The Pentateuch Genesis

Joseph Reveals His Identity

Discover Jesus as: Seed Genesis 45-46 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 24 of 730
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INTRO

We are seeing the end of Genesis, and it’s just beginning. The last lesson saw the climax of the situation with Joseph and his brothers. Judah tried to take leadership in the situation by begging Joseph to let him trade places with Benjamin, who had been accused of stealing the silver cup. Commentator Bruce Waltke said, in regard to Judah’s speech to Joseph at the end of chapter 44, “He proves to Joseph, once hateful and selfish, they are now motivated by love for one another. [The brothers] have integrity within themselves and with one another.”1Judah’s response to Benjamin’s predicament and his speech proved he and his brothers had changed.

TEACHING

Genesis 45:1–2: Joseph’s composure and passion could no longer be contained, so he sent everyone away. Joseph signified that this longtime family feud was coming to an end. Joseph had now cried three times: (1) when he first saw his brothers; (2) when he saw Benjamin; and (3) now, when he revealed his identity. Joseph identified himself as a member of this family, no longer as an Egyptian (Hebrews 11:22). All of Pharaoh’s household heard him weep.

Genesis 45:3–4: The brothers were terrified. The word “terrified” here has the same feel as when used in Exodus 15:15; Judges 20:41; and Psalm 48:5. “Terrified” gives the sense of being afraid of joining a battle. Wiersbe noted that this man now standing before the brothers was claiming to be someone whom they thought was dead. This claim caused them to wonder, “If this is Joseph, why has he been treating us like this?” Considering the implications of either possibility, they were speechless.”2Joseph needed them to come closer. There would be no more family secrets.

Genesis 45:5: We’ve said all along,Joseph was the man to preserve theseed, and Joseph himself explained that here in verse 5, “God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” God sent Joseph ahead to Egypt as a forerunner to preserve life and ultimately to preserve the lineage of Christ. We all have the role of forerunner (Luke 1:17; Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6; Hebrews 6:19–20). Waltke noted, “This statement [God sent me] is the theological heart of the account of Jacob’s line. God directs the maze of human guilt to achieve His good and set purposes. Such faith establishes the redemptive Kingdom of God.”3God took all the brothers’ sin and guilt and used it to point to Christ.

W.H. Griffith Thomas wrote, “Happy is the man whose eye is open to see the hand of God in every-day events, for to him life always possesses a wonderful true joy and glory.”4Everyday serves as an opportunity to point others to Christ. Joseph did this over and over (Genesis 50:19–21). Romans 8:28 was Joseph’s heart. His purpose was to save the seed and to be a forerunner. He had to go through some really hard things to save his people.

Genesis 45:6–8: Joseph was not just a forerunner. He was also sent to establish a remnant. Victor P. Hamilton says, “It may well be, in the deliverance of his brothers and his father, that Joseph perceives that more is at stake than the mere physical survival of 12 human beings. What really survives is the plan of redemption announced first to his great grandfather.”5

Genesis 45:9–11: Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, with a sense of urgency. When Abraham was told to leave his home to follow God, he was told to take nothing. Jacob was told to bring everything. If Jacob’s family didn’t come, they would likely die because the famine was going to last for five more years.

Genesis 45:12: Why did Joseph make a distinction between Benjamin’s eyes and his brothers’ eyes? Waltke says Benjamin was the only credible source.6 He was the only one who wasn’t a part of what took place before. Joseph spoke to them in Hebrew. This is one of the most profound illustrations of when life looks bad, but God has a much bigger picture. Whether you are the brother or Joseph, don’t give up, keep your eye on the Seed, Christ.

Genesis 45:13–15: Here is a picture of Psalm 85:10: “Faithful love and truth will join together; righteousness and peace will embrace.” Love, truth, righteousness, and peace are in the presence of the 12 brothers. What were the similarities between Joseph and Jesus? (1) Jesus was rejected the first time when He came to earth (John 1:11; 5:43). (2) Joseph was rejected the first time when his identity was hidden. But when he revealed himself, he was accepted the second time. (3) People will accept Christ the second time (Zechariah 12:10—13:1). When Christ comes back the second time, the Jewish people will realize who He is and will weep and mourn. They will see that He is coming to wash away their sin and impurity.

Genesis 45:16–27: Pharaoh blessed Joseph’s family; “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you” (Genesis 12:3). Joseph, who had his coat taken away and was thrown into a pit, gave his brothers clothes. Joseph was once sold for silver, and now he gave his brothers silver. Joseph was constantly forgiving and gave abundantly (Luke 6:29–30). The brothers told Jacob that Joseph was alive. Jacob was “stunned.” Here, “stunned” meant that his heart fainted, it grew cold, or it might have even gone numb. Jacob might have had a heart attack. The one who Jacob thought was dead was now alive. Jesus, rejected once and thought to be dead, came alive. As soon as God showed up and Jacob saw the wagons, the tangible evidence of his sons’ words, Jacob was revived. Joseph and Jacob would have 17 years together in which they could enjoy being a family.

Genesis 46:1–2: Jacob left Hebron and went about 20 miles northeast to Beer-sheba where God spoke to him in a vision. There is a difference between a dream and vision. In a dream, the person is sleeping. In a vision, the person is awake and tangibly seeing something (Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:17–18). Dreams and visions will continue until Christ returns.

Genesis 46:3: Jacob knew the prophecy from Genesis 15:13, that his people would be enslaved for 400 years. God massaged Jacob’s heart and spoke to him through a vision. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all had encounters with the Lord in Beer-sheba (Genesis 21:32–33; 26:23–25). Repeatedly, Abraham and Isaac heard God promise that He would make them into a great nation (Genesis 12:2; 15:13–14; 17:6; 18:18; 21:13–18). Jacob needed to hear God’s promise too.

Genesis 46:4–34: God promised He wouldn’t keep Jacob in Egypt. God would allow him to die in his own land, Canaan, and Joseph would be with him. This is the last revelation where God spoke to someone in Genesis. The next revelation will be in Exodus, almost 430 years later, to Moses at the burning bush. Jacob’s fear was gone. The entire family went to Egypt. The firstborn sons of Jacob’s lineage are listed. Judah was now the son who was sent ahead by Jacob to meet Joseph, the forerunner for the family, as the family comes to Egypt.Joseph and Jacob were reunited after more than 20 years.God used Joseph to speak into the life of his father. Pharaoh gave Jacob what he had promised for Jacob’s family: the land of Goshen.

CLOSING

When things don’t look good, God still shows up. One man, Joseph, saved his brothers, his father, the seed, and, in reality, all of us.

  1. Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001).

  2. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Authentic (Genesis 25-50), 2d ed. (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1997), p. 142.

  3. Waltke, p. 563.

  4. W.H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis: A Devotional Commentary (London, Religious Tract Society, 1908), 3:40.

  5. Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18-50. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), p.576 6 Waltke, p.564.

Questions

  1. Why did Joseph encourage his brothers to not be angry with themselves over selling him into slavery? (Genesis 45:5; 50:20)
  2. How did Joseph’s experience of being sold by his brothers, God’s plan (Genesis 45:8) for the ultimate purpose of saving them, show us a picture of Christ? (John 3:17; Acts 5:30-31; Hebrews 5:8-9)
  3. Israel set out with all he had in response to Joseph’s call to come with a sense of no turning back. Do you see a parallel to our call to come to Christ? (Matthew 19:21, 27–29; Luke 5:10-11, 27-28; 9:23)
  4. Joseph knew, according to Genesis 45:11, that in order for his family to survive the famine and not become impoverished, he needed to provide for them. In what way is that a representation of Christ and His kingdom? (Matthew 6:33; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 4:19)
  5. God instructed Israel in a vision of the night to not be afraid to go down to Egypt. Why might Israel have been fearful? (Genesis 15:13)
  6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Genesis 45-46 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Genesis 45:7

“God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.”

You only see part of the picture God is writing in your life today. Once again, Joseph gave credit to God for redeeming his life so his entire family could be preserved and delivered.

When the Lord provides restoration, it is emotional and powerful because it is all God, just as it was in Joseph’s family. Today, hang on to this hope. Do not fear even if those around you are not walking with the Lord. Remember, He is with you. Trust Him.

“God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.”

— Genesis 45:7

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Psalm 89:4 — “I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.”
  • Psalm 18:50 — “He gives great victories to His king; He shows loyalty to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”
  • 2 Samuel 22:2–3 — “He said: ‘The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge. My shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.’”