Genesis 47:11-31

Genesis Study 130

GOD'S GREAT DELIVERANCE

Genesis 47:11-31
Key verse 47:25
"'You have saved our lives,' they said. 'May we find favour in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.'"

Last week we studied about Jacob's pilgrimage. His life was full of toils and trials. But the more he suffered the deeper he met God. In today's passage we see the famine becoming worse. However no one died of hunger. Instead everyone appeared to be happier and thankful. It was because God brought his great deliverance through one man Joseph. How could God use Joseph so greatly? Let's learn the secret.

Look at verses 11 and 12. Joseph settled his father and his brothers in the best part of Egypt. He also provided them with food. In spite of the severe famine their lives became so abundant. So they became fruitful and increased greatly in number. Joseph became a blessing to his father's household. Is that all? No, he became a blessing to all people in his generation.
Look at verse 13. There was no food in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Cultivation was impossible. All shops were closed. The value of food surpassed the value of silver or gold. Had Joseph not stored up the grain the situation would have become much worse. There is another great famine recorded in the Bible. (2 Kings 6:25-29, Lamentations 4:10) At that time a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver. And women cooked and ate their own children. People die of hunger every minute and disease spread everywhere. Robbery become common and riots take place everyday. This is the normal scenario during a great famine. But did such things happen in this passage?
Look at verse 14. People came to Joseph to buy grain. He could increase the price by hundred times. But he did not monopolize the market. He sold the grain at normal price. This made nation's economy stable and people generous to each other. However all the money went to Joseph because the people had to spend their money for food without income. Joseph brought all the money to Pharaoh. In this way he made everyone survive and his master rich. However the famine continued.
Look at verse 15. When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up." It was time for Joseph to release emergency rice. The people expected to receive the government free aid. But what did Joseph do? He said to them, "Then bring your livestock. I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone." So they brought their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. Some poor people could bring only one lamb. But verse 17 says that Joseph provided the people with food throughout that year. In this way he saved the lives of all people and even all the livestock. However the famine still continued.
Look at verse 18. When that year was over, they came to Joseph the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land." When they came to Joseph to buy food with their money, they did not talk to him. They paid money and took away their food. Second time when they came they demanded Joseph to provide them a free government aid. But now when they came to him for the third time, they called him "lord" twice in verse 18 and once in verse 25. According to verse 20 the famine was too severe for them. But they did not demand for free support. Instead they humbly requested Joseph to buy them and their land in exchange for food. In verse 19b, they asked for seed not only for their stomachs but also for their land. They were willing to work the ground even in the worst famine. They might not harvest that year. Yet such hard work would prevent their land from being completely desolate.
How did Joseph deal with their request? Look at verses 20 and 21. He bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh and reduced all the people to servitude. However, the priests and their land remained unsold because they received their salary from Pharaoh. In verse 23, Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground." Since the people became the government slaves whatever they produced should belong to the government. But Joseph declared that only one-fifth of their harvest would belong to Pharaoh and the other four-fifths would be theirs. But this rule was not something new. It had been practiced during the seven years of abundance. (Genesis 41:34) It was easy for Joseph to take advantage of their plight. But he showed them mercy. In India many employees including myself pay thirty percent of our income as tax. But the people in this passage though they were slaves paid only twenty percent of their income as tax. It means they were not slaves according to our standard. In fact they were permanent government employees. Joseph established it as a law. The law was good for Pharaoh since he would have regular income to run his government. At the same time the law was good for the people since they would be free from any illegal or heavy taxes. Joseph let all the people enter into a life time labour contract with the government and secure their future.
Here comes people's expression of gratitude. Look at verse 25. "You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favour in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." All the people were destined to die during the seven years of famine. But God saved all of them through one man Joseph. Even all their livestock was saved. Their land did not become desolate. During the famine the people could have become a begging, demanding and perishing nation. But Joseph trained them, and they became a humble, hard working and thanksgiving nation. Indeed this was God's great deliverance through one man Joseph.
How could Joseph manage such a hard time so well? It was because he was well trained by God. Before entering into the service of managing Egypt he was trained in a management school. The principal of the school was God. But there were many notorious teachers in the school. Joseph's first class started in Genesis 37:24. His class teachers were his brothers. They were burning with anger and jealousy against their student. Joseph's classroom was the empty and dry cistern into which he was thrown by his teachers. Since then his teachers were changed from his merciless brothers to heartless Midianite merchants, then from emotionless Mr. Potiphar to shameless Mrs. Potiphar, again from the bloodless prison warden to the thankless cup-bearer. His classroom was also changed from the cistern to a desert road, then from a slavery field to a dungeon. It took thirteen long years for Joseph to complete the course. During those long years he encountered a severe famine of human love and care. What he received from the people was only jealousy, hatred, temptation, misunderstanding and mistreatment. Many a time he might have asked himself, "Why is my life so hard? Why are people around me so cruel and cunning?" But whenever he remembered God-given dreams he got the answer, "Someday God will surely make me a leader of all. But this dream will come true only when I become a servant of all." Then he humbly learned servantship wherever he went. Before the seven years of famine started God let Joseph undergo the thirteen years of personal famine. During this painful period he learned how to rely on God's love and care. This made him serve the people with God's love and care. Before giving Joseph power to rule Egypt, God showed him mercy in each moment. This made Joseph a powerful yet merciful ruler. He used his power neither to increase his wealth nor to take his revenge but only to save lives. The Egyptians and the Canaanites lived only for today. So they did not store up anything for future. But God trained Joseph to live for tomorrow. Then he could see the things that would happen after three days, after seven years and even after four hundred years. Then through this one trained man God saved many lives.
Is our life harder than Joseph's? Are the people around us crueller and more cunning than the people around Joseph? Even if it may be true, we have God's answer. He is training us today so that someday we may bring God's great deliverance to this generation. God trained Joseph for three things: first to have faith in God, second to have mercy on others and third to live for tomorrow with God's vision. I humbly pray God may help us write Bible testimony and store up this wonderful truth deep in our hearts. Then God will grow us to be like Joseph. And he will bring his great deliverance to this generation through us.

Genesis 47:1-10

Genesis Study 129

JACOB'S PILGRIMAGE

Genesis 47:1-10
Key verse 47:9
"And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.'"

Last week we studied that Jacob's family went down to Egypt. In this passage they settled down in Goshen in Egypt.

In verses 1 to 6, Joseph introduces his brothers to Pharaoh. He chose five of his brothers and presented them before the king. They introduced themselves as shepherds as Joseph advised them. They requested Pharaoh to allow them to settle in Goshen. Pharaoh granted their request. He also granted them a privilege to take care of his livestock.

Look at verse 7. Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. Jacob did not bow down to Pharaoh. Instead he blessed the king in the name of the Lord. In human point of view Pharaoh did not need Jacob's blessing. In fact it was Jacob who needed Pharaoh's blessing. Pharaoh was the king of the most powerful nation whereas Jacob was a refugee in his country. However Jacob saw himself as a source of God's blessing. Fifty-three years ago God promised to him, "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 28:14) If Jacob does not bless, even Pharaoh cannot receive God's blessing. As Jacob was an old and helpless refugee in Egypt, we may be poor in study, jobless, suffering from ill health and strangers in this city. But we are here as the sources of God's blessing. The heads of our colleges and our companies already have many things. But they can receive God's blessing only when we bless them.
In the past Jacob envied Pharaoh-like people. So he worked very hard day and night. He did not mind deceiving his brother and his uncle if he could be powerful and rich. But now he did not envy such people anymore. Instead he had deep compassion on their perishing souls. Jacob's blessing on Pharaoh was not a simple greeting. It was his earnest prayer to bring God's salvation to Pharaoh. We tend to envy those who are powerful and wealthy. But the Bible tells us what we will be in heaven. Let's read Revelation 22:5, "There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." In heaven we will reign with God for ever and ever. God, the King of kings, has made us the Prime Ministers of his world. How does it look if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh competes with elementary school students for the post of prefect? We are not here to compete for earthly power or wealth. We are here to bless the people. We are their spiritual governors.

Look at verse 8. Pharaoh asked Jacob, "How old are you?" "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty," said Jacob. "My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." Here we see how Jacob viewed his life. How do people view their lives? They say, "Life is a voyage. Life is a battle. Life is a survival game. Life is a lottery. Life is a gambling. Life is a romance. Life is an amusement park. Life is a mystery." Whatever it may be, how you view your life will determine how you live your life. As for Jacob life was a pilgrimage. So he lived as a pilgrim.
What is a pilgrimage? It is a journey. But it is not the journey of a wanderer. It is a journey of a truth-seeker. He encounters many ups and downs in his life. But he does not give up his journey. He keeps going until he finds the truth. As for Jacob his life was a journey to meet the true God. Now he became the father of the Prime Minister. He settled in the best part of Egypt. But he did not say, "At last I reached my destiny." He believed he still had many miles to go. He could not stop his journey until he would meet his loving God. This was his song in each step of his journey:

Thou my everlasting Portion, more than friend or life to me,All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee.Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee.

Not for ease or worldly pleasure, nor for fame my prayer shall be;Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.

Lead me through the vale of shadows, bear me o'er life’s fitful sea;Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.

According to the Bible, life is a pilgrimage. Someday we have to leave behind all our earthly enjoyment and achievement. And then we have to meet God our Creator face to face and confess before him all we have done on earth. The Bible says, "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." (Romans 2:7,8)
People see this world as their destiny. So they struggle hard to take possession of many things. But have you ever seen any pilgrim taking his bed, sofa, carpet, cable TV and internet connection along his journey? They make their belongings as light as possible. This was Jacob's attitude. He got a big chance to receive whatever he wanted from Pharaoh. But he did not request anything. In verse 10 he again blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. As a pilgrim Jacob had one two interests: one was to come close to God and the other to help the people to receive God's blessing. In order to be the pilgrims of heaven what should we do? Should we leave our colleges and companies and take our journey to Jerusalem? If we earnestly seek God everyday by holding his promise we are the pilgrims of heaven. And if we serve others to believe in God's promise so that they too may receive God's blessing we are the pilgrims of heaven. Then one day God will take us to his kingdom to reign with him for ever and ever. May God bless us to live as heavenly pilgrims in each day.

Genesis 46:1-34

Genesis Study 128

GOD GOES DOWN WITH JACOB

Genesis 46:1-34
Key verse 46:4
"I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."

Last week we studied that Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He was not angry with them. He said, "It was not you who sent me here, but God." This realisation made Joseph think how best he could help his brothers in God's point of view. Then instead of showing them human sympathy, he trained them harshly until they repented of their sins. But while training them he shed many tears in secret because he truly loved them. When they repented he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. He invited them to Egypt by saying, "Come down to me; don't delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. I will provide you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute." In today's passage they all go down to Egypt.

Look at verses 1 to 4. So Israel, that is Jacob, set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. He wanted to meet his most beloved son Joseph as quickly as possible. However there was something that made him afraid. He was afraid to leave the Promised Land. This fear grew stronger when he reached Beersheba. This was a place where Jacob's grandfather Abraham dug his well. This was a place where Jacob's father Isaac and Jacob himself loved to stay. On reaching this place Jacob remembered his grandfather. Two hundred ago Abraham had gone down to Egypt because of a severe famine. There he solved his food problem. But he encountered so many other problems. The worst was his wife Sarah being taken by the king of Egypt. Once Jacob's father Isaac also faced a severe famine. He decided to go down to Egypt. But God stopped him. Now it was Jacob's turn. He was going to down to Egypt to meet Joseph and escape from the famine. But he was afraid to leave the Promised Land without God's permission. He said to himself, "If this is not God's will…if I can never be able come back to the Promised Land…if my sons lose their faith in Egypt…" Then he decided to offer sacrifice to God and seek his guidance.
God spoke to him in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob! I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." God knew Jacob's fear. But God cleared all his fears. First God will make his small family into a great nation. Second God will go down to Egypt with him, and surely bring him back again. Third God will bless him to die in peace.
In the past God did not allow Abraham and Isaac to go down to Egypt even during the severe famine. But why did he allow Jacob? Was God changing his plan according to Jacob's convenience? No, this plan was already announced to Abraham two hundred years ago. The Lord said to Abraham, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." (Genesis 15:13-16) God allowed Jacob to leave the Promised Land and enter Egypt because his migration to the country was a part of God's plan. It took many centuries for the plan to be completed. By this time Abraham was no more and Isaac was no more. After seventeen years Jacob would be no more. However God himself would fulfil his plan. Had God failed to keep his promise, the Bible recording would have stopped in Genesis chapter forty-six. The movie Ten Commandments and the animation the Prince of Egypt would have never been made. But in Exodus, the second book of the Bible, we see God fulfilling his plan in the most marvellous way.
In human point of view Jacob's migration looks like a poor father rushing to meet his lost son and a poor family running away from the famine. But in God's point of view this was one of the most significant steps. It was a step to change a small family into a great nation that would fear God and serve him. For sometime they would enjoy their lives in Egypt as the family of the Prime Minister. But after the death of Joseph they would be enslaved and mistreated so badly. Their male children would be thrown into the Nile to be eaten by the crocodiles. Yet they would grow to be a great nation. They would come out of Egypt as great victors. How could it be possible? The answer is in God. Please listen to God's promise to Jacob, "I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again." It was not just Jacob's family who went down to Egypt. God himself went with them. When we become a part of God's family and our lives a part of his plan, we are not alone. God Almighty is with us. In each moment he takes a same step with us. He never leaves us until we grow to be a great nation.
How then can we be a part of God's family and God's plan? We learn the secret from Jacob. What drove him was not his emotion or calculation. Even though he was so eager to meet Joseph and the famine was so severe in the land, if it was not God's will he was ready to stop his journey. What drove him was the word of God. Whoever makes his decision based on the word of God will never fail. He will surely become a great nation because God is with him.

Look at verses 5 and 6. Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. Jacob had four wives—Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah. Jacob's offspring through Leah was thirty-three in all, through Zilpah sixteen in all, through Rachel fourteen in all, and through Bilhah seven in all. Verse 27 says, "With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all." It took more than two hundred years for one man Abraham to have seventy offspring in Jacob's time. Can we be patient if it takes two hundred years for our ministry to grow to be seventy in number? We need Abraham's faith. After four hundred years the seventy people would become a nation of two million people. In average five thousand people would be added to them every year. Can we believe that five thousand people will be added to our ministry every year? We need Jacob's faith. What matters is not number but faith. If we have faith in God, we will surely see God's promise coming true.

Look at verses 28 to 34. At last Jacob meets his most beloved son Joseph after twenty-two years. They wept for a long time. Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." Joseph did not provide his brothers government jobs. Instead he advised them to identify themselves as shepherds. In those days all shepherds were despised by the Egyptians. So by identifying themselves as shepherds Jacob's family would have very less chance to be mixed with the ungodly Egyptian culture. As for Joseph, keeping identity as God's chosen people was much more important than the luxury of the world. If we lose the best offer of this world in order to keep our identity, God will give us the best offer of his kingdom. May God help us make our decision not based on our emotion or calculation but based on his promise.

Genesis 45:1-28

Genesis Study 127

IT WAS NOT YOU, BUT GOD

Genesis 45:1-28
Key verse 45:7
"But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance."

Last week we studied about the change of Judah. Once he sold his brother Joseph as a slave for money. But now he was offering himself as a slave to save his brother Benjamin. He said to Joseph, the governor of Egypt, "Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers." Judah had been the most notorious sinner. But now he repented. He turned his life direction. He was no more an old Judah. He became a new Judah. This was the very moment Joseph had been longing for last twenty-two years. God has changing power. He can change the worst into the best. How can we receive his changing power? The word of God carries the changing power. Today's word is given to us to change our lives.

Look at verses 1 to 3. At Judah's repentance, Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" Now only Joseph and his brothers were left. The brothers were wandering why the governor became so emotional. He had been always strict. Sometimes they wondered if this man was cold-blooded. But now he was weeping so loudly that even the people outside could hear him. Have you ever seen any judge weeping like this before the criminals? The brothers were greatly perplexed. Then Joseph said to them, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" What was their answer? The Bible says that they were not able to answer him, because they were terrified. They believed Joseph had died long back. So they couldn't believe him still being alive. Furthermore the slave boy becoming the governor of Egypt was beyond their imagination. For a moment they thought, "Is this governor making fun of us? But how does he know our dead brother's name? And now we hear him speaking directly to us in our own language." However they were not convinced. It was too shocking to believe that the governor was their own brother whom they had sold into Egypt. So Joseph had to tell them again and again, "I am Joseph!" (Verse 3) "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!" (Verse 4) "It is really I who am speaking to you." (Verse 12) But if what he is saying is true, if it is true, they can't expect anything less than the capital punishment. Considering their sins, it was too luxurious even to be the slaves of the governor. The sin they had been trying to cover last twenty-two years has been uncovered by the very person they sinned against. This was the most terrifying moment.
We all fear to face such moment. We don't disclose our failures in study except to our closest friends. Some shameful diseases we don't disclose it to anyone except to a medical doctor. But sin we have committed in secret we want to carry it to our tombs. We regret. We shed tears. But we fear to disclose our sins. When Jesus took our sins upon himself, he cried out to God, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." (Matthew 26:39a) He cried out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) This is the weight of sin. Even for the Son of God it is too heavy to carry. But we still carry its burden because we fear to confess it. Can this burden be rolled out from us? What does today's passage tell us?

Look at verses 4 to 6. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you." Joseph forgave them. When did he forgive them? Was it when Judah repented? No, he forgave them from the beginning. Had he not forgiven them he would not have trained them. While they were still wandering in sins, Joseph loved them from the bottom of his heart. He prayed for them and waited for a chance to help them repent. But the brothers could know his forgiving love only when they repented. They could be free from the burden of their sin only when they repented. When they repented, they were immediately welcomed: "Come close to me," Joseph said. They were immediately comforted: "Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here," Joseph said. They were immediately given great honour to be the brothers of the governor. The famine would last five more years. But from now on they did not need to worry about food. The abundance of Egypt became theirs.
Such is the package God has prepared for all those who repent of their sins. The Bible says, "…God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God loved us even while we were still wandering in our sins. He forgave us two thousand years ago when Christ Jesus died for us. But we will never know his forgiving love until and unless we confess our sins. God helps us confess our sins not to condemn us but to give us the whole bunch of heavenly gifts. In Genesis 44:16, Judah said, " God has uncovered your servants' guilt." But he did not specify his guilt. When, where, who, what, how, and why he had committed his sin he did not mention. However when he showed a sign of repentance in the previous passage, God revealed everything to him in this passage. Every word from Joseph's mouth penetrated his soul like a sharp surgery knife. He felt acute pain on his soul. But when the surgery was over his soul could fly like a bird. In our Mysore tour last Wednesday we visited a bird sanctuary. We had a nice boating. While boating we saw two kinds of animals—one was crocodiles and the other birds. Crocodiles were swimming showing only their eyes and the top of their backs. But the birds were flying freely and beautifully on their white wings. Without confessing our sins we can live. But we will live like the crocodiles. However when we confess our sins we will fly freely and beautifully on the wings of God's forgiving love. May God help us confess our sins and enjoy his eternal freedom.

Look at verses 7 and 8. "But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt." If we saw the great change of Judah in the previous passage, here we see a great change in Joseph's life. In Genesis 37:2 we read about him as follows, "Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them." Joseph was a righteous man. He could not tolerate wrong. Anything incorrect must be corrected immediately and by any means. We know it is very difficult to make a friendship with such person. He is an alien to everyone. But God changed Joseph too. Now Joseph did not argue with his brothers. He did not report his father about what they had done to him. He did not use his power to punish them. When he revealed the truth to them he let all his attendants vacate the room. He forgave their sins and covered their guilt. He was ready to serve them and save their lives. Pointing out their fault was no more his business. His only concern was to help them live before God.
How could Joseph be so changed? We find the answer from his words, "It was not you who sent me here, but God." First this thought freed him from all anger, hatred, and despair. Second this thought led him to a new question, "Why has God sent me here?" For the people in ancient slavery was the end of their lives. There was no hope or meaning. But Joseph believed there was a divine purpose and meaning even in his slavery life because it was God who sent him there. He believed God would never let his sufferings go in vain. When he was falsely imprisoned he said to himself, "It was not Mrs. Potiphar who sent me here, but God." The dungeon was dark and cold. But his heart was bright and warm because he knew it was God who sent him there. When he was released from the dungeon and became the governor of Egypt, he did not become proud. He said to himself, "It was not Pharaoh who rescued me from the dungeon, but God for his own purpose." Finally he realized why he had to suffer so much and then suddenly become the governor of the land. It was to save all nations from the seven years of famine. And it was to help his brothers repent of their sins and become the sources of blessing for mankind. Then he began to prepare to meet God's purpose.
When something goes wrong, we tend to say, "It was you who put me in this trouble." The more we think like that the more we gain our enemies. But when we start thinking, "It was not you who put me in this situation, but God," we can see a different world. We will stop grinding our teeth. Instead we will humbly pray to know God's will. God never allows his people to suffer without any purpose. In fact in all things he works for the good of his people. So even in the darkest moment we can see God's bright hope. Instead of gaining people to hate we will gain more and more people to love. "It was not you, but God"—this one word changed Joseph into a great man of God. Without this one word Joseph's brothers experienced hell in the Promised Land. But with this one word Joseph experienced heaven in the land of slavery. May God plant this one word deep in our hearts so that we too may live like Joseph.

In verses 9 to 15, Joseph invites his father's household to Egypt. If they refused his invitation they would perish in the famine. When we humbly accept God's invitation to Jesus we shall not perish but have eternal life. Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. They became one in love.
In verses 16 to 24, we see Pharaoh's favour on Joseph's brothers. When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh promised to give them the best of the land of Egypt. He said to them, "Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours." Recently I saw an advertisement: "Bring your second hand scooter. We will give you two thousand rupees more than the market value." But I am still hesitating because I have to pay more than thirty thousand rupees for the exchange offer. I wish they say to me like Pharaoh, "Never mind about your old scooter, because the best scooter of our company will be yours free of cost." God has already arranged new and wonderful lives for us. They are all free. Why then should we still live old and miserable lives? God says to us, "Never mind about your old life, because the best life of heaven will be yours. Never mind about your worldly friends, because the best spiritual friends will be yours."
In verses 25 to 28 Jacob hears the news about Joseph. At first he couldn't believe. But when he heard Joseph's message and saw the carts Joseph had sent, he was convinced. When we carefully listen to God's message and see the lives changed by God, we will be convinced.
We have fear to confess our sins. We have fear to face troubles. We have fear to give up earthly belongings. May today's word give us courage--courage to confess our sins and enjoy God's forgiving love, courage to face troubles in God and gain more people to love, and courage to give up earthly belongings and take heavenly treasures.