Genesis Sermons (written)

Genesis 46:1-27
So Israel Took His Journey

Introduction: The past many stories which were focused on Joseph showed us pictures of the time from Jesus’ death, all the way through the church age and to the point in history where Israel would again be revived as a people, and that God’s Spirit would then be poured out on them.

They showed us a woven tapestry which spanned over 2000 years of history, clearly demonstrating that there was a plan for the world during Israel’s time of exile and that there is a plan to keep Israel safe during the time of the tribulation.

Now with today’s verses, we will see the beginning of how God will use this group of people to bring the message of redemption to the entire world. Jacob will move to Egypt and in this move, the list of those who accompany him will actually show us a picture of the macro plan of the treasure they have brought to the world, the oracles of God, the Bible.

A listing of seventy people will be used to show us the divine perfection of God working in the created order to bring to the world the fullness of His message. And it is through this message that the world will hear about and come to know the Messiah.

Text Verse: But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” Romans 10:18

Paul, speaking about the Jewish people, asked as to whether they had not heard the message of salvation found in Christ. His answer was, “Of course they have” and he cited three sets of verses from the three portions of the Old Testament to show that they, of all people, should know.

Old Testament and New, it is all about the work of Jesus Christ. God has given us this word to show us Jesus. And the reason He did this is because Jesus reveals who God is. Without the Bible then, we cannot know Jesus and in turn we cannot know God. So let’s come to know God through His Son Jesus, and through the Bible which tells us of Him. And… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Visions of the Night (verses 1, 2)

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba,

“So Israel.” In this chapter, the name Israel and the name Jacob will be used back and forth numerous times, sometimes even in the same sentence. There is Israel who struggles with God and there is Jacob the man of flesh and in need of his God. It is Israel who takes his journey and heads out.

As tent dwellers, this wouldn’t be the great challenge we think of in a move today. Everything could be rolled up and moved in no time. And with the carts of Egypt, the traveling would be all the easier. The first leg of the journey from Hebron where he lived to Beersheba would be 26.5 miles according to Google Maps.

Beersheba is used synonymously many times in the Bible with the extreme border of the land of Israel. In 1 Samuel 3:20, when speaking of Samuel’s notoriety, it says, “And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.

Dan is the northernmost point and Beersheba is the last large town prior to heading into Egypt. It was given it’s name at the time of Abraham when he made a treaty with Abimelech, King of Gerar. When they made the treaty, Abraham set seven ewe lambs off to the side as a confirmation of the covenant.

Because of this, the name of the place was given. Beer is “well” and sheba means both “oath” and also “seven.” And so this place is the “well of the seven,” or “the well of the oath.” Abraham and later Isaac both dwelt in this spot and Isaac also made an oath with Abimelech there.

^{1 (con’t)} and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Adam Clarke says of this verse, “Prayers and provender never hinder any man’s journey. He who would travel safely must take God with him.” This is the case in all things, be it a new business, seeking out a job, getting married, or any other thing that we can do of major importance in our life.  LIFE APP

In the case of Jacob who had travelled many long miles in his days, both within and without the borders of Canaan, he knew that his prayers and petitions would be heard and attended to by God. This is especially so because the Lord God had appeared to Abraham and spoken these words of Genesis 15 to him –

“Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:12 -16

God spoke of a time when Abraham’s descendants would leave the land of Canaan, but that they also would eventually be brought back into it. And the reason was given, “because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

In His mercy, God allowed the inhabitants of the land to continue on despite their rejection of Him. Only when their iniquity was complete and there was no remedy left, would they then be judged. LIFE APP

Like the promise to Abraham concerning his descendants, God spoke to Isaac the same thing and He did so at Beersheba – the exact spot where Jacob now offered his sacrifices. In Genesis 26, we saw this account –

“Then he went up from there to Beersheba. ²⁴ And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” ²⁵ So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.” Genesis  26:23-25

And so here, at this same place with so much family history connected to their God, he sacrifices. And there were probably several reasons for doing so. First, he wanted to give thanks for the restoration of his beloved son Joseph and for the great, even exalted position he held.

Secondly he wanted to petition Him for his favor concerning the journey he had begun. And thirdly, it was to commit himself and his family to the covenant which had continued now for 215 years. In the same spot which held so much covenant history, and after the giving of his sacrifices as he prepares to leave his homeland, God appears to him once again…

² Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”

In one verse the man is called Israel by the Bible and Jacob by God who wrote the Bible. Though the Bible calls him Israel, God at the time He spoke calls him Jacob. Why would this be? Jacob has lived in a scared and faithless manner for many years and so God comes to Him on this level to pacify and comfort him.

And he does it in a way seen frequently in the Bible. He calls his name not once, but twice, “Jacob, Jacob.” The first time God is recorded as having done this was in Genesis 22. When Abraham was just about to plunge the knife into his son Isaac, the Lord called out “Abraham, Abraham.”

Now again in His reassuring way, He calls out to the chosen son to let him know that all will be ok. And He does it in a vision. The word in Hebrew is marot, the plural of “glass.” As one looks into a piece of glass or into a shiny piece of metal to see a reflection of himself, this is how Jacob sees God, not directly, but as in a mirror.

It is reflective, pun intended, with how Paul speaks about our own understanding of spiritual matters. In 1 Corinthians 13, he says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:11, 12

This is how Jacob now perceives God, in a vision of the night.

God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night
As through a piece of glass or in a shiny mirror
He was there to tell Jacob that all would be alright
To not fret or fear, and to not feel any terror

^2 (con’t) And he said, “Here I am.”

Jacob responds with the word hineni, “Here I am.” In an interesting set of parallels, Jacob speaks this phase only two times. The first was in chapter 31 when God spoke to him and told him to return to Canaan after being away many years. And now this time when he is leaving Canaan for what will be many long years in Egypt.

And equally as interesting, is that his son Joseph responded with this exact same term, hineni, when Jacob asked him to go see how his brothers were doing in the fields with the flocks. That was the last time he ever saw him, but it was the very thing that precipitated the move he is now making to Egypt.

And finally, the last time the word hineni will be used in exactly this manner, is when Moses is called to be the one to return Israel to Canaan in Exodus 3. It is an amazing set of parallels which show purpose and intent in the use of this word, hineni concerning the movement of the covenant people in and out of Canaan.

Jacob calls out in response to God, acknowledging the vision he has been given. “Here I am.”

Here I am, responding to Your word
Speak to me and Your servant will pay heed
I will hearken to You my great and awesome Lord
Here I am Lord, speak in this, my time of need

II. All Things Have Worked Together For Good (verses 3, 4)

³ So He said, “I am God, the God of your father;

In reply to Jacob’s words, “Here I am,” God speaks directly to him.

anokhi ha’el elohe abikha – “I, the God, the God of your father.” The reason why he speaks this way is because of what it said in verse 1. Jacob “offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.”

Why did he do this? The reason is that when Isaac was alive there was also a famine, but God forbid him to go to Egypt. Instead he was told to live in the land of the Philistines in Gerar. At that time in Genesis 26, it says that the Lord, Jehovah appeared to Isaac. And so all are being tied together.

The Lord is God. He is “the God.” He is the all-sufficient protector and the one who is transcendent over time, over His creation, and it is He who monitors His covenant. All are tied into One. Jacob may have wanted to make sure that his leaving Canaan wasn’t forbidden like it was for his father and so now the God speaks to him.

^3(con’t) do not fear to go down to Egypt,

Because of God’s command to his father Isaac to not go down to Egypt, he may have feared leaving the land without divine approval. But there are other reasons why he may have been fearful. The first is the prophecy that was given to Abraham about their bondage and affliction.

He may also have feared that living out of the promised land would lead them to lose their promised inheritance or even forget that it was, in fact, their promised inheritance. He may have feared that it would lead them to idolatry which was taking over Egypt. Because of these and maybe other reasons, he would need the assurance and direction from God to make the move. LIFE APP

^3(con’t) for I will make of you a great nation there.

Whatever worries he had are dispelled in this verse, and even a blessing is pronounced. In Genesis 35, he was already told this –

“Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. ¹² The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” Genesis 35:11, 12

Now Jacob can connect the dots. He was already promised this, but now he knows that the promise will be fulfilled in Egypt! It must have been to him like the ending of a mystery novel. Suddenly all of the trials he had faced, all of the sadness at the loss of Joseph, all of the times of weakness and lacking faith, and even the things he feared now were wholly a part of what God was doing.

The fears, the sadness, the times of weakness – all of it was completely unfounded. God had worked it all out for the fulfillment of the promises and that time was now at hand. It must have been an amazing rush of relief and awe that filled him at this moment. It isn’t that despite going to Egypt the promises will be fulfilled, but because of going to Egypt they will come about.

⁴ I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again;

In this verse, the “I” is emphatic. God will absolutely be with him in Egypt and God will absolutely bring Israel back up again. There is no chance of him or them being left alone in a darkened valley. As a way of stressing what He will do, God says v’anoki alalkha gam aloh – “and I will bring you up, also, bringing you up.”

God will be with Jacob, God will bring up Israel. As the Bible states, so history records. The words were fulfilled in a great and mighty way. One important thing to realize is that by having been given these promises by “the God of your father” meaning Isaac, it excludes any other claim on the Land of Canaan by anyone else, including the church.

We in the church are descendants of Abraham by faith, but the same is never said about Isaac. Because the God of Isaac has promised the land to Israel, it can only belong to Israel, not anyone else. Their unfaithfulness in later years and through two exiles does not negate God’s faithfulness to His word.

^4 (con’t) and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

To put one’s hands on another’s eyes means to be with them at death and close the eyes of the dead person. God has promised that not only will the family be safe and reconciled to Joseph, but that Joseph himself, the leader of the greatest nation on earth and his beloved son, would personally attend to him at death.

Nowadays strangers, maybe a doctor or a nurse, does this. But then it was considered an honor bestowed upon the most beloved. It is to Joseph that this honor will fall some day in the future. In death, Jacob will be with his beloved son.

And for the Christian, no matter what our life is like, no matter where we are, or what trials we face, there is no fear in the valley of the shadow of death. We are now in, and will never be separated from, the presence of Christ. He will be there to put His hand on our eyes and to lift them again in the glory of His presence.

To Egypt do not fear to go down
For I will make of you a great nation there
Have no fears or sadness, do not weep nor frown
I will be with you and dote upon you with tender care

This is how the Lord treats His child
Though we often miss the fact that He is there with us
Because of trials which may be severe or mild
But He is faithfully at our side; He is the Lord Jesus

III. Departing Canaan (verses 5-7)

⁵ Then Jacob arose from Beersheba;

The night has ended, the visions are over, and Jacob the man now prepares to leave the land of promise for the last time. He has put his trust fully in the God who called him, carried him, and now has promised to be with him and his family during the times ahead.

Borders, real or imagined, cannot contain the God whose Spirit runs to and fro throughout the world. Though Canaan and his inheritance will be behind him when he leaves Beersheba, the Lord will always be at Jacob’s side. LIFE APP

^5 (con’t) and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

The carts which were sent by Pharaoh are put to good use for those who needed them. Jacob once walked alone out of Canaan to Mesopotamia. About 20 years later, he walked back to Canaan with four wives, numerous children, and many flocks and slaves.

Now, at least two of his wives are dead, but he has more children and grandchildren with him, and they are conducted in royal fashion using the royal carts of Pharaoh.

⁶ So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.

There is nothing in this verse which is disobedient to what Pharaoh said in chapter 45. There, when speaking to Joseph concerning the move, he said this –

“Now you are commanded—do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come. ²⁰ Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.” Genesis 45:19, 20

Now in this verse it says that they brought their goods which they had acquired in Canaan. Pharaoh didn’t tell them they couldn’t bring their goods; only that they shouldn’t be concerned about them. Whatever they could bring would be fine, but whatever they lacked or left behind would be made up in Egypt.

With their departing, other than Abraham’s short journey out of Canaan to Egypt during another famine, there has been a continuous presence of this family in the land for over 200 years. Abraham first moved into Canaan in the year 2084AM and it is now the year 2298/9AM or the 215th year since the promise was made to Abraham.

From this date, Israel will spend another 215 years in Egypt before they are brought out by Moses and led to Mt. Sinai to receive the law. Thus it is exactly 430 years from the promise to the law as Paul notes in Galatians 3:17. It will be a time of great increase in number of the people of Israel.

⁷ His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

Starting in the next verse, the names of these sons, and daughters, and sons’ daughters will be given. In all, it will only mention 1 daughter, but he certainly had more as is evidenced here and elsewhere. And in all, it will only list 70 recorded people who descended from him who went to Egypt.

However, others also went with him. The names of the wives of the sons aren’t listed and there would have been many servants, possibly in the thousands. Whatever the number, it will be exceedingly small compared to the 603,550 fighting-aged men, plus women, children, and others who will leave Egypt in just 215 years. They will surely become the “great nation” God promised.

IV. The Family of Israel (verses 10-27)

Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. ⁹ The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ¹⁰ The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. ¹¹ The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹² The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. ¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.
¹⁶ The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷ The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. ¹⁸ These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
¹⁹ The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰ And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. ²¹ The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.
²³ The son of Dan was Hushim. ²⁴ The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
²⁶ All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all. ²⁷ And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

Imagine this… in the 215 years since Abraham came to Canaan until this point, there are only 70 names given of those in the covenant line. In the same amount of time, just 215 years from this, there will be over 600,000 fighting-aged males. These, along with all the others probably numbered between 2 and 3 million.

God has the ability to make great, and to reduce to nothing, as is evidenced here and throughout the rest of redemptive history. The church started with one Man. He added 12 disciples and called them His apostles. It grew exponentially to have become a number surely in the billions when He resurrects us to eternal life. God can, and He will, accomplish the marvelous in and through His people.

Although I’m not going to go into any great detail concerning these 20 verses, there are a few things to mention. The first is that out of all four of his wives, only Rachel is actually called his wife in this list. She was the wife of choice, the others were wives by circumstance.

Then there is a problem with the numbering which confuses almost everyone. First, verse 26 says “sixty-six persons in all.” Then verse 27 says “All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.” And finally, in Acts 7, we read this –

“Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-fivepeople. ¹⁵ So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers.” Acts 7:14, 15

So there are three different numbers to deal with – 66, 70, and 75. For the first number, 66, we are told “all those who are ‘with’ Jacob.” So Jacob, Joseph, and his two sons aren’t counted. That almost resolves the total of 70.

But in the listing of Leah’s offspring, there are only 32 names mentioned even though it says 33. The 33rd wasn’t born yet. She is Jochebed, the daughter of Levi and the mother of Moses and Aaron. She is named in Numbers 26:59.

Finally, in Acts, Stephen says “Jacob and all his relatives.” This then implies counting the unnamed wives of the sons, and it leaves out Joseph and his family who are already in Egypt and who, as Stephen says, “sent for them.” The reason for saying all this is not to bore you with numbers, but to show that the Bible is not in error.

The importance of the number 70 in this Old Testament account is that the names given here are identified after the exodus as the chiefs of the divisions of Israel. Israel is God’s instrument for His redemptive works among humanity leading up to the Messiah. And all of humanity is derived from the 70 names contained in the Table of Nations recorded in Genesis 10.

In other words, the 70 names in Genesis 10, which correspond to everyone on earth, are to be given the oracles of God through the 70 names recorded in this chapter in the covenant people of Israel. This is explained in Deuteronomy 32:8, which says –

“When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the children of Israel.”

Seven is the number of spiritual perfection. It is the sum of 3, the divine number, and 4, the number for creation. Ten is the number for completeness. Thus, as those who are noted as Israel and who have gone to Egypt, God’s divine plans (3) are being worked out in His created world (4) in their fullness (10) through these 70 people.

This isn’t just an arbitrary list of names and numbers, but a prophetic plan and symbolic structure of what God is doing in the history of man’s redemption. The same applies to the seven churches of revelation. During the church age, while Israel has been under God’s punishment, those seven churches represent God’s working in His plan of redemption.

God bestowed grace on Adam after the fall and kept a select line of people through the years until Noah, who again received grace in the eyes of the Lord. After the flood, God gave an overall structure of redemption as laid out in the Bible in the account of Noah.

After that, He called Abraham and made a covenant of grace to the world, declaring him righteous by faith. Through the chosen line of Abraham’s seed, He has refined what He will do in the future, giving us pictures of everything that is coming.

These pictures are what we have seen in all of the sermons since that time. The entire scope and structure of redemption has been seen in these many stories. Now as these pictures have been realized, Jacob and Israel are going to Egypt to begin this long and meticulous plan, preparing Israel for their role.

This is the reason why the list here is divided into two sections of 66 and then 70. Those 66 names reflect the 66 books of the Bible which is the transmission of that spiritual message by the whole – reflected in the 70 people.

In verse 10 a person named Shaul is mentioned. But unlike any other person in the list, it says this about him “Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.” Others in the list were born of Canaanite women, but it doesn’t mention them that way. Why? Because it wants to highlight that he is a son of Simeon, “He who hears.”

What it’s telling us is that “He who hears” isn’t just someone of pure Hebrew descent, but anyone who holds to the transmission of God’s message, represented by these people. In other words, people like Luke, who was a Gentile and yet he authored two of the 66 books of the Bible. We are given these clues in this otherwise seemingly tedious list of names.

Speaking of the base numbers, 6 and 7, EW Bullinger shows in his book on the numbers of the Bible that they show a “combining and contrasting what is human and what is spiritual.” In other words, we can see in these two lists the mystery of the compilation of the Bible. The 66 books were written by God through man.

About this book, which testifies to the grace of God, Albert Barnes says that it is “with the most perfect exactitude to the benign reign of grace already realized in the children of God, and yet to be extended to all the sons and daughters of Adam.” It all testifies to the work of the Messiah; it testifies to the grace of Jesus Christ.

What seems arbitrary isn’t. What seems confusing is because we are looking at individual trees and not the forest. If we can keep in mind the macro-structures of the Bible, we can more clearly see what is going on in the individual details and why things are listed.

Of all of the macro structures, there is one overall theme which is that there is a God and we were separated from Him. In order to repair that breech He has a plan to fix that, and the plan is centered on grace in the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ. If we can always keep that in mind, then every other detail becomes understandable.

And despite the complexity of some of the details, the simplicity of the grace can be summed up in just a few simple sentences. Let me explain to you about the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord…

Closing Verse: Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude. Deuteronomy 10:22

Next Week: Genesis 46:28-34 (A Glorious Reunion) (115th Genesis Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you and He has a good plan and purpose for you. Call on Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Journey to Egypt

So Israel took his journey with all that he had
And came to Beersheba and sacrifices he offered
To the God of his father Isaac, the God of his dad
Is to whom his sacrifices were proffered

Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night
And said, “Jacob, Jacob!”
And he said, “Here I am. Now I am filled with delight

So He said, “I am God, the God of your father
Do not fear to go down to Egypt, let it be no bother

For I will make of you a great nation there
In fulfillment of the vow to Abraham I did swear

I will go down with you to Egypt, I so apprise
And I will also surely bring you up again
And Joseph will put his hand on your eyes

Then Jacob arose from Beersheba
And the sons of Israel carried
Their father Jacob, their little ones
And their wives that they had married

In the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him
In these is how he transported them

So they took their livestock and their things
Which they had acquired in Canaan the land
And went to Egypt, as the story rings
Jacob and all his descendants with him, just as planned

His sons and his sons’ sons whom on his knees he taught
His daughters and his sons’ daughters
And all his descendants with him to Egypt he brought

Now these were the names of the children of Israel
Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: which Genesis does tell

Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn
The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi
These sons his crown did adorn

The sons of Simeon were…
Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar too
And Shaul, as the Bible does refer
He, a Canaanite woman did come thru

The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari
Kind of nice to have a name that rhymes with Ferrari

The sons of Judah were Er, Onan
And Shelah, Perez, and Zerah too
(But Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan)
So with three sons he had to make do

The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul
Being named in the Bible must be kind of cool

The sons of Issachar were
Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron, these four
The sons of Zebulun were for sure
Sered, Elon, and Jahleel, only three and no more

These were the sons of Leah
Whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, we see
With his daughter Dinah
All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three

The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni
And Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli

The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah
And Serah, their sister
And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel
That makes eight names to remember there, mister

These were the sons of Zilpah
Whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter
And these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons
Quite a brood that he brought her

The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife
Were Joseph and Benjamin
Rachel was the love of Jacob’s life

And to Joseph in the land of Egypt
Were born Manasseh and Ephraim
Whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On
Bore to him and which made his eyes gleam

The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel
Names that to pronounce are hard
And also Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard

These were the sons of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved doll
Who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all

The son of Dan was Hushim
The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem

These were the sons of Bilhah, as we do recall
Whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter
And she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all

All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt
Who came from his body through his long haul
Besides Jacob’s sons’ wives
Were sixty-six persons in all

And the sons of Joseph who were born
To him in Egypt were persons two
All the persons of the house of Jacob
Who went to Egypt were seventy, quite a crew

Lists which seem tedious need extra attention and care
Because many important treasures are actually hidden there

To read the Bible is both an honor and a delight
An honor because it is God’s word given to us
But it also reveals that all will be alright
Because of the work of our Lord Jesus

Where we are lost in sin, with no hope at all
God reaches out to us with an offer exceedingly great
If we simply trust in the work of Jesus and on Him call
He will seal us with His Spirit for a wondrous date

He will glorify us and then for all eternity
We will behold His glory there upon the glassy sea

Thank You O God for the precious gift of life
Through Jesus is ended all our enmity and strife

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Genesis 45:16-28
The Spirit of Jacob is Revived

Introduction: In 1944 during WWII, Lt. Hiroo Onoda was sent by the Imperial Japanese army to the Philippine island called Lubang. There he engaged in guerrilla warfare. Though the war ended in 1945, he was never officially informed. So for 29 more years, he continued to live in the jungle, ready for when his services and information would be needed.

As he was getting ready to leave on his mission, he reported to the division commander where he was told:

“You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand. It may take three years, it may take five, but whatever happens, we’ll come back for you. Until then, so long as you have one soldier, you are to continue to lead him. You may have to live on coconuts. If that’s the case, live on coconuts! Under no circumstances are you [to] give up your life voluntarily.”

In October 1972, at the age of 51 and after 27 years of hiding, the only remaining man in his unit was killed during a gunfight with a Filipino patrol. Though Onoda had been officially declared dead in December 1959, this now showed the likelihood that he was still living. Search parties were sent to find him, but none succeeded.

He was on his own, but he remembered the division commander’s order that he could not kill himself and so he continued to hide. Then in 1974, a college dropout decided to travel around Asia. He told his friends that he was going to search for Lt. Onoda, a panda, and the Abominable Snowman.

Where others had failed, he succeeded, at least in finding Onoda. He found him and tried to convince him that the war was over. Onoda said that he would only surrender if his commander ordered him to. So Suzuki traveled back to Japan and found the former commander, Major Taniguchi, who had become a bookseller.

On March 9, 1974, Suzuki and Taniguchi met Onoda at a pre-appointed place and Major Taniguchi read the orders which said all combat activity was to be ceased. Onoda was shocked and, at first, disbelieving. It took some time for the news to sink in.

Imagine the thoughts of lost years, friends, and family. The word “shocked” can hardly describe what he must have felt. Thirty long years of sorrow, death, and separation. It is a story not unlike Jacob. For twenty-two years he thought Joseph was dead. But even more, for 2000 years, Israel has thought Jesus is just a dead Jew.

If he were alive, He would be Lord. He can’t be alive, can He? Today we will see the amazing truth of what Genesis reveals.

Text Verse: For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15

Onoda’s heart must have skipped a beat after he realized what happened; Jacob’s as well. He heard that Joseph was alive and the ruler of all of Egypt and once the truth set in, his spirit revived because the Lord had arranged it all. And the Lord is still working to arrange another great eye-opener for Israel. Jesus is alive! It is all to be found in the Bible and so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Providing for Israel (verses 16-20)

¹⁶ Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

The reunion has come, the brothers are reconciled and Joseph’s great weeping has gone out in large gasps of relief and love. In Hebrew, the verse begins with v’haqol nishma – “And the voice was heard.” The message was passed to Pharaoh from those outside, probably with great joy.

And the message is, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” But what is the reason for them saying “Joseph?” His name had been changed by Pharaoh to Zaphnath Paaneah. Some scholars say that this was what Moses just wrote, using the familiar Hebrew name for the audience who it is directed to.

But this isn’t likely. Daniel, when taken to Babylon, had his name changed to Belteshazzar. And yet, throughout the book, both names are used, sometimes in one verse. It is probable that the Egyptian name Zaphnath Paaneah – Savior of the World, would have been used as a title, but his familiar name may have been used by friends and associates.

And the same is true with Jesus. He is, in fact, the Savior of the World, but He is also Jesus, or Yeshua in Hebrew. When He is spoken of, it is normally with His name, not His title. After this we are then told that it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. The Hebrew says, “It was good in Pharaoh’s eyes.”

¹⁷ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.

This command may have come about after any amount of time. Joseph could have talked to Pharaoh and asked this, or it could be that Pharaoh made the choice on his own. We are given the details we need, but not always all the details. What is curious though is that they are told to “load” their animals and depart.

We’ll see in six more verses that they will take all kinds of things to Canaan along with the animals loaded with grain. Why would they do this if they were expected to head right back to Egypt? It seems like a lot of useless effort unless there is a prophetic picture that we’re being shown.

Load your animals and then depart
Go off to Canaan the land
Soon in Egypt you will make a fresh start
And you will be provided for from Pharaoh’s right hand

¹⁸ Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.

The invitation is all-encompassing. It includes Jacob and all their families. This then would include all their servants as well. Though not recorded in the Bible, there were certainly many of them in the camp. And the promise for their return is that they are to be given the best of the land of Egypt.

This is the part of the kingdom that is the most productive of all and it was to be where they would live. And to reflect the superabundance it would provide, he adds that they would “eat the fat of the land.” Where they were moving is to the place that would provide the most bountiful of all crops and fruits.

¹⁹ Now you are commanded—do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.

This now seems almost unfriendly when it says “you are commanded.” Why, one must ask, would Pharaoh give a command to Joseph like this? The Jewish scholar Joseph Kimchi writes that there was probably a command which already existed that no carts could be used for carrying grain.

People would only be allowed to buy enough to be carried by an animal. This would keep Egypt’s supply from being depleted. I would agree and go further. Not only would that keep the supplies up, but it would also keep profiteers from buying grain and reselling it at higher prices.

The grain has and continues to picture the word of God and so an obvious spiritual picture comes out. Doesn’t it. Who is it that profits from selling off the word of God? Paul speaks about people doing that in the New Testament and it has continued on all along.

God’s word is intended to go out, but it isn’t intended to be peddled for illicit gain. Many types and pictures from the Old Testament show that true time and time again. What God provides for His people isn’t intended to be abused by them for unearned profit.

Anyway, by giving this command to Joseph, then Joseph cannot be held guilty for breaking a previously given command. Thus Pharaoh is making a particular exception for the camp of Jacob. As Pharaoh, meaning Great House, pictures God’s rule and authority, the picture is clear.

God is making an exception for the people of Israel during the tribulation. He says, “Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives.” He then adds, “bring your father and come.” The carts are meant to carry the wives, children, and Jacob.

These would be two-wheeled carts which were drawn by oxen and would make the long, hot, and arduous trip bearable for Jacob and his family. The minute care for the details by Pharaoh is reflective of God’s minute care of Israel in the coming tribulation period. Israel will survive, because God is on her side, providing for her.

²⁰ Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

Pharaoh then instructs them saying, v’enekhem al takhos al kelekhem – “do not let your eye pity your things.” In other words, “Don’t sweat what you leave behind.” There was only so much space on the carts, and people can carry only so much stuff. What gets left behind is unimportant and shouldn’t grieve them at all.

However, the ambiguous nature of the Hebrew has actually been translated in exactly the opposite way as well. One Catholic version reads, “And leave none of your household stuff.” The reason they translate it this way is to indicate that they were making a one-way journey to permanently settle in Egypt.

This doesn’t follow at all with the rest of the passage and it also doesn’t follow at all with what is being pictured. As we saw last week, this is being done under urgency and it is pointing to Jesus’ urgent words in Matthew 24 –

“Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (17-21)

The picture we are seeing is the protection of God’s people. Those who are more caring about their stuff than they are about coming to Christ, will never be a part of God’s kingdom. He is providing for their needs and He has made great promises to them, just as Pharaoh now is doing for Jacob and his family.

Let him who is there, out on his housetop
Not go down to take anything out
And let him who is in the fields not delay or stop
Even to get his clothes, for the terror which is to come about

Woe to those pregnant or nursing during those times
Pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath day
For the world will go through great tribulation for its crimes
Not has it even been so, nor will it ever be again, I say

II. Something Special for Benjamin (verses 21-24)

²¹ Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

Verse 21 is tied directly back to verse 17, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart.” The reason why these two are tied together is because everything else in the other verses is either being worked out still or is future. And so, “then the sons of Israel did so” is speaking about loading their animals.

But Joseph is also a son of Israel and so he is included too. He “gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.” This care of Pharaoh, representing God, is exactly pictured in Revelation 12 –

“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.” (13, 14)

Just as Jacob and his family are given provisions to keep them nourished and Pharaoh’s carts to carry them, so will Israel be nourished and carried in the tribulation. It is exact. The symbolism of the wings of the eagle are given to signify God’s divine care. Exodus 19:4 and Isaiah 40:31, among other verses, show this.

A detail in this verse which I believe is very important and which is something similar to what we saw many sermons ago when Jacob and Laban made an agreement, is that these carts actually represent something else. The word for “carts” is agalot, a word which means something revolving or circular.

These carts came “according to the command of Pharaoh.” In Hebrew al pi Pharaoh – literally “by the mouth of Pharaoh.” The structure of the complete Bible, which contains the New Testament, actually makes a circular pattern.

As the Bible is from the mouth of God, the picture is clear. Israel will now have and accept the entire Bible, represented by these wagons which are being sent by the mouth of Pharaoh. No I don’t think this is a stretch at all either.

²² He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments;

Adam Clarke notes that, “It is a common custom with all the Asiatic sovereigns to give both garments and money to ambassadors and persons of distinction, whom they particularly wish to honor. Hence they keep in their wardrobes several hundred changes of raiment, ready made up for presents of this kind.”

But there is more to this. The biblical honoring of a person with garments is seen several times in Revelation. There it says –

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5

This granting of the garments, mentioned specifically by God in His word, is to show the change in the brothers. They are now in right standing with God because of acknowledging their brother as Lord. It is clear and explicit what we are being shown – all who call on the Lord will be saved. They have overcome and are granted His garments of righteousness.

^{22 (con’t)} but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

As happens from time to time, something comes along in the Bible that makes one wonder. Why would Joseph give Benjamin all that silver and five changes of garments to carry to Canaan and then have to lug it all the way back as well? And even more so, the specific amount of silver is given.

The brothers have brought silver twice and had it restored twice and yet the amount was not even hinted at. Unless God is showing us something, it doesn’t really make much sense. The last time a specific amount of money was given was when Joseph was sold. It was for twenty pieces of silver.

Now Benjamin is given 300. That is 15 times the amount for which Joseph was sold. And, not surprisingly, EW Bullinger, the great biblical numerologist shows that 15 represents resurrection – divine grace, issuing in glory. He gives seven specific examples of this in his book Number in Scripture which you can read on line.

Joseph, picturing Christ was sold off for twenty pieces of silver, Benjamin, the Son of the Right Hand, picturing Christ in glory and those who have called on Him, is given 300. The five garments given to Benjamin shows the divine grace in their redemption, having called on Jesus in His exalted state. It is grace based on belief; it is the resurrected and exalted Christ pictured in the silver and the garments.

²³ And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.

The last time ten animals were noted as being loaded with goods and sent to someone was when Abraham sent his oldest servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. Like then, there is a reason why the number ten is mentioned. The number of carts isn’t given, but isn’t that just as important… unless we’re being told something.

Ten is the number of fullness. The term “10 days” is used several times in the Bible to indicate a fullness of days, not specifically 10 days. The term “10 times” is often used the same way. These ten donkeys represent a fullness of what is being sent which includes the “good things of Egypt.”

Egypt is the land of the gentiles. It is where Christ has been proclaimed since He was sold off by the Jews. The 10 donkeys sent from Pharaoh picture what we have in Christ now which will be given to the Jews of the future. Our wealth of knowledge and the good things we now have in Christ will be shared with them. The fruits of the Spirit will be granted to the sons of Israel.

The ten female donkeys are then said to be loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. Jacob has consistently represented the corporate body of Israel during these Joseph sermons. To them they are now given grain.

But the word grain here is not the one used so many times in the past 4 chapters which was shever. Instead it is bar, purified grain. The kernel is cracked and the grain is purified. The grain has consistently pictured the word of God, but now, finally, Israel has the pure grain which includes the New Testament.

If you’ve wondered why I kept naming the grain, again and again in these past 10 sermons, it’s because it is all pointing to Christ. The Word of God is what reveals Him to us and the use of these different words has been so targeted and specific that only through understanding the work of Christ can we understand what the reason for all the detail is.

Israel will someday not just have the grain, but it will be the full and purified grain which they now lack. Along with that, the donkeys are loaded with both bread and with food. It seems like a redundancy, but it again points to Jesus, specifically John 6.

In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life” and in John 6:55, He said “My flesh is food indeed.” Everything is about Christ Jesus and everything in these stories is pointing to the reconciliation of Him to Israel. The detail is exact and it is all there for a reason. Israel is going on a journey and Jesus is going along.

Interestingly, in Revelation 6:6, we read this –

“And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

A denarius comes from the term “containing 10.” It is the equivalent price of ten donkeys. This verse in Genesis with two sets of 10 donkeys is being tied directly to that verse in Revelation. Though there will be lack during the famine, those under Joseph’s care are well fed. And though there will be lack during the tribulation, those under Jesus’ care will likewise be sustained.

²⁴ So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”

On sending them away, he gave them this bit of specific instruction. The word he uses which is translated as “troubled” is the word tirgezu. It indicates quarrelling or anger. Three ideas come to mind. The first is that they may argue over who takes the blame in front of Jacob when he finds out what happened to Joseph twenty-two years earlier.

The second also concerns Joseph. At some point they may be brought in to him to explain the past and they may argue over that. And finally, Benjamin has been given much more than them. They once argued over Joseph’s favored status by Jacob and now they may argue over Benjamin’s favor as well.

And each of these have a fulfillment in the future. Those spiritual leaders of Israel who had been wrong about Jesus will worry about how they explain 2000 years of cover-up and incompetence. They will worry as to whether Jesus will later be vindictive towards them. And finally, they may even be envious of the sealed 144,000 mentioned in Revelation, represented by Benjamin.

What has been will be again and what is pictured in the past will be revealed again in the future. Looking back to Genesis takes us forward to Revelation. And all of it is centered on Jesus Christ. Amazing.

III. Jesus is Alive (verses 25-28)

²⁵ Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.

In the Bible, when one goes to the land of Canaan, they go up. When one goes to Jerusalem, they go up. It doesn’t matter from where they are coming, north, south, east, or west, nor does elevation matter, to go to Jerusalem is always going upward. This is God’s land and in it is God’s city.

And so the brothers go up, out of Egypt and head home to Jacob their father. Imagine the suspense in them as they anticipate every possible thing that he could say – both good and bad…

²⁶ And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.”

Understanding the picture that is being made here, it is almost impossible to express it with words. Someday, the leaders of Israel will go and tell their people something extraordinary. It will be something beyond imagination to them. To me, the words of the song “O Happy Day” come to mind –

Oh, happy day
When Jesus washed
My sins away, yeah
He taught me how to watch
How to fight and pray
And living rejoicing everyday
Oh, happy day – Edwin Hawkins

Imagine what Jacob felt… Imagine what Israel will think? Jacob thought God had abandoned him and Israel has felt the same. Jacob thought the son was dead and Israel was sure Jesus was dead too, a mere myth. But Joseph is alive and he is governor over all of Egypt. And Jesus… Jesus is alive and Lord of heaven and earth. Imagine the emotion…

^{26 (con’t)}And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.

The Hebrew says, v’yapag libbow – and his heart grew numb. This is derived from the idea of being rigid through coldness. He simply couldn’t believe what he had heard. Yes this is the normal reaction that we would expect, but it is also a concept Jesus uses about the people of Israel during the tribulation in Matthew 24 –

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (9-13)

Jacob grew cold temporarily, but some will stay cold. This is the warning, given in advance, to Israel. Those who are truly of Jacob will warm up once again. There will be all the evidences in the world presented to them. For those who choose to believe their eyes, they will be saved. This is seen in the next verse…

²⁷ But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

Some need only to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and they are born again. Some need more. They need to read the word, think on the concept, see the evidences in others lives, or whatever way they make the mental assent to the knowledge which then turns to faith. For Jacob, he needed to see the evidences.

He saw the carts which Joseph had sent. These would have been royal Egyptian carts. They would have been the finest of the land and ornamented in beauty. And when he saw the carts, he knew the truth. Joseph is alive. If you remember from a few verses ago, I said the Hebrew name of the carts was agalot and I said they pictured the Scriptures.

Jacob picturing Israel of the future, will open the bar, the purified and full revelation of God given in both testaments of the Bible, they will read, and they will believe. They will believe, they will be revived, and they will be saved. This picture is so astonishingly exact that it cannot be overlooked.

For all of these sermons, we’ve seen the shever, the grain in the kernel. And only today have we seen the bar, the purified grain. And there it is, with the agalot, the carts. It is the Superior Word. It is our sure and complete testimony of Jesus Christ our Lord.

I saw the carts one day and I realized that Jesus Christ is alive and that He is Lord. Whatever evidences you think you need, they are all found in the Bible and in the testimony of His people. But the carts are there. Don’t close your eyes to them, but believe.

When Jacob saw them, the Bible exclaims v’takhi ruach yaakov – “and lived the spirit of Jacob.” He wasn’t reanimated in his body as the Bible speaks of people elsewhere. Instead, he was reanimated in his spirit. This then pictures that truly culminating moment in the history of Israel.

It is prophesied in Ezekiel 37, the Valley of the Dry Bones. There it promises two separate things. The first is that the people of Israel would be returned to the land of Israel. They would re-gather and fill the land. But verse 8 says, “but there was no spirit in them.” (Douay Rheims)

That has happened. They are there, but they are without the Spirit, but God will send the Spirit and they will revive. In verse 14 it goes on to say, “‘I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,‘ says the Lord.'”

As I said about these things last week, “Even if these pictures aren’t what God intended for us to see, they still reveal exactly what is coming according to the rest of the Bible. In other words, these pictures are exactly what God intends for us to see.”

Jacob’s revival is carefully worded because it is pointing to a spiritual truth. Man without Christ is dead. Man with Christ is made alive. Paul tells us this several times in his epistles, such as in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 –

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”

You know, the apostles – those who knew Jesus and had heard His words and seen His many miracles also doubted. We shouldn’t miss the similarity between Jacob and his carts and the apostles and Jesus after the resurrection. Listen and see how they parallel –

³⁶ Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” ³⁷ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” ⁴⁰ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” ⁴² So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. ⁴³ And He took it and ate in their presence. Luke 24:36-43

What do you need to believe and not doubt any longer? Is His word good enough for you? It is the deepest treasure ever, ever given to man and yet we find much more pleasure in late nights, later mornings, sports, and play time – and we miss Jesus. Stop doubting and believe. The carts are right in front of you.

*²⁸ Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

He is called Israel. Three times in this chapter the man, the father, the person – he has been called Jacob. Jacob the flesh and bones. Jacob the deceiver who was still deceived. And then it all changed. He is Israel. He is alive. And Israel cries out rav – “Abundance!” “Much!” “It is enough and more than enough! Joseph my son is still alive!”

The Spirit will rest upon Israel and they will come to life. This is the promise of God in the pages of the Bible and it should be the hope of every Christian on earth. It is the culmination of the greatest separation and reunion ever imagined.

Those Jews who hear and believe will be revived and they will go to Him, as Jacob says, “Before I die.” It is either Jesus or it is death. One either has the Spirit or there is only cold and eternal separation from God. These are the choices that each individual faces and these are the choices that Israel as a nation faces.

But God has shown us in Genesis what lies ahead of us in the future. Israel will live and they will behold their Lord. They will behold Jesus. Matthew Henry sums up this chapter with beautiful words for each of us to consider.

“Behold Jesus manifesting himself as a Brother and a Friend to those who once were his despisers, his enemies. He assures them of his love and the riches of his grace. He commands them to lay aside envy, anger, malice, and strife, and to live in peace with each other. He teaches them to give up the world for him and his fulness. He supplies all that is needful to bring them home to himself, that where he is they may be also. And though, when he at last sends for his people, they may for a time feel some doubts and fears, yet the thought of seeing his glory and of being with him, will enable them to say, It is enough, I am willing to die; and I go to see, and to be with the Beloved of my soul.”

Adam Clarke said, “A desperate disease requires a desperate remedy.” Sin is, in fact, a desperate disease. We are born with it and we live in it. Only one remedy can take it away. And it comes at a very high cost. Give up on self, call on Jesus, and let the blood shed at Calvary wash the crimson stain of sin away.

This truth is needed for the people of Israel, but this truth is also needed for each of us individually. God has offered and we must receive that offer. If you will please, allow me another minute to tell you how you can be reconciled to God through the Person and work of Jesus Christ…

Closing Verse: ³² “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! ³⁴ Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Matthew 24:32-35

Next Week: Genesis 46:1-27 (So Israel Took His Journey) (114th Genesis Sermon)

Just so you know, when Lt. Onoda reached Japan, he was hailed a hero. Life there was different than when he left 1944 so he bought a ranch and moved to Brazil, but in 1984 he and his new wife moved back to Japan and founded a nature camp for kids. On Thursday, January 16, 2014, just two months and one week ago, Hiroo Onoda died at age 91. I hope he knew Jesus.

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you and He has a good plan and purpose for you. Call on Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

He is Alive!

Now the report of it was heard
In Pharaoh’s house, saying,
“Joseph’s brothers have come, this is the word
Something for which Joseph must have long been praying

So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well
As the record of the Bible does so surely tell

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, yes he did impart
“Say to your brothers, ‘Do this:
Load your animals and depart
Go to the land of Canaan, do not be remiss

Bring your father and your households
And come, return to me
I will give you the best of the land of Egypt
And you will eat the fat of the land, you see

Now you are commanded—do this:
Take carts out of Egypt the land
For your little ones and your wives, them do not dismiss
Bring your father and come as I have planned

Also do not be concerned about your stuff
For the best of all the land of Egypt is yours, and it will be enough

Then the sons of Israel did so
And Joseph gave them carts as stated
According to the command of Pharaoh
And for the journey he gave provisions to keep them sated

He gave to all of them, to each man
Changes of garments, things to wear
But he gave three hundred pieces of silver to Benjamin
And five changes of garments to carry back there

And these things he sent to his father:
Ten donkeys loaded with the best
Provisions of Egypt for this was no bother
For he wanted the family abundantly blessed

And ten female donkeys loaded heavy
With grain, bread, and food
For his father for the journey
And for his spirit to be renewed

So he sent his brothers away and they
Departed and he said to them, “See that you do not
Become troubled along the way
Don’t let your emotions flair or tempers get hot

Then they went up out of Egypt and came
To the land of Canaan to Jacob their father
With great news to proclaim

And they told him, speaking this word
“Joseph is still alive, and he is governor
Over all the land of Egypt, think it not absurd

And Jacob’s heart stood still because
He did not believe them, that this is how it was

But when they told him all the words
Which Joseph to them had said
And when he saw the carts
Which to carry him Joseph had sent ahead

The spirit of Jacob their father did revive
Then Israel said, “It is enough for my eye
Joseph my son is still alive!
I will go and see him before I die

Man is born alive in his soul
But his spirit has no life at all
But for this Jesus came and took control
So that on Him, we may call

And when we do He revives us, granting new life
And between God and us is ended all the strife

This is the message of hope that we find in God’s word
It is a story of wonder, of glory, and of praise
We are restored to Him through the blood of Jesus our Lord
To live in His presence for eternal days

And so yes, to you O God we offer a joyful sound
May You be ever-exalted as our praises to You abound

Hallelujah and Amen…

Genesis 45:1-15
The Lord is Revealed

Introduction: For weeks and weeks now, we’ve been looking at the coming reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers and between Jesus and Israel. There have been so many matching patterns that it is obviously something God does not want us to miss.

It is a central theme here and it continues to be a central theme throughout the entire Bible. But what we could and should ask is why? Who cares if God and Israel are reconciled? The Jews are about one percent of one percent of the population of the world. They are an insignificant number in comparison to the multitudes of people on God’s green earth.

And of the Jewish people of today, the vast majority are not right with God. This is completely apparent. So why is this plan which is pictured in Genesis, expanded on throughout the Bible, and shown to be fulfilled in Revelation so important to Him and to us?

The answer is painfully clear when we understand God’s character, and it is exceptionally important in how we perceive our relationship with Him. Concerning His character, He has spoken a set of promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and so on.

If these promises are truly from Him, and if the Bible is truly His word, then His very integrity is tied up in this book and the promises it contains. If even one of His promises were to fail, then He isn’t God and we have our faith in the wrong place.

And that brings us to the second point – how we perceive our relationship with Him. If we believe the Bible is true and was given to us by the God who cannot lie, if we really believe that… then there are promises that we can hold to and there are obligations imposed on us.

If God’s promises to Israel fail, then the promises to us aren’t trustworthy either. And the responsibilities we have then aren’t really that important. Going and making disciples doesn’t really matter if God doesn’t keep His promises. Other than making a lot of money through a false religion, there really is no imperative to do what Jesus said.

And this is exactly why the church, so long ago, absconded with the promises to Israel. Israel was destroyed. There were only a few scattered Jews and it seemed to be that those promises had failed. Unless… well unless they now belong to the church. But many of them were very specific – places, names, and so on.

And so not only did they assume that the promises must be for the church, but that they were spiritual or allegorical. Or, even more stupidly perceived, that they were already fulfilled – “Yes, this is speaking of the past…” When in fact they had never been happened. The Lord says in Amos 9:15 –

“I will plant them in their land,
And no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.”

That obviously has never happened, because that was written about 750BC and they were cast out of the land from AD70 until 1948. So how could the church make such a stupid claim? It’s because they know the God of the Bible is the true God and so these things must somehow apply to the church, even though they really don’t.

This is why these stories and their fulfillment are so important. Because our very understanding of God, history, integrity, and our religion are tied up in them. When you turn away from the importance of Israel, especially Israel of today, you turn away from a sound relationship with God.

And along with that goes your solid foundation in those promises which have been made by Him to you. This is the importance of Israel. Everything is tied up in God’s promises to Israel.

Text Verse: ²⁵ “Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, ²⁶ then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’” Jeremiah 33:25, 26

Either the Bible is God’s word or it is not. If it is, then it is absolute truth, even the things we may not like or the things which we dismiss because we don’t understand them. But by continually digging into this word, we will be molded into a right understanding and a right relationship with God. So let’s go to the word now and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. I Am… (verses 1-5)

¹ Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him,

In the previous chapter, Judah, picturing the representative of all the Jewish people, made an impassioned plea for his brother Benjamin. He offered himself in exchange for him because he knew that without him, his own father would die in the anguish of his soul. After hearing his words and seeing that there was truly a change in him, it says Joseph couldn’t restrain himself.

The word is le’hitapek. It is the same word used to describe him in Genesis 43:31 when he controlled himself after weeping over Benjamin at the meal they shared. There it said, “Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.'”

This time the opposite occurred, instead of being able to restrain himself any longer, he lost all control of his emotions. The Hebrew is emphatic and it shows us he was without any emotional restraint.

^1 (con’t) and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!”

When we read this verse, because of the way it’s worded, we can’t help but get a mental image of the situation, and we are prone to make intuitive guesses as to why he made everyone leave the room. My thought was always that he didn’t want any of his servants to see him reduced to a state of tears.

This is certainly true, but the Geneva Bible added in another reason I hadn’t before considered. They said it was, “…because he wanted to cover his brother’s sin.”

That is now two reasons. And a third which comes to mind is that his true identity was only known to a select few around him. Revealing himself in the open would then reveal who he was to those who were not supposed to know. The question is, “Would that serve a positive or a negative purpose?”

Would knowing he was a Hebrew, and once a servant, help or make things worse. If you can see this in the light of the tribulation period, the whole world will be coming after the Jews as never before. Connecting them to Jesus in this intimate way would only serve to increase the troubles, not lessen them. The world has already rejected Christ and they hate Him.

The intimacy of this meeting serves several purposes and is intended as a picture of the future as much as it is of the reconciliation of these brothers in the distant past.

The tribulation also serves several purposes. One is to destroy the wickedness on earth just like the Flood of Noah did. One is to bring reconciliation between God and Israel. Another is to usher in the Kingdom Age where Christ will sit on the throne and rule over the earth from Jerusalem. Each step of Joseph’s revealing of himself parallel’s this unveiling, or revelation, of Jesus Christ.

^1 (con’t) So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

And so, with only the sons of Israel present, Joseph is made known to his brothers. Remember, there is a famine in the land. The word of God is available, but it will come at a cost. But to Israel, there will be a special revealing of the Lord.

As this meeting is in Joseph’s house, I’m guessing that the same thing will happen in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. The Bible makes is perfectly clear that there will be another temple in Jerusalem. And so it is probable that what we are seeing here is something that will be revealed in that future temple.

The details aren’t clear, but the overall picture of what is coming has been given. He will reveal Himself in a way which only Israel will hear, but as Jesus says in Luke 8:17, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” The message will go out…

² And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.

The opening word of this verse is v’yitten. It signifies giving something, or putting something out. The literal translation then would be “And gave forth his voice in weeping.” In other words, loud cries went out.

It was more than merely sobbing out loud, but it was the deep gasps of air which are followed by loud groans which simply cannot be restrained. Joel 3 is written not about the past, but about the future. The first few verses of that chapter make this certain.

Later in the chapter, we read the following which sounds like an incredible parallel to Joseph’s revealing of himself to his brothers –

The Lord also will roar from Zion,
And utter His voice from Jerusalem;
The heavens and earth will shake;
But the Lord will be a shelter for His people,
And the strength of the children of Israel.
¹⁷ “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem shall be holy,
And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.” Joel 3:16, 17

Joseph’s weeping was heard by Pharaoh, the Great House, picturing heaven, and by the Egyptians, picturing the gentiles. The roar of the Lord will be so great that both heaven and earth will shake. The message will go out to the world at that time. And again, in Revelation 14:10, we see the same thing –

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— ⁷ saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

³ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph;

The astonishing revelation is now made. Until this point, they only knew him as Zaphnath Paaneah, the Savior of the World. But suddenly the connection is clear. Joseph is the Savior of the World. Put yourselves into the place of the Jews at the temple when this revelation is made. “I am Jesus.” Jehovah is revealed for who He truly is. The Lord of Creation is their own brother in the flesh.

Concerning the words, “I am Joseph” Matthew Henry shows the connection all should make – “Thus, when Christ would convince Paul, he said, I am Jesus; and when he would comfort his disciples, he said, It is I, be not afraid. When Christ manifests himself to his people, he encourages them to draw near to him with a true heart.”

The speaking of the name is the revealing of the person. In the case of Joseph and in the case of Jesus, the connection sparks the emotions of the soul. Israel will hear and their eyes will be opened to what they had so long been blinded to.

^3 (con’t) does my father still live?”

His first question isn’t “Are you surprised?” Nor is it, “Why did you do this to me.” Instead, to direct them to something relevant and thus indicate his good will toward them, he asks about dad. And although it is formed as a question here, John Gill interprets this rather as a statement of fact.

It would be like us saying “Isn’t it great?” Saying that actually means “It is great.” The words are, ha’owd abi khai – “Yet my father does live.” Gill’s comment says that “he puts this question not through ignorance, or as doubting but to express his affliction for his father, and his joy that he was alive”

In a prophetic sense then, this is seen as a positive statement from Jesus to those in the temple. “I am Jesus and Israel is still alive. There is hope and I am here to provide it to you.” This is certainly the message being conveyed here.

^3 (con’t) But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.

The word dismayed is appropriate. They were literally shocked at what they now perceived. First, they were in shock at who Joseph was and the position he filled, and secondly they remembered their past crimes against him.

The comparison to Jesus is perfect. Those Jews who had for so long resisted Him, but who knew the story of how he had been crucified… were all true. This Christ isn’t just a Jew, but the ruler of all things, and they will feel the guilt of the crimes of the past.

I have not come to destroy you, but to call you back, you see
What is past is past, it is over and done
I am Jesus your Messiah, come unto Me
I am your Lord and your Brother, I am God’s own Son

⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.”

The words of James, writing to the 12 tribes, so closely match those of Joseph, that the Holy Spirit must have had this particular verse from Genesis in mind. Listen, and compare it to what Joseph just said, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8

What James says is so perfectly represented here and is so exactingly showing what the future holds for Israel, that it cannot be coincidence. Joseph asks his brothers to come near and Jesus does the same. In the act, the hands are cleansed, the hearts are purified, and the minds become clear.

^4 (con’t) So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

Whether Jesus actually speaks the words or not, the implication from the entire New Testament and the past 2000 years is that “I am Jesus your Brother whom you crucified and then sold off to the Gentiles.” Every sentence spoken is showing us what is coming.

⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here;  for God sent me before you to preserve life.

This verse, right here, is one of the finest examples of God’s sovereignty and providence in the entire Bible. God never authors evil, and Joseph isn’t implying that God was the cause of the evil committed, but God uses the free-will choices of men, which include evil, to effect His purposes.

The brothers sold Him, but Joseph says that God sent him ahead to preserve life. What man does, God knows will happen. And so He uses these things to bring about His overarching will. His brothers sold him off as a slave, but God sent him as their savior. Jesus is written all over the story.

Do not be angry with yourself, repentant sinner
Though your sins were counted in the pain of the cross of Calvary
Because through His shed blood you are now a winner
A saved and cherished soul, loved by God for all eternity

The connection between this verse and what is described by Peter in Acts 2 is a perfect match. There he says –

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— ²³ Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ²⁴ whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” Acts 2:22-24

God’s purpose for Israel in Joseph’s ordeal was to preserve life. God’s purpose for Israel in Jesus’ trials was to save the lost. In both cases, man’s wickedness was used by God for a good end.

II. All a Work of God (verses 6-11)

⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

The Bible says that the famine of Egypt was for seven years. It also tells us that the tribulation period will be for seven years. However, nothing is said about any specific thing that will happen at the two-year point of the tribulation. But these two years are past and so Joseph is asking them to focus on the remaining five.

Five in the Bible is the number of grace. While there is neither plowing nor harvesting, the family of Israel will be sustained by grace. And so the picture here isn’t one of exact dating, but that the believing Jews who have received Jesus will be sustained, by grace, throughout the duration of the tribulation period.

And this premise is supported in both testaments of the Bible. The faithful remnant will be saved. It is hinted at in the next verse…

⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Joseph now repeats that it is God who sent him ahead of them to save them. In this, he uses the term sheerit, a remnant, which will be preserved through the trial. God has always promised to save a faithful remnant of Israel. This is not an isolated concept, but one which permeates both testaments of Scripture.

And this includes the tribulation period which is being pictured here. In Romans 9:27, quoting Isaiah 10, Paul says, “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved.”

It is this remnant of Jacob who God will save as Joseph says, “by a great deliverance.” This is, again, explicitly referred to in Scripture. Daniel 12 says this –

“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1

The entire span of the Bible is pointing to the great culmination of the ages and it is all being pictured right in this beautiful story of grace and reunion between once-estranged brothers. The magnificence of how God has woven the account of Joseph into the account of Israel’s history is simply astonishing.

⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

This is the third time that Joseph has said that it was God who sent him. But, the first two times he said only “God.” This time he says it was, ha’elohim, “the God” who did it. And in this verse Joseph’s exaltation and his relationship to Pharaoh are openly stated.

This then, unlike before, speaks of Jesus’ divinity. He is not only the crucified Man of Israel, but he is the exalted God of heaven. To be made a “father to Pharaoh” means, as the Jewish scribe Jarchi puts it, “to have a share with him in power and authority.”

As we saw in Peter’s quote in Acts, Jesus was delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. But Peter didn’t stop there. A few chapters later he continued the connection to Joseph in these words –

“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. ³¹ Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:30, 31

Not a verse, nor even a word so far has failed to point to Jesus, Israel, or the end times. And the exciting thing is that these pictures very well may come to their fulfillment in our generation. That is how close I believe we are.

⁹ “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.

As suddenly as he revealed himself to them, he now turns his attention to his father. And so again, the characters must be identified. The brothers are the leaders representing the individual tribes in Israel. Jacob is Israel the people, and Joseph is Christ the Lord. Egypt is the land of the Gentiles.

This verse is similar to what he said earlier. He tells them to say that “God has made me lord of all Egypt.” The brothers sold him off to Egypt, but he said that God did it. And it was Pharaoh who elevated Joseph to the lord of the land, but he says that God did it.

In every word, we see Joseph’s understanding of the providence of God in all things. How different that is of Jacob his father who just a few short chapters ago had completely failed to understand the reason for all the trials that had befallen him over the years! In this verse Joseph also said to them, “Come down to me, do not tarry.” The urgency of his words reflect what Jesus said in Matthew 24 –

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶ “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²² And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” Matthew 24:15-22

This time that Jesus speaks of is future and it is just at the midpoint of the tribulation, or 3 1/2 years into the tribulation. This is the reason for Joseph’s words, “do not tarry.” There is a time which is coming which will be worse than any other in human history and Jesus will save them through this.

In His instructions, he tells them to “flee to the mountains.” Nobody is sure where, but many believe that it will be to Petra in Jordan, a gentile land. If so, then the pattern perfectly fits the words of Joseph.

¹⁰ You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.

Here, Joseph names the land where they will live, Goshen. The name Goshen means “drawing near” or “approaching.” Taken in the context of the end times, and especially Jesus’ words in Matthew 24, the connection seems obvious. They are to flee because the Great Tribulation is drawing near… couldn’t be clearer.

¹¹ There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”’

Joseph says there are five years of famine to come. These five years, representative of grace, are what will be given to Israel during the Tribulation. In Revelation it says that the Israelites who take Jesus’ advice and flee will be nourished in the wilderness during final portion of the tribulation.

III. Benjamin, The Son of the Right Hand (verses 12-15)

¹² “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

Joseph tells them to trust their eyes and their ears. Their eyes can clearly see that he, not an interpreter, is speaking to them. The Hebrew tongue is being conveyed to them by the lord of Egypt who has said he is their brother and therefore it must be him.

Benjamin is being singled out because he is the full brother of Joseph, but God included this because he pictures those Jews who have called on Jesus. This includes, implicitly, Paul who descended from Benjamin and who authored much of the New Testament which is directed to the Gentiles. In other words, the Christ of the nations is the Messiah of the Jews.

How did we miss what the gentiles perceived?
How could we not see that the Messiah is our Brother?
For so long, by our own eyes we were deceived
Jesus is our Lord and Savior – He and not another!

¹³ So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”

The glory they have seen is the glory they are to tell of to their father. And the glory of Jesus which will be revealed to the leaders of the tribes of Israel is that same glory that they are to reveal to the people of Israel. The temple will stand, the Lord will come, and there will be little time to prepare.

Even if these pictures aren’t what God intended for us to see in these passages, they still reveal exactly what is coming according to the rest of the Bible. In other words, these pictures are exactly what God intends for us to see.

¹⁴ Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept,

The Hebrew here interestingly says, “And he fell on the necks of Benjamin.” The word is plural. The only commentator who mentions it at all says he probably wept on the left and then he wept on the right. But that is still one neck. Why would God allow such an odd plural word in here unless He wants to show us something.

Benjamin certainly only had one neck and so this must be intended to be viewed prophetically. Those Jews who had already called on Jesus and who had remained steadfast in their faith, even before He revealed Himself to Israel, are those who will have gained His greatest favor. As they are a group, meaning plural, He will weep tears of joy over them.

^{14 (con’t)} and Benjamin wept on his neck.

And these many, when they are shown to have been vindicated in their faith, will weep tears of joy over Him. Therefore, this second time the word “neck” is used, it is in the singular. Amazing detail!

The Lord is revealed and over His brothers He weeps
A reunion so long anticipated has finally come about
Israel now knows Jesus and the covenant He keeps
And through tears comes the joy and a praise-filled shout

God’s love for His people is eternal and sure
He has directed the ages for the sake of Israel
So they can worship Him in a way undefiled and pure
Covered by the blood of Christ, as the Bible does tell

^*15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

And finally in today’s verses we see the tender display of love towards all of the brothers. The transgressions of the past, the many years of separation, and the trial which has just ended have all been swept under the joy of reunion and brotherly love.

They once tossed Joseph into a pit and sold him as a slave to the gentiles. And Israel once sent their Lord to the tomb and then sold Him off to the gentiles as well. But the reunion has arrived and what is past is past. Joseph and his brothers; Jesus and Israel. How can we not stand amazed at what God has done and is doing for His people – all pictured in these ancient stories?

Though the details are many, and there is much to be learned from these passages, maybe too much to grasp at once, understanding these early Genesis stories gives us a sure foundation in understanding the rest of the Bible. And that message is clear…

God has a plan, God is in control, and God can be trusted. This is certain. And because God sent Jesus to save us, then we can trust that Jesus can really do just that. So please let me take a moment to explain to you how you too can be saved by the precious blood of Christ…
Closing Verse: Indeed the Lord has proclaimed
To the end of the world:
“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.’”
12 And they shall call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
And you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken. Isaiah 62:11, 12

Next Week: Genesis 45:16-28 (The Spirit of Jacob is Revived) (113th Genesis Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you and He has a good plan and purpose for you. Call on Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

I Am Your Brother

Then Joseph could not restrain himself
Before all those who by him stood
And he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!”
I say, leave us alone now if you would

So no one stood with him, not a servant or any others
At the time that Joseph made himself known to his brothers

And he wept aloud, his resounding cries did emit
And the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it

Then Joseph said to his brothers:….

“I am Joseph; does my father still live?”
But his brothers could not answer him
For they were dismayed in his presence
And so an answer they could not give

And Joseph said to his brothers
“Please come near to me”
So they came near, according to his druthers
They came near to him obediently

Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother
Whom you sold into Egypt, it is I and not another

But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry
With yourselves because you sold me here
For God sent me before you to preserve life
So that Israel does not disappear

For these two years the famine has been in the land
And there are still five years in which there will be
Neither plowing nor harvesting for the farmer’s hand

And God sent me before you not by chance
But to preserve a posterity for you in the earth
And to save your lives by a great deliverance
To save you from the terrible times of dearth

So now it was not you who sent me here, but God
And He has made me a father to Pharaoh, you understand
And lord of all his house, everywhere I trod
And a ruler throughout all of Egypt, the land

“Hurry and go up to my father
And say to him, ‘Thus says Joseph your son
“God has made me lord of all Egypt
Come down to me, do not tarry to see your beloved one

You shall dwell in the land of Goshen
And you shall to me be near
You and your children, your children’s children
Your flocks and your herds, and all that you have – do not fear

There I will provide for you to keep away the fears
Lest you and your household, and all that is yours
Come to poverty for there are still five years
Of famine from the heat and wind outdoors

And behold, your eyes tell you what is true
And the eyes of my brother Benjamin
See that it is my mouth that speaks to you

So you shall tell my father making him serene
Of all my glory in Egypt, both far and near
And of all these things that you have seen
And you shall hurry and bring my father down here

Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept
And Benjamin wept on his neck
Away, the missing years were swept

Moreover all his brothers he kissed
And wept over them, this he did too
And after that his brothers he had so long missed
Talked with him, many years they needed to review

This beautiful story of reconciliation and grace
Is given for us to see what yet lies ahead
Someday Israel will finally look upon Jesus’ face
And know He alone is their life-giving Bread

For so long they have missed the spiritual boat
But God has been faithful to them all along
Just as He said He would be in the Book that He wrote
And someday over them He will sing a joyous song

And He sings over you and I when we to Him in faith turn
And seals us with His Spirit for that glorious redemption day
It is for this marvelous moment that our heart should burn
And of this precious Savior we should ever say…

Great, glorious, and awesome God
Help us in Thy majestic light always to trod

Hallelujah and Amen…

Genesis 44:18-34
Judah’s Impassioned Plea

Introduction: When a man and a woman come together as husband and wife, one traditional part of the vow they take is that they will be with each other from that day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death parts them.

This goes back to the premise that they are now one flesh and that nothing should separate that bond. On the other hand, there is no vow to be taken for becoming a son or a brother. These things come by nature and are often beyond our control. But the bond of family members should be as strong as the bond of the parents.

Marriage is chosen by man in the presence of God, but family is given by God for one another. And yet, throughout the Bible, we see warfare, not protection, between family members. Cain slew Abel. Esau threatened to kill Jacob. Absalom killed one of his brothers and then overthrew his father, King David.

And these are but a few of the many examples found in Scripture. Where love and harmony should prevail, jealousy, hatred, and bitterness arise. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and because of this, his brothers hated him and sold him off as a slave.

But every time someone follows through with such an action, the Bible shows a response from God. He is not unaware of what occurs among the sons of men and He never lets such an offender off without justice being served. Each receives the consequences of his own actions.

Judah participated in selling Joseph and he along with the brothers are now reaping the consequences of what they did. But he, as the spokesman for them, now has the chance to make things right – even if it costs him his own freedom.

Collectively, the Jewish people, whether they know it or not yet, have and continue to reap the consequences of what happened to Jesus 2000 years ago. Individually, they can – as Hebrews says – “go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” (13:13)

But as a nation, they will eventually have to make a choice to stand for Christ, even if it seems that it will cost them everything. We don’t have the finer details, but we do have the overall picture. They will, in fact, do the right thing in the end.

Text Verse: For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, ³¹ even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. ³² For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Romans 11:30-32

This is the richness of God’s work in human history. He called Israel as a people for Himself. Eventually, through disobedience they were set aside so that the mercy of Christ might come to the Gentiles. Someday, we will be taken out at the rapture and God’s mercy will again be extended to Israel.

That time is certainly drawing near as we can tell from events in the world we live in, all centering on Israel. We are a people in anticipation of great things because we are a people who stand on, and trust in, the promises and the prophecies of God’s superior word. We have more pictures of what lies ahead in our sermon verses today and so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I.  Without Benjamin, You Shall Not See My Face (18-23)

The words which will now be spoken by Judah are beyond proper description. Any comment on their substance will lack in conveying the emotion, in grasping the humility, or in comprehending the magnitude of what he will speak.

And the reason for this is that they now picture a moment in history which has been anticipated, truly, since the fall of man, but more especially since the naming of Israel there on the bank of the Jabbok River as he traveled back to Canaan from Padan Aram.

It is Israel who strives with God – either for God or against God, but yes, Israel strives with God. Later, there was the selection of Judah as the kingly line. It is Judah who speaks for all Israel and it is Israel’s King, Jesus, who descends from Judah who has authority over them as they strive with God.

Scholars have struggled to properly put into words their feelings about the next 17 verses, but here are some of their comments –

It is “one of the masterpieces of Hebrew composition” according to Kalisch. It is “one of the grandest and fairest to be found in the Old Testament” states Lange. Lawson says it is, “A more moving oration than ever orator pronounced.” Inglis remarks that it is, “One of the finest specimens of natural eloquence in the world”

Jamieson, Faucett, Brown says that, “…consisting at first of short, broken sentences, as if, under the overwhelming force of the speaker’s emotions, his utterance were choked, it becomes more free and copious by the effort of speaking, as he proceeds. Every word finds its way to the heart; and it may well be imagined that Benjamin, who stood there speechless like a victim about to be laid on the altar, when he heard the magnanimous offer of Judah to submit to slavery for his ransom, would be bound by a lifelong gratitude to his generous brother, a tie that seems to have become hereditary in his tribe.”

This is a truth that has been and continues to be revealed. Judah is speaking on behalf of Benjamin to Joseph. And in all three, there is the relation to Christ. Jesus descends from Judah. Joseph pictures Christ as the Supreme ruler, and Benjamin pictures Christ, first as the suffering servant and then as the Son of the Right Hand.

It is Judah, picturing the Jews, who is now offering himself to the One who once took their place. Joseph has claimed Benjamin as the one who will serve him in this gentile land and it is Benjamin from whom the apostle Paul came who wrote the words which speak of the authority of Christ who rules, even over the gentiles.

Everything overlaps and everything points to the supremacy of Jesus Christ. And now, there is the sudden transition where Judah speaks out to be made captive to the One he once agreed to sell off as a slave after having first thrown Him into the Pit. It is Judah and Joseph; it is the Jews and it is Jesus.

¹⁸ Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

The burning anger of the Lord against Israel when they stray is noted from Exodus all the way through to Malachi. Judah is making a petition to Pharaoh that his anger not burn against him as he spoke. Remembering that Joseph pictures Christ will help us keep this passage in perspective.

Judah notes that Joseph is “even like Pharaoh.” The deity of Christ cannot be missed here. Pharaoh means “Great House” and it is a picture of the rule and authority of God from heaven. Thus, as the Geneva Bible says, Joseph is “Equal in authority” to Pharaoh.

The Pulpit Commentary notes that he is “invested with the authority of Pharaoh, and therefore able, like Pharaoh, either to pardon or condemn.” Thus, this passage, given by God in His word, is meant to show us, very clearly, an early picture of both the deity of Christ, and to imply the doctrine of the Trinity.

Albert Barnes, who doesn’t speak of the connection between Joseph and Christ, still shows us that the deity and humanity of Christ are both pictured in Joseph. On this verse he says that Judah “will surmount the distinction of rank, and stand with him on the ground of a common humanity.” Surely the Incarnate Christ, fully God and yet fully Man, is the picture we are to see here.

Let your anger not burn against your servants, O Jesus
For though You are God, you are also a Man
We appeal to You to have mercy upon us
Our weakness You shared and so surely… You understand

¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’

Much of what we will see in the next verses is a repetition of what has already been seen in the preceding passages. It is recounted by Judah, speaking on behalf of all of Israel, to Joseph. As we go through these verses, keep remembering who each person pictures.

It is the Bible’s early hints to us that some great day, Israel will stand up for and defend the Servant who once suffered for them. There will be a change in heart which seems impossible in our world today. And yet as surely as lemons make you pucker, it will happen.

They will have to be brought to such a state that there is no other option left, but to call out and defend their once-crucified Messiah. Judah now reminds Joseph that when they first met, he had asked if they had a father or brother.

If I were to give my best attempt at clarifying what this is pointing to, it would be a debate in Israel, after the rapture of the church, concerning a group of Messianic Jews – Jews who had accepted Christ; meaning the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation.

Remember, Judah and the brothers don’t know who Joseph is, but they are being asked to defend Benjamin – their youngest brother. He then pictures those who are in Christ. These Messianic Jews would be those who have received the gospel of Christ, but only those after the rapture.

²⁰ And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

“Yes, we have a father. He is old.” In this picture, Jacob is Israel, but not the individual tribes. He is the collective Israel – throughout the ages and of all who have issued from him, including Joseph and Benjamin. He is the people who strive with God.

Judah says, there is one child of his old age. But the term he uses isn’t the same one which once described Joseph. That was ben zequmin hu – “a son of old age to him.” That pictured Jesus, the wise Son. In this verse, Benjamin is called yeled zequnim qatan – “child of his old age, a little one.”

This then is surely speaking of the Messianic Jews of the tribulation period, a little group who have called on Jesus as the Son of the Right hand, again pictured by Benjamin. Also in this verse, Judah tells Joseph that his brother is dead, when speaking of Joseph.

This is a complete misunderstanding of the situation – both of Judah speaking to Joseph and the Jews of the future speaking of Christ. Because they misunderstand that Joseph is actually alive, he says that Benjamin “is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.”

Both Joseph and Benjamin were born of Rachel. Throughout the stories of her life, she pictured New Testament grace. Judah believes Joseph is dead and so only Benjamin is left and his father loves him. It is Benjamin – those Jews who received Christ during the future tribulation, that are beloved and favored in Israel.

Judah, picturing the Jews, doesn’t yet believe in Christ, but will they be willing to stand up for these believers who are a part of the nation of Israel, at the expense of their lives? This is the test of the tribulation period. And this is what Israel of the future will face.

²¹ Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

Judah glosses over the accusation Joseph made that they were spies and speaks only about Benjamin and his favor in Joseph’s sight – “Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.” To set one’s eyes on another actually means to grant them favor and care.

And this is what the Bible shows us about the 144,000 in Revelation. There it says in Revelation 7:4 – “And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:”

Then in Revelation 9:4, speaking of a plague of locusts on the earth it says, “They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

Joseph has determined to care for Benjamin during the famine, Jesus will, during the tribulation, care for those whom He as sealed. Again, it is all pointing to Jesus and those in Israel who belong to Him.

²² And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

This verse becomes clear when viewed from the lens of prophecy. Israel would in fact die if something were to happen to Benjamin. Without a faithful remnant, there would be no Israel, but God has promised there always would be one and He will save those faithful Messianic Jews of the tribulation period.

²³ But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

It was Joseph’s plan to test his brothers through Benjamin. And God will test Israel through the Tribulation period, ensuring the safety of His sealed Jewish servants. Israel will never know the truth of who Jehovah is, meaning Jesus, unless Benjamin is safe among the brothers. It is only through accepting Christ that we can know God.

Without Benjamin then, he says “you shall see my face no more.” If you consider this from the cherished high priestly blessing of Israel, it makes all the sense in the world

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

The LORD bless you, and you may He keep
This is my prayer for the Lord to do
May His face shine with a light on you with, a light radiantly deep
And may His grace your soul renew

May the countenance of the Lord upon you be lifted up
And may His peace be found in your heart and soul
May you forever have an overflowing cup
And may you remember that surely the Lord is in control

Only in Christ is this possible because only Christ is the Lord.

II. The Father’s Love for Benjamin (24-29)

²⁴ “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.

Judah explains that the brothers passed on what they were told to say. They didn’t hide or try to circumvent the situation, but made it plainly clear to Jacob. But, Jacob dismissed the matter at first…

²⁵ And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’

Instead of telling the whole story, Judah tells where Jacob simply wanted them to return to Egypt for more food. When he said this, he used the term “grain” not “food.” There was no point in calling it grain because there was only a need for food, not grain to plant.

But food comes from grain and the grain is the word of God which speaks of the Bread of Life, Jesus. They are tied together in the Bible. Without the word, there is no Jesus and without Jesus there is no life. This is what we see pictured here and they tell their father as much…

²⁶ But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

We can’t be sure what will cause the nation of Israel to protect the Messianic Jews in the Tribulation, but they will. Maybe it will be the two witnesses mentioned in Chapter 11 who will convince them. Whatever it is, they will know that this group must go with them as a nation. Without them, they will not again meet the Lord.

This is dealing with something which will really happen someday. We’re looking forward and it’s difficult to pinpoint the specifics, but the overall message is clear. It is key to understanding the reconciliation of Israel and their long-estranged Messiah.

Once again, the Incarnation of Christ is also pointed to in this verse. Judah calls Joseph “the man” in his presence. Instead of calling him the lord of the land, the governor, or the ruler, he calls him the man. This then isn’t used to diminish him, but rather to exalt his manhood. Again and again, it is all pointing to Christ.

²⁷ Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;

Judah relays to Joseph what Jacob told them. In essence, he says, “Sons, you know about Rachel and you know about her two sons.” Again, Rachel pictures New Testament grace and both sons picture Christ and His work, immediate and on-going.

Joseph, whose name comes from two words – asaph and yoseph, pictures Jesus’ work of taking away the reproach of the Law and adding in Gentiles to the people of God. Benjamin pictures Christ in His suffering and then Christ in His exaltation. Together, these two contrast, and yet the confirm the work of Christ.

²⁸ and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.

Anybody? Isn’t this verse the work of Christ in a nutshell. “The one went out from me, and I said ‘Surely he is torn to pieces.'” This is exactly the passion of Christ. He was torn for our healing. He was crucified for us. But for Israel collectively, they “have not seen Him since.” There isn’t a word which doesn’t shout out Christ. It is all about Him.

In this verse, Judah uses the term tarof toraf – “torn, torn.” It is the exact same expression used in Genesis 37:33 which was 17 sermons ago, when Joseph’s bloodied garment was presented to Jacob. The heartache never diminished, the memory never faded, and the picture of Christ endures 2000 years later. How Israel longs for his Son…

²⁹ But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

Judah finishes his quoting of Jacob with the pitiful sound of his father’s voice still ringing in his ears. “If I lose Benjamin, I will die.” This old man will go to the grave in death as a result of a broken heart. This is Judah’s appeal to the humanity of the ruler of Egypt. “Though you are great on the earth, you are also a human. Please hear my concern for our father.”

You shall bring my gray hair with sorrow to the grave
Should I lose Benjamin my beloved son
Only through his protection will you, my life save
He is the life of Israel, yes he is the one

Without a faithful remnant of those who trust Jesus
Israel will perish and God’s promises would fail
But there is hope in the Son of the Right Hand for us
In Him we are secure and against us nothing can assail

III. Let Me Stand in the Place of Benjamin (30-34)

³⁰ “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,

Judah is preparing to make his final appeal and he sets it up with these words. If I come back and Benjamin isn’t with us. And if my father’s very life is tied to Benjamin… then… then…

The words of this passage are so striking and real to us that it is as if we are in the room with the actors as the dialogue is spoken. One scholar of the Bible, Dr. Jackson, says this about the account –

“For it is plain that every circumstance is here related with such natural specifications, as if Moses had heard them talk; and therefore could not have been thus represented to us, unless they had been written by His direction who knows all things, fore-past, present, or to come.”

In other words, either this story is completely false and made up, or it could only have been uttered by the Holy Spirit who so carefully revealed the words to us that we seem to live them as they come to our own senses. And if the Holy Spirit uttered them, as He in fact did, then they were selected and passed on because God wants us to see Jesus in them.

This is the only possible explanation for the detail and the specific wording which would actually be otherwise unnecessary to give for the overall meaning of the account. The life of Jacob is tied up in the Son of the Right Hand – Benjamin. Without Him, there is no hope and only the expectation of death. As we will now see…

³¹ it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

If Benjamin doesn’t return to Israel, there will be no Israel. It is that clear. It is clear in this account when speaking of Jacob, and it is clear in the Bible when referring to Israel the nation. In Christ, there is life, without Christ there is only the grave, which in Hebrew is the word sheol – the place of the dead.

The term sheol is used only four times in the book of Genesis and all four are referring to Jacob and his sorrow concerning his sons – first Joseph and then Benjamin. This use of the word sheol these four times is not coincidence.

The number four in the Bible consistently speaks of God’s creative works. He is known by the things that are seen. But four times, it has been revealed that without the Son, there is no revelation of God through sight. There is only the absence of it in death.

Not until the book of Numbers will the word sheol be used again. We have been given a specific look into the work of Christ in creation and also the resulting lack of that type of revelation in death right here in this passage about Jacob and His sons Joseph and Benjamin; about Israel and Jesus.

³² For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’

Judah promised and Judah will now work to make good on his promise. Someone must bear the blame for all evil actions. The sentence will be carried out in either the one who causes them or in a substitute, but the Bible shows that justice must be served.

Judah said that if evil befalls Benjamin, he will bear the blame and he will do so for, as the Hebrew says it, kal ha’yammim – for all the days. It is a term which means as long as the days last he will bear the blame.

It is a picture of salvation. We can either stand for the Son of the Right Hand or we must face the blame on our own. There is no middle ground in Christ and there is no partial admission into heaven. It is all Christ or it is no Christ. Judah must stand for himself or stand for Benjamin. Which will he do?

³³ Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

The great Bible scholar of the 18th century, John Gill, had the imagery right in this verse, but he had the actors wrong. Here are his comments –

“In this Judah was a type of Christ, from whose tribe he sprung, who became the surety of God’s Benjamin’s, his children who are beloved by him, and as dear to him as his right hand, and put himself in their legal place and stead, and became sin and a curse for them, that they might go free, as Judah desired his brother Benjamin might.”

John Gill rightly saw the substitution, but he missed the overall picture and therefore he misinterpreted who was the type of Christ and who Judah was picturing. It’s probable that he had no idea that Israel would ever be a nation again or that they would be back in the land God promised them.

Christ descends from Judah, and He fulfilled the law as a Jew. But it is Joseph and Benjamin who are the sons of Rachel and thus the sons who picture Christ.

Benjamin is being made the substitution for the wrong they had done – Gill got it backwards. They sold off Joseph and it was Benjamin who received the cup, not them. They, not he, are now under the test to take responsibility for their own wrong actions.

What Judah is proposing now is in defense of Benjamin, not the other way around. Jesus has already stood in defense of them. They now need to acknowledge that. Matthew Henry rightly saw Christ in Joseph in his thoughts about this passage –

“Jesus, the great antitype of Joseph, humbles and proves his people, even after they have had some tastes of his loving-kindness. He brings their sins to their remembrance, that they may exercise and show repentance, and feel how much they owe to his mercy.”

Once the actors are rightly identified, then the pictures start to become clear. It’s all about Jesus and His many roles in redemptive history. At this time, the church age has ended and it is all focused on His relationship with Israel. The exciting thing is that we are living in the time when these final pictures will be fulfilled.

³⁴ For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

Judah finishes up this most beautiful monologue with these words. In essence, “I would far rather stay here as your slave than face what catastrophe will come upon my father if Benjamin isn’t there with me.”

His eyes couldn’t bear, his heart couldn’t endure, and his mind couldn’t accept the misery that his father would display at the loss of Benjamin. This is his final plea and this is where his words end. Now it will be up to the ruler of the land to decide his fate, the fate of Benjamin, and that of Israel.

For two thousand years, the Jewish people have looked to their own righteousness as codified in the Talmud. There is no room for Christ because they believe righteousness comes from self before God, not from God upon undeserving self.

But Judah’s actions in this passage today show that the Jews will someday get it. They will speak on behalf of the Son who is of greater affection to God than they are. It is not about the Law; the Law can save no one. It is about Christ who fulfilled the Law.

It is all about Christ who fulfilled the law for me
I know that I have no righteousness of my own
But because of Him I am saved forever, eternally
And so to the world my desire is for His glory to be known

Judah was determined to sacrifice his own freedom for the sake of Benjamin and Jacob. And the Jews as a nation will someday be willing to do the same. When that day comes, Jesus will appear to them in all His glory. This is what we will see when we look into the next chapter of Genesis.

Time and time again, we see one common theme running throughout the Bible – whether it is Israel or the Gentiles, God continues to pursue us even when we turn from Him. Among other reasons, the book of Genesis is given is to show us how we got into the mess we’re in and then to give us pictures of how God will work in history to get us out of it.

Without understanding these pictures, we can still be built up in our faith, but when we see why God chose each story and the many details and words He selected to tell them, we get a fuller understanding of His immense wisdom and control over history.

And we also get a sense that all of that wisdom and power is being directed toward securing a group of people for Himself, from Jew and Gentile – to be a praise and glory to Him for all eternity. If you haven’t yet called on Jesus and if you aren’t sure of your eternal destiny, let’s settle that today. Give me a moment to tell you how you too can be saved by the precious blood of Christ…

Closing Verse:  Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
¹⁵ Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.
¹⁶ Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children. Psalm 90:14-16

Next Week: Genesis 45:1-15 (The Lord is Revealed) (112th Genesis Sermon

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you and He has a good plan and purpose for you. Call on Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

An Impassioned Plea

Then Judah came near to him and said:
O my lord, please let your servant speak
A word in my lord’s hearing, instead
This is an unusual situation, one quite unique

And do not let your anger burn against your servant
For you are even like Pharaoh
In this I am observant

My lord asked his servants, saying
Have you a father or a brother too?
And we said to my lord, the matter portraying
We have a father, an old man, as we then told you

And a child of his old age, who is young;
His brother is dead, and left alone is he
Of his mother’s children, who from her sprung
And his father loves him with great affection, you see

Then you said to your servants
Bring him down to me
That I may set my eyes on him
Yes, bring this young absentee

And we said to my lord “The lad cannot his father leave
For if he should leave his father he would die
And thus we too would grieve

But you said to your servants
Unless your youngest brother comes down with you
You shall see my face no more
These words I speak are true

So it was, when up to your servant my father we went
That we told him the words of my lord
The message you had sent

And our father said, making us frown
Go back and buy us a little food
But we said, “We cannot go down
This course of action is just not good

If our youngest brother is with us in that place
Then down we will go
For we may not see the man’s face
Unless our youngest brother is with us, as you know

Then your servant my father to us said
You know that my wife two sons to me bore
And the one went out from me, he is dead
I know that I shall see him, nevermore

And I said, “Surely he to pieces is torn”
And I have not seen him since
I saw the bloodied coat that he had worn

But if you take this one also from me today or on the marrow
And calamity befalls him as his older brother
You shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow
To the grave in my affliction, not that of another

Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father
And the lad with us is not
Since his life is bound up in the lad’s life
I know he will be completely overwrought

It will happen, when he sees that the lad is not
With us, that he will die in that spot

So your servants will bring down
Of your servant our father the gray hair
With sorrow to the grave
His body we will bury there

For your servant became surety
For the lad to my father, saying in this endeavor
If I do not bring him back to you, then surely
I shall bear the blame before my father forever

Now therefore, please I speak this word
Let your servant here remain
Instead of the lad as a slave to my lord
And let the lad go up with his brothers once again

For how shall I go up to my father
If the lad is not there with me too?
Lest perhaps I see the evil that would come
Upon my father, this I plead to you

The heartfelt plea of Judah has now been spoken
The words of a caring brother and loving son
In them is the sure and blessed picture and token
Of the Jews when they call out to the Righteous One

He is the Son of the Right Hand of God
The One who first suffered on the hill of Golgotha
And we remember Him every moment as on this earth we trod
And anxiously we call out Come Lord, yes, Maranatha

Even so we call out, Come Lord Jesus
As we live our lives in anticipation of that glorious day
When He shall return and receive those of us
Who have trusted in Him for our sins to pay

Praise be to thee O God, all hail Jesus’ name
We will for all eternity Your glorious work proclaim

Hallelujah and Amen…

Genesis 44:1-17
The Cup and the Judgment

Introduction: Today’s 17 verses could be, and probably should be, two separate sermons. There will be a lot of details that we’ll have to skip over in order to finish everything today. And this may be a bit longer than other sermons, but what is hidden here is so wonderfully revealed in the New Testament that it is amazing.

As far as I know, no one else has ever come to these conclusions that you’ll hear today, so I hope you’ll enjoy them and that you will be blessed in them. God did a mighty work in Jesus Christ and that has been available to all people of the world. But for the most part, Israel rejected His plan.

However, in His great way, He has worked things out to reconcile them to Himself once again. As the church age winds down, the time for Israel’s reconciliation is coming nearer. A major portion of that plan is seen in these verses.

Text Verse: I will bring the one–third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” Zechariah 13:9

In order to be Lord of Egypt, Joseph had to suffer first. But after the suffering came the exaltation. And before he reveals himself to his brothers, he will put them through a test to refine them. And this is exactly what Jesus will do for Israel before He is fully revealed to them. It is all to be found in this majestic and superior word and so… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. The Cup of Divination (1-5)

¹ And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

This happens on the same day as the feast in Joseph’s house. During the feast, there was a lot of drinking going on. This is what the Hebrew implies. While the brothers are in a rather happy state, Joseph prepares them for a test of their character.

The steward of the house is given his instructions. The sacks are to be filled with food, even an abundance of food. As it says “as much as they can carry.” And once again, the money that they brought for the grain is to be returned.

Once again, like the last time, Joseph will not accept money from their hand for the grain needed to sustain them. Just like before, the food is by necessity a gift. In the past, they had sold Joseph and received money for him.

If he accepted their money it would imply an exchange of payment for what he was actually sold for. If you see Christ in this, you are right. He paid the debt and the Bread of life is offered freely. How could he receive payment for what is a gift of grace? And more so when the money they have partly came from His sale.

² Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.”

This silver cup was certainly used by Joseph at the meal. The brothers would have seen him using it and so what is coming has been prepared in advance. The implication is that the cup was in sight of them, they all saw it, and one of them must have it.

However, if this was all there was in the sack, it would have been convincing evidence that it was stolen by Benjamin. But it’s not all that was in there, for Benjamin or for any of them. They all have their money back in their sack. And so they could come to a certain conclusion – that Benjamin was innocent.

***The cup Benjamin has is not one he stole. Instead, it was a cup he bore even though it wasn’t his to bear. A picture of Jesus is to be seen in this action if you understand His work…

Also in this verse, instead of using the term “food” like he did in the previous verse, it says “grain.” It is the word shever which has been used five times so far to describe the grain being bought and sold by the brothers. It implies breaking, or a fracture, or a breach. These different words for food and grain will soon make sense.

The cup that’s referred to here is the Hebrew word gabia. It comes from an unused root word which conveys the sense of elevation or roundness, like a hill. Thus it is a goblet or bowl of large size. While we go through these verses, I want you to try to think of where this cup, gabia, may be connected in the New Testament.

^2 (con’t) So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

The steward complied with the instructions and did exactly as Joseph had directed. Every step of the process here shows a careful and methodical plan to determine what he wants to know. It is all intended to lead to how he will ultimately deal with his brothers and it is all centering on Benjamin, the Son of the Right Hand.

³ As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

It is early the next day, the day after the big feast, that they are sent away. The Hebrew says, ha’boqer owr –  “The morning, light, and the men were sent away.” It is implies the time when the light first comes out. This is the only time this exact expression is used in the Old Testament and it corresponds with what Matthew 28:1 says –

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. Matthew 28:1

Also, it specifically notes, “and their donkeys.” The story is giving every necessary word in order to highlight what is happening. They had a great day of feasting, they are loaded up, and they are heading out early with everything they had come for and the animals they had come with. They are packed for the journey like a family on a vacation, and nothing is lacking.

⁴ When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

Completely aware of when they left and probably estimating the amount of time it would take for them to just get out of the city, Joseph, gives the order to bring his plans to a climax. This steward would certainly have had guards with him.

There are 11 men and, although not mentioned anywhere in the story, there would probably have been servants with them as well. When he caught up with them, he is told to ask them why they repaid evil for good.

This is a common biblical theme, seen from the Garden of Eden all the way through its pages. And it’s a part of the human condition ever since as well. Someone does something good and another turns and does something wicked in return.

The ultimate example of it, of course, is God sending Jesus and He being crucified, and then even that work being rejected. Proverbs shows that the penalty for this is only more evil –

Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house. Proverbs 17:13

Thus Israel found much evil in their house for their rejection of Jesus. It has gone on for 2000 years. But God, who is patient and forgiving has brought them back home and is preparing to restore them. And this is all what is being pictured in the life of Joseph. Thank God for His great mercy.

Why have you so repaid evil for good
What is it that makes man act in such a way?
In the gift of Jesus it must be understood
That His life was given for our sins to pay

And so to turn from Him and malign what He has done
Is to repay evil for His greatest good
Yes, God gave to us Jesus His Son
But we crucified Him, nailing Him to a cross of wood

The cup which is now in Benjamin’s sack is a special one and it has a special purpose – one which points to something which is fulfilled in Jesus. Let’s take a look at the continuing details…

⁵ Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’”

There is a lot of speculation about the wording here. Almost every translation says that the cup is used for divination or telling the future. But among scholars there are a which variety of other possibilities which have been submitted.

Some say that he would have “diligently looked for the cup,” rather than that he would have used the cup for divination – it is an action by Joseph to find the cup, rather than a use by Joseph of the cup. Others say that he would have consulted diviners in order to find the cup. And another translates the word instead of divination as “testing.”

In other words, “he used this cup to test you and you have failed the test.” This seems the most likely based on the surrounding text. It is the cup from which he drank and the cup he would have had with him the day before. He is using it to test his brothers.

And another thing, it cannot go unexplained that the word for divination is nakhash. It is the verb from which is derived the same word in noun form, nakhash, meaning “serpent.”

It is the same word used for “serpent” in the Garden of Eden and also the bronze serpent which was held up in the wilderness to save the people when they were bit. This serpent is referred to by Jesus in the New Testament in John 3:14, 15 –

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Is anybody seeing the connection? Has anyone placed the cup, gabia, yet? Keep thinking. It is all to be found in Christ.

II. In Whomever Lies the Guilt, Let Him Die (6-13)

⁶ So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

Just as he was instructed, so he relayed to the brothers. They have been given the words of Joseph and now comes their denial…

⁷ And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.

There is the immediate protestation of innocence. “We haven’t done what we have been accused of. It is simply not correct.” As we read this account, we have to remember what it’s picturing. Joseph pictures Jesus and the brothers are the tribes of Israel.

They have been accused of a crime and they are denying they have committed one. They are actually unaware of the guilt they now bear. As you know possession is 9/10ths of the law.

⁸ Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

In their defense, they remind him that they brought back the money from the previous trip, even after having been out of the reach of Egypt’s authority, so why would they try to take a cup made of silver in a place where they could be caught?

Especially for something that probably wasn’t worth the same weight in the silver they brought back. And as a further defense, they mention both silver and gold. In other words, we could have stolen silver or gold. Why would we steal a silver cup? To further their claim they continue speaking…

⁹ With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

What is said here is such a close reflection of what happened to their father Jacob many years ago, that the similarity shouldn’t be missed. When Jacob fled from his father-in-law Laban, Rachel took his household gods. When Laban accused Jacob, his response was –

“‘With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.’ For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.” Genesis 31:32

In fact all of them except Benjamin were with Jacob at that time, though most were very young, but it was probably remembered by them as they spoke now. Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the gods and none of them now realize what is in their possession.

¹⁰ And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”

This verse perplexes scholars because of what seems like a dismissive or misunderstanding steward. The proposal was that the one who had the cup would be executed and the rest would become slaves. Instead, the steward says basically, “Ok, the one who has it will be my slave and everyone else is free to go.”

It doesn’t make sense. But one scholar says that instead of being an agreement, the steward made it a surprised question, “Is that right according to your words?” In other words, fair justice only demands the punishment of the thief. This is what makes sense.

And it’s what makes Bible reading interesting. By reading different versions and thinking things through, we can come to acceptable answers concerning hard to translate passages, of which there are many. In his words we see that the one who has the cup will be punished in place of all the others. Do you see a parallel to Jesus?

¹¹ Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

The challenge is accepted and the sacks are opened…

¹² So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

The old saying, “They that hide can find” rings true here. The steward hid the cup and in a dramatic and suspenseful way he finds it, having gone from one brother to the next, from the oldest to the youngest in the process.

Another connection to the search by Laban in Genesis 31 is made in this verse. The word for “So he searched” is v’happesh. The first time it was used in Scripture was during the search by Laban for the idols in Rachel’s tent. But they weren’t found.

This is the second time this term, v’happesh, is used in the Bible and this time, what is looked for is found. This isn’t a coincidence, but the accounts are being drawn together to show us the contrast between them. If you missed that sermon, or if you’ve forgotten it, it would be worth going back and checking it out.

The order of that search was carefully described and yet perplexing, but ultimately it pointed to the people of Israel and the work of Christ. This search is no different. It goes through the sons of Israel and ends with Benjamin, the Son of the Right Hand.

And the cup which belongs to Joseph is now in Benjamin’s sack. Both of them are sons of Rachel and are the last sons to be born to Jacob. Rachel pictures grace, not the law. These are the sons of grace. That story, all the way back in Genesis 31, is showing us this pattern. It’s being contrasted with what we now see here.

Israel has been in exile because they missed the grace. Now the grace must be revealed. None of this is chance or coincidence. It is given to show us details of the Messiah. The cup is in Benjamin’s possession. What is this telling us? Another curiosity is that the word for sack used here is a special word amtakhath.

It’s used only 15 times in the Bible. All 15 have been in the story of Joseph and his brothers, starting in chapter 42 and ending right

here. The word has been used 7 times in this chapter alone and this is the last time it will be used in the Bible. It comes from another word, mathakh, which is used only once, in Isaiah 40:22 –

It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22

And why has Joseph ordered this scenario to happen? Why has it come to this point? The answer is that he wanted to know their attitude towards Benjamin, the second son of Rachel. Did they hate him like they hated Joseph?

If so, it would now become evident because they’d have a reason to simply leave him to be a slave and head back home. This is why the steward changed the conditions of the agreement from death for one and slavery for all to just slavery for one. Will this happen, or will they have a change in attitude towards their father’s favorite son? The next verse begins to tell us…

¹³ Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

“They” implies all the brothers. They collectively tear their clothes as a sign of the deepest distress. They are in true anguish over the chain of events and the situation in which they have found themselves. And without note of hesitation or consultation, they surrender themselves collectively to whatever fate awaits them.

They load the sacks back onto the donkeys and return to face the ruler of Egypt once again.

III. The Man in Whose Hand the Cup was Found (14-17)

¹⁴ So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house,

Judah is now highlighted. Why? It is because he is the one who vowed to his father these words in the previous chapter –

“Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. ⁹ I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.”

What was vowed is now expected and Judah is specifically named in the Bible to reflect this. Other than Benjamin, none of the other brothers are named in the entire account. It is up to Judah to make things right. Judah is where the term “Jew” comes from. Judah is representative of all Jews in this regard; he will speak for all Israel.

^{14 (con’t)} and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.

Joseph never left the house as one might expect of the lord of the land who directs the selling of the grain. This is the moment to which everything has been pointing and he has remained to see it through. When the brothers arrived, rather than bowing, they simply and completely prostrate themselves.

Along with the torn clothes, they have wholly humbled themselves in his presence. Jesus the Lord (Jehovah), whom Joseph pictures will be there in the Lord’s house – the temple – in Jerusalem when they come to their moment of distress too. This picture is exact.

¹⁵ And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”

Joseph, the ruler of Pharaoh’s house, gives them questions which have long been anticipated. And then he follows up with a rhetorical question, “What thing have you done? Don’t you know I can look into matters in a way you can’t even perceive.”

Here he uses the term nachesh v’nachesh – “divining can divine.” But again, this doesn’t mean he is using mystical interpretations. Instead, he implies that he can make a trial into a matter or discern truth in some way. The emphatic nature of it implies that he has the complete ability to find out the truth.

¹⁶ Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves?

Judah’s words imply that nothing they say can clear their guilt and nothing they say will be effective to do so. One commentator on this verse said, “The address needs no comment” and then he went on for a full page commenting on it. The heartfelt nature of this account cannot be left without our deepest consideration.

^{16  (cont’)} God has found out the iniquity of your servants;

Here in this verse the term ha’elohim, “the God” is now used by Judah. Until this point, the sons have never said this. He admits their iniquity without specifying what he means. But it is certainly referring not to the matter of the cup here, but that of having sold their brother more than 20 years earlier. The Geneva Bible says –

“If we see no obvious cause for our affliction, let us look to the secret counsel of God, who punishes us justly for our sins.”

He knows that God’s secret counsel is behind what is happening and so he resigns them to their fate…

^{16  (cont’)} here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”

In acknowledgment of what they deserve, he offers all of them as slaves for their deeds of the past and the supposed misdeed of Benjamin.

* ¹⁷ But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Joseph is now ready to test the sincerity of the brothers personally. In response to their offer, he makes his own claim, and it is on Benjamin, the Son of the Right Hand. “He will be my slave and the rest of you are free to go in peace, back to your father.” The word “slave”  here means a servant.

This is our last verse today, but the story must be looked at in a way which will reveal what is going on. It is, as every story thus far in this cycle of Joseph since he was sold off to Egypt, pointing to the work of Christ and His ultimate reconciliation with Israel.

From this perspective, and before I give my personal analysis, I’d like to read you the comments of Jamieson-Faucett-Brown –

“Joseph’s behavior must not be viewed from any single point, or in separate parts, but as a whole—a well-thought, deep-laid, closely connected plan; and though some features of it do certainly exhibit an appearance of harshness, yet the pervading principle of his conduct was real, genuine, brotherly kindness. Read in this light, the narrative of the proceedings describes the continuous, though secret, pursuit of one end; and Joseph exhibits, in his management of the scheme, a very high order of intellect, a warm and susceptible heart, united to a judgment that exerted a complete control over his feelings—a happy invention in devising means towards the attainment of his ends and an inflexible adherence to the course, however painful, which prudence required.”

As they see it, Joseph is working out an exceptional scheme which is intended to produce one ultimate goal – reconciliation with his brothers. Viewing Joseph as a type of Jesus, the same must be considered in the history of the Jewish people as they are led directly to their meeting and reconciliation with Him.

In order to see that this is, in fact how God works, I want to read you a passage from 2 Samuel 14 which says exactly this. It is spoken to King David by a woman from Tekoa as she attempts to reconcile the king to his estranged son Absalom –

¹⁴ “For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.”

What Joseph has done toward his brothers, and what God has done towards Israel is perfectly summed up in this idea. Now, here are my thoughts on today’s verses.

The brothers have been in the presence of Joseph, in his house, celebrating – and yet not recognizing him. This points to the Jewish people in the end times, back in Israel, back in the temple, in the presence of the King and not even recognizing Him.

Until they acknowledge Him in his past and present role as the suffering Servant who now sits at God’s right hand, He will not reveal Himself to them. They must acknowledge the Jesus they rejected in order to have Him return and save them.

This is so clearly laid out elsewhere in the Old Testament, that it is astonishing that people miss it. It’s even spoken by Jesus Himself in a verse I often quote from Matthew 23:37-39 –

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ See! Your house is left to you desolate; ³⁹ for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Joseph orders that they be given as much food as they can carry and he returns their money. The food is the word of God. It is both testaments of the Bible. They have the full supply spread out before them.

The money is returned because there can be no payment made for what is grace, especially when they had sold their brother 20 years earlier. That money would have been included in their wealth. What is free cannot be paid for. It is pointing to the grace of God in Christ, something that cannot be earned.

This is why the word amtakhath has been used again and again for describing their sacks. It means “to spread out.” It pictures God spreading out the story filled with the grain, the word. It is the spread out and fully revealed word of God. It reveals what is hidden; it shows what has been concealed, represented by the silver which was twice hidden in their sacks.

At first, their sacks were called sak – implying sackcloth. They had only the Old Testament which showed the law, woe, and suffering, not God’s fully revealed plan. But all during this series of stories, since chapter 42, amtakhath, not sak, is used.

And in the Bible it is only used in the Joseph stories – an account pointing to the future reconciliation between Jesus and Israel. The grain in the sacks is called shever, meaning cracked or a breech, instead of bar meaning purified. There is a breech between their understanding of the word and what the word actually says.

This isn’t a stretch here because only one more time is grain going to be mentioned in relation to this account and the term bar -purified grain, not shever will be used. And it will be after the revealing of Joseph to his brothers. Only in the Hebrew, not English, can this be seen.

Into the sack of grain, the shever, of Benjamin’s bag is placed the cup, the gabia. And so we need to remember what Benjamin pictures. At his birth, he pictured Christ. If you missed that sermon, you should go back and watch it.

He was named Ben-Oni by his mother, meaning Son of My Suffering. Jacob renamed him Benjamin, Son of My Right Hand. Like Christ, before the exaltation there was suffering.

Benjamin here pictures Christ who first bears the cup. But there is a multi-level play on words in this cup. In the New Testament, there is a word, used only one time, which is exactingly brought into the gospel records, being specifically named in both Greek and Aramaic by John. Let me read you the account –

“When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha)..” John 19:13 (NIV)

I used the NIV for that because it is an Aramaic, not a Hebrew word as many versions incorrectly translate it. The cup, gabia, is named from a root word conveying the sense of elevation or roundness, hence a goblet. The word Gabbatha means an elevated place, a knoll – hence a rounded area like a goblet. Like Benjamin with the gabia, there at Gabbatha, Jesus was charged and committed to His execution, just as we saw with Benjamin here.

So now, I now want to read you all of John 19:1-30. As I read, think about the Jewish people as they sold Jesus off to His death – Ben-Oni, the Son of My Suffering, just as the brothers sold Joseph off to his fate. Remember as I read also what I said earlier about the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

They have been accused of a crime and they are denying they have committed one. They are actually unaware of the guilt they bear, but they are guilty, even though they don’t realize it. They sold off Joseph, whom Benjamin is now picturing – the suffering Son.

And after his suffering Joseph was exalted, thus Benjamin again pictures Jesus, the Son of My Right Hand. Israel has missed this for 2000 years, but the story shows us that the time to be revealed has come – maybe in our lives! Here is John 19:1-30 (READ TEXT)

I said there was a multi-leveled play on the word “cup.” It is pointing to the trial at Gabbatha, but it is also the cup which Jesus prayed to be taken from Him while in Gethsemane. There, in the garden, He said “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me.” The cup is the trial, and the trial was at Gabbatha.

And the cup was the wrath of God, poured out in full strength upon His own Son; His Son of Suffering. This is why Benjamin has the cup and why the brothers will have to defend him and be willing to trade places with him before Joseph will reveal Himself to them.

This is what Jesus said to Israel, under the Law “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

These are the things that the Bible says are coming and it has been shown in advance so that we don’t err by saying that the church has replaced Israel. Instead, the church, pictured by Joseph’s gentile wife, is referred to between the accounts of Joseph’s brothers.

And this is why Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons, will later be adopted by Jacob. How can we deny what God is so clearly showing us? This is why the servant asked “Why have you repaid evil for good?” God sent His Son for the good of all mankind, but they rejected what He did for them.

And this is why the word for “divination” was used as it was. It  indicates “testing.” In other words, the cup was their test and they failed the test. They didn’t accept His work. That cup was the cup of God’s wrath – His trial at Gabbatha, and the cross. And God’s way of proving it to us is that from the same word nakhash, “divination” comes the word which means “serpent.”

It is the same word for “serpent” in the Garden of Eden and also the same word for bronze serpent which was held up in the wilderness to save the people when they were bit. That serpent is the one referred to by Jesus in the New Testament –

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14, 15

One serpent tested man. He failed and was condemned. One serpent was used to prefigure the cross of Jesus where man is pardoned. One results in God’s wrath; one results in God’s healing grace. One brought death; one brings life. This is why the servant said, “Is not this the one from which my lord drinks?”

Yes, He did drink from it. Jesus drank it down to its dregs for you and me – and for His brothers Israel too. The question is, will they defend Benjamin so that Jesus will be revealed among them in power in the coming Kingdom Age? We’ll see in the sermons ahead.

There is so much in these 17 verses which pointed to the work of Christ. These hidden and amazing details show what He has done and what He will do. I’ve tried to give you enough of them to show God’s amazing plan for Israel. They are back in the land and the time is coming, certainly soon.

In the end, it all points to Jesus and His love for all people – both Jew and gentile. It also shows us His faithfulness to Israel. Despite being sold off by them, Joseph develops a plan to test them and bring about reconciliation. And Jesus has done the same, showing us the details in these stories. He is the ever-faithful, merciful, and full-of-grace Lord.

I would ask for just another moment to share with you how you too can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and why He is the only way it is possible to receive God’s pardon…

Closing Verse: Thus says your Lord,
The Lord and your God,
Who pleads the cause of His people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
The cup of trembling,
The dregs of the cup of My fury;
You shall no longer drink it. Isaiah 51:22

Next Week: Genesis 44:18-34 (Judah’s Impassioned Plea) (111th Genesis Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you and He has a good plan and purpose for you. Call on Him and let Him do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Cup and the Judgment

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying
“Fill the men’s sacks with food to take back
As much as they can carry, to you I am relaying
And put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

Also put my cup, the silver cup I implore you
In the mouth of the sack of the youngest, an unknown token
And his grain money, put that in too
So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

As soon as the morning dawned
The men were sent away
They and their donkeys who brayed, as the men yawned

When they, out of the city had gone
And were not yet far off, but still near
Joseph said to his steward “Come on
Get up, follow the men before they disappear

And when you overtake them, say so it’s understood
‘Why have you gone and repaid evil for good?

Is not this the one from which my lord drinks
And with which he indeed practices divination?
You have done evil in so doing methinks

So he overtook them, these eleven folk
And to them these same words he spoke

And they said to him, as together their voice did ring
“Why does my lord say these words?
Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing

Look, to you we certainly brought back
From the land of Canaan the money
Which we found each in the mouth of our sack

How then could we steal silver or gold
From your lord’s house? We are honest men as we before told

With whomever of your servants it is found
Let him die, to you this we speak
And we also will be my lord’s slaves, remaining bound
Even if our future were to remain so bleak

And he said, “Now also let it be
According to your words in your address
He with whom it is found shall be my slave
And the rest of you shall be blame-less

Then each man let down his sack with speed
To the ground and each opened his sack
Showing he was not a man of greed

So he searched as each man did unpack
He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest
And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack

Then they tore their clothes, filled with remorse and pity
And each man loaded his donkey
And so they returned to the city

So Judah and his brothers each and all
Came to Joseph’s house, surely making a mournful sound
And he was still there and they did fall
Before him there on the ground

And Joseph said to them by and by
“What deed is this you have wrought?
Did you not know that such a man as I
Can certainly divine, and see that which I have sought?

Then Judah said, certainly trembling and weak
“What shall we say to my lord?
What of value to you shall we speak?
Or how shall we clear ourselves, by what word?

God has found out the iniquity of your servants this day
Here we are, my lord’s slaves
So both we and he also with whom the cup was found will stay

But he said, “Far be it from me
That I should do so in this matter so grave
The man in whose hand the cup was found, only he
Shall be kept here and he shall be my slave

And as for you, go up in peace to your father
I will keep only him here and not another

What Joseph has done involves a detailed plan
To finally bring reconciliation between his brothers and he
And it is no different than God’s redemption of man
He has devised ways to reunite us and bring about harmony

He works in our lives in ways we cannot perceive
But it is for an intended purpose and goal
His plans are meant to bring us to where we believe
That He alone can save our wayward soul

In demonstration of His great love and unending care
He has worked in history to reconcile us
And there in the Bible is the place that where
We find the story of His plan, all centered on Jesus

Yes Lord, thank You for all this wonder that You have wrought
And carefully recorded in the Bible, so that we can be taught

Hallelujah and Amen…