Joseph’s brothers are back in Egypt to buy grain for the family due to the severe famine occurring at that time. Joseph enacts his plan to keep Benjamin with him. He has his silver cup placed in his bag and sends the brothers away, fully expecting the brothers to abandon Benjamin like they did to him. Joseph likely sees himself as trying to rescue Benjamin from his hate-filled brothers. But the brothers surprise Joseph. Rather than abandoning Benjamin to Egypt, they return to Egypt and offer up their lives for Benjamin’s sake. Judah, the one who had sold Joseph into slavery, was the one who was willing to trade his life to set Benjamin free so he could return to his father. This brings us to Genesis 45 as we wait to see what Joseph will do next.
The Big Reveal (Genesis 45)
Joseph has been completely astonished by his brothers and cannot control himself any longer. He sends everyone out of the room and he tells his brothers who he is. Joseph is crying so hard and so loudly that the Egyptians that he sent away heard him as well as Pharaoh’s household. Joseph then asks again if his father is still alive. But look at verse 3. The brothers could not answer him because they were terrified at his presence. These brothers thought Joseph was dead. Now they realize that they are before Joseph, an extremely powerful ruler over the land.
I want you to think about what you say to your brothers at this point. These are the brothers who hated you and could not speak a kind word to you. These are the brothers that rejected your dreams that God sent you. These are the brothers that wanted to kill you. These are the brothers and sold you into slavery. These are the brothers that ruined your life. What are you going to say to these brothers now that they know who you are and that you have power over their lives? Clearly, the brothers do not think this moment is going to go well. They are terrified and dismayed to be in Joseph’s presence. Look at Genesis 45:5-8 and listen to what Joseph tells them.
5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:5-8 ESV)
Did you see what Joseph said three times to his brothers? Three times Joseph said, “God sent me.” He says this in verse 5. Then he says it verse 7. Then Joseph underscores it again in verse 8. “So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Now I want us to think about where Joseph is now in his view of God and his view of his own life. Joseph is able to tell his brothers to not be distressed or angry with themselves. Remember that we have heard the brothers say to each other and before Joseph that God is bringing a reckoning on them for their guilt regarding Joseph. Joseph tells them that they can stop the guilt and anger because it was God who sent him here.
Not only does Joseph not speak harshly or bring his vengeance on his brothers, Joseph shows his family kindness. He tells his brothers to hurry home and tell their father that he is alive and to quickly move down to Egypt (Genesis 45:9). Joseph says that he will provide for them because there are still five more years of famine coming (Genesis 45:11). This means that Joseph is 39 years old now. Not only this, Joseph goes and hugs Benjamin and kisses his brothers (Genesis 45:14-15). Pharaoh then confirms everything Joseph had proclaimed. Bring your family to Egypt and enjoy the riches of the land (Genesis 45:17-18). Look at verse 20. Don’t even worry about packing your belongings because all the best of Egypt will be yours. Notice that Joseph gives his brothers one more instruction in verse 24. He tells them not argue or fight along the way. This is not the time for arguments or fighting. This is a time for joy. Joseph is going to rescue his family and provide for them in Egypt. The brothers return home and tell their father that Joseph is alive. Of course, Jacob is stunned and proclaims that he must see his son before he dies (Genesis 45:26-28).
Preparing His People (Genesis 46)
Jacob begins to prepare for this journey to Egypt. Jacob’s family stops in Beersheba, which is one of the southern most towns in the promised land. The Lord comes to Jacob in a vision to tell him to not be afraid to go to Egypt. God will make a great nation out of Jacob there in Egypt. I love this because this shows that Jacob was holding on to God’s promises. Jacob had learned that he was living in the promised land and he was not supposed to leave it. So Jacob is fearful about going to Egypt. God comes to Jacob to tell him to not be afraid. Go ahead and move to Egypt and God will fulfill his promises to him in Egypt. Further, God says in verse 4 that God himself will go with Jacob to Egypt and he will bring Jacob back to the promised land. Joseph will close his eyes when he dies. With these promises, Jacob leaves the promised land and move to Egypt. Genesis 46:6-27 record all of the Jacob’s family who moved to Egypt. We are told at the end of verse 27 that there were 70 person in total of Jacob’s family who are in Egypt. Joseph prepares a chariot to go see his father who has not seen in more than 20 years. They are hugging and crying in this great reunion. Jacob says that he will be able to die in peace knowing that Joseph is still alive (Genesis 46:29-30).
God Did This
I want us to move to the place where we can say, believe, and accept the words, “God did this.” I want us to be able to say, “God put me here.” We have seen that Joseph was working through it during his hardships and trials. Now everything clicks together for him and he is able to understand this important truth that he proclaims to his brothers. God put me here. God did this. How was Joseph able to show kindness to his brothers? Joseph understood that God put him there. How was Joseph able to repay evil with goodness? Joseph is able to say that God did this. You do not need to be angry. God did this. God was involved. God was working. God put me here. I want us to see that this truth is not specific to Joseph but is true about God with his people in the world. What did Job understand about his difficulties? Listen to what he said.
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. (Job 1:21-22 ESV)
“Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?” Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:10 CSB)
What did Job twice proclaim? Twice he said that God did this. The Lord gave and the Lord took away. Will we only accept the good from God and not also the adversity from God? The text then twice makes it clear that Job did not sin in what he said. Job was right. This is how we are to look at life. God put me here. God is working. God did this. Listen to the apostle Paul.
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 ESV)
Paul understood that this thorn in the flesh was given to him. Not only was this thorn in the flesh given to him (a messenger of Satan to harass him), but three times the Lord said he would leave this thorn with Paul. Three times God said you are going to keep this weakness because I am working in you. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is being made perfect in you through the hardship. God put me here. God is working. God is working so that we will see that he is in charge. This is what Paul preached in Acts 17:24-28. In him we live and move and exist.
One of the keys to forgiveness, to peace, and to doing good in the face of evil is to know that God put me here. God is working. God sent me into this moment. God has us here in whatever your life circumstance is right now. The only way to move forward in relationships is to see that God put you here and you need to respond the way God expects you and has taught you to respond. The only way to move forward in trials is to see that God sent you here and to respond the way God has taught you to respond. God has put me here to do good during this difficulty. You see Joseph say this in Genesis 45:5-7. Twice Joseph states that God has put him here to preserve life. I am here to do good. That is why God has me here. Whatever you are going through, God put you here to do good and do right knowing he is at work.
See Jesus
But we need to see Jesus before we leave this text. We have been seeing the foreshadowing of the Christ throughout Joseph’s life events. In Joseph we are able to clearly see what Jesus would perfectly do for the world. God put Jesus in the right position through our sinning to preserve our lives from eternal punishment. You might note the apostles will make the point in their sermons that, even though they crucified Jesus, it was God who did this and it was part of his predetermined plan (cf. Acts 4:23-30). But after spending his time in the pit, God raised him up and set him over all creation so that whoever will come to Jesus will not be destitute but will be given the provisions of life. In fact, the offer is so generous. Joseph told his family to leave everything and come to Egypt so that you can enjoy the riches of the land. Jesus is telling us to leave everything and follow him so that you can enjoy the riches that come from our heavenly Father. As we leave it all behind to come to him for the riches of his kingdom, he gives us an important instruction. Do not fight or argue on the way. You are coming to the riches of eternity. God put us here. Do not fight as you journey to the eternal promised land. Why die in the famine of this world when you can enjoy the riches from God’s throne?