The Bible Recap - Day 027 (Genesis 43-45) - Year 6

Episode Date: January 27, 2024

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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. When we left off yesterday, nine of Jacob's sons had just returned to Canaan with food from Egypt in the midst of a famine. Joseph kept Simeon behind as a hostage in Egypt in hopes of getting to see his brother Benjamin, but Jacob refused to see his brother Benjamin, but Jacob refused to let his son Benjamin go to Egypt. Today, we pick up with Jacob and his sons, finishing off the grain they got from Egypt.

Jacob finally agrees to let his sons go back to Egypt for more food and take his youngest son Benjamin with them, but only after Judah pledges to bear the blame if anything happens. Jacob sends them off with some local treats, things that probably made Joseph homesick when he saw them, as well as double the money so that they could pay back what they found in their grain bags. They thought it was God's punishment, but Jacob chooses to optimistically believe for

once and give the benefit of the doubt, saying maybe it was just an oversight. He resolves to leave the matter in God's hands. When they arrive in Egypt, Joseph sees that his full brother Benjamin is with them, so he orders them to his home. He's planning a feast, but they think they're in trouble. Wouldn't you? This is terrifying. In their panic, they try to explain to his servant what happened, but he already knows

because he was in on it. Simeon, the hostage, joins them, and then, in front of all eleven brothers, Joseph offers Benjamin a special blessing. Then Joseph seats all the brothers in exact order from oldest to youngest. Verse 33 says, the men looked at one another in amazement when this happened.' If there were 11 brothers, many very close in age, what are the chances that some rando from Egypt

could accurately arrange them precisely according to birth order? Then Joseph continues to give Benjamin special treatment in front of them, giving him five times the portion sizes. Part of this could be because Benjamin was his only full brother and he wanted to bless him, but part of it was likely to test the brothers to see if they had grown. Will they still be jealous when the younger brother gets preferential treatment,

or have they really learned from their experiences? After the meal, they prepare to head back to Canaan. And that's when Joseph doubles down on the money in the bag trick, with the added bonus of putting his silver cup in Benjamin's bag. But this time, they don't discover it on their own. Joseph sent his squad out to find them and accuse them of theft. They deny it and try to reason with him, but then the bags are opened up, one by one, oldest to youngest,

because Joseph's squad wants to heighten the suspense. This is like a movie. The tense music swells, and then they find the cup in Benjamin's bag. This is the moment of testing. Would they sell their brother out like they literally did before? The camera pans to Judah, who made a promise to his dad. He knows he's going to have to take the fall for this,

which means he's probably going to die, or at least become an Egyptian slave for life. They all head back into the city again to face the music, and Joseph confronts them. Joseph briefly mentions that he can practice divination, and there are a few things this could mean. It could be an empty threat to throw them off. It could mean he does practice divination

since that was a common practice in Egypt, though that wouldn't mean God approved of it. Or it could be a reference to his ability to discern the truth through divine intervention and discernment, like with his dream interpretations. Divination hasn't yet been forbidden by God, but it's still disrespectful at best and wicked at worst to seek answers and guidance from spirits instead of God himself.

I'm inclined to think Joseph was bluffing here, kind of like police interrogators do when they're trying to get a confession out of someone. Look, we know you did it. We have it on tape. We're just waiting for you to confess. But they can't confess because they're innocent, at least of stealing the cup. Judah confesses that they do all have guilt, all of them. For ten of them, he's likely referring to the guilt of Joseph's presumed death. And for Benjamin, it's possible Judah thinks Benjamin did steal the cup. We don't know.

Either way, he gives a beautiful speech to Joseph, which really shows exactly how much God has humbled and shaped his heart and brought repentance through all he has endured. From the guilt of selling Joseph, to losing his wife and his two sons, to having his own hypocrisy revealed when he slept with his daughter-in-law. This is the guy who originally suggested they kill Joseph, and now he's the one who's offering himself in Benjamin's place. This moment is a picture of Christ, and it's fitting because Christ, the older brother,

offered himself for the guilt of us, the younger brother. We talked about this a few days ago with Reuben, and here we are seeing it again. This story is peppered with pictures of Christ. At the end of Judah's speech, Joseph loses it. He can't fake it anymore, and he tells them he's their brother. He speaks to them in Hebrew without an interpreter. He tries to calm their fears, but he can't calm their shock.

It's like they're seeing a ghost. Then he tells them all to move to Egypt so they can escape the last five years of the famine. And Pharaoh even offers to provide everything for them, the best of the land. Back in Canaan, Jacob is dumbfounded when his sons bring the news to him. But when the caravan arrives, it confirms what they've said. Jacob is old, but he's excited to see his son Joseph again after 20 plus years. What was your God shot today? I saw how God invites us into freedom.

And in this story, I'm particularly talking about emotional freedom, the kind that only comes from trusting Him. In 45, 5 through 8, Joseph says, Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. It was not you who sent me here, but God." Joseph leans on the sovereignty of God to put their regret to death,

freeing everyone with the reminder that they haven't derailed God's plans or His promises with their sins. When Jesus died and rose again, He paid the penalty for our sins, past, present, and future. For God's kids to walk in the shame and regret of those sins is to carry a weight He died to take from you.

If you're carrying regret for past sins, be honest with yourself. Doesn't that weight more often serve to distance you from God instead of draw you nearer to Him? Doesn't it leave you filled with shame instead of humility? Doesn't it sound more like the lies of the enemy in your flesh than the words of your loving Father who sent His Son so that you could be in relationship with Him? If we trust that God is at work in all things, it not only helps us forgive those who repent for sinning against us,

but it also lays the framework to forgive ourselves as well, because we know that no one's sins can ruin God's plans. Joseph wants that freedom for his brothers. He doesn't want them to carry guilt over their sins against him, because he knows it all was serving to work out God's plan for good. Joseph believes this so deeply

that he reiterates it three times in this chapter alone. God brought Joseph out of literal bondage into freedom, and he brought Joseph's brothers out of emotional bondage into freedom. And because he has brought all of his adopted children out of spiritual bondage into freedom, I hope that you can testify alongside me that he's where the joy is.

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This second daily podcast is available to recaptains who join at the Bible Kneecap tier or higher. People tell us they love not only reading through and understanding God's Word, but praying through it, too. It's also a great way to learn more about how to pray and get some training in that area if you're nervous about it or feel like you're not very good at it. Plus, it helps round out each day's experience in the Word beautifully. First, we hear from God, then we respond to God. So if you're interested in getting two podcasts from

us every day, The Bible Recap and The Bible Kneecap, check out our Recaptans link for more info, thebiblerecap.com forward slash recap-tans, or click the link in the show notes. Did you know the word rest is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible? So rest is kind of a big deal to our Father. If you're struggling to find rest in the craziness of life, click the link in the show notes for Hope Nation's 10 Passages from Scripture that will help you learn more about what it means to rest in God.