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The Story of Joseph of Egypt – The Slave Who Became Governor of Egypt · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: Imagine being thrown into a pit by your own brothers,
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  sold as a slave, and falsely imprisoned, only to emerge
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  as the second most powerful man in the ancient world.
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  This is Joseph's impossible story, where God's hidden hand transforms
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  every betrayal into blessing. In Egypt's royal court, a Hebrew
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  slave will interpret dreams that kings cannot understand, revealing seven
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  years of plenty followed by seven years of devastating famine.
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  But this isn't merely a tale of personal triumph. It's
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  the divine strategy that preserves God's chosen people and sets
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  the stage for the greatest rescue mission in history, the Exodus.
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  Joseph's life mirrors the future Messiah, rejected by his brothers,
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  exalted by gentiles, becoming the savior of his family. Through
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  tears of forgiveness and divine revelation. Will witness how God
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  weaves together human choices and heavenly purposes. This story proves
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  that nothing, not jealousy, betrayal, or injustice, can thwart God's
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  eternal plan. In the rolling hills of Canaan, where sheep
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  grazed on green pastures and the wind carried stories across
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  the desert. An old man named Jacob held a special
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  place in his heart for one son above all others.
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  Joseph was different from his eleven brothers, and every one
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  in the household could see it from the moment he
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  walked into a room. Joseph was different from his eleven brothers,
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  and every one in the household could see it from
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  the moment he walked into a room because he was
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  the son of his old age, and he made him
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  a coat of many colors. This wasn't just any ordinary
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  love between father and son that you might find in
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  any family. Joseph had been born when Jacob was already
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  an old man, a precious gift that came to him
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  in the twilight of his life from his beloved wife, Rachel,
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  the woman he had loved since the first moment he
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  saw her by the well. Rachel had been the love
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  of Jacob's life, the woman he had worked fourteen years
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  to marry, and when she died giving birth to Benjamin,
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  Jacob's heart was broken. But in Joseph he saw Rachel's
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  beautiful face and gentle spirit living on. Every time Jacob
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  looked at Joseph's eyes, he remembered the way Rachel used
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  to look at him with such love and trust. Every
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  time Joseph smiled, Jacob could see Rachel's smile shining through.
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  The boy carried his mother's beauty and his father's dreams,
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  making him impossible to ignore among the bustling household of
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  twelve sons who competed for their father's attention every single day.
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  The other brothers worked hard in the fields, tended the sheep,
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  and tried to prove themselves worthy of their father's love.
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  But Jacob's eyes always seemed to follow.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph wherever he went.
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  Speaker 1: When Joseph spoke, Jacob listened with a kind of attention
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  that the other brothers rarely received. When Joseph made a mistake,
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  Jacob corrected him gently, but when the other brothers made mistakes,
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  they faced harsh words and punishment. This special love wasn't
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  hidden or subtle. It was obvious to every one who
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  lived in Jacob's tents, creating an atmosphere of jealousy and
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  resentment that grew stronger with each passing day. One day,
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  Jacob decided to show the entire world just how special Joseph.
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  Speaker 2: Was to him.
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  Speaker 1: He called the finest craftsman from the surrounding area, and
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  ordered them to create something extraordinary, a coat unlike any
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  other worn in all the land of Canaan. This wasn't
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  going to be the simple rough garment that shepherds wore
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  while tending sheep under the burning sun, or the practical
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  robes that merchants wore while traveling dusty roads. Genesis thirty
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  seven three describes Jacob made him a coat of many colors,
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  and this phrase barely captures the magnificence of what Jacob
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  created for his beloved son. The coat was a masterpiece
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  of ancient craftsmanship, woven with threads of brilliant blues like
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  the morning sky, deep purples like royal robes, rich scarlets
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  like precious rubies, and golden yellows like sunshine itself. The
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  sleeves were long and flowing, reaching down to Joseph's wrists,
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  and the hems swept almost to the ground, making Joseph
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  look like a prince walking among common people. Every thread
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  was carefully chosen, every pattern deliberately designed, every color perfectly
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  placed to create something that would take your breath away
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  when you saw it. When Joseph put on this magnificent coat.
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  For the first time, he was transformed. He no longer
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  looked like just another shepherd boy from Canaan. He looked
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  like nobility, like someone destined for greatness, like a young
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  man who was clearly marked for a special purpose. The
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  other brothers wore plain, practical clothes, suitable for hard work
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  in the fields, simple brown and gray robes that could
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  get dirty without causing concern, sturdy sandals that could handle
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  rocky ground, and head coverings that protected them from the sun.
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  But Joseph's coat announced to everyone who saw him that
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  he was different, that he was chosen, that he was
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  loved above all others. Neighbors would stop and stare when
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  Joseph walked by in his beautiful coat. Merchants would whisper
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  among themselves about Jacob's obvious favoritism. Even strangers could tell
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  immediately that this young man was someone special in his
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  father's eyes. The coat became a daily reminder of their
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  father's unequal love, a beautiful burden that Joseph wore with pride,
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  but that would ultimately change the course of his entire life.
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  Joseph began having dreams that were unlike anything he had
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  experienced before in his seventeen years of life. These weren't
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  ordinary dreams that fade with the morning light and leave
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  you wondering what they meant. These were vivid, powerful visions
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  that stayed with him throughout the days and seemed to
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  demand that he share them with others. The dreams felt important,
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  like messages that needed to be delivered, and Joseph couldn't
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  shake the feeling that they meant something significant for his future.
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  Genesis thirty seven five through seven records what happened when
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  Joseph decided to tell his first dream to his brothers.
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  And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren,
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  and they hated him yet the more, And he said,
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  unto them, here I pray you this dream which I
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  have dreamed for. Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field,
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  and lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright. And behold,
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  your sheaves stood round about and made obeisance to my
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  she In this remarkable dream, Joseph saw himself and his
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  brothers working together during harvest time in the golden fields
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  of grain that surrounded their home. Each brother was gathering
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  stalks of wheat and barley into bundles, working under the
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  warm sun, as they had done many times before in
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  real life. The work was familiar and comfortable, just another
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  day of harvest that they had all experienced countless times.
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  But then something amazing and impossible happened in the dream,
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  something that defied the natural order of things. Joseph's bundle
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  of grain suddenly stood up, tall and straight, rising above
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  all the others, like a mighty tower, reaching toward heaven,
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  as if controlled by an invisible force. All his brother's
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  bundles began to bow down low before Joseph's bundle, bending
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  like servants bowing before their master, or like subjects showing
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  respect to their king. The image was so clear and
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  powerful that Joseph could remember every detail when he woke up.
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  Joseph told this dream with the innocent excitement of a
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  seventeen year old boy who had experienced something wonderful and
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  wanted to share it with the people closest to him.
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  He didn't understand the implications of what he was saying,
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  and he certainly didn't realize the storm of anger and
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  resentment he was about to unleash among his brothers with
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  his words. Before his brothers could fully process and respond
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  to the first dream, Joseph received another vision that was
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  even more shocking and comprehensive than the first one. This
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  second dream was grander in scope and more mysterious in
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  its imagery, involving not just his brothers but his entire
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  family in a cosmic display of submission and respect. The
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  dream came to Joseph with the same vivid clarity as
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  the first, leaving him with no doubt that it was
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  something important that needed to be shared. Genesis thirty seven,
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  nine to ten captures the moment when Joseph revealed this
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  second dream. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told
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  it his brethren, and said, behold, I have dreamed a
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  dream more. And behold the sun and the moon and
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  the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told
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  it to his father and to his brethren. And his
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  father rebuked him and said, unto him, what is this
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  dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother
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  and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to
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  thee to the earth. In this extraordinary vision, Joseph found
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  himself standing in what seemed like the center of the universe,
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  surrounded by celestial bodies that moved according to his presence.
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  The great Sun, source of all light and warmth, bowed
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  down before him. The beautiful Moon, queen of the night sky,
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  lowered itself in respect. Eleven bright stars, each one shining
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  with its own light, all bowed down before Joseph, as
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  if he were their superior. Even Jacob, who loved Joseph
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  more than all his other children and who usually defended
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  his favorite son against any criticism, was deeply troubled by
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  this second dream. The old patriarch understood exactly what the
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  symbols meant. The son represented Jacob himself, the father and
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  head of the household, the moon represented Joseph's mother even
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  though Rachel had died, and the eleven stars clearly represented
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  Joseph's eleven brothers. This dream was suggesting that Joseph's entire family,
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  including his own parents, would one day bow down before
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  him in submission and respect. Jacob's rebuke was sharp and immediate,
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  showing that even a loving father had limits to what
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  he would accept from his child. The idea that parents
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  would bow down to their own son went against everything
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  that ancient culture taught about family, hierarchy and respect for elders. Yet,
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  despite his public rebuke. Genesis thirty seven eleven tells us
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  that his father observed the saying, meaning that Jacob kept
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  thinking about the dream and wondering what it might mean
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  for the future. The combination of their father's obvious favoritism
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  and Joseph's bold dreams about ruling over them created a
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  poisonous atmosphere in Jacob's household that grew more toxic with
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  each passing day. What had started as normal sibling rivalry
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  had evolved into something much darker and more dangerous, a
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  hatred so deep and intense that it would soon demand action.
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  The brothers could no longer hide their feelings or pretend
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  that everything was normal in their family. Genesis thirty seven
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  four reveals the depth of their hatred with brutal honesty,
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  and when his brethren saw that their father loved him
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  more than all his brethren, they hated him and could
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  not speak peaceably unto him. This wasn't just dislike or annoyance.
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  This was pure, burning hatred that made it impossible for
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  them to have normal conversations with Joseph. They couldn't even
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  manage to be polite to him when their father was
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  watching Let Alone show genuine brotherly love. When they were
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  alone every day, the brothers watched Joseph parade around in
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  his magnificent, colorful coat, while they wore simple, work stained
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  clothes that marked them as common laborers. They saw their
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  father's face light up with joy whenever Joseph entered the room,
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  a special kind of happiness that was never quite the
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  same when any of them appeared. They listened to Joseph
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  share his dreams about bundles of grain and celestial bodies,
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  bowing down to him, while their own hopes and aspirations
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  seemed to matter little to any one. Genesis thirty seven
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  Colinate shows how Joseph's dreams made the situation exponentially worse,
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  and his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign
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  over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?
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  And they hated him yet the more for his dreams
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  and for his words. The brothers couldn't believe the audacity
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  of their younger brother, suggesting through his dreams that he
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  would one day rule over them like a king ruling
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  over his subjects. The hatred grew stronger each day, feeding
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  on jealousy, resentment, and wounded pride until it became a
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  living thing that consumed their thoughts and demanded satisfaction. They
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  began to plot and scheme, whispering among themselves when Joseph
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  wasn't around, sharing their anger and feeding each other's desire
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  for revenge. Despite the obvious tension crackling through his household
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  like lightning before a storm, Jacob continued to treat Joseph
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  as his special messenger and trusted representative. The old patriarch
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  seemed to blind to the danger he was creating by
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  giving Joseph responsibilities and privileges that naturally should have gone
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  to his older brothers. In Jacob's mind, Joseph was simply
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  the most reliable and trustworthy of his sons, the one
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  he could count on to carry out important tasks with
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  care and precision. Genesis thirty seven, thirteen to fourteen shows
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  us one typical occasion when Jacob sent Joseph on a
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  mission that would prove to be fateful. And Israel said,
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  unto Joseph, do not thy brethren feed the flock and
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  Shechem come and I will send thee unto them. And
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  he said to him, here am I. And he said
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  to him, go I pray thee see whether it be
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  well with thy brethren and well with the flocks, and
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  bring me word again. So he sent him out of
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  the veil of Hebron, and he came to sheik him.
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  Jacob regularly sent Joseph to check on his brothers while
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  they grazed the family's sheep and goats in distant pastures,
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  asking him to report back on their work, their welfare,
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  and the condition of the flocks. These were important business
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  matters that affected the prosperity of the entire family, and
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  Jacob trusted Joseph to observe carefully and report accurately on
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  what he found. To Jacob, this seemed like the most
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  natural thing in the world, sending his most trusted son
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  to ensure that his business was running smoothly and that
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  his other sons were fulfilling their responsibilities. But to the brothers,
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  each visit from Joseph felt like an inspection from their
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  father's personal spy. When they saw Joseph approaching in his
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  magnificent coat, they knew he was coming to watch them work,
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  to judge their performance, and to carry tales back to
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  their father about anything he found lacking. They felt like
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  they were being treated as hired servants rather than beloved sons,
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  constantly monitored and evaluated by their younger brother, who had
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  never done a full day's hard labor.
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  Speaker 2: In his life.
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  Speaker 1: These regular missions also served to remind everyone involved of
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  the family hierarchy that Jacob had established. Joseph wasn't just
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  another brother. He was Jacob's representative, carrying his father's authority
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  and speaking with his father's voice. Every time Joseph delivered
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  a message from Jacob or asked questions about their work,
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  the brothers were reminded that they were not trusted, that
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  their father felt the need to send someone to watch
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  over them and ensure they were doing their jobs properly.
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  When Joseph set out from his father's tents to find
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  his brothers near the ancient city of Dothan, he had
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  no idea that his previous visits and reports had planted
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  seeds of murderous intent in their hearts. As he walked
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  across the countryside in his beautiful coat, carrying his father's
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  authority and expecting to be received as the family representative,
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  the brothers who saw him approaching had already moved far
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  beyond simple resentment into the realm of deadly action. Genesis
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  thirty seven, eighteen to twenty reveals their chilling plan with
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  stark clarity. And when they saw him afar off, even
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  before he came near unto them, they conspired against him
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  to slay him. And they said, one to another, behold,
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  this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay
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  him and cast him into some pit. And we will
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  say some evil beast hath devoured him, and we shall
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  see what will become of his dreams. The brothers had
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  been told talking among themselves for weeks, possibly months, about
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  what to do with Joseph. Their conversations had grown darker
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  and more violent as their resentment festered like an infected wound.
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  They had moved beyond complaining about their father's favoritism to
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  actively planning their brother's destruction. They called Joseph the Dreamer
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  with contempt and mockery, spitting out the words like a curse.
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  Tired of hearing about his visions of ruling over them,
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  and disgusted by his apparent arrogance. Now far from their
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  father's protective presence and watchful eyes, they saw the perfect
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  opportunity to end Joseph's dreams forever. The location was ideal,
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  remote enough that no one would witness what they did,
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  with plenty of deep pits and caves where a body
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  could be hidden, they would kill Joseph, quickly, throw his
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  body into one of the deep cisterns that dotted the
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  landscapepe and then return home with a carefully prepared story
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  about a wild animal attack. The plan seemed fool proof
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  to them. Wild animals were a real danger in that region, lions, bears,
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  and other predators that could easily kill a young man
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  traveling alone. Their father would believe the story because it
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  was plausible, and Joseph's body would never be found to
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  contradict their tale. They would be free of their hated
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  brother forever, and they could finally live without the constant
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  reminder of their father's favoritism. Among the eleven brothers gathered
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  in that remote place, plotting their brother's death with cold determination,
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  only Reuben felt the weight of responsibility that came with
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  being the firstborn son. As the eldest, he knew that
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  Jacob would hold him personally accountable for whatever happened to
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  Joseph during this trip, despite his own feelings of jealousy
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  and resentment toward his younger brother. Reuben couldn't bring himself
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  to participate in cold blooded murder, especially when he knew
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  his father's heart would be broken by Joseph's death. Genesis
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  thirty seven twenty one to twenty two shows us Reuben's
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  desperate attempt to save his younger brother's life. And Reuben
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  heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands,
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  and said, let us not kill him. And Reuben said,
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  unto them, shed no blood, but cast him into this
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  pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand
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  upon him, that he might rid him out of their
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  hands to deliver him to his father. Again, Reuben thought
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  he was being clever, using his position as the eldest
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  brother to convince the others to modify their murderous plan.
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  Instead of killing Joseph outright, he suggested they throw him
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  into one of the empty cisterns that collected rain water
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  during the wet season. His argument was practical, Why shed
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  blood and risk the consequences when they could achieve the
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  same result without actually becoming murderers. Let Joseph die slowly
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  in the pit and their hands would be technically clean.
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  But Reuben had a secret plan that he shared with
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  no one. After the other brothers had returned to their
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  work or moved the flocks to a different location, he
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  intended to come back quietly and pull Joseph out of
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  the pit. He would take his younger brothers safely back
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  to their father, perhaps earning Jacob's gratitude and improving his
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  own standing in the family. It seemed like a perfect solution.
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  He could save Joseph's life while appearing to go along
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  with his brother's deadly plot. However, Reuben had seriously underestimated
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  the depth of his brother's hatred and their willingness to
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  seize any opportunity that presented itself to permanently solve their
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  problem with Joseph. His plan to secretly rescue his younger
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  brother would fail completely, and the favored son's journey from
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  privilege to slavery was about to begin in a way
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  that none of them could have imagined. While Reuben was
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  away tending to other matters, believing his secret plan would
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  save Joseph's life, his brothers spotted something in the distance
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  that would change everything. A caravan of merchants appeared on
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  the horizon, their camels loaded with goods and their destination clear.
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  They were headed toward Egypt, the land of opportunity and trade.
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  Genesis thirty seven twenty five describes what the brothers saw,
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  and they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted
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  up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of
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  Ishmaelites came from Giliad with their camels, bearing spicery and
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  balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. Judah,
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  one of the brothers, suddenly had an idea that seemed
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  better than leaving Joseph to die slowly in the pit.
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  Genesis thirty seven twenty six to twenty seven reveals his proposal.
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  And Judah said, unto his brethren, what profit is it
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  if we slay our brother and conceal his blood. Come
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  and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let
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  not our hand be upon him, for he is our
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  brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content instead
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  of murder, why not make some money. They could sell
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  Joseph as a slave to these traveling merchants, get him
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  out of their lives forever, and avoid the guilt of
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  actually killing their own brother. The brothers quickly pulled Joseph
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  out of the pit where they had thrown him, probably
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  bruised and terrified, but very much alive. Genesis thirty seven
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  twenty eight tells us exactly what happened next. Then there
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  passed by Midianites merchantmen, and they drew and lifted up
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  Joseph out of the pit and sold Joseph to the
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  Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph
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  into Egypt twenty pieces of silver. That was the price
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  they put on their brother's life, the same amount you
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  might pay for a young sheep or a tool for farming. Joseph,
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  who had woken up that morning as a beloved son
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  wearing a beautiful coat, now found himself chained with other slaves,
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  walking behind a caravan of camels toward a foreign land
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  where he knew no one and couldn't even speak the language.
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  His colorful coat was gone, his freedom was gone, and
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  his family had betrayed him in the worst possible way.
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  The journey to Egypt would take weeks, and every step
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  took him further away from everything he had ever known
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  and loved. When Reuben returned to the pit, exp to
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  find Joseph alive so he could rescue him, he discovered
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  it was empty. Genesis thirty seven twenty nine to thirty
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  captures his horror and despair, And Reuben returned unto the pit,
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  and behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he
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  rent his clothes, and he returned unto his brethren and said,
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  the child is not and I whither shall I go.
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  Reuben tore his clothes in anguish, realizing that his plan
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  had failed completely and that Joseph was gone forever. As
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  the eldest brother, he knew their father would hold him
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  responsible for Joseph's disappearance. The brothers now faced a terrible problem.
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  How would they explain Joseph's absence when they returned home.
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  They couldn't tell their father the truth about selling Joseph
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  to slave traders, so they decided to create a convincing
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  lie that would explain everything and free them from blame.
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  Genesis thirty seven thirty one to thirty two shows us
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  their cruel deception. And they took Joseph's coat and killed
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  a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in
• 26:12
  the blood. And they sent the coat of many colors,
• 26:15
  and they brought it to their father and said this
• 26:19
  have we found know now whether it be thy son's
• 26:22
  coat or no. They took Joseph's beautiful coat, the very
• 26:26
  symbol of their father's favoritism that had caused so much
• 26:30
  jealousy and hatred, and they deliberately destroyed it. After killing
• 26:36
  a young goat. They dipped the coat in blood until
• 26:39
  it was stained and torn, making it look like the
• 26:42
  aftermath of a vicious animal attack. Then they carried this
• 26:47
  bloody evidence home to their father, pretending they had simply
• 26:50
  found it in the wilderness. The brothers didn't even have
• 26:54
  the courage to tell the lie directly. Instead, they presented
• 26:59
  the bloody coat to Jacob and asked him to identify it,
• 27:03
  letting him draw his own horrible conclusions. Genesis thirty seven
• 27:08
  thirty three records Jacob's heart broken response. And he knew
• 27:14
  it and said, it is my son's coat. An evil
• 27:18
  beast hath devoured him. Joseph is, without doubt rent in pieces.
• 27:25
  The old man's heart shattered as he recognized the coat
• 27:28
  he had lovingly made for his favorite son, now torn
• 27:31
  and bloody beyond repair. Genesis thirty seven thirty four to
• 27:36
  thirty five shows us the depth of Jacob's grief. And
• 27:40
  Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins,
• 27:44
  and mourned for his son many days, and all his
• 27:48
  sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him.
• 27:51
  But he refused to be comforted, and he said, for
• 27:55
  I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.
• 28:00
  Thus his father wept for him. Jacob's mourning was so
• 28:04
  deep and profound that he refused all comfort, declaring that
• 28:09
  he would grieve for Joseph until the day he died.
• 28:13
  The very sons who had caused this tragedy now pretended
• 28:16
  to comfort their father, adding hypocrisy to their cruelty. Meanwhile,
• 28:22
  far away in Egypt, Joseph's life as a slave was
• 28:25
  beginning under circumstances that would prove to be remarkably different
• 28:30
  from what anyone might have expected. Genesis thirty seven thirty
• 28:34
  six tells us who bought him and the Midianites sold
• 28:38
  him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and
• 28:43
  captain of the guard. Potiphar wasn't just any Egyptian citizen.
• 28:48
  He was a high ranking official in Pharaoh's government, captain
• 28:51
  of the royal Guard, a man of great wealth and
• 28:54
  influence who owned a large household with many servants and
• 28:58
  extensive business interests. At first, Joseph was just another foreign
• 29:03
  slave in a house full of workers, unable to speak
• 29:07
  Egyptian properly, and unfamiliar with the customs and culture of
• 29:10
  this ancient civilization. But something extraordinary began to happen that
• 29:16
  caught everyone's attention, including Potiphar himself. Genesis thirty nine two
• 29:22
  three reveals the secret of Joseph's success. And the Lord
• 29:27
  was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and
• 29:32
  he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian,
• 29:36
  and his master saw that the Lord was with him,
• 29:39
  and that the Lord made all that he did to
• 29:41
  prosper in his hand. Whatever task Joseph was given, he
• 29:46
  completed it better than anyone expected. When he tended Potiphar's gardens,
• 29:52
  the plants grew more abundantly.
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: Than ever before.
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: When he managed the household servants, everything ran more smoothly
• 30:01
  and efficiently. When he handled business transactions, prophets increased beyond
• 30:06
  all previous experience. Potiphar, though he worshiped Egyptian gods, could
• 30:12
  clearly see that something supernatural was happening with this young
• 30:16
  Hebrew slave. Genesis thirty nine four shows how quickly Joseph
• 30:21
  rose in Potiphar's estimation, and Joseph found grace in his sight,
• 30:26
  and he served him, and he made him overseer over
• 30:30
  his house, and all that he had he put into
• 30:32
  his hand. Within a relatively short time, Joseph went from
• 30:37
  being a common slave to becoming the manager of Potiphar's
• 30:41
  entire household, trusted with authority over all the other servants,
• 30:46
  and responsibility for all of his master's affairs. The blessing
• 30:50
  that followed Joseph was so obvious that even Potiphar's Egyptian
• 30:54
  neighbors began to notice. Genesis thirty nine five describes the
• 30:59
  incredible prosperity that came to Potiphar's house because of Joseph's presence.
• 31:05
  And it came to pass from the time that he
• 31:08
  had made him overseer in his house and over all
• 31:11
  that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house
• 31:15
  for Joseph's sake. And the blessing of the Lord was
• 31:18
  upon all that.
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: He had in the house and in the field.
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: Everything Potiphar owned prospered beyond all previous experience, and every
• 31:28
  one knew it was connected to the young Hebrew who
• 31:31
  managed his affairs with such wisdom and integrity. As Joseph
• 31:35
  grew into full manhood in Potiphar's house, his character and
• 31:39
  appearance began to attract attention from an unexpected and dangerous source.
• 31:45
  Genesis thirty nine six through seven introduces us to a
• 31:48
  situation that would test Joseph's integrity in the most challenging
• 31:52
  way possible. And Joseph was a goodly person and well favored.
• 31:59
  And it came to after these things that his master's
• 32:02
  wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, lie
• 32:06
  with me. Joseph had grown into a handsome young man,
• 32:11
  and Potiphar's wife had been watching him, admiring his appearance,
• 32:15
  and developing feelings that would lead to serious trouble. Potiphar's
• 32:20
  wife was accustomed to getting whatever she wanted. As the
• 32:24
  wife of a powerful Egyptian official, she lived in luxury
• 32:28
  and was used to having servants obey her every command
• 32:31
  without question. When she decided she wanted Joseph, she didn't
• 32:37
  bother with subtle hints or gradual seduction. She simply commanded
• 32:42
  him directly to sleep with her, expecting immediate compliance, just
• 32:47
  like she received from every other servant in the household.
• 32:51
  But Joseph's response shocked her completely. Genesis thirty nine eight
• 32:57
  to nine records his firm refusal and the reasons behind it.
• 33:02
  But he refused and said, unto his master's wife. Behold,
• 33:07
  my master wotteth not what is with me in the house,
• 33:11
  And he hath committed all that he hath to my hand.
• 33:15
  There is none greater in this house than I. Neither
• 33:18
  hath he kept back anything from me but thee Because
• 33:21
  thou art his wife? How then can I do this
• 33:24
  great wickedness and sin against God. Joseph's refusal was based
• 33:30
  on two important principles that guided his life. First, he
• 33:34
  felt a deep loyalty to Potiphar, who had trusted him
• 33:38
  with everything he owned and treated him with kindness and respect.
• 33:43
  Betraying that trust by sleeping with his master's wife would
• 33:46
  be an act of terrible ingratitude and dishonor. Second, and
• 33:51
  even more importantly, Joseph recognized that adultery would be a
• 33:55
  sin against God, regardless of what any human being might
• 33:59
  come out or desire. Genesis thirty nine ten tells us
• 34:04
  that Potiphar's wife didn't give up after the first refusal,
• 34:08
  and it came to pass as she spake to Joseph
• 34:11
  day by day that he hearkened not unto her, to
• 34:15
  lie by her or to be with her. Day after day,
• 34:20
  she continued to proposition Joseph, using every persuasive technique she
• 34:24
  could think of, promises, threats, flattery, and manipulation, But Joseph
• 34:31
  remained firm in his refusal, avoiding her company whenever possible,
• 34:35
  and maintaining his integrity despite the constant pressure and temptation.
• 34:40
  Potiphar's wife's repeated failures to seduce Joseph eventually turned her
• 34:44
  desire into rage and her passion into a thirst for revenge.
• 34:48
  She began to plan a way to destroy the young
• 34:51
  Hebrew who had dared to reject her advances and refuse
• 34:54
  her commands. Her opportunity came on a day when the
• 34:58
  household was unusually quiet and most of the other servants
• 35:02
  were away on various errands. Jenesis thirty nine eleven to
• 35:05
  twelve describes the moment when she made her final desperate attempt,
• 35:11
  and it came to pass about this time that Joseph
• 35:15
  went into the house to do his business, and there
• 35:18
  was none of the men of the house there within,
• 35:21
  And she caught him by his garment, saying, lie with me,
• 35:26
  And he left his garment in her hand and fled
• 35:29
  and got him out. When Joseph entered the house to
• 35:33
  take care of his regular duties, Potiphar's wife was waiting
• 35:37
  for him. She grabbed his outer garment and made her
• 35:40
  demand one final time. But Joseph's response was immediate and decisive.
• 35:47
  He escaped from her grasp so quickly that he left
• 35:50
  his garment in her hands and ran out of the house.
• 35:54
  Now Potiphar's wife had exactly what she needed to destroy Joseph.
• 35:59
  With his garment in her possession as evidence, she could
• 36:02
  create a story that would explain everything in a way
• 36:05
  that made her the victim and Joseph the villain. Genesis
• 36:10
  thirty nine, thirteen to fifteen shows us how she constructed
• 36:14
  her lie, and it came to pass when she saw
• 36:18
  that he had left his garment in her hand and
• 36:20
  was fled forth that she called unto the men of
• 36:23
  her house and spake unto them, saying, see he hath
• 36:28
  brought in, and hebrew unto us to mock us. He
• 36:32
  came in unto me to lie with me. Then I
• 36:35
  cried with a loud voice, and it came to pass
• 36:38
  when he heard that, I lifted up my voice and
• 36:40
  cried that he left his garment with me, and fled
• 36:45
  and got him out. Her story was carefully crafted to
• 36:49
  arouse maximum anger and indignation among the Egyptian servants. She
• 36:54
  portrayed Joseph as an ungrateful foreigner who had attacked their mistress,
• 36:59
  and herself as an innocent victim who had fought off
• 37:02
  his advances with her screams. The garment served as perfect
• 37:06
  evidence to support her lie, and none of the servants
• 37:09
  had any reason to doubt their mistress's word against that
• 37:12
  of a Hebrew slave. When Potiphar returned home, his wife
• 37:16
  repeated the same story with even more dramatic details. Genesis
• 37:21
  thirty ninth seventeen to eighteen records her accusation. And she
• 37:26
  spake unto him according to these words, saying, the Hebrew
• 37:31
  servant which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto
• 37:37
  me to mock me. And it came to pass as
• 37:41
  I lifted up my voice and cried that he left
• 37:44
  his garment with me and fled out. She blamed Potiphar
• 37:49
  himself for bringing this dangerous Hebrew into their house, making
• 37:53
  her husband feel responsible for what had supposedly happened. Genesis
• 37:57
  thirty nine, nineteen to twenty shows as Potter his response,
• 38:02
  and it came to pass when his master heard the
• 38:04
  words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying,
• 38:09
  after this manner did thy servant to me that his
• 38:12
  wrath was kindled, and Joseph's master took him and put
• 38:17
  him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners
• 38:20
  were bound, and he was there in the prison. Potiphar's
• 38:24
  anger burned hot when he heard his wife's accusation, and
• 38:28
  he immediately had Joseph arrested and thrown into the royal prison,
• 38:32
  where the king's most dangerous criminals were kept. Joseph found
• 38:36
  himself in one of the worst places a person could
• 38:39
  be in ancient Egypt, the royal prison, where political prisoners,
• 38:44
  failed officials, and other dangerous criminals were held under harsh conditions.
• 38:50
  This wasn't a modern prison with rights and protections for inmates.
• 38:55
  It was a dark, brutal place where many prisoners died,
• 38:59
  and who ever saw freedom again. Joseph had lost everything
• 39:04
  once more, his position in Potiphar's house, his reputation, his freedom,
• 39:10
  and apparently his future. But even in this terrible place,
• 39:15
  something remarkable began to happen that echoed what had occurred
• 39:18
  in Potiphar's household. Genesis thirty nine twenty one tells us
• 39:23
  the secret. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed
• 39:27
  him mercy and gave him favor. In the sight of
• 39:31
  the keeper of the prison, the same God who had
• 39:34
  blessed Joseph as a slave was still with him as
• 39:37
  a prisoner, working behind the scenes to provide help and
• 39:41
  hope in the darkest of circumstances. The prison keeper, like
• 39:46
  Potiphar before him, began to notice that there was something
• 39:50
  different about this young Hebrew prisoner. Genesis thirty nine twenty
• 39:55
  two to twenty three describes how quickly Joseph gained the
• 39:58
  keeper's trust, and the keeper of the prison committed to
• 40:03
  Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison,
• 40:08
  and whatsoever they did there. He was the doer of it.
• 40:13
  The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing
• 40:15
  that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him,
• 40:19
  and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
• 40:24
  Joseph became the prison administrator, trusted by the Keeper to
• 40:28
  manage all the other prisoners and oversee the daily operations
• 40:31
  of the facility. The Keeper gave Joseph such complete authority
• 40:36
  that he didn't even bother to supervise him or check
• 40:38
  on his work. He knew that everything would be handled
• 40:41
  properly and efficiently. Once again, Joseph had risen from the
• 40:46
  lowest possible position to a place of authority and respect,
• 40:50
  demonstrating that God's blessing followed him regardless of his circumstances.
• 40:56
  Under Joseph's management, the prison ran more smoothly than it
• 41:00
  had before. Conflicts between prisoners decreased, daily routines operated efficiently,
• 41:07
  and even the harsh conditions seemed more bearable for everyone involved.
• 41:13
  The other prisoners began to look to Joseph for leadership
• 41:16
  and guidance, recognizing his wisdom and fairness in dealing with
• 41:21
  their problems and concerns. After Joseph had been imprisoned for
• 41:25
  some time, two new prisoners arrived who would play a
• 41:29
  crucial role in his future, though he had no way
• 41:33
  of knowing it at the time. Genesis forty one to
• 41:37
  three introduces these important characters. And it came to pass
• 41:42
  after these things that the butler of the King of
• 41:45
  Egypt and his baker had offended their lord, the King
• 41:49
  of Egypt, and Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers,
• 41:54
  against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief
• 41:57
  of the bakers, and he put them in ward in
• 42:01
  the house of the Captain of the Guard, into the prison,
• 42:05
  the place where Joseph was bound. And the Captain of
• 42:08
  the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them,
• 42:11
  and they continued a season in ward. These weren't ordinary criminals.
• 42:16
  They were high ranking officials in Pharaoh's court who had
• 42:19
  somehow displeased the king and been thrown into prison while
• 42:23
  their cases were being decided. The chief cup bearer was
• 42:26
  responsible for all the drinks served to Pharaoh, a position
• 42:30
  of great trust, since he had to ensure that the
• 42:33
  king's wine and other beverages weren't poisoned. The chief baker
• 42:37
  managed all the bread and pastries for the royal household,
• 42:40
  another position requiring absolute reliability and skill. The prison keeper
• 42:46
  put Joseph in charge of caring for these important prisoners,
• 42:50
  recognizing his ability to handle responsibility and treat people with respect.
• 42:55
  Joseph served them personally, making sure they had everything they needed,
• 43:00
  treating them with the dignity appropriate to their former positions,
• 43:04
  even though they were now prisoners like himself. One morning,
• 43:09
  Joseph noticed that both men looked troubled and distressed. Genesis
• 43:14
  forty six to seven tells us what he observed. And
• 43:18
  Joseph came in unto them in the morning and looked
• 43:21
  upon them, and behold they were sad. And he asked
• 43:26
  Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of
• 43:28
  his lord's house, saying, wherefore look ye so sadly?
• 43:32
  Speaker 2: To day?
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: Joseph's compassionate nature showed itself even in prison. He cared
• 43:38
  enough about these men to notice their emotional state and
• 43:41
  ask what was troubling them. Genesis forty eight reveals what
• 43:45
  was bothering them? And they said, unto him, we have
• 43:51
  dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.
• 43:55
  And Joseph said, unto them, do not interpretations belong to God?
• 44:00
  Tell me them, I pray you. Both men had experienced vivid,
• 44:04
  troubling dreams the same night, and they were frustrated because
• 44:09
  there were no Egyptian wise men or dream interpreters available
• 44:13
  in the prison to tell them what their dreams meant.
• 44:16
  Joseph responded with humble confidence, acknowledging that the ability to
• 44:21
  interpret dreams comes from God, but offering to help if
• 44:25
  they were willing to share their dreams with him. Genesis
• 44:29
  forty nine to eleven records the cup bearer's dream, and
• 44:34
  the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said
• 44:37
  to him, in my dream, behold a vine was before me,
• 44:43
  and in the vine were three branches, and it was
• 44:46
  as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth, and
• 44:50
  the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. And Pharaoh's cup
• 44:54
  was in my hand. And I took the grapes and
• 44:57
  pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup
• 45:00
  into Pharaoh's hand. Joseph's interpretation was immediate and positive. Genesis
• 45:06
  forty twelve to thirteen gives us his explanation, and Joseph said,
• 45:12
  unto him, this is the interpretation of it. The three
• 45:15
  branches are three days. Yet within three days shall Pharaoh
• 45:21
  lift up thine head and restore thee unto thy place,
• 45:26
  And thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand after
• 45:30
  the former manner when thou wast his butler. The baker,
• 45:35
  encouraged by the positive interpretation given to the cup bearer,
• 45:39
  eagerly shared his own dream. Genesis forty sixteen to seventeen
• 45:44
  records what he had seen. When the chief baker saw
• 45:48
  that the interpretation was good, he said, unto Joseph, I
• 45:52
  also was in my dream, and behold, I had three
• 45:56
  white baskets on my head, and in the upper most
• 46:00
  basket there was of all manner of bake meats for Pharaoh,
• 46:04
  and the birds did eat them out of the basket
• 46:06
  upon my head. But Joseph's interpretation of the baker's dream
• 46:11
  was very different. Genesis forty eighteen to nineteen reveals the
• 46:16
  somber truth. Then Joseph answered and said, this is the
• 46:21
  interpretation thereof the three baskets are three days. Yet within
• 46:26
  three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee,
• 46:30
  and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birds
• 46:33
  shall eat thy flesh from off thee. Genesis forty twenty
• 46:37
  to twenty two confirms that Joseph's interpretations were completely accurate,
• 46:43
  and it came to pass the third day, which was
• 46:45
  Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants,
• 46:51
  and he lifted up the head of the chief butler
• 46:53
  and of the chief baker among his servants, and he
• 46:56
  restored the chief butler unto his butlership again, and he
• 47:01
  gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand, but he hanged the
• 47:04
  chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Before the
• 47:10
  cup bearer left prison to return to his prestigious position
• 47:13
  in Pharaoh's court, Joseph made a desperate request that he
• 47:17
  hoped would lead to his own freedom. Genesis forty fourteen
• 47:22
  to fifteen records Joseph's plea, but think on me when
• 47:28
  it shall be well with THEE and show kindness. I
• 47:32
  pray THEE unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh,
• 47:36
  and bring me out of this house. For indeed I
• 47:40
  was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews.
• 47:43
  And here also have I done nothing that they should
• 47:46
  put me into the dungeon. Joseph briefly explained his situation.
• 47:51
  He had been kidnapped from his homeland and thrown into prison,
• 47:54
  despite being innocent of any crime. He wasn't asking for
• 47:58
  special treatment or idiate release, just that the cup bearer
• 48:02
  remember him and mention his case to Pharaoh when the
• 48:05
  opportunity arose. It seemed like a reasonable request from some
• 48:09
  one who had just provided accurate dream interpretation that probably
• 48:13
  saved the cup Bearer's life. The cup bearer agreed to
• 48:17
  Joseph's request and left the prison a free man, restored
• 48:21
  to his important position serving Pharaoh directly. Joseph watched him
• 48:26
  go with hope in his heart, believing that his time
• 48:29
  in prison might soon be coming to an end. Surely,
• 48:33
  a man who had been helped so dramatically would remember
• 48:36
  the kindness shown to him and keep his promise to
• 48:39
  speak to Pharaoh about the innocent Hebrew prisoner. But Genesis
• 48:43
  forty twenty three reveals the crushing disappointment that followed. Yet
• 48:49
  did not the chief butler remember Joseph but forget him.
• 48:54
  Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months
• 48:58
  turned into years. The cupbearer returned to his comfortable life
• 49:02
  in the Royal Palace, serving Pharaoh's wine and enjoying his
• 49:06
  restored position, while Joseph remained in prison, forgotten and apparently abandoned.
• 49:13
  By the one person who could have helped him gain
• 49:15
  his freedom. For two full years, Joseph waited in that
• 49:20
  dark prison, wondering if God had forgotten him, and if
• 49:24
  he would spend the rest of his life as a
• 49:26
  prisoner for a crime he didn't commit. The cup bearer,
• 49:31
  who owed him so much, had completely forgotten his promise,
• 49:35
  leaving Joseph to wait for God's perfect timing to bring
• 49:38
  about his deliverance. Two full years had passed since the
• 49:42
  cupbearer had left prison and forgotten his promise to Joseph.
• 49:46
  Life in the Palace continued its normal rhythm of ceremonies, feasts,
• 49:50
  and the business of ruling the greatest kingdom in the
• 49:53
  ancient world. But one night, something happened that would shake
• 49:59
  the very foundations of Egypt and changed the course of
• 50:02
  history forever. The Mighty Pharaoh, ruler of millions and master
• 50:08
  of the Nile, experienced dreams so vivid and disturbing that
• 50:13
  they haunted him long after he awakened Genesis forty one.
• 50:18
  But one tells us when this momentous night occurred, and
• 50:22
  it came to pass at the end of two full
• 50:25
  years that Pharaoh dreamed. This wasn't just any ordinary dream
• 50:30
  that fades with the morning light. This was a vision
• 50:33
  so powerful and realistic that Pharaoh felt like he was
• 50:37
  actually living through the events he saw. In his first dream,
• 50:41
  he found himself standing by the great Nile River, the
• 50:45
  life blood of Egypt that brought fertility and prosperity to
• 50:49
  the entire land. Genesis forty one two through four describes
• 50:55
  what Pharaoh witnessed in his first vision. And behold, there
• 51:00
  came up out of the river, seven well favored kine
• 51:03
  and fat fleshed, and they fed in a meadow. And behold,
• 51:09
  seven other kind came up after them out of the river,
• 51:12
  ill favored and lean fleshed, and stood by the other
• 51:16
  kind upon the brink of the river. And the ill
• 51:19
  favored and lean fleshed kind did eat up the seven
• 51:22
  well favored and fat kine. Seven beautiful cows, fat and healthy,
• 51:28
  with glossy coats, emerged from the Nile and began grazing
• 51:32
  peacefully in the lush meadow along the river bank. They
• 51:36
  were perfect specimens, exactly the kind of cattle that symbolized
• 51:40
  Egypt's prosperity and abundance. But then seven other cows appeared
• 51:46
  from the same river. These were horrible to look at,
• 51:51
  skinny and sickly, with bones showing through their dull, patchy hides.
• 51:56
  These sick cows did something impossible and terrifying. They devoured
• 52:01
  the seven healthy cows completely, leaving no trace that the
• 52:05
  beautiful cattle had ever existed. What made the dream even
• 52:10
  more disturbing was what happened after this impossible feast. Despite
• 52:15
  eating seven fat cows, the lean cows remained just as
• 52:19
  skinny and sickly as before, showing no sign of the
• 52:23
  nourishment they had just consumed. It defied all natural law
• 52:28
  and reason, leaving Pharaoh deeply troubled when he woke up.
• 52:33
  But the night wasn't over. Genesis forty one five through
• 52:37
  seven records Pharaoh's second dream. And he slept and dreamed
• 52:43
  the second time, and behold, seven years of corn came
• 52:48
  up upon one stalk, rank and good, And behold seven
• 52:53
  thin ears, and blasted with the east wind sprung up
• 52:56
  after them, and the seventh thin ears devoured the same
• 53:00
  rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke and behold it
• 53:05
  was a dream. In this second vision, Pharaoh saw a
• 53:10
  single stalk of grain producing seven perfect ears of corn,
• 53:14
  full and golden and ready for harvest. They represented everything
• 53:18
  good about Egyptian agriculture, abundance, prosperity, and the blessing of
• 53:23
  the Nile's fertile soil. But then seven more ears of
• 53:27
  grain appeared on the same stalk, withered and blasted by
• 53:31
  the harsh east wind that brought drought and destruction. These thin,
• 53:36
  worthless ears somehow swallowed up the seven good ears completely,
• 53:41
  just as the lean cows had devoured the fat ones.
• 53:44
  When Pharaoh woke up the second time, Genesis forty one
• 53:48
  eight tells us his state of mind, And it came
• 53:52
  to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled,
• 53:55
  and he sent and called for all the magicians of
• 53:58
  Egypt and all the wise men thereof the most powerful
• 54:02
  man in the world was deeply shaken by these dreams.
• 54:07
  Something about them felt prophetic and important, like a message
• 54:11
  he needed to understand, but their meaning remained completely hidden
• 54:15
  from him. Pharaoh immediately summoned all the wisest men in
• 54:20
  his kingdom to interpret these troubling dreams. Egypt was famous
• 54:25
  throughout the ancient world for its learning, magic, and wisdom.
• 54:29
  The royal court employed dozens of magicians, sorcerers, dream interpreters
• 54:34
  and scholars who claimed to understand the mysteries of the
• 54:38
  future and the messages of the gods. These men had
• 54:42
  spent their entire lives studying ancient texts, learning magical formulas,
• 54:48
  and developing their supposed ability to reveal hidden knowledge. Genesis
• 54:54
  forty one eight continues to describe their complete failure. And
• 54:59
  Pharaoh told them his dream but there was none that
• 55:02
  could interpret them. Unto Pharaoh. One by one these learned
• 55:08
  men listened to Pharaoh's detailed description of both dreams. They
• 55:13
  consulted their scrolls, performed their rituals, discussed the symbolism among themselves,
• 55:19
  and offered various explanations. Some suggested the dreams meant nothing important.
• 55:26
  Others proposed interpretations that contradicted each other or made no
• 55:30
  practical sense. The magicians tried to use their traditional methods
• 55:35
  of divination, casting lots and studying the patterns of birds
• 55:39
  in flight. The sorcerers attempted to contact their gods through
• 55:43
  incantations and ceremonies. The scholars searched through ancient texts looking
• 55:49
  for similar dreams and their recorded meanings, but nothing they
• 55:54
  did provided Pharaoh with a clear, convincing interpretation he desperately needed.
• 56:00
  As the hours passed and more wise men failed to
• 56:03
  explain the dreams, Pharaoh became increasingly frustrated and anxious. These
• 56:09
  weren't just idle curiosities. They felt like urgent warnings about
• 56:14
  something terrible that might happen to his kingdom. The images
• 56:18
  of healthy cows being devoured by sick ones and good
• 56:22
  grain being consumed by withered stalks seemed to point towards
• 56:26
  some kind of disaster or catastrophe that would affect all
• 56:29
  of Egypt. The failure of Egypt's wise men was complete
• 56:34
  and humiliating. Despite all their learning, training and supposed supernatural abilities,
• 56:42
  they couldn't provide their king with the answers he needed.
• 56:45
  The dreams remained as mysterious and troubling as ever, leaving
• 56:50
  Pharaoh without guidance and his kingdom potentially vulnerable to whatever
• 56:54
  threat the dreams might be warning about. Word of the
• 56:58
  wise men's failures spread throughout the palace, creating an atmosphere
• 57:02
  of tension and uncertainty. If the greatest minds in Egypt
• 57:07
  couldn't interpret Pharaoh's dreams, where could the king turn for answers?
• 57:14
  Speaker 2: The court officials.
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: Began to worry not just about the meaning of the dreams,
• 57:19
  but about how their inability to help Pharaoh might affect
• 57:22
  their own positions and the stability of the government. As
• 57:26
  the news of the wise men's failure spread through the palace,
• 57:29
  the chief cup bearer was performing his regular duties, serving
• 57:33
  wine to Pharaoh and observing the king's obvious distress about
• 57:37
  the uninterpreted dreams. Suddenly something clicked in his memory. A
• 57:43
  flood of recollections from his time in prison two years
• 57:47
  earlier came rushing back to him with startling clarity. Genesis
• 57:52
  forty one on nine to thirteen records the cup Bearer's
• 57:55
  sudden realization and his report to Pharaoh. Then spake the
• 58:00
  chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults
• 58:04
  this day. Pharaoh was wroth with his servants and put
• 58:09
  me in ward in the Captain of the Guard's house.
• 58:11
  Both me and the chief baker, and we dreamed a
• 58:15
  dream in one night, I and he we dreamed, each
• 58:19
  man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there
• 58:23
  was there with us a young man and Hebrew servant
• 58:27
  to the Captain of the Guard. And we told him,
• 58:30
  and he interpreted to us our dreams to each man.
• 58:33
  According to his dream, he did interpret, and it came
• 58:37
  to pass as he interpreted to us. So it was
• 58:41
  me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.
• 58:47
  The cupbearer felt ashamed as he remembered how he had
• 58:50
  completely forgotten his promise to mention Joseph to Pharaoh. For
• 58:55
  two years, he had enjoyed his restored position and comfortable life,
• 58:59
  while the young Hebrew who had helped him remained forgotten
• 59:02
  in prison. Now, faced with Pharaoh's desperate need for dream interpretation,
• 59:08
  he realized that Joseph might be exactly what the king
• 59:11
  was looking for. He told Pharaoh the whole story, how
• 59:15
  he and the baker had both received troubling dreams on
• 59:18
  the same night during their imprisonment, how a young Hebrew
• 59:23
  slave had interpreted both dreams with remarkable accuracy, and how
• 59:27
  everything had happened exactly as Joseph had predicted. The cupbearer
• 59:32
  had been restored to his position, while the baker had
• 59:35
  been executed, just as Joseph had foretold. Pharaoh listened intently
• 59:41
  to this account, his interest growing with every detail. Here
• 59:46
  was some one who had demonstrated the ability to interpret
• 59:49
  dreams accurately, something that all his wise men had just
• 59:53
  failed to do. The fact that Joseph was a foreigner
• 59:57
  and a prisoner didn't matter. Pharaoh needed answers, and this
• 1:00:03
  Hebrew apparently had a gift that none of his Egyptian
• 1:00:05
  advisers possessed. The cup bearer's memory of Joseph's character also
• 1:00:10
  impressed Pharaoh. He described Joseph as honest, humble, and wise
• 1:00:16
  beyond his years, some one who gave credit to his
• 1:00:19
  God for the ability to interpret dreams, rather than claiming
• 1:00:24
  personal supernatural powers. This was very different from the Egyptian magicians,
• 1:00:29
  who boasted about their own abilities and demanded high honors
• 1:00:33
  for their services. Without hesitation, Pharaoh ordered his guards to
• 1:00:39
  bring Joseph from prison immediately. After two years of waiting
• 1:00:43
  and wondering if he had been completely forgotten, Joseph was
• 1:00:47
  about to receive the opportunity that would change his life forever.
• 1:00:52
  The royal guards rushed to the prison with Pharaoh's urgent
• 1:00:56
  command to bring the Hebrew prisoner named Joseph to the
• 1:01:00
  alice immediately. For Joseph, who had been faithfully carrying out
• 1:01:05
  his daily responsibilities as prison administrator, This sudden summons came
• 1:01:10
  as a complete shock. He had no idea why Pharaoh
• 1:01:14
  would want to see him, but he knew that when
• 1:01:17
  the King of Egypt called, you responded quickly and respectfully.
• 1:01:22
  Genesis forty one fourteen describes the hasty preparations that followed.
• 1:01:28
  Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him
• 1:01:31
  hastily out of the dungeon, and he shaved himself and
• 1:01:35
  changed his raiment and came in unto Pharaoh. Joseph had
• 1:01:39
  been living as a prisoner for several years, and his
• 1:01:43
  appearance reflected his circumstances. His beard had grown long according
• 1:01:48
  to Hebrew custom, his hair was unkempt, and his clothes
• 1:01:52
  were the simple rough garments appropriate for a prisoner. But
• 1:01:56
  appearing before Pharaoh required proper preparation to Egyptian customs and protocols.
• 1:02:03
  Joseph quickly shaved off his beard, following Egyptian fashion, where
• 1:02:07
  most men were clean shaven except for certain ceremonial occasions.
• 1:02:12
  He washed thoroughly and changed into clean, respectable clothing provided
• 1:02:17
  by the palace servants. These preparations were essential because appearing
• 1:02:22
  before Pharaoh in an inappropriate manner could be seen as
• 1:02:26
  disrespectful and might even result in punishment or death. As
• 1:02:31
  Joseph walked through the magnificent corridors of Pharaoh's palace, he
• 1:02:35
  must have been amazed by the wealth and splendors surrounding him.
• 1:02:39
  The walls were covered with beautiful paintings depicting Egyptian gods
• 1:02:43
  and victories. The floors were made of polished stone, and
• 1:02:47
  golden decorations gleamed everywhere he looked. This was a far
• 1:02:52
  cry from the simple tents of his father Jacob, or
• 1:02:55
  even the comfortable house where he had served Potiphar. When
• 1:02:59
  Joseph have finally stood before Pharaoh in the royal throne room,
• 1:03:04
  he found himself face to face with the most powerful
• 1:03:07
  ruler in the ancient world. Pharaoh sat on a magnificent throne,
• 1:03:13
  wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, surrounded
• 1:03:17
  by courtiers, officials, and guards. The atmosphere was formal and intimidating,
• 1:03:24
  designed to remind every one of the king's absolute authority
• 1:03:27
  and divine status in Egyptian religion. Despite the overwhelming grandeur
• 1:03:33
  of his surroundings and the life changing importance of this moment,
• 1:03:37
  Joseph maintained his composure and dignity. He had learned through
• 1:03:42
  years of adversity to trust in God's providence and to
• 1:03:46
  conduct himself with integrity, regardless of his circumstances. Whether serving
• 1:03:51
  as a slave in Potiphar's house, managing fellow prisoners, or
• 1:03:55
  now standing before Pharaoh himself, Joseph remained the same thing, faithful,
• 1:04:00
  humble person he had always been. Genesis forty one fifteen
• 1:04:04
  to sixteen records the crucial exchange that followed, and Pharaoh said,
• 1:04:10
  unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is
• 1:04:14
  none that can interpret it. And I have heard say
• 1:04:18
  of thee that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
• 1:04:22
  And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying it is not in me.
• 1:04:27
  God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Pharaoh explained
• 1:04:32
  his situation directly. He had experienced important dreams that none
• 1:04:36
  of his wise men could interpret, and he had heard
• 1:04:39
  that Joseph possessed the ability to understand and explain dreams.
• 1:04:45
  Joseph's response was characteristically humble and God honoring. He didn't
• 1:04:50
  claim to have supernatural powers or special wisdom of his own. Instead,
• 1:04:55
  he gave all credit to God, assuring Pharaoh that the
• 1:04:59
  interpretationation would come from the Almighty, not from any human ability.
• 1:05:04
  After Joseph's humble response, acknowledging that the power to interpret
• 1:05:08
  dreams belonged to God alone, Pharaoh proceeded to tell him
• 1:05:12
  both dreams in complete detail. He described the seven fat
• 1:05:17
  cows being devoured by seven lean cows and the seven
• 1:05:21
  good ears of grain being consumed by seven withered ears.
• 1:05:26
  As Pharaoh spoke, Joseph listened carefully, and the meaning of
• 1:05:31
  both dreams became crystal clear to him through divine revelation.
• 1:05:36
  Genesis forty one twenty five to twenty seven records Joseph's interpretation. Then,
• 1:05:41
  Joseph said, unto Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh, it's one.
• 1:05:46
  God hath showed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
• 1:05:50
  The seven good kind are seven years, and the seven
• 1:05:53
  good ears are seven years. The dream is one and
• 1:05:57
  the seventh thin and ill favored kind that came after
• 1:06:00
  them are seven years. And the seven empty ears blasted
• 1:06:04
  with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
• 1:06:08
  Joseph explained that both dreams carried exactly the same message
• 1:06:12
  from God. They weren't two separate visions, but one unified
• 1:06:16
  revelation given twice to emphasize its importance and certainty. The
• 1:06:22
  seven fat cows and seven good ears of grain both
• 1:06:26
  represented seven years of incredible abundance and prosperity that would
• 1:06:31
  come to Egypt. The harvests would be so plentiful that
• 1:06:35
  food would be abundant throughout the land, trade would flourish,
• 1:06:39
  and everyone would enjoy unprecedented prosperity. But this period of
• 1:06:44
  abundance would be followed by something much more difficult. The
• 1:06:48
  seven lean cows and seven withered ears of grain represented
• 1:06:52
  seven years of severe famine that would come after the
• 1:06:55
  years of plenty. This wouldn't be an ordinary dry season
• 1:06:59
  or a temporary shortage. It would be a devastating famine,
• 1:07:03
  unlike anything Egypt had experienced in living memory. Genesis forty one,
• 1:07:10
  twenty eight to thirty two continues Joseph's explanation, This is
• 1:07:15
  the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh.
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 2: What God is.
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 1: About to do, He showeth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there comes
• 1:07:24
  seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,
• 1:07:28
  and there shall arise after them seven years of famine,
• 1:07:32
  and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land
• 1:07:34
  of Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land, and
• 1:07:38
  the plenty shall not be known in the land by
• 1:07:41
  reason of that famine following, for it shall be very grievous.
• 1:07:46
  And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice.
• 1:07:50
  It is because the thing is established by God, and
• 1:07:53
  God will shortly bring it to pass. Joseph emphasized that
• 1:07:58
  this prophecy came directly from God and would definitely happen
• 1:08:02
  exactly as revealed. The famine would be so severe that
• 1:08:07
  it would completely erase the memory of the abundant years
• 1:08:10
  that preceded it. People would find it hard to believe
• 1:08:13
  that Egypt had ever experienced such prosperity when they were
• 1:08:17
  struggling to find enough food to survive. The fact that
• 1:08:20
  God had given Pharaoh the same message through two different
• 1:08:23
  dreams proved that this was a settled matter that would
• 1:08:27
  begin to unfold very soon. The interpretation was both a
• 1:08:31
  warning and an opportunity. God was giving Pharaoh advanced knowledge
• 1:08:36
  of what was coming so that Egypt could prepare properly
• 1:08:40
  and survive the coming crisis. Instead of being caught off
• 1:08:44
  guard by the famine. Egypt could use the seven abundant
• 1:08:48
  years to store up enough food to carry the nation
• 1:08:51
  through the seven difficult years that would follow. Joseph didn't
• 1:08:55
  stop with simply interpreting Pharaoh's dreams. He went beyond explanation
• 1:09:00
  to offer practical wisdom about how Egypt should respond to
• 1:09:03
  this divine revelation. He understood that knowing about the coming
• 1:09:08
  famine was only useful if the kingdom took appropriate action
• 1:09:11
  to prepare for it. God had given Pharaoh this advance
• 1:09:14
  warning for a purpose, and Joseph felt compelled to suggest
• 1:09:19
  how that purpose could be fulfilled. Genesis forty one thirty
• 1:09:24
  three to thirty six records Joseph's comprehensive plan. Now, therefore,
• 1:09:30
  let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and
• 1:09:33
  set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this,
• 1:09:37
  and let him appoint officers over the land, and take
• 1:09:40
  up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in
• 1:09:42
  the seven plenteous years.
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 2: And let them.
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 1: Gather all the food of those good years that come,
• 1:09:48
  and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and
• 1:09:51
  let them keep food in the cities. And that food
• 1:09:54
  shall be for store to the land against the seven
• 1:09:57
  years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt,
• 1:10:02
  that the land perish not through the famine. Joseph's proposal
• 1:10:07
  was both bold and brilliant. He suggested that Pharaoh should
• 1:10:11
  immediately appoint a wise administrator to oversee a national food
• 1:10:15
  storage program. During the seven years of abundance, this administrator
• 1:10:20
  would work with appointed officers throughout Egypt to collect one
• 1:10:23
  fifth of all the grain and other food produced during
• 1:10:26
  the plentiful years. This twenty percent tax might seem burdensome
• 1:10:31
  during years of abundance, but it would be the difference
• 1:10:35
  between survival and starvation during the famine years. The collected
• 1:10:41
  food would be stored in specially constructed granaries in cities
• 1:10:44
  throughout Egypt, creating a national reserve that could feed the
• 1:10:48
  entire population when the famine struck. Joseph's plan showed remarkable
• 1:10:54
  understanding of both economics and logistics. He knew that during
• 1:10:59
  years of plenty, farmers would be willing to sell a
• 1:11:02
  portion of their harvest because prices would be low due
• 1:11:06
  to the abundance. The stored grain would maintain its quality
• 1:11:10
  if properly preserved, and the distributed storage system would ensure
• 1:11:14
  that food could be made available to people throughout the
• 1:11:17
  kingdom when they needed it most. The plan also demonstrated
• 1:11:22
  Joseph's understanding of human nature and government administration. He recommended
• 1:11:27
  that all the stored food remain under Pharaoh's direct control,
• 1:11:31
  preventing local officials from selling it prematurely or using it
• 1:11:34
  for personal gain. The centralized authority would ensure that the
• 1:11:38
  food would be available when the crisis came, rather than
• 1:11:41
  being consumed or wasted during the good years. Joseph's proposal
• 1:11:46
  wasn't just about survival. It was about maintaining Egypt's strength
• 1:11:50
  and prosperity even during the worst of times. If Egypt
• 1:11:55
  could successfully weather the seven year famine while surrounding nations
• 1:11:59
  struggled with starving, the kingdom would emerge from the crisis
• 1:12:03
  stronger and more influential than ever before. When Joseph finished
• 1:12:08
  presenting his interpretation and strategic plan, the throne room fell
• 1:12:13
  silent as Pharaoh and his officials absorbed the implications.
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 2: Of what they had just heard.
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 1: This wasn't the confusing, contradictory advice they had received from
• 1:12:23
  the Egyptian wise men. This was clear, practical wisdom that
• 1:12:28
  addressed both the meaning of the dreams and the appropriate
• 1:12:32
  response to their message. Genesis forty one thirty seven to
• 1:12:36
  thirty eight tells us how Pharaoh and his court responded,
• 1:12:41
  And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh
• 1:12:44
  and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh
• 1:12:47
  said unto his servants, can we find such a one
• 1:12:51
  as this is a man in whom the spirit.
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 2: Of God is?
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: Pharaoh was deeply impressed by both Joseph's interpretation and his
• 1:13:00
  practical wisdom. The plan made perfect sense and offered Egypt
• 1:13:05
  a way to turn a potential disaster into an opportunity
• 1:13:08
  for even greater prosperity and power. But what impressed Pharaoh
• 1:13:14
  most wasn't just Joseph's intelligence or administrative skills. It was
• 1:13:20
  the obvious divine wisdom that he possessed. Pharaoh, despite being
• 1:13:26
  raised to worship Egyptian gods, could clearly see that Joseph
• 1:13:30
  had access to a source of wisdom that went far
• 1:13:33
  beyond human understanding. The interpretation had come with such clarity
• 1:13:38
  and confidence, and the strategic plan was so comprehensive and
• 1:13:43
  practical that it seemed to come from divine inspiration. Pharaoh's
• 1:13:49
  question to his servants was really a recognition that they
• 1:13:52
  had found somewhat extraordinary. Where could they find another person
• 1:13:56
  who possessed the spirit of God like this young Hebrew
• 1:14:01
  Pharaoh had been surrounded by advisers and wise men his
• 1:14:04
  entire life, but none of them had ever demonstrated the
• 1:14:08
  kind of supernatural insight that Joseph had just displayed. The
• 1:14:13
  Egyptian officials, who had just witnessed their own wise men
• 1:14:16
  fail completely to interpret the dreams, had to agree with
• 1:14:20
  their king's assessment. They had seen Joseph not only explain
• 1:14:25
  the dreams accurately, but also provide a detailed plan for
• 1:14:28
  dealing with their implications. This level of wisdom and foresight
• 1:14:34
  was clearly beyond normal human capability. Genesis forty one thirty
• 1:14:38
  nine records Pharaoh's conclusion, and Pharaoh said, unto Joseph, for
• 1:14:44
  as much as God hath showed thee all this, there
• 1:14:48
  is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Pharaoh
• 1:14:52
  acknowledged that since God had revealed these things to Joseph,
• 1:14:56
  no one else in the kingdom possessed the same level
• 1:14:58
  of wisdom and under s standing. The very God who
• 1:15:02
  had given the dreams had also provided the interpretation and
• 1:15:06
  the solution Through this remarkable young man. This recognition wasn't
• 1:15:11
  just about Joseph's abilities, it was about the power and
• 1:15:15
  wisdom of the god he served. Pharaoh was essentially acknowledging
• 1:15:20
  that Joseph's God was superior to all the Egyptian deities
• 1:15:24
  who had failed to provide answers through their priests and magicians.
• 1:15:29
  The God of the Hebrews had demonstrated his power by
• 1:15:32
  revealing the future and providing practical wisdom for dealing with it.
• 1:15:37
  Having recognized that Joseph possessed divine wisdom unlike anyone else
• 1:15:41
  in his kingdom, Pharaoh made a decision that would shock
• 1:15:44
  everyone in the throne room and change the course of
• 1:15:47
  Egyptian history. He didn't just thank Joseph for the interpretation
• 1:15:52
  and send him back to prison with a reward. Instead,
• 1:15:56
  he decided to place this thirty year old Hebrew in
• 1:15:59
  charge of imp lamenting the very plan he had proposed.
• 1:16:03
  Genesis forty one forty one records Pharaoh's momentous announcement, Thou
• 1:16:10
  shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word,
• 1:16:14
  shall all my people be ruled only in the throne.
• 1:16:18
  Will I be greater than thou? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph. See,
• 1:16:23
  I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
• 1:16:28
  In one incredible moment, Joseph went from being a forgotten
• 1:16:31
  prisoner to becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt,
• 1:16:35
  with authority over the entire kingdom and all its people.
• 1:16:39
  This wasn't just a temporary appointment to handle the food
• 1:16:42
  storage program. Pharaoh was making Joseph his prime minister, giving
• 1:16:47
  him authority over every aspect of Egyptian government and society.
• 1:16:52
  All the people of Egypt, from the highest nobles to
• 1:16:55
  the common farmers, would have to obey Joseph's commands. Only
• 1:17:00
  Pharaoh himself would have greater authority in the entire kingdom.
• 1:17:05
  The physical symbols of this appointment were as impressive as
• 1:17:08
  the authority itself. Genesis forty one forty two to forty
• 1:17:13
  three describes the ceremony. And Pharaoh took off his ring
• 1:17:18
  from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand, and
• 1:17:21
  arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a
• 1:17:24
  gold chain about his neck. And he made him to
• 1:17:27
  ride in the second chariot which he had, and they
• 1:17:30
  cried before him, bow the knee, and he made him
• 1:17:34
  ruler over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh's signet ring
• 1:17:39
  was the ultimate symbol of royal authority in ancient Egypt.
• 1:17:43
  With this ring, Joseph could seal official documents and issue
• 1:17:47
  commands in Pharaoh's name. Any One who saw that ring
• 1:17:51
  would know that Joseph spoke with the full authority of
• 1:17:53
  the king himself. The fine linen clothing and gold chain
• 1:17:58
  marked him as a member of the highest nobiliy, while
• 1:18:01
  the second royal chariot announced his exalted position to every
• 1:18:05
  one who saw him traveling through the cities of Egypt.
• 1:18:08
  The command for people to bow before Joseph wasn't just
• 1:18:11
  about showing respect. It was declaring that he possessed royal
• 1:18:16
  authority that demanded the same submission that people showed to
• 1:18:20
  Pharaoh himself. When Joseph rode through the streets in his
• 1:18:24
  royal chariot with herald's calling for people to bow before him,
• 1:18:29
  every one could see that a new era had begun
• 1:18:31
  in Egypt. Genesis forty one forty four to forty five
• 1:18:36
  reveals additional honors that Pharaoh bestowed upon Joseph, and Pharaoh said,
• 1:18:41
  unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall know
• 1:18:45
  man lift up his hand or foot in all the
• 1:18:48
  land of Egypt, and Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphonath Pania,
• 1:18:54
  and he gave him to wife Asinath, the daughter of
• 1:18:56
  Poti Pharah, priest avonn. Pharaoh declared that nothing significant could
• 1:19:02
  happen in Egypt without Joseph's permission and involvement, making him
• 1:19:07
  the effective ruler of daily affairs throughout the kingdom. The
• 1:19:11
  new Egyptian name Zaphanath Panaea, which meant revealer of secrets
• 1:19:17
  or savior of the world, marked Joseph's complete integration into
• 1:19:22
  Egyptian society at the highest level. His marriage to Asenath,
• 1:19:28
  daughter of a prominent priest, further established his position among
• 1:19:32
  the Egyptian nobility and gave him important family connections that
• 1:19:36
  would help him govern effectively. Genesis forty one forty six
• 1:19:41
  notes an important detail about this remarkable transformation. And Joseph
• 1:19:47
  was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, King
• 1:19:50
  of Egypt. Joseph had endured thirteen years of slavery and
• 1:19:55
  imprisonment since being sold by his brothers at age seventeen. Now,
• 1:20:01
  at the age of thirty, he finally stood at the
• 1:20:04
  pinnacle of earthly power, ready to use his position to
• 1:20:08
  save not only Egypt, but eventually his own family and
• 1:20:11
  the surrounding nations from the devastating famine that was approaching.
• 1:20:16
  With his appointment as second in command over all Egypt,
• 1:20:19
  Joseph began a new chapter of his life that required
• 1:20:22
  him to navigate between two worlds, his Hebrew heritage and
• 1:20:27
  his Egyptian responsibilities. His marriage to Asinath, daughter of Poti Pharah,
• 1:20:34
  priest of Ann, wasn't just a personal relationship, but a
• 1:20:39
  political alliance that connected him to one of Egypt's most
• 1:20:42
  influential religious families. The city of Ann, also known as Heliopolis,
• 1:20:49
  was the center of Sun worship in Egypt, and marrying
• 1:20:53
  into such a prominent priestly family demonstrated Pharaoh's complete acceptance
• 1:20:57
  of Joseph as a true Egyptian leader. Genesis forty one
• 1:21:03
  fifty to fifty two tells us about the children born
• 1:21:06
  to Joseph and Asinath during the years of plenty and
• 1:21:11
  unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of
• 1:21:13
  famine came, which Asinath, the daughter of Potipherah priest Avon
• 1:21:18
  Bare unto him, and Joseph called the name of the
• 1:21:22
  first born, Manassah, for God said he hath made me
• 1:21:27
  forget all my toil and all my father's house. And
• 1:21:31
  the name of the second called he Ephraim, for God
• 1:21:35
  hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of
• 1:21:37
  my affliction. The names Joseph chose for his sons revealed
• 1:21:42
  the deep thoughts of his heart during this time of
• 1:21:44
  prosperity and power. Manassa, meaning causing to forget, showed that
• 1:21:50
  God had helped Joseph move beyond the pain and trauma
• 1:21:53
  of his early years, the betrayal by his brothers, the
• 1:21:56
  false accusation by Potiphar's wife, and the years of imprisonment.
• 1:22:01
  He wasn't bitter or consumed by thoughts of revenge. Instead,
• 1:22:06
  he had found peace and purpose in his new life. Ephraim,
• 1:22:11
  meaning fruitful, reflected Joseph's gratitude for how God had blessed him,
• 1:22:16
  even in a foreign land. Despite being far from his
• 1:22:20
  father's house and living among people who worshiped different gods,
• 1:22:25
  Joseph had prospered beyond anything he could have imagined. He
• 1:22:29
  had risen to the highest position possible for anyone except
• 1:22:32
  Pharaoh himself, gained a loving wife and family, and earned
• 1:22:37
  the respect of an entire nation. Yet, even as Joseph
• 1:22:41
  embraced his Egyptian identity and responsibilities, he never forgot his
• 1:22:45
  true God or abandoned his Hebrew faith. Unlike many people
• 1:22:49
  who might have completely assimilated into Egyptian culture and religion,
• 1:22:54
  Joseph maintained his belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac
• 1:22:58
  and Jacob understood that all his success and prosperity came
• 1:23:02
  from the Lord, not from Egyptian gods or his own abilities.
• 1:23:08
  Joseph's position required him to participate in Egyptian court, ceremonies
• 1:23:12
  and government functions, but he did so without compromising his
• 1:23:17
  core beliefs. He managed to serve Pharaoh faithfully while remaining
• 1:23:22
  faithful to his God, a delicate balance that required wisdom, integrity,
• 1:23:28
  and constant dependence on divine guidance. His success in maintaining
• 1:23:33
  this balance showed the maturity and spiritual strength he had
• 1:23:37
  developed through years of adversity. As Egypt's Prime minister, Joseph
• 1:23:44
  threw himself into the massive task of preparing the kingdom
• 1:23:47
  for the coming famine with remarkable energy and organizational skill.
• 1:23:52
  The seven years of abundance had begun, just as God
• 1:23:55
  had revealed in Pharaoh's dreams, and Joseph knew he had
• 1:23:58
  a limited time to lect and store enough food to
• 1:24:01
  carry Egypt through the devastating years that would follow. Genesis
• 1:24:06
  forty one forty seven to forty nine describes the incredible
• 1:24:11
  abundance in Joseph's systematic response. And in the seven plentious years,
• 1:24:18
  the earth brought forth by handfuls, and he gathered up
• 1:24:22
  all the food of the seven years which were in
• 1:24:24
  the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in
• 1:24:27
  the cities. The food of the field, which was round
• 1:24:31
  about every city, laid he up in the same And
• 1:24:36
  Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very
• 1:24:39
  much until he left numbering, for it was without number.
• 1:24:44
  The harvests during these seven years were unlike anything Egypt
• 1:24:48
  had ever experienced. Fields produced grain in such quantities that
• 1:24:53
  farmers could gather it by the handful rather than individual stalks.
• 1:24:58
  Fruit trees bore more than the branches could support, Vegetable
• 1:25:02
  gardens yielded multiple crops per season, and livestock multiplied rapidly.
• 1:25:07
  With abundant pasture and feed, Joseph organized a sophisticated collection
• 1:25:12
  and storage system Throughout Egypt. He established regional centers in
• 1:25:17
  major cities, where the surplus grain could be gathered, processed,
• 1:25:21
  and stored in specially constructed granaries. Each city became responsible
• 1:25:27
  for collecting and storing the excess produce from the surrounding countryside,
• 1:25:32
  creating a distributed network that could efficiently serve the entire
• 1:25:36
  kingdom when the famine arrived. The logistics of this operation
• 1:25:41
  were staggering. Joseph had to coordinate thousands of workers, hundreds
• 1:25:46
  of storage facilities, and countless tons of grain and other foodstuffs.
• 1:25:51
  He needed systems for collecting the grain from farmers, transporting
• 1:25:55
  it to storage centers, processing it for long term preservation,
• 1:26:00
  and maintaining accurate records of what was stored where The
• 1:26:04
  fact that he accomplished all this without modern technology or
• 1:26:07
  communication systems demonstrates his exceptional administrative abilities. Genesis tells us
• 1:26:13
  that Joseph eventually stopped trying to measure the grain because
• 1:26:17
  there was simply too much to count accurately. The storage
• 1:26:21
  facilities were filled beyond capacity, and additional granaries had to
• 1:26:26
  be constructed to hold the continuing surplus. Egypt was becoming
• 1:26:30
  the richest nation in the world, with food reserves that
• 1:26:34
  would make it the envy of every surrounding kingdom when
• 1:26:37
  the famine struck. Throughout these busy years, Joseph never forgot
• 1:26:43
  that this abundance was temporary and that the real test
• 1:26:46
  was yet to come. While other people might have been
• 1:26:50
  tempted to relax and enjoy the prosperity, Joseph remained focused
• 1:26:54
  on the future, constantly working to ensure that Egypt would
• 1:26:58
  be ready for the catastrs trophy that God had revealed
• 1:27:01
  was approaching. Just as Joseph had predicted, the seven years
• 1:27:06
  of abundance came to an end and were followed by
• 1:27:09
  the beginning of severe famine throughout the known world. Genesis
• 1:27:13
  forty one fifty three to fifty seven describes the onset
• 1:27:17
  of this crisis, and the seven years of plenteousness that
• 1:27:22
  was in the land of Egypt were ended, and the
• 1:27:26
  seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph
• 1:27:29
  had said, And the earth was in all lands, but
• 1:27:33
  in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And
• 1:27:37
  when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people
• 1:27:40
  cried unto Pharaoh for bread and Pharaoh said, unto all
• 1:27:44
  the Egyptians, go unto Joseph what he saith to you do,
• 1:27:49
  And the famine was over all the face of the earth.
• 1:27:53
  And Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold unto the Egyptians,
• 1:27:57
  and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt,
• 1:28:01
  and all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to
• 1:28:04
  buy corn, because that the famine was so sore in
• 1:28:07
  all lands. The famine wasn't limited to Egypt. It affected
• 1:28:12
  the entire Middle East, including the land of Canaan, where
• 1:28:16
  Joseph's family still lived. Crops failed completely, Livestock died from
• 1:28:21
  lack of food and water, and people began to face starvation.
• 1:28:26
  Nations that had never experienced such severe shortage found themselves
• 1:28:29
  desperate for food, and words spread quickly that Egypt had
• 1:28:33
  grain available for purchase. Meanwhile, far away in Canaan, Jacob
• 1:28:39
  and his family were struggling with the same devastating famine
• 1:28:42
  that affected everyone else in the region. Genesis forty two
• 1:28:45
  one through two shows us Jacob's response to the crisis. Now,
• 1:28:50
  when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said,
• 1:28:53
  unto his sons why do ye look one upon another?
• 1:28:57
  And he said, behold, I have heard that there is
• 1:29:00
  corn in Egypt. Get you down thither and buy for
• 1:29:05
  us from thence that we may live and not die.
• 1:29:10
  Jacob had heard the reports that Egypt had food available
• 1:29:13
  for sale, and he realized that his family's survival depended
• 1:29:17
  on making the dangerous journey to purchase grain. The old
• 1:29:21
  patriarch was now well over one hundred years old, still
• 1:29:25
  grieving the loss of Joseph after more than twenty years,
• 1:29:28
  and facing the possibility that his entire family might starve
• 1:29:32
  to death if they couldn't find food. The decision to
• 1:29:36
  send his sons to Egypt wasn't easy for Jacob. The
• 1:29:40
  journey was long and dangerous, requiring weeks of travel through
• 1:29:44
  hostile territory. They would need to carry silver and other
• 1:29:49
  valuables to pay for the grain, making them targets for
• 1:29:52
  robbers along the way. Once they reached Egypt, they would
• 1:29:56
  be foreigners dealing with a powerful government that might take
• 1:29:59
  advance of their desperation. Genesis forty two three to four
• 1:30:04
  tells us about Jacob's careful planning and Joseph's ten brethren
• 1:30:08
  went down to buy corn in Egypt, but Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob,
• 1:30:15
  sent not with his brethren, for he said, lest peradventure
• 1:30:19
  mischief befall him. Jacob decided to send ten of his sons,
• 1:30:24
  but kept Benjamin at home. Benjamin was Rachel's other son,
• 1:30:29
  Joseph's full brother, and after losing Joseph, Jacob couldn't bear
• 1:30:34
  the thought of risking Benjamin's life as well. This decision
• 1:30:37
  revealed that Jacob's favoritism hadn't ended with Joseph's apparent death.
• 1:30:42
  Benjamin had become the new object of his father's special
• 1:30:45
  protection and concern, just as Joseph had been before him.
• 1:30:50
  The other ten brothers understood this favoritism, and it probably
• 1:30:55
  reminded them painfully of the circumstances that had led to
• 1:30:58
  their terrible treatment of Joseph years earlier. When Joseph's ten
• 1:31:03
  brothers arrived in Egypt and presented themselves before the governor
• 1:31:06
  to request permission to buy grain, they had no idea
• 1:31:10
  they were standing before the very brother they had sold
• 1:31:13
  into slavery twenty two years earlier. Genesis forty two six
• 1:31:18
  through eight describes this emotionally charged moment, and Joseph was
• 1:31:23
  the governor over the land, and he it was that
• 1:31:26
  sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's
• 1:31:31
  brethren came and bowed down themselves before him, with their
• 1:31:34
  faces to the earth. Then Joseph saw his brethren.
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 2: And he knew them, but.
• 1:31:41
  Speaker 1: Made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them.
• 1:31:46
  And he said unto them, whence come ye? And they said,
• 1:31:50
  from the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph
• 1:31:53
  knew his brethren, but they knew not him. The irony
• 1:31:58
  of this moment was overwhelming. Here were the same brothers
• 1:32:02
  who had mocked Joseph's streams about them bowing down to him,
• 1:32:06
  and now they were literally bowing with their faces to
• 1:32:08
  the ground before him, just as his teenage dreams had foretold.
• 1:32:13
  They were seeking food from the very brother they had
• 1:32:16
  tried to destroy, Completely unaware that their survival depended on
• 1:32:21
  the mercy of the person they had betrayed. Joseph recognized
• 1:32:25
  his brothers immediately, despite the passage of more than two decades.
• 1:32:31
  Perhaps their basic facial features hadn't changed that much, or
• 1:32:35
  maybe it was the way they stood together and interacted
• 1:32:38
  with each other that triggered his memory, but they didn't
• 1:32:42
  recognize him at all. The seventeen year old boy they
• 1:32:46
  had sold to slave traders had become a thirty nine
• 1:32:49
  year old Egyptian governor, clean shaven according to Egyptian custom,
• 1:32:54
  dressed in fine linen and gold, speaking Egyptian, and surrounded
• 1:32:59
  by the trappings of power and authority. The transformation was
• 1:33:04
  so complete that it never occurred to the brothers that
• 1:33:07
  this powerful Egyptian official could be their long lost brother.
• 1:33:12
  In their minds, Joseph was probably dead by now, either
• 1:33:17
  killed by the harsh realities of slavery or lost forever
• 1:33:21
  in the depths of Egyptian society. They certainly never imagined
• 1:33:26
  that the frightened boy they had thrown into a pit
• 1:33:29
  could have risen to become the second most powerful man
• 1:33:32
  in Egypt. Joseph's initial response was to speak roughly to
• 1:33:37
  them and treat them as potential threats rather than welcomed customers.
• 1:33:42
  This wasn't cruelty for its own sake. Joseph was buying
• 1:33:47
  time to process his emotions and decide how to handle
• 1:33:50
  this incredible situation. Twenty two years of separation, pain, and
• 1:33:55
  wondering about his family's welfare were suddenly colliding with the
• 1:33:59
  reality of seeing his brothers again. Genesis forty two nine
• 1:34:05
  tells us what was going through Joseph's mind. And Joseph
• 1:34:09
  remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said,
• 1:34:13
  unto them, ye are spies. To see the nakedness of
• 1:34:18
  the land, ye are come. Joseph remembered his teenage dreams
• 1:34:23
  about his family bowing down to him, and here they
• 1:34:26
  were fulfilling those prophecies exactly. But he also needed to
• 1:34:31
  understand what kind of men his brothers had become, and
• 1:34:36
  whether they felt any remorse for what they had done
• 1:34:38
  to him. Joseph decided not to reveal his identity immediately,
• 1:34:43
  but instead to test his brother's character and see if
• 1:34:46
  they had changed during the years since they had betrayed him.
• 1:34:50
  He accused them of being spies who had come to
• 1:34:52
  Egypt to gather intelligence about the kingdom's defenses and vulnerabilities,
• 1:34:57
  rather than genuine customers seeking to buy grains. Genesis forty
• 1:35:02
  two ten to fourteen records their desperate response to this accusation,
• 1:35:09
  and they said, unto him, nay, my lord, but to
• 1:35:12
  buy food? Are thy servants?
• 1:35:14
  Speaker 2: Come?
• 1:35:16
  Speaker 1: We are all one man. Sons, we are true men.
• 1:35:19
  Thy servants are no spies. And he said unto them, nay,
• 1:35:24
  but to see the nakedness of the land year come.
• 1:35:28
  And they said, thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons
• 1:35:32
  of one man in the land of Canaan. And behold,
• 1:35:36
  the youngest is this day with our father, and one
• 1:35:39
  is not. And Joseph said, unto them, that is it
• 1:35:44
  that I spake unto you, saying ye are spies. The
• 1:35:47
  brothers tried to defend themselves by explaining their family situation.
• 1:35:52
  They were all sons of the same father, honest men
• 1:35:56
  who had come only to buy food for their starving family.
• 1:36:00
  They mentioned that they were originally twelve brothers, but one
• 1:36:04
  was dead and the youngest had remained at home with
• 1:36:08
  their father. When they said one is not, referring to Joseph,
• 1:36:14
  they probably assumed he had died years ago in slavery.
• 1:36:19
  Joseph listened to this explanation with intense interest. His brothers
• 1:36:24
  still thought he was dead, and they mentioned Benjamin as
• 1:36:28
  the youngest brother who had stayed home with Jacob. This
• 1:36:31
  confirmed that Benjamin was still alive and that their father
• 1:36:35
  was also still living. After twenty two years of wondering
• 1:36:39
  about his family's welfare. Joseph was finally getting answers to
• 1:36:44
  questions that had haunted him since his enslavement. But Joseph
• 1:36:48
  also noticed something significant in how his brothers spoke about
• 1:36:52
  their family. They seemed to care about each other and
• 1:36:55
  their father in a way that suggested they might have
• 1:36:58
  learned something from their past mistae. The question was whether
• 1:37:02
  this apparent concern was genuine or just a convenient story
• 1:37:06
  to tell. An Egyptian official Genesis forty two fifteen through
• 1:37:11
  seventeen shows us the test Joseph devised hereby ye shall
• 1:37:17
  be proved by the life of Pharaoh. Ye shall not
• 1:37:20
  go forth. Hence, except your youngest brother come hither, Send
• 1:37:25
  one of you and let him fetch your brother, and
• 1:37:28
  ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may
• 1:37:31
  be proved, whether there be any truth in you or else,
• 1:37:35
  by the life of Pharaoh. Surely ye are spies, and
• 1:37:39
  he put them all together into ward three days. Joseph
• 1:37:44
  demanded that they prove their story by bringing Benjamin to Egypt.
• 1:37:48
  If they were really honest men with a younger brother
• 1:37:50
  at home, they could prove it by producing him. Joseph's
• 1:37:55
  plan was to keep most of them as prisoners while
• 1:37:58
  one brother returned to Canaan to bring Benjamin back. This
• 1:38:02
  would test whether they really cared about their family and
• 1:38:06
  whether they would risk their own safety to reunite with
• 1:38:08
  their brother. The three days in prison gave the brothers
• 1:38:12
  time to think about their situation and discuss it among themselves.
• 1:38:17
  It also gave Joseph time to observe them and listened
• 1:38:20
  to their conversations. What he heard during those three days
• 1:38:25
  would reveal whether his brothers had truly changed, or whether
• 1:38:29
  they were still the same cruel, selfish men who had
• 1:38:33
  sold their brother into slavery years earlier. After three days,
• 1:38:40
  Joseph modified his plans slightly, but maintained the pressure on
• 1:38:44
  his brothers to bring Benjamin to Egypt. Genesis forty two,
• 1:38:49
  eighteen to twenty records his revised proposal, and Joseph said
• 1:38:54
  unto them the third day this do and live, for
• 1:38:58
  I fear God. If ye be true men, let one
• 1:39:02
  of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison,
• 1:39:05
  and go, ye carry corn for the famine of your houses.
• 1:39:09
  But bring your youngest brother unto me. So shall your
• 1:39:12
  words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they
• 1:39:17
  did so. Instead of keeping nine brothers in prison while
• 1:39:22
  one returned home, Joseph decided to keep only one brother
• 1:39:26
  as a hostage while the other nine returned to Canaan
• 1:39:30
  with grain for their starving families. This showed a measure
• 1:39:34
  of mercy and practicality. Their families needed food immediately, and
• 1:39:39
  nine men could carry more grain than one, but the
• 1:39:43
  demand to bring Benjamin remained firm. What happened next gave
• 1:39:49
  Joseph incredible insight into his brother's hearts and minds. Genesis
• 1:39:54
  forty two, twenty one to twenty two reveals their private conversation.
• 1:40:01
  And they said, one to another, we are verily guilty
• 1:40:05
  concerning our brother, and that we saw the anguish of
• 1:40:08
  his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear. Therefore,
• 1:40:13
  is this distress come upon us? And Reuben answered them saying,
• 1:40:18
  spake I not unto you, saying do not sin against
• 1:40:22
  the child, and ye would not hear. Therefore, behold also
• 1:40:27
  his blood is required. The brothers began talking among themselves
• 1:40:31
  in Hebrew, assuming that the Egyptian governor couldn't understand their language.
• 1:40:37
  They expressed deep guilt about what they had done to
• 1:40:39
  Joseph years earlier, remembering how he had begged them for
• 1:40:43
  mercy when they threw him into the pit and sold
• 1:40:45
  him to the slave traders. They believed their current trouble
• 1:40:49
  was divine punishment for their past cruelty to their brother.
• 1:40:53
  Reuben reminded them that he had tried to prevent them
• 1:40:55
  from harming Joseph, and now they were all paying the
• 1:40:58
  price for ignoring his warnings. The brothers clearly felt genuine
• 1:41:02
  remorse for their actions, and they connected their current crisis
• 1:41:07
  with their past sin. This wasn't just convenient regret. It
• 1:41:11
  was deep, lasting guilt that had troubled them for more
• 1:41:15
  than twenty years. Genesis forty two. The twenty four tells
• 1:41:20
  us Joseph's emotional response. And he turned himself about from
• 1:41:25
  them and wept, and returned to them again, and communed
• 1:41:29
  with them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound
• 1:41:33
  him before their eyes.
• 1:41:35
  Speaker 2: Joseph had to leave the room.
• 1:41:37
  Speaker 1: To compose himself, because hearing his brothers expressed genuine sorrow
• 1:41:41
  for what they had done to him was overwhelmingly emotional.
• 1:41:46
  He had wondered for years whether they felt any regret,
• 1:41:49
  and now he knew they had been carrying this guilt
• 1:41:51
  for decades. Joseph chose Simeon to remain as the hostage,
• 1:41:57
  probably because Simeon had been one of the most aggressive
• 1:41:59
  brothers in the original plot against him. Genesis forty two,
• 1:42:04
  twenty five to twenty six describes how Joseph prepared them
• 1:42:08
  for their return journey. Then Joseph commanded to fill their
• 1:42:12
  sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into
• 1:42:16
  his sack, and to give them provision for the way.
• 1:42:20
  And thus did he unto them, and they laided their
• 1:42:23
  asses with the corn and departed. Thence Joseph not only
• 1:42:28
  gave them the grain they needed, but secretly returned their
• 1:42:31
  payment money, putting it back in.
• 1:42:33
  Speaker 2: Their grain sacks.
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 1: This act of generosity would create additional confusion and concern
• 1:42:40
  when they discovered it, but it also demonstrated Joseph's desire
• 1:42:44
  to bless his family even while testing them. When the
• 1:42:48
  brothers returned to Canaan and reported everything that had happened
• 1:42:51
  to Jacob, the old patriarch was devastated by the demand
• 1:42:56
  to send Benjamin to Egypt. Genesis forty two thirty six
• 1:43:01
  to thirty eight shows his anguished response and Jacob, their
• 1:43:05
  father said, unto them me, have ye bereaved of my children?
• 1:43:10
  Joseph is not and Simeon is not, and ye will
• 1:43:13
  take Benjamin away. All these things are against me. And
• 1:43:19
  Reuben spake unto his father, saying, slay my two sons.
• 1:43:23
  If I bring him not to thee, deliver him into
• 1:43:26
  my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
• 1:43:31
  And he said, my son shall not go down with you,
• 1:43:35
  for his brother is dead and he is left alone.
• 1:43:38
  If mischief befall him by the way in the which
• 1:43:40
  ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs
• 1:43:44
  with sorrow to the grave. Jacob felt like everything was
• 1:43:48
  conspiring against him. He had already lost Joseph, now Simeon
• 1:43:53
  was imprisoned in Egypt, and the Egyptian governor was demanding
• 1:43:56
  Benjamin as well. The old man and couldn't bear the
• 1:44:00
  thought of losing Rachel's other son, especially when he had
• 1:44:04
  already endured twenty two years of grief over Joseph's supposed death.
• 1:44:09
  But the famine continued, and eventually the grain they had
• 1:44:13
  brought from Egypt was consumed. Genesis forty three one through
• 1:44:18
  two describes their desperate situation and the famine was sore
• 1:44:23
  in the land, and it came to pass when they
• 1:44:27
  had eaten up the corn which they had brought out
• 1:44:29
  of Egypt. Their father said, unto them, go again, buy
• 1:44:34
  us a little food. When Jacob finally agreed to send
• 1:44:38
  Benjamin to Egypt, the brothers prepared carefully for the journey.
• 1:44:44
  Genesis forty three eleven through twelve shows Jacob's instructions, and
• 1:44:49
  their father Israel said, unto them, if it must be so,
• 1:44:53
  now do this. Take of the best fruits in the
• 1:44:57
  land in your vessels, and carried down the man a present,
• 1:45:01
  a little balm, and a little honey, spices and muhr
• 1:45:05
  nuts and almonds, and take double money in your hand.
• 1:45:09
  And the money that was brought again in the mouth
• 1:45:11
  of your sacks, carry it again in your hand. Peradventure.
• 1:45:17
  It was an oversight. When the brothers arrived in Egypt
• 1:45:20
  with Benjamin, Joseph saw his full brother for the first
• 1:45:24
  time in over twenty years. Genesis forty three twenty nine
• 1:45:29
  to thirty captures this emotional moment. And he lifted up
• 1:45:33
  his eyes and saw his brother, Benjamin, his mother's son,
• 1:45:38
  and said, is this your younger brother, of whom ye
• 1:45:42
  spake unto me, and he said, God be gracious unto
• 1:45:46
  thee my son. And Joseph made haste for his bowels,
• 1:45:51
  did yearn upon his brother, and he sought where to weep,
• 1:45:55
  and he entered into his chamber and wept there. Joseph
• 1:45:59
  was so overcome with emotion at seeing Benjamin that he
• 1:46:03
  had to leave the room to cry privately. Benjamin was
• 1:46:07
  more than just his brother. He was his only full brother,
• 1:46:11
  the other son of Rachel, and seeing him brought back
• 1:46:14
  floods of memories about their mother and their childhood together.
• 1:46:18
  Joseph treated all his brothers to a feast, but he
• 1:46:21
  was still not ready to reveal his identity. He had
• 1:46:25
  one final test to conduct. Genesis forty four one through
• 1:46:29
  two describes the set up. And he commanded the steward
• 1:46:33
  of his house, saying, fill the men's sacks with food
• 1:46:36
  as much as they can carry, and put every man's
• 1:46:39
  money in his sack's mouth, and put my cup, the
• 1:46:43
  silver cup in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and
• 1:46:46
  his corn money. And he did according to the word
• 1:46:50
  that Joseph had spoken. Joseph planted his personal silver cup
• 1:46:54
  in Benjamin's grain sack. Then sent his steward to pursue
• 1:46:59
  the brothers and accused them of theft. This was the
• 1:47:03
  ultimate test. Would the brothers abandon Benjamin to save themselves,
• 1:47:10
  just as they had abandoned Joseph years earlier, or had
• 1:47:14
  they really changed and learned to protect each other rather
• 1:47:18
  than sacrifice family members for their own benefit. When the
• 1:47:22
  brothers were brought back to face Joseph after the cup
• 1:47:25
  was discovered in Benjamin's sack, they were completely devastated. Genesis
• 1:47:31
  forty four thirteen to sixteen describes their despair. Then they
• 1:47:36
  rent their clothes and laidd every man his ass and
• 1:47:40
  returned to the city. And Judah and his brethren came
• 1:47:43
  to Joseph's house, for he was yet there. And they
• 1:47:47
  fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said, unto them,
• 1:47:53
  what deed is this that ye have done? WoT ye
• 1:47:56
  not that such a man as I can certainly divine?
• 1:48:00
  And Judah said, what shall we say unto my lord?
• 1:48:03
  What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves?
• 1:48:08
  God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants. Behold,
• 1:48:12
  we are my Lord's servants, both we and he also
• 1:48:16
  with whom the cup is found. The brothers were prepared
• 1:48:19
  to accept slavery for all of them rather than abandon Benjamin.
• 1:48:24
  This was completely different from their behavior twenty two years earlier,
• 1:48:27
  when they had been willing to sell Joseph to save
• 1:48:30
  themselves from the consequences of murder. Judah, who had originally
• 1:48:34
  suggested selling Joseph, now stepped forward to offer himself as
• 1:48:38
  a substitute for Benjamin. Genesis forty four eighteen to thirty
• 1:48:43
  four records Judah's passionate plea to Joseph, offering to take
• 1:48:47
  Benjamin's place as a slave so that Benjamin could return
• 1:48:51
  to their father. Judah explained that Jacob's life was bound
• 1:48:55
  up with Benjamin's life, and that the old man would
• 1:48:58
  die of grief if Benjamin did and return home. This
• 1:49:01
  speech revealed that the brothers had learned to put their
• 1:49:04
  father's welfare and their family's unity ahead of their own interests.
• 1:49:09
  Joseph couldn't control his emotions any longer. Jenesis forty five
• 1:49:14
  one through three describes the moment of revelation. Then Joseph
• 1:49:19
  could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him,
• 1:49:23
  and he cried, cause every man to go out from me.
• 1:49:27
  And there stood no man with him. While Joseph made
• 1:49:30
  himself known unto his brethren, and he wept aloud, and
• 1:49:34
  the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard, and
• 1:49:38
  Joseph said, unto his brethren, I am Joseph. Doth my
• 1:49:43
  father yet live? When Joseph revealed his identity, his brothers
• 1:49:48
  were shocked beyond words. Genesis forty five three tells us
• 1:49:53
  they were troubled at his presence, unable to speak because
• 1:49:57
  they were so amazed and frightened. The brother they thought
• 1:50:02
  was dead was not only alive, but had become the
• 1:50:05
  most powerful man in Egypt. And they were completely at
• 1:50:09
  his mercy. But Joseph's first words weren't about revenge or punishment.
• 1:50:15
  They were about forgiveness and God's sovereignty. Genesis forty five
• 1:50:21
  four to eight records his gracious response. And Joseph said,
• 1:50:25
  unto his brethren, come near to me, I pray you.
• 1:50:30
  And they came near, and he said, I am Joseph,
• 1:50:34
  your brother whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be
• 1:50:38
  not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither,
• 1:50:43
  For God did send me before you to preserve life
• 1:50:47
  for these two years hath the famine been in the land,
• 1:50:51
  and yet there are five years in the which there
• 1:50:54
  shall neither be earring nor harvest. And God sent me
• 1:50:58
  before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,
• 1:51:02
  and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So
• 1:51:06
  now it was not you that sent me hither, but God,
• 1:51:10
  and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh and
• 1:51:13
  lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all
• 1:51:16
  the land of Egypt. Joseph understood that God had used
• 1:51:20
  even their cruel betrayal to accomplish his purposes. Their sin
• 1:51:25
  had been real and painful, but God had worked through
• 1:51:28
  it to position Joseph where he could save both Egypt
• 1:51:31
  and his own family from starvation. This was an excuse
• 1:51:34
  making or denial. It was recognition of divine sovereignty working
• 1:51:39
  through human choices, both good and evil, to accomplish eternal purposes.
• 1:51:45
  Genesis forty five, fourteen to fifteen shows the emotional reunion
• 1:51:50
  that followed. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck
• 1:51:54
  and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. He kissed
• 1:52:01
  all his brethren and wept upon them. And after that
• 1:52:05
  his brethren talked with him. The years of separation, pain,
• 1:52:11
  and wondering were finally over. The family that had been
• 1:52:16
  torn apart by jealousy and betrayal was beginning to heal
• 1:52:20
  through forgiveness and God's amazing providence. Joseph immediately began making
• 1:52:25
  plans to bring his entire family to Egypt. Genesis forty
• 1:52:30
  five nine to eleven records his urgent invitation, haste ye
• 1:52:35
  and go up to my father and say unto him.
• 1:52:38
  Thus saith thy son, Joseph. God hath made me lord
• 1:52:42
  of all Egypt. Come down unto me terry not, and
• 1:52:47
  thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, And thou
• 1:52:50
  shalt be near unto me thou and thy children, and
• 1:52:54
  thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and
• 1:52:59
  all that thou hast, And there will I nourish thee
• 1:53:03
  For yet there are five years of famine. Lest thou
• 1:53:08
  and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty.
• 1:53:13
  The land of Goshen was some of the best pasture
• 1:53:16
  land in Egypt, perfect for Jacob's flocks and herds. Joseph
• 1:53:22
  wanted his family near by, where he could provide for
• 1:53:25
  them and protect them during the remaining years of famine.
• 1:53:29
  The reunion would not only save their lives, but would
• 1:53:32
  also fulfill God's promise to make Abraham's descendants into a
• 1:53:36
  great nation. If Joseph's story has touched your heart and
• 1:53:39
  reminded you of God's faithfulness in your own life, I'd
• 1:53:43
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• 1:53:45
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• 1:53:59
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• 1:54:03
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• 1:54:06
  own pit experience right now. And if you want to
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• 1:54:13
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• 1:54:19
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• 1:54:25
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• 1:54:29
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• 1:54:35
  what pit you might be facing to day, God has
• 1:54:39
  a palace in your future. Just like Joseph, your story
• 1:54:44
  isn't over yet