Coming face to face with our sin is never a comfortable experience. Realizing that we have done wrong is a challenging process. Many times, we can spend time avoiding the consequences or justifying our actions to ourselves, but eventually God puts us on a collision course with the consequences of what we have done. Joseph’s brothers start to realize this in Genesis 42:25-28. Then he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” Genesis 42:28 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.42.28.NASB They had tricked…

Forgiveness is given, trust is earned. After all these years, Joseph finally comes face to face with his brothers. The very people who were responsible for all that he has been through. Read Genesis 42:6-25. Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” Genesis 42:21 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.42.21.NASB We know that Joseph had forgiven them from the glimpse into his personal life and how he named his sons. However, forgiveness and trust are two different things. While he may have forgiven…

Practical advice.  Now that the famine has hit, the people in the surrounding country are feeling the effects. The land of Canaan is also experiencing famine and Joseph’s family among them. Jacob decides it’s time to do something. Read Genesis 42:1-7. He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.” Genesis 42:2 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.42.2.NASB I often wonder why Jacob had to be the one to share this advice. Surely the sons had heard the same rumors. Yet Jacob tells his older boys, “Look, I’ve heard where there is…

Famine strikes. Everything that God showed Joseph was going to happen has happened. Soon the people of Egypt run out of food and start coming to Joseph. Word spreads and not long after the whole world is coming to Joseph. Read Genesis 41:53-57 The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth. Genesis 41:57 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.41.57.NASB All of a sudden, everything that God had shown Joseph as a young man is coming true. God’s will, God’s way, in God’s timing. What has God promised us? Do we continue to trust Him, even when it takes longer…

After all that has been discussed regarding Joseph, God gives us a quick glimpse into Joseph’s personal life. Reading through Genesis 41:50-52, we see Joseph as a happily married man becoming a father. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis 41:51‭-‬52 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.41.51-52.NASB The naming of children had incredibly important significance in that day and time. The names of children would often reflect the circumstances around their birth or any other special event that was going…

Have a plan. Work the plan.  As Joseph was telling Pharaoh all about the plan that he had for helping the people get through the upcoming years of famine, then Pharaoh put him in charge. So what does Joseph do? Joseph executes the plan the he had been given by God. Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure. Genesis 41:49 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.41.49.NASB These certainly were years of great abundance. Joseph stored grain in every city and the grain is described as being so great an abundance that they stopped measuring it because it…

Give credit. We saw, a few days ago, how Joseph made sure to explain to Pharaoh exactly who was the one who would be interpreting the dreams that Pharaoh had. Now it’s Pharaoh’s turn to acknowledge God’s hand in this. Read Genesis 41:38-40 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. Genesis 41:39 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.41.39.NASB Because Joseph acknowledged God’s power to interpret dreams, Pharaoh gave the credit to God as well. However, he went a step further and recognized the wisdom that Joseph had because he listens to God. Pharaoh had probably seen several…

How long do you expect to wait on God? A day, a week? We have such short timelines and expectations of when we think God should act. What was a timeframe for Joseph? See Genesis 41:1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. Genesis 41:1 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.41.1.NASB Joseph had gotten his hopes up that the cupbearer would plead his case to Pharaoh. He was probably thinking every morning, “Today might be the day that the cupbearer’s story will result in me getting out of here.” Nothing. A week, a month, several months go by…

It’s hard to deliver bad news. No one just really loves telling people difficult things, but sometimes we make the mistake of not giving feedback when we should simply because it’s not what the person wants to hear. Read Genesis 40:16-19. within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.” Genesis 40:19 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.40.19.NASB Pharaoh’s chief Baker had a dream too. He shared his dream with Joseph, especially after having been encouraged by hearing such a favorable interpretation of the chief cupbearer’s dream. However, Joseph did not have nearly as good…