Heaven and Earth will pass away...Matthew 24:35

How Yahweh relates with his creations (series 42)

Bible Texts (Concordant Version of the Old Testament and Concordant Literal New Testament with keywords Concordance (Main text: Genesis chapter 42)

Joseph, the Hollywood star.

When it comes to payback time, it is always an interesting time, especially for whoever has suffered greatly from his/her tormentor(s). The reason is obvious because the afflicted person must have surely gained an upper hand to execute the payback. In this week, it was time for Joseph to execute payback to his elder brothers who hated him with passion and played Hollywood episode to their father that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. Last week blog indicates that Joseph's promotion was the platform that would enable his past long years dreams come to pass.  Joseph was not taking revenge but he wanted his brothers to have a rethink of their past evil deeds for life lesson.  Now please, get ready for episode 2 of the Hollywood movie and find out how it all went down.

In the last verse of Genesis chapter 41, it was recorded that famine went throughout the earth. So, this same famine that pervaded the land of Egypt reached the land of Canaan. In Jacob's house, all brothers of Joseph were looking at each other in the presence of their father for the next line of action. So, Jacob told them to go down to the land of Egypt to purchase some cereal grains for them to consume. When these brothers reached the land of Egypt, they saw a lot of people on the queue to purchase cereal grains. There Joseph saw them. Aha! When it was his brother's turn to purchase the food, they bowed down to him with their brow to the earth. These brothers did not recognize him.  This scene brought a flash back to Joseph concerning his past dreams. Alas, they have come to pass!  Did you see the two paralleled picture below? It is the fulfillment of the old time dream.                                   

                                                          The old time dream came to pass.

Joseph was not satisfied with this scenario. He put on an act by speaking Egyptian language and found an interpreter to speak for him to his brothers. What a Hollywood star! Then, he accused his brothers to be spies. What? Just to find an avenue to swipe back at his brothers. There, his brothers began to speak like Parrots. They spoke with fear and trembling to Joseph. They did not know when they confessed to Joseph that they were 12 brothers from the same father. They went on to say that one of them was no more. No more? They added that their youngest brother stays with their father. In all this drama, Joseph had gathered that his father was still alive with his younger brother who he had missed for more than 17 years. I can imagine Joseph making a fist and say to himself, yes!

They were conversing with Joseph unknowingly.

Then, I can imagine Joseph clearing his throat and barked at his elder brothers that they were still spies. However, to prove that they were not spies, they should go and bring the youngest brother for him to see. All his brother's pleas fell on his deaf ears. Meanwhile, he jailed his brothers for 3 days before he finally held back Simeon until the rest of his brothers bring back the youngest brother. From this incidence, Joseph's brothers began to realize that Yahweh had visited them for their sins. They had a hot argument among themselves.  Reuben reminded them of how hot tempered they were when they refused his plea to let Joseph alone until they sold him as a slave. These embattled brothers were conversing in Canaan language not knowing that Joseph understood the language too!. Joseph wept in secret for his brothers' lamentations. He knew his brothers were sorry for their deeds. He knew his brothers had come to understand that there is a God (Yahweh) who watches every deed of humans. 

Back to his acting, he gave instructions to his massagers to load his brothers' sacks and let them leave to come back with Benjamin (the youngest brother) as agreed. Why should it matter to see Benjamin? That was the only brother her mother Rachel born to Jacob. That was his true blood. It had been a very long time he saw him. Joseph had to play along with his brothers to get all facts he needed. Indeed, many ideas were running in Joseph's mind. He wanted to kill many birds with one stone. The position Yahweh put him had made it easy for him to get everything he wanted with much ease.  This is why it is good for one to wait for Yahweh's time. It was time for payback and Joseph was loving every bit of it (verse 6-26).

From verse 27 of this week chapter, Joseph's brothers souls were more tormented when they found that money was in their fully loaded sacks. Remember that Joseph was rationing food for all who came to purchase food (verse 6), but for his brothers he gave a fully loaded cereal grains. His brothers' minds were not at rest. Perhaps, they might have developed high blood pressure on this issue. Their hearts were tensed up so that they trembled at this situation. They concluded that Elohim (Yahweh) was responsible for their calamities. Oh yes, indeed. They were quite correct! Who told them that they were being troubled for their past sin? Somehow, their conscience was connected to their past evil deed. When they reached their father, they reported that the Governor who sold grains to them spoke harshly to them. They referred him to as "the Lord of the land" of Egypt. Hmn, I love that title (verse 29). So, a former slave and prisoner has become the Lord of the land of Egypt? What a wonderful God in heaven!                                                

                                    Their hearts were tensed when they found money in their sacks.

These brothers made Joseph's request known to their father. Their father objected this request. He was worried concerning what might happen to Benjamin. He did not want to lose Simeon and Benjamin just as he had lost Joseph. This indicates that Jacob loved all his sons regardless of who gave birth to them. Now, impliedly, these sons found that they had to do anything to assure their father that no more sons would be lost. Reuben offered his two sons. Judah offered his life. Now, you can see what the true brothers supposed to have done in the first place!  Why were they jealous of Joseph? What has this jealousy profited them? I asked these questions in relative sense. However, in absolute sense, Yahweh made these people do all they did to fulfill his plans for Jacob. Yahweh's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Jacob had no option but to yield to his sons' pleas. He had resolved in his mind that if Benjamin dies just as "Joseph" did, his sons would bring down his grey hairs with affliction to the unseen (Hades). Why should Jacob say this? It is because Benjamin was the only remaining son that came out of his beloved Rachael. So, if Joseph was "no more", he could see Rachael through Benjamin. If Benjamin dies, he had lost all substantial things he could remember Rachel for.

Did Jacob let Benjamin go with his elder brothers to the land of Egypt? What if he refuses; what would have happen to Simeon? Was there a reason for another episode from Joseph, the Hollywood star in the next bible chapter? Please, look forward to see the answers to all these curious questions.

I hope you have learnt one or two things in this week.

Please, leave your comments and be nice with them.

Shalom!

 

 

 

 

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