Dr Dean Alley, PhD: Alright, Chaplain Dean Alley here. I had a moment. I hope you're doing well. Happy Columbus Day. Yeah, Columbus Day already. So Coming off the weekend, temperatures changing a little bit here. I hope you're doing okay. I know that we finished last week, we were in where were we 41? We finished up 41 and we're gonna go into 42 here and talk about it a little bit. But yeah, so I don't know if you've seen if you guys are on my posts or anything like that, or you see some things that I've Put up some stuff on again, from a biblical base I pull all the information from the Bible as I was studying and I built that map of Magog and Gog and the countries that the Bible says, not Dinali, but the Bible says are going to oppose Israel in the last days. And I put that up there and obviously I had I had some you know some pretty good feedback and then I had this one guy I was trying to figure out where he's coming from. Very knowledgeable, very, very smart, but I couldn't understand some of his basis of you know where he was coming from. But anyways, we had some good dialogue back and forth. I respect his opinion. He he sees it as an identity. and I and I don't I see it as a sovereign God that makes the decision. So anyways, that's okay. You can disagree to disagree, right? And anyways, I figured I'd jump on here. I was getting ready to do some counseling, but looks like I won't be doing that. So let me give you some high points. So so these chapters we're talking about the context will be around the famine, right? So in this is the dream that you remember that Joseph had, and we learned that the famine st stems from a failed Nile flooding depending on the monsoon rain. So there was no monsoon rains, there was no additional rains in the white blue Nile basins. we learned that in this time frame Egypt is only being able to be habitable because of the Nile. I mean he's they're close to the water and the and the water is life and so upper and Egypt and southern Egypt. I would say when I say lower Egypt I'm talking about the including the Delta Goshen and north is the rivers flowing from the south to north. So the drought is going on at the same time the Canaan is experiencing it with Egypt, which is unusual because that their weather systems are different, but they're both dealing with the same thing and the drought and all this other stuff. So normally one could supply the other and here God orchestrates both crises and the prior surplus so that the Egypt could store grain. So think about this. God know there knew there was gonna be a a famine or maybe he brought the famine on to to ex to bring this these this chapter forty two out. of Joseph and in in from his position he can do that. He's sovereign and he's basically taking two weather patterns, two different countries, and he puts them together and they're both experiencing the famine. Now was it worldwide? I don't know. Bible specifically doesn't say. But so Egypt sells and stores the grain at a high price, not a free aid. It wasn't free. You had to pay for it. Poor Egyptians eventually sold themselves at the Bon service. Joseph became a a visible face in the program because what we learn is Pharaoh put him in charge. Later, blamed by the Egyptians. So when we look at the first journey and we look at the testing, Jacob's family is starving. He rebukes his older sons in an action and sends the ten brothers to his ten brothers, not Benjamin, he keeps one back, and the remaining son and his new favorite, by the way, because Joseph's not there, now it's Benjamin, to go buy grain. And they do not recognize Joseph. He is a clean shaven in Egyptian dress, his hair, cosmics, I mean he probably looked looked and spoke Egyptian, and he carries the regal of bearing probably twenty years or so and he you know, he's been in Egypt and he recognizes them immediately and recalls his useful dreams of the sheaves and the stars. And you we we we talked about that, how they rebuked him even. Even Jacob said, you know, am I gonna have to bow to you? So Joseph accuses them of what? Being spies. And he puts them in jail. Puts him in jail for about three days. Then he releases nine with the grain holding Simon as hostage and demanding Benjamin as proof they are not lying. So go get your brother, Benjamin. That's your proof positive. The brothers speak it, speak Hebrew in the presence of the interpreter. Joseph hears their guilt over selling him, and Reuben attempts to clear himself, and he weeps privately. So there's some remorse going on here. So he secretly returns their silver in the grain sacks. On their way home, they discover and interpret it's a divine judgment because they paid for that grain, and Joseph made sure it went back into their sacks. And Jacob refused to send Benjamin and Reuben Reuben you know Reuben basically says you can kill all my sons if I fail to bring him back, essentially. And Jacob trusts neither of the brothers nor the situation. Rudom fah we see Ru Reuben fades and Judah will rise. And when we look at 43, and I don't know if I want to go into because we're just talking about 42. But yeah, that's just that's the gist of 42. Let me give you and share my map so we again I can bring you to focus. Okay, so as you can see, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, the famine was caused by that low rain that I talked about. It affected much of the Middle East. Okay, so more than we originally see the Upper Egypt down to the lower Egypt and upper to the Nile and south and north. So let us read chapter 42. And if you have your Bibles, you can read with me. If not, that's okay too. We are ever approaching the end of Genesis. It's been a tremendous study. I hope it's been a blessing for you. and I'll go back to say it again. That we don't spend enough time in the Old Testament and have a good foundation. And I think the first four book yeah, the first few books of the Bible are probably the most important. I think Genesis and Exodus are they are beyond to help you understand the New Testament. And sometimes we we scoot over the top of it, we go right to the to the end of the books and we start cherry picking things and start asking questions. But if you have the good foundation of Genesis, Exodus and we'll we'll cover some of that and Some of it we may skip, but that's okay. But the main part is to get the foundation in so we can understand exactly what God's trying to show us. And and if you understand Genesis and Exodus, you're gonna have a very good ability to understand the New Testament and the coming of Christ and all that. Remember, even back in Genesis 3:15, we talked about. the head of the snake will be bruised. That's the that is a it's a it's a symbol of Christ's coming in the future for all of our sin. So it's a it's prophetic at that point. and Jesus does come and he feels that Genesis three fifteen and then we see you know Mel Jezedec is another one many say that was Shem. Some say that was an archetype of Christ. And we get a we get a view from there. So anyways, I'm gonna read through 42 and then we're gonna kind of go back and I'll hit some highlights and we'll scoot through this and hopefully this is a a blessing to you. So now when Jacob saw that his that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do you look upon one another? And he said, Behold, or look, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt and Get down there or thither, he called thither there, get down thither and buy us by us from thence from them that we may live and not die. So we're gonna starve if you don't get down there. This is Jacob, the patriarch. And Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy corn in Egypt, but Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren, and for he had said, Lest. Per adventure, which means perhaps, mischief may fall on him. So there might something might happen to my my Benjamin, you know, something happened to my Joseph. So I'm not gonna I'm not sending him. And th and he he was just he was guarding that and The sons of Israel came to buy the corn among the those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan, and Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was, that's how it says, and he it was that's sold to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brethren came and bowed themselves down or down themselves before him. With their faces to earth. And Joseph saw that his brethren and he knew them. So he recognizes his brothers right away, right off the top. But made himself a stranger unto them and spake roughly. So he he sees them and he's got a plan here. And he says he speaks roughly or or aggressively towards him, and acted like a stranger to them, and he was harsh with them. When whence come ye, he asked. That's old English. So, where came you? Where did you come from? That's that's kind of what he's saying. And they said, From a land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him not. So you can see where we're going here. They had no idea this is where I mean he's been gone, he's been gone well, almost 20 years. and Joseph knew not his brothers. And Joseph remembered the dream which dreamed of them, and he said unto them, Your spies. And he's essentially he's accusing You're you're a spy and that's not a good place to be. So in Spies to see the nakedness of the land are ye come, because of this you're a spy. And they said unto him, Nay my lord, or no my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. So we are here to buy thee food and take it back. We are all one son sons, we are true men, thy servants are no spies. So they're pleading the case and He said to them Nay but the nakedness of your land ye come, ye are come, and they said, Thy servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold the youngest one is the youngest one is this day with our father, so the one stayed back, which we know was Benjamin, and with his father, and one is not. So when he said is not, he's referencing Joseph. And then Joseph said unto them, That is it that I speak unto you, saying you are spies. That's why I'm calling you a spy. Hereby it says hereby ye shall be proved. So I'm gonna prove if you're a spy or not is what he's gonna say. And By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence except your younger brother come hither. So now he's saying I'm approved to you, but you got to go get your younger brother Benjamin and bring him back. So he imprisons what he calls the spies, and sends one of you, send one of you, and let you fret fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in the prison, that your words may be proved. So you're gonna have to go get your younger brother Benjamin to prove who you are, which is all Jacob I mean, Joseph already knows exactly who it is. and there's a there's a there's a reason behind that. And see if there's any truth in you. And or else by the life of the fairy surely you are spies. So if you don't do this, you are a spy. So and he put them all together into the ward three days. And Joseph said, This is the treatment of his brothers, and Joseph said unto them on the third day, Do this and live, for I fear God. If ye be true men, let one of your brothers be bound in the house of your prison. Go ye carry corn for your famine and your houses. So one has to be bound in the house, and then you go take food to your your houses or family or back to Jacob. But bring your youngest brother to Unto me so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die, and they did so. So they're off to go get him. And they said one to another, We are very or verily or truthfully guilty. Concerning our brother, and that we shall we saw the anguish of the soul which he besought us, and we would not hear, therefore, is this distress come on has come upon us. So basically, because of what they've done, now they feel like they're getting taken you know, it's coming back on him, and that And he says, And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child, and ye would not hear. So Reuben's like, Hey, I told you not to do anything against Joseph, but guess what you did? You sold him. You you you did this. So therefore, behold, or look. Also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them, for he spake unto them and turp through a An interpreter. So he uses an interpreter to communicate to him back and forth, but he knew exactly what was going on. So Simon is kept for the pledge. So Simon's held back, and he turned himself about from them and wept, and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simon and and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn and And to restore every man's money into the sack, and to give them provision for their way. And thus did he unto them. So he's telling them, hey, fill fill her sacks up with corn, the money they came to put that in there too, and you'll see why. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored, and to it, or or or low, or look, it is even in my sack. And their heart failed them. So their heart drops out when they find us the money still it it wasn't taken for the for the food and their heart's dropping. They're like, my goodness. So and they and and as one opened the sack and he gave him his ass per vendor in in the inn and he espied his money, for behold, it was in the sack. And they put it basically put the money in the sack, and it said unto his brother, My money is fully restored, and look, it is even in my sack. Their heart failed them, and they were afraid. Because now they're thinking, Well, we didn't pay him. Now he's really gonna think we're we're thieves and spies. This is that God hath done unto us. So they feel like they're getting really condemned by God because of this. And they came unto Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell on him, on them, and saying, The man who is the Lord of the land spake roughly to us, and he took us for spies of the country. And he said unto him, we said unto him, We are true men, and we are we are no spies, or we're honest men, true men. And We be twelve brethren, son of the father, one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. Again, the he's telling the story back to Jacob, and the man, the Lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I give or shall I know that you are true men, leave one of your brothers here with me, and take the food to your family and your households, and begone. And bring your youngest brother unto me, then shall I know that you are. are no spies, but that but ye are true men, so will I deliver your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land. So Trade, basically, traffic, trade is kind of what he meant here. And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, they behold every man, every man's bundle of money was in his sack, and when both both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. So Jacob's afraid too. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children or my children. Joseph is not, and Simon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away. This is Joe, this is Jacob speaking. And these things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee, and deliver him into my hands, and I will bring him to thee again. So Reuben's stepping up, saying, Hey, look, kill my kids, which is pretty harsh. And he said unto my son, shall not go down with you, for the brother is dead, and he is left alone. If mistress mischief, basically what he's saying here is If mischief befall him by the way in the witch that he shall he bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. So you know a again he's just saying you're gonna tell I'm gonna go to my grave and I'm gonna I'm gonna be worried to death and and I'm being punished, which is a bad place to be. So All right, well so let's let's let's highlight some things. And look at what we're what we're trying to find here. So we learn Joseph is confronted and he tested his brothers. So Joseph or Jacob heard that there was grain in Israel. So he knew that. So the sons were on were were uncertain when they had heard that Egypt mentioned Joseph. Jacob snapped, Go get food. So he's like, hey dude. You guys gotta get out of here, get some food. We're all gonna die. The brothers went into Jac and went into Egypt, right? And then they are I mean, they they go to they go to Egypt, but Jacob and is held back, or excuse me, Benjamin's held back with Jacob and and and basically God steers the remembran the memories and the picture of the past. So the brothers were reminded of Joseph in this situation. so the brothers were only one of many caravans traveling to Egypt. Everybody was coming to Egypt for grain. Bam. The brothers came before the governor, not knowing it was Joseph, and God stares the harsh treatment and the humiliation. So they were treated very harsh. And what do we see? The brothers bowed down, and Joseph recognized him, disguised himself, and he spoke very harsh towards them. But the brothers did not recognize him. And then we see that Joseph remembered his dreams as a young man and harshly charged his brothers. And the brothers humbly being humble defended themselves. No, no, we came to buy food. all were the sons of one man. We're not spies. And then we see Joe Joseph responding to them pretty pretty pretty harshly. And then the brothers they come again and they humble again and said, no, we're not. We're we're twelve sons of twelve sons of one man. Talking about Jacob, Israel. And one is back And another is dead. And their word had to be tested. So one had to go and bring the youngest brother to appear to them. And they had guaranteed their word with their lives. And nine brothers would be kept in prison until the brother's youngest brother was returned. So Joseph imprisons them, right, in the in the jail. And Joseph is carried out of the out. To test on the third day. He declared the fear of the Lord. Only one brother had to stay behind. The others could take the grain back to their families. And then we see that they had they they were able to bring their youngest brother back to and with or with them to prove their word. So the brothers remembered the sin and confessed their guilt to God. And God steered the guilt and anguish that was within the soul of these these men. So they sensed it was judgment. Reuben was stressed that judgment and retribution, and then Joseph's tender tenderness could not be held back. He left and wept. So he was even emotional in the situation with his brothers. And the fact seeing him was overwhelming. So Joseph initiates another test. God steers. by using fear in the sense of judgment. And then we see that the brothers return home, God stirs them again, and Then the sons basically being truthful. he tells Jacob the whole story. And then we see The you know, th the lies and everything's all it's all mixed together with lies and the sense of you know, Joseph speaking hard to them that denied it. The governor, he is Joseph, he's he's he's demanding them to prove their innocence. You're gonna have to demand. I think you're you're a spy. And they return home, the governor promised to return Simon unharmed to allow the trade if They proved their innocence. there was a shocking fright of appearance of lies and deception. So you could see how God is using this to punish these sons of Jacob. they discovered the silver in their sacks. We learned that they were stricken with fear, and there was accusations that we see and Then we see the strong declaration of truthfulness. Ruman basically says, he ponies up and says, Hey, look, we're telling the truth. He offered his o his own two sons, if he didn't bring Benjamin back. There was a second state of distrust there. However, We learned that Benjamin was not returning with them. So he might be hurt, or it might mean Jacob's death. So we get the sense here that God is using this situation to deal with these brothers. You know, and then, you know, we learn that, you know, there was they had a need. And I think about, I think about how God often uses our spiritual or excuse me, our physical consciousness. Just our physical to steer the conscience. So God will use something to get your attention and your conscience. And it did in this situation. They recalled what they did with Joseph. And God was dealing with them. And we can see that. God'll use that again, the physical need for our conscience. And and and the need may or may not hunger. it could be disease, you could be an accident. Could be financial dis difficulties. God may provide a loss of a job, loss of a friend, family member, or something even great, greater in value. God will use whatever it takes to humble you and use you in a mighty way. And you have to be open to the spirit. There's a lot of people on this planet that do not have an open spirit towards God. In other words, what do I mean? They believe more into the intellect of a man made book or a religion. To determine whether or not their theology or their their thinking, which is contrary to what I would say, it's God who is sovereign. God is the one that's in charge of our lives and He can determine what will happen to us. And He can do anything. He created the world. You weren't there, and I weren't there, right? So that's that's that that should tell you something right there. So when we face these physical needs. we need to evaluate ourselves and examine. I I sometimes will say, Well, God, what are you showing me? What is it that you're trying to show me in this situation? Because God's gonna use you, you can he's a loving God, he's not gonna do that to his people. No, he will. He will chastise you. People think, well, because I become saved or I bel become a Christian, the thing's my whole life's gonna be turned around. It's gonna be great. No, folks, it's gonna be harder. It's gonna be harder because God's gonna use certain cer circumstances for you to prove who you are. as a Christian and share God's gospel. And that can be hard. And I can tell you, I do not have a problem sharing the gospel and telling anybody about Jesus. Now, I still have my challenges and I have some things that God deals with me, but he'll use whatever it is and we need to examine ourselves you know to to figure out what this crisis is and why it's in our lives. You know, people sometimes tell me, they'll say, Well, you know, well, guys aren't gonna do that to me. And you know, folks, you're gonna go through adversity. Okay. You you definitely will go through adversity. He will deal with you and he will bring you back and say, I'm in charge. And trust me, I'm a chaplain. I've been on the deathbed side by side. People do change their testimonies when life is being expired. Put that way. They see sin they see things a little bit different. They humble themselves a little bit better. And you ask yourself why. Well, if you're twenty two years old, you don't need all that. You figure it all out yourself, right? But God will definitely test you, He will teach you, He will stretch you, and He will put you through things. Try by fire, try by the word, try by whatever it is that you're going to go through. So God will bring these things on you. It's not easier to be Christian. your reward's in heaven. Your reward, if you're persecuted or whatever it is, is all in heaven. You're doing everything for the glory of God. Why am I here? Just to to to glorify God and tell people about Jesus. That's the first preface or prologue to your life. And not what you think it is. And that's where we get in a a terrible situation and we start thinking that we're in control. So God basically stirs the memories and pictures of our past and he does this to arouse our our conscience and the past wrongs that have never been corrected needs to be confessed and turned away. I say it to you all the time folks before you lay your head on that pillow you need to make sure you clear all those thoughts and things and whatever it is that you haven't confessed, you confess those for God to God to allow you to I'm just telling you. happens everywhere. So as a chaplain, I see a lot of grief situations and people in their situations. And I have never seen so many people as young as they are passing away. in my lifetime. Maybe I wasn't looking at it when I was, you know, ten years ago like I'm looking at it now, but it seems like it's prevalent and it's it's it's like out of the blue, you know. people are passing. And will God take you? Sure He will. And if you're gonna stay in pride and not you know come to Now, if you you hold on to the last that, you know, modern medicine in man is gonna take care of you, and I'm not saying that's not good stuff. There is some very good stuff in medical fields that help people in the humanity. What I am saying is that still God has to be in this. And you know, if God is in it, you're you're gonna be in a better place. Anyways, I say that to say that there's a lot of folks when I see their age I see how young they are. And I don't know why. And I see a lot of families that are disrupted because of it, you know, young have kids and wife, whatever. I don't know what kind of situation they're going through. I don't know if they're bad people, they have horrible sins and all that stuff. That's not for me to know. But that that is what God will do. He will when he gets to a reprobate, he will take you. When he thinks there's no hope for you, he's not gonna let you continue to poison people, to some degree. So, anyways, there is that stuff will come back to you and you need to have a peace in a heart of mind. And I can tell ya, we have to be or I don't know about you, but I have to have some kind of peace before I lay my head on the pillow. So anyways, just a thought there. you gotta be human you gotta be humble. This is the story about these brothers. God's bringing them to humble. And God works in our heart through the fears and it strikes to us. He will work away to get to your heart. And if he doesn't, I I think of people like I think about I think of people that will not forgive or never never humble himself to say, you know, hey, I'm wrong. I got a couple people in mind right now. I'm not wrong. You're wrong. You don't know what you're talking about. That is a big, big personality. It so when fear strikes, God wants to examine our lives and to see if other people or circumstances have caused that fear in our lives. And if they have, then God will help us strengthen us and walk through that fear that we might have. And I think that we find that God also wants us to examine our lives to see somehow. What's caused that fear? What is it that you're fearing? If you're in Christ, you shouldn't have fear. Well, you say, Well, Chaplain, Chaplain Dean, I mean, come on, let's be honest. I mean, somebody's got a gun to your face. You're probably going to be a little fear. You're not going to be Well, I'm a Christian. That's okay. No, I get that. That's a human reaction. That's normal, right? I'm not saying anything different there. He's talking about he just wants to examine us, and we can bring fear upon ourselves by. Some irresponsibility. So if there's something you were irresponsible, I don't know what it was, what it is, it could be God uses it to bring fear for protection, for help, health, it could be for money, it could be for his presence. God uses fear to call out to him. He may want you for deliverance, for healing, for comfort, for peace, for the life of a loved one, you know. Those are things that God will use and bring fear upon you to bring you back. There's so many people in this world think they got it all figured out. Now I'm not saying that we're not a from techno from a technology standpoint, it's good. It could be good, it could be bad. And I think when you rely so much and truly on it, there's nothing wrong with people I know the chur our church had a revival. What what is a revival? Well, revival is going back to where we should be, where we've gotten away from God and we need to be honest with ourselves and we need to have revive ourselves. What what are we going to revive? We're going to read our Bible. We're going to pray. We're going to do the things that God wants us to do. That's what a revival does. And it's good. It's good to re it's a way to remember God and and and what he does for us. So God arises the conscience. when others do not trust or believe, he will bring fear and he will arise your conscience to think about it. And when others distrust us, God wants to search our hearts to find out why. And again, we have we done something to cause a person to distrust us. Have we done so? Have we have I done aught to or wrong to a a fellow man or woman? Have I done something to create this? have I offended in a way? Now, let me give you a difference between offending and you know what I'm trying to say here is if you are offended by a Bible verse or one of my messages that I'm bringing forward and it has and it has some sting in it and it has some things that should arrive should bring your conscience to it to come back to God, that's between you and God. I will not say and I will not apologize for sharing the gospel, telling everybody about God, the Bible, prayers, and things on that line that are so important for people of today. We do not have enough people standing firm. I will pick a lane, easily said. I'm either going to pick the world's lane or God's lane. I could tell you where I'm gonna be. And I've had some conversations, I was talking my wife. look what's going on in Canada. You can't even preach inside a church now. You bring up the word of God, and I don't know the the the the entire scope of that situation. I'm just telling you what I what I hear. And if it's true, you preach the gospel, you bring the word of God, and you get put in jail because of that. I was telling my I was asking my wife the other day, how far would you go? to stand for your belief system. And you know, we look at it and we go, Well, you know, roll the pins, you know I'm just say I asked the question honestly just to see if you know, bouncing off see if she had a different pen me, I can say it, but I'm not in that situation. But my intent is to follow God and continue. You know, if if somebody came and tried to shut down the podcast and what we're doing and say, Don't do that again, you're gonna go to jail, I'm gonna fire up a podcast and do it because I am held to a higher standard with God. And I'm gonna do what God wants me to do. So again, is there something, is there a scheme or a lie or something we did or we didn't, we we turned our head and we knew it was wrong. God's gonna try to correct that. And you are not gonna get away from it. And just like, you know, I talk about in Matthew's where it says, let your yay be yay, your nay be de In other words, let your yes be yes and no be no. So if I say no, I'm not doing that, you that's what I'm saying. If I say yes, that is what God says, I'm letting my yay be yes. So there's no in the middle. Well, see, that's where we get in trouble. When somebody puts a butt in there, that's where you get into a trouble. You say, well, everything can't be black and white. Can it? Can it not? Am I to am I to water something down or change scripture? Or you know, I'm not here personally to offend. I'm here to personally tell you what the Bible says. Everything that I try to bring towards you or for you is scripture based. And I do the very best I possibly can and ask God to help me with that. Every time I podcast, every time I talk to somebody, anytime I pray, I'm always asking God, and I have to be corrected. I have to be humbled in times. So have we committed some sin that's causing a person to distrust, to distrust us? Let me give you example. Have you lied? And somebody caught you in a lie. Did you create a distrust between that person? Did you steal? Did you cheat on something? Did you cheat on anything? You go, well, you know, there is nothing. I could tell you right now that if you think you're going to get away with it, you're not going to get away with it. You may not be called to the carpet here in this life, but you will in the next. unless you repent that falsifying a record or giving information do you lie about something and falsify it is a good one do you commit adultery are you outside the marriage are you committing that and are you continuing to do that if you are you're creating distrust with your with your partner your wife hopefully or husband Doesn't matter. Both it goes both ways. you gotta get that right. Don't go to the grave with it. Drunkenness. Are you are you a drunk? Are you a guy that hangs out at Joe's bar every night till happy hour and you have a problem with alcohol and you haven't said to God, I need your help, and honestly put your whole self the presence of God and turning it over. Easier said than done. I am not sitting here judging one person. I am I'm proclaiming and preaching what I'm trying to say out of this message. Abuse. Are you abusing anybody? Is there a husband abusing, a wife abusing? Maybe is there children? I mean, you're gonna create a distrust who? With the children. That's what's gonna happen. So I see that, you know, sometimes as a opportunity For us to get alone. That's why I say I think we have to Think we have to meditate, you have to get alone, you gotta pray. You cannot let the distractions of this world be your excuse. Mary and Martha, one sat at the feet of Jesus, the other one was busy. Are you busy in your life today that God becomes second hand in your life? Are you busy in using that as an excuse? not to see somebody or do something or whatever and then just blaming it on I've got too much going on. Folks, pull back. You gotta stop, take a deep breath, you gotta pull back, and you gotta start setting the priorities. You've got to have a revival in your life and go back to some things that are going to be that should be in your life. You know, are you in a good Bible-based church? Are you praying daily? Are you reading the word daily? Are you Edifying yourself, learning and trying to do better in your life. Now, I can tell you that I never think I do enough. I never think that I've I've arrived. I've never got to Maslow's hierarchy where I think I can die now because I've done it all. Never. And the closer you you're going to get closer to God, the more you are humble. And if you do not humble yourself before Him. He will put you in some circumstances that will make you. And then you'll have a difficult time. And I'm not saying that you don't have a difficult time anyways, but I'm just saying that doesn't help. And that's that's usually an issue. So we talked about the the famine. And the two major, let me just bring this up here, upper and lower. So if we look at over here, you can see this. This is where Israel is and where Jacob is, and this is where the famine was caused. Upper, you got lower and upper. This is ancient Egypt. So two major rainfall basins. So you have the Delta region. Okay. That's up where the Nile and everything that gets flooded, right? Then you have the Great Nile River, is how it's called. Then you have the Blue Nile basin. It all flows and floods. And then you have the White Nile basin. So the White Nile merges with the blue at the Cahartham. To form the Great Nile River. Nile empties into the Dead Sea. So the Nile will go into the sea. And then we see the land of Goshen's in Delta region. So up here is the Delta region. Goshen is where Egypt and Joseph is. I think it's over here somewhere but anyways the martial land is ex excellent for the pasture more you just like anything else. more water gives more greenery to the lands and that's why the water is so important. Most people built their houses and their villages next to the water because it is life. the only thing that makes Egypt inhabitable is the Nile. So You don't have the Nile going, you're in trouble. So Egypt's, they dig wells as an example. annual rise and fall of the Nile determines the feast or famine. And you know, people rely on that. You think of a farmer, relies on rain. Overflowed water and land can introduce the nutrition into the soil. And the Nile did not dry up in Joseph's day. It just didn't overflow the banks like it normally had. And food still grew, just not sufficient quantities to feed everybody. So we look at the trade routes and always the trade routes I think of we go back to Ur, Babylonia, Tigris and Euphrates, how those became trade routes for people that traveled up and down to get goods from, you know, the Middle East or a Mediterranean area, you know, up Turkey that way, and then down. That's how they moved product. So weather patterns can be different in Canaan and Upper Egypt. And what makes it interesting is God made both of them. the same time. This drought through the Middle East and the eastern and northern African regions were prevalent and then they stored food was not given away. It was sold. So he didn't wasn't like here it is free with very high prices. I mean kind of like trying to get gas nowadays. seems like they keep raising the price on it. And gas and oil runs this country. Say what you want. Your toothbrush is made of petroleum. All the pills that you take petroleum based. The road is petroleum-based. You drive, I mean so many things. So Egypt Egypt sold their liberty to get food food. After Jacob's death, the Egyptians would blame Joseph for the servitude, their servitude, and the pattern of nations blaming Israel for their problems. That became a pat pattern. So one of the things you have think about in the Bible, you hear me say it sometimes when in relationships, best prediction of future behaviors, past results. Patterns. So if somebody has a pattern of being abusive, what if they don't have an epiphany and coming to Jesus in their lives and realize and humble themselves, that pattern will what? Continue. Well, in the Bible, there's patterns that we can see. So this pattern of nations blaming Israel continues today. People blame them today. Anyways, you gotta pick where you want to be on that side of the camp. I say pick a lane and stay in it. so Jake, Jacob, he's still in Canaan. Israel is the tool God will use to bring about his divine plan. Jacob's sons were doing nothing to solve the food problem. So they were starving and they were doing nothing about it. And Jacob had to step up and throw out his patriarch. God did not choose Israel because they were great men. Trust me. I get the question all the time, why did why did God choose Israel? Well, it tells us we we read about it. He he he chose that he had to choose a he had to choose a nation. He had to choose a nation to bring the line of Christ through because of sin. God chose Israel. Not because they were a massively great empire, it's because they were the least of the people. And he chose them. Now, what's special about them? Nothing. That God chose That's it. I mean, people get jazzed up about why are ain't they that chose a people? Why isn't Africans? Look, I can't answer that. But I can tell you this. What does it matter? Who cares? God made the choice. you could be angry, you could be bitter or better. I mean, you whatever, but God is sovereign. He makes those decisions. And the sooner you submit to that humbly and knowing that there's a God, the better off you'll be. And I just better off or in a better camp, let's just put that way. so I didn't choose them because they're a great, great nation. He grew he chose because of the least. So When we stand with Israel, not because they're merit, because it's a God command, folks. That's what I'm saying about the sovereignty. And because God is the one that commanded these Israelites to bring the lineage of Christ. The kingdom of heaven is the goal. From Genesis to Revelation is all about the kingdom of God. And when was this world perfect? The garden of Eden. Everything was perfect. Remember? He said it. And it was good. So we're trying to get back there and God's trying to get us there. And He's using this process of our lives and this time frame and lineage and whoever the people to get us back to the place where we are following His command to do those things. And the goal is to get back to the garden and the the tree of or you know the tree of knowledge and good back to the you know the food and everything that we live forever and eternity and everything and kingdom of heaven is the goal the primary person is Jesus the Jesus of Nazareth is the one God chose to bring that lineage through and he is the main character and everything points that way to Jesus all the way to the cross and even to The future when he comes back. And he did not allow Benjamin to go. the common knowledge is that Joseph that controlled the food program, so he had control of it. Twenty years have passed. Remember, I said he'd been there, they didn't recognize him. And j since he was sold by his brothers. So they didn't recognize him. He was dressed and he behaved like an Egyptian, and he left he essentially he left a boy, now he's a So Joseph now knows his true his dreams were true because guess who bowed to him? So his brothers bowed down to him, but didn't recognize him. Joseph accuses them of being spies, puts him in a spot, dishonest. They are helpless before this ruler of Egypt. Joseph finds out his father Jacob and his brother are still alive, and his brothers were put in jail for three days. And so Joseph can deal with them apart from the grain. Notice the three days, always a reason for stuff. Three days. All right. So Bruben tries to absolve himself. Simon is kept hostage. Money's paid for the grain in the hidden, in hidden in the grain sacks. The brothers are determined God is paying them back for their treachery and against Joseph. And all of those years. I remember there's a point where I was blaming God for something I was dealing with. I blamed him. And God got hold of me. Jacob refused to allow Benjamin to. To go Benjamin to go so Simon could be released. So Reuben speaks up basically, tells he he says that he offers up his two children if Jacob will allow Benjamin to return with him to Egypt. So Reuben is now showing what he was not worth of the firstborn. Famine is terrible, but Jacob paralyzed from the indecision. Jacob is no longer. He no longer trusts his sons because he's losing right? And The famine continues and then Israel and the clan are running out of food. So Judah once again is humbled by his experience with Tamar. And that I think that's where we at? 42 going to 43. So Judah offers himself for surety to return with Benjamin. Judah probably saw himself as remember, remember they killed Tamar, the two brothers, right? So Judah probably saw himself as the one to inherit, but Jacob felt he could not trust him. I like what he said, he's as unstable as water. Jacob relents and allows Benjamin to go. So essentially he he basically tells him And lets him go. they they get back, Joseph instructs his brother to dine with them. it's a biblical portrait that is quite accurate. I mean, what do we normally do? We have banquets, we get together. Joseph eats alone, and even his servants don't eat with the brothers because it was abhorrent to eat with Egyptians and to be Hebrew. And we learn about those dietary laws of you know. Jew and Gentile, and Jews didn't eat with Gentile. So the shepherds seen as a low class, the Egyptians prefer cattle, and each brother seated in the birth order. And Jeremiah or Benjamin is given five times as much as the others, and his descendants would produce the first king of Israel. And his descendants will bring We'll learn he's gonna bring on the first king. And again. So, anyway, so we we ran through this pretty good. I picked up 43 a little bit there, so I could combine the two. But, anyways, I hope this is a blessing. I hope that if you have any questions or anything, please reach out. And I would say this: have a great day. God bless you, chaplain Dean Alley out.