GENESIS CHAPTER 45 ------------------ Verses 1-5, Joseph had heard enough. He could not refrain himself. It was time that he reveal himself to his brethren. a) Just as a few years after his brethren had rejected Joseph, they were forced by famine (which was sent by God) out of their land and into the land of Egypt, so too, a few years after the Jews had rejected Jesus the Christ and delivered him up to the Gentiles, God's judgement descended upon them, and the Romans drove them out of their land into all the world. b) Joseph was unknown by his brethren. All these years Jacob, or Israel, thought him to be dead. So, too, the Jews do not believe nor know that God has raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. They think that he is dead and gone. The veil is still over their heart for these past 2000 years, and even at the beginning of the tribulation period it will still be there, but during that period, it will be removed. c) While Joseph's brethren did not know him, yet he knew them and he saw them. Gen 42:7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. So too, the eye of the Lord Jesus is upon the Jews all through this period of rejection. Jer 16:17 For mine eyes [are] upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. Hos 5:3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, [and] Israel is defiled. d) Joseph had punished his brethren, but at the same time watched out for their welfare. So too, God has punished the Jews, but yet has preserved them down through these centuries of their rebellion. Jer 30:11 For I [am] with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. e) Judah confesses their guilt in the last chapter. And even before that they had an idea that all that had been happening to them was because of what they had done to Joseph. Ge 42:21 And they said one to another, We [are] verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. Then in our last chapter, Gen 45:16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we [are] my lord's servants, both we, and [he] also with whom the cup is found. ( This confession involved more than the cup, because they had not really taken the cup, but believed that all of this was happening to them because of the iniquity that they had done to Joseph, many years before.) We see Judah under conviction. He poured out his heart to Joseph, not realizing yet who he was. It was not until after Judah's conviction that Joseph revealed himself to them. Judah is probably in focus here because the tents of Judah will be saved first. Zec 12:7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify [themselves] against Judah. Conviction first, then revelation about who Christ is! First you know him a Lord and Judge, then as Saviour. When God shines the light on your life, you will become guilty before a trice holy God. Listen to Isaiah when he beheld Christ's glory: Isa 6:1-5 In John's gospel, John said this concerning this passage of scripture: Joh 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. ( The him here is the Lord Jesus Christ. ) f) Joseph is revealed to his brethren at the SECOND time. This fact was emphasized by Stephen when he preached to Israel before they stoned him. Act 7:13 And at the SECOND [TIME] Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. So too, Jesus, at his first appearing, was seen by his brethren as a mere man, whom they hated, just as Joseph's brethren hated him, but at his second appearing it shall be revealed to them who he is. READ Zech 12:1-10 This example has appeared in the scriptures several times. When Moses was seen by his brethren the first time they said, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us" (Ex 2:14) and essentially they said the same thing about the Lord Jesus Christ. "We will not have this [man] to reign over us." (Lu 19:14); but later, the SECOND time, after a long interval in which Moses was hid from them, they received him as their ruler. David also, when he was sent by Jesse to his brethren with bread, their anger was kindled against David (1Sa 17:28) and it was not until years later that they owned him as their king. g) Joseph's brethren are troubled in his presence. "And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence." (45:3) {troubled: or, terrified} So too, when they behold Christ they will mourn and be troubled. "... and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall MOURN for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in BITTERNESS for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn." (Zec 12:10). ( mourn = wail; bitterness = grieved ) Compare: Mat 5:3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed [are] they that MOURN: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Joseph's brethren were GRIEVED and ANGRY with themselves, because Joseph said to them, "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." (45:5). h) Joseph had great compassion and showed marvelous grace toward his brethren. He was a man of compassion. LOOK AT: 45:4-5, & 15 We read of Joseph weeping SEVEN times ( 42:24; 43:30; 45:1-2; 45:15; 46:29; 50:1; 50:15-17) Christ also wept over Jerusalem and was a man of compassion. Christ will have mercy and compassion on Israel once again, the second time. Zec 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. ( This is speaking about the same day that they mourn over the one whom they have pierced. ) Isa 54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. ( LORD = Jehovah who is their redeemer ) Lu 24:21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Ga 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: i) Christ must be revealed to the sinner: Apart from divine revelation by the Holy Spirit in the new birth a man will never see himself as he really is and Christ as he really is. Mt 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and NO MAN KNOWETH THE SON, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and [he] to whomsoever the Son will REVEAL [him]. Lu 10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and [he] to whom the Son will reveal [him]. Who knows the Son? Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd. He then told some that they believed not because they were not of his sheep. (Joh 10:26) Just as Joseph knew his brethren before he reveled himself to them, so to Christ knows the sheep that were given to him before the foundation of the world in divine election before they know him. Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I KNEW thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. j) A Revelation of Christ: 1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: {COMING: Gr. REVELATION} Greek=apokalupsis {ap-ok-al'-oop-sis} Christ revealed: Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which IS TO COME, the ALMIGHTY. WHO IS SPEAKING HERE? Read Rev 1:8 - 18 (He was dead, but he is alive forever more; He is the one who is to COME in verse 8.) Compare: Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD {JEHOVAH} the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD {JEHOVAH} of hosts; I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and beside me [there is] no GOD. ( They both say this, and Jesus Christ said this same thing in the book of Revelation ) God in the flesh: 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Mt 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US. Verses 6-8, Joseph removes their fear by describing what the LORD has done. It was God's sovereign hand which has done this thing. God had sent a famine in the land these past 2 years and there are yet 5 more years of this famine. God had also made Joseph a ruler over all Egypt, so that he might save their lives by a great deliverance. Joseph said that it was God who sent him THREE times from verse 5 to verse 8. He would save their lives and their posterity, which is their future and their nation. God will save the nation of Israel by Jesus Christ just as in typology he did here by the hand of Joseph. Verses 9-11, Joseph tells his brethren to go and get his father and tell him what has happened and bring him here for there are yet 5 years of famine throughout all the land. Pink says that the land of Goshen was good land. (See 47:6) Ge 47:6 The land of Egypt [is] before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest [any] men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. Gill says that it bordered Arabia. Lexicon says, "A region in northern Egypt, east of the lower Nile." They would be near Joseph. Gill says this would be true if the seat of government was in Memphis as it is believed to have been at that time. (20 mi south of modern Cairo, Lexicon says 9 miles south of Cairo.) Memphis is mentioned in the prophet Hosea 9:6. Verses 12-13, They were eye witnesses that Joseph was alive. Notice how he singles Benjamin out. The rest could have perhaps be accused of fraud by their father, Jacob, because of their past activities, but not Benjamin. Joseph's glory: Speaks of the glory of Jesus Christ. Lu 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 14-15, He kisses Benjamin's neck first and wept, him being his full brother, and Benjamin did the same. He did the same to the rest of his brethren, they observed his affection for Benjamin, which they knew was real, and then Joseph showed the same affection toward them. Now their minds are at ease and AFTER THAT they talk with Joseph. Joseph showed mercy and love to them first and AFTER THAT they talked with him. We love Christ because he first loved us. 1Jo 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 1Jo 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. If our love for God is a result of His love for us, then we are forced to ask a few questions. Does God's love ever fail? Ps 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; {break: Heb. profane} 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless my LOVINGkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to FAIL. 1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: ( Never will cease ) Ro 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Is God's love simply passive or is it active? Ro 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Re 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. ( ALL of those whom he LOVES he chastens ) Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ( NOT ALL are chastened, but ALL that he loves are. ) Whom did he set this type of love upon? Eph 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. ( Young's literal renders it, "according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, IN LOVE, HAVING FOREORDAINED US to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." ) Joh 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved HIS OWN which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. ( Who were HIS OWN? The sheep of Joh 10, the ones given to him in divine election in Joh 17. ) Verses 16-20, Pharaoh's proclamation to Joseph concerning his brethren. The fact that Joseph's brethren had come PLEASED Pharaoh, yet the Egyptians would not eat with a Hebrew. SEE 46:34 Ge 46:34 That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, [and] also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd [is] an abomination unto the Egyptians. This statement by Pharaoh, shows God's sovereign hand in the whole matter. Pr 21:1 The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. He turned Pharaoh's heart to love Joseph and to do good to Joseph's brethren. Later there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph (Ex 1:8). (Exodus: It's time to depart from Egypt.) Ac 7:17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. Listen to what God says concerning that king: Ex 10:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: Ex 10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go. The scriptures use him as an example that GOD is SOVEREIGN in the matter of salvation. Ro 9:16 So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17 For the scripture saith unto PHARAOH, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. Verses 21-24, Joseph sends them away to his father with wagons to carry their family back with them. He made provision for them WITHOUT COST. We see his special love for Benjamin. Not that he did not love the rest of his brethren, but he had a special love for Benjamin. Christ had a special love for John. Joh 21:20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? ( We see this statement made at least 3 times in the gospel of John. ) The Father has a special love for Israel. Zec 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. Verses 25-28, When they went to their father in the land of Canaan, at first he did not believe them, but when he saw the wagons and heard their story, and probably confirmed by Benjamin, and no doubt the special gifts given to Benjamin, he said, "It is enough." He believed them and would go to Joseph.