Do you ever take time to stop and look back on your faith journey? to appreciate how far you've come. and how much you've grown since starting out. Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah looks at the growth that's taken place in the lives of Joseph's brothers since selling him into slavery as a boy.
Listen now as David introduces the inspiring conclusion of his message. From a famine to a feast. Joseph's life is a life of contrast from the deepest depths of despair to the heights of glory and honor. And uh We get to watch. The journey both ways as we follow this story.
And we're in one of those. Upticks in Joseph's life as he goes from a famine to a feast with his brothers and the identification of his brothers and all of the coming together of his brothers. It's just a wonderful story. You don't want to miss today, tomorrow, or the rest of this month as we finish up our discussion of the life of Joseph. Hey, don't forget you can get a study guide and CDs for this series so you can re-listen to it and have all the notes and outlines that go along with it.
You can teach this in a small group. You can teach it in a Sunday school class. You can discuss it with your family members. But we only will be promoting this during the time this series is on the radio.
So if you want to have these resources, this is the time to get them. Once again, it's davidjeremiah.org. That's the place you go to to find out all the information about these biblical resources. All right, here we go. This is part two of From a Famine to a Feast from Genesis chapter 42.
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 Then about 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 assigned 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 maiter D 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. The interesting thing is, in the Bible, there's no record of any objections.
There's no record that one of the brothers stood up and said, hey, that's not fair. Nothing. This silence speaks volumes about the brothers' personal growth. God is working in their hearts and transforming their character. and the jealousy that once caused such strife in their family seems to have gone away.
Joseph's action served as a litmus test. He was seeking evidence of change, hoping to discover if they've overcome the jealousy that tore their family apart. This moment of quiet acceptance marks an important Turning Point in the story. And our section of the story ends with verse thirty-four. where we read, So they drank and were merry.
with Joseph.
Now Listen, they don't know who Joseph is yet. Can you imagine how much they would have drank and how merry they would have been if they really knew who he was? They're about to find that out, but not yet. What a night this was. When Joseph hosted his brothers for a banquet, and they still don't know who he is.
As we close. I'm going to do as I've been doing in the other messages and just leave some takeaway things in your mind.
Some things to think about. First of all, let's think for a moment about the place of fear in this story. When I was growing up, we used to read all the verses in Proverbs that warn us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The scripture calls us to fear God. But my teachers would always try their very best to To explain those words away.
I remember being told that the word fear was a reference to respect or awe. Not actually being afraid of God as a pastor. I even preach that myself. But the older I've gotten and the more I've studied the Bible, the less sure I am that that's the right way to explain it. There is scarcely anything more striking in this story than the fear Joseph's brothers had.
On their first journey, they were fearful of what they might find. On their way home, they were fearful when they found money in their sacks. Fear continued to affect them as they returned to meet Joseph. And once they head for home, they will experience an even greater fear when Benjamin is arrested. God often uses fear.
to call us to repent. Fear warns and searches and purifies the believer. It has a tendency to keep our hearts tender, to make us shrink from sin, and to cause us to be sensitive to God's will. Fear helps us be true to the Lord, and we might as well admit it. I know of very few subjects in the Word of God which are more worthy of in-depth study than the fear of God.
In our culture today, we have tried to bring God down to man's level. and in doing so we have done away with our fear of a holy God. Do you read the life of Joseph? Learn the place of fear in the program of God. It's not awful to be afraid once in a while.
And in our country today, we're not afraid of anything. Nothing causes us to be afraid, and certainly not afraid, of a holy, righteous God. Along with the place of fear, I want you to notice with me the priority of repentance. Second impression I get as I look back over this story is the priority of repentance. Listen to me, the Lord wanted these boys to repent.
He expected them to be sorrowful, to make amends, and to change the direction of their lives. God was not going to be satisfied with a shallow repentance that would keep these guys from having to face the consequences. He wanted a genuine repentance. evidenced by a changed life.
Some people repent just enough to take the pressure off. Then they go back to doing what they repented of. But repentance is a way of saying, God, I know I've done wrong, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me and help me to go in a new direction. Here's a really good statement about repentance that I read from another man.
He wrote, true repentance is more than just a mental game. Repentance is a decisive change in direction. It's a change of mind that leads to a change of thinking, that leads to a change of attitude, that leads to a change of feeling, that leads to a change of values, that leads to a change in the way you live your life. That's repentance. It's a change.
The reason the Lord took so long to work out his program in the lives of Joseph's brothers. Was he wanted to test them over time? Remember, this is the foundation family of the Jewish nation. It was necessary for Joseph to see the reality of their changed lives.
So the long gaps between the first and second meetings with his brothers was orchestrated by God. He did it. He's pulling the strings. in this situation. And so we need to recall the importance of repentance.
Could you just join me in that? It's easy to encourage people to just believe and I do believe that faith is the only requirement for salvation. But men and women, if you have faith in the holy living God, you also have repentance from sin. When you turn toward God, you turn away from something, you turn away from the sin in your life. True repentance means to change your direction and to change your mind.
A third impression I get as I read this story is the possibility of recovery. Once again, let me talk to you about Joseph's brother Judah. When Judah was born, his mother was so excited she began to sing praises to God.
So she named her son Judah, which means praise. But as you watch them grow up, you wonder what happened to praise. Yeah. As a young man, Judah was the one who suggested that they Sell Joseph and not kill him. Later he grew up and married a pagan.
He broke promises to people, committed incest with his daughter-in-law. When all of a sudden something starts to happen to Judah. Perhaps it's the poverty or his deepening love for his family, or maybe his confidence has simply been so shaken through all that's happened that Judah decides to step forward and become a leader. From being a man living for himself to being a man living for God, really worthy of the name praise. At his father's deathbed, Judah was praised as being a lion, and one of his brothers looked up to This Judah.
was the brother through whom Jesus Christ's lineage came. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. Jesus was the lion. of Judah. That tells us that it's never too late to change.
You can become great even if you've been really bad. If you repent.
Somebody said, Well, God's never going to use me after what I did in my life.
Well, Not if you don't repent of it, he won't. But if you repent and turn from it, you might be the next Judah. you might be the next praise. God loves to show His mercy and grace in taking things that are badly broken and put them back together in a beautiful way.
so that the whole world marvels at the amazing grace of God. He did that and is doing that in the life of the brothers. And I say to you again, it's never too late to change. It's never too late. to give God your life.
He wants to bring wayward people back to himself, and there's always the possibility of recovery. He has done it. Over and over.
So listen to me, this is going to be new to many of us. Don't think of the idea of repentance as something negative. In actuality, it's one of the most positive things in the Bible. Think about it. Repentance means that you and I aren't just robots pre-programmed to keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over.
It means we don't have to keep hurting ourselves or others. It's like having a reset button for our lives. Imagine being able to make a complete 180-degree turn to look at that stubborn habit or destructive behavior and say, you know what, I'm done with you. I'm choosing a different path. That's the beauty of repentance.
And God provides that for us. He gives us that opportunity. I've grown up all my life in the church. Hearing messages about repentance, most of them have made me feel really bad and guilty and not very excited, but I have a new look and a new appreciation for repentance. Repentance is God's way to make things right that are wrong in your life and in mine.
And if you're here today, And you've never repented of your sin. Maybe you think you've done too many bad things. There's no way you can ever out sin God's grace. And he's willing to accept you. and forgive you and turn your life 180 degrees around.
And make everything that's been old and ugly new and beautiful. But you have to repent. You have to ask for forgiveness. And you know, that's uh Almost the conclusion to every message you'll hear on Turning Point. The importance of you having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. If you want to know the Father, you have to get through him through Jesus Christ, His Son. That's what He said. And that's why it's so important for you to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. And during this series on the life of Joseph, we have been talking about this over and over again, how important it is for you to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
That's something you can take care of right where you are by just praying a prayer and asking for God's forgiveness and inviting Jesus Christ to come and be the Savior of your life. He will do it. You will know it. and things will begin to change for you going forward. Don't forget to join us for the Friday edition of Turning Point as we meet together tomorrow.
The study is the silver cup, and you don't want to miss it. We'll see you tomorrow. Today's message originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Dr. David Jeremiah, the senior pastor. We love hearing how you're encouraged by this ministry.
So please write to us at Turning Point, PO Box3838. San Diego, California, 92163. Visit our website at davidjeremiah.org/slash radio or call 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of our new 14-month calendar. Following in His footsteps and deepen your faith daily in 2026.
It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also download the free Turning Point mobile app to instantly access our content. or search in your app store for the keywords Turning Point Ministries. Visit davidjeremiah.org slash radio for details. 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.
