5/4/24

‭Genesis 42:18 Now Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:

Joseph who is in charge in Egypt recognizes his brothers but they don't recognize him. He had been in Egypt for twenty years and was only seventeen when they had sold him into slavery. If you read this chapter you will notice that as Joseph speaks harshly to them in the Egyptian dialect he tells them more than once "By the life of Pharaoh" they will be punished for being spies. That is unless one of them goes and gets their brother Benjamin while the rest stay in prison, to prove their story is true. Yet this time he comes to them with a different tone. They had spent three days in prison and they couldn't decide who would go. They probably feared that their father would not let Benjamin go. So Joseph comes, still hiding who he is, and says "Do this and live for I fear God" This time he doesn't swear upon the life of Pharaoh. This time he swears by saying I fear God. As this is translated to Hebrew the brothers hear "I fear Elohim. Elohim is the Hebrew word for Gods it is the plural of the singular El, and is used to describe the Trinity. This had to provide them with some comfort because they felt they were being punished by Elohim for selling Joseph into slavery twenty years earlier. To hear Joseph was giving them another option to live because he feared (had awe) for the one true God Elohim had to give them some sense of relief. Upon this nine brothers headed back leaving one behind. Mercy was offered because of Elohim the triune God. Even though they didn't know yet His self-given name, He still through Elohim the plural threefold Divine being God, (El) provided mercy. Today we have had the revelation of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Today we know that the unchanging God, God the Father, still provides mercy and Grace through God the Son by the power of God the Spirit indwelling us. The great news is that you don't have to understand it completely. The brothers didn't and yet they still were set free from prison because of trust in Elohim. Do you trust in Him? They received their grain and it didn't cost them anything because one Brother was held prisoner in their place. The word proclaims this in ‭Romans 8:29 ‬For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; Jesus is the brother that paid the price for our freedom!

Find peace in Elohim God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is still offering it today.

Love Bro. Scott