Genesis 44
February 5, 2023
Jerry Mongello takes us through Genesis 44 but begins with Genesis 43:29 for context.
[Genesis 43:29-34 NKJV] 29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “[Is] this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought [somewhere] to weep. And he went into [his] chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.” 32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that [is] an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
Review: Throughout the account of Joseph we read and witness God using Jacob love for Joseph or favoritism, Joseph’s youth, Joseph gift of dream, God’s interpretations of those dreams and the envy of Joseph’s brothers to advance His plan of Redemption, the creating of an nation, and protecting that nation and protecting the line of the Messiah.
It has also been taught that Joseph is a type and/or picture of Christ. There are more 100 similitudes of Joseph as a type of Christ.
[Romans 15:4 NKJV] 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
So in the next two chapters we will be witnessing these fundamental and foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. Well established in the old and new testament Repentance and Forgiveness.
[Genesis 44:1-34 NKJV]
Pastor Martin brought up in his teaching last week in chapters 41 & 42 how Joseph was testing his brothers and convicting their consciences. In chapter 44 we see the same, the game afoot,
- 44:1 thru 10; 1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 2 “Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 When they had gone out of the city, [and] were not [yet] far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 ‘[Is] not this [the one] from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ” 6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. 7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. 8 “Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 “With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.” 10 And he said, “Now also [let] it [be] according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” NOTE JACOB’S SONS ARE SO CONFIDENT THAT THEY OFFER A STRICTER PUNISHMENT!!! 11 Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. 12 So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
- Verse 14 & 15; 14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he [was] still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said to them, “What deed [is] this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”
Judah takes the lead which began in chapter 43, acting as a mediator and leader. We know that through the line of Judah comes the Mediator. [1 Timothy 2:5 NKJV] 5 For [there is] one God and one Mediator between God and men, [the] Man Christ Jesus,
- Verse 16; 16 Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and [he] also with whom the cup was found.”
God found out their iniquity.
[Psalm 139:6-12 NKJV] 6 [Such] knowledge [is] too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot [attain] it. 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You [are] there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You [are there]. 9 [If] I take the wings of the morning, [And] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light [are] both alike [to You].
What the world and some professing Christians don’t realize or don’t care that God sees all our sins, we can’t hide from an all-powerful, all-know and omnipresent God!!! What we do in the darkness He brings to the light. What Joseph’s brothers are going through is discipline, leading them to repentances.
God deals with humanity in three ways; Discipline, Judgement, and Wrath.
Discipline is what Christians receive when we backside into sin.
[Proverb 3:11 NKJV] 11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction;
[Hebrews 12:5-11 NKJV] 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” Discipline leads us to repentance. What we do not receive as Christians is judgment and wrath. Romans 8:1 & 1 John 1:9
Paul goes on to say that the chastening produces righteousness!!! Sanctification
[1 Thessalonians 5:5-9 NKJV] 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others [do], but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and [as] a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Non-believer are receiving judgment or being given over to their unrighteousness now. Judgment is not God’s wrath, God’s wrath to come.
[Romans 1:16-32 NKJV] 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown [it] to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible [attributes] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify [Him] as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.
The appointed day of wrath is coming, it is not here yet. As bad as things are getting in the world today, this is not the wrath of God.
[Romans 2:5-10 NKJV] 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness–indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The ruler of this world is Satan, he is using the world’s hardhearted, diseased, spiritual dead hearts against itself. What is being experienced today is the wrath against a creation that he hates. God turns us over to our own lust to drive to the cross!!!
- 44:17; 17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
Joseph releases the brother to go back to their father and is going to keep Benjamin. Continues to afflict their consciences.
- 44:18 thru.31; 18 Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you [are] even like Pharaoh. 19 “My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 “And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of [his] old age, [who is] young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 21 “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 “And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die.’ 23 “But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’ 24 “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. 25 “And our father said, ‘Go back [and] buy us a little food.’ 26 “But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother [is] with us.’ 27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 ‘and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. 29 ‘But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’ 30 “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad [is] not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, 31 “it will happen, when he sees that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
Judah continues the appeal to Joseph informing him about the emotional condition and physical health of Jacob. In these verses God gives us a strong hint in how Jacob took the loss of Joseph and after how he held on to Benjamin for comfort. Which caused me to search commentaries
[Proverbs 25:2 NKJV] 2 [It is] the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings [is] to search out a matter.
Josephus the Jewish historian states that Joseph was not only testing him to see if there was repentance, but he was concerned that the brothers also had killed Benjamin. For economic reasons.
The brothers explained to Joseph how they distressed and caused much pain to their father by the death of Joseph. They did believe that their brother was dead. Explain Slavery
Josephus further alleges that the brothers started to wail uncontrollably acknowledging their sin against Joseph and stated that they believed God was punishing them for what they did to Joseph to each other, not knowing that Joseph understood them. The brothers were convicted day by day, year by year watching the pain and grief of the father.
- 44:32 thru 34; 32 “For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him [back] to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33 “Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 “For how shall I go up to my father if the lad [is] not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”
In verses 18 thru 31 Joseph hears from his brother that have repented. In verses 32 thru 34 Joseph sees the act of repentance, the changed lives of his brothers. Repentance is fundamental to our faith, it demonstrates a changed life. Repentances is in the old and new testament.
[2 Chronicles 6:37 NKJV] 37 “[yet] when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, [Sub [soov]= turn back to God] and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’;
[2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV] 14 “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
[Matthew 3:1-2 NKJV] 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Repent = metanoeō means to change your mind, turn direction to God from sin.
[Matthew 4:17 NKJV] 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
[Mark 6:12 NKJV] 12 So they went out and preached that [people] should repent.
[Luke 13:1-3 NKJV] 1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all [other] Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
I am ending this message with a warning to the Church, the Liberal Churches of North America that has forsaken the preaching of Gospel and message repentance!!! They don’t preach repentances because they would have to preach about sin. I believe I need to repent for not clarifying when giving people an opportunity to come to Jesus from this pulpit, that coming to Jesus should show visible signs of repentance.
[Romans 10:9-10 NKJV] 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
[Act 26:19-20 NKJV] 19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 “but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
We are taking communion today. Scripture tells us to examine ourselves before taking the bread and wine or juice.
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