Welcome to Connect with Skiff Heidzig. We're glad you've tuned in for today's program. Connect with Skiff Heitzig wants to connect you to God's never-changing truth through verse-by-verse teaching of His Word. And that's why we make messages like this one today available to you and so many others on air and online.
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Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heidzig. Brethren, count it all joy. when you fall into various trials. knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work.
That you may be complete and entire, lacking nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. You see, The context is referring to asking God for wisdom. when you're in the midst of trials. Lord, what is this about?
What are you trying to teach me? God forbid that you wouldn't do that, and it would be an opportunity that is a wasted one. Find out what God's trying to show you. and learn from it. Verse 24.
So the man brought the man. The man brought the man, that is. The steward brought Joseph's Brothers all ten of them into Joseph's house. and gave them water, And they washed their feet. And he gave their donkeys feed.
Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, They brought him the present which was in their hand into the house and bowed down before him to the earth.
Now that's the second time they bowed. We we saw last week the first time. Again, Joseph would be thinking about those little dreams he had when he was a little kid. And one was, all the sheaves were bowing down. And the brother said, You little whipper-snapper, do you think we're ever going to bow down to you?
Well, this is the second time they bow down. To the earth. Egyptian tombs are filled with hieroglyphics. You probably already know that. Imagery.
And a lot of the imagery shows people bowing down. common people and rulers bowing down to Pharaoh. There's even an inscription in an archaeological dig called the. Amarna tablets from the 14th century BC that shows the protocol for how to bow down to an Egyptian ruler. To a pharaoh, one was to bow down seven times.
Facing one direction, and then seven times backwards, seven times forward, seven times backward when addressing a pharaoh. That was the protocol.
Now, he wasn't the Pharaoh. Joseph was the prime minister, second in command.
So, probably just a common Courtesy bow all the way down to the ground. He was royalty, after all. but fulfilling prophecy. Verse 27. Then he asked them about their well-being.
Isn't that great? He's the ruler. How are you guys doing? Not like, why have you come? I am the great Oz.
Just How are ya? How's it been going for you guys? And, he said, is your father well? How is the old man? Oh, it actually says that.
The old man of whom you spoke, is he still alive? And they answered, Your servant, our father, is in good health. He is still alive. and they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. There it is again.
Yeah. Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benji. Ben Yameen, son of my right hand, Jacob called him, his mother's son. And said, Is this Your younger brother of whom you spoke. And he said, God be gracious to you, my son.
Yeah. See, the last time Joseph saw Benji he was just a toddler.
Now Benjamin's about twenty three years old. Been a long time. He sees them. He recognizes them.
Okay. Benjamin was Joseph's full brother. The rest of the guys were only half brothers. They were Brothers of another mother, Right? Jacob had four wives.
But Benjamin and Joseph shared the same mother and father. They had full blood relations and. Joseph Long to see him. It's interesting that Joseph remembered well his past. You know, there's a saying, an ancient saying about Egypt.
The Egyptians used to say this. Anyone who comes to Egypt and drinks of the Nile River will soon forget his native land. In other words, it's so beautiful down here, and we've irrigated this, and we've got everything. You won't even want to go back home. Not with Joseph.
Joseph will want to be buried back home. in Canaan. Take my bones up from here, he will say. He remembers his brothers, he remembers his home, and he remembers his God. He's excited to have this reunion.
Yeah. But As much as he remembered his past, There's something he chose to forget. Remember what that was? He chose to forget the pain of the past. All of the emotional pain, he didn't harbor a grudge, he didn't nurse a grudge, he chose to forget the emotional pain that he had gone through for 21 years.
You remember that. He called his firstborn son Amnesia. Manasseh means forgetful. Amnesia. Because he said, God made me forget.
all of the pain, all of the agony, all of the hardships.
So he remembered and longed for relations with his family, but he forgot the emotional he chose to. Verse 30. I love this.
Now his heart yearned for his brother. King James Version says, his bowels. did yearn upon his brother. Because that's what we have to do. Lovely.
Try that sometime when you meet somebody. You haven't seen them for a long time. My bowels have been yearning for you. All day long. No, I suggest that you don't.
But the modern equivalent of that. Would be his heart went out. His heart went out to him. He churned or burned inside. His heart went out for him.
He was moved emotionally. He yearned for his brother.
So Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and he wept there. He said, Excuse me, I got an emergency phone call. I'll be right back. He wept such a tender heart and he came back.
He washed his face, verse 31 came out. He restrained himself and he said, Serve the bread.
Now they've got to be in shock because the first time they came to Joseph, man, he was put off. He was. Angry toward them and rough toward them. And now he's saying, come on, dig in. Let's have.
Let's have a meal. Grab a bite.
So They set him in a place by himself, and them by themselves. And the Egyptians who ate with them by themselves at three different tables. Because it says the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews. You go, why is that? It says, For that is an abomination to the Egyptians.
And that's a little historical footnote to tell you there was a caste system in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians, it says it was an abomination to eat with the Hebrews. Did you know that the ancient Egyptians Believe that everyone else on earth. who wasn't an Egyptian was a barbarian. Would not even eat a meal with anyone else.
That's how they felt. You go, Well, that's sort of narrow-minded. Yep. The Greeks also said the same thing. And felt the same way.
A lot of people groups, see, prejudice is an old, old issue. But there's something more. There's something more because you see The Hebrews were shepherds. They were shepherds. And you're going to read in chapter 46.
That it says this: every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians. And you're thinking, I still don't quite get it. Why? Here's perhaps why I believe.
Okay. There had been a dynasty ruling in Egypt prior to Joseph. Called the Hiskos dynasty.
Some of you may have read about that or heard about HY S K O S Hiskos dynasty.
Okay. It was a dynasty, it was a group of nomadic. Shepherds They got together. fought against Egypt. Conquered Egypt, burned a lot of the Egyptian cities, ruled in power for a number of years.
They had a dynasty. They had a succession of people who ruled called the Hiskos kings. They were shepherd kings. It is believed that Egypt, the Egyptians, the native population, finally overthrew the Hiskos dynasty just prior to Joseph entering Egypt.
So They hated shepherds. They hated. Because they saw shepherds, you're roaming around, you have no home, no stable life, you're sort of mooching off other people's lands, letting your sheep eat wherever they can find green grass and drink wherever they can find a well. They're irresponsible. They're thieves.
I have an interesting story. In Israel, there's a group called Bedouins. And Bedouins have a reputation. They're people of the land. They have.
Flocks and they're nomadic. They travel around from place to place. They live in tents. But they are also known as fierce warriors. And when a bedwind goes bad.
He goes really bad. I remember one time I was in Israel. I was living on the beach at that time, sleeping down in a lot down on the beach. And everybody warned me. You gotta watch out.
For the Bedouins. There's a lot of thieves around here, but the Bedouin thieves, they're the worst.
Okay, thanks.
So We slept with our backpack under our head or close to us, right at our side. The next morning we woke up. And my friend, he was a doctor. We were traveling around. Israel together.
His backpack. was found about fifty feet away from where we were sleeping. And somebody in the night saw Bedouin robbers taking things from different people on the beach. They took his knapsack. knifed it open, took the stuff, wallet, money, traveler checks, passport, everything.
Okay. And then they said to us, Boy, you were lucky because typically they'll knife you and then take your backpack.
So it's interesting that some of the nomadic groups still have that kind of a reputation by many of the people of that land. Just a personal story, I thought about it when I read it. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we return to Skip's teaching, what would your life look like if God's fingerprints were all over it? In God Print, The Life of Abraham, Pastor Skip takes you through seven powerful messages on the faith journey of one man who learned to trust God through crisis, fear, and uncertainty.
Abraham's life was shaped by God, and so can yours be. The God Print Seven Message Series is our thank you for your gift of $50 or more today to support the worldwide ministry of Connect with Skip Heidzig. Your support helps reach more people with verse-by-verse teaching of the Bible so they can connect with God's timeless truth.
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Now let's get back to today's teaching with Pastor Skip. Verse 33. And they sat before him. the firstborn according to his birthright, the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked in astonishment at one another.
Then he took servings to them. From before, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. Ha ha, you gotta love that. What are they doing? What is Joseph doing?
Testing them. The test of jealousy. They passed the test of sincerity. This is the test of jealousy. They were so jealous of him with that really cool robe that he had 21 years ago.
What will they think if I show favor to the youngest, the favorite son now? of their father. That was the test. And so they drank. and they were merry with him.
Okay, the first thing to notice is that Joseph arranged them in perfect chronological order. According to their birth order. That's why they looked at astonishment at one another like, How did he eat? No. How could he know exactly?
You know, when you get to an age, they were very similar, many of them in age. In perfect birth order.
So Red light, ding, should go off. Hmm. They looked with astonishment.
Okay, then he gave Benjamin five times as much. That wasn't unusual. Guests of honor were typically given a larger portion. Did you know that the ancient Spartans would give double the portion to a guest of honor? The ancient Cretans used to give guests of honor four times.
the normal serving four times. Yeah. When I read that, I laughed because if you remember, Paul wrote to Titus and says, You know, Cretans are evil beasts and lazy gluttons. Wherefore rebuke them sharply. They just like to eat all day long.
Well Joseph, the ruler of Egypt, outdid them and gave Five times the amount. Five times the amount. It was a test. Let's see how they do with it. How'd they pass it?
Yeah. It says they drank and they were merry with him. Yeah, they're happy because Joseph is taking a liking to Benjamin. It's a good sign. Yeah, we're gonna get through this unscathed.
They're just so happy now. They're having a party, they're having a meal.
Well, their merriment will soon turn into misery. Because there's still another test. They pass the first one, they pass the second one, the third test is the test of charity. How much do they really love that boy and how much do they really love their father?
So now we get to chapter 44, and we have ten minutes. to cover part of it. Here's the third division. From a predicament in Canaan to a party in Egypt to now penitence or repentance in the heart of these men. And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, take as much as they can carry.
Now, watch this, and put each man's money in the mouth of the sack. It's a rerun. Take two. Also, put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, Benjamin. and his grain money.
So they did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
Now that that cup is a prop. It's part of the test, the test of love, the test of charity. It's a prop. Most ancient cups were. Clay If you had a silver goblet, you were somebody special.
He did. He was Prime Minister. As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away and their donkeys. When they had gone out of the city and were not far off, Joseph said to the steward, Get up. Follow the men.
When you overtake them, say, Why have you repaid evil for good? Is this the one from which my Lord drinks, and which he indeed practises divination? You have done evil in so doing.
So he overtook them, and he spoke, to them These same words. And they said to him, Why does my Lord say these words? Far be it from. us that your servants should do such a thing. Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks.
How then could we steal silver or gold from your Lord's house? And it's true, they didn't steal it. They don't know it's up.
Now, listen to this. Foolish. With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die. Gosh, they like to say that. And we also will be my Lord's slaves.
Remember that scripture in James? Let every man be slow to speak. Slow to wrath, quick to listen. Think Before you speak. Don't make a promise.
Go slow on the promises. They were quick to speak. In Proverbs, it tells us death And life are in the power of the tongue. Or, as I like to say, a closed mouth. Gathers no feet.
You don't want to say something and just Put your foot in your mouth. Let him die, and we'll all be your slaves, really. And he said.
Now also let it be according to your words, for He with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless. Then each man speedily let down a sack to the ground, and they opened each sack.
So he searched.
Now, watch this. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest, again, in perfect chronological birth order. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Started with the oldest. Went to the next and the next.
Why? to heighten the tension. It adds to the tension. Go through one sack, nothing here. Go through the next guy, nothing here, next guy.
And pretty soon they're kind of looking at each other like, see? What'd I tell ya? You see, this is stupid. You don't have to look in our sacks. We're clean.
Let it go. And they're getting more relieved and more relieved until they get to the last sack. And it says, the cup was found in Benjamin's. Sack. Wow.
Why did Joseph do that? He wants to see their reaction. of having another brother. as a slave down in Egypt. That's what they did the first time.
They sold him to the Ishmaelites, Joseph is a slave.
Okay, I'm going to do this with this child. He's going to be a slave in Egypt. Have you changed? From 21 years ago, how do you feel about that?
Well, you go, cool, let us go. See ya. We'll make up a stupid story. We'll run to daddy and say, Yeah, it's really weird, but a beast got him too. All part of a test.
Verse 13 indicates they're passing the test.
So they tore their clothes. Each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. This is the first sign that they had changed, for you see, To tear one's clothes is a sign of deep remorse. and regret When Jacob had heard that Joseph had been torn by beasts, he tore his clothes. When Job heard that his children were killed by the Sabians, he tore his robe.
Still in Israel today. I have a good friend who's an Orthodox Jew, and his dad died, and he heard about it. He took a shirt and he tore it. It's a symbol of respect. It's a symbol of grief.
And it's a sign that these guys are changing.
So Judah and his brothers Came to Joseph's house, and he was still there. And they fell before him on the ground, again bowing. To him. Joseph said to them, What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly Practice Divination I think I need to explain that.
In certain cultures, ancient cultures, There was a practice called hydromancy. Hydromancy was the prediction of the future using fluid inside a cup. Just like in some Oriental cultures, they'll look at tea leaves on the bottom and they'll. see the pattern of the tea leaves and read the leaves. In some ancient cultures, like the Greeks, they would take melted wax and pour it into water in a cup, and the patterns would be read, interpreted by the viewer, and he would predict the future.
In Egyptian cups, in the inside, there were engravings. Magical inscriptions, some of the gods were depicted, and the light would reflect off of the image and onto the fluid, and they would read the dancing patterns on the fluid.
Now, there is no scripture. That tells us that Joseph ever practiced that himself. There's never an indication or an experience that says Joseph did that. He is simply asking them a question, saying, Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination? I don't think he did.
First of all, he didn't need to. The guy was a prophet. He could read dreams. He could interpret dreams. He could tell what God was going to do in the future.
By a supernatural gift, he didn't need to fall back on that, and there's no indication that he did. Then Judah said. What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? How shall we clear ourselves?
God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Here we are, my lord. My lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found. No excuses. No story, no attempted cover-up of what happened two years ago.
What he's saying is, you know what? We're busted. And this is payback time. God's paying us back big time. from what happened twenty-one years ago.
You see Judah wasn't going to abandon Benjamin like he abandoned Joseph. Judah, as I mentioned, has changed. But he said, He said, Joseph said, far be it from me that I should do so the man in whom the cup was found, he shall be my slave. As for you, go in peace to your father. Yeah, right.
Like that's ever going to happen. Right? Can you imagine them going back without Benjamin? Hey, Dad, I hate to tell you this, but. He's a slave.
They're not going back. Right, they've been there, done that. They're not going back. They're not going to abandon him.
Now verse 18 to the rest of the chapter. is one of the most heartwarming touching intercessory Speeches in all of literature. In fact, Sir Walter Scott, the great Scottish poet. and novelist. Said that in all of literature, this section is one of the most beautiful examples of natural eloquence to be found anywhere.
As Judas says to Pharaoh, The words that he says, coming clean in total repentance, and lays it all out. But unfortunately, we're going to have to wait till next week to read it. Because the time is up. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skiff Heitzik. Before you go, don't forget to request this month's resource, GodPrint, The Life of Abraham.
This powerful seven-message study from Skip-Heitzig shows how God's presence shaped one man's life and how he can shape yours. It's our thanks for your generous gift of fifty dollars or more to support this ministry. Call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-8888. Or visit connectwithskiff.com slash donate.
And while you're there, sign up for Skiff's weekly devotional email to grow deeper in your walk with Christ. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection, never fool. Of the crossing, cast your burdens on his wound. Make the connection.
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