If you've ever reconnected with a loved one after a long time apart, you can identify with the flood of emotions that are about to surface in the story of Joseph. Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah follows Jacob and his sons. as they draw closer to being reunited with their son and brother. from his series on Joseph.
Here's David to introduce today's powerful message. From a famine to a feast. Thank you so much for joining us. This is Turning Point. I am David Jeremiah, and we're studying the life of Joseph.
We're coming down toward the end of his life. We're coming to the climactic part of his life. Where all of the things that are unresolved in Joseph's life and in the life of his brothers begin to become resolved in a beautiful way that you can only understand as you study the Bible.
So be sure and join us every day. Today is part one of A Famine to a Feast, and that's the title of what happens in these next verses in the 42nd chapter. Of Genesis. We'll get there in just a moment. But before we move there, just let me remind you again that we are going on a very beautiful conference cruise at the end of this calendar year.
From December the 27th to the 3rd of January, Don and I will be leading a conference cruise. To the Eastern Caribbean aboard Holland America's Conningsdam, beautiful ship. And with guest artists Michael Sanchez and Uriel Vega and others along the way. This is always a very special time. We spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
How about that? What a wonderful way to relax. Recover a little bit from the challenge of the year and the end of the year, and to set your Tone for the new year going forward. I hope you'll come and join us, and you can find everything you need to know about this opportunity from davidjeremiah.org. There, you will get all the details, and you'll figure out how to get registered.
We hope that you will come and go with us. Right now, this is part one of from a famine to a feast, from the life of Joseph. Imagine a world where your fridge is empty and your pantry is bare. But that was really true for a little boy named Henke Halbest. Back in 1944 and 1945, he lived in Amsterdam during the brutal winter.
that time. He was nine years old. and he lived through what we now call the Dutch hunger winter. As World War II neared its end, the retreating Nazis left destruction in their wake and they went out of their way to make life miserable for everybody. They flooded farms, they destroyed bridges, they cut off food supplies to the northern Netherlands.
And for Henke and his family, every day became a struggle just to survive. Picture this little boy, hope in his eyes. clutching a spoon wherever he went. just in case a miracle meal. would appear.
Photographer Martinez captured this heartbreaking image. a symbol of a nation's suffering. By April of 1945, every person Received one loaf of bread and five potatoes for an entire week. Desperate, they ate tulip bulbs and sugar beets. Tragically, two of Hinky's younger siblings didn't make it through the winter.
But hope arrived from the skies. The Royal Air Force began dropping food in Operation Manna. And the grateful Dutch spelled out many thanks in tulips across the countryside. Finally, at the end of April 1945, Allied forces liberated the Netherlands. The famine ended, but its memory lingered.
As we leave the cold streets of wartime Amsterdam, our narrative shifts. to the sun-baked lands of Egypt. where another young man faced the challenge of Feeding a nation during desperate times. Like Henki, Joseph's story is one of hardship. It's one of hope and unexpected providence.
Let me just recap where we've been. Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. And through a series of extraordinary events, he rose to the prominence of Egypt. While his Family remained in Canaan unaware that he was still alive. A severe famine struck the whole region.
forcing Jacob to make a difficult choice. In desperate need of food, he sent ten of his sons to Egypt to purchase grain. keeping his youngest, Benjamin, at home with him. And the brothers were unaware they would soon encounter Joseph. The brother they had sold into slavery, who had risen up to become the most powerful Egyptian official apart from Pharaoh.
When they arrived, Joseph recognized them. but he wouldn't reveal his identity and to test their character He accused them of espionage and demanded they return with Benjamin. As assurance, Joseph held Simeon hostage and sent the rest of the brothers back home to their father, secretly returning their money. in their grain sacks for the money they had brought to buy the food in the first place. During their journey back home, the brothers discovered the money.
They had used to buy grain was mysteriously back in their grain sacks with the grain they had bought. And they were frightened out of their minds as they wondered what God was doing. Finally reaching home, they recounted their experience to their father Jacob. And they explained how the Egyptian official had treated them with suspicion and demanded that they bring their youngest brother Benjamin on their next visit to prove that they weren't lying and that they weren't spies.
Now, we open our Bibles today to the next section of this story, Genesis chapter 42. the future of Jacob and his family hangs in the balance. as he wrestles with a heart-wrenching decision. And meanwhile, in Egypt, Joseph's mind is racing with What can he do to help break down his brothers?
so that they truly repent of what they have done. and not just regret it. And we pick up the story as Jacob responds to all he has heard from his sons. Chapter 42, verse 36, And Jacob their father said to them, You have bereaved me. Joseph is no more.
Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me. And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you. But he said, My son shall not go down with you.
for his brother is dead. And he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave. Listen to Jacob's words. They're heavy with grief.
and a determination to protect Benjamin. He says, you've already taken two of my sons. You've taken Simeon, you've taken Joseph. Benjamin is not going with you. Reuben, the firstborn, impulsive as ever.
makes a desperate pledge to his father. He said, Dad, we got to take Benjamin. If we don't take Benjamin, we won't get any food. And if you let me take Benjamin, I will be answerable for him. If he doesn't return, you can take the lives of my own sons.
That seems like a rather strange bargain. But Jacob's heart wasn't moved by Reuben's Suggestion. His love for Benjamin had grown. to consume him because the boy was the last living reminder of his beloved wife Rachel. and his affection for Joseph Had been so great, and now all that affection had been transferred to Benjamin.
He loved Benjamin with the love he had for Joseph and the love he had for Benjamin twice as much. Jacob could not bear the thought of Benjamin leaving him, even in the face of Reuben's assurances.
So when Reuben couldn't come up with a plan, Judas steps forward. And the famine was severe in the land, says one and two of chapter 43. And it came to pass when they had eaten up the grain. which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, Go back. and buy us a little food.
This famine was God's way of bringing the brothers back to Joseph. We see that because we read the story, but Joseph didn't know that, and the brothers didn't know that. Their shortage of grain required them to return to Egypt. And in verses three through five, Judah, one of the brothers, reminds his father. Of Joseph's demand that they bring Benjamin with them to buy food.
And he makes this argument. He's saying to him, Dad, I know you don't want to send Benjamin, but if we stay here, we're all going to die, and what good is Benjamin to anybody? If we don't take Benjamin and go back, we don't have any chance. He said, Send the land with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die. Both we and you, and also our little ones, and I will be surety for him.
From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, you shall let me bear the blame forever. Four. That if we hadn't lingered about this, by now we would have already returned the second time with the food we're going to go get. It was pretty logical, this thing, that Judah explained.
And it's interesting because if you remember Judah, he wasn't a saint. He was the one who said, let's don't kill Joseph, let's sell him. He was kind of a hard-hearted guy. But His argument finally got through to Jacob, and realizing that there was no other option, Jacob instructed his sons to take gifts of fruit, nuts, and spices, along with the money they were required to pay from their previous trip, And he understood that Benjamin's protection was meaningless if they starved.
So he let Benjamin go with them. And it's really interesting to see what happens now. God had arranged the circumstances to move the family in the direction he wanted them to go. And it says in verse 15 of chapter 43 of Genesis: So the men took that present. and Benjamin And they took double money in their hand, and arose, and went down to Egypt, and they stood before Joseph.
Now watch Joseph. Judah and his brothers are on their way to Egypt, and they've loaded up their animals and are bringing presents. and they come to the core of our discussion. The plans of Joseph.
Now Joseph is going to become the instrument through which God works to bring about reconciliation. In this passage, we see Joseph's carefully laid plans unfold. First of all, There's an exhibition of grace. Watch this, you guys. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Take these men to my house.
And slaughter an animal and make ready. for these men will dine with me at noon. And the men did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. What did Joseph's brothers deserve for their actions? They didn't deserve a banquet in the house of the Prime Minister of Egypt, that's for sure.
But Joseph, who is a type of Jesus Christ, is breaking down his brothers' hardened hearts. through an extraordinary display of grace. What is grace? God's riches at Christ's expense, And it's something we get that we don't deserve. Did the brothers deserve to go eat with Joseph in his house?
Absolutely not. But it's grace. And it's part of the thing that's going to get to the heart of these boys. Watch what happens next. the brothers found themselves in an unexpected situation.
Still unrecognized, Joseph invited them to dine at his house. And this surprising turn of events left them uneasy. Down in their hearts, they know they don't deserve this.
So listen to what happens. Verse 18.
Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house and they said, It is because of the money. which was returned in our sacks the first time. That we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and fall upon us and take us as slaves with our donkeys. How many of you know when you've done wrong, you feel guilty about everything? And if even somebody does something nice for you, what's he up to?
The brothers' fear was real as they were brought into Joseph's house. They attributed their situation to the returned money in their sacks and they suspected that they were being set up by Joseph. and that he would seize them and their donkeys, and the fear stemmed from their unresolved wrongdoing. because they had not resolved what they had done. They were filled with fear about the future and what was about to happen.
When you've done wrong and it hasn't been made right, you will be afraid of everything. And that's, I think, the way they were. They were so tentative about everything because they knew something was going on, but they didn't know what it was. All these strange things are happening. They don't make any sense, but they can't put it together.
And the thing that happens in their lives is they are filled with fear.
So Grace is exhibited. They get a meal at the Prime Minister's House. They come with fear. And then there's a little encouragement of hope. In verses 19 and following, it says, When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, They talked with him at the door of the house and said, O sir, We indeed came down the first time to buy food, but it happened when we came to the encampment that we opened our sacks and there each man's money was in the mouth of his sack.
our money in full weight, so we have brought it back in our hand. and we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We did not know who put our money in our socks. But the steward said, Peace be with you. Do not be afraid.
Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money. And he brought Simeon out to them.
So the man brought the men into Joseph's house, gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their donkeys feed.
Now imagine that you're the Egyptian steward. And you're trying to figure this out. You don't know anything. You're confused as they are. He likely didn't understand most of what they were saying.
He wasn't Hebrew. And what he responded to was the only two Hebrew words he knew, shalom, shalom. Peace, peace. I'm sure that brought a little relief to the boys, but they are still on edge. And they well should be because they've got no idea what is about to happen to them.
The emotion of concern, here's what the scripture says. Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that he would eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house. bowed down before him to the earth. Then he asked them about their well-being and said, Is your father well?
the old man of whom you spoke. In other words, is Jacob well? Is he still alive? And they answered, Your servant, our father, is in good health. He's still alive.
And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin. his mother's son, Rachel's son, and said, Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me? And he said, God be gracious to you, my son. and his heart yearned for his brother, So Joseph made haste, and sought somewhere to weep, And he went into his chamber and he wept there.
Joseph's brothers greeted him with a carefully prepared gift and bowed low as he arrived home. though outwardly composed, Joseph felt A surge of conflicting emotions. He inquired about their dad. And they assured him of Jacob's well-being, but it was the sight of his younger brother Benjamin. that finally overwhelmed Joseph's emotions.
unable to contain the longing for his brother, Joseph quickly excused himself, looked for a place to release the tears he could no longer hold back. and went into a private room. Hello. Before the story is over, We will see God's most powerful tool for softening the brothers' hardened hearts. was Joseph's love.
Interesting, Joseph is a type of Christ. In chapter 45, he said, He weeps not only for Benjamin, but he embraces each brother. and welcomes them back into fellowship, even though they don't know who he is yet. And just as Joseph's love softened, his brothers' hearts.
So God's love has the power to soften our hearts. I think when we get to heaven and we're having conversations with each other, And we ask, what caused you to become a Christian and come to heaven? Far more people are going to talk about the love of God. Yeah. the punishment that they fear.
The Bible tells us, for God so loved. The world. that he gave his only son. Just think about that for a moment. The God of heaven loves us and wants us to be with him.
His love Made him pay the price of the death of his own son for our transgressions. When we fully get a hold of that, it melts our hearts. And we want a piece of the action. We want a piece of forgiveness. As Christians When we falter, we must remember that our sins are what led our Savior to the cross.
This realization should bring us to tears, break our hearts. inspire true genuine repentance. In verses 31 through 33, Something happens. that you won't read about in any novel you've ever read. I don't know how this happened to be put in this thing and where this came from, but it is an amazing thing to see what happened.
The Bible says that Joseph washed his face came out and restrained himself, and said, Serve the bread.
So they set him a place by himself. and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that was an abomination to the Egyptians. And as they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright. and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked in astonishment at one another.
Now, watch what happens. Joseph enters as the gracious host with the table set for 11. and he assigns seats. placing Benjamin at one end of the table and Reuben at its head. The others are seated in specific order.
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, and Zebulun. Remarkably, Joseph arranges the brothers according to their ages. The brothers Do not know this is Joseph. and they are totally astonished. How does this man know?
The order in which we were born. And they sense a growing mystery, and Joseph is gradually revealing himself, though they haven't yet grasped the full picture. They're beginning to realize that this man has knowledge about them beyond their expectation. Maybe he's done research on them. Maybe he's gone to find out who these guys really are because he doesn't believe them.
You know what, it serves as a powerful reminder to us that when God is dealing with us about anything, He knows everything about it. There's anything about the situation he doesn't know. I've often thought when I've been confronted with a problem, Man, if I could just know the truth, the real truth, I would know what to do. Let me tell you something. God always knows the truth.
He knows all the truth, everything about the truth. Just as Joseph knew that these brothers belonged in a certain order, When God is dealing with us, He knows everything about us. Don't try to fool him. He's the God of the universe. And just as Joseph's brothers were amazed by his hidden knowledge, We too should be struck by God's knowledge of us.
And the fact that when we try to pull something off on our friends, we're never fooling God. In my mind's eye. I see this and Forgive my imagination. The brothers are seated, Reuben at one end, Benjamin at the other. The maitardee signals, and the waiters emerge one by one.
Each waiter approaches a specific brother. Serves their meal, Reuben receives his plate, then Simeon, and so on, until all the brothers are served except for Benjamin. Suddenly, Five waiters. appear in rapid succession, each carrying identical trays laden with the same food, and they converge on Benjamin and give him five full servings of everything the others had gotten just one of.
Now, isn't that a strange thing? You probably think I made that up, but that's in the Bible. It's in verse 34, and listen to what it says. This is what the Bible says about that moment. Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any other's.
Now, please forgive me if I wonder out loud, I wonder if he ate it all. I mean, I'm sure the servings weren't small. He got five of them. Why did Joseph do this? I think Joseph wanted to see if his brothers were still a jealous kind.
Remember They were jealous of Joseph. many years ago and sold him into slavery. Was jealousy still in their heart? when their younger brother got five as much as they did. I told you this was Full of intrigue and unexpected things that happen.
You know, people who write fiction today try to write stories that haven't. Inflection points that cause you to want to keep reading. And this is not fiction. This really happened. This is history.
And the story of Joseph is better than most fiction stories you'll ever read today. What a wonderful story about an incredible man who loved his God and went through a lot of challenges. To serve him. And we're listening to everything he says and watching everything he does as we study the Bible together. We'll be back tomorrow with part two of From a Famine to a Feast, and we hope you'll join us then.
In the meantime, don't forget to order your copy of this year's calendar. Actually, it's a calendar for next year that comes this year, but it has two months of this year, November and December, a 14-month calendar, so be sure and ask for your copy when you send your gift today. For more information on Dr. Jeremiah's series God Meant It for Good. Please visit our website where we also offer two free ways to help you stay connected.
our monthly Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at davidjeremiah.org slash radio. That's davidjeremiah.org slash radio or call us at 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of our beautiful new 14-month calendar, following in his footsteps and deepen your faith daily throughout 2026. It's yours for a gift of any amount.
You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International and New King James Versions. Available in your choice of durable and attractive cover options. Get all the details when you visit our website davidjeremiah.org slash radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue the series God Meant It for Good: The Story of Joseph on Turning Point.
