1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood before him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of the pharaoh heard it. VV 14, 15; 42:24 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 43:27; acts 7:13 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” So they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 37:28; 39:1; Ps. 105:17 5 “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13), Jamieson Fausset Brown s commentary on Jesus’s words here in John, I believe portrays Judah’s love for his father and his brother Benjamin, so much so that Joseph himself feels Judah’s (Pain which he portrayed in the previous chapter), and cannot contain himself any longer.
Jamieson Fausset Brown: The emphasis lies not on “friends,” but on “laying down his life” for them; that is, “One can show no greater regard for those dear to him than to give his life for them, and this is the love ye shall find in Me.”
Joseph to shares this same affection for his father, Benjamin, and all his brothers. He cannot let this charade go on. This is a personal moment for Joseph and his brothers. He empties the room of everyone except for his brothers so he can reveal himself to them. Joseph cries out in front of his brothers so loudly that it echoes throughout the whole house of Pharaoh for all to hear. “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” Joseph asks in agony! But his brothers are disturbed, maybe by unbelief that it is truly Joseph their brother whom they sold into slavery. So Joseph gathers them close to his bosom and comforts them so that they are not troubled by the events that are unfolding right before their eyes. It would be remiss of me not to comment on the more spiritual nature of these verses, and the foreshadowing of the coming Messiah and His relationship to Israel in His first coming, and yes even in the second coming. Just as Joseph’s brothers do not recognize who he is, so to did the people of Israel (more importantly the Pharisees and Sadducees), not know that Jesus Christ was the one whom the prophets of old had spoken; of the coming Messiah whom God sent the first time to preserve life everlasting for them and all the nations of the earth. When Joseph ask his brothers to come near to him to comfort them I personally am reminded of Jesus crying out to Jerusalem: Jerusalem! Jerusalem! the one killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her; how often I desired to gather your children in the way a hen gathers her brood under the wings, and you did not desire it. Joseph has probably been waiting a long time for this day to come. At least two years (When they first came during the famine), which would have been like a lifetime to him, or maybe even sooner, before he was sold into slavery and had those dreams long ago (Gen. 37:5, 9), back then he was like an outsider to them even though he was their half brother, but they were jealous of him because he was their fathers favorite. When Jesus returns the second time the whole house of Israel will mourn when the scales are lifted and their eyes are opened to the fact that they did indeed kill their Messiah in his first coming (Zech. 12:10-14; 13:6). Upon seeing Joseph the second time in as many years they have to be comforted by him because they feel grieved in their heart for what they had done to him years ago.
6 “For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
Two years have passed since the famine began. There has been either none, nor any sufficient amount of rain in which to prepare the soil for planting seed. This would now put Joseph at the age of thirty nine (Gen. 41:46), since the seven years of plenty have thus passed.
7 “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. v. 5; 50:20
Joseph was the deliverer for the nation of Israel, who brought them up from out of the land of Canaan and into Egypt during the great famine. Four hundred years later Moses would be the deliverer who will take Israel out of the bondage of Egypt (Acts 7:35), and Jesus Christ is the long awaited deliverer in whom it was prophesied would save Israel and turn away all ungodliness from the house of Jacob (Is. 59:20,21; Rom. 11:26). God Himself has always sent a deliverer to His people, and as Abraham said long ago to his son Isaac when he went to offer him up to God, “The Lord will provide for Himself a Sacrifice” For His name’s sake (Ps. 79:9; 106:7, 8;).
8 “So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
It was during the time when Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dreams correctly, that he was put in charge of all the household of the Pharaoh (Gen. 41: 39-44), This is what’s meant when Joseph says to his brothers that the Pharaoh made him father and lord of all his house, and ruler of all the land of Egypt.
9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. v. 26 10 “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and herds, and all that you have. 11 “There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”‘ 12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 42:23
Joseph sends a message to his father thru the brothers to tell him he is alive and that God (the God of Abraham, Isaac and himself), has been with Joseph all this time, has blessed him tremendously in the land of Egypt, and made him ruler there. Joseph goes on to say to his father to come near to me and do not hesitate. again he says in his message to his father you shall be near me and you shall dwell in the land of Goshen. The Strongs number (H1657) and BDB definition for Goshen literally means drawing near. Then (In my opinion), Joseph’s message is now addressed to all of them beginning in verse ten. And it is an assurance to all of them that Joseph holds no ill will towards them, and has forgiven them for what they had done to him over twenty years ago. Even If verse ten is speaking to his father alone, then he is including his brothers to come and draw near him as well because in verse ten he states; “You, your children, your children’s children (which would include the brothers). Imagine the sigh of relief and the heavy burden that each and everyone of them have been carrying on their shoulders all theses years. “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). I like how the ISV bible reads, I believe it is fitting for the context here: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.” Another example of Joseph being a foreshadow of the coming Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Continuing on in verse eleven Joseph says; “There (The land of Goshen), “I will provide for you” it would be remiss of me if I didn’t comment on these few words, it is from these words that have impacted me spiritually so much since I first truly understood the meaning behind them. It was approximately one hundred fifty years earlier that Josephs grandfather Abraham uttered these same words almost verbatim; as he went to offer up his son, his only son, of his wife Sarah, to Isaac when Isaac said; “My father!” Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied to the lad; “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” (Gen. 22:7,8), in this instance (As Joseph himself stated); “God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Verse five), “So now it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Verse eight), The Lord sacrificed Joseph from his family so that he could provide for them, in this particular time of famine, and preserve their life for everlasting. (pick up at verse twelve on next study)
13 “So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down.” 14 Then he fell on his brother benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. vv. 2, 15 15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
Joseph has longed to see his father once more. there probably hasn’t been a day that passed in which he didn’t think about him. in the beginning of this chapter one of the first things he asks his brothers is if his father was still alive and well. By now Jacob is one hundred and thirty years old (Gen 47:9). Benjamin is Josephs only full brother, and the one he loved the most. So it is only fitting that he embraces him first. Afterwards Joseph kisses all his brothers and weeps over them. Just as Joseph embraces all his brothers under his arms it comes to mind when Jesus cried out to Jerusalem, and how he wanted to gather them together under his wings a a hen gathers her brood ( Mat 23:37, Luke 13:34),”O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! ” Joseph has always loved his brothers and wanted to embrace them, even when they treated him as an outcast among them growing up.
16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load all your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan. 18 ‘Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land. 27:28; 47:6 19 ‘ Now you are commanded-do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come. 20 ‘Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'”
In my opinion Joseph has become like a son to the Pharaoh. there was probably a time when Joseph told the Pharaoh about where he came from and his family back in Canaan, and Joseph might have expressed his sorrow about missing his father and brothers. This said, just as any father would grieve with their sons when they are sad, and rejoice with them when they are happy. The Pharaoh is happy for Joseph that his brothers have come to him. I can only imagine when the Pharaoh sees Joseph he sees a joy in his countenance that he has never before seen. He sees a man who has new life in him for the first time since he has been in Egypt. Undoubtedly, ever since his brothers first came to Egypt, Joseph hasn’t been the same person. He has probably been going over many scenarios in his head as to what to make of his brothers appearance, what to do about it, and how his father has been over the past 20 years. Joseph lives ! he has a new breath of life, and a purpose (That he will reveal to his brothers later on), as to why his life has gone the way it has. Joseph has done so much for the Pharaoh and his people, and now he wants to reward him for this. So he commands that Joseph bring his whole family into the land, and to take carts from Egypt to make the journey easier. twice he says “Bring your father” The children of Israel will live in the best lands of Egypt, and have the riches of Egypt in their hands. And I believe the Pharaoh too is excited about meeting the father of the one who saved Egypt from famine and destruction.
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 46:5 22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. 23 And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”
The Brothers of Joseph all received new clothing, as well as provisions, and donkeys to carry all the goods that the Pharaoh commanded Joseph to give them. But to Benjamin Joseph also gave three hundred pieces of silver, and not just one change of clothing but five. The reason for this is obvious: Benjamin was Joseph true brother, they shared the same Father and mother. All of Joseph s other brothers were only stepbrothers: born of the same father but different mothers. Joseph also sent plenty of provisions for his father (Jacob/Israel), for him and his family’s journey to Egypt. Now the last thing, and probably the most significant of these verses is Joseph’s instructions to his brother to not to be troubled along the way. There are many things the brothers could be troubled with: for one they could go back and forth with one another on how they each individually treated Joseph when they threw him in the well, and sold him off to the merchants as a slave. Rueben could try to justify himself because he was the only brother who told them not to kill Joseph;he was against this action, Rueben wanted to throw Joseph into a pit so that he could later on rescue him and return Joseph to his father (Gen 37:22), and Judah to could say to them; “All of you wanted to kill him even after Reuben said not to, Even after Reuben left you still wanted to kill him, but I rescued Joseph from your hands and convinced all of you to sell him to the Midianites.” And what would all the brothers response be to all that? “Both of your hands are not innocent because you still lied to our father about the fate of Joseph when we took his tunic back to him and said Joseph must have been killed by a wild beast (Gen 37:31-34). The only innocent one would be Benjamin, because he was not there when the brothers conspired against Joseph, And as the brothers argued among themselves Benjamin would have overheard this not knowing the true fate of his brother Joseph up until this time. The main reason for this discontent among the brothers would be their concern that these past sin would be revealed to their father Jacob, and how he would act towards them after discovering the deceit his sons pulled upon him. “Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive.” Joseph knew the brothers would argue among themselves about who was guilty or innocent, and what would they tell their father upon returning to the land of Canaan? would they keep up with the deception, or would they come clean? And if they didn’t come clean would Joseph tell his father what the brothers did to him when he comes into Egypt? The scriptures do not tell us how Jacob finds out, but it does tell us that he did indeed discover the truth of what they had done to Joseph. We read in Genesis chapter fifty, after the death of Jacob, that the brothers sent a message to Joseph telling him that his father asked Joseph to forgive them for their sins against him (Gen 50:16, 17). Now for the sake of my work here I must add that in the Jewish bible (Rashis’s commentary says that Jacob never gave such a command and that the brothers altered the facts to save peace:
None of the famous commentators have anything to say on the subject of whether or not Jacob discovered the truth about his sons. In my humble opinion; Jacob was a wise man of his age, even if he initially believed his sons at first, after finding out that Joseph was alive he had to have his suspicions, wouldn’t he have inquired to Joseph about what happened to him, how did he come to such prominence? Wouldn’t Jacob had said to him: But your brothers brought your tunic shredded, full of blood, I surely thought you were dead”and would Joseph lie to his father so save his brothers? I think Joseph, being Christ like would not have lied to his father for the sake of the brothers. Wouldn’t that be bearing false witness? I leave it to the reader to decide.
25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. v. 9 27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28 Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Jacobs spirit has been grieving since he first saw the tunic he gave to Joseph, all torn to shreds, believing he has been dead all this time (Gen 37:35), It’s not until he sees all the carts full of supplies that his spirit is lifted again and he rejoices at the news. Jacob is now over one hundred years old, his body weak, but it won’t stop him from seeing his son once again before he dies.