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Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 
chapter 44. Genesis chapter 44. Remember, the larger section 
we're in is 43, 1 to 45, 28. It's the second visit to Egypt. The food had run out. The grain 
had run out. So Jacob sends them back to Egypt, 
and they have this second visit with Joseph. And at the end of 
chapter 43, they drank and were married with Joseph. Now, we're 
going to do both chapters 44 and 45 tonight. When the original 
authors wrote the scripture, Moses for instance, they didn't 
put chapter and verse divisions. That was a later addition. And 
the one separating 44 and 45 is probably one of the worst 
possible separations that we have in the Bible. In fact, I'll 
let Calvin's editor and his commentaries describe it. He says, the division 
of chapters in this place is singularly unhappy. It interrupts 
one of the most touching scenes recorded in the sacred volume, 
just in the middle. It separates the irresistible 
appeal of Judah to the feelings of Joseph from its immediate 
and happy effect. So we're not going to stop with 
Joseph just about to reveal himself. We'll go ahead and cover both 
44 and 45. So I'll begin reading in 44 at verse 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. Also put my cup, the silver cup, 
in the mouth of the sack of the youngest and his grain money. 
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. 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? Is not this the one from 
which my Lord drinks and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing." 
So he overtook them and he spoke to them these same words. 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. Look, 
we brought back to you from the land of Cain and the money which 
we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal 
silver or gold from your Lord's house? With whomever of your 
servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my Lord's 
slaves. 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. Then each man speedily 
let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. So 
he searched. 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, and each man loaded his donkey 
and returned to the city. So Judah and his brothers came 
to Joseph's house, and he was still there. And they fell before 
him on the ground. 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? Then Judah said, 
what shall we say to my Lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall 
we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity 
of your servants. Here we are, my Lord's slaves, 
both we and he also, with whom the cup was found. 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. 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. My Lord asked his servant, saying, 
Have you a father or a brother? 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. Then you said to your servants, 
bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him. And we said 
to my lord, the lad cannot leave his father, for if he should 
leave his father, his father would die. But you said to your 
servants, unless your youngest brother comes down with you, 
you shall see my face no more. So it was when we went up to 
your servant, my father, that we told him the words of my Lord. 
And our father said, go back and buy us a little food. 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. Then your servant, 
my father, said to us, you know that my wife bore me two sons. And the one went out from me, 
and I said, surely he is torn to pieces, and I have not seen 
him since. 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. 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, 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. 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. 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. 
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? Then Joseph 
could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him. And 
he cried out, Make everyone go out from me. So no one stood 
with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he 
wept aloud, and the Egyptians in 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 Joseph said 
to his brothers, Please come near to me. So they came near. 
Then he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 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. 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. And God 
sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth 
and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 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. 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. 
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. 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. And behold, 
your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it 
is my mouth that speaks to you. 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. Then he fell on his 
brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 
Moreover, he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. And after 
that, his brothers talked with him. 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. And Pharaoh said 
to Joseph, say to your brothers, do this, load your animals and 
depart. Go to the land of Canaan. 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. 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. Also, do not be concerned about 
your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours. 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. He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments. 
But to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and 
five changes of garments. 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. So he sent his brothers away, 
and they departed. And he said to them, See that 
you do not become troubled along the way. And they went up out 
of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 
And they told him, saying, Joseph is still alive, and he is governor 
over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart stood still, 
because he did not believe them. 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. Then Israel said, It is enough. 
Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before 
I die. Amen. Well, as I said, there is that 
insertion or chapter break that really divides what is probably 
one chapter in terms of theme. And I want to look first at the 
arrest of the brothers in chapter 44, verses 1 to 17. Secondly, the intercession of 
Judah. chapter 44, verses 18 to 34, 
and then finally the disclosure of Joseph's identity there in 
chapter 45. And it's interesting because 
Judah was the one who suggested selling Joseph into slavery in 
chapter 37, and here he has pledged himself as surety to Jacob, and 
he functions as an intercessor before Pharaoh, pledging his 
place as a slave instead of Benjamin. So one of the themes that we 
see is the transformation of the brothers as we come to this 
particular section. But in the first place, in terms 
of the arrest of the brothers, notice the instructions given 
to the steward in verses 1 to 5. He is to fill their sacks 
similarly to what he did prior in returning the money to them. 
When they returned to Canaan, they found that they had had 
their money. So the similar situation as to when Joseph ordered their 
money to be put back in their sacks in chapter 42, verses 25 
and following. And then the specific request 
by Joseph to his steward to put the cup in Benjamin's sack. Now, we know what's going to 
happen and we know why this is done, but we ought to remember 
it is for the expressed purpose of him ascertaining and determining 
that Benjamin is safe in the hands of his brothers. Matthew 
Poole says he does this, puts the cup in Benjamin's sack with 
a design to discover their intentions and affections towards Benjamin. 
whether they did envy him and would desert him in his danger 
as they did to Joseph, or would cleave to him that hence he might 
take his measures how to deal with him and with them." So he's 
not testing them in some sort of a vicious, mean-hearted, unkind, 
or ungodly way. Remember, his chief concern is 
the safety of his brother, and as well, he is desirous to see 
his father. And so he puts into place this 
particular plan so that they will find the cup with Benjamin 
and then he can ascertain where Benjamin stands relative to his 
brothers. And then that whole issue of 
divination. In verse 2, it speaks of this 
silver cup, and then in verse 5, when the steward comes to 
them, is not this the one from which my Lord drinks, and with 
which He indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing. Now, that causes a bit of concern 
on the people of God in our New Covenant setting, because the 
Scriptures, the Old Testament, denounce that sort of an approach 
to things. The text doesn't say that Joseph 
did, in fact, practice divination. They thought he did, but the 
text doesn't say that. And why this would have been 
in use, it was not uncommon at this particular time. Robert 
Alter expresses it this way. He says, the probable mechanism 
of divination in a goblet would be to interpret patterns on the 
surface of the liquid it contained or in drops running down its 
sides. Now we might think that seems a bit odd, but we live 
in a day and age when people look at lines on hands, or they 
look at tea leaves, or they look at crystal balls. So I don't 
know that we're in a better posture to judge what the Egyptian soothsayers 
did back in their particular time. Alter goes on to say, divination 
would have been a plausible activity on the part of a member of the 
high Egyptian bureaucracy with its technology of soothsaying, 
but the emphasis it is given here is also linked with Joseph's 
demonstrated ability to predict the future and his superiority 
of knowledge in relation to his brothers. Now, knowing what we 
know of Joseph, he did not practice divination. Remember that he 
himself said that he didn't have the skill or ability, unaided 
by God, to interpret the dreams. He gave the glory to God and 
recognized that this was a gift given to him by God. Now the 
fact that he was able to interpret dreams and the fact that he was 
able to predict the future based on those particular dreams would 
have certainly caused those in Egypt to believe that he had 
the skill or the gift of divination. Hence this silver cup, probably 
they assume that he used that to practice divination. And then 
notice, after giving these instructions, the steward then confronts the 
brothers. And he overtakes them according to verse 6, and he 
spoke to them these same words. And then notice in the first 
place, they deny it outright. Verse 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. They realize that they're in 
trouble again, and they deny that they have engaged in this 
sort of activity. As well, in verse 8, they highlight 
the fact that initially, when they found their money in their 
sacks as they returned to Canaan, they brought that money back. 
Remember, they brought not only double, in case the price of 
corn had gone up, but they also brought that original money. 
And this is a good defense on their part. Straight out denial 
in verse 7, and then in verse 8, hey, the first time this happened, 
we returned it. And then notice the proposition 
concerning punishment in verse 9, "...with whomever of your 
servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my Lord's 
slaves." Now they are very sure that they are innocent. They 
are very sure that they are guiltless. And one wonders, had they forgotten 
that original visit when they opened their sacks and found 
that money? This seems to be a bit brazen or perhaps a bit 
optimistic on their part to engage in this sort of a proposition 
in terms of their punishment that is proposed. If it's found 
with one of them, then he should be executed, and for the rest 
of us, we will happily go into slavery, into Egypt. Now, execution 
for theft. was strict even, or extreme rather, 
even in a pagan context. But because it was a sacred artifact, 
that this was believed to be an implement for divination, 
that could have attached or appended the death penalty to it. But 
then notice, the steward then investigates in verses 10 to 
13. Only the thief would be enslaved, and the rest would go free. So 
the men opened their sacks, and then the stewards searched from 
the oldest to the youngest. And of course, the cup was found 
in Benjamin's sack. This is reminiscent of a previous 
occasion when Laban searched the saddle and the belongings 
of Benjamin's mother, Rachel. Well, in that particular investigation, 
Laban came up short. He didn't find the household 
idols. And here, this is just the opposite. Benjamin didn't 
actually steal the cup, but here the cup is found in his belongings. And that's the emphasis there 
in verses 12 and 13. Verse 13 tells us, Then they 
tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned 
to the city. So they know that this is indeed 
a very serious situation. The tearing of the clothes is 
a good expression of grief at this particular point. when they 
anticipate the execution of their baby brother Benjamin, and when 
they see a life of slavery set forth for them. But then notice, 
we come before Joseph in verses 14 to 17. The brothers fall before 
Joseph, according to verse 14. So Judah and his brothers came 
to Joseph's house, and he was still there, and they fell before 
him on the ground. Gil makes the observation here 
with reference to this. He says, not only in a way of 
reverence, again fulfilling his dream, remember the dream that 
they would bow down to him, the sheafs of the brothers would 
bow before the sheaf of Joseph, and then the sun and the moon 
and the stars would ultimately bow down before Joseph, according 
to his two dreams in Genesis 37. So Gil says, not only in 
a way of reverence, again fulfilling his dream, but as persons in 
the utmost distress and affliction, throwing themselves at his feet 
for mercy. They know they're in trouble. 
They have proposed the punishment that's in view. The cup has been 
found. As far as they are concerned, 
they are guilty before this second in command in Egypt. Now notice 
that Joseph examines them in verse 15. 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? Again, I'm not convinced 
that he does it with that particular cup. He is simply making a statement 
of fact concerning Egyptian bureaucrats. And then notice that Judah responds. Verse 16, Judah now assumes leadership, 
and this is fitting and appropriate because Judah is the tribe of 
kingship. And we see him emerge in this 
way, and I think of all the transformation, we see it most explicitly in 
him. Again, in chapter 37, it was 
his idea to sell Joseph into slavery. Then Judah had that 
incident in chapter 38 with Tamar, and there it seems that he learned 
a bit of humility. There it seems that he learned 
to dial it back in terms of this sort of overtness and aggressiveness 
and this sort of harshness. And now we see him on behalf 
of the brothers speak to Joseph. Verse 16, Judah said, What shall 
we say to my Lord? What shall we speak or how shall 
we clear ourselves? In other words, We have been 
found out. You've got the silver cup. You've 
got the smoking gun. You've got the evidence. They 
don't try to say it was planted. They don't try to wiggle their 
way out. But then notice what Judah says in the middle of verse 
16, God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Here we are, 
my Lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was 
found. So Judah assumes the leadership 
role and speaks on behalf of all the brothers. When he says 
what he says, God has found out the iniquity of your servants. 
Some commentators interpret that of the overarching crime where 
they sold Joseph and into slavery. Whether that's the case or not, 
I'm not convinced, but there is some merit for that position. 
In chapter 42, they have a conviction. 4221, I think it is. They have 
conviction. They remember the reality that 
their brother pleaded with them. while he was in the pit and they 
were eating their lunch. So we have seen this conviction. 
Perhaps this is what he is suggesting or saying, and basically saying 
that all that is happening has come as a result of God's judgment 
upon us for the various things that we have done. And then notice 
in verse 17, and again, here we see Joseph's purpose. He said, 
far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand 
the cop was found, he shall be my slave, and as for you, go 
up in peace to your father. Robert Alter again makes this 
observation. He says, this is, of course, 
the last turn of the screw in Joseph's testing of his brothers. 
Will they allow Rachel's other son to be enslaved as they did 
with her elder son? So see, everything falls upon 
this particular situation. This is Joseph's point. to ascertain 
the safety of his brother, the brother that is of the same mother 
and father along with him, and he wants to vet the brothers, 
he wants to see what the brothers are made of. And that brings 
us secondly to the intercession of Judah now in verses 18 to 
34. And basically he reviews the 
first visit. In verses 18 to 23, he speaks 
of the previous interaction that they had with Joseph. He does 
leave out a couple of the details. I don't think it's sin, I don't 
think it's deception, but rather he's just portraying the situation 
on their first visit. We visited, he doesn't mention 
that Joseph called them spies, but he does mention that he told 
them or told Joseph that they had a father and they had a younger 
brother and that Joseph wanted that younger brother to come. 
So that's the essence of verses 18 to 23. And Alter again says, 
what is remarkable is that now, look at verse 20, this is intriguing. Verse 20 he says, or 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. Remember, 
it was that reason why the brothers hated Joseph. They knew that 
he was favored. They knew that Jacob loved him 
above the others because he was the son of Rachel. They knew 
that he loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. They knew that 
he loved Rachel more than he loved Zilpah or Bilah, the maidens. They knew this. It was conspicuous 
and this was one of the reasons they despised Joseph and they 
wanted to get rid of him. So, Alter says, what is remarkable 
is that now Judah can bring himself, out of concern for his old father, 
to accept the painful fact of paternal favoritism, and his 
father loves him. That was the root of the brother's 
hostility to Joseph. He's come full circle. He's embraced 
this, and intriguingly, he, the one that was selling him into 
slavery, is now pledging himself as a slave so that his brother 
can be free. So there is a great transformation 
occurring in the brothers represented here by Judah. And then he highlights 
the previous interaction with Jacob in verses 24 to 29. And it's interesting because 
this would have been the first time that Joseph heard about 
Jacob's reaction after the brothers went home. Remember, up to this 
point, they don't recognize Joseph. Joseph recognizes them, but he's 
never asked for the details concerning the brother they keep claiming 
is dead. So he has no idea what happened 
on that day after these Midianite travelers came, purchased him, 
and then took him off to Egypt. So he is hearing now, the first 
time in 22 years, the response of his father. And remember, 
maybe some of you might remember, I mentioned last week how John 
Gill kept saying it was 22 years, and I couldn't quite figure out 
how. Well, in 45, there's two references that they were only 
two years into the famine. So there's a 22-year period since 
the time that he was sold into slavery till now. Remember, he 
was 17 when he was sold into slavery, stood before Pharaoh 
at the age of 30, and then you had the seven years of plenty, 
and now they're two years into the seven years of famine. Good 
for me today to finally solve that riddle as to why Gil kept 
saying 22 years. But there was this 22-year period 
where he didn't know. And if you look specifically 
in verses 24 to 29, so it was when he went up to your servant, 
my father, that we told him the words of my Lord. And our father 
said, go back and buy us a little food. 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. Then your servant, my 
father, said to us, you know that my wife bore me two sons." 
Again, there's Jacob, only Rachel. Now, he had 12 sons, but it was 
two sons by Rachel, the one that he esteemed and the one that 
he loved. It was Joseph and Benjamin. Verse 27, Then your servant my 
father said to us, You know that my wife bore me two sons, and 
the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn to 
pieces, and I have not seen him since. Again, that's revelation 
to Joseph. He didn't know that that was 
Jacob's response. One commentator says, Joseph 
now hears for the first time what happened at home when the 
brothers came back without him. He hears of his father's lament 
and grief that still persists. He hears the father's cry, torn 
to pieces, torn to pieces, which still echoes in the brother's 
ears. And as Judah is interceding for 
Benjamin in verse 29, he lays it all on the line in terms of 
the gravity of the situation. But if you take this one also 
from me, Benjamin, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring 
down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave. So Judah before 
Joseph. highlights the first visit and 
why they brought Benjamin to begin with. He then indicates 
what the dialogue with Jacob consisted of, and now in verses 
30 and following, he basically intercedes on behalf of Benjamin. He speaks concerning the likely 
consequences if Benjamin does not return. That's in verses 
30 to 32. My father will die. This will 
be too much for him. He cannot handle it. He's already 
lost the son from Rachel. He doesn't want to lose the other 
son from Rachel. And here and then he offers himself 
in verses 33 and 34. 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. 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? And herein he is, in fact, a 
type of Jesus Christ." And John Gill makes this observation. 
In this, Judah was a type of Christ, from whose tribe Christ 
sprang, who became the surety of God's Benjamins, his children 
who are beloved by him and as dear to him as his right hand, 
and put himself in their legal place instead and became sin 
and a curse for them that they might go free, as Judah desired 
his brother Benjamin might. You've got Judah functioning 
in a typological way, and then Joseph does as well, and we'll 
see that in chapter 45. And that brings us to the disclosure 
of Joseph's identity in chapter 45. Notice in the first place, 
he discloses that identity. He sends the servants away. Not 
because he doesn't want to own his brothers, but he doesn't 
want to out his brothers. He sends the servants away so 
that the Egyptian court and Pharaoh himself don't hear the unsavory 
details in terms of his brothers selling him into slavery. He's 
going to own the brothers to be sure. Pharaoh is going to 
give the order that the brothers go back and fetch Jacob with 
all these wagons or carts and bring him to Egypt. So he asks 
them to leave so that it would be just the family and they could 
deal with these particular issues. Now, in terms of the disclosure 
of his identity in verses 3 to 8, well, first notice in verse 
2, "...he wept aloud, and the Egyptians in the house of Pharaoh 
heard it." Again, this was probably all in close proximity. They 
are out of earshot in terms of the specifics. that are going 
to be discussed. So he is overcome with grief. 
We've already seen that when he first sees his brothers, we 
see it here, and then we'll see it in verses 14 and 15 when he 
weeps over Benjamin, and then later on in chapter 46 when he 
sees Jacob. So he's a man of emotion. He 
is a man who has had grief, but he is a man that is in fact overcome 
now with joy and thanksgiving. And then notice what the graciousness 
of Joseph. Well, let's look at verse three. 
Then Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Does my father still 
live? Now that's an interesting question 
because they've just told him that he still lives. It probably 
means how is he doing? Give me the low down. I want 
all the ins and outs. I'm Joseph. I'm your brother. 
I want to know how our father Jacob is doing. But notice in 
verse three, but his brothers could not answer him for they 
were dismayed in his presence. This is one of those occasions 
where you'd like to be a fly on the wall and kind of watch 
and see how things fell out, because this had to have been 
a shock for them. Because later in verse 12, he's 
going to say, it's my mouth that speaks. Remember prior, he's 
using an interpreter. Now he's speaking in the native 
Hebrew tongue, and they are hearing their brother Joseph, and he 
is disclosing that he is in fact Joseph. So I'm sure there was 
quite a deal, a great deal of dismay and shock in their hearts 
and on their faces. And then in verse 4, Joseph said 
to his brothers, please come near to me. So they came near. 
Then he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now, here we see the graciousness 
of Joseph, and the reason why Joseph is gracious is because 
he fears God, because he loves God, and because he understands 
something concerning the providence of God. Notice, in verses 5 to 
8, in the first place, he tells them not to be grieved or angry 
with themselves. This is indicative of the reality 
that he forgives them. He has forgiven this particular 
sin. Later on, when we conclude tonight, 
there's some good lessons concerning providence. A proper view of 
God's providence will help promote in our hearts a willing attitude 
in terms of forgiveness. I mean, this was a horrific crime. They wanted to kill him, they 
ultimately throw him into a pit, they eat a sandwich while he's 
pleading with them to get out of the pit, and then they sell 
him to these Midianite traders. I mean, this is horrible, and 
yet he's able to forgive them. Why? Because he understands theology, 
and he understands something of God's providence, and he's 
able to appreciate that in the midst of this tragedy, God is 
overruling it for good. As a result, Joseph has a willingness 
to forgive them. He has a willingness and a desire 
to deal with them in a gracious, loving, and kind way. So he tells 
them not to be grieved or angry with themselves. He forgives 
them according to 5a. And then he rightly understands 
the providence of God in the entirety of the situation. Notice 
the emphasis four times on God's sovereignty, four times on the 
reality that the Lord is in charge. Verse 5b, for God sent me before 
you to preserve life. 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. Second, God sent 
me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth and to save 
your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent 
me here, thirdly, but God. And then a fourth reference, 
and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and Lord of all his 
house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Not technically 
a father, but as one who spoke wisdom to the crown, he would 
be considered in a fatherly sort of a way. He was an advisor to 
the king, he was an advisor to Pharaoh, and he says that it 
was God's prerogative to put him into this particular position. 
Now, based on that reality, he then commands them to return 
to Jacob in verses 9 to 15. He commands them to bring Jacob 
to Egypt. The fact that Joseph is still 
alive, I'm sorry, verse 9, Now, we see what happens when Jacob 
is told, literally, his heart stopped. That's what the text 
says. His heart stopped. He did not 
believe them. He probably thought they were 
pulling his leg or playing some sick, twisted joke upon them. But when he saw the carts and 
when he saw the gear that was provided by Pharaoh to take him 
back to Egypt, he was revived. I don't think it actually means 
he keeled over, died, and then stood up and was revived, but 
it's that sort of emphasis on the news that he received stopped 
his heart. So in verse 9, he says, go tell 
Jacob that I'm alive. Invite him to dwell in Goshen, 
verse 10, the time of the darkness that came over the land in the 
ninth plague. But the children of Israel had 
light in their dwelling in the land of Goshen. So, Pharaoh did 
give them Goshen. Now, when we get to chapter 1 
in the book of Exodus, we see mistreatment now come upon the 
children of Israel because the Pharaoh that dealt graciously 
with Joseph died, and there was a new Pharaoh who was not gracious 
to Israel. Remember, it's important not 
only that these people eat, but that they're in Egypt when we 
get to the book of Exodus. So, all of these things are in 
the plan and purpose of God. And then there was a promise 
of provision in the midst of the five remaining years of famine. 
The reference to his mouth, again, he is speaking in their native 
Hebrew without an interpreter. And then in verse 13, he tells 
them to hurry. He wants to see his father. He 
is now with his brother and everything is reconciled in terms of the 
12 of them. And then in verses I'm sorry, 
verse 14 and 15. Now this is certainly a great 
illustration of what Paul tells us in Ephesians and Colossians, that 
we're to forgive one another even as God in Christ forgave 
us. I mean, he's got a willing heart in terms of forgiveness 
with these men. that wanted to do great harm 
to him and did do great harm to him. But here he falls on 
his brother Benjamin, who he loves above the rest, and then 
he kisses all his brothers and wept over them. And now the word 
gets back to Pharaoh. And in verses 16 to 20, we learn 
that this Pharaoh is a good and gracious man. I mean, he's a 
pagan, he's an Egyptian, he's the king of Egypt, he's bad that 
way theologically. He subscribes to the false gods 
and all that sort of thing, but he sounds like a great fellow 
in terms of his kindness and benevolence with reference to 
the people of Israel. And so I think this section in 
verses 16 to 20 highlights something about Pharaoh himself, that at 
least this particular Pharaoh had a common grace about him 
where he was very generous and very benevolent and very gracious, 
but I think it speaks secondly to the goodness of Joseph. I mean, how much did Pharaoh 
esteem Joseph if he is willing to commit these sorts of resources 
and basically promise to the children of Israel the very best 
in the land of Egypt? So it speaks well to Pharaoh, 
but it also speaks well to Joseph and the fact that he was indeed 
a faithful right-hand man. to Pharaoh. And then the brothers 
comply according to verses 21 to 28. Verses 21 to 24 tells 
us the stuff that they had. It tells us specifically that 
he gave to all of them, to each man, verse 22, changes of garments, 
but to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five changes of 
garments, just like when they had lunch. He gave more to Benjamin 
because his affection and his love is upon the brother of his 
mother. And so this is the emphasis here. 
So then they go back and then in verses 25 to 28, they make 
this report to Jacob. Verse 25, then they went up out 
of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 
And they told him saying, Joseph is still alive and he is governor 
over all the land of Egypt. I don't think it's hard to understand 
that Jacob's heart stood still because he did not believe that. 
It's one of those passages in Scripture that makes absolutely 
perfect sense. Joseph was the son whom he greatly 
loved. Remember the coat of many colors? He doted on that young man and 
thought he had been torn in pieces by beasts of the field, and now 
the brothers are saying that he's not only alive, but he's 
the governor over Egypt. He's the one we've been dealing 
with. He's the one that's been doling out the corn to us. So 
certainly this would have been a blow to Jacob in terms of not 
believing what they were saying. And then 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. Then Israel said, It is enough. 
Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before 
I die. Now, from a literary standpoint, 
the story is beautiful. I mean, it's absolutely glorious. 
It gets into all of the details and the emotions involved, and 
there's that tension, and it crescendos, and then Joseph reveals 
himself to the brothers, and Joseph then dispatches the brothers 
to go and fetch Jacob and bring Jacob back to Egypt. It's a glorious 
and a wonderful display of the human element in terms of God's 
people with reference to their dealings with one another. But 
as well, there's some very good theological lessons that we can 
glean from this section. As I said earlier, the transformation 
of the brothers. The actions of Joseph toward 
his brothers were not designed as an expression of his vengeance. 
It was not designed as a means simply to deceive for deception's 
sake. He wants to ensure the safety of Benjamin, and so he 
goes through these things to test the brothers. The brothers 
passed the test according to verse or chapter 44. Judah's 
intercession for Joseph worked because now Joseph sees that 
Judah is unwilling to dispatch or rather send Benjamin into 
slavery. This goes a long way in Joseph's 
mind and this then leads him to reveal himself to them. As 
far as he's concerned at this point, The brothers can be trusted, 
they are taking care of Benjamin, and he's going to reveal himself 
to them. Secondly, in terms of the providence 
of God, that four-fold emphasis in verses 5 to 8 in chapter 45 
underscores the primary emphasis in the section. It is on the 
providence of God. Genesis 50-20 will summarize 
that lesson overall, overarchingly. But that section here in 5-8 
with the fourfold emphasis on God sending, God doing, God promoting 
Joseph in Egypt, that is the ascription of the providence 
of God. And that providence of God ensured the survival of Israel, 
according to verse 5, and provides a great deliverance, according 
to verse 7. But it also ensured the protection 
of the seed. If you look at verses 7 and 8. 
It says, and God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for 
you in the earth. Remember? It's one of the overarching 
concerns of the book of Genesis is the seed promised to Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob. It is to keep that people together 
so that in the fullness of the time when God sends forth his 
son, born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those 
who are under the law, this is one of the reasons why Abraham 
and his family are separated in the book of Genesis to provide 
the human vehicle for the instrumentality for the coming Messiah. And so 
the Lord does that in his providence with reference to this particular 
situation. And then a third thing we ought 
to appreciate from this section is both God's sovereignty and 
man's responsibility. Now if you have Calvin's commentaries, 
I commend to you pages 377 to 380. He has some really good 
stuff on Providence in general, but then 
with reference to man's responsibility. And as I read through it, I drew 
out four lessons. First of all, the reality of 
God's providence, the fact that there is providence. He says, 
we are also instructed in what manner and for what purpose we 
must consider the providence of God. When men of inquisitive 
minds dispute concerning it, they not only mingle and pervert 
all things without regard to the end design, but invent every 
absurdity in their power in order to sully the justice of God." 
Again, can't give you all those pages, 377 to 380, but there's 
some good stuff there. Secondly, he does attempt, or 
rather deals with the attempt to distinguish between God's 
will and God's permission. Sometimes people have balked 
at the reality of an absolute sovereign God, and they have 
retreated to the language of permission. God permits it. Didn't 
will it, but rather He permitted it. Well, if you know anything 
about the sovereignty of God and providence, God wills it. God decrees it. God determines 
it. And to this point, Calvin says, 
away then with that vain figment that by the permission of God 
only and not by his counsel or will, those evils are committed, 
which he afterwards turns to a good account. A third observation 
I got from Calvin was the reality of the responsibility of man. Now, because God is sovereign, 
and because God overruled this, does not militate against the 
reality that these men sinned. They transgressed. Now, certainly 
Joseph forgave them, and hopefully God in Christ forgave them, but 
the reality is, is we can never hide behind the sovereignty of 
God for sins that we commit. And we can't say, well, you know, 
good came as a result of that, so I'm going to go out and send 
more and more so that good things can abound. That is never authorized 
in Scripture. The sovereignty of God and the 
responsibility of man are both taught in the Scripture. The 
one doesn't cancel out the other. Hyper-Calvinism obviously so 
stresses the sovereignty of God that they negate the responsibility 
of man. Arminians and Pelagians go the 
other way. They highlight and capitalize 
on the responsibility of man to the negation of the absolute 
and comprehensive sovereignty of God. We're not supposed to 
do that. We're supposed to treat both 
as biblical, as scriptural, and as true. God is absolutely sovereign, 
and we are absolutely responsible. Calvin on this point says, we 
know that men are not exempt from guilt. Although God may, 
beyond expectation, bring what they wickedly attempt to a good 
and happy issue, it must be maintained that the deeds of men are not 
to be estimated according to the event, but according to the 
measure in which they may have failed in their duty or may have 
attempted something contrary to the divine command and may 
have gone beyond the bounds of their calling. Basically, he 
says the guide is God's law. It's not the results, it's not 
the end game. The reality of Ephesians 3.20 
is obvious in this passage. He's able to do exceedingly and 
abundantly above all that we ask or think. But when God does 
that, it doesn't negate the responsibility of our sin. And for us to think 
otherwise is folly, and it is to hide behind the sovereignty 
of God and not to engage in a proper estimation of the responsibility 
of man. Both things are taught. In fact, 
Joseph says as much. But as for you, you meant evil 
against me. That was your purpose. You sinned 
in your actions toward me. What you did was wrong. God did 
overrule it for good. So they are not supposed to say, 
well, God overruled it for good, so that means we weren't evil. 
No, that's not the way we're supposed to deal with God's sovereignty 
and man's responsibility. And earlier I had mentioned this 
point. The providence of God promotes the forgiveness of sin. 
or helps promote the forgiveness of sin. When Joseph sees what 
happens, it helps him to be able to deal kindly and graciously 
with his brothers. Calvin again says, the magnitude 
of the crime committed against him might so have incensed him 
as to cause him to burn with the desire of revenge. But when 
he reflects that their wickedness had been overruled by the wonderful 
and unwanted goodness of God, for getting the injury received, 
he kindly embraces the men whose dishonor God had covered with 
His grace. On occasion, as you read through 
Calvin's commentaries, there'll be these sections where they're 
very pastoral and very powerful in terms of the application of 
God's truth to everyday life. Again, it's pages 377. to 380 
in his commentary on Genesis. And then the final observation 
is the typological significance. We already saw it relative to 
Judah, and we're going to see it relative to Joseph. And again, 
I'll turn to John Gill, because he's probably one of the best 
guys in terms of these typological sort of interpretations. He says, 
in Joseph's making himself known unto his brethren, he was a type 
of Christ who manifests himself to his people alone, and as he 
does not unto the world, saying unto them that he is Jesus the 
Savior, their friend and brother, and whom they crucified, whose 
sins were the cause of his sufferings, and yet encourages them to draw 
nigh unto him with an humble and holy boldness, giving them 
abundant reason to believe that He will receive them kindly, 
saying that all that were done to Him were by the determined 
counsel and foreknowledge of God and for their good, even 
for their eternal salvation, and that they might not perish 
but have everlasting life, and to whom He now gives change of 
raiment, riches, and honor, yea, durable riches and righteousness, 
and declares it to be His will that where He is they may be 
also, and behold His glory. and this is sufficient to engage 
them, to reckon all their worldly enjoyments as mere stuff, contemptible 
things in comparison of the good and glories of another world 
they are hastening to, where there will be fullness of joy 
and pleasures forevermore, and therefore should not fall out 
by the way as they too often do." I think that's a great Great 
observation, not only on Joseph, but on Judah as well. The typological 
reference with reference to Judah and to Joseph telling us something 
about the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only seed in terms of keeping 
the people together until that fullness of time, but there are 
lessons embedded in there concerning the Savior himself. Remember 
in Romans chapter 5, the Apostle Paul tells us that Adam was a 
type of him who was to come. He doesn't become a type when 
Paul writes Romans 5. He's a type in the garden. There 
are typical references throughout the Old Testament that sketch 
for us the portrait of the Savior to come, and it is imperative 
that we understand that. The Bible is a redemptive document. It's all about Jesus from the 
beginning to the end. So, those sorts of things ought 
not to shock us, but rather it shows us the mind of God in sketching 
before the fact the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Well, let's close in a word of prayer. Our Father, we thank 
you for your word. We thank you for this account 
concerning Joseph and the brothers and Jacob. God, we thank you 
for your providence and for the way that you kept the people 
together, for the way that you provided this great deliverance 
through the man that you raised up through such difficult circumstances 
and afflictions in his own life. God, we thank you as well for 
the picture of Christ in Judah and in Joseph here in Genesis 
44 and 45. And we give praise to you for our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that one who sits enthroned at the right hand of the Father, 
that vice-regent over the universe itself, that one who has called 
us to himself and has given us every blessed, every good and 
wonderful gift. We give praise to you for our 
Savior. And we ask that you would go 
with us now, that you would watch over us and give us safety and 
grace and help and strength. And we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen.