Genesis 45:1-24: Joseph and His Brothers
Bible Essentials: Set 3, Lesson 30
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Opening
Individuals: Take time to think back about your past week. Where have you seen God work in your life or answer prayer? Write down any prayer requests you have.
Group: Open the study by sharing life updates, reviewing highs and lows of your past week, or sharing prayer requests and praises.
Icebreaker: What is the biggest surprise you’ve ever had?
All: Begin the study with a word of prayer, asking God to open your heart for today’s study. You can also pray for any prayer requests now, or save that for the end.
Study
Read today’s passage: Genesis 45:1-24.
45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’
12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’
19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’”
21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”
What is the context for this passage?
We last saw Joseph in Genesis 42, where he encountered his brothers who had come to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Joseph accused them of being spies, even though he knew they were not, in order to try to find out more about his family. In the end, Simeon was thrown in prison while the other brothers were tasked with bringing Benjamin back to Egypt. Joseph not only sent the other brothers back home with the grain they requested, but he also put all their silver back in their sacks. This frightened the brothers even more once they discovered it.
After some time, Jacob asked his sons to go back to Egypt to buy more food. They refused, saying that they could not go back unless Benjamin went with them. Jacob would not let Benjamin go until they were desperate. Then he not only sent Benjamin with the other brothers but also sent a gift to give to Joseph (not knowing it was Joseph at the time).
Once the brothers, including Benjamin, returned to Egypt, Joseph had them taken to his house and prepared a large meal for them. Simeon was also set free, and the brothers were together once again. When Joseph saw Benjamin, he had to leave and find a place to weep. Once he had controlled himself, the food was served, and Benjamin received five times as much as the other brothers.
Once the feast was over, Joseph filled the brothers’ grain sacks and put their silver in each bag, just as he had done the first time. Then he also had his steward put his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. Once the brothers had gone on their way, Joseph sent his steward after them, accusing them of stealing his silver cup. The brothers claimed that they had not done this, but when the steward searched, the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. The deal was that the one who stole the cup would become Joseph’s slave.
When the brothers realized the cup was in Benjamin’s sack, they all returned to the city and stood before Joseph. All the brothers said they would become Joseph’s slaves, but Joseph said only the one who had the cup would be his slave. Judah spoke up on behalf of the brothers to tell the story of Jacob and his two beloved sons. He stated that they could not go back to their father without the youngest son, Benjamin. Judah offered to remain as a slave in Benjamin’s place. That’s where we meet up with the story in this lesson.
Read the passage again.
Explore a different version if you have one available. If you are online, here is Genesis 45 in NIV through Bible Gateway. You can change the version by using the dropdown menu at the top right of the page.
Try to summarize the passage in your own words.
Answer these three questions about the passage:
1. What does the passage say about God?
God knows the future. God knew what would happen in the future—the famine that would wipe out people if no one was there to prepare for it. So he sent Joseph to Egypt to be a leader to bring the land of Egypt and all those surrounding Egypt through the famine safely.
God sets plans in motion to fulfill his purposes. Because God knew what would happen in the future, he set plans in motion to save his people. The first step was Joseph’s brothers selling Joseph into slavery. Joseph recognized that this act was really part of God’s plan all along.
God is able to deliver his people. Part of God’s plan was that he would deliver his people, not only from the famine but eventually from slavery.
God provides for his people. God knew that if he didn’t step in, the family that he had chosen to be his people would end up destitute because of the famine. So he provided for them by sending Joseph to Egypt ahead of them so that he could give them food and other provisions in their time of need.
2. What does the passage say about people?
People can be very emotional in extreme circumstances. Look at all the emotions running through this story. Joseph couldn’t control his weeping, which was so loud that even people outside the room heard it and spread the news about it. The brothers were terrified when they realized who Joseph was. Joseph told the brothers not to be distressed or angry with themselves. Overall, it appears to be a happy reunion once all the emotions settled down.
People experience the freedom to reveal the truth when the time is right. Once Joseph had seen Benjamin and knew the time was right, he revealed who he was to his brothers. Not only that, but he revealed how God had been working in his life and how God was using him to provide for his people.
People who meet others they haven’t seen in a long time ask for information about those they know. When Joseph finally revealed who he was, he immediately asked about his father. That’s the one person he wanted news about.
People who understand God’s will often feel an urgency to obey. When Joseph set the plan before his brothers to bring Jacob and the whole family to Egypt, he urged them to not delay. He knew how bad the famine would be, and he wanted his family in a place where he could provide for them easily.
People who have succeeded want to tell others about it. Joseph asked his brothers to relay the news to Jacob about the success Joseph had in Egypt. All these years that Jacob thought Joseph was dead, and instead God was using Joseph to fulfill his plan. Joseph wanted his brothers to tell their father all they had seen.
People experience joy at the fortune of others. When Pharaoh and all those in the palace heard the good news about Joseph’s brothers, they were pleased. They weren’t distressed that Joseph hadn’t revealed who he was to them. They were sincerely happy that Joseph had been reunited with his family.
People give gifts to those they care about. Because Pharaoh cared for Joseph, that care extended to Joseph’s family. When Pharaoh heard that Joseph’s brothers were there, he gave them provisions and invited them to move to Egypt, where they would have access to the best in the land. Joseph also gave gifts to his brothers for their return back home.
3. What does the passage say about God’s plan?
God’s plan was to use Joseph to save lives. When Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph into slavery, that was part of God’s plan to use Joseph to save lives. God knew the famine was coming, so he put Joseph in place to help save the people from the seven years of famine. Without this plan, many people would have starved.
God’s plan was to preserve a remnant of his people on earth. God didn’t just randomly save people. He specifically had a plan to save Abraham’s descendants so that he could fulfill his promise to Abraham that his descendants would be great and that many people would be blessed through him.
God’s plan was to bring Jacob’s family to Egypt. Part of God’s plan was to bring Jacob and his family to live in Egypt. For a while, they would enjoy the best Egypt had to offer, and they would multiply and become a strong nation, just as God had promised Abraham.
How does the passage fit into the overarching story of the Bible?
Sometimes it’s easier to understand a passage if you have a little outside knowledge from other passages in the Bible. This section will help provide that outside perspective.
Joseph’s life started out strong—he was the favored son. Then due to jealousy, he was sold into slavery, where he languished in slavery or in prison for many years before he found himself in the place God wanted him—in Pharaoh’s palace. Once there, he was able to make a plan to save the land of Egypt from famine.
Joseph’s life parallels the story of the nation of Israel. They started out strong as God’s favored family. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all wealthy, until the famine. Then once Jacob and his sons learned that Joseph was still alive and thriving in Egypt, they moved to Egypt and became a favored and blessed family in Egypt. Then due to fear, the Israelites were forced into slavery in Egypt for 400 years. But through God’s deliverance, he brought them out of slavery and out of Egypt into the Promised Land.
Our lives are much the same. Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, a land of blessing and plenty and perfection. But due to their choice to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they introduced sin to all humankind. Because of this, we too are slaves—slaves to sin. We cannot do anything to free ourselves from the bondage of sin. But God sent someone to deliver us, just like he sent Joseph to deliver the land of Egypt and his family, and just like he sent Moses to deliver the Israelites. God sent Jesus, his one and only Son, to come to earth to live a perfect life and die a horrible death to pay the penalty for our sins. If we believe in him, we too can be freed from slavery and brought into a place of blessing—a place where we receive eternal life.
Discussion
Individual: Answer the following questions thoughtfully for yourself.
Group: Pose these questions for discussion.
All: If you are willing to share, I’d love to hear your thoughts to these questions. Feel free to use the comment section to start a discussion about this passage.
What else strikes you about this passage?
How does the passage affect how you view God? How you view yourself?
How does this passage affect how you will live your life?
Additional Study
For additional study related to this topic, read John 8:31-38, Romans 6:15-23.
Premium Resources
For Bible Essential studies, you can use my thoughts as your devotional, or you can download and use the journaling sheet to work through the passage on your own. If desired, you can then compare your thoughts to mine. Journal sheets can be downloaded and used now or later. They can be printed and filled in by hand or saved and filled out electronically. Journal sheets are available for individual or group use.
If you plan to lead a group study, a PowerPoint presentation is also available.
You can access these resources by clicking here: Genesis 45 Resources
Or you can download the journal sheets here*:
*Substack doesn’t support PowerPoint file downloads yet, so if you want to access the PowerPoint file for group study, you will need to download it from the resource page linked above.
With God's help people can change.
Joseph changed his beothers changed. God brings deliverance. So many people need that deliverance.