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6 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. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 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. 9 “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. 10 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. 11 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.'" 12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 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.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him. ~ Genesis 45:6-15
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 45 where Joseph has just revealed to his brothers his identity. As he did so Joseph elaborated upon the sovereignty of God for his brothers. They obviously lacked his understanding, so, Joseph explained how God is all powerful and all authoritative even to the point of being able to override all other powers and authorities. This is how we can trust Him with anything that happens in our lives because He either causes it or He allows it into our lives. And with God at the helm of our lives, all things will work out for our good and for His glory.
In v.6-8 of today's passage we read, "6 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. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 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."
The famine of Egypt lasted for seven years and at this point in the narrative, they were two years into it. Joseph repeated that it was God who had sent him ahead of his brothers to save them, even though their motives were not good. God has always promised to save anyone who is faithful in faith to Him. This was the case for Joseph's family. This concept permeates through both the Old and New Testaments. Many believe that we either earn or maintain God's favor. This is not true. It was the Lord Jesus who earned our rightness before God and that rightness is a total gift. As believers we can access the blessing that awaits His children while on earth or we can choose otherwise and suffer. God is not the reason we miss out on His blessings, we are to blame for that.
Through this story of Joseph and his brother we have been given a sneak preview of God's purpose for Israel during the seven year tribulation period. As Jeremiah 30:7 reminds us, it will a time of Jacob's trouble. Jacob is Israel in unbelief and Israel is Jacob as a believer. God's purpose for the Tribulation will be to draw any Israeli into a personal relationship with Him. In Romans 9:27 we read, "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved."
The entire span of the Bible points us to this great culmination of the ages and it was all being pictured right in this beautiful story of grace and reunion between once-estranged brothers. The magnificence of how God has woven the account of Joseph into the account of Israel’s history is simply astonishing. Not a verse, nor even a word in the Old Testament fails to point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the exciting thing is that these pictures will come to their fulfillment even in our generation. We are poised with a front row seat as we watch the sovereignty of our God on display right in front of us in these last days.
In v.9-13 of today's passage we read, "9 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. 10 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. 11 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. 12 And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 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.'"
As suddenly as Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he turned his attention to his father. The brothers pictured the individual tribes of Israel while Joseph pictured the Lord Jesus. Egypt pictured the Gentiles. Even though Joseph's brothers sold him off to Egypt, Joseph reminded his brothers that God was behind it all. While He may not have made it come to be directly, God allowed it all to happen as it did. And Joseph's faith in God was so strong, he was able to endure the worst of pain without becoming angry or embittered.
In every word, we see Joseph’s understanding of the providence of God in all things. Interestingly, the word "providence" is found only once in the Bible in Acts 24:2. The only usage of this word refers to human providence, and yet Divine Providence permeates the pages of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation! The longer we walk with God, the more we will trust in His providence, and the less we will trust in our understanding of how life should go. I am finding that the providence of God is a lot similar to the way those east of Israel read a document from right to left. For us who live west of Israel that is backwards.
The word "Goshen" mentioned in v.10 means "drawing near." It was a city in Egypt. Joseph reminded his brothers that there would be five more years of famine to come. They must view those five years as a means of the grace of God even though it would be hard on them. It will be during the Tribulation that the remnant according to Revelation 12 will flee to the wilderness to be protected by God. Joseph singled out Benjamin in v.12 because he was the full brother of Joseph and he pictured those Jews who will call on the Lord Jesus as their Savior during the Tribulation.
In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him."
Joseph wept over Benjamin as he embraced him, then he wept over his other brothers as he embraced them. Again, Benjamin represented the Jews who had placed their faith in the Lord Jesus as their Savior to date. Joseph's other brothers represented those Jews who have yet to believe on the Lord Jesus. In fact, the other brothers of Joseph represent the people of Israel who will come to the Lord Jesus during the Tribulation.
A careful study of the word "kiss" throughout the Bible reveals fifty different passages where this cultural form of showing acceptance is demonstrated. For Joseph and his brothers, the "kiss" required physical proximity, trust, and delight. Within the context of the "kiss" the transgressions of the past and the many years of separation were forgiven and forgotten by Joseph in the context of their shared joy. Although the brothers once shoved Joseph into a pit and sold him into slavery, forgiveness prevailed for those humble enough to admit their sinfulness.
In Psalm 2:12 we read, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."
