Genesis 45
McGeeCHAPTER 45THEME: Joseph reveals his identity; Joseph invites his family to EgyptThe story from the previous chapters continues right on in the chapter before us. Joseph reveals himself to his brethren and identifies himself with them.
Genesis 45:1
JOSEPH REVEALS HIS IDENTITYJoseph clears the room.
Genesis 45:2
This time Joseph could not get out of the room. He just breaks down and begins to weep. No one knows why except Joseph. His own brethren at this time do not know, and the servants who are there do not know. Now there is no further reason for Joseph to conceal his identity from them, as he has fully tested his brethren. Let me repeat that the day is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ is going to make Himself known unto His brethren, the Jews. When He came the first time, “he came unto his own, and his own received him not” (Joh_1:11). In fact, they delivered Him up to be crucified. But when He comes the second time, He will make Himself known to His own people. “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zec_13:6). Christ will make Himself known to His brethren.
And “in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zec_13:1). It will be a family affair between the Lord Jesus and His brethren. The episode of Joseph revealing himself to his brothers gives us a little inkling of how wonderful that day of Christ’s revelation will be. Joseph is so charged with emotion that he can’t contain himself. In the house of Pharaoh they can hear the weeping. They can’t understand what is happening over at Joseph’s house.
Genesis 45:3
“Troubled” in our translation is really not strong enough. The brothers were terrified at his presence. I tell you, if you think they were afraid before, they were really terrified now. It had been close to twenty-five years since they had seen him when they sold him to the Ishmaelites, and they are sure that now he will want to get his revenge. They are too shocked and frightened to speak.
Genesis 45:4
“I’m your brother.” Here is a dramatic moment! Can you imagine how they feel? Notice the reaction of Joseph here. He is not angry, and he does not seek revenge. That would be the normal, human reaction. Then why doesn’t he seek revenge?
Genesis 45:5
You see, the thing that Joseph could see in all of this was that God had permitted it for a purpose. God was moving in his life.
Genesis 45:6
If you and I could see the hand of God in our lives, would we become angry and seek revenge? I don’t think we would. Again this man gives the glory to God. Joseph was seventeen when he was brought into Egypt. He was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh. There had been seven years of plenty and now there have passed two years of famine. So Joseph is thirty-nine years old and has been living in the land of Egypt for twenty-two years. He sees the hand of God in all of this.
Genesis 45:9
JOSEPH INVITES HIS FAMILY TO EGYPTJacob and his family could not have survived had they stayed in the land of Palestine at this particular time. They would have perished. Joseph wants to bring them down to the land of Goshen which is actually the best part of Egypt. It is in that land that God is going to make them a nation, sheltered from the rest of the world. The lives of the brothers revealed that they needed to get out of the land of Canaan.
Genesis 45:12
I think that they stood there absolutely spellbound and were down on their faces and then up again and that they had absolutely nothing to say as they listened to Joseph speaking words that seemed unbelievablethey would have been unbelievable but Joseph was right there before them.
Genesis 45:13
This is a tender scene between these two full-brothers. Joseph and Benjamin are both marvelous men.
Genesis 45:15
The other brothers were stunned, but now they begin to recover their senses, and they have quite a talk. And then the news begins to be spread abroad.
Genesis 45:16
There was all this noise in the house of Joseph, and the people could hear it. Pharaoh wanted to know what was going on, and I suppose he asked one of the servants from Joseph’s house what it all meant. The servant probably said, “Well, you know those eleven men who came down from Canaanthey’re Joseph’s brothers!” It delighted Pharaoh. Why would it delight him? Remember that Pharaoh was probably a Hyksos king and of the same racial strain as Joseph and his family. He hadn’t been able to trust the Egyptians too much and was pleased with Joseph’s faithfulness; so he was delighted that there were going to be more like him.
Genesis 45:17
Notice that Pharaoh orders wagons to be sent. The wheel was quite an invention, and these men from Canaan were not using wagons yet, but the Egyptians were more advanced.
Genesis 45:20
“You won’t need to bring anything extra; we’ll furnish everything you need.”
Genesis 45:21
He just could not believe it was true.
Genesis 45:27
Finally old Jacob was convinced, and he began to exhibit some enthusiasm.
Genesis 45:28
What thrilling developments we are seeing here! The prospect of seeing Joseph certainly influenced Jacob to make the decision to go down to Egypt. Do you think that he intended to remain in Egypt? I don’t think so. I think he intended to pay a brief visit to his son and then return back home as soon as the famine was over. But he never returned to Canaan except for a burial, his own. He died in the land of Egypt. Although his whole family lived there, he was buried in the land of Canaan.