Featured Passage: Genesis 42-50
The seven years of plenty that God promised quickly passed, and soon famine struck Egypt and the land surrounding it. In Canaan, Israel and his family were running out of food, so when he heard that Egypt had grain, he sent his sons to purchase food there. Benjamin did not go because he was Israel’s youngest son and the only surviving son of Rachel. At least, that’s what everyone thought! When the brothers arrived in Egypt, they were brought before Joseph. Even though they were face to face with their own brother, they didn’t recognize him. On the other hand, Joseph immediately recognized who they were. Should he tell them that he was their long-lost brother? Could he overlook their cruelty on that day that they sold him into slavery? As Joseph agonized over what to do, the tables had been turned. Now, their lives were in his hands. Joseph faced a tremendous challenge, and his brothers were in for a big surprise.
- Why do you think Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him when they came to Egypt? (Possible reasons are he was older, he was dressed as an Egyptian, etc.)
- The brothers attributed their problems to what they had done to Joseph many years before. They felt guilty. Repentance is the remedy for guilt. When we repent, God is quick to forgive!
- What was Joseph’s attitude toward his brothers? Was he bitter? Did he want revenge?
- Imagine the great joy Jacob and Joseph felt when they saw each other again.
- What did it mean for Joseph to receive the birthright?
And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”