The Meeting

There's famine in the land, and Joseph's brothers have come to Egypt to find food. They're not doing this is willing obeisance to Joseph because they don't know that they are bowing down before Joseph. All they know is that they are in the presence of the prime minister of all of Egypt and the last thing in the world they would expect would be for that to be Joseph there. Assuming that Joseph is dead. For quite a surprise today on Renewing Your Mind will hear Dr. Aziz will describe Joseph's climatic encounter with his brothers who had sold them into slavery. Those unfamiliar with the story might reach this point and assume what goes around is about to come around. Joseph is going to realize sweet revenge. Instead, he models the one who does not deal with us. According to Morrison we come now to the next segment of the history of the life of Joseph.

We move into the dramatic moment when after all these years, Joseph meets his brothers again. How many years have transpired since Joseph was sold into slavery by the brothers how much time is passed since these men so I tell remember, Joseph became Prime Minister of Egypt when he was 30 years old. He had been betrayed by his brothers when he was 17 years old so that's 13 years passed between the time he had been sold and to slavery and the time that he was elevated to the role of Prime Minister of Egypt. But remember after that there seven years of plenty. So now we have 20 years that have passed between the time that Joseph had been betrayed and he sees his brothers again now. Not only that we know that the brothers didn't come immediately at the beginning of the seven years of famine don't know exactly how long it was, but were now over 20 years that have elapsed since these boys were now men had seen each other so we read in verse three of chapter 42 this account so Joseph's 10 brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt, but Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers for he said last some calamity before him. Now this takes a word of explanation. If we would go back and look at the life of Jacob we remember how he wanted to marry Rachel, who was the daughter of late and Laban insisted that before he would give the hand of his daughter Rachel to Jacob in marriage that he would have to serve Laban for seven years, and Jacob labored for seven years and at the end of that time Rachel's elder sister Leah had not yet been married and so since it was a shame for the younger daughter to be married ahead of the older daughter Laban did some treachery with Jacob and said okay now you can have Leah and insisted that Jacob work another seven years for Rachel. So Jacob had worked for his father-in-law 14 years to get Rachel in the meantime he's having children from Leah, but the real love of his life is Rachel and he longs to have offspring from her. But what happened to Rachel. Initially she was barren and finally she, her womb was opened and she brought forth a son, and the first son born to Rachel was Joseph, and then the second son born to Rachel who was the last son of Jacob, was Benjamin so Benjamin was the youngest of the sons of Jacob and if Jacob doted on Joseph because he was the son of his old age how much that he then built upon Benjamin, who was the son of his older age and not only that great pain came into the household of Jacob with the birth of Benjamin because two complications of that birth. Rachel died so there's all that drama now. Also keep in mind that when we talk about Joseph and his brothers. We're using a kind of shorthand and speaking somewhat in general terms because it is true that these 10 men who came down to Egypt were Joseph's brothers, technically speaking, they were his half brothers. They shared the same father but they did not share the same mother. The only full brother that Joseph had was Benjamin's baby brother and Benjamin does not go and the reason Benjamin does not go is that Jacob is willing to risk his other 10 sons is lost. One is for Zeno's Joseph the rest of the other 10. Why send them on this arduous journey to Egypt, but he won't let Benjamin leave home.

He wants to protect Benjamin now again some interpreters of this tax of said this is an indication of a fundamental lack of faith on Jacob's part that Jacob is not like Abraham, who was the father of the faithful who goes out wherever God tells them to go trusting in the promises of God. But Jacob, who had had the promises of God for his sons is now waffling in his faith is important for us to see that that the biblical patriarchs, the biblical examples of faith were men of flesh and and there was always a mixture of fear and doubt that was diluting the purity of their confidence in the promises of God. We may have expected Jacob to act heroically all risk, all of my boys because after all, I'm entrusting them to the providence of God, but he was not prepared to do that and so he leaves Benjamin at home. Jacob did not send Joseph's brother, Benjamin, for he said last some calamity befall him in the sons of Israel want to buy grain among those who journeyed for the famine was in the land of Canaan, verse six of chapter 42 Joseph was governor of the land and it was he who sold to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him, with their faces to the earth. Already we see the beginnings of the fulfillment of the dream that Joseph had got them in so much trouble with his brothers in the first place. And here over 20 years later, that dream is being fulfilled as they come and prostrate themselves before their brother, but they're not doing this as a willing obeisance to Joseph because they don't know that they are bowing down before Joseph. All they know is that they are in the presence of the Prime Minister of all of Egypt and the last thing in the world they would expect would be for that to be Joseph there. Assuming that Joseph is dead.

The last thing they would assume would be that the man standing before them was Joseph Mel, why did they recognize what a lot of years of past a lot of changes have taken place in this Joseph, who was 17 and now is in his 30s and maybe even 40s and not only that he's tired in the garb of the Egyptians. He's clean shaven. He's wearing the styles of the Egyptian clothing. He's wearing the opulence of royalty.

All of these things would work to conceal his identity visually from his brothers is interesting that in this encounter.

One of the things that Joseph is careful to do is not to speak. He does not speak to them in his own language, but rather communicates to them through an interpreter. Again another step to conceal his identity from them.

Let's look at the text we see in verse eight. Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him when a moment. That must've been here as busy as Joseph is administering this whole reserve grain program for his people, and then giving audiences to visiting merchants and dignitaries who are trying to buy some of the surplus grain for, and the secretary says oh by the way there some other people in here who want to buy some of your grain, Joseph's very busy. He walks in. The last thing he expects to see are these brothers is a wonder he didn't faint when he saw but he did recognize and he recognize them instantly and can you imagine the jolt to his soul. This episode would have been but what Joseph does is to begin a program of playacting of food deception and disassembling again which is provoke some to criticize Joseph of the CM as a simple liar.

Luther has an interesting view on this.

He said he keeps calling. What follows. Now in this encounter with his brothers and elaborately conceived game that Joseph is playing, but Luther does not see in this a game of sinfulness or even a game of vengeance, but he likens it to the kind of game that God often plays with us with our own people the kind of gain on not sure game is the proper word for it, but the kind of manifestation that parents do when they discipline their children at every parent knows what it means to feign greater anger with their children than they actually had in the process of disciplining them. I know as a professor of students sometimes when students do things that are wrong. It doesn't surprise me at all and it doesn't upset my soul died in a in a display of the pedagogical extreme say how can you possibly do that and I'll try to act with them like I'm really upset when I'm not the least bit upset but I am doing this in order to awaken them to the seriousness of the matter.

Just as we may do these kinds of games with our children in the process of disciplining them. I know that sometimes parents paddle children out of personal anger and abuse that I can remember being told when I first got married, never, ever, ever discipline your children out of an expression of uncontrolled rage on your own part, but think in terms of your love and your concern for the child and even as God tends to put on a :-( towards the children that he loves. He chastens those whom he loves, and insofar as God is chastening those whom he loves and shows us the divine frown.

Luther calls this a sweet and just heavenly game not game in the frivolous sense but game in the sense that God is pretending to be more distressed with us than he actually is for a redemptive purpose to bring us to repentance. Just as the parents goals the child in order to bring that child to an awakening into an awareness of what is wrong and what is right and this is the way Luther describes the game that Joseph is playing here in the Joseph has several things that he's concerned about one he wants to find out the state of his father to he wants to find out the state of his blood brother Benjamin. Thirdly, he wants his brothers to come to a knowledge of truth and of godliness and so exercising his authority as the prime minister, he does not immediately reveal himself to his brothers but enters into this calculated deception, which becomes all the more complicated as we will see. Now notice what happens here in this lease is fascinating were told that Joseph recognized him but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them.

Now we know he still loves them from subsequent passages where his heart melts and he goes into another room and he weeps over his brothers and over his family, but he deliberately speaks partially to them, acting as a stranger, and he said to them, where you come from. All you knew where they came from God himself cited Adam Adam where are you and God know where Adam was was God acting as if he didn't know for his own divine purposes. Of reproof the chastisement and the sanctification of Adam and Eve, but so Joseph acts in this manner where you come from and they said from the land of Canaan to buy food.

This is the first truthful thing that they've said to Joseph in a long long time. So, for they are speaking the truth. So Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him and Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them and said to them, you are my long lost brothers and you just bow down before me, and you fulfill that dream I told you about so long ago. Now let's all be friends. That's not what he said he said to them, you are spa's.

You have come to see the nakedness of the land that is you've come from some enemy nation to spy out Egypt to see how weakened we have been by the ravages of this famine.

That's a reasonable part of this deception, you can see that the brothers would understand why the Prime Minister of Egypt may be suspicious of them, particularly when they come in a band of 10. Why don't we just have a single representative coming down there to make the request.

10 of these Hebrews come into the court of of Egypt and they want to buy food. Joseph is known your spies. You've come here to see how weak we are and they said no, my Lord, but your servants have come to buy food. We are all one man's sons.

We are honest men. Your servants are not spies. Here you have truth mixed with lies. We are all one man's sons. That's true. We are honest men.

That's not true. Your servants are not spies.

That is true but he said no you come to see the nakedness of the land and they said your servants are 12 brothers, the son of one man in the land of Canaan and, in fact, the youngest is with our father today and one is no more so inadvertently there revealing information.

The Joseph that Joseph wants desperately to hear.

Now he knows that his brother Benjamin is still alive and he also realizes that they are assuming that he Joseph is dead but Joseph said to them, it is as I spoke to you saying you are spies in this manner. You shall be tested by the life of Pharaoh.

Interesting oath that he swears by Pharaoh. You shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

Send one of you, and let him bring your brother and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there's any truth in you or else by the life of Pharaoh. Surely you are spies, so I put them all together in prison for three days now do notice the proposal that Joseph makes first he said I'm going to put you to the test, you say or not spies I think you are spies and if you're really not spies. You'll send your youngest brother down here.

Why didn't you bring him in the first place.

So I'm going to do is I would put all of you in prison except one, and I'm going to send one of you back to go fetch your brother, but the rest of you are going to jail. I would been perfectly legitimate and just for Joseph simply to put them all in jail and let them rot there for the same time that Joseph had rotted in prison because of them, but instead he says I'm going to put Jewell there any put them there in prison for three days and then Joseph said to them on the third day do this and live for.

I fear God if you are honest men but one of your brothers be confined to your prison house.

Would you go and carry grain for the famine of your houses and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified and you shall not die, so now Joseph changes the terms of the test. Now he's saying I'm going to be kind to you and merciful outlet all of you out of prison a little all of you go home except first, only one could go home and rest in prison flip-flops that and this is one of these days, and the rest of you can go home in this issue is just imagine what was going on in Joses, minus all of this was happening. It's important also for us to consider how we would react if we were in Joseph shoes when we have the strength to forgive as he did the drama continues. Next week you're on Renewing Your Mind and every Saturday were making her way through RC Sproul series the life of Joseph for this series is included in the RC Sproul teaching collection.

This is a compilation of eight full series, including the parables of Jesus knowing Scripture. Ecclesiastes Galatians and knowing Christ and you can request all of them with your gift of any amount to look at her ministries. There are couple of ways you can reach us by phone at 800-435-4343 or you can go online to Renewing Your Mind.work is our goal here is linear ministries to distribute teaching like you heard today. As far and wide as possible with your financial help were translating our teaching materials into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Farsi and Russian just to name a few languages. The good news is being heard around the world. Last year alone we reached 13 million people and we thank you for being part of this outreach today with your donation of any amount will send you a teaching series from the RC Sproul teaching collection. Our number again is 800-435-4343 in her web address is Renewing Your Mind.work well before we go today. Let me pose this question.

How do you react when you feel like you have failed God, there's RC with a final thought force we mentioned in our session today. Joseph played a kind of game he entered into a masquerade in which he feigned greater anger towards his brother. Then he actually felt, and in so doing, in one sense mirror and reflected the way God sometimes manifests himself to us. Have you ever had the experience of assuming that God was so angry with you that there would be nothing.

You possibly could do to assuage his wrath and to restore a right relationship with him. I think it's very important for us as Christians to understand the chastening of God and to understand that even when we come under the discipline of God, and God appears as it were, with a frown on his face that this, in reality is a manifestation of his loving kindness and his filial care for us as is children.

Now we know that from the word of God. So we ought never be in despair. Even when we fall into sin. And when we come and repent for which God's chastening is designed to cause us to do.

We ought not then be afraid for the permanent anger of God. But knowing that he loves us. What a wonderful truth that God stands ready to forgive us, well the drama is not quite over four Joses brothers that they have to return home and admit to their father what they did. We help you make plans to join his back here next Saturday as Dr. Cecil continues his series on the life of Joseph here on Renewing Your Mind