Genesis 47:11

Genesis 47:11 says, And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.  Joseph gave his family land in Egypt.  Not only did Joseph give them land, but he gave them some of the best of the land as Pharaoh had instructed him to.  When we become followers of Christ, God gives us the best home, one that is everlasting, though it may be many years before we get there.  We can also be certain that what God gives us no one has the authority or power to take away.  Verse twelve states, And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.  Joseph provided bread for his family, according to their needs.  We are not told that he gave fine delicacies, but bread.  We are promised that God will give us our daily bread, but too often we think we need steak.  Verse thirteen proclaims, And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.  The famine was in its second year when Joseph's family arrived, and it continued to get worse.  Verse fourteen states, And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.  Joseph gathered all the money in the land and brought it to Pharaoh's house.  Money was of little value or use to the people when they were starving.  Without Christ as their Savior and Lord, people are spiritually starving today, but often they would rather continue to starve spiritually than to surrender everything to God.  We cannot allow the things of this world to become more important than our relationship with God.  Verse fifteen adds, And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.  When the people ran out of money, they came to Joseph and asked why they should just starve because they had no more money.  Verse sixteen states,  And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.  Joseph told the people if they ran out of money, then they could trade their cattle for the bread.  We are fortunate that we don't have to bargain with God for salvation, but like the people with Joseph then, we must not attempt to hang on to the things of this world feeling that they are more important than our relationship with God.  Verse seventeen says, And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.  Joseph provided for the people and their animals for a year.  Verse eighteen adds, When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:  The people came to Joseph the next year and said that all they had left was their land and themselves.  Eventually, if we are to become followers of Christ, we must acknowledge that all we can offer God of value is our self.  Verse nineteen continues, Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.  The people said they would give their land and themselves to Pharauh for bread.  I guess some would say that Joseph was being somewhat mercenary in his actions, but he was offering the people life instead of death.  There are people today who say that God demands too much when He wants them to give up everything and serve Him, but He offers them the only way to everlasting life.  Then, when a person accepts Christ as Savior and Lord, He promises to meet that person's needs forever.  Verse twenty declares, And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.  Pharaoh and not Joseph, eventually owned all the land.  Like Joseph with Pharaoh, we are simply representatives of God if we are followers of Christ and should never attempt to enrich ourselves because of our relationship with Him.

Genesis 47:1

Genesis 47:1 says, Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.  Though Joseph had invited his family to come to the safety of Egypt, Pharaoh was still in charge and Joseph needed Pharaoh's agreement, or blessing, for them to stay.  We can bring people to the safety of salvation, but God is still the Only One Who can grant them salvation.  Fortunately, God stands ready to forgive everyone who comes to Him by faith and grant them an everlasting home in heaven.  Verse two says, And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.  Joseph took five of his brothers with him to meet Pharaoh.  To continue the analogy with God, we must all come before Him for salvation and not just a part of our family.  Verse three declares, And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.  Pharaoh asked the brothers what their occupation was, and they said that they and their father were shepherds.  This was a lowly occupation to Pharaoh.  When we come to Christ, we can only come as lowly, unworthy sinners.  Verse four says, They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.  The brothers told Pharaoh why they had come.  There was a famine in Canaan, and then flocks would starve if they stayed there.  When someone comes to Christ, that person may be rich in the eyes of the world, but they are still in a spiritual famine and will die without hope without accepting Him as Savior and Lord.  Verse five declares,  And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:  Pharaoh asked Joseph if his father and brother had come to Joseph for help.  Then verse six adds, The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.  Pharaoh told Joseph that his brothers could live in the land of Goshen, and if he felt that any of them were qualified to put them in charge of his cattle as well.  I believe that this was so much more than what the brothers hoped for and deserved, and when we come to Christ, He gives us so much more than we deserve or could even hope for.  Just as with Joseph's brothers, God will also give us a purpose in his kingdom other than just sitting back and enjoying our salvation while awaiting Christ's return.  Verse seven states, And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.  Joseph brought his father before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed pharaoh, or more accurately asked God's blessing on Pharaoh.  Though Jacob stood before Pharaoh, who had all the earthly power, Jacob was God's representative in the world.  No matter how powerful a person may be in the world today, if we stand before them as followers of Christ, we need to ask God's blessing on them.  Verse eight asks, And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?  Jacob evidently appeared to be very old, so this would have been a common question.  Verse nine declares, Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.  Jacob referred to his life as a pilgrimage, and said that he had not been on his pilgrimage as long as his fathers, or ancestors, had lived on their pilgrimage.  We, as followers of Christ, are on a pilgrimage in this life, as is anyone else who is a follower of Christ.  Jacob said his pilgrimage had been full of evil days.  We may look at the world today as a place filled with evil, but we must continue on our pilgrimage with Christ.  Verse ten adds, And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.  Once again, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, then he left Pharaoh's presence.  Since this blessing would really be from God, it was up to Pharaoh what he would do with the blessing.  Likewise, we can bring people to the blessing of God's salvation, but it is up to them what they will do with it.

Genesis 46:28

Genesis 46:28 says, And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.  Israel sent Judah ahead to Joseph.  I am not sure how Judah became the spokesman for the brothers, but he seemed to have taken this responsibility, though I don't believe that he felt he was more important than the other brothers.  They had been in a bad situation when Judah had begun speaking for them, and when we as Christians find ourselves in a bad situation, someone needs to have the courage to speak up.  Judah was to tell Joseph to meet them at Goshen.  Verse twenty-nine states, And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.  Though Israel and his family were traveling in wagons, Joseph took a chariot to meet them.  Joseph didn't take the chariot because it was an implement of war, but because it was faster.  Joseph could have demanded that they come to him, but he was impatient to see them.  When we come to Christ, He meets us where we are.  God could demand that we meet all the requirements of His law before we come to Him, but He meets us where we are through our faith in Christ.  This does not mean that God is any less in charge, but God loves every person so much that He does not simply sit back and wait for a person to come to Him, but He reaches out to everyone with His love.  Then, it is up to each person whether or not he or she will accept that love.  Israel and his family still weren't all the way to the safety of Egypt, just as we are not all the way to spiritual safety until we accept Christ as our personal Savior.  Verse thirty declares,  And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.  Israel was ready to just die where he was because he had seen Joseph again.  That would have been a sad outcome, not only for Israel, but for the rest of his family, and I believe for Joseph in particular.  When someone stops just short of salvation, it is a sad thing, not only for those who are related to them, but it should also for all those who are followers of Christ as well.  Verse thirty-one proclaims, And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;  Joseph told his brothers and his father that he would go before them to Pharaoh and tell him who they were.  Just as Joseph went to Pharaoh, Jesus goes to the heavenly Father on our behalf, so we no longer have a reason to be afraid of God.  Verse thirty-two adds, And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.  Joseph said he would explain to Pharaoh that they were shepherds and therefore Pharaoh had no reason to be concerned about their intentions.  Joseph said that he would tell Pharaoh that they had brought their flocks and herds and everything that they had with them.  When we come to Christ, we can only come humbly and should bring everything that we have to God.  Just as Pharaoh was still in power over Israel and his family, and that includes Joseph, so is God in power, or authority, over all who accept Christ.  Verse thirty-three adds, And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?  Joseph asked them what they were going to say was their occupation when they were called before Pharaoh.  Joseph was not attempting to fool Pharaoh, but was simply asking his family to be honest about who they were.  Likewise, when we come to Christ, we must come with the honest statement of who we are, which is simply a sinner in need of being saved by the grace of God.  Verse thirty-four concludes, That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.  Joseph told them to be truthful about who they were, and he would ask that they be allowed to live in the land of Goshen.  When we come to Christ for salvation, we must come honestly and we will continue to live where we are, which is in this old sinful world, until such a time that God will call us home to heaven.

Genesis 46:8

Genesis 46:8 says, And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.  The next several verses are simply a genealogy of Jacob's children and grandchildren, starting here with Reuben.  Verse nine states, And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.  Verse ten says, And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.  Shaul evidently had a different mother, a Canaaninte woman.  Verse eleven states, And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.  Verse twelve says, And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.  We are told that Judah's oldest sons died and are given the names of two of Judah's grandsons.  Verse thirteen states, And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.  Verse fourteen says, And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.  Verse fifteen adds, These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.  These were Leah's sons, and also there was Dinah, her daughter.  Jacob had a total of thirty-three children and grandchildren with Leah.  Verse sixteen says, And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.  Verse seventeen declares, And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.  Then verse eighteen adds, These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.  Jacob had sixteen children and grandchildren with Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden.  Verse nineteen states, The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.  Then verse twenty adds, And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.  Though Joseph was in Egypt, and his sons were born to the daughter of a priest of On, they were still Jacob's descendants.  Verse twenty-one says, And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.  We may think of Benjamin as a young man, but he was grown with ten sons at this time.  Verse twenty-two states, These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.  Jacob had fourteen children and grandchildren with Rachel.  Verse twenty-three says, And the sons of Dan; Hushim.  Verse twenty-four says, And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.  Verse twenty-five adds, These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.  Jacob had a total of seven children and grandchildren with Bilhah, Rachel's handmaiden.  Verse twenty-six declares, All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;  Then verse twenty-seven adds, And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.  Jacob had sixty-six descendants with him to travel to Egypt, and counting himself, Joseph and Joseph's two sons, who were already in Egypt, there were seventy total.  This was a large family, but still was no where near being an innumerable nation.  God's promise to Abraham was still in effect though.  We may feel at times that God is slow to fulfill His promises, but He will always fulfill them.  It will simply be on His timetable.

Genesis 46:1

Genesis 46:1 says, And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.  While Israel was on his way to Egypt, he stopped at Beersheba to offer sacrifices to God, referred to as the God of his father Isaac.  Beersheba was a place where Abraham and Isaac had worshipped God, and Israel was seeking God's guidance in whether or not to go to Egypt. him.  God had forbidden Isaac to go down to Egypt when there was a famine in Canaan.  This may have been what Israel, or Jacob, was thinking about when he consulted God as the God of his father Isaac.  Wherever we are going or whatever we are doing, we need to stop and make sure that it is where God wants us to go and what He wants us to do.  If we are followers of Christ, we look to God as our God and not just the God of our fathers.  We must have that personal relationship.  Also, just because God has closed a door to someone in the past doesn't mean that it is closed to us.  Verse two states, And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.  God spoke to Israel in visions at night, but God called him Jacob twice.  He responded by saying,"Here am I."  Matthew Henry says God called him Jacob to remind him of his lowly estate at this point.  Whenever God calls us, we can only answer, "Here am I."  We can also be certain that God knows everyone who is a follower of Christ.  Verse three declares, And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:  God identified Himself to Jacob.  God then told Jacob not to fear going down into Egypt, because God would be with him and make him a great nation.  Things may not have been going well for Jacob, but God had not forgotten His promise to Him.  When things are not going well for us today as followers of Christ,, we can be certain that God has not forgotten us.  Like Israel, or Jacob, we simply need to worship God.  Verse four adds, I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.  God said He would go with Jacob to Egypt and that He would also bring him out again.  Though Jacob died in Egypt, his bones were returned to Canaan, and his descendants returned also.  As followers of Christ, we can be certain that He will be with us wherever we go and He will bring us home to heaven.  Jacob would also be comforted by Joseph, whom he had thought was dead.  Verse five states, And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.  Israel and his family loaded up and headed to Egypt.  Once God told Israel to go, he didn't wait any longer.  We need to be the same way.  Verse six adds, And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:  They took everything they had with them.  As followers of Christ, we must bring everything we have to Him.  Verse seven says, His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.  Along with all his possessions, Israel brought all his family.  It would be ideal if we could bring all our family to a saving relationship with Christ, but it is a decision that they must make on their own.

Genesis 45:14

Genesis 45:14 says, And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.  Joseph and Benjamin hugged each other and wept tears of joy.  Benjamin believed that Joseph had been dead all these years, since I am sure he was not a part of the plot to sell Joseph into slavery.  We should be just as joyful when someone who was dead in sin comes to life in Christ.  Verse fifteen adds, Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.  Joseph then kissed and wept with all his brothers, even though they had sold him into slavery.  We should rejoice just as much when one person comes to Christ as we do when another one does, even if one of them has harmed us and the other hasn't.  Joseph and his brothers then talked with each other.  Once we are reunited with God through Christ, we need to talk with God always.  Verse sixteen declares, And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.  When Pharaoh heard the news about Joseph's brothers, he was pleased.  Though Joseph was powerful, he was still under Pharaoh's authority, so he needed Pharaoh's blessing.  No matter how powerful we may think we are, if we are followers of Christ we are still under God's authority and need His blessing in all that we do.  Verse seventeen adds, And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;  Verse eighteen continues, And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.  Pharaoh told Joseph to have his brothers return home, load all their possessions, come to Egypt and Pharaoh would give them the best of the land.  When we come to Christ, we must come with all that we have and God will give us the best of land, which is our heavenly home.  Verse nineteen states, Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.  Pharaoh said that this was a command to Joseph, and he was going to provide the means for everyone to return.  We are likewise commanded by God to call everyone to Him, and He will provide the means for them to get there, which is the cross of Christ.  Verse twenty declares, Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.  Pharaoh said that Joseph's brothers were not to be concerned about their stuff, because the land of Egypt was theirs.  We should never attempt to hang on to the things of this world if they get between God and us.  Verse twenty-one states, And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.  Joseph's brothers were given everything they needed to get home and back to Egypt.  They could have still gone and not returned though.  God gives every person what is necessary to come to Him, but it is always possible to not accept His gift of salvation.  Sometimes, the things of the world just seem to be more important to people.  Verse twenty-two adds, To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.  Joseph gave each brother enough to meet their needs, but to Benjamin he gave much more.  I believe this was still a test to see how the other brothers would react.  God will meet the needs of each individual, and there is never a need for us to be jealous if it seems someone else is being blessed more.  Verse twenty-three continues, And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.  This simply tells us that Joseph made sure that his father would have ample provisions for the trip, just as we know that God will provide us with everything we need to come to Him.  Verse twenty-four says, So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.  Joseph sent his brothers away with it warning to not fall by the way.  As followers of Christ, we need to be careful that we don't fall out by the way.  When we are born again through Christ, we are forever saved, but we can still fall into sin along the way if we are not careful.  Verse twenty-five states, And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,  His brothers did as Joseph told them to do.  Verse twenty-six adds, And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.  Their father would not believe that Joseph was alive.  Of course, Joseph's brothers, except Benjamin I believe, had known it was possible that Joseph was alive all this time, but I doubt they expected him to be in a position of such power.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:  We are told that his sons told Israel what Joseph had said and he was revived.  They still didn't tell him what they had done to Joseph all those yerse before.  When a person accepts Christ as their Savior, they should be revived, and they don't need to know the sins of any other Christian.  And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.   Israel said he had heard enough and knew that Joseph was alive and that he would go see him before he died.  When a person hears the good news that Christ is alive, it should be enough.  Then, the only way that anyone who hears the good news can be saved is if that person goes to Christ while he or she is still alive.

Genesis 45:1

Genesis 45:1 says, Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.  When Joseph could no longer stand to keep denying who he was, he sent everyone else out and so he could tell his brothers who he was.  Verse two says, And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.  Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians outside could hear him.  Since Joseph had sent them out, they must have really wondered what was wrong with him.  There is nothing wrong with getting emotional when something good happens in life, especially the coming of a brother or sister into the family of God, even if they are only spiritual brothers and sisters.  Verse three declares, And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.  Joseph told his brothers who he was, and asked if his father was still alive.  When Joseph told his brothers who he was, they were troubled in his presence, or afraid in other words.  Joseph had already accused them of being spies, and now they may have been afraid that he was going to punish them for what they had done to him.  If we have harmed others and they are then in a position of power over us, we may be afraid of them, but if they are Christians, we have no reason to be.  Since we are sinners, we may be afraid to come to God fearing that He is just waiting to punish us, but like Joseph with his brothers, He is simply waiting to forgive us and restore us to Him.  Verse four adds, And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.  Joseph told his brothers to come close, and reminded them of what they had done to him.  I believe that they would have really gotten nervous at that statement had he not continued.  Verse five states, Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.  Joseph told his brothers to not grieve, because God had been at work through the situation so that lives could be saved.  God is still at work through His people today in what may seem like a bad situation, so that people can be saved spiritually.  Verse six continues, For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.  The country was now two years into the famine, and there were still five years to go.  Joseph being restored to his brothers did not change the conditions in the world, just as someone being restored to God spiritually today does not change the physical or material facts of life.  Verse seven says, And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  Joseph said that God sent him ahead to preserve the prosperity of life physically, just as Jesus has gone on ahead to preserve the life spiritually of all who accept His salvation by faith.  Material or physical hard times may last, just as they would in Joseph's day, but if we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, our spiritual hard times should be over.  Verse eight declares, So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.  Joseph basically told them not to worry about what they did to him, because God had worked through the situation to place Joseph in a position of power in Egypt.  I know that some people would say that God caused all this to happen, but I believe that God worked through the situation for the good of all those involved.  If God indeed caused everything to happen, then no one could be held accountable for their actions.  I don't believe that we can claim that God causes everything to happen, good or bad, and still be held accountable when we do something bad.  We have to have the free will to choose right or wrong.  Verse nine declares, Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:  Joseph told his brothers to hurry to their father and tell them that he was alive and in power in Egypt.  We should likewise make haste to tell the people of the world that Jesus is alive and in power over spiritual life and death today.  Verse ten adds, And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:  Joseph told them to get their families and return to Egypt, where there was plenty of food.  God calls us today to come to Him and to share the good news of Christ with all the world, I believe by beginning with those who are closest to us.  Verse eleven says, And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.  Joseph said that his brothers and their families should come to Egypt so they would be nourished during the five years of famine.  When we come to God through Christ, He will nourish us through the years of spiritual famine in the world, no matter how long they last.  Verse twelve continues, And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.  Joseph said that his brothers had seen with their own eyes that he was the one who had spoken to them.  I believe that his brothers must have now recognized Joseph.  Before we can come to Christ for salvation, we must first recognize Who He is.  Verse thirteen concludes, And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.  Joseph told them to tell their father all that they had seen and to hurry back with him to Egypt.  We also need to tell people of the world today about the power of Christ to redeem them and invite them to come to Him with an urgency that they do so as quickly as possible.