The morning
Manna will be provided at 6am. Thanks. Studying
Genesis in the SSnet.org series Lesson 12, may the Holy Spirit be the speaker
to your heart. The Topic today
is: "Joseph told them he is their brother" The Opening
Hymn will be 229 "Spirit of the Living God" The Sabbath
School Quarterly, downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on
page 155 and for the laymen edition or Standard Edition, on page 101. The SSnet.org
site allows anyone, anywhere to read the lesson in their own language. Choose
your own language to see God speaking also to your heart. ---God revealed
Himself to the brothers through the experience of Joseph. ---He used him
and their evil to brign about a good outcome. That is what dr. Doukhan is
emphasizing in this lesson. ---It is the
year 22 of Sesostris I in 1950/1949 BC. Joseph knew that the famine will
continue until 1945/1944 BC for five years in a row. ---What Doukhan
is not bringing out, is that prophet Joseph speaks for God that He has sent
them before them for the sake of preservation of the remnant. ---Another
great Adventist scholars was Gerhard Hasel who did his dissertation on the
remnant motif in the Old Testament. ---Hasel
pointed out that the purpose here was the preservation of danger and not just
the danger of the drought. Hasel correctly saw that Joseph saw prophetically
all dangers of the remnant in future (Hasel 157). ---A certain
scholar Sellin said that this was the starting of the bell of the remnant ringing
so clear in the prophets. ---H. Gross
came here at the verse and says it shows how God's election works and that He
preserves a nucleus for survival (Hasel 157ff). ---Genesis
45:11 God said: "and there I will sustain you, for there are yet five years
of famine, lest you come to poverty, and your household and all that you
have". ---There are
literary texts from this period published by R. Landgrafova in 2007 similar to
Joseph feeding his brothers; similar to Joseph giving a house and riches to his
father. ---There were
no words at first, only crying. Years of guilt had to be washed away. Happiness
and reconciliation had to make space for some words to be expressed, but it
took time. ---Hanging,
crying, kissing and full of unbelief and yet reality. Grace and mercy floated
in the air for a long time. ---Sesotris I
heard that the brother of Joseph had come and he was very pleased with it
(Genesis 45:16). Joseph was like a father to the young Sestostris I. ---What Joseph
decided was already confirmed by Sesotris I as well. Joseph was his older
brother, his father. Now he will help Joseph to take care of his father also. ---His own
father died 12 years earlier (Genesis 45:18). ---The Egyptian
limousines were provided by the Pharaoh for the children and wives (Genesis
45:21). ---Joseph gave
Benjamin five times more. ---God brings
great reconciliation with Himself and with us as well.