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48 - Commentary on The Book of Genesis · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: Chapter forty five. It is a pity that this chapter
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Speaker 1: and the foregoing should be parted and read asunder. There
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Speaker 1: we had Judah's intercession for Benjamin, with which we may
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Speaker 1: suppose the rest of his brethren signified their concurrence. Joseph
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Speaker 1: let him go on without interruption, heard all he had
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Speaker 1: to say, and then answered it all in one word,
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Speaker 1: I am Joseph. Now he found his brethren humbled for
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Speaker 1: their sins, mindful of himself, for Judah had mentioned him
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Speaker 1: twice in his speech, respectful to their father, and very
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Speaker 1: tender of their brother Benjamin. Now they were ripe for
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Speaker 1: the comfort he designed them by making himself known to them,
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Speaker 1: the story of which we have in this chapter. It
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Speaker 1: was to Joseph's brethren as clear shining after rain. Nay,
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Speaker 1: it was to them as life from the dead. Here
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Speaker 1: is Numeral one Joseph's discovery of himself to his brethren,
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Speaker 1: and his discourse with them upon that occasion, Verses one
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Speaker 1: through fifteen, numerl two. The orders Pharaoh hereupon gave to
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Speaker 1: fetch Jacob and his family down to Egypt, and Joseph's
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Speaker 1: despatch of his brethren accordingly back to his father, with
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Speaker 1: those Orders verses sixteen through twenty four, Numeral three. The
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Speaker 1: joyful tidings of this brought to Jacob verse twenty five,
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Speaker 1: and following Joseph discovers himself to his brethren BC. Seventeen
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Speaker 1: o seven. Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all
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Speaker 1: them that stood by him, and he cried, cause every
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Speaker 1: man to go out from me, and there stood no
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Speaker 1: man with him. While Joseph made himself known unto his brethren,
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Speaker 1: and he wept aloud, and the Egyptians in the house
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Speaker 1: of Pharaoh heard, and Joseph said, unto his brethren, I
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Speaker 1: am Joseph. Doth my father yet live? And his brethren
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Speaker 1: could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence.
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Speaker 1: And Joseph said, unto his brethren, come near to me,
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Speaker 1: I pray you. And they came near, and he said,
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Speaker 1: I am Joseph, your brother whom ye sold into Egypt.
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Speaker 1: Now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that
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Speaker 1: ye sold me hither, For God did send me before
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Speaker 1: you to preserve life. For these two years hath the
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Speaker 1: famine been in the land, And yet there are five
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Speaker 1: years in which there shall be neither ear ring nor harvest.
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Speaker 1: And God sent me before you to preserve you a
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Speaker 1: posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by
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Speaker 1: a great deliverance. So now it was not you that
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Speaker 1: sent me hither, but God, and he hath made me
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Speaker 1: a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house,
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Speaker 1: and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste
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Speaker 1: ye and go up to my father and say unto him,
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Speaker 1: Thus saith, thy son, Joseph. God hath made me lord
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Speaker 1: of all Egypt. Come down unto me, tarry not, and
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Speaker 1: thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou
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Speaker 1: shalt be near unto me Thou and thy children, and
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Speaker 1: thy children's children, and thy flocks and thy herds, and
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Speaker 1: all that thou hast, And there will I nourish thee
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Speaker 1: For yet there are five years of famine. Lest thou
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Speaker 1: and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty.
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Speaker 1: And behold your eyes see and the eyes of my
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Speaker 1: brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
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Speaker 1: And ye shall tell my father of all my glory
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Speaker 1: in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen. And
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Speaker 1: ye shall haste and bring down my father hither, and
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Speaker 1: he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and
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Speaker 1: Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his
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Speaker 1: brethren and wept upon them. And after that his brethren
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Speaker 1: talked with him. Judah and his brethren were waiting for
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Speaker 1: an answer, and could not be but amazed to discover,
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Speaker 1: instead of the gravity of a judge, the natural affection
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Speaker 1: of a father or brother Numeral one. Joseph ordered all
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Speaker 1: his attendants to withdraw Verse one. The private conversations of
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Speaker 1: friends are the most free. When Joseph would put on love,
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Speaker 1: he puts off state, and it was not fit his
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Speaker 1: servants should be witnesses of this. Thus Christ graciously manifests
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Speaker 1: himself and his loving kindness to his people out of
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Speaker 1: the sight and hearing of the world. Numeral two. Tears
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Speaker 1: with a preface or introduction to his discourse. Verse two.
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Speaker 1: He had damned up this stream a great while, and
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Speaker 1: with much ado, But now it swelled so high that
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Speaker 1: he could no longer contain. But he wept aloud, so
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Speaker 1: that those whom he had forbidden to see him could
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Speaker 1: not but hear him. These were tears of tenderness and
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Speaker 1: strong affection, and with these, he threw off that austerity
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Speaker 1: with which he had hitherto carried himself towards his brethren,
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Speaker 1: for he could bear it no longer. This represents the
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Speaker 1: divine compassion towards returning penitence as much as that of
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Speaker 1: the father of the prodigal Luke fifteen twenty Josea fourteen
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Speaker 1: Verses eight and nine, Numeral three. He very abruptly, as
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Speaker 1: one uneasy till it was out, tells them who he was.
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Speaker 1: I am Joseph. They knew him only by his Egyptian
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Speaker 1: name Saphnath Panaea, his Hebrew name being lost and forgotten
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Speaker 1: in Egypt. But now he teaches them to call him
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Speaker 1: by that I am Joseph Nay, that they might not
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Speaker 1: suspect it was another of the same name. He explains
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Speaker 1: himself verse four, I am Joseph, your brother. This would
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Speaker 1: both humble them yet more for their sin in selling him,
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Speaker 1: and would encourage them to hope for kind treatment. Thus,
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Speaker 1: when Christ would convince Paul, he said, I am Jesus,
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Speaker 1: And when he would comfort his disciples, he said, it
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Speaker 1: is I be not afraid. This word at first startled
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Speaker 1: Joseph's brethren. They started back through the fear, or at
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Speaker 1: least stood still astonished. But Joseph called kindly and familiarly
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Speaker 1: to them, Come near, I pray you. Thus, when Christ
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Speaker 1: manifests himself to his people, he encourages them to draw
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Speaker 1: near to him with a true heart. Perhaps being about
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Speaker 1: to speak of their selling him, he would not speak aloud,
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Speaker 1: lest the Egyptians should overhear, and it should make the
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Speaker 1: Hebrews to be yet more an abomination to them. Therefore
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Speaker 1: he would have them come near that he might whisper
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Speaker 1: with them, which, now that the tide of his passion
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Speaker 1: was a little over, he was able to do, whereas
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Speaker 1: at first he could not but cry out Numeral four.
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Speaker 1: He endeavors to assuage their grief for the injuries they
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Speaker 1: had done him by showing them that whatever they designed
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Speaker 1: God meant it for good and had brought much good
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Speaker 1: out of it. Verse five. Be not grieved nor angry
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Speaker 1: with yourselves. Sinners must grieve and be angry with themselves
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Speaker 1: for their sins. Yea, though God by his power brings
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Speaker 1: good out of them, For no thanks are due to
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Speaker 1: the sinner for this, but true penitence should be greatly
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Speaker 1: affected when they see God. Thus springing good out of evil,
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Speaker 1: meet out of the eater. Though we must not, with
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Speaker 1: this consideration extenuate our own sins, and so take off
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Speaker 1: the edge of our repentance. Yet it may be well,
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Speaker 1: thus to extenuate the sins of others, and so take
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Speaker 1: off the edge of our angry resentments. Thus Joseph does
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Speaker 1: here his brethren needed not to fear that he would
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Speaker 1: avenge upon them an injury which God's providence had made
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Speaker 1: to turn so much to his advantage and that of
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Speaker 1: his family. Now he tells them how long the famine
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Speaker 1: was likely to last five years. Yet verse six, what
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Speaker 1: a capacity he was in of being kind to his
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Speaker 1: relations and friends, which is the greatest satisfaction that wealth
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Speaker 1: and power can give to a good man. Verse eight,
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Speaker 1: See what a favorable color he puts upon the injury
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Speaker 1: they had done to him. God sent me before you
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Speaker 1: Verses five and seven. Note number one. God's Israel is
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Speaker 1: a particular care of God's providence. Joseph reckoned that his
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Speaker 1: advancement was not so much designed to save a whole
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Speaker 1: kingdom of Egyptians as to preserve a small family of Israelites.
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Speaker 1: For the Lord's portion is his people. Whatever becomes of others,
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Speaker 1: they shall be secured. Number two, Providence looks a great
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Speaker 1: way forward and has a long reach. Even long before
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Speaker 1: the years of plenty, Providence was preparing for the supply
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Speaker 1: of Jacob's house in the years of famine. The Psalmist
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Speaker 1: praises God for this Psalm one O five, verse seventeen.
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Speaker 1: He sent a man before them, even Joseph. God sees
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Speaker 1: his work from the beginning to the end, but we
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Speaker 1: do not. Ecclesiastes three, verse eleven. How admirable are the
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Speaker 1: projects of Providence, How remote its tendencies, What wheels there
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Speaker 1: are within wheels, and yet all directed by the eyes
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Speaker 1: in the wheels and the spirit of living creature. Let
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Speaker 1: us therefore judge nothing before the time. Number three. God
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Speaker 1: often works by contraries. The envy and contention of brethren
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Speaker 1: threatened the ruin of families, Yet in this instance they
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Speaker 1: prove the occasion of preserving Jacob's family. Joseph could never
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Speaker 1: have been the shepherd and son of Israel if his
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Speaker 1: brethren had not shot at him and hated him. Even
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Speaker 1: those that had wickedly sold Joseph in Egypt, yet themselves
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Speaker 1: reaped the benefit of the good God brought out of it,
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Speaker 1: as those that put Christ to death were many of
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Speaker 1: them saved by his death. God must have all the
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Speaker 1: glory of the seasonable preservations of his people by what
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Speaker 1: waysoever they are affected. It was not you that sent
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Speaker 1: me hither, but God. Verse eight. As on the one hand,
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Speaker 1: they must not fret at it because it ended so well.
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Speaker 1: So on the other hand, they must not be proud
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Speaker 1: of it, because it was God's doing and not theirs.
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Speaker 1: They designed by selling him into Egypt to defeat his dreams,
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Speaker 1: but God thereby designed to accomplish them. Isaiah tend verse seven,
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Speaker 1: howbeit he meaneth not so. Numeral five. He promises to
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Speaker 1: take care of his father and all the family during
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Speaker 1: the rest of the years of famine. Number one. He
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Speaker 1: desires that his father may speedily be made glad with
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Speaker 1: the tidings of his life and dignity. His brethren must
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Speaker 1: hasten to Canaan and must inform Jacob that his son
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Speaker 1: Joseph was lord of all Egypt. Verse nine. They must
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Speaker 1: tell him of all his glory there Verse thirteen. He
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Speaker 1: knew it would be a refreshing oil to his hoary
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Speaker 1: head and a sovereign cordial to his spirits. If anything
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Speaker 1: would make him young again, this would He desires them
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Speaker 1: to give themselves and to take with them to their
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Speaker 1: father all possible satisfaction of the truth of these surprising ties.
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Speaker 1: Your eyes see that it is my mouth verse twelve.
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Speaker 1: If they would recollect themselves, they might remember something of
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Speaker 1: his features, speech, and so forth, and be satisfied. Number two.
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Speaker 1: He is very earnest that his father and all his
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Speaker 1: family should come to him to Egypt, come down unto me,
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Speaker 1: tarry not. Verse nine. He allots his dwelling in Goshen,
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Speaker 1: that part of Egypt which lay towards Canaan, that they
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Speaker 1: might be mindful of the country from which they were
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Speaker 1: to come out. Verse one he promises to provide for him.
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Speaker 1: I will nourish thee Verse eleven. Note it is the
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Speaker 1: duty of children, if the necessity of their parents do
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Speaker 1: at any time require it, to support and supply them
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Speaker 1: to the utmost of their ability, and Corbyn will never
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Speaker 1: excuse them Mark seven, Verse eleven. This is showing piety
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Speaker 1: at home Verse Timothy IV. Our Lord Jesus, being like Joseph,
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Speaker 1: exalted to the highest honors and powers of the upper world.
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Speaker 1: It is his will that all that are his should
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Speaker 1: be with him where he is John seventeen twenty four.
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Speaker 1: This is his commandment that we be with him now
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Speaker 1: in faith and hope and heavenly conversation. And this is
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Speaker 1: his promise that we shall be forever with him Numeral six.
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Speaker 1: Endearments were interchanged between him and his brethren. He began
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Speaker 1: with the youngest, his own brother, Benjamin, who was but
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Speaker 1: about a year old. When Joseph was separated from his brethren,
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Speaker 1: they wept on each other's neck verse fourteen, perhaps to
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Speaker 1: think of their mother, Rachel, who died in travail of Benjamin.
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Speaker 1: Rachel and her husband Jacob had been lately weeping for
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Speaker 1: her children because, in his apprehension, they were not Joseph
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Speaker 1: gone and Benjamin going, And now they were weeping for
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Speaker 1: her because she was not. After he had embraced Benjamin,
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Speaker 1: he in like matter caressed them all verse fifteen. And
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Speaker 1: then his brethren talked with him freely and familiarly of
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Speaker 1: all the affairs of the father's house. After the tokens
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Speaker 1: of true reconciliation followed the instances of a sweet communion,
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Speaker 1: Pharaoh's kindness to Joseph and the fame thereof was heard
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Speaker 1: in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come. And it
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Speaker 1: pleased fare were well and his servants, and Pharaoh said
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Speaker 1: unto Joseph, say unto thy brethren, this, do ye lay
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Speaker 1: your beasts and go get you unto the land of Canaan,
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Speaker 1: and take your father and your households, and come unto me,
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Speaker 1: and I will give you the good of the land
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Speaker 1: of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
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Speaker 1: Now thou art commanded this, do ye take your wagons
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Speaker 1: out of the land of Egypt, for your little ones
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Speaker 1: and for your wives, and bring your father, and come
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Speaker 1: also regard not your stuff, for the good of all
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Speaker 1: the land of Egypt is yours. And the children of
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Speaker 1: Israel did so, And Joseph gave them wagons according to
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Speaker 1: the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the way.
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Speaker 1: To all of them, he gave each man changes of raiment.
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Speaker 1: But to Menjament he gave three hundred pieces of silver
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Speaker 1: and five changes of raiment. And to his father he
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Speaker 1: sent after this manner ten asses laden with the good
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Speaker 1: things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn
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Speaker 1: and bread and meat for his father by the way.
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Speaker 1: So he sent his brethren away, and they departed, and
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Speaker 1: he said under them, see that ye fall not out
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Speaker 1: by the way. Here is number one the kindness of
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Speaker 1: Pharaoh to Joseph and to his relations. For his sake,
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Speaker 1: he bade his brethren welcome for sixteen, though it was
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Speaker 1: a time of scarcity, and they were likely to be
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Speaker 1: a charge to him. Nay, because it pleased Pharroh. It
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Speaker 1: pleased his servants too, at least they pretended to be pleased,
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Speaker 1: because Pharaoh was. He engaged Joseph to send for his
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Speaker 1: father down to Egypt, and promised to furnish them with
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Speaker 1: all conveniences, both for his removal thither and his settlement there.
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Speaker 1: If the good of all the land of Egypt, as
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Speaker 1: it was not better stocked than any other land thanks
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Speaker 1: to Joseph under God, would suffice him, he was welcome
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Speaker 1: to it all. It was all his own, even the
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Speaker 1: fat of the land verse eighteen. So that they need
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Speaker 1: not regard their stuff verse twenty. What they had in
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Speaker 1: Canaan he reckoned, but stuff in comparison with what he
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Speaker 1: had for them in Egypt. And therefore, if they should
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Speaker 1: be constrained to leave some of that behind them. Let
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Speaker 1: them not be discontented. Egypt would afford them enough to
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Speaker 1: make up the losses of their removal. Thus, those for
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Speaker 1: whom Christ intends shares in his heavenly glory ought not
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Speaker 1: to regard the stuff of this world. The best of
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Speaker 1: its enjoyments are but stuff, but lumber. We cannot make
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Speaker 1: sure of it while we are here, much less can
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Speaker 1: we carry it away with us. Let us not therefore
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Speaker 1: be solicitous about it, nor set our eyes or hearts
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Speaker 1: upon it. There are better things reserved for us in
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Speaker 1: that blessed land whither our Joseph has gone to prepare
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Speaker 1: a place. Numerl two the kindness of Joseph to his
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Speaker 1: father and brethren. Pharaoh was respectful to Joseph in gratitude,
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Speaker 1: because he had been an instrument of much good to
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Speaker 1: him and his kingdom, not only preserving it from the
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Speaker 1: common calamity, but helping to make it considerable among the nations.
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Speaker 1: For all their neighbors would say, surely, the Egyptians are
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Speaker 1: wise and understanding people that are so well stocked in
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Speaker 1: the time of scarcity. For this reason, Pharaoh never thought
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Speaker 1: anything too much that he could do for Joseph Note
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Speaker 1: there is a gratitude owing even to inferiors, and when
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Speaker 1: any have shown us kindness, we should study to requite
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Speaker 1: it not only to them, but to their relations. And
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Speaker 1: Joseph likewise was respectful to his father and brethren in duty,
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Speaker 1: because they were his near relations, though which brethren had
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Speaker 1: been his enemies, and his father long a stranger. Number one,
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Speaker 1: he furnished them for necessity verse twenty one. He gave
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Speaker 1: them wagons and provisions for the way, both going and coming.
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Speaker 1: For we never find that Jacob was very rich, and
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Speaker 1: at this time, when the famine prevailed, we may suppose
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Speaker 1: he was rather poor. Number two. He furnished them for
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Speaker 1: ornament and delight to his brethren. He gave two suits
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Speaker 1: a piece of good clothes to Benjamin, five suits and
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Speaker 1: money besides in his pocket Verse twenty two. To his
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Speaker 1: father he sent a very handsome present of the varieties
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Speaker 1: of Egypt. Verse twenty five. Note those that are wealthy
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Speaker 1: should be generous and devise liberal things. What isn't abundus
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Speaker 1: good for but to do good with it? Number three
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Speaker 1: He dismissed them with a seasonable caution, see that you
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Speaker 1: fall not out by the way. Verse twenty four, he
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Speaker 1: knew they were but too apt to be quarrelsome and
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Speaker 1: what had lately passed which revived the remembrance of what
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Speaker 1: they had done formally against their brother, might give them
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Speaker 1: occasion to quarrel. Joseph had observed them to contend about it.
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Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen, verse twenty two to one, they would say,
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Speaker 1: it was you that first upbraided him with his dreams
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Speaker 1: to another. It was you that said, let us kill
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Speaker 1: him to another. It was you that stripped him of
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Speaker 1: his fine coat to another. It was you that threw
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Speaker 1: into the pit, and so forth. Now Joseph, having forgiven
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Speaker 1: them all, lays this obligation upon them not to upbraid
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Speaker 1: one another. This charge our Lord Jesus has given to
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Speaker 1: us that we love one another, that we live in peace,
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Speaker 1: that whatever occurs, or whatever former occurrences are remembered, we
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Speaker 1: fall not out. For a sub point one, we are brethren.
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Speaker 1: We have all one father. Some point two we are
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Speaker 1: his brethren, and we shame our relation to him, who
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Speaker 1: is our peace. If we fall out some point three,
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Speaker 1: we are guilty, verily guilty. And instead of quarreling with
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Speaker 1: one another, have a great deal of reason to fall
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Speaker 1: out with ourselves. Some point four we are, or hope
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Speaker 1: to be forgiven of God, whom we have all offended,
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Speaker 1: and therefore should be ready to forgive one another. Some
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Speaker 1: point five. We are by the way, a way that
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Speaker 1: lies through the land of Egypt, where we have many
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Speaker 1: eyes upon us that seek occasion and advantage against us,
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Speaker 1: A way that leads to Canaan, where we hope to
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Speaker 1: be forever in perfect peace. The History of Joseph BC.
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Speaker 1: Seventeen o seven. And they went up out of Egypt
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Speaker 1: and came into the land of Canaan under Jacob, their father,
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Speaker 1: and he told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and
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Speaker 1: he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And
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Speaker 1: Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they
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Speaker 1: told him all the words of Joseph which he had
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Speaker 1: said unto them. And when he saw the wagons which
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Speaker 1: Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob
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Speaker 1: their father revived, and Israel said, it is enough, Joseph,
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Speaker 1: my son is yet alive. I will go and see
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Speaker 1: him before I die. We have here the good news
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Speaker 1: brought to Jacob. Number one. The relation of it at
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Speaker 1: first sunk his spirits when without any preamble. His sons
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Speaker 1: came in, crying, Joseph is yet alive, each striving which
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Speaker 1: should first proclaim it. Perhaps he thought they battered him,
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Speaker 1: and the affront grieved him, or the very mention of
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Speaker 1: Joseph's name revived his sorrow so that his heart fainted.
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Speaker 1: It was a good while before he came to himself.
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Speaker 1: He was in such care and fear about the rest
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Speaker 1: of them, that at this time it would have been
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Speaker 1: joy enough to him to hear that Simeon was released,
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Speaker 1: and that Benjamin had come safely home, for he had
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Speaker 1: been ready to despair concerning both these. But to hear
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Speaker 1: that Joseph is alive is too good news to be true.
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Speaker 1: He faints, for he believes it. Not Note we faint
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Speaker 1: because we do not believe. David himself had fainted if
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Speaker 1: he had not believed Psalm twenty seven, verse thirteen, number two.
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Speaker 1: The confirmation of it by degrees revived his spirit. Jacob
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Speaker 1: had easily believed his sons formerly when they told Joseph
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Speaker 1: is dead, but he can hardly believe them now that
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Speaker 1: they tell him Joseph is alive. Weak and tender spirits
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Speaker 1: are influenced more by fear than hope, and are more
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Speaker 1: apt to receive impressions that are discouraging than those that
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Speaker 1: are encouraging. But at length Jacob is convinced of the
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Speaker 1: truth of the story, especially when he sees the wagons
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Speaker 1: which were sent to carry him. Foreseeing is believing, then
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Speaker 1: his spirit revived. Death is as the wagons which are
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Speaker 1: sent to fetch us to Christ. The very sight of
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Speaker 1: it approaching should revive us. Now Jacob is called Israel
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Speaker 1: verse twenty eight, for he begins to recover his wonted vigor.
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Speaker 1: Some point one, it pleases him to think that Joseph
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Speaker 1: is alive. He says nothing of Joseph's glory, of which
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Speaker 1: they told him. It was enough to him that Joseph
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Speaker 1: was alive. Note those that would be content with less
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Speaker 1: degrees of comfort are best prepared for greater. Some point two,
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Speaker 1: it pleases him to think of going to see him,
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Speaker 1: though he was old and the journey long. Yet he
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Speaker 1: would go to see Joseph because Joseph's business would not
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Speaker 1: permit him to come to see him. Observe. He says,
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Speaker 1: I will go and see him, not I will go
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Speaker 1: and live with him. Jacob was old and did not
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Speaker 1: expect to live long. But I will go and see
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Speaker 1: him before I die, And then let me depart in peace.
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Speaker 1: Let my eyes be refreshed with this sight before they
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Speaker 1: are closed. And then it is enough. I need no
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Speaker 1: more to make me happy in this world. No, it
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Speaker 1: is good for us all to make death familiar to us,
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Speaker 1: and to speak of it as near, that we may
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Speaker 1: think how little we have to do before we die,
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Speaker 1: that we may do it with all our might, and
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Speaker 1: may enjoy our comforts as those it must quickly die
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Speaker 1: and leave them. End of Chapter forty five.