I love this story, I really do. It's been a real blessing to me. In the book of Genesis chapter 41. Genesis chapter 41 is where we're gonna start tonight. We're gonna begin our reading in verse number 37. We'll take up our discussion though in verse number 41. Genesis 41, verse number 37. And the thing was good, in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all of his servants." What thing? Well, it's about the seven years of plenty. Some of the people, no doubt, thought that it was good, because in verse 34, the advice that Joseph gave was this, Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years." And so there's no doubt that people are all for that. Getting 20% of the increase because they'll need it later. That was what they're going to do. So they all liked it. In verse 38, And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man of whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house. And according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I'll set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, Bow thy knee, and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. Verse 44, And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Joseph, and without thee shall no man lift up his head, his hand, or foot in all the land of Egypt. So, beginning in verse number 41, we'll notice the first few words of verse 41, and the first few words of verse 39, and the first few words of verse 44, they're all the same. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, the triune thing he's telling him. He's giving him here charge over everything that he has, over all the land of Egypt. The only thing he said, you won't be Pharaoh, I will be Pharaoh, but you'll be over all this other stuff. You'll be over it all. This is a very remarkable thing. And really, I'm not sure if all of this in chapter 41 transpired in one day or not. I'm really not. It might have. It indicates that it did. But here's the thing I'm thinking about. Joseph was in prison just before this. He was, when he was told in chapter 41 and verse number 14, Pharaoh sent a call for Joseph. And then the Bible said, Pharaoh said in verse 14, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon and he shaved himself and changed his arraignment and came in unto Pharaoh. So all that happened real quick. There's no doubt about that. But I would think that making a decision like this would take a little bit of forethought. Maybe he didn't have any forethought. I don't know. But it seems rather odd to me that the decision was made so quickly. They bring a man out of prison and then to give him a ring on the same day. Seems odd to me. But maybe it's not. Maybe Pharaoh had complete control. And whatever he wanted to do, he would do. And there'd be nobody to argue about that. And so here now, Joseph is out of prison. He's got the king's ring. his authority, to do what he was going to do, and it's all done. In chapter 41 verse 45, Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zanaphaniah. Zephaniah. And he gave him to a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar. I'm saying that wrong. Potiphar. Something like that. Priest of Om. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. So here, in verse 45, the Bible here calls Joseph's name Zephaniah, whatever it is. I'm glad that Joseph's name remained Joseph in the scripture. I can read that one a whole lot better. That's my thought. The name actually means Treasury of Glorious Rest or the Revealer of Secrets. I think Revealer of Secrets is a good name for him. And he gave him to a wife. All this happened in one day? Maybe so. It's written that way. But it's an amazing thing to think about it, that Joseph was in prison, he was called before Pharaoh, he cleaned himself up, dressed in all the Egyptian garment, shaved his head, his beard, all that was gone, and now he is given a wife on that same day. Evidently, I don't think it took very long. If it took more than one day, it didn't take very long at all. And so here he is. The Bible then says in verse number 46, And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, went out throughout all the land of Egypt. And so in the latter part of verse 45 and verse 46, it says essentially the same thing, that Joseph started on his job. I think that's what it's saying. The Bible also says here that Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, 30 years old. He was 17 years old when he had those dreams, remember? He was 17, just 13 years later. That tells me something. Sometimes, in our minds, we think if it don't happen tomorrow, it won't happen at all. Sometimes we think that God has lied to us if He gave us some kind of thing that He wanted us to do, but didn't come out real quick. Sometimes it takes a while to work all the details out. But when you let God work all the details out, it's always absolutely perfect. I mean, it is finished and it's all real, real good. And so here, the Bible said that Joseph He went out throughout all the land of Egypt. But don't forget in verse 46, the Bible said that Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh. Don't forget that. Verse 47. And in the seven plenteous years, the earth brought forth by handfuls. I mean, there was a great prosperity in grain. There was plenty of that. And the Bible says, verse 48, And He gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities, the food of the field, which is round about every city lady up in the same." And so here is Joseph's plan. I think it's a real good plan. There is little transportation involved. Because the place to store the grain was in the cities near where it grew. They didn't transport it a long ways. But they just brought it in, laid up the food in the cities, that 20% is there. And the people then, they had 80% of it left. This was a great time of prosperity, because if you figure it, 20% of the grain would only be 140% for seven years, if I've got my figures right. I think I do. But that's going to be enough to last them seven years of drought. Plus, there's going to be people come in and buy grain from them. I don't know if they figured on all that or not, but I know God did. I think that's why they said it at 20%. The Bible says in verse 49, And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until it left numbering where it was without number. So there was this grain that was stored everywhere. I wonder how in the world did they ever keep mice out of it? You ever been around a grain bin? There's mice all over the grain bin. And some of the grain is ruined. because of the mice getting into it, and because of snakes chasing the mice, and all that. I don't know what they did. I have no idea what they did, but I know this about the Egyptians. Evidently, they had a way to store it that we don't know what is. We don't know about that. I just don't understand that at all. I have seen some of the places where they took this grain and they found it and they knew or they thought that it was grain from Egypt in this time. I don't know if it was or not, but that's what they said. But they planted some of that and it still came up. I don't know how they did that. I have no idea how they did that. I don't mind, the grain that I keep or the beans or whatever that I keep, you need to plant it pretty quick or it'll be spoiled. It won't last long at all. But they had so much, so much grain that they finally just quit numbering it. The numbers just got too big. The Bible doesn't say what year that was, they just, it got too big. In verse number 50, the Bible gives us here some of the things that happened to Joseph in his life, after he had married this one woman. The Bible said in verse 50, and unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came. Two sons, which Ashenath, the daughter of Peripheral, I said that wrong again, that priests of old bear unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. When that child was born, That was a real great thing. A real great thing. As he held that child in his arms, he looked at his wife and he said, God has made me forget. I really think that Joseph hadn't absolutely forgotten his dad or his brothers. But the pain of what he went through, caused by them, is gone. I think that's what he means here. All that suffering, all that anguish, and all that he had, I think that's gone. The Bible said in verse 52, And the name of the second called he Ephraim. For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. And here, Joseph names this second child Ephraim. Not only has he, as Joseph, actually forgiven his brothers, his dad, his mom, all that's gone. But God has also allowed him to enjoy prosperity in the land where he is. And he has work to do. And you know, Joseph was, when he was in prison, working for Potiphar, or before he was in prison, he was a faithful man. He was so faithful. in the detail of what he was doing that Potiphar didn't even know what he was, all Potiphar knew was what he ate. That's all he knew. And then when Potiphar's wife lied about him, he was put into prison, the jailer even turned everything over to Joseph as well because he was so particular with all the details to make sure everything was just so-so. And now, Pharaoh, has given him this great privilege of getting this grain. Joseph is a busy man, but he's giving credit to God, even for his children. He's thanking God for everything. I don't know at this point that Joseph really understands What's going to happen next? But God does. And Joseph is relying upon God to help him, to bless him, and to show him the things that he needs. In verse number 53, the Bible said, And the seven years of plenteousness that was in the land of Egypt were ended. And the seven years of Darth began to come, according as Joseph has said, and the Darth was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When I read this, verse number 53, 54, I thought of my father-in-law, Jim. He worked at Reynolds Metals for 36, 37 years, wherever it was. And one time, they went on strike. And he went to the store, to the grocery store, and he told The man running the store, he said, I want to know how much my bill is. So he told him how much his bill was, and he gave him the money for it. He says, oh, it's what I'm paying right here. Oh, OK. And he said something else. He said, until this track is over, we'll be back, but we'll pay cash for what we get. And the man said, huh, you're doing it backwards, because everybody else is asking for credit. But Jim said, if I don't have any income, I don't want any debts. I think that's a pretty good way to do it. I do. I think it's a pretty good way to do it. Here in this time, the seven years of Darth are beginning to come. They're just beginning, but we need to lay up. Just because you have something doesn't mean you need to spend it all. It doesn't mean that. Sometimes we only have enough money to get us by, month by month. That's okay. That's no problem at all. You do as God wants you to do. But if you've got any kind of money left over, put it back. Just a little bit. Just put it back. And God will bless you. We're talking tonight about Tanya, when we were down at Lynn, Arkansas, and Leland and Marie Howard, they sat up at the front. They were always the first ones to church, always the first ones there. And Tanya would always go up there and talk to them a little bit. And she's just a little bitty thing. And Leland would give her a quarter. He'd give her a little bit more, maybe 15 cents, Sunday night. Wishing I actually got a dime, OK? We told her, hey, don't ask for money. The handle said, it's OK. Let her ask. Murray gave her some gum every time, every time. You know what she did with that? She kept it. She kept it. Put it in, say that was 50 cents a week or whatever. Yeah, she kept it. She did that for seven years. And cars were cheaper in those days. But that's how she made the down payment on that first car. Think about that. I'm just saying, save a little bit. It'll help you. Israel here, I mean Egypt, the Egyptians, they only saved 20%. But it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen much. So just because you got two nickels don't mean you don't need to spend two, that's it. In verse number 55, And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. And Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph what he saith to you, do. I think here, in verse number 55, it goes back to verse number 34, 35, and 36. This was what Joseph, his plan was. Was to put money, put the grain aside, and then later, they could take it up and they could use it. And that's going to be good. So, at this point, Pharaoh is saying to the people, Joseph has been in charge of all this grain, and now it's his to disperse. Okay? In verse number 56, And the famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses. And so evidently they store the grain in some kind of house or something, and sold unto the Egyptians, and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. Verse number 56 is kind of like the government. When they taxed, 20% and then they sold it back. It's kind of like the government. If you want anything from them, you have to pay for it. But you got tax before that. That's the Egyptian government. I didn't say the U.S. was like that. I didn't say that. I think it is. And so the Egyptians, they had to pay for the food they ate. The famine whacked sore and all the countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn because that the famine was so sore in all lands. Well, they came into Egypt, but when they came, they looked up Joseph, not Pharaoh, not anybody else. They looked up Joseph. Chapter 42, verse number 1. Chapter 42. I don't know if Joseph expected this or not. I don't know. But God did. God wanted the Israelites to understand that He has made a provision for them, a good provision, that they might have this grain all available to them. And Jacob, although he is a believer, is no different than anybody else. Jacob evidently didn't have very much put aside either. He had lived in a land of prosperity, during a time of prosperity, but evidently Jacob had not put much back. Maybe some, but not much. And the Bible said in verse number one, when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, he understood it, Jacob said unto his sons, why do you look one upon another? So there they are. The ground is not producing anything at all. And there they are. And so they're just looking at each other, kind of like in the wintertime, kind of like farmers do in the wintertime, when they just sit and look at each other. They tell tales and talk and all that. But there's no work to be done. When it's summertime, boy, there's a lot of work to be done, and the farmers are working hard. I mean, they're running their equipment, all that's going on. By the wintertime, they don't do that at all. It's like it is now. And he said, I've heard that there's corn in Egypt, get you down hither and buy for us from hence, that we may live and not die. So now the brothers are on the way to Egypt. Verse number 3, And Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sinned not with his brother, for he said, Lest perventure mischief befall him. Now, how old is Joseph at this point? The Bible says he's 37, right? He's 37. How old is Benjamin? Well, I don't find any place that the Bible really gives his age. I looked and I couldn't find it, but I did find this. I don't think I wrote any of that down. I didn't. Jacob was living in Pandanaram when he made up his mind that he was going to go back to the land of Canaan. His father-in-law didn't want to let him go at all. But Joseph was already born then, when they left. But evidently, Benjamin was not. Now, look in Genesis 31 and verse number 35. Genesis 31, verse number 35. Here is a time when Jacob is on his way back. He has left Pandanaram. He left in secret three days earlier. And now he's camped and Laban comes to him and finds him. But the Lord has already told Laban, don't you speak good to him. Don't you speak evil, don't you speak none of that. Don't be threatening him, nothing like that. He went down. And Laban told him, he said, I'm sorry you're going. I know that the Lord has blessed me because of you. I know that. But now, My gods are gone. Where's my gods? He didn't know. In verse number 35 is where Rachel was sitting on top of her gods, on top of his gods, covered up, no doubt. In verse number 34, Rachel had put the images and put them in the camel's furniture and sat upon them. So that's where they were. She was sitting on top of the furniture, on top of the gods, the raven's gods. And Laban searched all the temple, but found them not. And she said unto her father, look how she says this. She says this in a very nice way, as well as she can. Let it not displease my Lord. She's calling her dad, my Lord. You're the one, I know you're over me, that's right. That I cannot rise up before thee, for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images. Now, there's no doubt here that Rachel told an untruth. I say that because Jacob was on his way to Canaan. He was on his way. And then, In chapter... Somebody might have to show me where this is. I didn't write it down. It's in chapter 35, verse number 16. Here is where Benjamin was born. I don't know how long it would take him to make the trip. I don't know. But the Bible says, well, I don't think it took him nine months. I don't think it would take him that long. It might, maybe. It don't seem reasonable to me that it would take him that long, but it might. Genesis 35 verse 16, And they journeyed from Bethel, And there was but a little way to come to Ephraim. And Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not, thou shalt have this son also. It came to pass, as her soul was in departing, for she died, that she called his name Benoah, but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephra, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave, that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. All I'm bringing this out for is that we can understand that Benjamin is probably no less than five years difference in their ages. That's all I'm saying. Just looking at the times and all that, it looks like that Benjamin is like, I would say he's around 30 years old. That's what I'm guessing. I don't know. If there's something else in there that I missed, then let me know what that is. But I couldn't find any scripture that tells the age of Benjamin. Now, the Bible, gives us a timeline from Genesis all the way down to the book of Malachi and even past it, it gives us a good timeline that we can understand the different ages and kind of put things in order where they are. But Benjamin's not in there because Benjamin is not included in that timeline doesn't mean that he's not a believer at all. Doesn't mean that at all. By the way, Benjamin had ten sons. You know that? Benjamin had ten sons. That's in Genesis 4, 6 and verse number 21. He had ten sons. It gives their names there. So, it's just very interesting to me to look in and to see and to understand all of that. Benjamin is a great man. But at this point, notice what Jacob said about this, about Benjamin not going. In verse number 4 of Genesis 42, But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren, for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. So Jacob was concerned. The thing about it is, is that it doesn't make any difference how old Benjamin really was, because Jacob was still concerned. He still had on his heart, on his desire, that Benjamin would be taken care of. He was examining all that. He wanted him to be taken care of and to be enjoyed. He didn't want him to get hurt. Jacob knew, he thought he knew, that Joseph had already died. That's what he thought. He didn't want any trouble to come to Benjamin at all. Because Benjamin is the only thing that tied him back to Rachel. He didn't want anything at all to hurt that. And the Bible said in Genesis 42, verse number 5, And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Not only was it in the land of Canaan, but all the place. There was many people that came down to Egypt to get corn. And the only reason Egypt had corn was because they had it in store, had it all set aside, all done up, just like that. We're going to stop right there. We'll take up in verse number 6, the Lord willing, for next Wednesday night. Verse number 6. We'll stop in verse number 5 because verse number 6 gets us into the time when Joseph saw his brothers, but they didn't see him. Joseph saw his brothers, I think, but his brothers didn't see him. So there it is. We'll take up that thought the next time Lord willing. If you're here tonight and you're lost, I tell you what, if you're lost, I pray that Lord would save your soul, but I pray that you might read this story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. It's a real, real good story. It's amazing how that God provides things for us, and that He wants us to depend only upon Him and look only unto Him. That's what the lesson's all about, is that we would always look to God and look to Him, and not just around us as people, and know that we have a home prepared for us in glory. It's a wonderful thing to think about that we don't have to be standing here upon this earth for any reason. God wants us here. But God is using this time to prepare our hearts that we might be the kind of people he wants us to be. That's what he wants us to do. He's given us time that we might not be like we are, but rather we might be like God wants us to be. Is that a struggle? Is that a struggle? Yes, it is. It is for me. Joseph was a man who went through many of the same things that we went through. Different aspects of it, I know, but Joseph learned to yield himself to God and to do what God wanted him to do, and God really blessed. He was really blessed. You would just trust Him. This is a really good story. I like it anyway. I hope you do. If you're lost tonight, we pray for you that the Lord would save your soul, knowing that the Lord knows about you. It's not by accident. God knows you. Understand? God knows you. He knows where you're sitting right now. He knows what you're thinking right now. That's right. I trust that you will come to know Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior. You might come to know Him. He is the true God. There is none like Him at all. He can save your soul.