Tues.’s Devo - Joseph Receives His Brothers

Read Gen. 42:18-43:34, Matt. 13:47-14:12, Ps. 18:16-36, Pr. 4:7-10 Joseph let his bothers out of jail after three days, but kept Simeon. Simeon and Levi had be the masterminds behind killing all the men of Shechem in Chapter 34 and Simeon was mostly responsible for wanting to kill Joseph since he was the oldest of the group. Rueben being the oldest brother arrived later and talked them into selling him instead. So, it doesn’t surprise me that Simeon would be the one who needed to pay the higher price. It doesn’t tell us how long it took them to eat up the grain, but I would think at least a year. When Jacob didn’t want to send Benjamin, it was Rueben who stepped up and promised to protect him with his life. Jacob finally agreed. While Joseph had learned patience and humility in his prisons, his brothers had learned in their prisons. Their prisons were guilt and anguish as they witnessed their father’s grief over Joseph. I can’t imagine the emotion that Joseph must have had to finally see his own brother, Benjamin who he had only known as a baby. They receive instant forgiveness. They are brought into the palace, sat in their rightful positions, and fed from the king’s table. Isn’t that a picture of what God gives us when we are truly repentant and His. I would have loved to see Benjamin’s place. It must have been crowded with fruit plates and bowls of bread and meat because five times more is a lot of food. Benjamin stands for the Gentile church who wasn’t birthed until after the death of Jesus. That is our heritage - five times more! Five is the number of grace. Joseph’s brothers couldn’t imagine their brother amounting to anything worthy of his dreams, so because of jealousy, they tried to kill him and his dreams. Jesus had the same problem when he went back to his home town. They were affended that he would have become so great, when they knew him as an ordinary child. When we can’t honor God’s blessing and promotion on a family member, friend, or acquaintance it holds us back from allowing their gift to bless us. Because of their offense, Jesus couldn’t do many miracles. Lord, it is You that girds us with strength and makes our ways perfect. Teach us to war and enlarge our steps that we won’t slip.