My Reflections

Summary of Week 8 Joseph Bible Study

Summary of Week 8 Joseph Bible Study

We ended last week with Joseph having his cup put in Benjamin's sack and having his brothers stopped and accused of stealing his silver cup. They had agreed to being searched because they did not know they had Joseph's cup and was ready to prove their innocence. They still did not know they were dealing with Joseph at this point. They just knew he was an Egyptian ruler, next in command to Pharoah himself.

This week's study begins with the actual search of the brothers' bags. The brother's sacks were searched in order from eldest to youngest. I am noticing this seems to be a theme in the story of Joseph and his brothers. Obviously, the cup was found. They were taken back to face Joseph again.

A side thought occurred to me when noticing birth order seems to be a big deal in the Bible. In Matthew 19:30 Jesus says, "The first shall be last." https://www.gotquestions.org/first-last-last-first.html God often chose the younger sibling to pass on his promise through. He chose Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, David over all of his older brothers, and the list goes on and on. In general, I think it means that the way the world views things isn't always the way that God views things. It's God's chosen order that matters and not man's way of viewing things.


The brothers tear their clothes as an outward sign of distress and grief. The clothes were often torn over the heart to represent a broken heart. However, God wants our heart to be torn and broken over our sin so that we can fully repent and be healed.

Joel 2:11-14 ▼

11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

See also Joel 3:14 and Revelation 22:11-12

A lot of times what happens in the physical realm is a mirror of what is happening in the spiritual realm. Do you have pests in your home? Is your house a complete, delapidated mess? Are your finances out of balance? Check yourself spiritually. I'm not saying that everything is because of sin. I'm just saying that what happens on the outside could be a reflection of something on the inside. It's good to check to see if anything is amiss spiritually.

When they see Joseph again, he says, "What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divine Now remember, in Joseph's time, the rulers of Egypt were considered equal with gods. I don't believe Joseph is considering himself equal with God here. He is implying that he is able to discover hidden knowledge because of his position if he so desires, at least I hope he didn't actually use divination.

Then Judah speaks and submits to his authority not knowing what else to say or do. Joseph insists that only the guilty one should be his servant, and the rest could go home to their father.

The following are lessons we can apply to our own lives up to this point.
Your sins will always find you out. Numbers 32:23
What is done in secret will be revealed. Luke 8:17
If something is wrong physically, check yourself spiritually. Haggai 1:5-11

Judah pleads their case before Joseph and offers to be the bondservant to Joseph instead of Benjamin.
https://www.gotquestions.org/bondservant.html We are bondservants to Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:6; 2 Timothy 2:24; Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1)

Joseph couldn't stand to keep his identity to himself any longer. He ordered for everyone to leave the room except for his brothers while he revealed himself to them. While revealing himself, he wept so loudly that the Egyptians could hear him throughout the house of Pharoah. He told them...

“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, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

God is sovereign.
Jeremiah 29:11 ▼

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Romans 8:28 ▼

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Joseph gave his brothers provision to move to Egypt with Pharoah's blessing. He gave his brothers gifts and sent gifts for his father as well. He tells them to come to Egypt so he can nurture them and take care of them through the rest of the famine because there was still going to be 5 more years of it. They were to live in the land of Goshen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Goshen



Jacob didn't believe his sons at first when they told him Joseph was still alive and that they had seen him. I imagine that would be quite a shock. After they told him all Joseph had told them, the Bible says that his spirit revived.

I once had a dream of someone I loved that had died coming back to life. That was quite a shock in my dream. I can only imagine what Jacob thought and felt when he found out Joseph was still alive when he thought he had been dead all those years.

Jacob offers burnt offerings to God at Beersheba. God then confirmed in a dream that night to Jacob that it was all going to work out in the end and that his promise of blessing and prosperity was still with him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beersheba

I wondered what it meant for God to say Joseph would lay his hand upon his eyes. Here is the commentary on that.
https://www.freebiblestudyhub.com/archives/20651

It was basically to ensure Jacob that Joseph will close his eyes at his death.