Bible Study Online Article
As we begin to move forward, we now find Joseph's brothers in a position where they are seeking to buy grain. The famine of seven years had taken its toll upon the known world during this time, and Jacob and his sons were starting to feel the effects of it. Because of Joseph's obedience to the one true God, Egypt was the only place that had enough grain supply to spare. Joseph's father -- Jacob, sends his sons to Egypt to go and buy grain. Jacob ten sons would head off to make the journey to Egypt and the youngest one who was known as -- Benjamin, would be ordered to stay home for safety reasons. So Joseph's brothers would travel for three to four days before arriving at the Egyptian Empire. Soon after they had arrived, they would find themselves bowing down in the presence of the Egyptian Prime Minister who was known as "Zaphenath-Paneah the Revealer of Secrets." They needed to buy grain for their families and this is the only person in all the land that had the authority to provide it to them. But the problem that Joseph's brothers had not yet realized when it came to Zaphenath-Paneah, that he was in fact -- Joseph, the brother they had betrayed and sold into slavery around twenty years ago. Their actions of betrayal would place Joseph completely in the hands of God. The Lord held Joseph in His hands while he took him through a thirteen year journey that was dark and uncertain. During this time, God would mold and build Joseph into a remarkable and powerful man that his brothers no longer recognize. Joseph is now thirty seven years of age, for they had sold him when he was seventeen. This means that twenty years had gone by, and although his brothers did not recognize him, Joseph immediately knew who they were. For Joseph's brothers had not changed and so therefore they were the same men on that day as they were twenty years ago. "Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them..." (Genesis 42: 6-7) After all that Joseph had been through, and for him to be in a position of such when it came to his brothers. I for one don't think that there would have been very many, that the Lord would have been able to trust in this kind of situation. Because of this, I don't blame Joseph for speaking harshly to them, for I know that some, if given the chance -- would have done far worse. With this said, I do believe that at this point -- Joseph is struggling with the temptation to give in to his anger? I'll explain this point of view shortly. But in the mean time? "Where do you come from?" Joseph demanded an answer from them as he spoke through his interpreter. Understand that Joseph did not need an interpreter, but he knew that his brothers did not know who he was, and so therefore he was playing his part as the Egyptian Prime Minister -- Zaphenath-Paneah. "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." They would reply. Now it was at this time that Joseph had remembered the dream that he had once told his brothers some twenty years ago. It's always important to note the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies, being that these fulfillment's shows proof that the Bible has divine authority. Now Joseph didn't remind them of the dream, I'm just posting it again, for your remembrance: "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves (bundles) of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. His brothers said to him, 'Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?' And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said." (Genesis 37:6-8) So Joseph remembered his dream that he had back when he was staying amongst his brothers, and it's at this point Joseph begins to pour it on thick: "You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected," Joseph accused them. "No my lord! Your servants have come to buy food. We are the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies," they pleaded with Joseph. "No! You have come to see where our land is unprotected," Joseph shouted back while accusing them again. Joseph's brothers are beginning to become worried, and so therefore they try to convince Zaphenath-Paneah (Joseph) that they are just ordinary men: "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest one is now with our father, and one is no more." We can only imagine how the countenance on Joseph's face changed from a look of contemplating on what to do with them, to a look of somewhat being relieved -- after they mentioned that his youngest brother Benjamin was still alive and well? I like to think that everybody has a breaking point that could take them over the edge, and although Joseph was a man of God -- I truly believed that a storm was brewing inside of him, which had him leaning towards seeking revenge against his brothers. Most teachers and leaders wouldn't even consider my last statement, for they see this whole scenario as if Joseph was just trying to make his brothers sweat a little bit. I can't agree with that notion and here's why? Understand, that although Joseph was a God fearing man, he was still human. In order for us to even try to make a natural connection with this account, we must remember that fact. Next, we also have to understand that although they were brothers under one man, they had four different mothers between them. We must understand, that two of the mothers, Leah and Rachel had a fierce rivalry going on when it came to bearing children for Joseph's father, Jacob. Because of this rivalry, the maidservants of both these women, Bilhah and Zilpah, would be drawn into the childbearing contest as well. Between the four women, Leah would give birth to six of the twelve and the maidservants would give birth to four, from out of them as well. This would leave just two going to Joseph's and Benjamin's mother, Rachel. I won't go through everything that had happened on this page, but I will remind you that Rachel had died while given birth to her last son Benjamin. Keep in mind that there's a lot going on here, but as you can see from the text -- Joseph and Benjamin were indeed, brothers that came from the same mother. This would explain why they had a stronger and a more natural connection between the two of them, when it came to all twelve of the brothers. Because of the length of this article, we will explore the mind of Joseph further and try to make more of a natural connection when it comes to him. Understand, that if we are able to connect naturally to the Word of God, as well as spiritually, then we will be able to apply what we just learnt, a whole lot easier when it comes to our lives. Also, we will take a look at Joseph's response after he hears that Benjamin is still alive and why it's possible that he believed that he too had been wronged or slayed at the hands of his brothers.
Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT SERIES WOULD BE HERE** 84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation 85) Joseph the Overseer of Egypt 86) Joseph the Revealer of Secrets 88) The Seven Years of Abundance 90) Joseph the Egyptian Prime Minister 91) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 93) The Confessions of the Ten Tribes  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites!
|
