In the fifth verse of this forty-fifth chapter of Genesis, we read these words, Now Joseph, in our last several studies, has played very well this cruel Egyptian monarch as long as he possibly can. But his love and his pardon for his brothers at the beginning of this chapter breaks forth like a spring coming forth out of a rocky shelf. It is very significant as we look at this passage of Scripture how many times that Joseph makes reference to God working in his life to accomplish God's purpose. His brothers are shocked. They're ashamed. But Joseph is gracious and forgiving. Here again, he is a glorious type of our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to speak to you tonight, if the Lord will help me a little while, a message that I have entitled, The Revelation of Joseph. four or five things I want to show you. First of all, in the first four verses of chapter 45, we find Joseph revealed to his brothers. Now, Joseph must take responsibility for their relief and their reserve. They are troubled just about as far as they can go. In the last chapter, we found them pleading before him in behalf of their brother Benjamin. He's been found guilty of stealing Joseph's divining cup, his silver cup. And he can't constrain himself any longer from weeping over them and weeping with them. It tells us there in the first verse, calls every man to go out for me. In this place there are many servants. There are many officials of Pharaoh's court. Joseph suddenly, out of the midst of his weeping, says to all those people, leave. Go away. Close the doors. I want to speak to these men. He does so that he might weep with his brothers but without showing their faults to everybody else. It's none of the Egyptians' business at this point in time. It adds nothing to his dealings with them and detracts from his dealings with his brothers. But then it tells us in verse 2 that he wept aloud and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. Can you imagine what kind of strange reports were heard all over Pharaoh's house? They wondered what in the world is going on. We heard Joseph down there. He's crying as hard as he can cry. We don't know what's going on. These Hebrew brothers came down there and now he's dealing with them like we've never heard. Repentance always involves a trust factor. A factor that involves one's throwing Their self on the mercy of God with no other recourse. Joseph's brothers have been brought to that place. Their youngest brother Benjamin has been found guilty of stealing the silver cup of the monarch of Egypt and they have no refuge. They're begging. Judah has offered. He said, I'm standing surety for him. Keep me. I'll be your servant. Joyful servant the rest of my life. Just let him go back to my Father. You know, man likes to cover his sins up. Folks do it in all kinds of ways. They love to do it. They don't like to let their sins be known. But Joseph reveals himself to his brothers in love and compassion, but at the same time he does that, they're absolutely frozen with terror. They're scared to death. They think this man's lost his mind. They couldn't speak. Their conscience, when he said he was Joseph, their conscience began to burn. He said, I'm Joseph. This is the climax of this revelation. He's been dealing with his brothers now for two years. Like Jesus, Joseph knew his brothers before they knew him. I'm always blessed to know that Jesus Christ loved me and gave himself for me before the foundation of the world. Like Jesus, Joseph loved his brothers even when they hated him. They hated him. You've got to hate your brother to sell him into bondage, never knowing whether it's going to end his life or his death. That's what they did. But like Jesus, Joseph saved them before they were even aware of their salvation. I was reading some passages in the Gospels today. It just seemed to me how many times Jesus would heal someone. They didn't even know they were going to be healed. Jesus had already done it. He healed some blind fellow. He said, go wash your eyes. The fellow would be excited. He didn't know. He'd go wash his eyes. All of a sudden he could see. Like Jesus, Joseph called his brothers. They would have preferred to be left alone. He'd have turned them loose and given them their mules. In fact, if they didn't give them anything, if they just turned them loose, they'd all headed for Canaan as fast as they could. They wanted to run from him. They would have preferred to be alone, but he wanted to be with them. There are just too many emotions here to separate. I've read this. I've tried to grasp this and there's just so much emotion here. His brothers are shocked. I mean there's been no preview of this. There's been no indication from him on any of the earlier dealings with them that he even knew who they were or that they knew who he was. And now there's so much emotion. Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, Is my father alive? I'm your brother that you sold into Egyptian bondage. They're shocked. They're humiliated. But Joseph is full of joy. His heart is full. His message is authenticated by his testimony. He said, you're the ones that sold me into bondage. You're the ones that put me here. What strange words to hear. What strange words. Can you imagine what kind of emotions filled their souls? They thought their brother was gone or he might be dead. They weren't sure where he was. But they never thought about this great monarch who sat on the throne of Egypt being their brother. And now he says he is. Joseph, just like Jesus does, called those who were already his brothers. I look back over the last couple of chapters and all those times they would come and stand before him and want to buy grain and he would talk to them and they were afraid of him and he would speak harshly to them and threaten judgments against them. He called them in secret. He knew who they were. He called them by their names. It always struck me funny that never connected with them. He called them by name. They never caught on to that. He calls them in spite of all their previous actions. The fact that they hated him. The fact that they put him in a hole. The fact that they sold him to the Midianites. The fact that they had forgotten about him for twenty years. But Joseph holds all the cards. He could play them exactly as He wanted to. He was coming to them with a conviction that the Sovereign God was in absolute control of them and Him and everything around them. He said, I'm Joseph, your brother. And verses 5-8, we find Joseph's explanation of God's providence. If you understand God, you'll come to understand His providence. And if you understand His providence, you'll be blessed in who and what He is. Now, God had worked patiently to awaken these brothers' conscience and to bring them to spiritual life and spiritual refreshment. Several things he did. He subjected them to physical need. These men were starving. There was no food in their house. Their children were hungry. They came because they were desperate. They didn't come to Egypt because they wanted to. They didn't come because they enjoyed the scenery. They certainly didn't walk 250 miles just to get a hamburger. We all want God to give us plenty. We always want him to pile our tables full and fill our pantries, but the truth of the matter is sometimes the best way for us to learn is when our bellies are gnawing or some other physical need that we have. Secondly, he subjected them to harsh treatment. Joseph was harsh to these men. He spoke to them cruelly. He accused them of being thieves. He accused them of being spies. He accused them of being liars. They were terrified of him. He taught them the value of solemnity in his prison. I can say this to you because a large number of you folks here that are my age or older I'm amazed at how much I've learned as I've gotten older about being quiet and about hearing God speak when there's not so much commotion around. Those brothers had learned some of that. He had shown them God's sovereign purpose in their return monies. The first time they came down when they got home, All the money that they gave him was back in their sacks. They brought it back. He put it back in there. They went home with all their money. God had taken care of them. He taught them ordained necessity that they must do God's business God's way. Maybe the greatest lesson that a human being ever learns in this world is to do God's business and do it God's way. He showed them genuine affection in Joseph's actions and Joseph's words. When they came back to Egypt, remember they told their father, said, this man is a cruel man. He's a harsh man. He deals hardly with us. And when they came back with Benjamin, he was a different person. He spoke to them kindly and sweetly. prepared a meal for him in his house. And then he destroyed their self-confidence with a little silver cup. Just one little silver cup. Put it in Benjamin's sack. You see, God was in Joseph's thoughts constantly. Let me read you three verses from the book of Genesis. We've read these before, so you've got to turn back there. Genesis 39.8, he said, There is none greater in this house than I, neither hath he kept back anything from me, but thee, because thou art his wife. He's talking to Potiphar's wife. And he ends the statement with this, How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? Joseph's always thinking about God. In chapter 40, verse 8, they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you. He was talking to the baker and the butler there in prison. And then in chapter 41, verse 25, When they told Pharaoh, there's a fellow down there that can interpret dreams, and he called him out. He said unto Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh is won. God hath showed Pharaoh what he's about to do. Joseph's always thinking about God. God's overruling purpose and God's overruling providence never minimize human wickedness or evil conduct. God lets men do what their natures make them want to do. He lets them loose sometimes until it's time to restrain them. Joseph's brothers were just as wicked as if what they thought had happened to Joseph had actually happened. Their hearts wouldn't have been any different. But Joseph understands that his brothers are in a humiliating position. You see, there's a fit punishment due them for their evil act. Remember what he said? His servant modified it. His brothers were stupid. They said, whoever did this, kill them and the rest of us will be slaves. And the servant changed it and said, no, whoever stole the cup, he'll be the master's servant and the rest of you can go home to your daddy. That's a harsh punishment. They know if they go home without Benjamin, their father's going to die. There's the wisdom of God that has orchestrated this plan. These men headed back to Canaan thinking everything was fine. Man, this guy was nice to us. He was good to us. He invited us to ask for supper and he's sending us home. We've got Simeon with us. We've got Benjamin with us. Everything's cool. Until Joseph Stewart showed up. There's a release of guilt that's been given to them through the forgiveness of sin. Joseph said, I don't hold you responsible. Don't be grieved, don't be angry with yourselves that you sold me because God sent me before you to preserve you. There's a probability here, a real probability of a family restoration yet to come in God's providence. My family is not too much about reunions and stuff like that. Every once in a while we get together and they're pretty meaningful events. The older I get, the more folks die off in my family, the more I look forward to those things. But situations which our sin produces leave us in a circumstance with limited options. But repentance opens unexpected options. When he was convicted of his sin with Bathsheba, he said this in Psalm 51 10, Created me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. David knew he couldn't fix his heart. He knew he couldn't fix his spirit. And he cried out to God, I'm guilty. Lord, give me a new spirit. Give me a new heart. These brothers now hear the Egyptian monarch speak what to them are some amazing words. He said, These two years hath the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years in which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you of posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me here, but God. And he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and the Lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt." Remember when Joseph had a dream when he was a teenage boy, and all his brothers were going to bow down to him, and they mocked him and they hated him for it. Jacob pondered on it, but his brothers hated it. It seems as if God has brought that to pass. The anger and the wrath that they felt towards Joseph in that day have been fed by divine prophecy. And Joseph's authority did not come from Jacob's house. You've got to remember something. Jacob's house, Abraham's house, all the house of the patriarchs, they're used to people doing what they tell them to do because they all had so much money. And they had so much power. And they manifested the presence of God so much that people honored them and bowed down before them. But Joseph's authority as the master of Egypt did not come from Egypt and did not come from Jacob. It came from God. And none of these situations are accidental. God is always, always in charge. I don't know if you ever feel this way, but there are times in my life when just for a moment, I wonder if anybody's in charge. It seems like the world's in chaos, confusion. But when those moments come in my life, and the older I get, the more often it happens, I'm very conscious of the fact that God's on the throne. It's doubtful if guilty men have ever heard such words as these. God orders all the disorders in this world by definite counsel. He ordains all things to be for His objectives and to work out for His glory. And Joseph here makes the best of a bad situation to glorify God. But he also does it in a way to calm his brother's disturbed heart. They're tore up. Now, I don't know about you, I put myself in their place. I can think, man, what I would feel like if I'm in this situation. I sold my brother into slavery and now I've been coming down here and I find out this great monarch that I've been dealing with, this man I've been begging for food to feed my family, he's my brother. Verse 9 through verse 11, Joseph's first request to them was, bring my father down here. He said, haste ye and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down unto me and tarry not, and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast, And there will I nourish thee, for yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty." Joseph reveals his coup de grace to his brothers because God has put him on the throne of Egypt. They are now going to be at peace. Joseph credits God with accomplishing his purpose in Joseph and in his brothers. You see, God prospered Joseph and made him the Lord of Egypt. He'd still be over there in the prison if he'd been left up to men or they'd have sold him off or killed him by now. God saved the brothers' lives through his working in Joseph. The 119th Psalm, the 67th verse says this, Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word. And by the way, not only did God save Joseph and save his brothers, but you ought to also consider that God saved a whole lot of other people. I was looking at a map the other day. in that whole country. Joseph had prepared Egypt for this famine. But they're surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people and the famine has affected their land. There's no water. There's no crops. There's nothing. No harvest at all. If they want food, they have to get it from Joseph. And God put him on the throne. He says to them, I'll put you in the land of Goshen. Goshen in that time, and I suppose it still is, is the most fertile and prosperous pasture land in all the nation of Egypt. There are very few people in Egypt who make their living by raising cattle or sheep and goats, but most of them live in that land where Goshen was. And it's wonderful to see God's plan come together for them. Joseph's family didn't know how to do anything but raise livestock. They raised sheep and goats and cattle and camels. And now he's got a place for them that's got plenty of grass for all their animals. Another advantage of Goshen is that it's away from all the big cities. So Joseph, who understands that God has brought them there for a period of time, He knows he can put his family in Goshen and they won't be so easy for the Egyptians to look on. He promised that the entire family could come and live in Goshen and everything they needed, everything they needed would be provided by Joseph's prosperity. I've been thinking about that today. friend of mine died this week and I think about the situation in his life. But you know the glorious thing about heaven is we won't have to do a thing. We won't have a single need. Everything we need will be provided for us by the Lord Jesus Christ. Like Joseph's brothers, we're often ignorant of God. I confess it. You may not, but I do. I confess it so many times in my life, I'm so focused and concentrated on what I'm doing or what I intend to do that I forget about God. We're rebellious and dead, trespassers and sins. But God is always, I mean always, in sovereign control. in our lives. I think about that so many ways. I see a mouse running across the yard. God provided for that mouse. I see a bug on the rose bush. God's provided for that bug. I sit down to eat a sandwich. God provided it. Now verse 12 through verse 15 we find an outburst here of love and affection. Joseph for his brothers and between Joseph and Benjamin. Remember that Joseph and Benjamin have not seen each other for almost 25 years. Benjamin was a small boy. when Joseph was sold into bondage. For 25 years, these two brothers, who were the sons of Rachel, have not spoken to each other. They've not touched each other. They've not had any idea what the other one was doing. In fact, Benjamin thought his brother was dead. 12 Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you." For the first time in all their meetings, the first time when they came down to buy grain, the second time when they came to buy grain and they came to his house to eat, when they came back before him when the cup was discovered, He spoke to them in Egyptian. And he used an interpreter to speak to them. But now, for the first time, he ran everybody else out. Nobody there but him and his brothers. And the Scriptures we've been reading are his words to them in Hebrew. His knowledge of them and his voice settle the issue of who he was for his brother. I mean, I'm human enough, I think about it like this. If I'd been them and this fellow, this monarch of Egypt said, I'm your brother Joseph, the one you sold into slavery, I thought, this guy's pulling my leg. But Hebrew's not an easy language to speak. And this Egyptian monarch robed in gold and silver and the ornate robes of the monarch of Egypt speaks to them in perfect Hebrew. His words to them are sweet promise. God is looking on you. The prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 52 verse 8, Thy watchman shall lift up the voice With the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion." This man, Joseph, has been speaking Egyptian for over 15 years. He has not spoken a word of Hebrew since he's been a slave. And now he speaks to his brothers in perfect, untainted Hebrew clarity. Now the natural drive of the wounded flesh is to seek revenge. It's just as natural as it is to have ten toes. When somebody does something to you that you won't get even with them. You want to get revenge on them. But Joseph speaks to these men and says, Tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and of all that you have seen, and you shall hasten and bring down my father hither. Joseph, the master of Egypt, extends reconciliation to his brothers. You sold me into slavery. You sent me down to Egypt. But don't grieve over it too much because God used you to bring me here to save a lot of people's lives, including yours. These guilty brothers got a lot more than they deserved. If you'd have took them out behind a smokehouse and took an old tobacco stick and beat them good, it'd probably been more than they deserved. But now he speaks to them with the utmost kindness. With the utmost humility. Then in verse 14 it says, he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and he wept. And Benjamin wept upon his neck. You know God's people are not a bunch of stoics. With hard hearts and bitter tongues. They have natural affections just like everybody else does. But they have a stronger feeling for God's glory that overwhelms them. And Joseph passionately embraces Benjamin. These brothers haven't seen each other for 25 years and now they embrace. And they weep. Benjamin falls on his brother. Now Joseph, verse 15 says, moreover he kissed all his brethren and wept upon them and after that his brethren talked with him. There are five things that Joseph shows us in his gracious greeting of his brothers. First of all, he showed genuine humility. This man is second in command to Phaedo. The only thing in in Egypt that he's not in charge of is Pharaoh. And yet he grips these men and he kisses them and he weeps on them. He speaks to them kindly. He displayed abundant love towards his brothers. I tell you, I've got some kinfolks that it's hard for me to love them. They're not very lovable. But tragedies come in our lives and troubles come and you feel compassion. Not only did Joseph feel love for his brothers, he felt genuine forgiveness. He did not hold them guilty. He didn't hold them responsible for what he had been through. He's been in prison. He's been accused of sexual assault. He's been ignored by men he helped. And now God's put him in a position on the throne of Egypt. He acted with profound wisdom towards his brothers. I'm sure some of the earlier chapters we read, it sounded like he was getting even. But Joseph had a purpose. And God had a purpose. And He was using Joseph to implement His purpose. Now Joseph had been greatly harmed He was a prisoner. He was a faithful servant of Potiphar. And then Potiphar's wife lied on him. He sent him to prison. And God blessed him there. And men forgot him. But then God brought him out. But all Joseph's problems, his adversity, false accusations, all the difficulty, didn't make Joseph want to harm his brothers. Verse 15, Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and he wept upon them. And after that his brethren talked with him. These forgiven brothers who a few verses back didn't want to talk. They had nothing to say. They were being quiet. Now they want to talk to Joseph. The guilty have been forgiven. The offended one forgives. And reconciliation is achieved. I tell you, it must have been a marvelous night when Joseph revealed himself to his brethren. I read that statement in verse 3. I am Joseph, but my father still lives. And I imagine what they must have felt like. The shock that swept over their souls, however, is soon overwhelmed by the gracious love of their long lost brother. The shared love of Joseph and Benjamin is precious. and tender. They have been separated for too long. Things at last seem to be wonderful for Joseph and his family. The prospect seems to be sure that their broken family will be put back together. when Pharaoh gets involved in this reconciliation. Until then, we'll just rejoice and be glad that Joseph and his brothers are at peace. Amen.