Genesis Part 069

In Genesis 45, we reach the peak of Joseph’s story: 

“Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Make everyone go out from me!’ So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.” 

John Gill’s commentary notes that “the Egyptians, in the room or rooms adjoining to that where Joseph was, heard his cry, and perhaps a great deal of what was said; which they soon reported to others, and it quickly reached Pharaoh's court.”   

How incredible it would have been to witness this moment. The brothers were so shocked they could not say anything. Their minds must have been processing thoughts and information so quickly, trying to put all the pieces together as to how this could be true. 

Verse 5 is an amazing moment! 

“But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.” 

Our natural human instinct may be to want them to feel terrible regret over what they had done. Joseph shows that he has come to a place where he does not want that for them, but explains that God was working in all of the circumstances in order to save lives. 

The UCG Bible Commentary says, “One can see a thematic parallel between the entire story of Joseph and the story of Jesus. Joseph was sent in bonds to Egypt so that, ultimately, he would be exalted and his family enabled to survive the famine. In like manner, Jesus was sent ahead to suffer for others, has been exalted to the highest office, and will deliver all mankind from death as a result. 

Joseph saw God's hand in everything that had happened—from his first visionary dreams to his enslavement, imprisonment, exaltation and, at last, reconciliation with his family. In chapter 50, he tells his brothers, 

‘You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive’ (verse 20). 

And permeating Joseph's pronouncement of God's guidance of events was the expression of forgiveness for all that they had done to him. Similarly, the covenant that offers us eternal salvation through Jesus Christ is surrounded by forgiveness—of those who brought about the necessity of His death. With this in mind, we should all take special heed to Joseph's petitioning his brothers to ‘come down to me, do not tarry’ (Genesis 45:9), for Christ likewise calls us to follow and abide with Him—let us not delay in doing so. 

Chapter 45 ends with wonderful news for Jacob. For more than two decades he has believed that Joseph his son is dead and has never gotten over it (compare Genesis 42:35, Genesis 42:38). Now concerned about the fate of the rest of his sons down in Egypt, they return with the happiest announcement imaginable—in fact, beyond his imagination: ‘“Joseph is alive,” they shouted to him. “And he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!”’ (Genesis 45:26, Living Bible). This seemed utterly and hopelessly preposterous. ‘Jacob was stunned at the news—he couldn't believe it’ (verse 26, New Living Translation). Slowly, though, he finally came around. 

‘But when they had given him Joseph's messages, and when he saw the wagons loaded with the food sent by Joseph, his spirit revived. Then Jacob said, “It must be true! My son Joseph is alive! I will go and see him before I die”’ (verse 27, NLT). 

Yes, it was possible after all—beyond all hope, beyond all reason, beyond his wildest dreams—because the God of Jacob and Joseph was, and is, the Ruler of heaven and earth. And with Him all things are possible.”  

In verse 8, Joseph is called a “father of Pharaoh.” Adam Clarke’s commentary notes, “It has already been conjectured that father was a name of office in Egypt, and that father of Pharaoh might among them signify the same as prime minister or the king’s minister does among us. Calmet has remarked that among the Phoenicians, Persians, Arabians, and Romans, the title of father was given to certain officers of state.” 

Joseph tells his family they will reside in Goshen. Adam Clarke’s commentary says that “Goshen was the most easterly province of Lower Egypt, not far from the Arabian Gulf, lying next to Canaan.” 

Verse 18 refers to the “fat of the land.”  This Hebrew word for “fat” can also mean “choicest, best part, abundance” (Brown-Driver-Briggs). 

It is worth understanding what Joseph says to his brothers right before they leave in verse 24.  The NKJV says, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.” But a literal translation is “Do not be angry in the way.” The NLT does a good job capturing the intended meaning of this verse: “and as they left, he called after them, ‘Don't quarrel about all this along the way!’” 

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary says that it was “a caution that would be greatly needed; for not only during the journey would they be occupied in recalling the parts they had respectively acted in the events that led to Joseph’s being sold into Egypt, but their wickedness would soon have to come to the knowledge of their venerable father.” This was incredibly wise of Joseph. 

We can only imagine how Jacob feels when he hears the news in verse 26. After grieving his child’s death for more than two decades, he is told that Joseph is not only alive but is thriving in a way that the mind can hardly understand. “Jacob was stunned,” is an understatement. What an exciting end to an unbelievable story, possible only because of the direct involvement of Almighty God! 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.