The One Year Chronological Study Bible - Flipbook - Page 64
JAN UARY 17
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page 60
him since. 29 Now if you take his brother away
from me, and any harm comes to him, you will
send this grieving, white-haired man to his
grave.*’
30 “And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my
father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound
up in the boy’s life. 31 If he sees that the boy is not
with us, our father will die. We, your servants,
will indeed be responsible for sending that
grieving, white-haired man to his grave. 32 My
lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take
care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him
back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’
33 “So please, my lord, let me stay here as a
slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return
with his brothers. 34 For how can I return to my
father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear
to see the anguish this would cause my father!”
Joseph Reveals His Identity • GENESIS 45:1-15
1 Joseph could stand it no longer. There were
many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with
his brothers when he told them who he was.
2 Then he broke down and wept. He wept so
loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word
of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.
3 “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my
father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was
standing there in front of them. 4 “Please, come
closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And
he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom
you sold into slavery in Egypt. 5But don’t be upset,
and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me
to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead
of you to preserve your lives. 6 This famine that
has ravaged the land for two years will last five
more years, and there will be neither plowing
nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to
keep you and your families alive and to preserve
many survivors.* 8 So it was God who sent me
here, not you! And he is the one who made me an
adviser* to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire
palace and the governor of all Egypt.
9 “Now hurry back to my father and tell him,
‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made
me master over all the land of Egypt. So come
down to me immediately! 10 You can live in the region of Goshen, where you can be near me with
all your children and grandchildren, your flocks
and herds, and everything you own. 11 I will take
care of you there, for there are still five years of
famine ahead of us. Otherwise you, your household, and all your animals will starve.’”
12 Then Joseph added, “Look! You can see for
yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,
that I really am Joseph! 13 Go tell my father of my
honored position here in Egypt. Describe for
him everything you have seen, and then bring
my father here quickly.” 14 Weeping with joy,
he embraced Benjamin, and Benjamin did the
same. 15 Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers
and wept over them, and after that they began
talking freely with him.
44:29 Hebrew to Sheol; also in 44:31. 45:7 Or and to save you with
an extraordinary rescue. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
45:8 Hebrew a father.
D A I LY D I S C O V E R Y
• How do the brothers reveal their
lingering guilt over the wrong
they had done to Joseph, and
what does their response teach
us about guilt?
Day 17 •
• What is Joseph’s requirement
for their return? Why does Jacob
object, and who eventually
guarantees his safety?
• How does Judah’s offer to
remain in place of Benjamin
show true change to Joseph,
and what is the greater picture
that his offer represents?
JANUARY 17
DIVIDED
KINGDOM
KINGDOM
JUDGES
CONQUEST
EXODUS
PATRIARCH
PATRIARCH
CREATION
Upon learning that Joseph is alive, Jacob’s spirit revives. God then speaks to Jacob as he leaves the land of
Canaan. He promises Jacob that He will make his family (now seventy male members and their families) a
great nation during their time in Egypt, that He will bring them back to Canaan, and that Jacob will die in
Egypt. Pharaoh designates a special place, the land of Goshen, for their settlement. This location and their
occupation (sheepherding) prevents them from assimilating with the Egyptians.
God multiplies the Israelites during their four-hundred-year stay in Egypt, showing them His faithfulness
to fulfill His promises. As a whole, the famine story reveals how Jacob’s family immigrated to Egypt and how
God works in individuals, families, and catastrophes to accomplish His redemptive purposes.
