Genesis 45:1-8
Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery not knowing how much they would need him some day. Years later they travelled to Egypt to buy grain during a time of famine. Joseph had become Egypt’s leading civil servant and was responsible for selling grain. His brothers did not even recognize him when they tried to purchase grain In (Chapters 42—44) see how Joseph tested his brothers before he finally let them know who he was: “God sent me on ahead…to save you.” See how God can turn your worst situation into a good one?
Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is
Sometime later Joseph was told that his father was ill. So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to see Jacob. When Jacob was told that his son Joseph had come to see him, he gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
Jacob said to Joseph, “Almighty God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said to me, ‘I will give you many children, so that your descendants will become many nations; I will give this land to your descendants as their possession forever.’ “
Jacob continued, “Joseph, your two sons, who were born to you in Egypt before I came here, belong to me; Ephraim and Manasseh are just as much my sons as Reuben and Simeon. If you have any more sons, they will not be considered mine; the inheritance they get will come through Ephraim and Manasseh. I am doing this because of your mother Rachel. To my great sorrow she died in the land of Canaan, not far from Ephrath, as I was returning from Mesopotamia. I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.” (Ephrath is now known as Bethlehem.)
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
Joseph answered, “These are my sons, whom God has given me here in Egypt.” Jacob said, “Bring them to me so that I may bless them.”
Read The Bible In
One Year: Isaiah 25-28
Plus Daily Chapter: Eph 1
