The story of Joseph is a dramatic saga with a number of touching reunions in his adult life. none more powerful than with his father Jacob. Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah takes us through that long-awaited moment. and reveals all that it meant for them.
as well as what it means for us. from his series, God Meant It for Good, the story of Joseph. Listen as David introduces today's message, Joseph's Family Reunion. Friends, can you imagine what it was like for Joseph and his brothers, and especially his father, when they'd been separated for all these years? And now, miraculously, they're brought together in this intriguing moment.
And uh They look around and everybody's present. Wow, what a moment that was, and especially for Joseph's father. Whose heart was broken because he thought Joseph was dead for all those years, and finally, his son, who he thought was dead, is alive, and he has these days with Joseph before his own death. Joseph's reunion is a very beautiful part of the scripture. It's found in the 46th and 47th chapter of Genesis, and we'll get to it in just a moment.
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And it has all of the information about Turning Point, what God is doing, gives you a schedule of what's on the air every day on the radio, on television, and on the weekends. It's a really great asset to bring Turning Point even closer to your heart. And we'd love to give you this magazine if you'll just ask for it when you call or write. Right now, I want to share with you this important moment in Joseph's life when he finally is together with all of his family. Here is Joseph's Family Reunion, Part 1.
It was 1986 on a sweltering Indian night. Five-year-old Saru rarely made a fateful choice. He was waiting at a train station for his older brother. The exhausted boy climbed aboard an empty train car to rest. When he awoke, The landscape rushing past the window was alien.
The train had carried him a thousand miles to Calcutta. Alone and unable to speak the local language. Ceru survived three terrifying weeks on the streets. dodging traffickers and scrounging for food. An orphanage became his sanctuary, leading to adoption by a family in Tasmania, Australia.
But memories haunted him. His mother's Sorry, his siblings laugh, and most vividly. a massive water tower that loomed over his hometown. These fragments became his compass. As an adult, Saru spent countless nights on Google Earth.
Methodically tracing railway lines from Calcutta, searching hundreds of towns until In 2011, His screen filled with an image that stopped his heart. It was the water tower. In 2012, Saru returned to the village of Kandwa. Where he discovered that his father had left long ago. But his mother, Kamla, had never given up hope, and for 25 years she had waited and prayed.
certain that her son would one day return. When Saru finally found his mother, she took his hand and led him to her home. She could not say anything to me, Saru recalled. I think she was as stunned as I was. She had a bit of trouble grasping that her son, after twenty-five years, had just reappeared like a ghost.
Now stop for a moment and think what that would be like.
Someone you love dearly, a child. A brother, a sister. and all of a sudden they disappear from your life. without any notice, without any explanation. And 25 years goes by.
And they return. What a moment that would be. And that's the way it was in the life of Joseph. When we saw him last, he had just revealed himself to his brothers. They were stunned, but Joseph assured them it was God.
And it was God's plan for him to be in Egypt to save lives during the famine.
However, one important thing was still missing. Jacob their father. He was not in the picture.
So Joseph sends his brothers back to Canaan. to bring their father to Egypt. And in the final verses of Genesis 45, The brothers finally arrive home. Can you imagine Jacob's state of mind? For years, he has believed that his beloved son Joseph was dead, that he probably was torn apart by animals.
His spirit had been crushed by grief. And now his sons burst in with incredible news. Joseph is alive. And he's not just alive, he's ruling all of Egypt. At first, Jacob can hardly believe it.
But when he sees the wagons Joseph sent, Loaded with provisions and gifts, his spirit comes alive again. Despite his age, he decides to make the journey to Egypt. He has to see his son, the son he thought he had lost forever. He has to see him one more time before he dies. And that brings us to Joseph's family in chapter 46.
In Genesis 46, we are told that Jacob packed up everything in Canaan and headed to Egypt. Stopping in Beersheba along the way to worship. And there God reassured him, saying, Don't fear, I'll make you a great nation in Egypt and bring you back. With his family and all they owned, Jacob continued to Egypt to join his long-lost son Joseph. And two verses provide a summary of the trip.
Verses 26 and 27 read as follows. all the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt. Who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. all the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt, We're 70.
the nation of Israel began with 70 people. in the land of Egypt. And when they came out of Egypt, they were many, many hundreds of thousands of people. In verses 8 through 27 of this chapter to which we have opened, we get some of the names of the people who went, and I don't want to give you any commentary on all of them, but I'd like to tell you a little bit about a few of them. The list includes Jacob, his twelve sons, his one daughter, 52 grandchildren.
four great-grandsons and those 70 people went into Egypt. And there were a few intriguing notes about some of them. For instance, after listing the five sons of Simeon, the text adds: And Sheol, the son of a Canaanite woman.
So apparently, Simeon had married a member of the cursed race, and unlike Judah, Simeon continued in his stubborn, worldly manner. His name didn't make the list. In contrast, verse 12 records Judas' family. But his sins are not mentioned. Tamar isn't mentioned, nor is the wickedness of Judah's first two sons.
And even the fact that their mother was a Canaanite is passed over. This omission is because Judah repented and God chose to cover his sin. Listen to me, when we fully confess, God not only forgives, but remember, He also forgets. He wipes it from the record. When you come to verse 13, we see the record of Issachar's sons.
Among them is a name that catches our eye. Job And we ask ourselves, could this be the Job of the Old Testament? And many scholars believe that it could be. The book of Job is thought to be the oldest book in the Old Testament, and it dates back to patriarchal times.
So it's possible that Issachar's family tree includes The Job that we all know about.
Sometimes Churches hand out awards on Father's Day or Mother's Day. If Jacob's sons were to receive an award for having the most children, Who would you think would win? Without looking, you might guess one of the older brothers. But the award actually goes to the youngest in the whole family, Benjamin. He fathered 10 sons by the time they moved to Egypt.
So here's Benjamin with his ten boys. And who had the fewest sons? That honor goes to Dan. He only had one. This variety in Jacob's family reminds us.
That God cares about all the details of our family. He knows all of our kids, all our grandkids. He knows everything about them. He knows the good things and the bad things, the holy things and the not-so-holy things. It's fascinating to look at these names just as we might share details about our own family.
These lists reveal a bit of each family story. But now we move to the most important part of our story today. From Joseph's family to Joseph's father.
Nowhere else is there a finer revelation of Joseph's character than we see in the relationship that he had with his father. Watch Joseph and his father in this story. The way Joseph watches after his dad and the concern he shows for taking care of him reveals a deep respect and love. First of all, he was loving his father. Genesis 46, 28 to 30 records the moment that Joseph is reunited with his dad.
As they neared their destination, Jacob sent Judah ahead to meet Joseph and get directions to the region of Goshen. And when they finally arrived there, Joseph prepared his chariot and traveled to Goshen to meet his father Jacob. When Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept. holding him for a long time. Finally, Jacob said to Joseph, Now I am ready to die since I have seen your face again and know you are still alive.
This reunion of Father and Son is one of the most emotional moments you will find in Scripture. It is a tear-filled reunion, one of seven times Joseph is described as crying. He cries tears of joy because he is so happy to be reunited with the Father he hasn't seen in more than 20 years. It wouldn't be hard to film that story, make a popular movie out of it, and probably we've seen movies similar to it. It's a truly moving occasion.
And the love that Joseph and his father have for each other is demonstrated by their physical affection. Then he starts caring for his father. He loves him and therefore he cares for him. Once his father's favorite son, now becomes the pillar of support. for his entire family.
In a remarkable reversal of roles, He uses his position in Egypt. to secure a safe haven for his whole family. He skillfully negotiates with Pharaoh. to let his family settle in a portion of Egypt called Goshen. Goshen was very close to the Kenyan border, and it was a very fertile land, especially.
for shepherds and their flocks. Genesis 47, 5 and 6 says, Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen.
And if you know any competent men among them, make them chief herdsmen over my livestock. Pharaoh said to Joseph, Let your family settle in the best land of Egypt, which is Goshen. And by the way, if you've got any really super shepherds in your group, send them to me. I could use a few good shepherds.
So, Joseph's transformation from pampered youth to family provider. Is a tremendous story. You talk about. going from ashes to glory. Joseph is the story of all of that.
This shift in roles from being the cared for child to caregiver. Is something that many people are experiencing, some of you are experiencing right now. Irma Baumbeck used to tell the story of driving her car with her aged mother by her side, and she said as they were driving down the highway, someone pulled out in front of them, and her first reaction was to reach her hand out to keep her mother from hitting the dashboard. As soon as she did, her mind went back to all the times her mother had done that to her as a little girl. And she realized that whatever everyone says is true.
As you get older, you reverse roles with your parents. Irma was now the mother. Her mom was the little girl, and Irma was watching out for her. That's similar to the Joseph in this story. Joseph now is determined to take care of his father's needs.
So he's loving his father and he's caring for his father. Listen to this one. He's proud of his father. One of the best lessons in this chapter concerns Joseph's pride for his father. In the land where shepherds were despised, Joseph brings his father Jacob, the shepherd, into a face-to-face meeting.
with the king of Egypt Pharaoh. Took a lot of courage to do that. We read about it in verse 7. Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Now, there's no shame at all in Joseph. He doesn't hide his father out of embarrassment. or try to deny their connection. He doesn't say, I can't let Pharaoh see my father. I would be so embarrassed if he saw my father.
Instead, Joseph proudly brings his father into Pharaoh's court to meet the king. Joseph is by now a cultured Egyptian. And Jacob is a peasant shepherd. Joseph introduces him to the most powerful man in the world. with great pride.
I've written down the description as it might have taken place. That was written by a commentator whose works I appreciate, and he describes it like this. We can imagine the weathered, gnarled shepherd, his hard life in the hills leaving its marks on his face. picture him dressed in the finest clothes Joseph could find, worn with a humble grace that only he could manage. As the sophisticated courtiers of Pharaoh pass by in their refined attire, We see the contrast.
the imperial guards in their splendid robes, Joseph standing before Pharaoh, regal in his court attire, looking every bit the noble. And then there's old Jacob. seemingly out of place. amidst the grandeur of the royal court. We watch him slowly making his way down the long row of guards and officials, his gait marked by a limp.
from that life-changing encounter that he had with God. Leaning on his cane, he approaches Pharaoh's throne. The entire court watches in astonishment, as instead of bowing to Pharaoh, an Egyptian custom would demand, this old shepherd stands tall, raising himself to his full height, And with sunburned hands stretched out, He blesses Pharaoh. and the room falls silent. intently listening as Jacob speaks the benediction.
Hebrews 7, 7. tells us that the less is blessed by the better. For you see, what Jacob understood was. He wasn't the less. He was the greater.
He knew that he was a child of God. And as such, his possessions were far greater than anything Pharaoh could ever have.
So he blesses Pharaoh. Pharaoh might be lord and prince here on the earth, but Jacob was a prince of God in heaven. And I'm sure the fact that Jacob wasn't struck down on the spot Is a testimony to Pharaoh's respect for Joseph. Anybody else doing that? would have been killed immediately.
Pharaoh then asks a rather odd question of Jacob. And I don't like this question, and I wish this wasn't in the Bible because it makes it legitimate. Here's the question. 478. How old are you?
I don't like that question. I'm tempted to say it's none of your business, but I don't say that. I remember a woman who was asked that question and she said she was 39 and holding. And her granddaughter said, Grandma, how old would you be if you let go?
Well, that's kind of the way it is, isn't it? It's a strange question for Pharaoh to ask. But here's the reason he asked that question. In Egypt, people didn't live to be old. They died much younger.
And here's a Hebrew. Who's very old. And to understand this, you have to realize this was a strange sight for Pharaoh to see someone that aged in his court. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen anybody quite like that.
Now watch Jacob's answer to the question. He said, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life. and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers. in the days of their pilgrimage.
So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh.
So remember this number. How old was Jacob when he went to Egypt? He was a hundred and how old? 30 years old. I don't think Pharaoh had ever seen anybody 130 years old.
That would be like us seeing somebody 130 years old. We'd be kind of shocked as well. But What a sad reply he gave. In essence, Jacob tells the king of Egypt, that his life has been short and sorry. He had lived a hard life.
Had a lot of sorrow. Partly from spending 20 years separated from his beloved son, but Jacob had created a lot of stress for himself. Jacob had cheated some, he'd been cheated by others. He'd watched his boys go astray. from what he knew was right.
Jacob had a tough life. but he could look back and see God's miracle-working power. on his behalf.
So we see Joseph loving his father, caring for his father, proud of his father.
Now we see him protective of his father. Joseph did at least three things to keep his father safe and secure. First he located him in Goshen. An area east of the Nano River that was fairly isolated. It was Out of communication with the rest of Egypt because Egyptians hated shepherds and thought they were.
Not worthy of anything. And so he protected his family by separating them in this special little place called Goshen.
sort of on the edge of the country. And it was also nearest to Canaan, so it would make an easy exodus. 400 years later. When the Egyptians lost their power over the Israelites. The second thing Joseph did was give him possessions.
Look at verse 11. Joseph situated his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramses, as Pharaoh had commanded. Jacob's family now had possession. of the perfect piece of property. on which to shepherd.
And then Joseph, we are told, gave him provisions. Joseph provided his father verse 12. His brothers and all his father's household with bread according to the number of their families. He took care of everyone's needs. acting almost as a father would to a son.
Joseph arranged for a place near to himself He met every need. He gave his father all the provisions he would need in the five years that still left in the famine. And as the famine deepened, Joseph continued his role as protector and provider. He traded food for money, livestock, and eventually land, making all of Egypt's land Pharaoh's property. The Egyptians, desperate for survival, offered themselves as servants.
All of that was going on, but none of it. overwhelmed the relationship between Joseph and Jacob. Joseph loved his father and he protected him and he set him up to have a good life. And that brings us to the final chapter in our story. and that is Joseph's farewell.
Jacob is now really old. He came into the country of Egypt at the age of 130. And he's been there now for 17 years. In chapter 47 and verse 27, we read about the closing days of Jacob's life.
So Jacob dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen, and they had possessions there, and grew and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years.
So the length of Jacob's life was 147 years. When the time drew near that Jacob must die, He called his son Joseph and said to him, Now, if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh. and deal kindly and truly with me Please do not bury me in Egypt. But let me lie with my fathers. You shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in the burial place.
And Joseph said, I will do as you have said. Then he said, Swear to me, And he swore to him.
So Jacob bowed himself. on the head of the bed. Interestingly enough, Jacob's last request before he died was the first. was that he not be buried in Egypt. He even had Joseph swear to it using an old custom where you put your hand under the thigh.
That really solidified any kind of an oath that you would make for somebody. In Genesis 49, 29, We read that Jacob wanted to be buried with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. Here is a beat-up old shepherd who's been living in Egypt for 17 years. and he is not to be buried in Egypt. Jacob knew where he belonged.
And uh later we find out that Joseph did too. And um That's just one of the final moments that we learn something special from the life of Joseph to help us be successful in our own lives. Tomorrow Part Two of Joseph's Family Reunion After the weekend, God meant it for good. the epitome of the story of Joseph in Genesis chapter 50. Hey friends, we have been telling you all during the month about our special resource for the month of September.
It's the beautiful wall calendar called Following in His Footsteps. This 2026 calendar is filled with wonderful ways to help you with your life. A place for your dates for every day of the year. It begins in November, so it's a 14-month calendar. You can actually begin to plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year with next year's calendar.
And it's available to you for a gift of any size during the month of September. Ask for it when you send your gift today, and we'll send it to you right away. Thanks for listening. 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.
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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.
