Knowing
Christ
Bible
Study of
Genesis
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the Bible
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Articles
for the Family
In this Baptist Bible study
lesson, Joseph is faced with a conflict of either
reuniting with his brothers or holding a (true)
grudge against them for selling him into slavery.
This lesson can be taken as concern or
revenge.
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Genesis 42:1-38
The Brothers meet
Joseph in Egypt
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- 42:1
When Jacob learned that there was grain in
Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just
keep looking at each other?"
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- 2 He continued, "I
have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down
there and buy some for us, so that we may live
and not die."
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- 3 Then ten of Joseph's
brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
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- 4 But Jacob did not
send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the
others, because he was afraid that harm might
come to him.
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- 5 So Israel's sons
were among those who went to buy grain, for the
famine was in the land of Canaan also.
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- 6 Now Joseph was the
governor of the land, the one who sold grain to
all its people. So when Joseph's brothers
arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces
to the ground.
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- 7 As soon as Joseph
saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he
pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to
them. "Where do you come from?" he asked.
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- "From the land of
Canaan," they replied, "to buy food."
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- 8 Although Joseph
recognized his brothers, they did not recognize
him.
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- 9 Then he remembered
his dreams about them and said to them, "You are
spies! You have come to see where our land is
unprotected."
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- 10 "No, my lord," they
answered. "Your servants have come to buy food.
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- 11 We are all the sons
of one man. Your servants are honest men, not
spies."
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- 12 "No!" he said to
them. "You have come to see where our land is
unprotected."
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- 13 But they replied,
"Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of
one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The
youngest is now with our father, and one is no
more."
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- 14 Joseph said to
them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies!
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- 15 And this is how you
will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you
will not leave this place unless your youngest
brother comes here.
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- 16 Send one of your
number to get your brother; the rest of you will
be kept in prison, so that your words may be
tested to see if you are telling the truth. If
you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives,
you are spies!"
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- 17 And he put them all
in custody for three days.
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- 18 On the third day,
Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live,
for I fear God:
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- 19 If you are honest
men, let one of your brothers stay here in
prison, while the rest of you go and take grain
back for your starving households.
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- 20 But you must bring
your youngest brother to me, so that your words
may be verified and that you may not die." This
they proceeded to do.
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- 21 They said to one
another, "Surely we are being punished because
of our brother. We saw how distressed he was
when he pleaded with us for his life, but we
would not listen; that's why this distress has
come upon us."
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- 22 Reuben replied,
"Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy?
But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an
accounting for his blood."
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- 23 They did not
realize that Joseph could understand them, since
he was using an interpreter.
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- 24 He turned away from
them and began to weep, but then turned back and
spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from
them and bound before their eyes.
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- 25 Joseph gave orders
to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's
silver back in his sack, and to give them
provisions for their journey. After this was
done for them,
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- 26 they loaded their
grain on their donkeys and left.
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- 27 At the place where
they stopped for the night one of them opened
his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw
his silver in the mouth of his sack.
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- 28 "My silver has been
returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is
in my sack."
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- Their hearts sank and
they turned to each other trembling and said,
"What is this that God has done to us?"
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- 29 When they came to
their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they
told him all that had happened to them. They
said,
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- 30 "The man who is
lord over the land spoke harshly to us and
treated us as though we were spying on the land.
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- 31 But we said to him,
'We are honest men; we are not spies.
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- 32 We were twelve
brothers, sons of one father. One is no more,
and the youngest is now with our father in
Canaan.'
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- 33 "Then the man who
is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I
will know whether you are honest men: Leave one
of your brothers here with me, and take food for
your starving households and go.
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- 34 But bring your
youngest brother to me so I will know that you
are not spies but honest men. Then I will give
your brother back to you, and you can trade in
the land.' "
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- 35 As they were
emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack
was his pouch of silver! When they and their
father saw the money pouches, they were
frightened.
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- 36 Their father Jacob
said to them, "You have deprived me of my
children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no
more, and now you want to take Benjamin.
Everything is against me!"
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- 37 Then Reuben said to
his father, "You may put both of my sons to
death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust
him to my care, and I will bring him back."
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- 38 But Jacob said, "My
son will not go down there with you; his brother
is dead and he is the only one left. If harm
comes to him on the journey you are taking, you
will bring my gray head down to the grave in
sorrow."
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This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Joseph's Brothers go
before Joseph in Egypt
Joseph had a flashback as
soon as he saw his brothers who had sold him to
slave traders. Even though Joseph had pleaded with
them they were ruthless in their determination to
either kill him or trade him for money.
What would you
do?
What if you were the ruler
second only to pharaoh in Egypt and someone who had
plotted to murder you suddenly showed up? Would you
be merciful and forgiving or would your heart be
filled with revenge?
I'm not sure how I would
react to this situation but hope that I could be
forgiving as God wants me to be.
The Reaction of
Joseph
Well, Joseph had mixed
feelings too! He remembered clearly being carted
off, away from his father and friends who loved him
without knowing what would happen next.
The Brothers
Test
So, a few tests were conjured
up by Joseph to see if his brothers were as cruel
and inhumane to Benjamin (Joseph's only full
brother, son of Rachel) as they had been to
him.
Revenge or
Concern?
He wanted to see firsthand
that Benjamin was safe and cared for in that
household. I don't believe this had anything to do
with revenge but more with concern for his
brother.
I can't wait to see what
happens next!!
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
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here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Verses for study about Joseph and Genesis
are from Life Application Study Bible: New
International Version
More Study Material from
Genesis
Genesis
39:1-23
- Joseph
is Tempted with
Adultery
Genesis
40:1-23
- The
Cupbearer and the
Baker
Genesis
41:1-36
- Joseph
Reveals the Dream of
Pharaoh
Genesis
41:37-57
- Joseph
in Charge of Egypt
These verses will
give more background about the time Joseph spent in
Egypt.
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