Genesis 43:16

Genesis 43:16 says, And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.  Joseph's reaction when he saw Benjamin with his other brothers was not that of a vindictive man.  He basically told the one in charge of his house to prepare a feast and bring these men, his brothers, to share it with him.  Like Joseph with his brothers coming to him, as followers of Christ, even if someone has harmed us, we should rejoice if they come to Christ, thereby becoming our brother's and sisters in Christ.  Verse seventeen states, And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.  This was also not the welcome Joseph's brothers had anticipated.  They were simply hoping to get some corn, get Simeon, and get out alive.  We should never be surprised when God blesses us with more than we are expecting.  Verse eighteen adds, And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.  The brothers thought they were being brought to Joseph because of the money that had been found in their sacks and they were afraid Joseph was going to make them slaves.  When we come to Christ, even though we are guilty of sin, He does not wait to enslave and punish us, but to set us free from the penalty of sin, so we should never have a reason to fear God after we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse nineteen declares, And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,  The brothers first talked with the steward of Joseph's house, but he really wouldn't have been be able to tell them why they were there.  Joseph was the only one who could calm their fears.  When someone comes to us to ask about salvation, we may be able to point them to Christ, but ultimately that person must go to Christ personally in order to be saved.  Verse twenty adds, And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:  The brothers began to state their case, evidently now speaking to Joseph.  We may proclaim our innocence to everyone in the world, but it is God that we have to speak to, and when we do, though we may not be guilty of one particular thing, we are still guilty of sin in our life.  Joseph's brothers may not have been guilty of what they were worried about, but they were guilty of so much worse.  Verse twenty-one continues, And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.  The brothers said that when they were returned home and opened their sacks that they found the money, and they returned it.  Of course, this was only after they ran out of corn again.  They should already have been back.  We may often live in fear simply because we refuse to seek God's guidance until the last resort.  Had Joseph's brothers returned as they were supposed to, they could have saved themselves a lot of worry.  Verse twenty-two concludes, And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.  The brothers said they were bringing back the original money and money to buy more, but that they didn't know how the money got in their sacks to start with.  Of course, we cannot proclaim ourselves innocent before God, because we have to acknowledge all sin in our lives and not just particular ones that we may not be guilty of.  We also have to acknowledge that we cannot buy God's forgiveness as the brothers were attempting to buy Joseph's forgiveness.  Verse twenty-three states, And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.  Joseph told his brothers not to worry and that their God and the God of their father was behind their money being returned.  As followers of Christ, we should never have to have someone else point out that God is with us, no matter how bad the situation we are in may be.  During this whole ordeal, we do not see the brothers, nor their father, asking God for guidance.  Our first action in any situation should be to seek God's guidance.

Genesis 43:1

Genesis 43:1 says, And the famine was sore in the land.  Jacob's sons came back with some corn, but it wasn't enough to last through the whole draught.  Verse two states, And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.  After the corn was gone, Jacob ordered his sons to go to Egypt again and buy more.  They had already been accused of being spies and hadn't returned to get Simeon out of confinement.  Jacob evidently wasn't very concerned about their safety.  As followers of Christ, we cannot put others at risk to meet our own needs, especially if we have refused to deal with the problem ourself.  Jacob could have sent his sons back with Benjamin and have avoided this problem.  Verse three declares, And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.  Judah spoke up, saying that the man had already said he wouldn't see them if Benjamin wasn't with them.  Sometimes even if we know the facts, we may need someone to remind us of them especially if the facts are not what we want to accept.  Verse four adds, If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:  Then verse five concludes, But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.  Judah told his father, called Israel again now, that if Benjamin didn't go, the rest of them weren't going.  I believe that we should never favor one child or other Christian over another, especially if doing so puts others in danger.  Verse six declares, And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?  Israel accused his sons of treating him unfairly by telling the man, Joseph, that they had another brother.  What he didn't realize was that Joseph already knew this and lying to him would have definitely caused problems.  We likewise cannot lie to others simply because it would seem better to us, and we certainly cannot afford to attempt to lie to God.  Israel was basically saying that they should have lied to protect Benjamin.  Verse seven states, And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?  The brothers said that the way that the man asked them the question lead them to believe that they had better tell the truth.  They also said that they had no reason to believe that the man would ask them to return with Benjamin.  Hopefully, we will never have to apologize to anyone for telling the truth, especially to someone who is supposed to believe in God, as Israel was supposed to.  Verse eight adds, And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.  Judah was the spokesman again, and he said send Benjamin with him, and they wouldn't die, as they all would without food, even the small children.  Verse nine continues, I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:  Judah offered to take the blame forever if he didn't return with Benjamin.  We really cannot offer ourselves for the redemption of others, but we should be willing to do all that we can to bring others to salvation through Christ.  Without coming to this saving grace of God, they will starve spiritually just as Israel and his family were starving physically.  Verse ten concludes, For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.  Judah said had they not lingered they would have already returned to Egypt.  People today too often linger when they could have already accepted salvation.  Verse eleven says, And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:  Israel said if they had to do this, then do it.  He also said they should take gifts, which were food items, which is rather strange due to the famine.  Verse twelve adds, And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:  Israel also said that they should take double the money in case having their money returned the first time was a mistake.  We cannot buy salvation, no matter how much we may offer God, but like with these brothers our attitude is what is important.  Verse thirteen continues, Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:  Israel finally told them to take Benjamin and go.  Think of all the trouble Israel could have avoided if they had simply done what they had promised to do to start with.  When we make a promise to God, as they did to Joseph, we are much better off to simply fulfill the promise instead of attempting to find a way out of it.  Verse fourteen concludes, And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin.  If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.  Israel, a man that God had promised so much to, now remembers to rely on God.  This should have been his first action, as it should be ours in times of trouble and even at all times.  Verse fifteen declares,  And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.  The brothers took the money, gifts and Benjamin and returned to Egypt.  They may have had concerns about how they would be received, but they went.  We never have to have any concerns when we go to, or even return to Christ.  He will always welcome us with open arms and love.

Genesis 42:29

Genesis 42:29 says, And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,  The brothers didn't return to Joseph, but went on home to their father.  I believe that it is safe to say that when we find ourselves in a bad situation, even one not of our own making, we as followers of Christ should first go to our Heavenly Father and tell Him what has happened.  There is really no good in going back to where the problem occurred until we have talked to God.  Verse thirty states, The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.  The brothers who were there told Jacob of their encounter with the man in Egypt.  They told Jacob that the man spoke roughly to them and treated them as spies.  They were innocent in this case, but it did not excuse their earlier sinful actions against Joseph.  We may sometimes be falsely accused, but we have to acknowledge that we have been guilty of sin and may be again in the future.  That is why it is only by the grace of God that we can be forgiven.  Verse thirty-one adds, And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:  The brothers proclaimed themselves to be true men, but much of their lives had been lived with a lie.  Still, they were not spies, so this much was true.  Even if we are not guilty of something that we are accused of, we are still but sinners saved by grace if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-two continues, We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.  Again, this was true as far as they knew.  As far as the brothers were concerned, whether he was alive or dead, Joseph no longer existed to them.  Verse thirty-three still continues, And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:  They told Jacob that the man had told them how he was going to prove that they were truthful.  They were to leave one of the brothers behind until they returned.  Verse thirty-four goes on stating, And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.  The brothers said that they were to bring their younger brother back to prove they weren't spies and their brother would be set free and they would be allowed to traffic in Egypt.  Fortunately, God does not demand that we leave something with Him before He sets us free from sin.  Verse thirty-five concludes, And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.  When the brothers emptied their sacks, they found that everyone had their money returned, and the brothers and Jacob were afraid.  The man, Joseph, had already accused them of being spies, and now the evidence pointed to them being thieves as well.  They had a right to be afraid, but we are not told that they took their concerns to God.  Any time we find ourselves in a bad situation, even one not of our making, as followers of Christ, our first action should be to go to God in prayer.  Verse forty states, And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.  Jacob was still putting the welfare of Benjamin ahead of the welfare of Simeon and the other brothers.  We must be concerned with the welfare of all our brother's and sisters in Christ, and never put one above another.  Jacob also put the blame for Simeon's situation on his other sons, even though he had sent them to Egypt and they had no control over the situation.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.  Reuben pledged the life of his two sons if he took Benjamin to Egypt and didn't return with him.  What would we be willing to give up to save another person from the bondage of sin?  Verse thirty-eight proclaims, And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.  Jacob was still playing favorites.  Evidently, the death of Simeon would not have caused him to sorrow to death, but the death of Benjamin would.  I will state once more that we cannot be like Jacob and play favorites with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  One is just as valuable as the other in the sight of our Heavenly Father

Genesis 42:21

Genesis 42:21says, And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.  Joseph's brothers were not talking about what was happening at that time, but they were remembering when they sold Joseph into slavery.  They acknowledged their guilt and their lack of compassion for Joseph.  If we are guilty of sin, we may hide the fact from the world, but we can never hide it from our self.  Verse twenty-two states, And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.  Reuben reminded his brothers that he had asked them not to sin against the child and they wouldn't listen.  Still, Reuben could not exonerate himself, because he went along with them, even if his plan was to rescue Joseph later.  We cannot excuse ourselves if we go along with sinful actions, even if we really believe that they are wrong.  Of course, I believe that even if we act in a sinful way toward other people that we sin against God.  Verse twenty-three declares, And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.  His brothers did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke to them through an interpreter.  They truly did not recognize Joseph, but thought that he was simply an Egyptian in power over them.  The brothers thought that what they were discussing was not known to Joseph, and we may think that we have hidden our sins today, but like Joseph with his brothers, God will always know our sins, whether we confess them to Him or not.  Verse twenty-four adds, And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.  Joseph was not enjoying his position of power and wanting to see his brothers suffer.  He turned away from them and wept.  I don't believe that this was because of pity for himself, but because Joseph felt compassion for them.  I don't believe that God ever takes joy in our suffering from our sins, unconfessed or otherwise, but that He weeps over our refusal to come to Him and ask forgiveness.  Joseph had them leave Simeon behind.  Verse twenty-five declares, Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.  Joseph had his brother's sacks filled with grain, and put their money in as well.  Joseph was not doing this so he could falsely accuse them of cheating him, but he was doing it to test their character.  The question was since they had the corn and the money, would they return for Simeon or abandon him as they had Joseph.  We can be certain that God will never attempt to trap us into sin, but He may allow our faith in Him to be tested.  Verse twenty-six says, And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.  Having agreed to leave Simeon behind as a promise that they would return, the other brothers left.  As followers of Christ, we have gotten out of a bad situation in God's eyes, but others are still left behind in sin.  The question is how concerned are we for them.  The brothers could have felt that sacrificing one was acceptable, since they got what they came for.  We cannot believe that leaving other people lost is acceptable as long as we are saved ourselves.  Verse twenty-seven states, And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.  When the brothers stopped to feed the animals, one of them opened his sack and found the money.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?  When he told his brothers that the money was in his sack, they were afraid.  Their first reaction was to accuse God of causing their problem.  We may also be quick to blame God with our problems, but we should instead look to God for help in understanding the situation.  Whether they knew it or not, it was the unconfessed sin of the brothers that was causing their problem.  We will never come out ahead through sin, even if it may seem so at the time.

Genesis 42:9

Genesis 42:9 says,  And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.  Joseph remembered his dreams about his brothers when he recognized them and they did not recognize him.  Joseph then accused them of being spies sent to see if Egypt was suffering from the draught as other nations were.  I personally don't believe that Joseph did this as a way to make the dream come true, since God would be the One Who would cause the dream to be fulfilled if it was really a revelation from God.  We cannot force God's revelations to happen, but I believe that we sometimes try to, especially in relationship to the second coming of Christ.  Verse ten states, And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. His brothers said that they weren't spies, but had only come to buy bread.  Of course, they weren't noted for speaking and dealing honestly with Joseph.  If someone has dealt dishonestly with us in the past, we may question their honesty when we deal with them again.  Verse eleven adds, We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.  Joseph's brothers told a partial truth.  They were the sons of one man, but Joseph knew this.  It was the second part, that the were true, or truthful, men that was not entirely correct as far as Joseph was concerned.  Verse twelve declares, And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.  Joseph again accused them of being spies.  I don't believe that Joseph was doing this simply to enjoy his position of power over them, and we cannot treat the lost of the world today as if we are better than them simply because of our position in the world, or really even because of our relationship to Christ.  We are all simply sinners saved by grace.  Verse fifteen says, And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.  The brothers told Joseph what they thought was the truth.  Though they did not know if Joseph was dead, which he obviously wasn't, as far as they were concerned, he no longer existed.  Verse fourteen states, And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:  Then verse fifteen adds, Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.  Joseph said that in order to prove that they weren't spies, they had to bring their younger brother there.  I believe that the fact that Benjamin wasn't there showed that he was being treated as special by Jacob, and this was Joseph's way to see if his brothers would treat Benjamin as they had treated him.  Verse sixteen continues, Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.  Joseph proposed sending one of the brothers to bring Benjamin back while the others remained in prison there.  Again, I believe that this was to test the character of the brothers and not simply so Joseph could show his power over them.  When someone professes to accept Christ as their Savior, if they have harmed us in the past we may question their sincerity.  Still, we can never hold their past against them, even if we feel the need to check the sincerity of their declaration of faith, but I don't believe that we should continually look for ways to disprove their faith.  Verse seventeen states, And he put them all together into ward three days.  Then verse eighteen adds, And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:  Joseph gave them three days together before he spoke to them again.  This would have given them time to plan how to deal with the situation.  Joseph then told them what they needed to do, and he said that this was because he feared God.  As followers of Christ, when we deal with other people, it must be with a fear, or awesome respect, for God.  I don't believe that fear of God means that we believe that He is just waiting to crush us at any moment.  Verse nineteen adds, If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:  Joseph said that they could leave one brother bound, or imprisoned there while the others took corn for their families.  This was basically a test to see if they would value the one brother enough to return.  Verse twenty concludes, But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.  Joseph said that if they did this and brought their youngest brother back that it would prove that they were telling the truth.  Though we cannot demand a test of some else's faith, I believe that when we come to Christ in faith that we cannot attempt to hold back anything that we feel is too valuable to us to surrender to God.

Genesis 42:1

Genesis 42:1 says, Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?  Jacob and his family were suffering in the famine, but Jacob had heard there was corn in Egypt.  Evidently Jacob's sons still lived close to him and were just standing around in despair, and Jacob asked them why.  When things go badly, God does not expect those who follow Him to simply stand around and complain or despair, even if we are where He has called us.  Jacob was where God had led him, and even if he had faith that God would provide, it did not mean that Jacob was not to be actively involved in the process of God providing for him.  Verse two states,  And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.  Jacob told his sons that he had heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they needed to quit standing around and go to Egypt and buy corn.  Money was not the problem.  The lack of food was.  All the wealth in the world will not help us if we have nothing to eat.  The lost of the world today are spiritually starving, and the bread of life, Jesus Christ, is freely available to any who will come to Him.  There is no charge for this bread, and no amount of money will buy salvation any other way than through the cross of Christ.  People can either stand around in despair when they hear the gospel, or they can come to Christ.  The gospel will never be forced on anyone, but all must come willing to Christ.  Verse three declares, And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.  Ten of Jacob's sons went to Egypt, but not all.  Verse four adds, But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.  Benjamin was left behind.  Jacob said this was done so that nothing bad would happen to Benjamin.  It seems that Jacob was still playing favorites, since he didn't seem concerned about something bad happening to his other sons.  As discussed before, we cannot play favorites with people, especially our children.  We should have the same love and concern for all of them.  Verse five says, And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.  The brothers went with others from Canaan to buy grain.  We cannot claim some special status when we come to the cross for salvation.  Just like Jacob's sons in Egypt, who were the children of the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who came to Egypt as everyone else did, even if we are from a Christian family, we still come to the cross as anyone else does.  Verse six declares, And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.  Joseph had correctly interpreted the dreams of others by the power of God, and now his personal dream of so many years before was being fulfilled.  We can be certain that God's promise of everlasting life will come true, no matter how bad things may become in this world.  Verse seven adds, And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.  Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.  I believe that this was in part because Joseph had aged and in part because the brothers never expected to see Joseph in a position of power or authority.  They had sold Joseph into slavery, never expecting to see him again.  Verse eight concludes, And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.  As just discussed, Joseph's brothers did not know him.  Until we come to Christ in a personal relationship, He will know us, but we will not recognize Him.  Everyone comes to Christ as a stranger to Him.  Just hearing about salvation without coming to that personal relationship with Christ leaves us standing around in despair like the brothers were until they went to Egypt where the corn was.  Again, God does not force salvation on anyone, but He makes it freely available to all who will come to Jesus in faith.

Genesis 41:46

Genesis 41:46 says, And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.  Joseph was now thirty years old.  A lot had happened to him during those thirty years, but he was now in a position of authority once more.  He might have been tempted to use the position in a self serving way and have felt justified by doing so, but we know he didn't.  When we become a follower of Christ, we like Joseph, are set free, but it is freedom from slavery to the power of sin.  We are set free to serve God and not for self gratification.  Verse forty-seven states, And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.  The interpretation of Pharaoh's dream was coming true.  There were seven years of much better than normal crops.  Verse forty-eight adds, And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.  Joseph had the crops gathered, but he knew that the seven years of good would come to an end, so he stored up for the coming bad years.  I believe that too often people, even followers of Christ, feel that when things are going well materially that they are always only going to get better, so they spend everything they have and more on themselves.  I do not believe that this is what God wants.  I believe that we are to use what God blesses us with for His glory.  Verse forty-nine continues, And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.  The crops were vast during this time as stated above, just as God had promised in the dream.  A sure way to know if a dream is God speaking to us is if it comes true.  Verse fifty says, And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.  Joseph had two sons during this time.  Life was definitely better for Joseph, and he could have forgotten about God during this time, but he didn't.  Sometimes during times of prosperity, we as followers of Christ may be tempted to forget about God and simply feel that we deserve all that we can get, but I believe that God expects us to remember that He is the reason for our prosperity.  Verse fifty-one adds, And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.  As stated before, names meant something, and the name of Joseph's first son, Manasseh meant that God had caused Joseph to forget all his toil and his father's house.  When we become a follower of Christ, we must forget all that happened before then as far as allowing it to influence our attitude about life and other people, even those who may have done us wrong.  Verse fifty-two continues, And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.  The second son was named Ephraim, meaning God had made Joseph fruitful in his affliction.  As Christians, we are set free from the affliction of sin and are caused to prosper spiritually.  Verse fifty-three declares, And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.  As Joseph had said when interpreting Pharaoh's dream, the seven years of plenty came to an end.  This was not a surprise to Joseph, and if we are following God's will, we should not be surprised if bad things happen to us while we are enjoying the blessings of God.  We have already been warned to expect this, but too often we want to blame God.  I believe that we are often more ready to blame God for bad things than to praise Him for the good things.  Verse fifty-four adds, And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.  The bad years came, and the rest of the world was suffering, but in Egypt there was bread.  I believe that we can say that while the rest of the world is suffering in a spiritual draught, that we as followers of Christ have the Bread of Life to share with them.  Verse fifty-five declares, And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.  The people of Egypt were not immune to the effects of the draught.  They cried out to Pharoah and he told them to go to Joseph and do what he told them to do.  I believe that it is safe to make the analogy that when people are spiritually starving and call out to God that He will tell them to go to Jesus and do what He directs them to do.  If they come to us, the followers of Christ, we must likewise point them to Him.  Verse fifty-six adds, And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.  Joseph sold the grain to the Egyptians.  Verse fifty-seven concludes, And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.  Joseph did not limit the sale of food to the Egyptians, but sold to all in need.  Though we cannot buy salvation, as it is a free gift from God, neither can we attempt to limit it to just certain people.  Salvation is available to all who will come to Christ and accept His gift.