“Genesis 45:9-15”

Saturday, April 18, 2020

“‘Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.’” Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.’ Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“Hurry and go up to my father…” (verse 9) Once the truth had finally been brought to the light of day, Joseph could not contain his excitement and his eagerness to see his father again. He couldn’t wait for Israel to hear the great news that the son he presumed to be dead was actually reigning as “lord of all Egypt”! There was a great sense of urgency to not squander another precious moment and to make up for all the lost time that had been wasted in resentment, doubt and regret. The best thing to do when soured relationships are fortuitously reconciled is to forgive and forge ahead because there is no future lingering in the misery of the past. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32). “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

“You shall live in the land of Goshen…” (verse 10) “Although no source defines the precise geographic location of Goshen, the cumulative effect of various pieces of evidence is to place it in the area of Wadi Tumeilat, which stretches from the eastern arm of the Nile to the Great Bitter Lake. Egyptian texts confirm the presence of Semites and other Asians in the northeastern part of the country both at the end of the sixth Dynasty (ca. 2250 B.C…) and about 1700 B.C…in the wake of the Hyksos invasion. Exodus12:38 refers to a ‘mixed multitude,’ that is, foreign tribes, dwelling in the area of Israelite settlement. Goshen is blessed with excellent grazing facilities (Gen. 46:32-34; 47:6,7), and it is known that the Nile Delta was the center of cattle breeding. The natural route from Asia to Egypt emerges from Wadi Tumeilat, and Joseph traveled to Goshen to greet his father, who arrived from Canaan (46:29).” (Nahum Sarna)

“Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you.” (verse 12) Their father would most certainly have a hard time believing the astonishing news that his beloved Joseph was still alive after all those years, but they were to assure him they had seen him with their own eyes and heard him with their own ears. As incredible as it all must have seemed, it was all true! There was no mistaking Joseph for someone else and this was not the trickery of an imposter. “Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” (verse 13) Joseph told them to give their father firsthand information of all Joseph’s grandeur, fame and fortune, and to do so with all haste! Hurry, hurry, hurry!

“Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.” (verses 14-15) “Why all the weeping? Here is an example of weeping for joy, an emotion with which many are familiar.” (James Burton Coffman). These were not bitter tears, but a cleansing flow that helped alleviate all their former frustrations and wash all the bitterness and pain of the past away. After they wept together they talked a long while together. They partook in the lighthearted discourse and free-flowing dialogue that loved ones engage in when they have a lot of catching up to do.

Please read Genesis 45:16-23 for tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day!

-Louie Taylor

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