As I said, I want us to read this chapter and into chapter 45. So some lengthy Scripture readings today, but again, no apologies for these. Genesis 44, And He commanded the steward of His house, saying, Fill the men's sacks 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. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 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 ye rewarded evil for good? Is not this that in which my Lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? Ye have done evil in so doing. And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my Lord these things? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing. Behold the money which we found in our sack's mouths we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal out of thy Lord's house silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my Lord's bondsmen. And He said, Now also let it be according unto your words. He with whom it is found shall be My servant, and he shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground and opened every man his sack. And he searched and began at the eldest and left at the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes and laid it every man his ass and returned to the city. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was yet there. And they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? Watch ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What shall we say unto my Lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants. Behold, we are my Lord's servants, both we and He also with whom the cup is found. And he said, God forbid that I should do so. But the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant, as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. Then Judah came near unto him and said, O my Lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my Lord's ears. And let not thine anger burn against thy servant, for thou art even as Pharaoh. My Lord asked his servant, saying, Have you a father or a brother? And we said unto my Lord, we have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And Thou saidst unto Thy servants, bring him down unto me, that I may set my eyes upon him. And we said unto my Lord, the lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass, when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my Lord. And our father said, Go again and buy us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down if our youngest brother be not with us. If our youngest brother be with us, then we will go down. For we may not see the man's face except our youngest brother be with us. And thy servant, my father, said unto us, You know that my wife bare me two sons, and the one went out from me. And I said, Surely he is torn in pieces, and I saw him not since. And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, he shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore, when I come to thy servant, my father, and the lad be not with us, seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life, it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die. And thy servant shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant, our father, with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever. Now therefore I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad, a bondman to my Lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father and the lad be not with me? Lest, peradventure, I see the evil that shall come on my father." And Joseph could not refrain himself. before all them that stood by him. And he cried, calls every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians in the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph. Doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither. For God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God. And he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 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, Tarry not. And now skipping down to verse 24, So he sent his brethren away, And they departed. And He said unto them, See that you fall not out by the way. And they went up out of Egypt and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not, And they told him all the words of Joseph which he had said unto them. And when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, it is enough. Joseph, my son, is yet alive. I will go down and see him. before I die. Amen. We'll end our reading. Trust the Lord again. We'll bless the public reading of His inspired Word. Let's bow our heads and our hearts again together. Our Heavenly Father, we come today with hearts moved even at the rehearsal of the familiar story of Joseph And yet, Lord, we trust our hearts are moved as we consider that greater Joseph, that infinitely greater deliverance that He has prepared for His people, those He is not ashamed to call His brethren. Lord, what an easy thing to explain it would have been if this Prince of Egypt who had been ashamed of these wicked, cruel brothers that showed up. Lord, how much more do we deserve that our greater Joseph would be ashamed and cast us aside? And yet, Your inspired, inerrant, truthful Word says of our Christ, He's not ashamed to call us brethren. He has purchased us with His blood and made us His own. Lord, give us grace to consider something of both of these Josephs today. We pray and ask it in Jesus' worthy name. Amen. We've taken time today to read together a portion of the story of Joseph that is so vivid and so affecting that we have to take our place alongside of other commentaries and other commentators and preachers and say it's almost embarrassing to seek to add comment. Who can be unmoved by hearing the record of this story? We could almost fill, we could say, a month of Sundays in looking at the individual characters in this story by themselves. Obviously, we find ourselves feeling, thinking along with Joseph, the center of this part of the story. But put yourself in the place of others. Put yourself in the place of Jacob back in Canaan. Review the whole narrative from his perspective. Then do the same in the position of Reuben. The position of Judah. Two of the older brothers whose sinful hearts and lives have already been put on display. Just think of again the selective history. The little small glimpses we get into the years and decades and centuries. The sins of Reuben and Judah highlighted, put out there for us to know about. And these are beside the great sin of selling their brother into slavery. And then, think of the story from the perspective of Benjamin. Well, this is to say nothing of the unique lives and exposure to the truth that are displayed by Joseph's Egyptian servants. or even in the portion we omitted from chapter 45 of Pharaoh himself. What's going on in their lives? What impact has touched them? As we've read now in the mouth of more than one Egyptian, something of the God of Israel. Joseph indeed has touched the world with his story. We will not attempt to follow every thought that's suggested by singling out all of these individual characters, but rather to review again the broad outlines of the story. Imagine again the past 20 years. What those decades have looked like in the land of Canaan. Jacob has spent his days in sorrow over the loss of his beloved and chosen Joseph. The reluctance of his other sons to speak more fully about what happened, or to share some comparable sorrow about Joseph's loss, certainly has been no encouragement to their father. The routines of life have carried on. The record shows, as we've stated already, that numerous sins have prevailed in the family. One wonders how much loving and joyful conversation about the promises have occurred at the various family gatherings. How much time and attention are being paid to the fact that God is through them preparing to send the promised Messiah. And now, to add as it were to their corporate misery, a famine more severe than any they've known has descended upon the world. Hope seems all but banished from the chosen family as circumstances compel them now a second time to seek relief from Egypt with this new mysterious ruler. Little does anyone suspect that gloom and sorrow will break forth into the brightest of days before this second journey into Egypt is over. I want us to look today at these lengthy chapters just under the thoughts and headings certainly of Joseph making himself known to his brethren. I just want us to give simple consideration today from four different perspectives to this chapter of Joseph's story. So the first perspective I would put before you is to consider that we find here fears overcome. Fears overcome. There must have been fear enough to go around back in Canaan. You think of the brothers' consciences as we saw them in that first visit to Egypt, the first appearance before Joseph. The sin of 20 years prior smites them. They don't know it's Joseph. They just know something inexplicable is happening. Life has been interrupted. They've been called and questioned with regard to their family. They fear and tremble before this powerful ruler that speaks harshly to them. Doesn't trust them. Accuses them of being spies. When I was reading a few weeks back floated the suggestion or at least the curiosity that when he says perhaps almost his first words to the visiting brothers, you're spies to come and see the evil, the calamity of the land, you're come. That perhaps it was being accused of being a spy that his brothers cast in Joseph's face. Dad send you to come spy on us again? to tell you what all was going on? Well, be that as it may, these brothers have met with fear as they appear before Joseph. And those fears bring them right immediately to the root of their sinfulness. They perhaps haven't spoken much about it over the 20 years. It's too difficult to bring up. Too much work to keep their stories straight. You know, it's always amazing how you have to work hard to keep the lies going and make the story fit. That's when it's one person floating the lies. How do you keep ten stories together? So these brothers, I say, rightly are fearful and their conscience is stirred. They return home and speak to their father Jacob. And Jacob's response surely displays fear. on his part rather than faith. What have you done? Where's Simeon? Well, Dad, there's something we've got to tell you. Things didn't go exactly as planned in Egypt. There's a new ruler there. A man just under Pharaoh that rules the whole land. And he made us appear before himself. He asks us some pretty straight questions. And here's how things are. We can't go back unless we bring Benjamin. Benjamin? How does he know about Benjamin? Well, he asked. Are you all brothers? Oh, I think you're a bunch of spies banded together. You're all brothers? You have one dad? Yeah. Got any other brothers? Well, yes. Tell me about him. How could we know what this ruler would do? And what do we find? The closing thoughts and the closing portion we read last week. Poor Jacob. Bereft of Joseph. Fearful for Benjamin. Simeon is lost. Who knows what will become of him in an Egyptian prison. All these things are against me. But they can't get away from the famine. They can't just take it as another loss. Hopefully, Simeon's going to get on okay, but we are where we are. No, God won't leave them alone. The famine prevails. And since we're talking about big picture stuff as we often like to do, think again of the big picture stuff behind the scenes. God sent the famine. They're struggling there in the land of Canaan. God could easily have not sent the famine. What is He doing in the famine? He's causing them to examine their hearts. He's causing them to work through their sin. Behind this frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. He won't relieve the famine. He uses the famine to bring them to Joseph. Judah appears in the story. As we come to our second perspective today, I suggest to you that we find here repentance displayed. We cross some of the timing here. Judah has spoken to his father and we'll learn of that as we see Judah's speech before Joseph. But they do secure their father's permission. They do return to Egypt with Benjamin. It's interesting to see. I don't think it's... 100% consistent, but preachers and commentators draw attention to this, and I think there's warrant in it. It's interesting in the narrative, the seasons in which Jacob is called by his name Jacob, and when he's called by his name Israel. And it's Israel that gives them leave to go into Egypt and to take Benjamin. He can finally say, if I am bereaved, I'm bereaved. Perhaps something of Abraham's faith, a faith that's looking forward to the day of resurrection, is dawning afresh on Israel's heart. But He gives them leave and they return into Egypt and I say we see here repentance displayed. You can imagine Some consider that Joseph perhaps has been nervous. What's going to transpire? Are they going to come back? Food should be about running out by now. He's watching and he's waiting for them. And finally the day comes. These Hebrews from Canaan appear in the markets again looking for the place where they can again purchase grain. Joseph's servants see them. Joseph himself is aware that they're there. He tells his servant, bring them to my house at noon. They're going to dine with me. Joseph sets interesting tests before them. Obviously, he's put the test out there. Don't come again unless you bring Benjamin. Now they do bring Benjamin. He has his servants set them. You can imagine their amazement as all their places are set. Don't know about those Egyptian place cards we find at our dinners at times. But they're all seated, eldest down to the youngest. They appear at Joseph. Apparently, some suggest as you see the different three to four places where they're all seated, Joseph serves them. The provision comes from the table before him. And they have their mess. I remember being a little boy, and the only time the word mess was used was when it was with reference to the floor of my room. You were to clean up the mess. Well, I learned good uses of the word mess, like the mess tent. It's where you went for calories and sustenance. Benjamin's mess is five times that of the others. How will these brothers take it now? They had a brother once before that was favored. He had a coat of many colors. He had the smile of his father in ways that they did not. He got blessing, favoritism from his father in ways that they did not. His younger brother now favored. Attention drawn to Him. He is set above them. What will they do with this favoritism now? To extrapolate or to expand rather the test. He tells the servant to fill their sacks again as much as they can carry. Put in all their money. But take my cup. and put it in Benjamin's sack. The servant follows them out that morning, and you see the servant playing the part even as much as Joseph. They all bring down their sacks. The servant knows where the cup is. He put it there. But he starts at the eldest. Doesn't give any indication that he just goes right to where he knows it is, but they are confident that it's not there. They're certain of their innocence in this. And then there's the cup. And you can almost feel the tension. Benjamin. Maybe they entertained a brief thought. Did he steal that? Or maybe it's just another mystery like their money the first time. And now this time. But whatever it is, They all, they won't let the servant take Benjamin back. They all return. They appear before Joseph. How will they treat this new favorite Benjamin? Will they be content? This time with an excuse at least. A reason. What can we do, Dad? We're surrounded by Egyptians. We're not an army. It's the most powerful country on the earth right now. We couldn't stop it. No. Judah. Judah speaks. This is one of the times in which the typology shifts. We see so much of our greater Joseph we've called our Savior in the story. But now there's another that steps up to remind us of Him. Judah. Judah who has been no paragon of virtue. Judah who perhaps haltingly would have done things a little differently, but yet allowed the crime to take place. Judah now steps up before Joseph. He rehearses the story. Almost all that I read, men far better read than myself, said that it is hard to find a more pathetic, and we use the word in a far more limited way than older writers did, more moving, powerful piece of narrative in Judah's speech before Joseph, I have promised to be surety for the lad. Let me bear the blame forever. Judah's refusal of surrendering Benjamin. The law can't be set aside. Someone has committed a crime. This theft has indeed occurred, it seems. We're not asking you to excuse the crime. I'm asking you to let Me bear the blame. Judah stands in surety as he offers himself for surety before Jacob. There's the promise. He now stands assurity before Joseph when he gives himself assurity. Here's the work. He secures Benjamin's release. He secures much more. Many suggest, and perhaps rightly, this is one of those places of many in the story where we just try and fill in the blanks. Was Joseph planning at this time to make himself known to his brothers? Or did he indeed intend to keep Benjamin back as he had kept Simeon before and thus force his brothers to return without Benjamin and then yet bring Jacob back? Bring Israel back to receive them both? Perhaps that's Joseph's own design. We don't know. But Joseph cannot refrain himself." Again, you think of the pieces of this story. We've been told all along that he's been engaging with his brothers through an interpreter. He's played the part. They don't know that he's heard and understood everything they've said. He's heard them wrestling with their sin. He's heard them feeling the weight of their conscience that these things are now befalling them because of the great crime they did 20 years before that this Egyptian could not possibly know anything about, but God knows. And did you see Judah's remarks in our reading? God has discovered our iniquity. They didn't steal the cup. They knew they hadn't stole the cup. They've been acting in these last weeks and months with great integrity. Their hearts are being stirred. They're not so happy with themselves for the sins of their past. And yet they're ready to speak of their sins as vitally present, attached to themselves. Here I say we see repentance displayed. It melts the heart of Joseph that these brothers, that this Judah representing the whole would offer himself in Benjamin's place. These aren't the same men that mocked him, sold him into slavery to let others do the murder instead of themselves. Come and bring a lie. let their father live 20 years with a grief that could have destroyed him. These are different men. Something has changed. Something has happened. And of course, we know it's the Spirit of God. Repentance is displayed. But thirdly, consider with me that we see in the story grace revealed. Grace revealed. So much of the story. It's overflowing with grace. We know it as we read and we are sitting above the narrative, as it were, knowing what's going on. Think even of the fact that Joseph brings these men into his home. He treats them kindly. They have a banquet together. Think about these men. They're there now for the second time because of two years of famine. Joseph says, slay and eat. One I was reading referenced the historians that suggested that in Egypt at this time, goose and cow would have been prevalent meats. I have to smile when I think of my oldest grandchild whose dad for many years worked at Chick-fil-A. I would take him to Culver's and he would enjoy cow meat. I think the advertisers at Chick-fil-A ask you to eat other meats. But Joseph tells his servants, slay and eat. These men that have been living and enduring a famine for two years are eating a steak dinner. What cut do you like? Prime rib? Tenderloin? Rib eye? Porterhouse? Benjamin's plate is very full. Perhaps the youngest, he still possessed the constitution and capacity to consume five times as much as a Reuben or a Judah. Grace has been revealed throughout the banquet itself and Joseph's home. As Joseph tells his servants to leave, Everybody go out. I need to talk to these men. And he says, I'm Joseph. Can you imagine the silence that fell upon that room? They do not know what to say. They do not know what to do. Perhaps their first thought is, where's the door? How quickly can I get out? But Joseph's words to them are full of grace. He immediately recognizes He has heard them speak of their guilt. They've been reminded of their sin. The weight of it has been bearing more and more heavily upon them. And He says, don't blame yourselves. We've talked a lot about the sins that Joseph has avoided Not just that one that is highlighted so often of his successful refusal of the sensual temptation of Potiphar's wife. Those momentary temptations that she brought. But the two decades of constant temptation to bitterness that he has successfully fought off. Don't blame yourselves. Don't be afraid. I'm your brother. Yes, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. Come near to Me. Grace is revealed. Joseph says to them, don't doubt. I've dealt kindly with you. I'm going to deal more kindly with you. When you think of Joseph, I know everything. I know even more than you know about my sufferings. But you must believe that I forgive you. You must believe that God has meant this. That I'm happy that He's turned this for good. Grace is brought to these brothers. The thunders of Sinai And all the remembrances of that law that they have transgressed are now eclipsed by the smiles of Calvary. As Joseph makes himself known to his brothers. Grace is revealed. But I bring you to a fourth and final thought quickly. We see here that faith is exercised. There's so many pieces of this we could draw out. We work backwards a little bit in the story. We see something of this in Jacob already when he says, if I'm bereaved, I'm bereaved. He trusts God and sends Benjamin. It's a little bit of old Israel here and not the declining Jacob. But there's a line in verse 24 that we read, as he sends them forth on their way, so happily on their way back to Canaan. He says, see that you fall not out by the way. These men are overjoyed. They see now the mercy in the hand of God. They see and sense the forgiveness of their brother that they don't deserve. But can they take it in? Can they believe it? I say we see here faith exercised. Joseph is mindful. Sometimes the good news of the Gospel is too good to believe. How can we take it in? What had happened on their first visit? Again, with the hearing and understanding, Joseph not needing an interpreter. As Reuben says to them, I told you, They're speaking one to another in fear of Joseph. We're very guilty this day concerning our brother. Why are you bringing that up? That was 20 years ago. Well, of course we've got to bring it up. It's hanging over all our heads. Reuben says, yeah, I told you, don't do it. That's not the way they'll speak now. Just thinking of this and the difference between how they're encouraged before they return now You know, Reuben did that which all sinners do. Even in their guilt, and they know they're guilty, they've got to point out the other guy's guilty too. And it starts early. He did it first, Mom. So that excuses my sin. Guilt likes to be shared. The brothers standing before Joseph the first time, We're ready to share the guilt. Yeah, we blew it, but look at you. Forgiveness likes to be shared too. You read through the New Testament, one of the characteristics of those that are truly forgiven, that truly understand and believe the Gospel, is that they are ready and happy to forgive. Believers are a forgiving people. Believers are a loving people. Our Lord says, "...hereby shall all men know that you are My disciples, and that you have love one toward another." How much love is there? And the fingers are pointing and all the blame is ready to be shared. How much love is there when one's sensing and overwhelmed with an unmerited favor? With the forgiveness that is received instead of punishment. And how ready one thinking that way is to forgive. These brothers don't have to figure out their story like they did when they returned to Jacob from Dothan to try and hide what happened to Joseph. Now they can come, penitent and broken indeed as they are, and say, Dad, we have something to tell you. And it's not easy because, well, we've been very guilty concerning our brother. That we have led you to believe all these years is dead. He's not dead. He's on the throne of Egypt. And He's asking you to come. He's forgiven us. And more than that, God has His hand on him. because there's a famine that's still going to come. And He is going to save us from it. Here, faith is exercised because Joseph sincerely forgives sinners. Let's bow our heads and our hearts together. Our Heavenly Father, we today pray for grace to believe the Good News of free forgiveness of sins. What merit, what corresponding good work could these brothers hold before Joseph Nothing. But they could stand before Him guilty and acknowledge their guilt and be received lovingly as brethren. And how we marvel to read of an infinitely higher Joseph who took into union with Himself our nature and was not ashamed to call us brethren. And who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, but is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high in the place He has purchased, has happily merited for His forgiven people. So Lord, give us grace today to believe the gospel and to share it. We ask these things in the worthy name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. Amen.