David Jeremiah - From A Famine To A Feast

July 27, 2025 | 58:20

The sound Bible-based teaching of Turning Point carries forward the goal of delivering the unchanging Word of God to an ever-changing world.

#Famine #Blessing #Trials-HardTimes #Loss #Grief #Restoration #Favor #Music #Praise #Worship #Protection

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Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah | David Jeremiah - From A Famine To A Feast | July 27, 2025

[wind instrumental]
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Male narrator: he had a dream, a dream that shook kingdoms.
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Favored above his brothers,
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But favor cast a dangerous shadow.
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Betrayal had a price, but so did survival.
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From a father's embrace to a slave master's house,
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From the depths of a forgotten prison to the heights of power.
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From the pit, to the prison, to the palace,
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His suffering would save nations;
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And his broken life, the very instrument of deliverance.
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Because while others meant it for evil,
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God meant it for good.
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♪♪♪
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♪ i got an old church choir singing in my soul ♪
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♪ i've got a sweet salvation and it's beautiful ♪
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♪ i've got a heart overflowing ♪
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♪ 'cause i've been restored ♪
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♪ there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy ♪
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♪ i got an old church choir singing in my soul ♪
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♪ i've got a sweet salvation and it's beautiful ♪
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♪ i've got a heart overflowing ♪
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♪ 'cause i've been restored ♪
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♪ there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy ♪
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♪ i said, there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy ♪
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[congregation applauding]
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Male announcer: coming up on turning point.
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Dr. david jeremiah: god loves to show his mercy and grace
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In taking things that are badly broken,
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And put them back together in a beautiful way
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So that the whole world marvels at the amazing grace of god.
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Announcer: prayer, keep it simple,
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Keep it specific.
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"everything to god in prayer: guided prayers for your deepest
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Needs and biggest dreams," by dr. david jeremiah,
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Provides you with 100 carefully crafted prayers
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To guide you through
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Life's challenges and celebrations.
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When words fail you during times of grief,
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When your heart is filled with gratitude,
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But you can't express it, when you're facing decisions
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That seem impossible, dr. jeremiah helps you
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Bring everything to god.
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The bible tells us to go to god in prayer for all things.
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But sometimes we need guidance on how to pray effectively
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And specifically.
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Reading and praying these guided prayers
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By dr. jeremiah will help you learn to pray with confidence
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And clarity and with renewed passion
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And purpose.
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Request "everything to god in prayer," new from dr. jeremiah,
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When you give a gift of any amount
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In support of "turning point."
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Prayer life and a thoughtful gift for anyone
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In your bible study or prayer group.
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And you can request 2 copies for a gift of $60 or more.
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Your deepest needs and biggest dreams deserve the right words.
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Request "everything to god in prayer" by dr. jeremiah
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From "turning point" today.
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Announcer: thank you for watching "turning point."
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Here is dr. jeremiah with his message:
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"from a famine to a feast."
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Dr. jeremiah: we open our bibles today to the next section
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Of this story, genesis chapter 42.
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The future of jacob and his family hangs in the balance
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As he wrestles with a heart-wrenching decision.
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And meanwhile, in egypt, joseph's mind is racing
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With what can he do to help break down his brothers
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So that they truly repent of what they have done,
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And not just regret it?
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And we pick up the story as jacob responds
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To all he has heard from his sons.
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Chapter 42, verse 36:
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"and jacob their father said to them,
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'you have bereaved me: joseph is no more,
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Simeon is no more, and you want to take benjamin.
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All these things are against me.'
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And reuben spoke to his father, saying,
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'kill my two sons if i do not bring him back to you;
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Put him in my hands,
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And i will bring him back to you.'
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But he said, 'my son shall not go down with you,
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For his brother is dead, and he is left alone.
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If any calamity should befall him
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Along the way in which you go,
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Then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow
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To the grave.'"
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Listen to jacob's words.
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They're heavy with grief and a determination
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To protect benjamin.
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He says, "you've already taken two of my sons.
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You've taken simeon, you've taken joseph.
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Benjamin is not going with you."
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Reuben, the firstborn, impulsive as ever,
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Makes a desperate pledge to his father.
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He said, "dad, we gotta take benjamin.
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If we don't take benjamin, we won't get any food.
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And if you let me take benjamin, i will be answerable for him.
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If he doesn't return, you can take the lives of my own sons."
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That seems like a rather strange bargain,
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But jacob's heart wasn't moved by reuben's suggestion.
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His love for benjamin had grown to consume him
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Because the boy was the last living reminder
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Of his beloved wife, rachel.
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And his affection for joseph had been so great,
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And now all that affection had been transferred to benjamin.
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He loved benjamin with the love he had for joseph
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And the love he had for benjamin twice as much.
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Jacob could not bear the thought of benjamin leaving him,
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Even in the face of reuben's assurances.
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So when reuben couldn't come up with a plan,
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Judah steps forward.
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"and the famine was severe in the land,"
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Says 1 and 2 of chapter 43,
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"and it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain
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Which they had brought from egypt,
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That their father said to them,
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'go back and buy us a little food.'"
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This famine was god's way of bringing the brothers
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Back to joseph.
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We see that because we read in the story,
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But joseph didn't know that,
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And the brothers didn't know that.
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Their shortage of grain required them to return to egypt.
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And in verses 3 through 5, judah, one of the brothers,
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Reminds his father of joseph's demand that they bring benjamin
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With them to buy food, and he makes this argument.
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He's saying to him, "dad, i know you don't want
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To send benjamin, but if we stay here,
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We're all gonna die,
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And what good is benjamin to anybody?
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If we don't take benjamin and go back, we don't have any chance."
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He said, "send the land with me, and we will arise and go,
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That we may live and not die, both we and you
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And also our little ones, and i will be surety for him;
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From my hand you shall require him.
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If i do not bring him back to you and set him before you,
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You shall let me bear the blame forever.
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For, dad, if we hadn't lingered about this,
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By now we would have already returned
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The second time with the food we're gonna go get."
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It was pretty logical, this thing that judah explained.
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And it's interesting because if you remember judah,
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He wasn't a saint.
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He was the one who said, "let's don't kill joseph,
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Let's sell him."
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He was kind of a hard-hearted guy,
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But his argument finally got through to jacob,
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And realizing that there was no other option,
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Jacob instructed his sons to take gifts of fruit,
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Nuts, and spices, along with the money they were required to pay
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From their previous trip, and he understood
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That benjamin's protection was meaningless
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If they starved, so he let benjamin go with them.
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And it's really interesting to see what happens now.
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God had arranged the circumstances to move the family
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In the direction he wanted them to go, and it says in verse 15
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Of chapter 43 of genesis, "so the men took that present
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And benjamin, and they took double money in their hand,
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And arose and went down to egypt;
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And they stood before joseph."
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Now, watch joseph.
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Judah and his brothers are on their way to egypt,
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And they've loaded up their animals
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And are bringing presents, and they come to the core
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Of our discussion: the plans of joseph.
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Now joseph is going to become the instrument through
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Which god works to bring about reconciliation.
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In this passage, we see joseph's carefully laid plans unfold.
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First of all, there's an exhibition of grace.
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Watch this, you guys: "when joseph saw benjamin with them,
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He said to the steward of his house,
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'take these men to my house,
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And slaughter an animal and make ready;
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For these men will dine with me at noon.'
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And the men did as joseph ordered,
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And the man brought the men into joseph's house."
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What did joseph's brothers deserve for their actions?
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They didn't deserve a banquet in the house of the prime minister
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Of egypt, that's for sure, but joseph,
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Who is a type of jesus christ,
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Is breaking down his brother's hardened hearts
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Through an extraordinary display of grace.
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What is grace?
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It's god's riches at christ's expense,
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And it's something we get that we don't deserve.
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Did the brothers deserve to go eat with joseph in his house?
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Absolutely not, but it's grace, and it's part of the thing
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That's gonna get to the heart of these boys.
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Watch what happens next.
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The brothers found themselves in an unexpected situation,
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Still unrecognized.
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Joseph invited them to dine at his house,
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And this surprising turn of events left them uneasy.
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Down in their hearts, they know they don't deserve this.
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So listen to what happens, verse 18: "now the men were afraid
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Because they were brought into joseph's house, and they said,
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'it is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks
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The first time, that we are brought in,
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So that he may make a case against us and fall upon us,
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And take us as slaves with our donkeys.'"
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How many of you know when you've done wrong,
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You feel guilty about everything?
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And if even somebody does something nice for you,
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What's he up to?
00:11:03.079 --> 00:11:06.615
The brothers' fear was real as they were brought
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Into joseph's house.
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They attributed their situation to the return of money
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In their sacks,
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And they suspected that they were being set up by joseph
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And that he would seize them and their donkeys,
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And the fear stemmed from their unresolved wrongdoing.
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Because they had not resolved what they had done,
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They were filled with fear about the future
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And what was about to happen.
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So, grace is exhibited.
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They get a meal at the prime minister's house.
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They come with fear, and then there's a little encouragement
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Of hope.
00:11:44.587 --> 00:11:46.088
In verses 19 and following it says,
00:11:46.088 --> 00:11:48.124
"when they drew near to the steward of joseph's house,
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They talked with him at the door of the house
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And said, 'o sir, we indeed came down the first time
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To buy food; but it happened, when we came to the encampment,
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That we opened our sacks, and there each man's money
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Was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight,
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So we have brought it back in our hand.
00:12:07.343 --> 00:12:09.645
And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food.
00:12:09.645 --> 00:12:12.882
We did not know who put our money in our sacks.'
00:12:12.882 --> 00:12:16.485
But the steward said, 'peace be with you, do not be afraid.
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Your god and the god of your father has given you treasure in
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Your sacks; i had your money.'
00:12:23.125 --> 00:12:26.128
And he brought simeon out to them.
00:12:26.128 --> 00:12:28.697
So the man brought the men into joseph's house, gave them water,
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And they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed."
00:12:32.434 --> 00:12:37.173
Now, imagine that you're the egyptian steward,
00:12:37.173 --> 00:12:40.376
And you're trying to figure this out.
00:12:40.376 --> 00:12:42.411
You don't know anything, you're confused as they are.
00:12:42.411 --> 00:12:45.114
He likely didn't understand most of what they were saying,
00:12:45.114 --> 00:12:48.017
He wasn't hebrew, and what he responded to was the only
00:12:48.017 --> 00:12:51.387
Two hebrew words he knew: "shalom, shalom," peace, peace.
00:12:51.387 --> 00:12:57.092
I'm sure that brought a little relief to the boys,
00:12:57.092 --> 00:12:59.295
But they are still on edge,
00:12:59.295 --> 00:13:01.397
And they well should be because they've got no idea
00:13:01.397 --> 00:13:03.699
What is about to happen to them.
00:13:03.699 --> 00:13:07.036
The emotion of concern, here's what the scripture says:
00:13:07.036 --> 00:13:11.006
"then they made the present ready for joseph's coming
00:13:11.006 --> 00:13:13.509
At noon, for they heard that he would eat bread there.
00:13:13.509 --> 00:13:16.612
And when joseph came home, they brought him the present
00:13:16.612 --> 00:13:19.849
Which was in their hand into the house,
00:13:19.849 --> 00:13:22.418
Bowed down before him to the earth.
00:13:22.418 --> 00:13:24.720
Then he asked them about their well-being,
00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:27.089
And said, 'is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke?'"
00:13:27.089 --> 00:13:31.694
In other words, is jacob well?
00:13:31.694 --> 00:13:33.329
"'is he still alive?'
00:13:33.329 --> 00:13:34.830
And they answered, 'your servant our father is in good health;
00:13:34.830 --> 00:13:38.868
He's still alive.'
00:13:38.868 --> 00:13:40.202
And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.
00:13:40.202 --> 00:13:43.472
Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother benjamin,
00:13:43.472 --> 00:13:47.343
His mother's son," rachel's son, "and said,
00:13:47.343 --> 00:13:51.180
'is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?'
00:13:51.180 --> 00:13:55.150
And he said, 'god be gracious to you, my son.'
00:13:55.150 --> 00:13:58.554
And his heart yearned for his brother,
00:13:58.554 --> 00:14:01.557
So joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep.
00:14:01.557 --> 00:14:06.362
And he went into his chamber and he wept there."
00:14:06.362 --> 00:14:10.933
Joseph's brothers greeted him with a carefully prepared gift
00:14:10.933 --> 00:14:14.103
And bowed low as he arrived home.
00:14:14.103 --> 00:14:16.939
Though outwardly composed, joseph felt a surge
00:14:16.939 --> 00:14:21.176
Of conflicting emotions.
00:14:21.176 --> 00:14:23.612
He inquired about their dad, and they assured him
00:14:23.612 --> 00:14:26.782
Of jacob's well-being, but it was the sight
00:14:26.782 --> 00:14:29.184
Of his younger brother benjamin
00:14:29.184 --> 00:14:31.654
That finally overwhelmed joseph's emotions.
00:14:31.654 --> 00:14:35.224
Unable to contain the longing for his brother,
00:14:35.224 --> 00:14:38.460
Joseph quickly excused himself,
00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:41.230
Looked for a place to release the tears
00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:43.332
He could no longer hold back,
00:14:43.332 --> 00:14:45.534
And went into a private room alone.
00:14:45.534 --> 00:14:50.139
I think when we get to heaven and we're having conversations
00:14:50.139 --> 00:14:53.542
With each other and we ask,
00:14:53.542 --> 00:14:56.345
"what caused you to become a christian and come to heaven?"
00:14:56.345 --> 00:15:00.215
Far more people are going to talk about the love of god
00:15:00.215 --> 00:15:03.452
Than about the punishment that they fear,
00:15:03.452 --> 00:15:07.189
"for god so loved the world that he gave his only son."
00:15:07.189 --> 00:15:12.027
Just think about that for a moment.
00:15:12.027 --> 00:15:14.430
The god of heaven loves us and wants us to be with him.
00:15:14.430 --> 00:15:19.001
When we fully get a hold of that,
00:15:19.001 --> 00:15:20.736
It melts our hearts, and we want a piece of the action.
00:15:20.736 --> 00:15:25.140
We want a piece of forgiveness.
00:15:25.140 --> 00:15:28.043
In verses 31 through 33, something happens
00:15:28.043 --> 00:15:32.514
That you won't read about in any novel you've ever read.
00:15:32.514 --> 00:15:35.918
I don't know how this happened to be put in this thing
00:15:35.918 --> 00:15:38.387
And where this came from, but it is an amazing thing
00:15:38.387 --> 00:15:41.657
To see what happened.
00:15:41.657 --> 00:15:44.727
The bible says that "joseph washed his face, came out
00:15:44.793 --> 00:15:48.864
And restrained himself, and said, 'serve the bread.'
00:15:48.864 --> 00:15:53.168
So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves,
00:15:53.168 --> 00:15:58.107
And the egyptians who ate with him by themselves;
00:15:58.107 --> 00:16:00.642
Because the egyptians could not eat food
00:16:00.642 --> 00:16:03.379
With the hebrews, for that was an abomination to the egyptians.
00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:07.850
And as they sat before him, the firstborn according
00:16:07.850 --> 00:16:10.986
To his birthright
00:16:10.986 --> 00:16:12.721
And the youngest according to his youth;
00:16:12.721 --> 00:16:15.457
And the men looked in astonishment at one another."
00:16:15.457 --> 00:16:19.962
Now watch what happens.
00:16:19.962 --> 00:16:21.864
Joseph enters as the gracious host with the table set for 11,
00:16:21.930 --> 00:16:26.835
And he assigns seats, placing benjamin at one end of the table
00:16:26.835 --> 00:16:31.774
And reuben at its head.
00:16:31.774 --> 00:16:34.309
The others are seated in specific order: simeon, levi,
00:16:34.309 --> 00:16:39.348
Judah, dan, naphtali, gad, asher, issachar, and zebulun.
00:16:39.348 --> 00:16:45.020
Remarkably, joseph arranges the brothers
00:16:45.020 --> 00:16:48.924
According to their ages.
00:16:48.924 --> 00:16:52.428
The brothers do not know this is joseph,
00:16:52.428 --> 00:16:55.931
And they are totally astonished.
00:16:55.931 --> 00:16:58.901
How does this man know the order in which we were born?
00:16:58.901 --> 00:17:05.541
And they sense a growing mystery,
00:17:05.541 --> 00:17:07.242
And joseph is gradually revealing himself,
00:17:07.242 --> 00:17:09.545
Though they haven't yet grasped the full picture.
00:17:09.545 --> 00:17:12.514
They're beginning to realize that this man has knowledge
00:17:12.514 --> 00:17:15.050
About them beyond their expectation.
00:17:15.050 --> 00:17:18.087
Maybe he's done research on them.
00:17:18.087 --> 00:17:20.456
Maybe he's gone to find out who these guys really are
00:17:20.456 --> 00:17:22.991
Because he doesn't believe them.
00:17:22.991 --> 00:17:25.828
You know what, it serves as a powerful reminder to us
00:17:25.828 --> 00:17:28.330
That when god is dealing with us about anything,
00:17:28.330 --> 00:17:32.201
He knows everything about it.
00:17:32.201 --> 00:17:34.603
There isn't anything about the situation he doesn't know.
00:17:34.603 --> 00:17:37.406
I've often thought when i've been confronted with a problem,
00:17:37.406 --> 00:17:40.509
"man, if i could just know the truth, the real truth,
00:17:40.509 --> 00:17:42.578
I would know what to do."
00:17:42.578 --> 00:17:44.246
Let me tell you something, god always knows the truth.
00:17:44.246 --> 00:17:46.515
He knows all the truth, everything about the truth.
00:17:46.515 --> 00:17:49.985
Just as joseph knew that these brothers belonged
00:17:49.985 --> 00:17:52.321
In a certain order, when god is dealing with us,
00:17:52.321 --> 00:17:55.624
He knows everything about us.
00:17:55.624 --> 00:17:57.626
Don't try to fool him.
00:17:57.626 --> 00:17:59.695
He's the god of the universe.
00:17:59.695 --> 00:18:01.797
And just as joseph's brothers were amazed by his hidden
00:18:01.797 --> 00:18:04.967
Knowledge, we too should be struck by god's knowledge of us,
00:18:04.967 --> 00:18:11.140
And the fact that when we try to pull something off
00:18:11.140 --> 00:18:13.842
On our friends, we're never fooling god.
00:18:13.842 --> 00:18:17.546
In my mind's eye, i see this and forgive my imagination.
00:18:17.546 --> 00:18:23.385
The brothers are seated, reuben at one end,
00:18:23.385 --> 00:18:25.821
Benjamin at the other.
00:18:25.821 --> 00:18:28.323
The maître d' signals, and the waiters emerge one by one.
00:18:28.323 --> 00:18:31.793
Each waiter approaches a specific brother,
00:18:31.793 --> 00:18:34.696
Serves their meal.
00:18:34.696 --> 00:18:36.165
Reuben receives his plate, then simeon, and so on,
00:18:36.165 --> 00:18:38.967
Until all the brothers are served except for benjamin.
00:18:38.967 --> 00:18:42.838
Suddenly, five waiters appear in rapid succession,
00:18:42.838 --> 00:18:48.010
Each carrying identical trays laden with the same food,
00:18:48.010 --> 00:18:52.147
And they converge on benjamin
00:18:52.147 --> 00:18:53.916
And give him five full servings of everything
00:18:53.916 --> 00:18:56.585
The others had gotten just one of.
00:18:56.585 --> 00:19:00.055
Now, isn't that a strange thing?
00:19:00.055 --> 00:19:01.690
You probably think i made that up, but that's in the bible.
00:19:01.690 --> 00:19:05.093
It's in verse 34.
00:19:05.093 --> 00:19:06.595
This is what it says: "then he took servings to them
00:19:06.595 --> 00:19:09.298
From before him, but benjamin's serving was five times
00:19:09.298 --> 00:19:13.302
As much as any others."
00:19:13.302 --> 00:19:16.405
Why did joseph do this?
00:19:16.405 --> 00:19:18.941
I think joseph wanted to see if his brothers
00:19:18.941 --> 00:19:20.842
Were still a jealous kind.
00:19:20.842 --> 00:19:24.346
Remember, they were jealous of joseph many years ago
00:19:24.346 --> 00:19:28.317
And sold him into slavery.
00:19:28.317 --> 00:19:30.719
Was jealousy still in their heart when their younger brother
00:19:30.719 --> 00:19:35.090
Got five as much as they did?
00:19:35.090 --> 00:19:38.160
He was seeking evidence of change, hoping to discover if
00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:41.697
They've overcome the jealousy that tore their family apart.
00:19:41.697 --> 00:19:46.168
This moment of quiet acceptance marks an important turning point
00:19:46.168 --> 00:19:49.571
In the story.
00:19:49.571 --> 00:19:51.406
And our section of this story ends with verse 34,
00:19:51.406 --> 00:19:55.677
Where we read, "so they drank and were merry with joseph."
00:19:55.677 --> 00:20:01.083
Now, listen, they don't know who joseph is yet.
00:20:01.083 --> 00:20:03.785
Can you imagine how much they would have drank and how merry
00:20:03.785 --> 00:20:07.122
They would have been if they really knew who he was?
00:20:07.122 --> 00:20:10.559
They're about to find that out, but not yet.
00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:13.495
What a night this was when joseph hosted his brothers
00:20:13.495 --> 00:20:16.932
For a banquet and they still don't know who he is.
00:20:16.932 --> 00:20:22.137
Let's think for a moment about the place of fear in this story.
00:20:22.137 --> 00:20:26.975
There is scarcely anything more striking in this story
00:20:26.975 --> 00:20:30.579
Than the fear joseph's brothers had.
00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:33.448
On their first journey, they were fearful
00:20:33.448 --> 00:20:35.417
Of what they might find.
00:20:35.417 --> 00:20:37.085
On their way home, they were fearful
00:20:37.085 --> 00:20:38.654
When they found money in their sacks.
00:20:38.654 --> 00:20:41.056
Fear continued to affect them as they returned to meet joseph,
00:20:41.056 --> 00:20:44.393
And once they head for home, they will experience
00:20:44.393 --> 00:20:46.728
An even greater fear when benjamin is arrested.
00:20:46.728 --> 00:20:52.401
God often uses fear to call us to repent.
00:20:52.401 --> 00:20:58.707
Fear warns and searches and purifies the believer.
00:20:58.707 --> 00:21:03.145
It has a tendency to keep our hearts tender,
00:21:03.145 --> 00:21:05.380
To make us shrink from sin,
00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:07.282
And it causes us to be sensitive to god's will.
00:21:07.282 --> 00:21:09.818
Fear helps us be true to the lord,
00:21:09.818 --> 00:21:12.287
And we might as well admit it,
00:21:12.287 --> 00:21:14.122
I know of very few subjects in the word of god
00:21:14.122 --> 00:21:16.525
Which are more worthy of in-depth study
00:21:16.525 --> 00:21:18.994
Than the fear of god.
00:21:18.994 --> 00:21:21.229
In our culture today, we have tried to bring god down
00:21:21.229 --> 00:21:24.066
To man's level, and in doing so,
00:21:24.066 --> 00:21:26.668
We have done away with our fear of a holy god.
00:21:26.668 --> 00:21:31.540
As you read the life of joseph, learn the place of fear
00:21:31.540 --> 00:21:34.976
In the program of god.
00:21:34.976 --> 00:21:36.778
Along with the place of fear, i want you to notice with me
00:21:36.778 --> 00:21:39.514
The priority of repentance.
00:21:39.514 --> 00:21:42.017
Listen, the lord wanted these boys to repent.
00:21:42.017 --> 00:21:44.986
He expected them to be sorrowful, to make amends,
00:21:44.986 --> 00:21:47.689
And to change the direction of their lives.
00:21:47.689 --> 00:21:50.125
God was not gonna be satisfied with a shallow repentance that
00:21:50.125 --> 00:21:53.028
Would keep these guys from having to face the consequences.
00:21:53.028 --> 00:21:56.932
He wanted a genuine repentance evidenced by a changed life.
00:21:56.932 --> 00:22:02.204
Some people repent just enough to take the pressure off,
00:22:02.204 --> 00:22:05.474
Then they go back to doing what they repented of.
00:22:05.474 --> 00:22:08.744
But repentance is a way of saying,
00:22:08.744 --> 00:22:11.079
"god, i know i've done wrong, and i'm sorry.
00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:15.150
Please forgive me and help me to go in a new direction."
00:22:15.150 --> 00:22:19.654
And so, we need to recall the importance of repentance.
00:22:19.654 --> 00:22:22.190
Could you just join me in that?
00:22:22.190 --> 00:22:24.025
It's easy to encourage people to just believe,
00:22:24.025 --> 00:22:26.461
And i do believe that faith is the only requirement
00:22:26.461 --> 00:22:29.731
For salvation, but men and women,
00:22:29.731 --> 00:22:32.534
If you have faith in the holy living god,
00:22:32.534 --> 00:22:35.036
You also have repentance from sin.
00:22:35.036 --> 00:22:38.473
When you turn toward god, you turn away from something.
00:22:38.473 --> 00:22:41.610
You turn away from the sin in your life.
00:22:41.610 --> 00:22:44.179
True repentance means to change your direction
00:22:44.179 --> 00:22:46.615
And to change your mind.
00:22:46.615 --> 00:22:49.751
The third impression i get as i read this story
00:22:49.751 --> 00:22:53.288
Is the possibility of recovery.
00:22:53.288 --> 00:22:56.691
Once again, let me talk to you about joseph's brother, judah.
00:22:56.691 --> 00:23:01.263
When judah was born, his mother was so excited,
00:23:01.263 --> 00:23:03.799
She began to sing praises to god,
00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:06.802
So she named her son judah, which means praise.
00:23:06.802 --> 00:23:11.139
But as you watch him grow up,
00:23:11.139 --> 00:23:13.175
You wonder what happened to praise.
00:23:13.175 --> 00:23:15.710
I mean, as a young man, judah was the one who suggested
00:23:15.710 --> 00:23:19.448
That they sell joseph and not kill him.
00:23:19.448 --> 00:23:24.686
Later, he grew up and married a pagan.
00:23:24.686 --> 00:23:27.722
He broke promises to people, committed incest
00:23:27.722 --> 00:23:30.192
With his daughter-in-law, then all of a sudden,
00:23:30.192 --> 00:23:34.396
Something starts to happen to judah.
00:23:34.396 --> 00:23:37.699
Perhaps it's the poverty or his deepening love for his family,
00:23:37.699 --> 00:23:40.936
Or maybe his confidence has simply been so shaken through
00:23:40.936 --> 00:23:44.506
All that's happened that judah decides to step forward
00:23:44.506 --> 00:23:47.576
And become a leader;
00:23:47.576 --> 00:23:49.978
From being a man living for himself
00:23:49.978 --> 00:23:52.047
To being a man living for god,
00:23:52.047 --> 00:23:54.015
Really worthy of the name praise.
00:23:54.015 --> 00:23:56.518
At his father's deathbed, judah was praised as being a lion,
00:23:56.518 --> 00:24:00.689
And one of his brothers looked up to--this judah
00:24:00.689 --> 00:24:05.093
Was the brother through whom jesus christ's lineage came.
00:24:05.093 --> 00:24:09.564
Jesus was from the tribe of judah.
00:24:09.564 --> 00:24:13.668
Jesus was the lion of judah.
00:24:13.668 --> 00:24:18.673
That tells us that it's never too late to change.
00:24:18.673 --> 00:24:22.143
You can become great even if you've been really bad,
00:24:22.143 --> 00:24:26.314
If you repent.
00:24:26.314 --> 00:24:28.350
Somebody said, "well, god's never gonna use me
00:24:28.350 --> 00:24:30.118
After what i did in my life."
00:24:30.118 --> 00:24:31.753
Well, not if you don't repent of it, he won't, but if you repent
00:24:31.753 --> 00:24:36.358
And turn from it, you might be the next judah.
00:24:36.358 --> 00:24:39.995
You might be the next praise.
00:24:39.995 --> 00:24:42.397
God loves to show his mercy and grace in taking things
00:24:42.397 --> 00:24:46.735
That are badly broken,
00:24:46.735 --> 00:24:48.436
And put them back together in a beautiful way
00:24:48.436 --> 00:24:51.473
So that the whole world marvels at the amazing grace of god.
00:24:51.473 --> 00:24:56.378
He did that and is doing that in the life of the brothers.
00:24:56.378 --> 00:25:00.348
And i say to you again, it's never too late to change.
00:25:00.348 --> 00:25:03.685
It's never too late to give god your life.
00:25:03.685 --> 00:25:07.856
He wants to bring wayward people back to himself,
00:25:07.856 --> 00:25:11.126
And there's always the possibility of recovery.
00:25:11.126 --> 00:25:15.297
He has done it over and over.
00:25:15.297 --> 00:25:18.800
So listen to me, this is gonna be new to many of us.
00:25:18.800 --> 00:25:22.270
Don't think of the idea of repentance
00:25:22.270 --> 00:25:25.040
As something negative.
00:25:25.040 --> 00:25:27.943
In actuality, it's one of the most positive things
00:25:27.943 --> 00:25:31.346
In the bible.
00:25:31.346 --> 00:25:33.648
Think about it.
00:25:33.648 --> 00:25:35.050
Repentance means that you and i aren't just robots
00:25:35.050 --> 00:25:37.419
Pre-programmed to keep making the same
00:25:37.419 --> 00:25:39.354
Stupid mistakes over and over.
00:25:39.354 --> 00:25:43.058
It means we don't have to keep hurting ourselves or others.
00:25:43.058 --> 00:25:45.927
It's like having a reset button for our lives.
00:25:45.927 --> 00:25:50.298
Imagine being able to make a complete 180 degree turn, to
00:25:50.298 --> 00:25:54.102
Look at that stubborn habit or destructive behavior and say,
00:25:54.102 --> 00:25:57.172
"you know what, i'm done with you,
00:25:57.172 --> 00:25:59.207
I'm choosing a different path."
00:25:59.207 --> 00:26:01.242
That's the beauty of repentance, and god provides that for us.
00:26:01.242 --> 00:26:06.381
He gives us that opportunity.
00:26:06.381 --> 00:26:08.016
I know i've grown up all my life in the church and hearing
00:26:08.016 --> 00:26:11.286
Messages about repentance, most of them have made me feel
00:26:11.286 --> 00:26:14.089
Really bad and guilty and not very excited,
00:26:14.089 --> 00:26:16.825
But i have a new look
00:26:16.825 --> 00:26:18.293
And a new appreciation for repentance.
00:26:18.293 --> 00:26:20.328
Repentance is god's way to make things right that are wrong
00:26:20.328 --> 00:26:23.565
In your life and in mine.
00:26:23.565 --> 00:26:27.936
And if you're here today and you've never repented
00:26:27.936 --> 00:26:31.506
Of your sin,
00:26:31.506 --> 00:26:32.841
Maybe you think you've done too many bad things,
00:26:32.841 --> 00:26:36.011
There's no way you can ever out-sin god's grace,
00:26:36.011 --> 00:26:40.949
And he's willing to accept you
00:26:40.949 --> 00:26:43.451
And forgive you and turn your life 180 degrees
00:26:43.451 --> 00:26:47.622
Around and make everything that's been old and ugly new
00:26:47.622 --> 00:26:52.794
And beautiful, but you have to repent.
00:26:52.794 --> 00:26:56.464
♪♪♪
00:26:57.399 --> 00:27:02.137
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Announcer: if you have never taken the step to believe in
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00:28:50.745 --> 00:28:53.782
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00:28:56.217 --> 00:28:59.087
Dr. jeremiah: if you are living out of fellowship with god,
00:28:59.087 --> 00:29:02.056
And you say,
00:29:02.056 --> 00:29:03.658
"i don't know why god doesn't answer my prayer,"
00:29:03.658 --> 00:29:05.160
Maybe you should examine your own life first.
00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:08.163
That doesn't mean you have to be perfect,
00:29:08.163 --> 00:29:09.664
It means that your heart is right with god
00:29:09.664 --> 00:29:11.633
And you're wanting to serve him,
00:29:11.633 --> 00:29:13.234
And if god tells you to do something, you do it.
00:29:13.234 --> 00:29:15.503
Announcer: stay tuned for another message
00:29:17.005 --> 00:29:18.573
From dr. jeremiah's series,
00:29:18.573 --> 00:29:20.375
"god meant it for good: the story of joseph,"
00:29:20.375 --> 00:29:23.011
Coming up next, here on "turning point."
00:29:23.011 --> 00:29:25.480
♪♪♪
00:29:28.516 --> 00:29:38.960
Narrator: he had a dream,
00:29:39.027 --> 00:29:41.362
A dream that shook kingdoms.
00:29:41.362 --> 00:29:43.965
Favored above his brothers,
00:29:46.634 --> 00:29:49.804
But favor cast a dangerous shadow.
00:29:49.804 --> 00:29:54.108
Betrayal had a price, but so did survival.
00:29:54.108 --> 00:30:00.515
From a father's embrace, to a slave master's house,
00:30:00.515 --> 00:30:06.187
From the depths of a forgotten prison to the heights of power.
00:30:06.187 --> 00:30:11.926
From the pit, to the prison, to the palace,
00:30:11.926 --> 00:30:17.031
His suffering would save nations; and his broken life,
00:30:17.031 --> 00:30:22.370
The very instrument of deliverance.
00:30:22.370 --> 00:30:26.007
Because while others meant it for evil, god meant it for good.
00:30:26.007 --> 00:30:31.512
♪♪♪
00:30:31.512 --> 00:30:37.252
Announcer: here is dr. jeremiah with his message:
00:30:37.252 --> 00:30:39.687
The silver cup: joseph's final test.
00:30:39.687 --> 00:30:42.824
Dr. jeremiah: as we return to the story of joseph,
00:30:42.891 --> 00:30:45.460
One thought that keeps echoing in my mind
00:30:45.460 --> 00:30:48.196
Is the care and the effort
00:30:48.196 --> 00:30:49.931
That god puts into preparing us for his plans.
00:30:49.931 --> 00:30:54.002
Time and again, the bible highlights
00:30:54.002 --> 00:30:55.703
This process of preparation.
00:30:55.703 --> 00:30:59.207
And perhaps more vividly than we perceive it today,
00:30:59.207 --> 00:31:02.677
This story is not just about waiting.
00:31:02.677 --> 00:31:05.146
It's about shaping and molding and testing us
00:31:05.146 --> 00:31:08.816
For the roles we're called to fulfill.
00:31:08.816 --> 00:31:11.686
God is into the preparation process,
00:31:11.686 --> 00:31:15.056
And the longer you're a christian,
00:31:15.056 --> 00:31:16.524
The more you realize that.
00:31:16.524 --> 00:31:18.726
Think about moses.
00:31:18.726 --> 00:31:20.194
Before leading the israelites out of egypt,
00:31:20.194 --> 00:31:22.463
Moses spent 40 years in the desert of midian as a shepherd.
00:31:22.463 --> 00:31:26.768
And you might think, "well, what a time of waste
00:31:26.768 --> 00:31:28.736
That was for him," but it wasn't wasted time.
00:31:28.736 --> 00:31:31.706
He was learning how to be the shepherd of god's people,
00:31:31.706 --> 00:31:34.575
And god was teaching him wonderful lessons.
00:31:34.575 --> 00:31:37.612
Consider david, he was a great warrior,
00:31:37.612 --> 00:31:40.348
But i love david himself talking about the fact
00:31:40.348 --> 00:31:43.785
That before he took on the giant,
00:31:43.785 --> 00:31:47.655
He took on some other wild animals,
00:31:47.655 --> 00:31:49.457
And in his own hands defeated them.
00:31:49.457 --> 00:31:51.693
He was being prepared to be god's champion.
00:31:51.693 --> 00:31:55.129
And even jesus, the son of god, spent the first 30 years
00:31:55.129 --> 00:31:57.999
Of his life in relative obscurity.
00:31:57.999 --> 00:32:00.835
He worked as a carpenter in nazareth,
00:32:00.835 --> 00:32:03.638
And the hands that would heal the sick
00:32:03.638 --> 00:32:06.140
And raise the dead first learned the skill
00:32:06.140 --> 00:32:08.676
Of shaping wood,
00:32:08.676 --> 00:32:10.945
Because even he went through a period of preparation
00:32:10.945 --> 00:32:14.782
Before launching his three-year ministry
00:32:14.782 --> 00:32:16.751
That changed the world forever.
00:32:16.751 --> 00:32:19.020
So when we return to the story of joseph,
00:32:19.020 --> 00:32:22.357
We see the same thing going on.
00:32:22.357 --> 00:32:24.826
Joseph had some brothers that needed a little work.
00:32:24.826 --> 00:32:27.562
Can i get a witness?
00:32:27.562 --> 00:32:29.530
Last time we saw them, they were at a feast in joseph's palace,
00:32:29.530 --> 00:32:33.568
Unaware of who joseph was, and joseph was testing them,
00:32:33.568 --> 00:32:38.606
Seating them by their age around the table,
00:32:38.606 --> 00:32:42.110
A detail that would have seemed
00:32:42.110 --> 00:32:44.245
Uncanny to his brothers and must have stunned them.
00:32:44.245 --> 00:32:47.081
How could this man possibly know?
00:32:47.081 --> 00:32:50.251
Then benjamin, the youngest, got five times the portion
00:32:50.251 --> 00:32:54.722
Of food as everybody else, and nobody understood that.
00:32:54.722 --> 00:32:59.694
And joseph was gauging their hearts;
00:32:59.694 --> 00:33:02.463
Had they moved past the jealousy
00:33:02.463 --> 00:33:04.599
That once tore their family apart?
00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:07.368
As the meal ends and jacob's sons head back to canaan,
00:33:07.368 --> 00:33:12.006
A new plot unfolds.
00:33:12.006 --> 00:33:14.342
And genesis 44, which is our text for today,
00:33:14.342 --> 00:33:17.278
Sets the stage with god's final lessons for them
00:33:17.278 --> 00:33:20.948
Before joseph reveals who he truly is.
00:33:20.948 --> 00:33:24.819
First of all, the plot.
00:33:24.819 --> 00:33:27.055
While the brothers slept after an evening of feasting,
00:33:27.055 --> 00:33:30.925
Joseph and his trusted steward were not sleeping,
00:33:30.925 --> 00:33:33.895
They were devising a plan,
00:33:33.895 --> 00:33:36.697
And in the silence of the night, they set a trap
00:33:36.697 --> 00:33:40.435
That would test the brothers' hearts.
00:33:40.435 --> 00:33:42.870
We read about it in the first three verses
00:33:42.870 --> 00:33:44.939
Of chapter 44.
00:33:44.939 --> 00:33:46.707
"joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying,
00:33:46.707 --> 00:33:49.777
'fill the men's sacks with food,
00:33:49.777 --> 00:33:51.612
As much as they can carry, and put each man's money
00:33:51.612 --> 00:33:54.949
In the mouth of his sack.
00:33:54.949 --> 00:33:57.051
Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack
00:33:57.051 --> 00:34:01.689
Of the youngest, and his grain money.'
00:34:01.689 --> 00:34:05.059
So he did according to the word that joseph had spoken,
00:34:05.059 --> 00:34:08.296
And as soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away,
00:34:08.296 --> 00:34:11.365
They and their donkeys."
00:34:11.365 --> 00:34:14.769
Joseph's plot had two key purposes
00:34:14.769 --> 00:34:17.505
To deal with his brothers.
00:34:17.505 --> 00:34:19.440
First, to deal with their guilt,
00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:21.175
And then to deal with their grudge.
00:34:21.175 --> 00:34:23.778
First of all, dealing with their guilt.
00:34:23.778 --> 00:34:26.681
Joseph is testing the guilt of his brothers.
00:34:26.681 --> 00:34:30.785
Instead of taking their money, he has it stashed back
00:34:30.785 --> 00:34:34.455
Into their bags to see what they'll do with it.
00:34:34.455 --> 00:34:38.860
Remember, these men sold their own brother for 20 shekels
00:34:38.860 --> 00:34:41.462
Of silver.
00:34:41.462 --> 00:34:44.232
Finding the money in their sacks brings back the memory
00:34:44.232 --> 00:34:46.734
Of their blood money.
00:34:46.734 --> 00:34:48.436
Joseph wanted to see what impact their guilt
00:34:48.436 --> 00:34:50.771
Will have on their decisions.
00:34:50.771 --> 00:34:53.407
And then he not only deals with their guilt,
00:34:53.407 --> 00:34:55.343
He deals with their grudge.
00:34:55.343 --> 00:34:57.678
Joseph was not just confronting his brothers' guilt,
00:34:57.678 --> 00:35:01.849
He was addressing their long-held grudge.
00:35:01.849 --> 00:35:05.920
To test them, he placed his personal cup
00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:08.923
Into benjamin's sack.
00:35:08.923 --> 00:35:11.526
This was no ordinary act, but a carefully orchestrated test.
00:35:11.526 --> 00:35:17.798
The intrigue is unbelievable.
00:35:17.798 --> 00:35:21.602
Joseph needed to see if benjamin would face the same treatment
00:35:21.602 --> 00:35:24.906
He had faced years before.
00:35:24.906 --> 00:35:28.075
Would his brothers turn against benjamin when he was caught?
00:35:28.075 --> 00:35:31.812
Would they throw him into a pit, in other words?
00:35:31.812 --> 00:35:35.416
That was the question joseph wanted an answer to.
00:35:35.416 --> 00:35:38.786
Their sacks full of money and food, the brothers set off
00:35:38.786 --> 00:35:41.656
Toward home with simeon and benjamin,
00:35:41.656 --> 00:35:44.692
But their journey was about to take an unexpected turn.
00:35:44.692 --> 00:35:49.430
The plot is followed by the pursuit.
00:35:49.430 --> 00:35:53.201
Genesis 44:4-5 says, "when they had gone out of the city,
00:35:53.201 --> 00:35:58.172
And were not yet far off, joseph said to his steward,
00:35:58.172 --> 00:36:02.510
'get up, follow the men;
00:36:02.510 --> 00:36:04.378
And when you overtake them, say to them,
00:36:04.378 --> 00:36:06.247
"why have you repaid evil for good?
00:36:06.247 --> 00:36:08.849
Is not this the one from which my lord drinks,
00:36:08.849 --> 00:36:11.953
And with which he indeed practices divination,
00:36:11.953 --> 00:36:15.489
You have done evil in so doing."'"
00:36:15.489 --> 00:36:19.227
When the steward caught up with the brothers,
00:36:19.227 --> 00:36:21.796
He conveyed joseph's accusation.
00:36:21.796 --> 00:36:24.799
The brothers were confident that they were innocent.
00:36:24.799 --> 00:36:28.502
They boldly declared that if any of them
00:36:28.502 --> 00:36:30.338
Had stolen the silver cup,
00:36:30.338 --> 00:36:31.839
That man should die, and the rest would
00:36:31.839 --> 00:36:34.475
Become slaves forever to pharaoh.
00:36:34.475 --> 00:36:38.246
That's how cocky they were.
00:36:38.246 --> 00:36:40.615
The steward, however, promises that only the guilty one
00:36:40.615 --> 00:36:43.618
Would be punished and the others could go free.
00:36:43.618 --> 00:36:46.654
So one by one, the brothers begin to open their sacks.
00:36:46.654 --> 00:36:51.892
An old commentator, marcus dods, describes this scene like this.
00:36:51.892 --> 00:36:55.763
He said, "they begin to feel relief as one brother after
00:36:55.763 --> 00:36:59.000
Another steps forward with the boldness of innocence;
00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:03.237
And as sack after sack is opened and flung aside,
00:37:03.237 --> 00:37:07.541
And they already eye the steward
00:37:07.541 --> 00:37:08.876
With the glance of triumph;
00:37:08.876 --> 00:37:10.211
When, as the very last sack is emptied,
00:37:10.211 --> 00:37:12.913
And as all breathlessly stand around,
00:37:12.913 --> 00:37:15.716
The sharp rattle of metal strikes on their ear,
00:37:15.716 --> 00:37:21.255
And the gleam of silver dazzles their eyes as the cup
00:37:21.255 --> 00:37:25.159
Rolls out of benjamin's sack into the sunshine."
00:37:25.159 --> 00:37:30.865
Genesis 44:12-13 records it this way:
00:37:30.865 --> 00:37:35.269
"the steward searched.
00:37:35.269 --> 00:37:36.771
He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest;
00:37:36.771 --> 00:37:39.807
And the cup was found in benjamin's sack.
00:37:39.807 --> 00:37:42.943
Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey
00:37:42.943 --> 00:37:46.981
And returned to the city."
00:37:46.981 --> 00:37:49.050
Now that's shorthand for "we're terrified."
00:37:49.050 --> 00:37:52.620
It was an expression of overwhelming anxiety and fear.
00:37:52.620 --> 00:37:55.823
It is interesting to note that when joseph was lost,
00:37:55.823 --> 00:37:59.226
Only jacob and reuben tore their clothing.
00:37:59.226 --> 00:38:02.330
Now all the brothers are mourning the loss
00:38:02.330 --> 00:38:04.832
Of their youngest brother, and everyone tears their clothes.
00:38:04.832 --> 00:38:09.904
"so judah and his brothers came to joseph's house,
00:38:09.904 --> 00:38:13.274
And he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.
00:38:13.274 --> 00:38:16.877
And joseph said to them, 'what deed is this you have done?
00:38:16.877 --> 00:38:20.514
Did you not know that such a man as i
00:38:20.514 --> 00:38:22.616
Can certainly practice divination?'"
00:38:22.616 --> 00:38:25.720
In other words, "don't you know that i am
00:38:25.720 --> 00:38:29.123
The second most powerful man in egypt
00:38:29.123 --> 00:38:32.360
And that i have the power that egyptians have
00:38:32.360 --> 00:38:35.062
To know the future?
00:38:35.062 --> 00:38:36.397
Don't you think i could figure out what was going on?"
00:38:36.397 --> 00:38:39.166
And he wants to know, will they stand with benjamin,
00:38:39.166 --> 00:38:41.502
Or will they abandon him
00:38:41.502 --> 00:38:42.837
Like they had abandoned joseph years before?
00:38:42.837 --> 00:38:46.107
When joseph had served benjamin extra portions earlier,
00:38:46.107 --> 00:38:49.643
The brothers might have hidden their true feelings,
00:38:49.643 --> 00:38:52.079
But now there's no hiding.
00:38:52.079 --> 00:38:54.048
They could easily let benjamin go if they didn't care
00:38:54.048 --> 00:38:57.218
About him.
00:38:57.218 --> 00:38:58.586
As joseph's steward had said,
00:38:58.586 --> 00:39:00.087
"whoever has the cup becomes my slave."
00:39:00.087 --> 00:39:02.757
Maybe the brothers will just walk away from benjamin,
00:39:02.757 --> 00:39:05.593
Protect their own safety, and go back home,
00:39:05.593 --> 00:39:08.662
But notice the change that's taken place.
00:39:08.662 --> 00:39:11.766
As soon as the cup was found, they all accompanied benjamin
00:39:11.766 --> 00:39:15.903
Back to egypt for his trial.
00:39:15.903 --> 00:39:19.707
They're now back in the house where they had just enjoyed
00:39:19.707 --> 00:39:22.510
A sweet banquet with their unknown brother joseph,
00:39:22.510 --> 00:39:25.579
Still playing his part to the hilt.
00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:28.749
"what deed is this that you have done?" he said.
00:39:28.749 --> 00:39:31.819
"'don't you know that such a one as i
00:39:31.819 --> 00:39:34.088
Can certainly know what's going on?
00:39:34.088 --> 00:39:36.590
Don't you realize someone in my position
00:39:36.590 --> 00:39:38.259
Can see right through you?
00:39:38.259 --> 00:39:40.161
You can't hide anything from me.
00:39:40.161 --> 00:39:42.329
I know everything that's going on."
00:39:42.329 --> 00:39:44.331
Do you know how he knew it?
00:39:44.331 --> 00:39:45.666
'cause he planned it all himself.
00:39:45.666 --> 00:39:50.604
And then we move from the plot and the pursuit
00:39:50.604 --> 00:39:54.542
To this special section of the story called the plea.
00:39:54.542 --> 00:39:58.979
Verse 16 introduces us to an important moment in the story
00:39:58.979 --> 00:40:02.249
Of jacob's family.
00:40:02.249 --> 00:40:04.151
As judah steps before joseph, we witness the first evidence
00:40:04.151 --> 00:40:07.822
Of a public confession.
00:40:07.822 --> 00:40:10.458
In verse 16, judah says, "what shall we say to my lord?
00:40:10.458 --> 00:40:15.463
What shall we speak?
00:40:15.463 --> 00:40:17.598
Or how shall we clear ourselves?
00:40:17.598 --> 00:40:20.301
God has found out the iniquity of your servants;
00:40:20.301 --> 00:40:24.171
Here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also
00:40:24.171 --> 00:40:28.175
With whom the cup was found."
00:40:28.175 --> 00:40:31.045
And this is what joseph has been waiting for.
00:40:31.045 --> 00:40:33.981
This is what he's been plotting for and striving for.
00:40:33.981 --> 00:40:37.952
Now we must carefully consider the nature of this confession.
00:40:37.952 --> 00:40:42.356
There are two possible interpretations.
00:40:42.356 --> 00:40:45.092
If judah is confessing that benjamin has stolen the cup,
00:40:45.092 --> 00:40:49.830
It would mean he truly believes benjamin is guilty,
00:40:49.830 --> 00:40:52.199
And he knows better than that.
00:40:52.199 --> 00:40:55.035
What is he confessing?
00:40:55.035 --> 00:40:57.004
Most biblical scholars believe that the impact of what they had
00:40:57.004 --> 00:41:00.841
Done to joseph, their brother, has finally hit them through
00:41:00.841 --> 00:41:03.978
This experience, and he is confessing a sin
00:41:03.978 --> 00:41:07.448
That was committed some 20 years ago:
00:41:07.448 --> 00:41:10.150
The betrayal of selling joseph into slavery.
00:41:10.150 --> 00:41:14.321
Judah has come to recognize the recent distressing events
00:41:14.321 --> 00:41:18.592
As god's judgment for their past transgression,
00:41:18.592 --> 00:41:22.796
And he says, "god has found us out.
00:41:22.796 --> 00:41:26.700
We are guilty."
00:41:26.700 --> 00:41:28.235
While they may be innocent of theft,
00:41:28.235 --> 00:41:30.804
They are guilty of a far greater offense:
00:41:30.804 --> 00:41:33.274
The betrayal of their own brother.
00:41:33.274 --> 00:41:35.976
Meanwhile, joseph, who's at the other end of this,
00:41:35.976 --> 00:41:40.180
Pretends not to understand judah
00:41:40.180 --> 00:41:42.983
And insists that only benjamin was guilty.
00:41:42.983 --> 00:41:46.153
And rather than sentencing the guilty one to death,
00:41:46.153 --> 00:41:48.656
He declares that benjamin would stay as a slave in egypt
00:41:48.656 --> 00:41:52.960
While the rest could go home in peace.
00:41:52.960 --> 00:41:56.697
And what follows is a remarkable kind of plea or prayer
00:41:56.697 --> 00:42:02.102
From judah: an intercession, a crying out to joseph
00:42:02.102 --> 00:42:07.708
On behalf of his brother.
00:42:07.708 --> 00:42:09.777
In verses 18 of genesis 44, we witness a display of reverence
00:42:09.777 --> 00:42:15.282
In judah's intercession.
00:42:15.282 --> 00:42:17.318
Watch these principles of judah's prayer
00:42:17.318 --> 00:42:21.455
And notice how they fit into the way we pray.
00:42:21.455 --> 00:42:25.859
Here's what happened.
00:42:25.859 --> 00:42:27.261
First of all, he reverences joseph.
00:42:27.261 --> 00:42:29.897
"then judah came near to joseph and said, 'o my lord,
00:42:29.897 --> 00:42:34.635
Please let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing,
00:42:34.635 --> 00:42:38.939
And do not let your anger burn against your servant;
00:42:38.939 --> 00:42:42.209
For you are even like pharaoh.'"
00:42:42.209 --> 00:42:45.412
Judah, standing before the second most powerful man
00:42:45.412 --> 00:42:48.282
In egypt, shows great honor and reverence
00:42:48.282 --> 00:42:51.819
And a sense of awe for joseph.
00:42:51.819 --> 00:42:55.022
He's about ready to ask joseph for the most important thing
00:42:55.022 --> 00:42:58.258
He's ever requested of anyone,
00:42:58.258 --> 00:43:01.595
But he shows reverence for joseph.
00:43:01.595 --> 00:43:05.799
I think this is a great lesson for all of us
00:43:05.799 --> 00:43:08.435
When it comes to prayer.
00:43:08.435 --> 00:43:10.704
Regardless of contemporary trends,
00:43:10.704 --> 00:43:13.607
God is worthy of our utmost honor.
00:43:13.607 --> 00:43:17.378
He's worthy of our praise and our reverence,
00:43:17.378 --> 00:43:20.681
And we should approach him with a sense of his majesty.
00:43:20.681 --> 00:43:25.552
And the scripture tells us that in this way, it says,
00:43:25.552 --> 00:43:29.089
We're to "lift up holy hands"
00:43:29.089 --> 00:43:31.058
To god when we pray, and god tells us
00:43:31.058 --> 00:43:33.794
We're to be holy as "he is holy."
00:43:33.794 --> 00:43:37.831
God wants us to be like him, he's not interested
00:43:37.831 --> 00:43:41.268
In being like us,
00:43:41.268 --> 00:43:43.537
And judah understood that when he addressed
00:43:43.537 --> 00:43:45.406
The most powerful man in egypt.
00:43:45.406 --> 00:43:47.508
He addressed him with reverence and awe and honor,
00:43:47.508 --> 00:43:51.245
Giving us an example to follow when we pray.
00:43:51.245 --> 00:43:54.448
I don't mean you have to get all formal and use what some people
00:43:54.448 --> 00:43:58.152
Refer to as christianese, which is the language
00:43:58.152 --> 00:44:01.155
Only christians know and most people don't want to know.
00:44:01.155 --> 00:44:04.692
Speak to him as you would if he were to appear
00:44:04.692 --> 00:44:08.796
Before you in person.
00:44:08.796 --> 00:44:10.764
I don't think you'd say, "well, hello, man from upstairs,
00:44:10.764 --> 00:44:13.767
How are you?"
00:44:13.767 --> 00:44:15.402
You wouldn't do that.
00:44:15.402 --> 00:44:17.071
You would be overwhelmed with his presence and his majesty,
00:44:17.071 --> 00:44:21.308
And so we should be.
00:44:21.308 --> 00:44:23.610
Then judah reviewed joseph's proposal.
00:44:23.610 --> 00:44:26.780
In judah's intercession, we see not only reverence
00:44:26.780 --> 00:44:30.484
For joseph's position,
00:44:30.484 --> 00:44:32.386
But a detailed review of joseph's proposals.
00:44:32.386 --> 00:44:35.422
Listen to this from genesis 44.
00:44:35.422 --> 00:44:38.525
He said, "my lord asked his servants, saying,
00:44:38.525 --> 00:44:41.495
'have you a father or a brother?'
00:44:41.495 --> 00:44:43.964
And we said to my lord, 'we have a father, an old man,
00:44:43.964 --> 00:44:47.468
And a child of his old age, who is young;
00:44:47.468 --> 00:44:49.503
His brother is dead, and he alone is left
00:44:49.503 --> 00:44:51.839
Of his mother's children, and his father loves him.'
00:44:51.839 --> 00:44:55.309
And you said to your servants, 'bring him down to me,
00:44:55.309 --> 00:44:58.412
That i may set my eyes on him.'
00:44:58.412 --> 00:45:00.547
And we said to my lord, 'the lad cannot leave his father,
00:45:00.547 --> 00:45:03.917
For if he should leave his father,
00:45:03.917 --> 00:45:05.519
His father would die.'
00:45:05.519 --> 00:45:07.354
But you said to your servants, 'unless your youngest brother
00:45:07.354 --> 00:45:10.791
Comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'
00:45:10.791 --> 00:45:14.428
So it was that we went up to your servant my father,
00:45:14.428 --> 00:45:18.732
That we told him the words of my lord."
00:45:18.732 --> 00:45:21.902
What is judah doing here?
00:45:21.902 --> 00:45:23.737
As he speaks to joseph, he's telling joseph,
00:45:23.737 --> 00:45:26.974
"before i ask you for what i want,
00:45:26.974 --> 00:45:29.276
I want you to know we've done
00:45:29.276 --> 00:45:31.779
What you've asked us to do already.
00:45:31.779 --> 00:45:34.448
We've been obedient."
00:45:34.448 --> 00:45:36.216
Obedience is a great asset when you're praying.
00:45:36.216 --> 00:45:40.921
When you've been doing what god tells you to do,
00:45:40.921 --> 00:45:43.690
You seem to have a great deal
00:45:43.690 --> 00:45:45.058
More confidence that god's gonna hear
00:45:45.058 --> 00:45:46.927
What you're asking him for.
00:45:46.927 --> 00:45:49.363
The bible says, "lift up holy hands when you pray."
00:45:49.363 --> 00:45:52.332
That doesn't mean you're gonna be perfect.
00:45:52.332 --> 00:45:54.301
None of us are, none of us are perfect,
00:45:54.301 --> 00:45:57.171
But if you're living in open sin,
00:45:57.171 --> 00:46:00.107
If you're not walking with the lord, the bible says,
00:46:00.107 --> 00:46:02.609
"if i regard sin in my heart, the lord will not hear me."
00:46:02.609 --> 00:46:07.748
If you are living out of fellowship with god and you say,
00:46:07.748 --> 00:46:11.618
"i don't know why god doesn't answer my prayer,"
00:46:11.618 --> 00:46:13.687
Maybe you should examine your own life first.
00:46:13.687 --> 00:46:16.824
That doesn't mean you have to be perfect,
00:46:16.824 --> 00:46:18.325
It means that your heart is right with god
00:46:18.325 --> 00:46:20.294
And you're wanting to serve him,
00:46:20.294 --> 00:46:22.396
And if god tells you to do something, you do it.
00:46:22.396 --> 00:46:24.932
It's a wonderful thing to know that you've been walking in
00:46:24.932 --> 00:46:27.201
Fellowship with the lord, even if you've had gone through some
00:46:27.201 --> 00:46:29.703
Hard things, and then lift up your voice to the lord and say,
00:46:29.703 --> 00:46:34.174
"lord, with all my heart, i've been serving you.
00:46:34.174 --> 00:46:37.711
With everything i know how to do,
00:46:37.711 --> 00:46:39.079
I've been trying to honor you, and now i need something."
00:46:39.079 --> 00:46:42.182
So we move now from joseph's position to his proposal,
00:46:42.182 --> 00:46:47.487
And now judah restates the problem,
00:46:47.487 --> 00:46:50.057
And this part of the prayer resonates with most of us
00:46:50.057 --> 00:46:52.626
Because it's what we do most and what we do best when we pray.
00:46:52.626 --> 00:46:57.030
Judah just tells joseph everything.
00:46:57.030 --> 00:46:59.800
He says, "and our father said, 'go back
00:46:59.800 --> 00:47:01.869
And buy us a little food.'
00:47:01.869 --> 00:47:03.403
But we said, 'we cannot go down...
00:47:03.403 --> 00:47:04.838
For we may not see the man's face
00:47:04.838 --> 00:47:06.974
Unless our youngest brother is with us.'
00:47:06.974 --> 00:47:09.443
And then your servant my father said to us,
00:47:09.443 --> 00:47:11.511
'you know that my wife bore me two sons;
00:47:11.511 --> 00:47:14.381
And the one went out from me,'
00:47:14.381 --> 00:47:15.983
And i said, 'surely he is torn to pieces':
00:47:15.983 --> 00:47:18.585
And i have not seen him since.
00:47:18.585 --> 00:47:20.888
But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls
00:47:20.888 --> 00:47:24.157
Him, you shall bring down my gray hair
00:47:24.157 --> 00:47:27.661
With sorrow to the grave."
00:47:27.661 --> 00:47:29.963
Judas says, "joseph, our father was married to a woman
00:47:29.963 --> 00:47:33.934
Named rachel,
00:47:33.934 --> 00:47:35.769
Whom he loved more than any person on the earth.
00:47:35.769 --> 00:47:41.208
And she died in childbirth, and she left him two boys,
00:47:41.208 --> 00:47:45.979
Joseph and benjamin, and joseph was mysteriously taken away."
00:47:45.979 --> 00:47:52.319
He thinks he's been torn up by the beasts,
00:47:52.319 --> 00:47:55.422
Doesn't know he's still living.
00:47:55.422 --> 00:47:57.758
And benjamin, the youngest of all, is all he has left
00:47:57.758 --> 00:48:00.627
In his memory of rachel
00:48:00.627 --> 00:48:02.162
And all he has left in his family,
00:48:02.162 --> 00:48:03.797
And he says, "please, please don't put benjamin in jeopardy."
00:48:03.797 --> 00:48:07.768
And so what i love about this story is
00:48:07.768 --> 00:48:10.904
Judah doesn't leave anything out.
00:48:10.904 --> 00:48:15.075
He puts the whole deal before joseph,
00:48:15.075 --> 00:48:18.178
And that's the way god wants us to pray.
00:48:18.178 --> 00:48:21.348
There's a wonderful thing about laying it all out
00:48:21.348 --> 00:48:23.817
Before the lord.
00:48:23.817 --> 00:48:25.152
I know some people that think we shouldn't do that,
00:48:25.152 --> 00:48:27.087
That we should never tell god about our problems
00:48:27.087 --> 00:48:29.823
And certainly not be descriptive in telling him.
00:48:29.823 --> 00:48:33.226
If you feel that way, i have an assignment for you:
00:48:33.226 --> 00:48:37.764
Go home and start reading the psalms,
00:48:37.764 --> 00:48:40.634
Because when you get to david's psalms,
00:48:40.634 --> 00:48:42.970
Almost every psalm begins with some problem in his life,
00:48:42.970 --> 00:48:47.107
And then he works himself through that problem,
00:48:47.107 --> 00:48:49.643
And by the end of the psalm, he resolves it,
00:48:49.643 --> 00:48:52.646
And it usually ends up in a time of praise and worship.
00:48:52.646 --> 00:48:56.249
Someone said david's psalms began with a sigh
00:48:56.249 --> 00:48:59.419
And they end with a song,
00:48:59.419 --> 00:49:01.822
And i think that's how we're supposed to pray too.
00:49:01.822 --> 00:49:04.491
You should never be bashful about telling the lord
00:49:04.491 --> 00:49:06.793
What's going--in fact, somebody said, "well, the bible says god
00:49:06.793 --> 00:49:09.196
Already knows what's going on, so why should i tell him
00:49:09.196 --> 00:49:12.799
If he already knows?"
00:49:12.799 --> 00:49:14.234
God already knows, but he wants you to know that you know,
00:49:14.234 --> 00:49:18.472
Because sometimes we talk about our problems very generally,
00:49:18.472 --> 00:49:22.075
But when you write them out, you become very specific.
00:49:22.075 --> 00:49:26.046
You don't say, "dear god, i'm having a bad week."
00:49:26.046 --> 00:49:30.384
You say, "dear god, let me tell you what happened to me on
00:49:30.384 --> 00:49:33.520
Monday, and let me tell you what happened to me on tuesday,
00:49:33.520 --> 00:49:36.757
And i'm not sure yet whether i want to face wednesday.
00:49:36.757 --> 00:49:39.359
Lord, what am i going to do?"
00:49:39.359 --> 00:49:42.195
And i think when we become honest like that, our prayers
00:49:42.195 --> 00:49:45.365
Take a whole new sense of perspective and reality.
00:49:45.365 --> 00:49:50.237
God wants to hear our heart.
00:49:50.237 --> 00:49:52.205
He tells us to pour out our problems before him.
00:49:52.205 --> 00:49:57.177
And then judah requests pity from joseph.
00:49:57.177 --> 00:50:00.981
He finally gets to the request.
00:50:00.981 --> 00:50:03.817
Verse 32 of chapter 44, he says, "your servant became surety for
00:50:03.817 --> 00:50:08.121
The lad to my father, saying, 'if i do not bring him back to
00:50:08.121 --> 00:50:11.725
You, then i shall bear the blame before my father forever.'
00:50:11.725 --> 00:50:15.996
Now therefore, please let your servant remain
00:50:15.996 --> 00:50:18.899
Instead of the lad as a slave to my lord,
00:50:18.899 --> 00:50:22.502
And let the lad go up with his brothers.
00:50:22.502 --> 00:50:25.072
For how shall i go up to my father
00:50:25.072 --> 00:50:27.207
If the lad is not with him,
00:50:27.207 --> 00:50:29.209
Lest perhaps i see the evil that would come upon my father?"
00:50:29.209 --> 00:50:34.681
Judah says, "joseph, listen, you can't keep benjamin.
00:50:34.681 --> 00:50:40.387
It'll kill my dad.
00:50:40.387 --> 00:50:42.389
Just keep me.
00:50:42.389 --> 00:50:44.424
Let benjamin go and i'll stay in his place."
00:50:44.424 --> 00:50:48.428
After coming reverently before him, carefully explaining the
00:50:48.428 --> 00:50:51.832
Situation, judah gets to the heart of the matter,
00:50:51.832 --> 00:50:55.836
And that's important in prayer too.
00:50:55.836 --> 00:50:58.805
We have to tell god what we want him to do.
00:50:58.805 --> 00:51:01.575
Judah said, "joseph, let me be the man.
00:51:01.575 --> 00:51:05.612
You send benjamin home and let me be benjamin.
00:51:05.612 --> 00:51:08.014
Let me be the man.
00:51:08.014 --> 00:51:09.349
I'll stand in his place."
00:51:09.349 --> 00:51:11.351
He didn't leave any doubt in joseph's mind what he wanted.
00:51:11.351 --> 00:51:15.188
Do we do the same when we pray?
00:51:15.188 --> 00:51:17.424
You know, some of us have grown up in christian homes,
00:51:17.424 --> 00:51:19.359
We've been going to church all our lives,
00:51:19.359 --> 00:51:21.094
And we've learned all the prayer languages,
00:51:21.094 --> 00:51:22.562
And we know how to say nice things to god,
00:51:22.562 --> 00:51:25.098
And we try to--sometimes i think we pray more on the basis
00:51:25.098 --> 00:51:29.736
Of what we hope others will think of us
00:51:29.736 --> 00:51:31.738
Than we do about what god will think of us.
00:51:31.738 --> 00:51:35.008
And it's really important when you pray
00:51:35.008 --> 00:51:37.811
To ask god for what you want.
00:51:37.811 --> 00:51:39.980
I've had people come up to me after church and say,
00:51:39.980 --> 00:51:42.749
"dr. jeremiah, this and this and this, will you pray for me?"
00:51:42.749 --> 00:51:45.418
I usually say something like this:
00:51:45.418 --> 00:51:47.454
"let me ask you something first, have you asked god about this?"
00:51:47.454 --> 00:51:51.625
"well, no, that's why i'm coming to ask you
00:51:51.625 --> 00:51:54.194
To ask god about this."
00:51:54.194 --> 00:51:56.496
And i want to say to them and i say to all of you,
00:51:56.496 --> 00:51:58.698
I have no more efficacy before god than you do.
00:51:58.698 --> 00:52:02.135
You have as much of a standing before almighty god
00:52:02.135 --> 00:52:04.905
As your pastor.
00:52:04.905 --> 00:52:07.007
You don't need me to stand in your place.
00:52:07.007 --> 00:52:08.808
I'm happy to pray with you, but i'm not happy to pray
00:52:08.808 --> 00:52:11.211
In your place because nobody can pray in your place.
00:52:11.211 --> 00:52:15.549
Judah didn't push this off on someone else.
00:52:15.549 --> 00:52:18.451
He took the responsibility himself,
00:52:18.451 --> 00:52:21.087
And he asked joseph for what he wanted.
00:52:21.087 --> 00:52:25.992
Ask god for what you want.
00:52:25.992 --> 00:52:28.828
Tell him what you need.
00:52:28.828 --> 00:52:30.330
As this story teaches us, tell him what's on your heart.
00:52:30.330 --> 00:52:36.403
Tell him what the problem is.
00:52:36.403 --> 00:52:38.505
Tell him what the issue is, and then say, "and lord,
00:52:38.505 --> 00:52:42.008
What i need you to do for me right now is this."
00:52:42.008 --> 00:52:45.979
It'll make a difference.
00:52:45.979 --> 00:52:47.948
And i do recommend journaling as a way to get started with that.
00:52:47.948 --> 00:52:52.018
I remember when i was going through cancer, everybody said,
00:52:52.018 --> 00:52:57.390
"you should journal, dr. jeremiah.
00:52:57.390 --> 00:52:59.492
You should journal."
00:52:59.492 --> 00:53:01.094
I never journaled.
00:53:01.094 --> 00:53:02.429
I didn't even know for sure what it was.
00:53:02.429 --> 00:53:03.863
I actually read some articles on it to try to find out what a
00:53:03.863 --> 00:53:06.299
Journal was, and what i remember telling everybody
00:53:06.299 --> 00:53:09.569
Was that journals are mostly for women.
00:53:09.569 --> 00:53:18.878
I actually said that many times.
00:53:18.878 --> 00:53:20.513
"journals, only women journal.
00:53:20.513 --> 00:53:22.115
I don't know any men that journal."
00:53:22.115 --> 00:53:24.918
And then one day, somebody gave me a book by gordon macdonald,
00:53:24.918 --> 00:53:28.989
Who is a wonderful preacher friend of mine from years ago,
00:53:28.989 --> 00:53:33.093
And this book was called "the life that god blesses,"
00:53:33.093 --> 00:53:36.730
And there was a whole chapter in that book
00:53:36.730 --> 00:53:39.366
On how gordon macdonald journaled in his computer.
00:53:39.366 --> 00:53:43.069
And i thought, "if you journal in your computer,
00:53:43.069 --> 00:53:45.572
That's pretty manly, so i can do this,"
00:53:45.572 --> 00:53:49.976
And i started to journal in my computer,
00:53:49.976 --> 00:53:52.078
And i probably have 300 or 400 pages
00:53:52.078 --> 00:53:56.182
Of journaling from my computer.
00:53:56.182 --> 00:53:59.753
And i look back at those times and realize
00:53:59.753 --> 00:54:03.189
How i asked god for things specifically,
00:54:03.189 --> 00:54:06.293
And then 6 or 7 months later in my journal,
00:54:06.293 --> 00:54:09.162
I saw that he answered.
00:54:09.162 --> 00:54:11.431
And i remembered that back there i had written in my journal,
00:54:11.431 --> 00:54:14.434
"lord, i really am praying for this,"
00:54:14.434 --> 00:54:17.404
And over here god answered,
00:54:17.404 --> 00:54:20.607
Because when you ask for something specific,
00:54:20.607 --> 00:54:24.678
You know when the answer comes what a difference that is.
00:54:24.678 --> 00:54:29.916
If you just pray general prayers,
00:54:29.916 --> 00:54:32.719
You're gonna get general answers,
00:54:32.719 --> 00:54:34.421
And those are good, but not near as good
00:54:34.421 --> 00:54:36.423
As specific ones, and judah illustrates
00:54:36.423 --> 00:54:41.895
This in his prayer before joseph.
00:54:41.895 --> 00:54:47.701
What a wonderful lesson the bible gives us
00:54:47.701 --> 00:54:50.537
For our lives today.
00:54:50.537 --> 00:54:52.539
♪♪♪
00:54:52.939 --> 00:54:58.678
Announcer: thank you for watching "turning point."
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By dr. jeremiah from "turning point" today.
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Would like to send you two resources that will help you.
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00:56:53.059 --> 00:56:55.728
Dr. jeremiah: when you accept jesus into your life,
00:56:55.728 --> 00:56:57.730
He comes to dwell within you.
00:56:57.730 --> 00:57:00.266
He becomes your constant companion.
00:57:00.266 --> 00:57:03.002
He's always there, just a prayer away.
00:57:03.002 --> 00:57:06.306
And the more you know about him, the more you learn to love him,
00:57:06.306 --> 00:57:09.542
The more excited you are about the adventure that is yours
00:57:09.542 --> 00:57:13.246
Because you're a child of god.
00:57:13.246 --> 00:57:14.881
Announcer: thank you for being with us today.
00:57:15.982 --> 00:57:17.717
Join dr. jeremiah next time for his message:
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Joseph reveals his identity, here on "turning point."
00:57:20.553 --> 00:57:20.553

David Jeremiah - From A Famine To A Feast

July 27, 2025 | 58:20

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