as well—where to go to school, what major to pursue, where to live, who to marry, or what job to take.
Big Question: What principles can we learn about discerning God’s guidance from Jacob’s leaving Canaan and going to Egypt in Genesis 45:25-46:30?
So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.”
Genesis 45:25-28
Observation Question: Which providential circumstances would seem to indicate God was calling Jacob’s family to move to Egypt?
Jacob’s process of discerning God’s guidance began when he was confronted with the reality that Joseph was still alive and currently the governor of Egypt. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, whom he thought was dead for twenty-two years. As Jacob considered his circumstances, there were several facts that seemed to confirm God’s desire for Jacob to relocate his family to Egypt:
By looking at God’s providential workings, it would seem clear that God was guiding Jacob into Egypt.
We, too, must consider God’s providential workings when discerning his guidance for our lives. Many times, God’s providential workings are as clear as open and closed doors. Has God opened the door for a specific job or ministry for you? Has God provided finances or some scholarship to meet your needs? If God is calling us somewhere, we should expect him to open and close doors. Closed doors will often be him saying “no” or “not yet,” and open doors will often be his affirmation. (Sometimes God opens many doors, which makes the discernment process a little more challenging.)
God’s providential working is only one factor we must consider when discerning God’s guidance. For Jacob, it seemed as if God was leading them to Egypt because Egypt had provisions during the famine, the famine would last for five more years, and Joseph, as governor over Egypt, would provide for them. How is God guiding you through providential circumstances?
Application Question: In what ways have you experienced God’s guidance through providential circumstances? Does God’s providence mean that we should be inactive in pursuing open doors? Why or why not? In what ways might God be guiding you now through his providence?
So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived.
Genesis 45:25-27
After the sons told Jacob that Joseph was still alive, they shared all that “Joseph had said” (45:27). Earlier, in Genesis 45:9-11, Joseph said that the family should move to Egypt and live in Goshen, as the famine would last for five more years, which would surely impoverish them. Certainly, Jacob wanted to see Joseph, but moving the family to Egypt was something he had never considered. However, Joseph’s advice was part of how God guided Jacob, and God often does the same with us.
Scripture says that we are the body of Christ, and as the body, one person may function as the eyes, another the feet, and another the hand. The hand can’t say to the eyes, “I don’t need you” (1 Cor 12). As believers, we are not independent from one another but intricately connected. For that reason, God often gives us grace through other members of the body, including his guidance. We must realize that somebody in the body will often function as eyes for us—for example, giving us direction. Sometimes it will be one person, maybe a mentor or good friend, and at other times, it will be random believers. Proverbs 11:14 says, “When there is no guidance a nation falls, but there is success in the abundance of counselors.” Seeking counsel often leads to victory and success; not seeking counsel can often lead to failure. Who are your abundance of counselors? Who are the people you seek advice from vocationally, relationally, and/or spiritually? Who are you speaking to in order to help guide them in the Lord’s path?
This a common way in which God guides his people. God called David to be king of Israel through Samuel (1 Sam 16). God called Paul and Barnabas to missions through a group of elders who fasted and listened to God (Acts 13:1-3). For Jacob, God spoke through Joseph’s call for him to move the family to Egypt, and no doubt God confirmed it through his other sons as well.
Application Question: Who are some of the people from whom you seek counsel? Who are the people God wants you to consult—maybe for a specific situation? How can we discern God’s guidance among our many counselors?
Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.” So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had.
Genesis 45:28, 46:1
Jacob had mourned the loss of Joseph for twenty-two years. However, when he found out that Joseph was alive and that he could see him, Jacob immediately declared, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die!” Here we see the meeting of desire and ability. The son whom Jacob had grieved over for twenty-two years was alive, and he could go see him. Also, Jacob desired to provide for his family, and that would only happen in Egypt.
In our own lives, God often guides us by giving us both the desire for something and the ability to achieve it. For example, Philippians 2:12-13 says, “…continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God.” When God is guiding us, he often leads through our “desire” and “effort.” This means God gives us desires for his purposes and the ability to complete them.
Therefore, when one is trying to discern God’s guidance, he must ask, “What is in my heart? What do I want?” But he also must ask, “Has God given me the ability to achieve these things or the potential to do so? Obviously, many people love and enjoy things for which they have no competency, which will often be how they discern God has something else for them. Others have competency and no desire. That may be the method God uses to direct them to other paths.
Again, desire and ability are only part of the way that God guides his people. There will be times he leads us into things, by circumstances and other indicators, wherein we lack a desire and strong ability to accomplish. However, in those cases, we should expect that God’s grace will be made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:7-8). God delights to lead us into these areas. Moses didn’t feel comfortable speaking in public. God listened to him and provided Aaron to speak on his behalf, but also said to him, “Who made the mouth?” God was going to make his power manifest in Moses’ weakness (Ex 3). We must recognize this as well: our desires and abilities should not limit us. Where God chooses to lead us is ultimately about God and his glory and helping others. It’s not just about what we like and what we are able to do. If these are the only things we consider, we will miss God’s guidance.
Another thing we must consider is that Scripture teaches that our hearts are deceitful above all else (Jer 17:9). Because of our fallen nature, “listening” to our hearts can be confusing and can lead us into great sin. For this reason, we must continually guard and test our hearts by asking ourselves questions like, “Are these desires selfish or God-honoring?” “Do my desires match my competency?” More importantly, we must continually abide in God through prayer and studying Scripture, so that God can guide our hearts and protect us from being led by our sin nature, the devil, or the world. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (paraphrase). As we delight in God, our desires will conform to his.
Certainly, God guided Jacob by giving him the desire of his heart—to see Joseph and provide for his family. Often God guides us in the same manner: How is God working in your heart? What are some of the abilities and gifts that God has given you?
Application Question: Are there any special ways God is currently working in your heart to help guide your steps? If so, in what ways? What are some of the unique ways that God has gifted you (which will, no doubt, be part of how he leads you)? What are some practical ways that we can discern our desires and abilities?
When he came to Beer Sheba he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
Genesis 46:1-3
Jacob had circumstances guiding him: wise counsel, his own personal desires, and the ability to fulfill those desires. With the limited knowledge Jacob had, he moved his family to the most southern part of Canaan—Beer Sheba—on his way to Egypt. Jacob’s family had a rich history there. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had previously lived there. Up to this point, it seems that Jacob was making a wise decision. Many times, God may not make his guidance absolutely clear. We must look at circumstances, seek counsel, discern God’s work in our heart, and then make the best decision we can, all the while trusting that he is guiding us (Rom 8:14). We should not feel immobilized because God hasn’t “spoken”; however, we must, with right hearts, diligently seek God’s guidance. Then we move cautiously—trusting God to confirm our steps, slow us down, or redirect us. It could be said that we cautiously move forward while looking for red lights, green lights, and yellow lights.
In this process, it appears that Jacob perceived something was wrong, as he lacked peace about his decision to transport his entire family to Egypt. How can we discern this? When God appeared to him, God commanded him to not be afraid to go down to Egypt (46:3). God knew that Jacob was hesitant to relocate to Egypt. Though everything seemed perfect, Jacob still lacked peace. It was because of this that Jacob paused their journey to Egypt to offer sacrifices to God at Beer Sheba and seek God’s reassurance.
Often times that will be how God guides us as well. He guides us through his peace or lack of it. We see this truth throughout Scripture. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.” The word “control” can also be translated “rule” or “decide.” It was an athletic word used of an umpire. The umpire says, “Winner!” or “Disqualified!” In 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, we get a good picture of how God guided Paul through a lack of peace. It says:
Now when I arrived in Troas to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me, I had no relief in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-bye to them and set out for Macedonia.
While Paul was at Troas, he had an open door to proclaim the gospel. Paul lived for open doors! However, he couldn’t find his co-worker, Titus, and therefore had “no relief” in his spirit. Since he lacked peace, he left Troas for Macedonia. Often Christians are led and controlled by fear instead of peace. “No one will ever marry me, so I’m going to settle for ‘Mr. Here Now’ instead of ‘Mr. Right!’” “If I choose this major, though I feel God guiding that way, I will never make enough money!” Fear rules instead of God’s peace.
Experiencing God’s peace is an important guide in our life. Satan wants to rule us by fear; God wants to rule us by peace. That’s why Paul says, “Let the peace of Christ rule [or have control] in our hearts” (Col 3:15 paraphrase). Also, we’re commanded in Philippians 4:6-7 to “Be anxious for nothing but in everything, through prayer, thanksgiving, with supplication, to make our requests known to God, so his peace can guard our hearts” (paraphrase). God wants us to have peace. Christ said, “My peace I give to you and not the peace that the world gives” (John 14:27 paraphrase). Are you being guided by peace or by fear and anxiety?
Now with that said, peace (or lack of peace) is subjective. Again, it is just one of the factors that we should consider. For Jacob, everything seemed to line up, circumstances, counsel, his heart and ability, yet he was struggling with fear instead of peace, so he stopped to seek God in a deeper manner by offering sacrifices. Jacob’s actions at Beer Sheba introduce our next principle.
Application Question: In what ways has God guided you through peace or a lack of it? Why is only considering our peace (or lack of it) for guidance unreliable? How should we test our peace?
When he came to Beer Sheba he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
Genesis 46:1
Jacob’s fear about leaving Canaan led him to seek the Lord’s presence by offering sacrifices at Beer Sheba. Certainly, when he offered sacrifices, he was giving God thanks that Joseph was alive and that they would be provided for during the famine. However, just as important as giving thanks, Joseph needed God’s guidance. Therefore, he sought the Lord’s guidance through prayer. This shows tremendous spiritual growth in Jacob’s life. At other crucial junctures in Jacob’s life, prayer seemed to be absent. When in his father’s home, instead of praying and trusting God to provide him with the inheritance, Jacob deceived his father. When deceived into marrying the wrong sister by his uncle Laban, Jacob didn’t pray or seek the Lord. He just decided to marry both sisters—bringing great conflict into his home. At many crucial junctures, prayer was absent.
At times God appeared to Jacob; however, those appearances came from God’s initiative, not Jacob’s. When Jacob ran for his life from his father’s home, God appeared to him in a dream and said that he would be with him and bring him back to his father’s home (Gen 28). When the sons of Laban were cross with Jacob, God told Jacob to leave Laban’s home (Gen 31). When Jacob was afraid that Esau might kill him after leaving Haran, God appeared as an angel and wrestled with Jacob (Gen 32). Previously at crucial points, Jacob habitually neglected God or God took the initiative; however, this time, when Jacob was afraid, he sought the Lord and God appeared to him.
We must do the same by seeking God through prayer. Unfortunately, we often act based on our circumstances, counsel, and/or heart desires alone without stopping to seek the Lord. With major decisions we should spend even greater time in prayer. Before Christ began his ministry, he spent forty days fasting (Matt 4). When Christ chose his twelve apostles, he spent the night in prayer before that decision (Lk 6:12-13). James 1:5 says, “But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.” James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask.” Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.” Literally, this can be translated “Ask and keep asking… seek and keep seeking…, knock and keep knocking…” We must ask the Lord and wait for his guidance, especially at critical junctures in our life.
Now, again, we don’t want to become paralyzed in the process of making decisions. Most times, God will not reveal himself in a vision, dream, or speak with audible words. But in situations like Jacob’s, where we lack peace, it’s often wise to stop, lay down our altar (as Jacob did), and seek the Lord until he gives us peace and further guidance.
Application Question: Why is prayer so important in seeking God’s guidance? In what ways have you experienced clear answers to prayers for guidance? How important is waiting in prayer and why is it so difficult?
God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there. Joseph will close your eyes.”
Genesis 46:2-4
After Jacob sought the Lord through offering sacrifices, God appeared to him in a vision. God spoke to Jacob and called him by name, “Jacob, Jacob!” God knew his name, as he had a personal relationship with him. Certainly, the same is true for us. Christ calls himself the good shepherd and describes how good shepherds know each lamb by name (John 10:3, 14). God knows us as well—our worries, fears, passions, and the way he made us. After calling Jacob, God relayed promises which would calm Jacob’s fears about moving to Egypt:
When Jacob was fearful about going down to Egypt, God guided and comforted him through promises. God may at times choose to speak audibly, but that is not the prevailing way God guides us today. Instead, God has provided us with his completed Word, something Jacob didn’t have. There were no portions of Scripture during that time, so God primarily communicated in supernatural ways. Today, God’s primary method of speaking to us and guiding us is through his written Word.
In Scripture, God either tells us what to do or gives us principles to guide us. As we consider circumstances, the counsel of others, the desires of our heart, and God’s peace or lack of it, we can be sure that God will never lead us in contradiction to his Word. This is how we test all the other factors. God’s Word will guide us clearly on moral issues. We shouldn’t do anything that would be immoral. On other issues, we have principles to help guide us into what’s best, even as we are considering in this study—circumstances, the counsel of others, God’s work in our hearts, and God’s peace.
With that said, we must understand that if we are weak in God’s Word, it will be hard to discern God’s guidance. In Psalm 119:105, David said, “Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.” When we are not faithfully abiding in God’s Word, it’s as if we are walking in the dark. We should expect to go the wrong direction, which inevitably leads to hurting ourselves and others.
Are you abiding in God’s Word? It guides us into what is moral and what is best. As we read and meditate on it, we commune with God and can then better discern his guidance. Psalm 25:14 (NIV) says, “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”
Application Question: In what ways does God guide us through his Word? How have you experienced a lack of intimacy with God and therefore direction when not faithfully being in God’s Word—communing with him? What are your favorite promises in the Bible and why?
Then Jacob started out from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him. Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt. He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters—all his descendants … All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.) Counting the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy. Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen. So they came to the land of Goshen. Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him, he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time. Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”
Genesis 46:5-30
In Genesis 46:7, it says that Jacob carried with him “all his descendants” (v. 7). Then we find a list of primarily his sons. Like most Hebrew genealogies, women were not included, with the exception of Jacob’s daughter, Dinah (46:15). The narrator also mentions other “daughters” of Jacob (v. 7). It’s possible that Jacob had daughters other than Dinah; however, many commentators believe the mentioning of daughters is referring to daughters-in-laws—the wives of his sons. The list includes seventy names—only sixty-six of these came down to Egypt, as Joseph and his sons were already there.
Why is this list included in the narrative? For many, genealogies can be boring to read. However, genealogies were very important to the Jews: they represented their family members. Ancestry affected one’s land rights, and it affected one’s occupation (such as, only sons of Aaron could be priests). Ultimately, the lists showed the ancestry of Christ. This genealogy traces Christ’s lineage from Judah, down through Perez, and then to Hezron (46:12, cf. Lk 3:33-34).
However, the list also shows that Jacob’s decision to move to Egypt was not just about him; it affected the infant nation of Israel—probably a couple hundred people. As mentioned, to the Jews, family was very important and therefore any decisions always took into consideration the entire family. In western nations, the primary concern is often one’s own desires—how it affects him or her individually. But, when God spoke to Jacob, he called himself the “God of your father”—representing his family line (46:3). In Revelation 2 and 3, Christ spoke to local churches—either commending them or calling them to repent. And in Luke 10:13, he called the nations of Chorazin and Bethsaida to repent.
God knows us as individuals, but he also knows us as part of a corporate reality. God sees us individually and corporately, as part of a family, a church, and a nation. Therefore, we too should consider this corporate reality when making decisions. We must ask ourselves how our decisions will affect our family, friends, church, and nation.
Paul demonstrates this principle in Romans 14:21, as he said: “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” Though eating meat and drinking wine were not sin—as they passed the biblical test—in some situations, it would not be loving to eat and drink them. Therefore, Paul taught his listeners to be considerate of others when making decisions. In 1 Corinthians 8:13, Paul said: “For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them to sin.” God’s guidance often becomes clear when we consider the effects of our decisions on others: “Will making this decision help more people grow in Christ?” “Will choosing to take this freedom potentially cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble?”
Certainly, this should apply to our families. Many people accept jobs based on the fact that they will make more money but commonly give no thought to how the new job will impact their family life. If they take that job or pursue that career, will it mean less time with one’s spouse or children? There are many children growing up without parental presence and guidance because of their parents’ vocational decisions.
We should, additionally, consider our spiritual family. God has made the church to be a body, which, though having individual parts, depends upon one another. This means we must evaluate how our decisions affect our local church. It is not uncommon for people to leave a healthy church where they are growing and serving, in order to take a better job elsewhere and, then upon arriving, experience years of spiritual dryness. It is challenging to find a good church and often hard to get connected after finding it. If the church is a body, as Scripture teaches, then we must give great thought to how our decisions affect her (and us, as part of her). This will often be how God guides. He will guide us by teaching us to love others more than ourselves, including our family, church, and nation. When Jacob considered leaving Canaan, no doubt, a significant part of his consideration was its effect on his large family, including Joseph.
After gaining confirmation from God, Jacob journeyed to Egypt. When he met Joseph he declared, “Now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive” (46:30). Essentially, seeing Joseph filled Jacob with joy; when it was time for him to die, he could die in peace. Family was a major factor in Jacob’s move to Egypt, and God will often use relational considerations to direct us as well.
Application Question: How has God led you by considering others’ needs before your own? How do we discern the balance of caring for others and ourselves?
How should we discern God’s guidance? We can learn a great deal from how God guided Jacob’s move to Egypt. Again, none of these principles alone should be our guide; we must use each of them, if possible, in discerning God’s guidance.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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1 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 528). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
2 Guzik, D. (2013). Genesis (Ge 46:5–27). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
…Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?” “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.” Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children. There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace… So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, o from one end of Egypt to the other… Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” “I will do as you say,” he said. ”Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Genesis 46:31-47:31 (NET)
How can we live as heaven-bound pilgrims on earth?
In Genesis 46-47, Jacob relocated his family to Egypt so they could survive the world-wide famine. The region they moved to was Goshen, a fertile area located on the eastern delta of the Nile.1 In Goshen, Joseph, the governor of Egypt, prepped his family to meet Pharaoh (Genesis 46:31-34). Though Joseph was second-in-command over Egypt, he could not give Jacob’s family the land of Goshen without Pharaoh’s permission. Joseph told his family to mention that their occupation was shepherding. Since Egyptians despised shepherds, they would not want shepherds to live in or near their communities. Sending them to live in Goshen would solve this situation, and Pharaoh confirmed and approved Joseph’s request.
Joseph was not only a godly man and wise administrator, but he was also a savvy politician. He understood people and how to use the right words to get things done. He not only understood that Egyptians despised shepherds, but that they also looked down on other nations. Egyptians believed they originated from the gods and other peoples from lesser origins. These two realities (their occupation and ethnicity) would allow Joseph’s family to live separately in Goshen, prosper, and yet keep their identity as Hebrews. If they lived among the Egyptians, they would have assimilated into the culture—taking on many of the bad practices of the Egyptians, such as polytheism. If the Israelites couldn’t keep their identity in Canaan, where they began to practice the sins of the Canaanites, they wouldn’t be able to do it in Egypt, either.
Joseph put together a delegation of five brothers—probably, the most impressive of the eleven—and had them meet Pharaoh. After Pharaoh heard about their occupation, he agreed that they should live in Goshen. He also encouraged Joseph to allow his brothers to oversee the royal flocks if any of them had special ability (47:6).
After the brothers met Pharaoh, Joseph’s father was brought in to meet him. Immediately, Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh asked Jacob’s age. Jacob replied, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers” (47:9 NIV). Isaac lived to 180 and Abraham lived to 175. Ancient Egyptian literature says that the ideal age was 110.2 Possibly, Pharaoh had never met a man as old as Jacob. After their conversation, Jacob blessed Pharaoh again.
Later we find out that Israel prospered in Egypt—gaining property and bearing many children—while the Egyptians suffered (47:11-27). In return for food, the Egyptians first gave all their money to Pharaoh. Then, in an inevitable domino effect, they sold their animals, property, and finally themselves. In contrast, during the Israelites’ sojourn in Egypt, as pilgrims waiting their future land, God blessed them in the midst of the famine.
As we study this narrative, we learn something about our pilgrimage on earth. Like the Israelites in Egypt, we are temporary residents on earth—awaiting our heavenly homeland. In fact, when speaking to Pharaoh, Jacob summarized his life as a pilgrimage (Gen 47:9 NIV), one which seemed to refer to more than Jacob and his family’s earthly nomadic lifestyle. The writer of Hebrews used the same language to describe Abraham and the other patriarchs living in Canaan and yet looking forward to heaven while on earth. Hebrews 11:8-10, 16 says,
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going. By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God… But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
The fact that Jacob was ultimately looking forward to heaven is clearly implied at his death. Genesis 49:29 and 33 says,
Then he [Jacob] instructed them, “I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite…When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.”
When Jacob referred to going to his people, it meant something other than being buried. ‘Going to his people’ referred to Jacob’s heavenly hope. In heaven, Abraham, Isaac, Rachel, and Leah were all still “alive” and, at death, Jacob knew he would be reunited with them.
Though not having the revelation of Scripture, God made it known to the patriarchs that they were called to a heavenly country. They had a heavenly hope. In fact, Canaan has always symbolized heavenly hope for the Jews. When God gave Moses the description of the tabernacle, it was based on the heavenly tabernacle. Hebrews 8:5 says,
The place where they serve is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, just as Moses was warned by God as he was about to complete the tabernacle. For he says, “See that you make everything according to the design shown to you on the mountain.”
Also, Jerusalem was meant to help the Jews think about ‘heavenly Jerusalem,’ as Hebrews 12:22 calls it, which was their eventual eternal home.
Like the patriarchs, David understood this heavenly reality, as he also referred to himself as a pilgrim on earth:
For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security.
1 Chronicles 29:15
Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cry for help! Do not ignore my sobbing! For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land; I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were.
Psalm 39:12
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David were all pilgrims, even while they lived in the promised land. This was because they were waiting for their eternal abode.
Scripture teaches the same reality about believers: Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” First Peter 2:11 says, “Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul.”
Therefore, as we look at Jacob and his family’s pilgrimage in Egypt, we learn principles about being pilgrims in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven and our sojourn on earth is temporary; therefore, these realities should significantly affect our daily lives and how we prepare for the future.
Big Question: What principles about being faithful, heaven-bound pilgrims on earth can we discern from Israel’s pilgrimage in Egypt?
Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.” Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?” “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
Genesis 46:31-47:6
As mentioned, God’s placement of Israel in Egypt, and specifically Goshen, was strategic. While in Canaan, infant Israel was beginning to conform to the ways of that nation. Jacob’s sons had murdered a village of men. Reuben, the firstborn, had slept with one of Jacob’s wives. Judah impregnated his daughter-in-law. Ten of Jacob’s sons had enslaved Joseph. Two of the sons married Canaanite women (Judah and Simeon; 38:2, 46:10). Such intermarriages would not have happened in Egypt due to the Egyptians’ extreme prejudice towards other nations and particularly towards shepherds. For these reasons, the Israelites were segregated from the Egyptians and allowed to dwell in Goshen. There they would grow into a great nation (Gen 46:3) and cultivate their religious distinctiveness. Egyptian society was built around a plethora of gods, one of whom was Pharaoh himself, but Israel would be built around the one God. Living in Goshen would allow them to be separate—set apart for God.
This is also true about our pilgrimage on earth as Christians. If we are going to live as pilgrims on earth, we must maintain our distinctiveness. We must be “in the world but not of the world” (John 17:15-16 paraphrase). We must never adopt the world’s sinful practices or ideals. We must develop and maintain the ideals and character which accords with our heavenly citizenship.
James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Religion that God accepts is not only merciful but holy—it keeps itself unspotted from the world. That was God’s plan for Israel while they lived in Goshen, and that is God’s plan for us while we are in the world.
Interpretation Question: What does the process of a believer being conformed to this world look like?
According to Scripture, it’s very easy for Christians to lose their distinctiveness and begin to assimilate into the world culture. The process is gradual but has distinct stages: First, they befriend the world—becoming “comfortable” with its relationships, ideals, and practices. James says friendship with the world is enmity with God (Jam 4:4). Because of their friendship with the world, they become stained by the world (Jam 1:27), as they adopt various aspects of the world’s customs that are ungodly—language, clothing, sexual ethics, worldviews. As they immerse themselves more and more into the world, they begin to fall in love with it—enjoying its culture and wealth. First John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in them” (paraphrase). Loving the world and the things of the world continually draws believers away from God and the things of God. Also, it is harder to give things up that we love. Finally, Christians become conformed to the world, where they look just like the world and it’s hard to distinguish whether they are Christians or not. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (paraphrase). For example, Paul called the Corinthian Christians “worldly” and “infants in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1 NIV). It was hard to distinguish them from the world, as they had totally assimilated to the culture: They worshipped their pastors as if they were rock stars (1 Cor 1). They were suing one another (1 Cor 6). They practiced gross sexual immorality including incest and visiting temple prostitutes (1 Cor 5 and 6), and they even started to doubt the resurrection (1 Cor 15). They were very much like some liberal, worldly churches today.
As Christians conform to the world, they not only open the door to the devil but lose God’s blessing in the process. Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV) says,
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts.
God blesses those who separate from the world and continually draw near God and the things of God. He blesses them—in fact, prospering everything they do.
Like any good parent, God can’t bless his children as he would like to when they are living in sin. To bless them in that state would just harden them further into sin. Instead, he disciplines them so they can become holy. Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” He disciplines believers so we can share in his holiness. Since God had a great plan for Israel—they would be the stewards of God’s Word, God’s temple, and the messiah would come through them—they had to be separate and holy. They had to be vessels fit for him to use.
Certainly, this is also true for believers today. We are God’s workmanship created in Christ for good works, which he prepared beforehand (Eph 2:10). Like Israel, God desires to bless us and draw the world to himself through us. Therefore, as pilgrims on this earth, we must be holy—set apart from the world and sin and separated to righteousness.
Are you practicing holiness—separating from the world, its practices and worldviews? Are you drawing near God through his Word, prayer, and growing in righteousness so God can use you greatly?
Application Question: How do we see many Christians (including churches and denominations) adopting the world—its ideals and practices? Why is this so common? How can Christians be in the world and not of it?
Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.” Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
Genesis 47:7-10
After Joseph’s brothers met with Pharaoh and asked to live in the land of Goshen, Jacob was introduced to Pharaoh. It appears that Jacob walked into the room with hands raised and immediately began to pray over Pharaoh. No doubt, he was thankful for how God used Pharaoh to save them from the famine, but he also wanted Pharaoh to know the blessing of the true God. As Jacob blessed him, he was operating in God’s promise to his family. Through Abraham and his descendants, all nations of the earth would be blessed.
What’s interesting about this is that Pharaoh was the most powerful man in the world at that time. He was considered the incarnation of Ra, the sun god.3 However, Pharaoh’s worldly preeminence didn’t stop Jacob from blessing him. After a short conversation, Jacob prayed again for Pharaoh. The man whom God chose to bless the world prayed for the most powerful man in the world. Jacob was not shocked or humbled by the greatness of Pharaoh, for Jacob knew whom he represented.
Steve Cole tells a story about Pastor Peter Cartwright’s comments when he found out the U.S. President, Andrew Jackson, was attending his service.
On one occasion a man named Peter Cartwright was about to preach when his deacons informed him that President Andrew Jackson had unexpectedly showed up. They asked him to be careful what he said. He stood up to preach and began, “I understand that Andrew Jackson is with us today, and I have been asked to be guarded in my remarks. Andrew Jackson will go to hell as quickly as any other man if he does not repent!” The congregation was shocked, wondering how the President would react. At the close of the meeting, President Jackson shook Cartwright’s hand and said, “Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world.”4
Perhaps, Pastor Cartwright went a little overboard; however, the basis of his comments were correct. As a preacher, he spoke for God, and he knew that all people needed God’s blessing, including the U.S. President.
God has called all believers to be agents of his blessing on the earth. Christ called believers the salt and light of the world (Matt 5:13-14). As salt, we keep society from moral decay and ultimate judgment by living godly lives and challenging immoral practices. As light, we are maintainers of the truth. As society becomes darker, moral principles are lost, even such principles as the marriage between a man and a woman or the value of life (including infants, those with disabilities, or the elderly). God has called us to positively influence the world. The greatest way that we bless the world is obviously by sharing the gospel with them. Christ died for our sins and rose again. If we believe in him and follow him as Lord and Savior, God will save us from eternal damnation and give us eternal life. This is the blessing we should share with great and small. We are pilgrims with great blessings to offer the world.
Obviously, our Christian influence in the world will not be without cost. Since people prefer to continue in sin, they will become angry with us, perhaps even leading to our persecution. This is what happened to Christ—culminating in his crucifixion—and persecution will eventually happen to us in various ways. John 3:19-20 says:
the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.
Likewise, Peter wrote this to Christians who were being persecuted for their faith throughout the Roman empire: “and maintain good conduct among the non-Christians, so that though they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears” (1 Pet 2:12). Though these unbelievers persecuted Christians, many of them will ultimately glorify God on the day Christ appears, because at some point they became believers through the Christian witness. We don’t know if Pharaoh ever became a believer, but God blessed him through Joseph and Jacob for that purpose. When Nebuchadnezzar was ruling the world from Babylon, God used Daniel to help bring about his conversion (Dan 4). That is God’s plan for us as pilgrims on this earth as well. We are called to show people the love of God and consistently point them to the land we’re waiting for—a heavenly land.
Application Question: What are some ways that Christians can be a blessing to unbelievers? In what ways is God calling you to be salt and light to those around you that don’t know Christ? In what ways is persecution towards Christians growing around the world?
Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.”
Genesis 47:8-9
As mentioned, after Pharaoh was initially blessed by Jacob, he asked for Jacob’s age. Pharaoh could tell Jacob was old. After Jacob replied that he was 130, he described his years as “few” and “painful” (v. 9). They were few in comparison to his fathers’ years, Isaac and Abraham, who lived to 180 and 175. However, Jacob probably also was considering his life in comparison to eternity. It’s clear that Jacob believed he would die soon. He mentioned it in Genesis 45, 46, and at the end of 47, as he prepared for his burial (47:28-31).
Recognizing the brevity of life is crucial for pilgrims. God has given us all a limited time on the earth, and how we live our lives will affect our lives in eternity. As believers, how we live is not about going to heaven or hell, as we are saved by faith in Christ’s work for us (Eph 2:8-9). However, the manner in which we live affects our lives in eternity and, specifically, our rewards in eternity. Second Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” First Corinthians 3:12-15 says,
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to be evaluated for rewards; unbelievers will go before the Great White Throne of Judgment, where their works will reveal that they never accepted Christ and determine the quality of their eternal judgment (Rev 20). At the Judgment Seat of Christ, believers will receive rewards for faithfulness and lose rewards for unfaithfulness. Christ said those who practice his commands and teach others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven, and those who break his commands and teach others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:19).
How we use our time on earth matters! Life is like a vapor—it is here briefly and then gone (Jam 4:14). Psalm 90:10 and 12 (NIV) says:
Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away... Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
The Psalmist essentially says that if we don’t realize how short our time on earth is, we risk living unwisely. Christ intimated something similar in a parable about a master who left his servant at home in Luke 12:45-46. He said,
But if that slave should say to himself, ‘My master is delayed in returning,’ and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat, drink, and get drunk then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
Since the servant thought his master was delaying his return (or wasn’t coming at all), he ceased to be a good steward. He lived in discord, waste, and drunkenness—he didn’t live a wise life because he wrongly evaluated his time. We probably would live wiser lives if we knew that Christ was returning soon or that we would die soon. Understanding the brevity of life is important to living as pilgrims. It helps us live wisely—in a way that honors God.
In Genesis 45:28, after Jacob’s sons told him that Joseph was still alive, he said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” Then in Genesis 46:30, when he met Joseph he said, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.” As mentioned previously, Jacob thought he was about to die soon; however, he lived for seventeen more years (Gen 47:28). This is important to consider because we don’t know the time of our deaths. For those who think they will live many more years, death may come quite quickly. For others, God might grant them many years of life. For others still, Christ may return in their lifetime, and they may never taste death. Whatever our futures hold, as servants of our heavenly King, he will hold us accountable for the instructions, talents, and time he gave us (cf. Matt 25:14-30).
Are we using our time wisely? Are we living as pilgrims, realizing that our time on earth may be short? God has prepared a heavenly city for us, and how we live here affects our eternal life there. In the Parable of the Talents, the person with one talent who didn’t use his gift or time well received God’s discipline instead of God’s commendation and reward (cf. Matt 25:24-30).
How are you using your time? Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV) says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” To live faithfully as pilgrims, we must recognize the brevity of life in order to use our time well.
Application Question: Why is recognizing the brevity of life so important to being a faithful pilgrim? What are some helpful principles or disciplines that can help us use our time better for the Lord? How can we recognize the brevity of life and yet not become fatalistic?
Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.”
Genesis 47:8-9
Jacob not only mentioned the brevity of life but also the difficulty of it. Jacob had experienced a challenging life: He ran from his father’s home out of fear for his life, as his brother, Esau, wanted to kill him. He was deceived by his father-in-law, Laban, into marrying the wrong sister, leading him to marry both sisters. Because of that polygamist marriage, there was constant friction in his family between the wives and sons. Soon after Jacob left his uncle Laban’s house, Jacob’s sons murdered all the men in a village. His oldest son, Reuben, slept with Jacob’s wife in a power grab. His sons sold Joseph into slavery, whom he believed was dead for twenty-two years. He indeed had a difficult life. Much of the difficulty was not only a direct result of his own sins, but also stemmed from the sins of others and living in a world under God’s curse.
The difficulty of life is also important for us to recognize if we are going to live as faithful pilgrims on earth. For many, they are under the illusion that life becomes easier once we become Christians. Some might even believe the error of the prosperity gospel—that believers are promised health and wealth here on earth. However, that is not the true gospel message, and believing so can often cause great discouragement when people do not experience the “promised” prosperity. Job said: “people are born to trouble, as surely as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7).
We are always negatively affected by our sin, the sin of others, and the consequences of sin to the earth. These realities are true for everybody; however, Christians will often experience more difficulties because of their faith. In 1 Peter 4:12, Peter said this to Christians who were being persecuted for the faith, “Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Following Christ often will cause more difficulties in our lives, including our fight against sin in our flesh and the world, spiritual warfare, and persecution from those antagonistic towards Christ. Nonetheless, in the midst of those difficulties, there is certainly grace and, most importantly, God’s presence to carry us through them.
Christ indirectly described the importance of understanding the difficulties that come from following him in the Parable of the Sowers. In Matthew 13:20-21, he described the shallow ground which received the seed of God’s Word:
The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.
When trouble or persecution happened, the person with shallow faith turned away from God. Maybe he was disappointed with God because he expected God to protect, heal, or prosper him. Or, he simply didn’t understand the costs that came with following Christ (sometimes loss of family, friends, or career). The parable implies that such a person fell away from God and apparently never returned.
The life of a Christian includes difficulties, some of which are common to all people, others experienced only by believers. As Christians, we are uniquely subjected to temptations from the flesh, Satan, and the world. We experience a mourning over sin that the world doesn’t (Matt 5:4) and a groaning for our heavenly home (Rom 8:23). This is the pilgrim’s life as we await our true home.
For Jacob, his years of pilgrimage were both few and difficult, and we should expect the same. But even more importantly than those difficulties, we should understand the greater glory that trials bring in our life. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Paul said:
Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
Though we experience many difficulties in this pilgrim life, God uses all difficulties to help renew our spiritual life—creating perseverance in us, character, and hope in God (Rom 5:3-4). Difficulties are necessary, as they help remind us that earth and these bodies are not our permanent home—we were made for something else. Difficulties help us not hold the temporary things of life so tightly and help us cling more to eternity. Difficulties also prepare us for a greater glory in heaven as we persevere in faith. James 1:12 says, “Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him.”
How are you responding to your difficulties? Do you realize that they are par the course for pilgrims in a world that is not ours? Our home is in heaven, and one day we will be with Jesus there. When Christ returns to the earth, he will renew the heaven and the earth, and they will be our eternal home (Rev 21).
Application Question: Why is it important for believers to recognize and expect difficulties (cf. Jam 1:2)? In what ways have you experienced how difficulties help us cling less to the temporary and cling more to the eternal? What specific difficulties is God currently using in your life to help change your character and help you cling more to him and your ultimate home?
So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, just as Pharaoh had commanded. Joseph also provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household, according to the number of their little children. But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace. When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die before your very eyes because our money has run out?” Then Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for livestock. When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed that we may live and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.” So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. So the land became Pharaoh’s. Joseph made all the people slaves from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it. But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate the land. When you gather in the crop, give one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the rest will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.” They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” So Joseph made it a statute, which is in effect to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s. Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.
Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the years of Jacob’s life were 147 in all. The time for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you say.” Jacob said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” So Joseph gave him his word. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
Genesis 47:11-31
The narrator, Moses, contrasts the blessing and favor over the Israelites with the hardship that the Egyptians endured. Statements of God’s provision for Israel bracket the impoverishment of the Egyptians in Genesis 47:11-12, 27-29. Joseph gave his family property and food (47:11-12), and eventually the Israelites increased greatly in number and acquired even more property (47:27-29). However, the Egyptians were so impoverished in the final five years of famine, they first gave all their money to Pharaoh, then sold their animals, and finally themselves and their land (47:13-26). Some struggle with understanding Joseph’s enslavement of the Egyptians. However, it is important when studying the Bible to take off our cultural lenses and read it according to the lens of that particular ancient culture. In Genesis 47:19, because the people did not want to perish, they asked Pharaoh to take their lands and enslave them. That was how they would survive. This was not uncommon in the ancient world, where people often struggled with extreme poverty. For many, slavery was a preferred institution. Compare slavery to the day worker: the day worker got paid at end of a day’s work, and it was usually only enough to buy food for that day—it did not pay for housing, medical, clothing, or other expenses. For slaves, their costs for housing, food, clothing, and medical needs were all covered by their master. Often slaves and masters had good relationships. For instance, Abraham’s chief servant would have received Abraham’s inheritance if Abraham never had a child (Gen 15:2-3). Instead of looking at their slavery as a negative experience, the Egyptians praised Joseph for saving their lives and giving them a reasonable deal (Gen 47:25). They only had to pay twenty percent of their harvest to Pharaoh, which was cheap for a tenant farmer in those days. Forty percent was not uncommon in Mesopotamia and some ancient documents show people paying as much as sixty percent.5 Again, this compelled the people to praise Joseph for saving them.
In contrast, the Israelites had a very different experience: They received property while the Egyptians sold theirs. They were fruitful and increased greatly in number (47:27). God blessed them even during a famine. Certainly, this was common throughout the patriarchs’ narrative: While Abraham visited Egypt, even though he lied about his wife and almost lost her to Pharaoh, he left Egypt with great wealth (Gen 12). When he went to war with just a few hundred men against four armies, he conquered them (Gen 14). When his wife was barren, God gave her a miracle child named Isaac in their old age (Gen 21). When Isaac experienced a famine, instead of going to Egypt, he sowed seed and God gave him a 100-fold harvest (Gen 26). While Laban kept mistreating Jacob, God prospered Jacob and made him wealthier than Laban (Gen 30). When Joseph was sold into slavery and then put in prison, he prospered in both institutions (Gen 39-40) and then was promoted to governor of Egypt (Gen 41). In bad situations, God continually used evil and difficulties to bless his people. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph said this to his brothers, “What you meant for bad, God meant for good” (paraphrase). The same thing was happening to Israel while they dwelt in Egypt. During the famine, God prospered them while others suffered. Therefore, God’s favor over his people while in Egypt and throughout the patriarchs’ story reminds us to have faith in God, both in hard times and good times.
We see the need for faith clearly demonstrated with Jacob when he was about to die: He approached Joseph and asked that his body be buried back in his parents’ cave in Canaan (47:29-31). Jacob’s seventeen years in Egypt were probably his most peaceful and prosperous years. He had his entire family together; they were growing, living in peace, and prospering. It would have been easy for Jacob to settle down in Egypt, accept his lot there, and forget about Canaan. However, Jacob remembered God’s promise: Jacob’s family would possess Canaan. Therefore, being moved there after his death was a step of faith—one that his family would remember. Jacob and the Israelites were not polytheistic Egyptians! They were worshipers of the true God, who were temporarily residing in Egypt. Their home was past the border of Egypt, in Canaan. They were only pilgrims in Egypt.
Similarly, as pilgrims on this earth, we must live by faith both in bad times and good times. With trials come a temptation to doubt God’s goodness. In those times, we must remember God works all things to the good of those who love the Lord (Rom 8:28). Just as God provided for Israel in the famine and ultimately prospered them, God will do the same with us, in various ways. However, in times of prosperity, there is the temptation to forget God and live for this world. Many believers have done so. With Demas, a former apostolic associate, Paul said this about him, “For Demas deserted me, since he loved the present age, and he went to Thessalonica” (2 Tim 4:10). Unfortunately, many, instead of living by faith, fall in love with ‘Egypt,’ making their home there and becoming ‘Egyptianized.’ Instead of storing their riches and ultimate dreams in heaven, they store them on earth, which makes their hearts worldly (Matt 6:19-21).
If we are going to be faithful pilgrims on earth, we must live by faith. We must set our minds on things above instead of earthly things (Col 3:2). We must live by faith, as only those who live by faith on this earth will be rewarded by God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Are you living by faith in God’s promises or by sight—focusing all your hopes and dreams on this earth? We are saved by faith and we live by faith (Rom 1:17). This is the life of a pilgrim—a life of faith in God.
Application Question: Why is it so hard to keep our eyes on the promises of God including heaven, eternal reward, and ultimately seeing and knowing God eternally? How is God calling you to trust him more either in a time of hardship or prosperity?
How can we faithfully live as pilgrims on the earth—citizens of heaven?
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
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1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be authentic (p. 136). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.
2 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (pp. 532–533). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
3 Guzik, D. (2013). Genesis (Ge 47:7–10). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
4 Accessed May 10, 2019 from https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-78-prosperity-counts-genesis-4631-4731
5 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 535). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
After these things Joseph was told, “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has just come to you,” Israel regained strength and sat up on his bed. Jacob said to Joseph, “The sovereign God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will multiply you. I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.’ “Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are. Any children that you father after them will be yours; they will be listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance. But as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died—to my sorrow—in the land of Canaan. It happened along the way, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem). When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these?” Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.” His father said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of his age; he was not able to see well. So Joseph brought his sons near to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see you again, but now God has allowed me to see your children too.” So Joseph moved them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. Joseph positioned them; he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father. Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, although he was the younger. Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn. Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the Angel who has protected me from all harm— bless these boys. May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a multitude on the earth.” When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you will Israel bless, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. As one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope, which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.” Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you what will happen to you in the future. “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power. You are destructive like water and will not excel, for you got on your father’s bed, then you defiled it—he got on my couch! Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence are their knives! O my soul, do not come into their council, do not be united to their assembly, my heart, for in their anger they have killed men, and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel! Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father’s sons will bow down before you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah, from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches and lies down like a lion; like a lioness—who will rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him…
Genesis 48-49 (NET)
How can we help our children walk in God’s blessing?
In Genesis 48-49, Jacob is sick, bed-ridden, and about to die. When Joseph heard about this, he and his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who were probably in their early twenties, immediately went to Jacob’s bedside. Jacob blessed Joseph as the firstborn by passing special privileges to his two sons. First Chronicles 5:1 confirms this:
The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn— (Now he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph, Israel’s son. So Reuben is not listed as firstborn in the genealogical records.
As firstborn, Joseph would receive a double-portion of the inheritance. The way Jacob enacted the double-portion was by officially adopting Joseph’s sons—Manasseh and Ephraim. They would receive the same rights as Jacob’s other children. This is why whenever you see a listing of the twelve tribes of Israel, Joseph is never included, because Manasseh and Ephraim took his place. The reason there are twelve tribes instead of thirteen is because Levi is typically not listed, since they did not receive a land inheritance (cf. Num 1:6-15, 47-48).
When Jacob blessed Joseph’s children, he was acting in faith. He is placed in Hebrews 11—The Heroes of the Faith chapter—because of this act. Hebrews 11:21 says, “By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff.”
After adopting and blessing Joseph’s sons, Jacob blessed the rest of his sons in Genesis 49. Without a doubt, Jacob was acting in faith as he blessed them. These blessings were more than prayers, they were prophecies, which were fulfilled in each individual and their future tribes. Since there is so much minutia in the prophecies, we will not work through the details. Instead, we will consider general principles on how we can help our children walk in God’s blessings, as was Jacob’s purpose in offering his patriarchal blessing.
Certainly, this message directly applies to parents but also indirectly to grandparents, future parents, and spiritual parents. For future parents, failure, as a general principle, often comes from lack of preparation. We would do much better in marriage, parenting, and any endeavor, if we gave great thought and labor to them before entering those institutions. Therefore, this message has applications for everybody, whether married or single.
Big Question: What principles can we learn about helping our children walk in God’s blessing from Jacob’s patriarchal blessing?
After these things Joseph was told, “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has just come to you,” Israel regained strength and sat up on his bed … ”Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are. Any children that you father after them will be yours; they will be listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance.
Genesis 48:1-3, 5-6
When Joseph heard that his father was weakening, he took his sons to Jacob. Certainly, the hope was for them to see their grandfather before his death, but Joseph also hoped that they would receive a blessing from Jacob. God had promised to bless the nations through Jacob—his blessing was valuable.
Similarly, as parents (or future parents), we must remember that we are not the only ones who will contribute to our children’s futures. As children grow older, often friends, teachers, coaches, or pastors have more influence than we do during certain stages and seasons of our children’s’ lives. Therefore, it’s important for parents to be strategic in raising them. It has often been said that “it takes a village to raise a child,” and it is true. Parents must put their children in strategic places where they can be blessed by others. Certainly, this includes relationships with godly family members like grandparents, uncles, and aunts, but it should also include relationships with faithful church members. Since God made the church to be his body, we receive much of God’s grace and blessing through other believers. Those who neglect the church or who are marginally connected to her, miss out on much of God’s blessing. Married couples need the advice and prayers of older married couples. Young mothers need the encouragement of older mothers. Children need not only their parents’ blessing, but also that of other mature saints.
Parents should pray about strategic partners (and communities) and seek them out. Like Joseph, we should take our children to them for prayer, counsel, and discipleship.
Application Question: Outside of your parents, who made the most impact on your spiritual life? In what ways should parents plan for these strategic partnerships?
Jacob said to Joseph, “The sovereign God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will multiply you. I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.’ … “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him”
Genesis 48:3-4, 49:10
When Joseph and his children came to see Jacob, Jacob mustered his strength, sat up in the bed, and then recounted the blessings that God decreed over his life and his descendants: God was going to make him fruitful, make him a group of nations (referring to tribes), and give his descendants the land of Canaan (48:4). This blessing represented many things: It wasn’t just God’s personal promise to Jacob; it was God’s redemptive plan to bless the nations. God initially gave this promise to Jacob’s grandfather and father—Abraham and Isaac. When the world was largely polytheistic and had rebelled against God (at the Tower of Babel), God planned to bless Abraham’s family so they could be a blessing to the nations (Gen 12:1-3). In fact, God told Abraham in Genesis 22:18 (NIV), that the nations would specifically be blessed through one of his seeds—the messiah (cf. Gal 3:16). Later, Jacob elaborates on this promise when blessing Judah; he said, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him” (49:10). This seed, originally promised in Genesis 3:15 who would crush the head of Satan, would be a world-wide ruler who would come through Judah, and all the nations would obey him. Jacob reiterated God’s promise to his children—something he, no doubt, shared many times before, but adding new details about the messiah. Their lives were bigger than themselves and their success. God had called them to participate in the world’s redemption. In the same way, parents bless their children by giving them a kingdom vision instead of a primarily secular vision.
When Jacob adopted his grandchildren, he was giving them the opportunity to participate in that kingdom vision. These two grandsons, who were half-Egyptian and being raised as Egyptian royalty, would have to forfeit their Egyptian heritage. By faith, they would have to associate with despised shepherds and give up the prosperity of Egypt. It’s clear that the grandsons and their children did forfeit their royal Egyptian heritage, as the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim eventually became slaves along with the rest of Israel (cf. Exodus). In being willing to associate with Jacob’s family, the sons displayed the character traits of Israel’s future deliverer, Moses. Hebrews 11:24-26 says,
By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. He regarded abuse suffered for Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on the reward.
Similarly, parents bless their children by both giving them a kingdom vision, as well as opportunities to participate in it. God is completing his kingdom plan now through worldwide missions. All nations will be reached with the gospel, and Christ is going to return to rule on this earth. The question is whether we and our children will participate. Jacob gave his grandsons a chance to participate; Joseph didn’t hinder it, and the sons accepted. They became two of the greatest tribes in Israel.
Application Question: How can we give our children a kingdom vision?
Application Question: Why is it so important to give children a kingdom vision and opportunities to participate in it? How did God develop a vision for his kingdom in your life? How should we seek to do that with our children?
Jacob said to Joseph, “The sovereign God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will multiply you. I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.’… But as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died—to my sorrow—in the land of Canaan. It happened along the way, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem) … Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked—the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the Angel who has protected me from all harm—bless these boys…
Genesis 48:3-4, 7, 15-16
Not only was Jacob sharing God’s redemptive plan with his children as he talked about God’s promises and the messiah, but he also shared about his personal relationship with God and his experiences while following him. God appeared to Jacob twice at Luz (also named Bethel, Gen 48:3): God appeared to him when he left his father’s home, going to Haran to look for a wife (Gen 28). God appeared to him a second time after he left Shechem with his family, where his sons murdered all the men in that village. When Jacob got to Bethel, he led his family in revival. He built an altar, had his family get rid of their idols and worship God there (Gen 35). Later, after returning from burying his mother’s nurse, Deborah, outside of Bethel, God revealed himself to Jacob and gave the promises mentioned in this passage (35:9-14, 48:3-4). Also, Jacob shared the most difficult time of his life, when Joseph’s mother, Rachel, died (48:7). When Jacob prayed for Joseph, he spoke in faith about his experiences. He called God ‘the shepherd who guided him all the days of his life’ (48:15) and ‘the Angel who protected him from harm’ (48:16)—probably referring to the time when Jacob wrestled with God before meeting his brother, Esau.
Jacob shared the mountain top experiences and the valley experiences with his children, and he spoke of them in faith. God had led him like a shepherd both to the mountain tops and through the valleys of life and always miraculously protected him. As he shared these realities, no doubt, it encouraged Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim to be faithful in their own lives. God would bless them, guide them, and protect them if they were faithful to him.
Likewise, we must also share our faith walks with our children. They must not only hear God’s Word, but they must hear it incarnated in our testimonies of God’s faithfulness. If Jacob was bitter about God and doubting God, it would only have created the same in his children. However, though Jacob complained plenty throughout his life (especially after losing Joseph), he now looked at his trials and blessings through a God-lens. The Lord used all of it for good and for his ultimate blessing.
Sharing our faith walks with our children implies that we are attempting to faithfully walk with God, both on the hilltops and in the valleys. One of the main reasons children often continue to follow God throughout their adult lives is because of the faithful walk and example of their parents. Conversely, many children turn away, despite attending church and hearing the Word preached, because they didn’t see it lived out in their parents’ lives. Parents must both share their faith and live it out in front of their children.
As we consider this, it is good to remember the story of the demoniac, whom Christ healed. After his healing, he asked to follow Christ, but instead, Christ called him to stay where he was and share with others what God had done (Lk 8:39). There is power in our testimonies, and therefore we should tell them often. Psalm 107:2 (NIV) says, “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story…” Revelation 12:11 describes how believers in the end times defeat the devil “by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Are you sharing your testimony with others? They need to hear it to defeat the devil and find encouragement in their own spiritual lives. Also, we need to make it a habit to recount God’s faithfulness for our own spiritual good because it is so easy for us to forget his faithfulness.
The importance of sharing our testimonies should encourage us to practice disciplines like journaling and collecting keepsakes to help us remember God’s faithfulness. Israel remembered God’s faithfulness by putting leftover manna in the ark (Ex 16:33), by collecting rocks from the Jordan river after God parted it (Josh 4), and also by writing songs (like the Song of Moses—written after Israel crossed the Red Sea in Exodus 15). These disciplines helped them remember God’s faithfulness and pass their faith on to their children.
Application Question: In what ways have you been blessed by the testimonies of others? Why is it so important to share our testimonies? Have you ever benefited from disciplines like journaling, collecting keepsakes, writing poetry, to help you remember God’s blessings? Share a quick story of how God redeemed you—set you free and used bad for good in your life.
When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these?” Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.” His father said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of his age; he was not able to see well. So Joseph brought his sons near to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see you again, but now God has allowed me to see your children too.” So Joseph moved them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. Joseph positioned them; he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father. Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, although he was the younger. Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn. Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the Angel who has protected me from all harm— bless these boys. May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”
Genesis 48:8-16
In Genesis 48:15, it says Jacob “blessed Joseph”; however, Jacob’s prayer was primarily about Joseph’s children. Likewise, one of the greatest ways we can bless our children is by blessing their children. Certainly, this is true when grandparents partner with the parents in discipling and raising the children. But it’s also true when grandparents (or future grandparents) pray for their future children’s children. When Jacob prayed for his two grandsons and his twelve sons, he ultimately prayed for their lineage—children that were, as yet, unborn.
Parents should regularly pray for their children—asking God to save them, train them, and use them for the kingdom. They should pray for God to prepare godly spouses for them, for God to raise up godly mentors and friends who will impact them positively. But also, parents should pray for their children’s children (even before they are conceived). God is not bound by time and, therefore, can answer prayers for decades and centuries into the future. Before Christ went to the cross, he prayed for his disciples and those who would believe through them (John 17). He was praying for us over 2000 years ago. Similarly, we should pray for our children and the generations who will come through them, including spiritual children. God delights to bless family lines. Exodus 20:6 says, he shows “covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Application Question: Why is it important for parents to pray for their children and their children’s children? If you are a parent (or future parent), how do you pray for your children (or future children)? How should the fact that God covenants with a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments affect us (Ex 20:6)?
When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you will Israel bless, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Genesis 48:17-20
When Joseph brought his children to Jacob, whose eyesight apparently was very bad (like his father, Isaac, before him), he positioned the oldest, Manasseh, towards Jacob’s right hand—the hand representing his strength—and the youngest, Ephraim, towards Jacob’s left hand. Then as Jacob prayed, he switched his hands—representing special favor over the youngest. When Joseph noticed this, he was bothered and tried to switch Jacob’s hands—saying, “Not so, my father, for this [Manasseh] is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head” (48:18). Joseph had been preparing Manasseh for the right of first-born. He was to be the son of privilege, who would one day receive the double-portion. However, Jacob said that the youngest, Ephraim, would become greater than Manasseh. In fact, the tribe of Ephraim eventually became so large, the name was used synonymously for the Northern Kingdom—the ten northern tribes of Israel. Throughout the patriarchs’ story, we have seen several reversals: Isaac was chosen over Ishmael, Jacob was chosen over Esau, Joseph was chosen over the older brothers, and now Ephraim was chosen over Manasseh. This shows God’s sovereign right to choose for his own purposes, apart from man’s effort or choice. In Romans 9:11-13, Paul makes an argument for election based on God choosing Jacob over Esau.
But there is another lesson here, which applies more directly to our parenting: Like Joseph, often parents have their own plans for their children, which sometimes conflict with God’s plan. Parents must realize that their children are not ultimately theirs. They are God’s. Therefore, as parents, we must help our children discern God’s purpose and plan for their lives and not what the world says or what we prefer.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” “In the way that he should go” can also be translated as “his way” or “his bend.” The word “way” comes from a Hebrew verb used of a bow launching an arrow. When a person shoots an arrow, the tension must align with the natural bend in the bow or it will break. This is also true in raising children.
Some parents damage their children by forcing them into a way God didn’t wire them for. They may do this by pushing their children into specific career fields, such as the medical field, engineering, athletics, or music, even though the children show no aptitude or passion in those areas. God gives us children who are already uploaded with a unique and specific program, just like a computer. We can’t use software uniquely made for an Apple with a PC. It’s the same with children. Some will be wired towards arts, technology, or serving ministries. It is the job of parents to get to know the way God wired their children so they can encourage them in those areas.
As we get to know their unique wirings and giftings, we must affirm them. With Judah, Jacob calls him a “lion,” which was fitting (49:9). As the lion is considered the king of the jungle, Judah was a leader. He used his leadership gifting for evil, as he encouraged the brothers to sell Joseph into slavery, but after he had matured, he used his leadership gifting for good, to get Jacob to allow Benjamin to go to Egypt with them so they wouldn’t die during the famine. While in Egypt, Judah offered his life for Benjamin’s, when Benjamin faced potential enslavement. He was truly like a lion—a gifted leader. With Naphtali, he spoke “delightful words” (49:21). Perhaps Naphtali was gifted at singing or writing poetry, and his descendants would be as well. With Joseph, he called him a “fruitful bough” (49:22)—everything he did prospered. Jacob not only affirmed the favor on Joseph’s life but rewarded him for his godly character and faithful stewardship of his gifts—including giving him the right of firstborn and a mountain slope in Canaan (48:22). As we discern our children’s gifts and interests, we must affirm those gifts, help guide them to paths where they can develop and use them for God’s glory, and at times, reward them for their faithfulness as encouragement.
With Manasseh and Ephraim, God had a different plan for them than he did for Joseph. As Joseph discerned God’s plan, he had to accept it and help his sons walk in it. We must do the same with our children, lest we discourage them and hinder God’s purposes for their lives.
Application Question: How can parents help their children discern their unique gifts and paths? Why is it so common for parents to actually fight against God’s unique path for their children?
Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you what will happen to you in the future. “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power. You are destructive like water and will not excel, for you got on your father’s bed, then you defiled it—he got on my couch! Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence are their knives! O my soul, do not come into their council, do not be united to their assembly, my heart, for in their anger they have killed men, and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel!
Genesis 49:1-7
When Jacob spoke of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, they didn’t receive any blessings. They essentially received curses. Reuben slept with Jacob’s wife and therefore didn’t receive the right of first-born (49:4). Simeon and Levi, though the next oldest didn’t receive it either. They murdered a whole village of men. Jacob said that they would be scattered throughout Israel (49:7). When Israel received their land allotments, Simeon was so small, he received his portion as part of Judah’s (Josh 19:9). Levi received no land allotments at all—only cities within the other tribes’ lands (Josh 14:4).
These three sons lost their blessings because they succumbed to undisciplined urges. Reuben struggled with lust, and Simeon and Levi struggled with anger. The descendants of Levi also struggled with anger, as seen in the example of Moses. Why was Moses initially kept from leading Israel? He became angry and killed an Egyptian. Why was he kept out of the promised land? He became angry at Israel and smote a rock, in disobedience to God. Often, whatever we struggle with is passed on to our children and their children.
As parents, our job is to discipline our children so they can learn to discipline themselves. Proverbs 13:24 says, “The one who spares his rod hates his child, but the one who loves his child is diligent in disciplining him.” When parents don’t discipline their children—promptly, without anger, and fairly—it leads them to lack self-discipline. They may struggle with anger, lust, lying, laziness, or other vices. These sins may ultimately keep them from God’s blessing.
Therefore, like Jacob, we must train up our children so they can become disciplined and walk in God’s blessing. With the tribe of Levi, because of their repentance, they turned their curse into a blessing. During Israel’s wilderness journeys, individuals in the tribe were noted for their zeal for God. Moses, Aaron, and Phinehas came out of Levi. When Phinehas disciplined a man for rebelling against God, God promised that his children would have a permanent priesthood (cf. Num 25:10-13). In fact, God called the entire tribe of Levi to oversee the temple, the sacrifices, and the instruction of Israel. Because they were scattered throughout the tribes, God used them to bless the entire nation, as they ministered to all the tribes. If we are going to bless our children, we must discipline them, teaching them to repent of sins so they can faithfully serve the kingdom.
Since parents ultimately represent the heavenly Father (cf. Rom 13:1), we must use his discipline as our model. Hebrews 12:5-6 (NIV) says: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” The passage describes two aspects of God’s discipline—rebuke and chastening. Through his Word, God rebukes us by telling us what’s wrong (often spoken by others). He also chastens us, which basically means whips or scourges. God chastens us through trials—sometimes these trials are needed to specifically help us obey the commands God already taught us. Parents should use both means as well. Our primary discipline is communication: teaching, instructing, and correcting. When children don’t listen to our correction, we use stronger methods like corporal punishment. In Proverbs, this is often symbolized by “the rod” (Prov 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14, 29:15). The book of Proverbs is really about parents instructing their children and helping them become wise. Proverbs 22:15 says, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” Proverbs 23:13-14 says, “Do not withhold discipline from a child; even if you strike him with the rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will deliver him from death.” If we don’t appropriately train our children, it hurts them and potentially generations after them.
Application Question: Why is it so important to discipline our children? What types of discipline did your parents use on you? What are some principles that parents can employ to help them discipline their children appropriately instead of excessively/abusively?
How can we help our children walk in God’s blessing?
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
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These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing. Then he instructed them, “I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. It is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought for a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite. There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were acquired from the sons of Heth.” When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet up onto the bed, breathed his last breath, and went to his people. Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. He wept over him and kissed him. Joseph instructed the physicians in his service to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. They took forty days, for that is the full time needed for embalming. The Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s royal court, “If I have found favor in your sight, please say to Pharaoh, ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, “I am about to die. Bury me in my tomb that I dug for myself there in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go and bury my father; then I will return.’ “So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father, just as he made you swear to do.” So Joseph went up to bury his father; all Pharaoh’s officials went with him—the senior courtiers of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt, all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. But they left their little children and their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. Chariots and horsemen also went up with him, so it was a very large entourage. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned there with very great and bitter sorrow. There Joseph observed a seven day period of mourning for his father. When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion for the Egyptians.” That is why its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. So the sons of Jacob did for him just as he had instructed them. His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the field Abraham purchased as a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite. After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, along with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to bury his father. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay us in full for all the harm we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave these instructions before he died: ‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept. Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.” But Joseph answered them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly to them. Joseph lived in Egypt, along with his father’s family. Joseph lived 110 years. Joseph saw the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. He also saw the children of Makir the son of Manasseh; they were given special inheritance rights by Joseph. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to you and lead you up from this land to the land he swore on oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.” So Joseph died at the age of 110. After they embalmed him, his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Gen 49:28-50:26 (NET)
How should we face death properly—in faith?
As much as people would like to dodge the reality of death, death is unavoidable. God promised Adam and Eve that if they ate of the forbidden tree, they would surely die (Gen 2:17). And from the moment they disobeyed God, death has continued from generation to generation. Often the hardest chapters to read in the Bible are genealogies. Not only do they commonly detail the lineage of Christ, but they also confirm God’s words to Adam and Eve (Gen 3:19). So and so lived, and then he died. So and so lived, and then he died. Hebrews 9:27 says, “people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment.”
As much as people would like to avoid death and not think about it, everyone dies, and we must face this reality if we are going to respond to death well. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.” It’s healthy for us to soberly reflect on death, as it will help us live better lives.
We get to do this in Genesis 49 and 50, as there are two deaths—Jacob’s and Joseph’s. Hebrews 11:21-22 mentions both of these deaths saying:
By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his burial.
Both Jacob and Joseph responded to their deaths in faith. As we consider these deaths, we learn something about facing death in a proper way. As Christians, we should be more prepared for death than the rest of the world, as our Lord conquered death, set us free from the fear of death, and one day we’ll be resurrected (cf. 2 Tim 1:10, Heb 2:15, 1 Thess 4:16-17). Therefore, for a believer, the sting of death has been removed, and death can even be considered gain (1 Cor 15:55, Phil 1:21).
Big Question: What principles can we discern about facing death properly from Jacob’s and Joseph’s deaths in Genesis 49:28-50:26?
Then he instructed them, “I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite… When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet up onto the bed, breathed his last breath, and went to his people… Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to you and lead you up from this land to the land he swore on oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
Genesis 49:29, 33, 50:24-25
When Jacob died, he spoke of eternity, as he believed that death was not the end of life. In Genesis 49:29, he said, “I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.” Going to his people was different than being buried. Jacob was going to be with Abraham, Isaac, Rachel, and Leah in heaven. In verse 33, it says he “breathed his last breath, and went to his people.” Hebrews 11:9-10, 16 says that the patriarchs, though not having Scripture, believed in heaven:
By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God… But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
The patriarchs were men of faith—awaiting their heavenly home. As Jacob spoke about eternity with his sons, he reminded them that this life is not it—there was a heavenly home awaiting them. No doubt, these words of faith at the end of Jacob’s life greatly inspired his sons. Therefore, not only did Jacob believe God’s Word, but he also inspired his sons to. They also needed to have faith in God.
Jacob not only inspired their faith in God’s promises through his belief in eternity but also through his belief that God would eventually give Israel the land of Canaan. By requesting to be buried in Canaan, Jacob demonstrated his faith in God’s promise and also challenged his sons to believe and therefore not settle in Egypt. God would eventually bring them back to Canaan.
Like Jacob, Joseph also challenged his family to faith in God by his death. When he died at 110 years old, he called for his brothers (and their future children) to carry his bones to Canaan because God would one day restore them to the land (Gen 50:25). Joseph’s body was placed in an Egyptian casket and that casket would always be a reminder to Israel of God’s promise—one day they would return to Canaan. Eventually, they did return under Moses, and Moses carried Joseph’s bones to Canaan and buried them there (Ex 13:19, Josh 24:32).
Therefore, to face death properly even as Jacob and Joseph, we must trust in God’s promises and remind others to trust in them. Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (paraphrase). Christ died for our sins and rose again 2000 years ago. In Scripture, God promises that whoever puts their faith in Christ and follows him shall be saved. As we face death, we must speak about God’s promise of eternal life to others, even as Jacob did. Jacob and the patriarchs were saved by faith, just as we are (cf. Gen 15:6). To face death properly, we must help others know and believe God’s promises including that Christ is coming again, he is a just judge who will make all things right on this earth and reward the faithful, and one day we will rule with him.
Also, in the same way that Joseph’s bones were a perpetual reminder for generations of God’s promises, Christians should use their funerals in the same way. Funerals should clearly proclaim the gospel, the future resurrection, and that our Savior is coming again. This helps Christians grow in faith and nonbelievers come to faith. If we are to face death properly, we must trust God’s promises and help others do the same.
Application Question: How have you seen Christian funerals proclaim the gospel and hope in God? Why is having a gospel-oriented funeral so important?
Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. He wept over him and kissed him. Joseph instructed the physicians in his service to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. They took forty days, for that is the full time needed for embalming. The Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
Genesis 50:1-3
After Jacob died, Joseph hugged, kissed, and wept over him. He then mourned with the Egyptians for seventy days, which was only two days shorter than the mourning required for a Pharaoh.1 After carrying Jacob’s body to Canaan, which probably took around three weeks, they mourned another seven days (50:10). Joseph and others mourned over three months for Jacob. Since Jacob believed he would die seventeen years earlier (cf. Gen 45:28, 46:30), the brothers probably had a long time to emotionally prepare for his death. However, often people don’t have that much time to prepare for the death of a loved one. When a child, parent, sibling, or friend dies suddenly, the mourning often lasts much longer—sometimes for years.
As we consider mourning, we must recognize how important it is for us. It is the way that we heal. Jesus mourned when Lazarus died, even though Jesus was about to raise him again (John 11:35). He mourned at the effects of sin on the earth and how it hurt people. He mourned at the loss of Lazarus and the suffering of his friends and family. Mourning is healthy and biblical. In Ecclesiastes 7:4, Solomon said, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.” While the wise mourn, the fool tries to escape pain and drown it out with pleasure. If we do not mourn properly, we will handle that pain in unhealthy ways (such as developing addictions, anxieties, long-term depression, etc.), which will affect us and others negatively. If Jesus mourned death, then so should we.
Application Question: What are the normal stages of grief?
The normal stages of grief include:
Now with that said, believers should not mourn in the same way the world does. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul said, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” We grieve, but it is not the grief of hopelessness. We have tremendous hope, even when facing death. We hope because, if our deceased loved ones were believers, we will see them again. Even when the deceased were unbelievers, we hope because we know that our God is not only sovereign, but also good and all-wise, even though we don’t fully understand his ways or reasoning. Yes, we mourn, but we mourn in hope because of God’s faithfulness.
Application Question: What does healthy and unhealthy mourning look like? How should we empathize with and encourage those who are mourning?
Joseph instructed the physicians in his service to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. They took forty days, for that is the full time needed for embalming. The Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s royal court, “If I have found favor in your sight, please say to Pharaoh, ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, “I am about to die. Bury me in my tomb that I dug for myself there in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go and bury my father; then I will return.’” So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father, just as he made you swear to do.” … His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the field Abraham purchased as a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite.
Genesis 50:2-6, 13
After kissing and weeping over his father, Joseph embalmed him, in order to preserve the body for the long trip to Canaan (50:2-3). The seventy-day mourning period probably included the forty days of embalming. After the mourning, Joseph arranged the trip by getting permission from Pharaoh. Then he made the trip and buried his father in his family’s grave site, as Jacob requested.
Similarly, when a person dies, there are a host of things that need to be completed, such as funeral arrangements and taking care of the deceased’s estate, including bills and the will. Some when encountering death bottle up and go into a corner—leaving the practical issues of death to others. But, pragmatic issues like burial, finances, and wills, must be addressed. Some have wondered if God, by his grace, allows us to deal with these matters as a way to not be overwhelmed with death. Attending to practical matters often helps with grieving and continuing to live after loss.
With that said, since we all know we won’t live forever and our family members will be left to care for our estate, it is wise to prepare for death beforehand. When God told Hezekiah that he was going to die, he told him to put his house in order (Is 38:1 NIV). For us, this might include establishing a will and insurance to make it easier for our relatives to take care of practical matters. It also might include down-sizing. People tend to accumulate a lot of things during life, which those who are left behind need to take care of after they die. We should not make it hard on our relatives. Like Jacob and Joseph making plans for who will inherit their wealth and also planning for the burial (Gen 49:29, 50:23-24), believers should do the same.
Application Question: How have you experienced or witnessed the taking care of practical matters for those who have passed away? What were some of the difficulties of that process? How has God calling you to prepare or consider preparing for the practical matters of death?
So Joseph went up to bury his father; all Pharaoh’s officials went with him—the senior courtiers of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt, all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. But they left their little children and their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. Chariots and horsemen also went up with him, so it was a very large entourage. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned there with very great and bitter sorrow. There Joseph observed a seven day period of mourning for his father. When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion for the Egyptians.” That is why its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
Genesis 50:7-11
As mentioned, after Jacob’s death, Joseph and the Egyptians mourned for seventy days, and then a great procession of Egyptians and Jews traveled to Canaan for the burial. The procession included Pharaoh’s officials, Joseph’s family, and Egyptian military (possibly for protection). Some of the Egyptians probably didn’t know Jacob; however, they knew Joseph. As they mourned and traveled to Canaan, they were supporting Joseph and his family.
Similarly, one of the ways we face death properly is by supporting the living, including family members, friends, and those hurt by the death. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” In the same way the Egyptians supported and assisted Joseph, we must support and assist those who are grieving the death of loved ones. We may not know what to say, and often times, it’s wise to not say much. It may be best to just be present with them and empathize with them, even as Job’s friends initially did when Job mourned (Job 2:11-13). It was then that the friends did well. Often times, those mourning will want to share their feelings and memories of the deceased. During those times, we love and comfort them by listening.
In addition, supporting the living also includes attending funerals. It’s good to remember that funerals are not for the deceased, they are for the living. By being present and mourning with them, even as the Egyptians did with Joseph, we demonstrate visible support during their time of grieving. Along with these, we should support the grieving in practical ways such as: providing meals, helping with the details of the funeral, financial support, and most importantly, with prayer. Pharaoh not only gave Joseph permission to bury his father but also sent the military to protect him on his way. We must seek to practically help the grieving as well.
Application Question: What are some practical ways to support those affected by the death of a loved one?
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay us in full for all the harm we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave these instructions before he died: ‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept. Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.” But Joseph answered them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:15-21
After the burial, Joseph’s brothers realized that Joseph might seek vengeance for their previous enslavement of him. For that reason, they sent a messenger to him, possibly Benjamin or Judah, saying that one of Jacob’s dying requests was for Joseph to forgive the brothers. This caused Joseph to weep (50:17). This is the seventh and final time Joseph’s tears are recorded. No doubt, he was crying because the brothers still doubted his love for them, even after he had provided for them and their families for seventeen years. Then the brothers came and offered themselves as slaves before Joseph.
Did Jacob really request that Joseph forgive the brothers? It’s impossible to know for sure. Most likely, he would have told Joseph personally instead of going through the brothers. Either way, we can be sure, as with any father, he desired complete reconciliation in his family.
Similarly, though one might think that death in a family might bring greater unity among the members, it often doesn’t. Families are messy. As seen with Jacob’s family, there is often discord between husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, children and parents. Death not only means these people will often be brought together, but they’ll also often have to work together. If the deceased didn’t prepare clear wills, including instructions for burial and the estate, it can lead to misinterpretation and in-fighting amongst relatives, which often exasperates old wounds.
Application Question: How should families seek to maintain unity when a family death occurs?
This is exactly what Joseph’s brothers did. They recognized their sins and offered restitution. Since they had made Joseph a slave, they offered to be his slaves. Asking for forgiveness is often not enough for reconciliation. If we stole something, we should ask for forgiveness and restore the stolen object. The brothers did this with Joseph.
If Jacob did actually ask Joseph to forgive them, then that was what he was doing. Often when there is family discord, someone has to get involved and help bring reconciliation between the sides. Christ did that for us with God. He paid the penalty for our sins by dying in order to reconcile humanity with God. As Christ’s followers, we not only have accepted this reconciliation but also invite others to do so as well.
In Romans 12:19-21, Paul said:
Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
This is exactly what Joseph did. He declared to his brothers, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?” (50:19). Joseph would not seek vengeance but would instead bless his family. Vengeance was left to God’s discretion. We must do the same. Instead of seeking vengeance, we should find ways to serve those who have hurt us and trust God with justice. Certainly, there is a place for pursuing justice by going to our authorities—that’s why God instituted them (Rom 13:1-7). However, often times, God simply calls us to give up our “perceived” rights. First Peter 4:8 says, “Love covers a multitude of sins,” and Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek when others slap us (Matt 5:39). Often God calls us to humble ourselves and trust him to bring justice. Certainly, this is a wisdom issue that we should seek God’s and others’ counsel about, especially when grievous injustices were committed.
Joseph declared, “As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day” (Gen 50:20). Instead of focusing on the brothers’ evil act of enslaving him, Joseph focused on God’s purpose through the evil act—God used it to save Joseph’s family and many others during the world-wide famine. Similarly, we must focus on God’s sovereignty over evil and his purpose in using it for our good. When people instead focus on the evil or evil person, they often struggle with forgiveness and bitterness, sometimes for years. God our Father is always working things for our good (Rom 8:28); we must focus on that to have peace in our hearts and peace with others.
Unfortunately, the death of a family member can often stir up past conflicts (or create new ones). That’s what Joseph’s brothers feared, and therefore, they sought to maintain family unity. We must do the same.
Application Question: How have you seen families experience conflict after the death of a relative? Why are families so prone to conflict and discord? How is God calling you to pursue unity in your family?
After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, along with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to bury his father. … Joseph lived in Egypt, along with his father’s family. Joseph lived 110 years. Joseph saw the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. He also saw the children of Makir the son of Manasseh; they were given special inheritance rights by Joseph.
Genesis 50:14, 22-23
In Genesis 50:14, it says, “After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, along with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to bury his father.” Again, Joseph had mourned and taken care of practical matters related to Jacob’s death for over three months, including embalming his father, obtaining permission from Pharaoh to bury in Canaan, traveling, observing another week of mourning, and then burying Jacob. It was a long process; yet, when it was over, Joseph went home and continued living. Joseph was fifty-six when Jacob died. He lived to be 110 years old. He saw Ephraim’s descendants to the third generation—probably meaning he was a great-great-grandfather. He seemingly adopted Makir’s children, who was the son of Manasseh—giving them some type of special inheritance (50:23). Joseph continued to live after the death of Jacob, as God had more things for him to accomplish.
Similarly, we must continue to live after the death of a loved one. We will never forget them. Our lives will always be richer because of them, and they will always remain in our memory. However, according to Ecclesiastes 3:4, there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” We must not continue to focus on life’s pains when it is time to focus on life’s joys.
Unfortunately, many struggle with moving on after the death of a loved one. It’s important to remember that, if they knew Christ, the deceased are more alive in eternity than they ever were on earth. And if they didn’t know Christ, we must trust that God is still good and that his plans are perfect. We must take comfort in God’s perfect character. Either way, we must walk with our Shepherd on the “green pastures” and “through” the dark valleys (cf. Psalm 23:2, 4). He will see us through.
In response to death, we must keep on living and encourage others to do the same. As believers, we must remember that we mourn, but not like the world. We mourn in hope because of God’s promise of eternity and the goodness and wisdom of God.
Application Question: Why is it so hard to move on after the death of a loved one? How should we encourage those who are in extended, potentially unhealthy, mourning?
As Jacob and Joseph approached death, Hebrews 11:21-22 says they did it in faith. We must as well.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.
BTG Publishing all rights reserved.
1 Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 566). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Leading a small group using the Bible Teacher’s Guide can be done in various ways. One format is the “study group” model, where each member prepares and shares in the teaching. This appendix will cover tips for facilitating a weekly study group.
The strength of the study group is that the members are required to prepare their responses before the meeting, allowing for easier discussion. Another is that each member has the opportunity to further develop his ministry skills through teaching. These are distinct advantages.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
BTG Publishing all rights reserved.
Writing is one of the best ways to learn. In class, we take notes and write papers, and all these methods are used to help us learn and retain the material. The same is true with the Word of God. Obviously, all of the authors of Scripture were writers. This helped them better learn the Scriptures and also enabled them to more effectively teach it. In studying God’s Word with the Bible Teacher’s Guide, take time to write so you can similarly grow both in your learning and teaching.
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
BTG Publishing all rights reserved.
How can a person be saved? From what is he saved? How can someone have eternal life? Scripture teaches that after death each person will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. How can a person go to heaven?
Paul said this to Timothy:
You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14-15
One of the reasons God gave us Scripture is to make us wise for salvation. This means that without it nobody can know how to be saved.
Well then, how can a people be saved and what are they being saved from? A common method of sharing the good news of salvation is through the Romans Road. One of the great themes, not only of the Bible, but specifically of the book of Romans is salvation. In Romans, the author, Paul, clearly details the steps we must take in order to be saved.
How can we be saved? What steps must we take?
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” What does it mean to sin? The word sin means “to miss the mark.” The mark we missed is looking like God. When God created mankind in the Genesis narrative, he created man in the “image of God” (1:27). The “image of God” means many things, but probably, most importantly it means we were made to be holy just as he is holy. Man was made moral. We were meant to reflect God’s holiness in every way: the way we think, the way we talk, and the way we act. And any time we miss the mark in these areas, we commit sin.
Furthermore, we do not only sin when we commit a sinful act such as: lying, stealing, or cheating. Again, we sin anytime we have a wrong heart motive. The greatest commandments in Scripture are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:36-40, paraphrase). Whenever we don’t love God supremely and love others as ourselves, we sin and fall short of the glory of God. For this reason, man is always in a state of sinning. Sadly, even if our actions are good, our heart is bad. I have never loved God with my whole heart, mind, and soul and neither has anybody else. Therefore, we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). We have all missed the mark of God’s holiness and we must accept this.
What’s the next step?
Why are we under the judgment of God? It is because of our sins. Scripture teaches God is not only a loving God, but he is a just God. And his justice requires judgment for each of our sins. Romans 6:23 says, “For the payoff of sin is death.”
A wage is something we earn. Every time we sin, we earn the wage of death. What is death? Death really means separation. In physical death, the body is separated from the spirit, but in spiritual death, man is separated from God. Man currently lives in a state of spiritual death (cf. Eph 2:1-3). We do not love God, obey him, or know him as we should. Therefore, man is in a state of death.
Moreover, one day at our physical death, if we have not been saved, we will spend eternity separated from God in a very real hell. In hell, we will pay the wage for each of our sins. Therefore, in hell people will experience various degrees of punishment (cf. Lk 12:47-48). This places man in a very dangerous predicament—unholy and therefore under the judgment of God.
How should we respond to this? This leads us to our third step.
Romans 6:23 does not stop at the wages of sin being death. It says, “For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Because God loved everybody on the earth, he offered the free gift of eternal life, which anyone can receive through Jesus Christ.
Because it is a gift, it cannot be earned. We cannot work for it. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.”
Going to church, being baptized, giving to the poor, or doing any other righteous work does not save. Salvation is a gift that must be received from God. It is a gift that has been prepared by his effort alone.
How do we receive this free gift?
If we are going to receive this free gift, we must believe in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Because God loved us, cared for us, and didn’t want us to be separated from him eternally, he sent his Son to die for our sins. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Similarly, John 3:16 says, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” God so loved us that he gave his only Son for our sins.
Jesus Christ was a real, historical person who lived 2,000 years ago. He was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect life. He was put to death by the Romans and the Jews. And he rose again on the third day. In his death, he took our sins and God’s wrath for them and gave us his perfect righteousness so we could be accepted by God. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” God did all this so we could be saved from his wrath.
Christ’s death satisfied the just anger of God over our sins. When God saw Jesus on the cross, he saw us and our sins and therefore judged Jesus. And now, when God sees those who are saved, he sees his righteous Son and accepts us. In salvation, we have become the righteousness of God.
If we are going to be saved, if we are going to receive this free gift of salvation, we must believe in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for our sins (cf. 1 Cor 15:3-5, Rom 10:9-10). Do you believe?
Romans 10:9-10 says,
Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.
Not only must we believe, but we must confess Christ as Lord of our lives. It is one thing to believe in Christ but another to follow Christ. Simple belief does not save. Christ must be our Lord. James said this: “…Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear” (James 2:19), but the demons are not saved—Christ is not their Lord.
Another aspect of making Christ Lord is repentance. Repentance really means a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. Before we met Christ, we were living our own life and following our own sinful desires. But when we get saved, our mind and direction change. We start to follow Christ as Lord.
How do we make this commitment to the lordship of Christ so we can be saved? Paul said we must confess with our mouth “Jesus is Lord” as we believe in him. Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
If you admit that you are a sinner and understand you are under God’s wrath because of them; if you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he died on the cross for your sins, and rose from the dead for your salvation; if you are ready to turn from your sin and cling to Christ as Lord, you can be saved.
If this is your heart, then you can pray this prayer and commit to following Christ as your Lord.
Dear heavenly Father, I confess I am a sinner and have fallen short of your glory, what you made me for. I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and rose from the dead so I can have eternal life. I am turning away from my sin and accepting you as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life and change me. Thank you for your gift of salvation.
Scripture teaches that if you truly accepted Christ as your Lord, then you are a new creation. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!” God has forgiven your sins (1 John 1:9), he has given you his Holy Spirit (Rom 8:15), and he is going to disciple you and make you into the image of his Son (cf. Rom 8:29). He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb 13:5), and he will complete the work he has begun in your life (Phil 1:6). In heaven, angels and saints are rejoicing because of your commitment to Christ (Lk 15:7).
Praise God for his great salvation! May God keep you in his hand, empower you through the Holy Spirit, train you through mature believers, and use you to build his kingdom! “He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this” (1 Thess 5:24). God bless you!
Copyright © 2020 Gregory Brown
Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.
BTG Publishing all rights reserved.