Hello and welcome to our broadcast. We are in Genesis chapter 43. Tremendous story about Joseph. Have your Bible ready if you can. Well, we're looking at Genesis chapter 43. In our last broadcast, we saw that the family is getting together for a very serious meeting because they have some very serious problems. First of all, there's the problem of the famine itself. It is serious. People are about to starve to death. And then there's the problem of the family, not only because of the famine, but also because of the fact that Simeon was still back in a dungeon in Egypt. And they needed to do something about that. Well, Jacob gets the family together, and he says, you've got to go back to Egypt, and you've got to get some more food. Well, Judah says, we're not going again unless we take Benjamin with us, because they were told by the governor of Egypt, which of course was Joseph, but they didn't know that. that don't come back unless you bring your younger brother. Well, Jacob says he's not going. It's just that simple. He's not going. I'm not going to lose this son. I've already lost one. I'm not going to lose the other one. Well, Judah said you're going to lose him anyway. We're all going to starve to death if we don't get some food, and that will include Benjamin. And Jacob begins to realize that he has a good point there, and so he decides that they're going to let Benjamin go with them down to Egypt. We pick it up in verse 11, and it says, Their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this, take of the best fruits in the land, in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds, and take double money in your hand, and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand. Peradventure, it was an oversight. Take also your brother, and arise and go unto the man. And God Almighty give you mercy before the man that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." And so he's come to this spot where he said, well, we really don't have any other choice. I'm going to have to send Benjamin with you." Now, it's kind of sad here to realize that Jacob is still scheming here. We've got a plan. His plan includes a present. His plan includes we're going to persuade the governor of Egypt to do something. You know, it would be a good idea, Jacob, if you would just trust God in all of this, sending down double money and stuff. You're sending this stuff to the governor of Egypt. who has everything, but that's the way we are. That's what we do sometimes. Well, they get back into Egypt in verse number 15. The men took the present and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin and rose up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. Now that didn't happen in an afternoon. This is about a 200 to a 250 mile trip. And so they were sometime getting there. They finally get there. And it says in verse number 16, and when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, bring these men home and slay and make ready for these men shall dine with me. noon and the man did as Joseph bed and the man brought the men into Joseph's house now this is another very emotional moment for Joseph as he sees his brother Benjamin and then we have a major concern amongst the brothers because they are being led away to yet another location and we read in verse number 18 the men were afraid of because they were brought into Joseph's house. And they said, because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time we brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us and take us for bondmen and our asses. Well, it says in verse 18, they were afraid. The first time the word afraid occurs in the Word of God is found in Genesis 3.10, where We read, Adam said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid. Fear is a direct result of sin. We read in Psalm 119, verse number 20, it says, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments. Fear is a direct result of sin. The Bible also says in Psalm 56 and 11, In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid. If you have a sin problem, you have a fear problem. It's just that simple. Well, these men had a fear problem, and they had a sin problem. Now, they come to the house, and it's so interesting here. Verse number 19, they have a conversation with Joseph's servant. It says, they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house. That's interesting. I'm trying to find somebody who maybe can help them with this. There's a governor of of Egypt, who happens to be their brother, and they don't know him. And they said, Oh, sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food, and it came to pass when we came to the end that we opened our sacks, and behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight, and we have brought it again in our hand. We're bringing it back. We're innocent. We didn't do this. And then in verse 22, and they're still talking to his servant, and other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food. We cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. We are totally innocent here. Now the servant answers, interesting. Look at verse 23. He said, peace be unto you, fear not. your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. Here's his servant is telling these people, he's an Egyptian. Don't, don't be afraid of fellows. Your God is taking care of you. And then he says, look at verse 23. I had, your money I was in charge of that he's telling that I put the money in your sack and then it says in verse 23 and he brought Simeon out unto them now he's been down there we don't know how long it's been it could have been up to a year since they went back home and then came back for more food because they Ran out of food what he brought Simeon out unto them and I'm sure he wasn't kept in a dungeon They thought he was I'm thinking Joseph has taken pretty good care of him all this time However, he still doesn't know that Joseph is his brother well it says in verse 24 and the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water and washed their feet and And he gave their asses pavander. Now isn't that interesting? He brings Simeon out. He brings them all together into Joseph's house. They're thinking, oh, we're in serious trouble. It says back here in verse 18, they're going to fall upon us. They're going to take us for bondmen. They're going to take our asses. What does it say here? He brings them in. He gives them water. He washes their feet and even gives their asses pavander, it says here. totally opposite to what they feared. Well, they have this peace offering here, and in verse 25 it says, they made ready the present against Joseph, and he came at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there. Now that is very interesting, going to eat bread. Several references in the next few verses It says, when Joseph came home, they brought him the present, which was in their hand, into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. Well, you know, it said back there in his dream when he was 17 years old, all that was going to happen. Well, Joseph, it says, he asked them of their welfare. And he said, is your father well? The old man of whom you speak, is he yet alive? And they answered the servant, our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads and made obeisance. Yep, that's what he said they would do when he was 17 years old. Verse 29, he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son. Now Benjamin and Joseph had the same mother, you remember. And he said, Is this your younger brother, of whom you spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. Interesting. Then, it says, Joseph made haste, for his bowels did yearn upon his brother, and he sought where to weep, and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. A second reference to bread. And they sat on for him by himself and for them by themselves, for the Egyptians did not eat with him by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread, third reference to that, with the Hebrews, for this is an abomination unto the Egyptians now it says in verse 33 they sat very important they sat before him the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth and the men marveled one at another so he sets them down in the order in which they were born and he took and sent messes unto them from before them but Benjamin's mess was five times as much as any of theirs and they drank and we're married with him now in verse 25 we have the phrase eat bread in verse 31 we have another reference to bread in verse 32 we again have the phrase eat And in verse 33, we read, they sat. The last time these men sat and ate bread is recorded in Genesis 37, 25, right after they had thrown Joseph at 17 years of age in a pit, it said they sat down to eat bread. Well, as we get into chapter number 44, we read in verse 1, he, that is, Joseph, commanded the steward of his house, saying, Phil, the men sack with food as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money, And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. And soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their asses." Another reference to the fact that he wasn't going to steal their animals, which they thought he would. See, these people, they think everybody thinks like they think. That's what they would have done. They think everybody's as wicked as they are. No, no, no, no, they're not. Well, we read in verse number four, and when they were gone out of the city and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men. And when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have you rewarded evil for good? is not this it in which my lord drinketh and whereby indeed he divineth ye have done evil in so doing and he overtook them and spake unto them these same words and they said unto him wherefore saith my lord these words god forbid that thy servant should do according to this thing now what he's saying is you have stolen you have stolen the governor's silver cup no we wouldn't do that And he said, Behold, the money which we found in our sack's mouth we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal out of the Lord's house silver or gold? You know you can trust us. We came all this way and brought our money back that was in the sack. And then they said in verse 9, with whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my Lord's bondmen. So if you can find that silver cup here, you can kill the guy that has it, and the rest of us will be your servants. Well, he said, now also let it be according to your words, said the servant. He with whom it is found shall be my servant. And ye shall be blameless." Well, then they speedily took down every man of the sack to the ground and opened every man of the sack. And he searched and began at the eldest, interesting, and left at the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack." Well, they rent their clothes, it says in verse 13, laid every man his ass and returned to the city. Well, the men were brought now to a place of distress because of their realization that they had to go back and face Joseph. Keep in mind, Joseph is a type of Christ, and we will be brought to a place of distress when we genuinely realize that we are going to have to face Jesus Christ. The Bible says, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that he is who he said he is. And so, they have come to the realization now They have got to go back, and they have got to face Joseph one-on-one. Well, we're out of time again. We'll leave it there. Be sure and tune in tomorrow. We'll see how this turns out. We'll try to make it plain, and we will try to make it simple.